• Maple Bacon Biscuits

    I like to tell people that I don’t really like bacon. If we’re being honest thought, that’s really only half true.  I DO like bacon, but I do NOT like chewy, gummy bacon.  I like it verrrrrrry crispy.  Otherwise, forget it. Know what else I like?  Biscuits.  So, you know -might was well combine them, right?  Because then, you can put a nice fried egg and some cheese in the middle of it, and you’ll die and go to crispy bacon heaven. Every Sunday, we…

  • “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.…

  • Strawberries & Cream Cake

    This cake makes me think spring thoughts.  Warm, breezy, budding-tree, blooming flower, happy spring thoughts.  And even though we are still a couple of weeks away from St. Patrick’s Day (and post-season college basketball – the official start of springtime for me), I’m ready.  I’m over winter, I’m over cold weather, and I’m over cooped-up kids.  So, Strawberries & Cream Cake?  Do. Your. Thang. I don’t mean to complain – I do appreciate the changing seasons – but dude.  I’m done with it.  I’m craving…

  • Friends of Lemon Sugar Series: Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Today I’m honored to bring you a post from one of my very favorite bloggers –  I’ve been reading Jen at the Beantown Baker for years now.  She’s extremely talented and full of fabulous, no-fail recipes.  Check out her Purple Ombre Cake from her 1000th post celebration!  UH. MAY. ZING.Thank you, Jen for contributing to Lemon Sugar today!  It’s truly my pleasure.  Enjoy, folks! Hi everyone! My name is Jen and I blog over at BeantownBaker.com. As the name implies, I live in Boston and I love…

  • Wedding Cupcakes

    I made two versions of this cupcake – the plain, unfilled cupcake with buttercream, and the same cake with a whipped lemon filling.  The plain cakes are for my mom, who LOVES wedding cake.  The filled cakes are for me, because I like to fill cupcakes.  =) This cake actually uses a box mix as the base for the ingredient list – I wasn’t a big fan of that idea and I could really taste the “boxed cake taste” when they first came out of the…

  • Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes

    Last weekend, a friend of mine asked me to make cupcakes for her son’s 2nd birthday party.  The party was a nautical theme, and she did a fantastic job with her dessert table! It was the perfect theme for a hot summer day, and what two-year-old wouldn’t want to dive into all of this yumminess?  I loved her use of bold colors and patterns paired with the whimsical decorations that pulled it all together.  Her kids are going to have such fun memories of their…

  • Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes

    Have I ever told you about my brother-in-law?  His name is Jacob.  He’s a few years younger than me, but I’ve known him since he was about nine years old.  He used to field relentless phone calls from me back when I discovered I was hopelessly in love with his big brother, back in my middle-school years. Jacob left our small town in Kansas for college, and has never moved back.  He lived in Minneapolis for awhile, then Seattle, and now lives in New York…

  • Kitchen Sink Blondies

    Have you ever witnessed something really, really mean?  Like, something that you can’t even believe that you just witnessed?  I overheard a conversation the other day that just left me flabbergasted.  Obviously I wasn’t meant to overhear the conversation because they were mostly whispering, but I did. It bothered me.  And here I am, way after the fact, and it’s still bothering me.  They were whispering, laughing, plotting and making fun. It was like watching a bunch of bullies in action.  Adult bullies.  It was…

  • Coconut Streusel Muffins

    If you follow my Facebook page, you know that I had a pretty rough week last week.  Among other things, my husband and I have been planning a trip to Mexico for ages to celebrate several events…his birthday, our five year wedding anniversary (18 months late, but who’s counting?) and most importantly, 20 years together.  We’ve been together since we were in junior high, so this is really quite the milestone for us.  Well, a VERY long story short, we were turned away at the check-in…

  • Hi-Hat Cupcakes

    I don’t know if I even have words for this one.  I think this is hands-down my favorite cupcake I’ve ever made.  It’s beyond amazing.  For me, it’s the perfect combination of moist chocolate cake and fluffy, gooey marshmallow frosting.  They are definitely best served cold, and I’m finding that they are practically irresistible when they come right out of the freezer.  My willpower around desserts is usually very, very high – especially considering the number of deserts that come out of my kitchen.  But these? …

  • Buffalo Chicken Bites

    My husband is obsessed with Buffalo Chicken.  Wings, dip, tenders, pasta, even the Subway sandwich.  Since I don’t eat meat off the bone, (I know, I’m strange) until recently I’d never really tried anything flavored with hot sauce.  In the past year or so, since the influx of Buffalo chicken recipes and entrees at various restaurants, I’ve discovered that I do really like the flavor! A good friend of mine makes an amazing Buffalo Chicken dip, and I’m sure that will make an appearance on…

  • Restaurant Style Salsa

    You know when you go to a Mexican restaurant and they give you one of those little bottles FULL of extra salsa?  You know, so you can refill your own salsa dish?  Those are my favorites.  Because seriously, a little tiny bowl of salsa for a table full of people is just never going to be enough, it’s just not.  And then, you know when you’re at a Mexican restaurant, and your food comes out and you immediately have to ask for a box because…