• King Cake, Filled Two Ways

    I’m feeling very out-of-sorts and distracted today.  We’re in the middle of a very busy week, mostly the fault of my first grader.  Between after-school basketball camp, dance class, gymnastics and a dance-clinic performance, our evenings are shot.  Oh, dinner you say?  What’s that?  Laundry?  How many times can you wear a pair of jeans before they’re truly dirty?

  • Pumpkin Crumb Cake

    So yeah, this is another pumpkin cake.  And yeah, I thought I had sworn off pumpkin recipes for at least a week or two, but as it turns out I was pretty much completely wrong. Pumpkin does that to you.  It has magical powers. Did you know I met someone last week who said they didn’t like pumpkin?  And I was like, “REALLY?!?!?”  And they were like, well, I’ve never really tried it.  And then I was like, “Oh.”  And then there was an awkward…

  • Sweet Dinner Rolls & A Giveaway!

    *note:  this giveaway is now closed. Over the last several months, we’ve drastically reduced the amount of bread that we buy at the grocery store.  Now that I’ve become comfortable making yeast breads, there just isn’t a reason to buy it anymore.  Working with yeast used to intimidate me.  I have very vivid memories of my Grandma making rolls for Sunday dinner – not only was her dough the smoothest, most supple* bread dough I’ve ever seen, but the rolls themselves were fantastically amazing.  And…

  • Make-Ahead Game Day Recipes

    March Madness is here! It’s my favorite holiday. Yes. Basketball tournament time is a holiday around here. Everyone fills out brackets, skips work (or takes reaaallly long lunch-breaks) on Thursday and Friday during the first two weeks, and you can’t go far without spotting someone sporting their team colors. There’s nothing worse than the disappointment when your team gets bumped, and there isn’t much better than rooting for your team as they make it deeper into the tourney. My team won a few years ago,…

  • Better Than Better Than Sex Cake

    Yes, I do have my moments of laziness in the kitchen.  There are days when I’m not above a frozen burrito, mac & cheese out of a box or spaghetti sauce in a jar.   But the minute I’m done partaking in those convenience foods, I always realize that it wasn’t worth it, and that making my own would have been so much more satisfying, tasty and probably even healthier. *See disclaimer below. This recipe is a PERFECT example.  I’m sure most of you have come across this very popular…

  • Baked Potato Soup in a Bread Bowl

    I am one of those people who can’t wait for fall to get here.  I really love the summertime but truth be told, August in the Midwest gets really old, really fast.  So, I have to admit that when we turned the calendar to September and then I saw the forecast for today and it included both rain and unseasonably cool temperatures, I was pretty excited.  The first thing I did was look through my saved recipes for a nice, hearty cool-weather dish.  This one totally…

  • Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

    So, I have a confession to make.  I don’t care for seafood.  Admittedly, I have had a bite or two off my husband’s plates over the years that didn’t make me gag, but generally speaking, I can’t do fish – cooked or raw, shell or not – it’s not happening.  For this reason, growing up in the Midwest has proven to be to my advantage – I have a lot of other protein options and a good steak is far more prevalent than any seafood…

  • Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

    So, this isn’t really a food recipe, but it’s super hot outside, and I had four pounds of lemons in a pretty bowl on my kitchen counter. (Am I the only one who decorates with lemons? They’re my favorite centerpiece and kitchen decor item.) And, since I recently discovered my Grandma’s old juicer I figured a big pitcher of fresh-squeezed lemonade was in order. It REALLY hit the spot after a few hours of working in our gardens. I’m a lemon-person anyway (obviously, hence the…

  • Chocolate Syrup Bundt Cake

    So today, I got this craving.  I was craving this cake from my past.  It was an AMAZING chocolate bundt cake, topped with an almost-crispy, sugary glaze.  I loved that cake. Problem is, I have absolutely no idea where it came from.  My only memory is the yumminess of the yummy, yummy cake.  I feel like it was from a deli somewhere, like a Panera, Schlotzsky’s, or Einstein Bagel-kinda place, but I honestly have no idea. Memories like that make me feel like I’m out…

  • Salted Caramel Apple Slab Pie

      You guys, I’m coming up on my four-year blogging anniversary.  It was four years ago that I was planning my daughter’s fifth birthday party and had only just discovered food blogs myself.  Pinterest wasn’t really even a thing then.  Neither was Instagram.  In fact, it wasn’t until I was a year in to this whole blogging thing that I even had a Facebook page for Lemon Sugar, and now we’re going strong with over 28,000 friends. Love. It. To commemorate the big day, I’ve…

  • Welcome to my blog!

    Since I love to cook, bake and try new recipes, I thought it would be a good idea to put my adventures down in writing – mostly as a reference for myself but also just in the off-chance that someone out there wants to follow along.  Enjoy!

  • Tiramisu Macarons

    While I was making these the other day, my Mom called me, and asked what I was doing.  I told her I was making Macarons, and she said “Macaroons?”  No…MacaRONS.  Different.  Then, I tried to explain to her what they were – kind of like a meringue sandwich cookie, though with an almond-flour base…but I’m still not sure if she knew what I was talking about. So, here you go Mom.  MacaRONS.  (Mack-uh-RONs).  I’m very confident that I didn’t do a good job explaining them…