• Meyer Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake

    I’m back!  I didn’t really go anywhere, but life just got busy.  I am definitely a creature of habit and need my routine to keep me in check – so four snow days, a bridal shower, a gymnastics meet, a sick kiddo (who is scheduled for tubes in her ears on Friday – insert Momma-panic attack here) – and a stressful few weeks at work really have me out-of-sorts. Normally, I bake when things get stressful, but dang-it, I just haven’t had time!  I think…

  • Peanut Butter Monster Cookies

    Pssst.  I have a secret to tell you.  You have to pinky-promise that you won’t tell anyone. Promise? I don’t really like Halloween.  I actually kind of dislike it.  It’s my least favorite holiday.   Don’t get me wrong; I love fall, I love Thanksgiving, I love leaves, scarecrows, dried corn stalks, pumpkins, hay bales…but that’s where I draw the line.  I don’t love costumes, costume parties, normal food disguised as disgusting food…(have you seen the spaghetti-hot dog worm thing on Pinterest?  Gross.) I’m not…

  • No Bake Cheesecake in a Jar

    Did you know I’m on Facebook?  Click {here} to follow along!   There are many wonderful things to be said about living in the middle of the country.  I realize that to many of you, the Midwestern Plains are regarded as little more than “fly-over” states, but I’m perfectly happy to call it home.  It’s lovely – peaceful and laid back, slow-paced and friendly. I love it. Except, perhaps, when it’s over 100 degrees outside for the umpteenth day in a row, and it’s hardly rained at…

  • Coffee Cake

    I don’t have a lot of experience with coffee cake.  It’s not a dessert that my family made when I was growing up, and with the exception of the school cafeteria version, I don’t believe I’d ever had it until my mother-in-law sent it home with my husband when we were in college.  I’m not really sure why we never made it, it seems like something my Mom would be all over – white cake, sugar, butter…seems right up her alley! My husband absolutely loves a…

  • Instant Party with Bacardi Mixers pt 1

    This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of BACARDI® Mixers for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.   You know by now that I love to entertain and host parties so I’m always looking for a reason to celebrate.  Like the old adage “It’s five o’clock somewhere,” there is always something to celebrate – and it’s not terribly difficult to find it if you just look.   For instance, last week my husband and I were celebrating the last week of softball.…

  • Fried Pickles with Spicy Ranch

    You know when you get a craving and it just won’t go away? Yep, you guessed it.  I’ve been craving fried pickles for about six months now.  I’m not really sure why.  I don’t really crave fried foods, ever…but something about warm, battered pickles dipped in cool ranch dressing just does it for me, I guess. I’m just exuding classiness, aren’t I?

  • Fudge Cupcakes with White Chocolate Filling

    If you know me at all, you know that I am absolutely terrified of severe weather.  Growing up in the heart of tornado alley is not a good place to be when you have such a phobia, trust me.  I have many (traumatic) memories of my childhood, crying on the ball field while a storm approached, hiding in a laundry basket in the basement because there was a tornado watch, hailstones breaking through double-pane glass in our living room…and the list goes on. Yesterday, we…

  • Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream

    Oh, heyyyy.  Remember me?  That chick who used to post new recipes three or four times a week?  Yeah, I miss her, too. My days of impromptu, mid-day baking might be over, but with a little bit of planning I’ve been able to work around it and I think I have a workable baking schedule.  This means our weekends are going to be excessively dessert-laden, but it’s all in the name of Lemon Sugar, right? So, these cupcakes have been on my baking list the…

  • Spicy Chicken Hoagie

    I am a huge sandwich fan – a HUGE sandwich fan.  So much so that I could totally relate to Joey and his sandwich obsession on “Friends.”  Speaking of Friends, do you remember the episode where Ross freaked out because someone ate his sandwich?  The Moistmaker??  I do.  And come Thanksgiving, there will totally be a Moistmaker recipe on this blog.  You think I’m joking…I’m not. So yes, I love sandwiches.  I think it’s probably just that I love bread, and you can’t really have a…

  • “Homemade” Honey

    Ok, ok.  This is the second blog post in a row that isn’t a real recipe.  But I just had to share our newest kitchen creation – our very first honey harvest!   Those of you that know me well have probably been subject to one of my beekeeping rants in the past year or so.  From the swarms to the missing queens to the urgent need for more honey supers, I now know way more that I ever thought any one person should know about bees.…

  • Um…about those cupcakes…

    Those (Lemon Drop Cupcakes)? Apparently, they work.  Less than 12 hours after eating two of them, my sister was in labor! Welcome to the world, Baby Evan!  And many, many congratulations to my sister and brother-in-law.  I’m a proud sister and a proud aunt today!

  • Irish Beer & Whiskey Cupcakes

    If you’re like me, you might find yourself avoiding the plethora of “boozy” cupcake recipes that circulate the web.  Since I’m more of a wine girl, recipes cooked with beer, whiskey and other liqueurs didn’t ever really call to me. Yes, some recipes call to me.  And they don’t shut-up until I make them.  It’s a problem. I’m not sure why I finally broke down and made these.  Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I’ve come to really love St. Patrick’s Day. …