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Cookies for Kids’ Cancer & A Giveaway!
For me, there is little worse than being sick over the holidays – especially baking holidays like Thanksgiving. I started feeling like I was coming down with something the day before Thanksgiving, and by the weekend I was completely down and out with Bronchitis. Needless to say, I didn’t do nearly the amount of baking I wanted to over the holiday – and I certainly didn’t eat as much as I wanted to – although I suppose maybe that’s a good thing. Now that I’m feeling…
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No-Crack Cheesecake
Best cheesecake ever. It doesn’t crack. It’s crumbly but not dry. It has a THICK, buttery graham cracker crust. It’s the best. The end. Seriously. So. good. I don’t have a lot of words about this. I’ve made cheesecake a number of times, but I’ve never shared my go-to recipe with you all, which frankly seems like a crime against humanity. Or against lemon-sugarers, at least.
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Versatile Chocolate Cake
Just a quick update to add pictures of the Birthday/St. Patrick’s Day cake I made for my Mother-In-Law’s belated birthday party. She loves this chocolate cake, but my 5 year old wanted a green cake. So – we compromised. A four-layer chocolate cake with milk chocolate ganache filling, frosted with green vanilla buttercream and decorated with green M&M’s. I definitely prefer the chocolate frosting over the vanilla frosting, but this was still yummy. Recipe and more details to follow.
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Erin’s favorite recipes from 2012
As we say goodbye to 2012, it’s fun to reflect on everything that happened during the year. My family had a wonderful year full of blessings. We celebrated my parent’s 35th wedding anniversary in May. We traveled to the beach with our extended family, filling up three beach houses. My oldest daughter completed Kindergarten and started 1st grade. We coached T-ball, we celebrated 1st birthdays for my niece and nephew, and found out my brother and sister are expecting again. We attended dance recitals, hosted…
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Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
I feel like we are a couple of weeks behind everyone else, but it’s finally back-to-school week at my house. We’re getting back into the swing of things, painfully shedding our summertime schedules and trying to remember what it’s like to set alarm clocks and adhere to bedtime routines. Since I’m totally a creature of habit, I look forward to this time of year. I love having my daughter home with me all summer long, but I thrive on schedules and routines. Plus, do…
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Spinach Queso Dip
So, let’s talk football. My family is obsessed. College football on Saturday, NFL on Sunday, Monday and even Thursday sometimes. High school football on Friday nights, fantasy football leagues everywhere I turn, and pick-up games of catch before and after Sunday dinner. Now, I like football as much as the next person (ok, well maybe a *tiny* bit less), but I have to say that I get more excited about the football parties and the tailgating than I do the actual games. And right at…
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Apple Pie
I’ve mentioned before that I was practically raised on pie. Every holiday (and sometimes just Sunday Dinner) during my childhood involved at least two pies, but more like five or six, of every variety you could possibly dream of. My favorite summertime pie is apple…mmm…warm apple pie with cold vanilla ice cream. Heaven on a plate! My mom makes the best apple pie I’ve ever had, but when I ask her how she makes it she says, “Oh, you know, a little of this, a little of that.” …
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Soft Breadsticks
Geez, I really seem to be all about the breads lately, don’t I? I wasn’t really planning to post these because they aren’t exactly the prettiest food I’ve ever made, but after I tried them I knew I couldn’t keep the recipe to myself. In fact, my husband requested that I make them two days in a row. Yep, that’s right. And I didn’t argue because I was secretly lamenting that he and the girls ate them all and didn’t leave any leftovers for me.…
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A Fairy Party
Ready for a photo-heavy post? ‘Cause that’s what you’re gonna get. It’s Fairy Party time! Last weekend, my daughter Mia turned six years old. For those of you who have been Lemon Sugar readers for a while, you know that my daughter and my niece were born just 17 hours apart, so my sister and I always combine their family party. I look forward to planning this party every year, and we’ve had some fun themes in years past. This year we went with a fairy-inspired…
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Apple Frangipane Tart
I’m so fancy. Ok, not really. Not at all, actually. But if I was, this is tart that would prove it. Guys, this tart is amazing. Apples, almond filling, shortbread crust. So, so good. The apples are juicy and sweet, the frangipane apple custard is firm and creamy, and the crust is thick and soft. I’m not sure how it gets any better. Frangipane is a baked almond cream. It’s much like a custard – maybe a bit more firm, but it has that lovely…
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Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Bars
This is my version of a rain dance. I’m going to make a whole bunch of warm, spicy, fall-flavored treats until Mother Nature gets the hint; pumpkin breads, banana breads, soups, stews, casseroles – you name it. I’m breaking out my scarves, my afghans, and my fuzzy socks, and I’m planting Mums and decorating with gourds. If summer wants to hang on for a couple of months, so be it – but at our house, fall is here. I’m pretty sure that won’t work, but…
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Healthy Chicken Salad
As I’m sure is the case with many of you, January always brings a renewed focus on health and fitness in our household. The gluttony of November and December is long-gone, and the reality of dusty treadmills and suddenly snug pants starts to sink in. So, we happily dig out our favorite healthy recipes, and wonder why we ever stopped eating them in the first place. I don’t know what it is about November and December – I know there’s a lot of food around…
