A few days ago I had a big craving for Lemon Cookies. But, let’s face it, I am 6 weeks away from welcoming a baby girl and am way too tired to get ambitious in the kitchen. Also, there’s no way I am going to buy them from the store. The shame! So I got creative instead 🙂

I decided to take a recipe I have known about and tweak it a little bit. The fruit juices and zest in this recipe can be subbed out for a number of different things. So even if you don’t like lemon, you can make this your own.

Here’s What You Will Need:

COOKIES:

1 Box White Cake Mix

½ Cup Sour Cream (I used low fat to make myself feel better about eating all of the cookies)

1 Egg

¼ Tsp Vanilla

3 TBSP Fresh Lemon Juice (Here’s where I “felt” ambitious)

Zest of 1 Lemon (Save a pinch for later use)

FROSTING:

1 1/3 Cup Powdered Sugar

1/4 Cup Butter- Softened

1 TBSP Lemon Juice

½ TBSP Milk

Pinch of Lemon Zest

Now What Do You Do?

1. Throw all of the cookie ingredients into a bowl (Yes, all of them!)
2. Mix until just combined
3. Place TBSP amounts onto a greased/ nonstick cookie sheet, or use parchment paper!
4. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until tops are just browning
5. Cool on a wire rack
6. Now throw all of the frosting ingredients together and mix well. Add more milk for powdered sugar for desired consistency.
7. Once cookies are cooled… GLOB ON AS MUCH FROSTING AS YOU WANT! 🙂
8. Enjoy!

   

This super easy recipe can be changed to reflect all kinds of flavors, that’s the best part. The other great thing is that they don’t take very much effort at all because you kind of cheat with the cake mix. So next time you have a craving for something… just remember where there is a will, there is a way!

… you just sang “it’s me” to yourself didn’t you? You did. It’s ok. Well, hi! I know it has been a while, but I have a good reason because we bought our first house! It has been a crazy ride the past month or so and we are just starting to settle in. I could lie to you and say this is the first thing I have baked since being in the new place, but it’s not. You know me better than that! I have, in fact been baking/cooking up a storm in my new kitchen 🙂 Don’t worry I plan on sharing everything with you and since it has been so long, I decided that this week’s post needed to be a two part special.

Part One:

It is no secret that I love everything lemon. Lucky for me, I married a guy who loves it even more than I do. So when I thought about what this post should be about I decided I wanted to get creative. Over the years I have been told that I make some pretty tasty lemon cookies. So much so that I was commissioned to make them for a friend’s wedding. So really, this recipe came from sheer laziness because I am just taking something I already have and making it easier!

Here’s what you will need:

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon lemon zest
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Lemon Glaze:

1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Now what do you do?

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease an 8-inch square pan.
2. Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and zest together using a whisk.
3. Add melted butter, lemon juice, eggs and vanilla and stir until completely combined.
4. Pour batter into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tester inserted in center comes clean.
5. Remove from oven and cool.
6. Top with glaze & Enjoy

Part Two:

Another thing that is certainly no secret about me is that I love a good theme, but I also love to procrastinate. I delay making decisions so much that I am usually scrambling to get dinner done in time for when Sean gets home. So I have a few semi- from scratch dinners in my arsenal that are for cheat days. This is because I know these recipes like the back of my hand and I also always have the ingredients. This time last year I posted a recipe for hand held pies because you know… Pi Day. So this year I went the non-sweet route and made Chicken Pot Pie (Casserole) for dinner. As the temperature starts to get warmer I know that my days of comfort food are limited, so I am living it up!

Here’s what you will need:

1 package (16 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

1 cup cut-up cooked chicken

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup

Biscuit Topping:

1 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1teaspoons sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

¼ cup butter, melted

2/3 cup 2% milk

OR

1 cup biscuit mix

½ cup milk

1 egg

Now what do you do?

1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Mix vegetables, chicken and soup in ungreased 2-quart casserole.
2. 2 Stir remaining ingredients in small bowl with fork until blended. Pour into casserole.
3. 3 Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.

So there you have it folks, a dinner/ dessert combo that both makes no sense and all the sense in the world. Both are delicious and easy as pie. (Groan) See what I did there?

So yesterday I went to my mom and dad’s house, I was craving some Monkey Bread and you guys… I needed it like now. Normally I make Monkey Bread the good old-fashioned way. I would let the rolls rise over night and yadda-yadda-yadda. NOT. TODAY. I started rummaging around the fridge and found a few things that I would need, and that’s when I saw them. The cinnamon rolls, in all their glory, staring me in the face.

That’s when I thought, what if I made the Monkey Bread out of the Cinnamon Rolls. No, no that would be crazy right? WRONG. I had to! It was as if God himself was trying to tell me to do it. So I stuck with my new plan and found everything else I would need.

I must apologize, this particular recipe is lacking in photographs. But you all don’t really need the pictures of how I got there. First, it’s a pretty easy recipe, which is great. Second, it’s the last picture that really counts.

Here’s what you will need:

½ Cup of Granulated Sugar

2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

3 packages of your favorite cinnamon rolls

——

½ Cup of Melted Butter

¾ Cup Brown Sugar

——

Frosting that comes with the Cinnamon Rolls

OR

½ Cup Powdered Sugar

1 Tablespoon Milk

Now what do you do?

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place granulated sugar and cinnamon in a gallon plastic zip bag
3. Break all cinnamon rolls in half and roll into balls, then place in bag
4. Shake said bag
5. Place all cinnamon and sugar covered cinnamon rolls in a pre-greased Bundt pan (das Bundt)
6. Mix melted butter and brown sugar
7. Evenly pour over cinnamon roll pieces in pan
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until just browning
9. Let cool completely before turning over onto a serving platter
10. Mix powered sugar and milk or warm frosting provided and pour all over

So there you have it everyone. The best Monkey Bread recipe, hands down. There’s only one thing that upsets me about this recipe… I HAVE BEEN LIVING A LIE! Where has this been my whole life and why did no one tell me this would be the greatest mash-up?! It’s ok though, I feed my feelings with food, so these confused/ upset feelings about the Monkey Bread kind of fix themselves…with… the Monkey Bread.

Happy eating, everyone! I’ll see you on the other side of this entire pan!

So… don’t ask me how to say that first word, but I can teach you how to make the cookies! Spritzgebäck or Spritz Cookies are a Christmas (Holiday) favorite. There are many ways to make them. In fact the only way I ever knew how was with almond paste. But, the other day I had a huge craving for them and didn’t have almond paste on hand. So, I did what I do best and improvised. I turned my butter cookie recipe into an almond Spritz cookie recipe!

One great thing about these little beauties is that even if you don’t have a cookie press, you can make them however you want. Break out your cookie cutters, cut them in squares, roll them, twist them… get crazy!!! They do not grow in size so the options are endless. When it comes to baking, I generally don’t believe in having set rules. Unless we are talking science, you can’t change science. Well… actually in some cases you can.

Here’s what you will need:

COOKIE:

1 cup butter, softened

1-1/4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (sifted)

GLAZE:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

3-4 tablespoons water

Sprinkles, sprinkles, sprinkles!

Now what do you do?

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter, powdered sugar and salt until light and fluffy. The color should change from yellow to a lighter yellow.
3. Beat in egg and extracts.
4. Gradually beat flour into butter mixture.
5. Using a cookie press fitted with a disk of your choice, press dough 2 inches apart onto an ungreased baking sheet. Remember you can always use your trusty cookie cutters or knives to create the cookie of your choice. Depending on what you do, they make about 6 dozen cookies.
   

   

   The pan isn’t pretty I know, that just means it gets a lot of love!
6. Bake 6 minutes or until set, do not let them turn brown. Don’t be scared if they are still smushy, they will set 🙂
7. Remove to wire racks to cool.
8. In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar and enough water to reach desired consistency. Dip cookies in glaze and sprinkle!
   

   

Once you are all done let them settle, this only takes 20 minutes or so. From there, I am not going to tell you what to do. Remember what I said about rules? These cookies are so small and delicious, I am pretty sure I ate ten while I was decorating and packaging them up. So give them to your friends… or don’t!

Two things I would change about how I made these cookies: chocolate and booze. Interpret that however you want…

Hi! I’m back after a brief hiatus while I started my new job. While thinking about what I was going to share this week, I was inspired by a few things: my mom, football season, fall/October (which just so happens to be Breast Cancer Awareness Month), and my new Chicago Bears Crock Pot.

That being said, this week’s recipe belongs to my amazing mother. She taught me everything I know about cooking and also happens to be a breast cancer survivor. Not only is she an amazing women, but she make a killer chili. This recipe fits right in with fall and football season. Did I mention that it’s super easy? She never makes it the same twice, which I think is why I like it so much. All you have to do is take what you have the in house, add a few key ingredients, and throw it in the slow cooker.

Here’s what you will need:

1-2 lbs ground meat of choice (I used turkey, mom uses beef aka “the good stuff” )

1 onion (chopped)

1 can Rotel diced tomatoes & green chilies

1-2 cans (14-24 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can red kidney beans (drained)

1 can pinto beans (drained)

1 can corn (drained)

1 can hominy (drained)

1 package ranch dressing mix

1 package taco seasoning mix (I used low sodium)

Now what do you do?

1. Drain the corn and beans
2. Pour tomatoes, corn, beans and spice mixes into the slow cooker
3. Chop the onion
4. Brown the meat in a skillet
5. Add the meat and onion into the slow cooker
6. Cook on high for a couple hours, or low if you are leaving it for a long time

That’s it! I used spicy everything, because that’s how my husband likes his chili. But you certainly do not have have to. I also didn’t have hominy, so I used some black beans and garbonzo beans that I had on hand.

This is guaranteed to make your guests wonder what kind of magical kitchen wizard you are… and you can let them! I wont tell. This chili goes best with corn bread on the bottom of the bowl. Seriously it is the best thing on the planet and I am drooling on my keyboard just thinking about it. I’m going to stop writing because I want to start chili-ing. Thanks, Mom!

This week’s post is short and sweet, just like this recipe!

I get asked all the time if I am Irish. It’s probably my vampire child skin. While I may not technically be Irish, I did marry someone who is Scots-Irish. So that counts, right? Sure.

In any case, we (I) love oatmeal so much. I could honestly eat it multiple times a day. I put steel-cut oats in everything. But oatmeal can sometimes seem boring. Finally I found an overnight Irish oatmeal recipe that works for us, even while we are still on a low-carb diet. I made a few substitutions to the original recipe, but I won’t be greedy… I’ll share the good ones with you. Trust me, this recipe will make you see oats in a whole new light. The best part about it, is you leave it overnight and wake up to a house filled with apple cinnamon goodness! Perfect with fall right around the corner.

Here’s what you will need:

1 cup steel-cut Irish oats

3 cups water & 1 cup almond milk (Original: 3 cups water & 1 cup cream)

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

1 apple, skinned & chopped

(Original: 1/4 cup raisins)

No calorie sweetener to taste (Original: brown sugar to taste)

Now what do you do?

1. Skin and chop apple.
2. Add apples, raisins, nutmeg and cinnamon to crock-pot.  Plus 1 cup steel-cut oats.  Then 4 cups liquids.
3. Stir everything up and set crock-pot to low setting for 7 hours.
4. Go to bed… seriously that’s it!

When you wake up in the morning your house will smell like everything fall. This oatmeal is so good, you will want to eat it all! When you are ready to consume add the sweetener of your choice. Then perhaps some milk or nuts… Bailey’s anyone? Pour yourself a cup of coffee (or tea… if that’s your thing I’m not judging) and enjoy! You can thank me later 🙂

Pardon my French, or actually don’t… because this frosting is the best damn thing I have ever had. Props have to be given to a professor I had at the College of DuPage, Chef Wagner. She was the first person to ever introduce me to buttercream frosting sans butter. Though I have changed the recipe a bit, all credit goes to her.

I am frequently asked about my frosting and I have no shame in my game. I know it’s the best and I get told that all the time. Aside from tasting like God handed it down personally to top your cake, this frosting also has a higher resistance to heat. Meaning it won’t (and by won’t I mean shouldn’t) melt. This frosting is also pure white and keeps in the refrigerator indefinitely (AKA forevs).

Here’s what you will need:

2 ½ lbs powdered sugar (about two bags)

1 cup vegetable shortening (needs to have trans fat.. sorry.. it’s frosting, not fruit)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp butter flavoring

½ tsp vanilla flavoring

1 tsp almond flavoring

Cold Water

Hot Water

Now what do you do?

1. Add salt and all flavorings to about ¼ cup hot water until dissolved
2. In a mixer, add 2 lbs powdered sugar and flavor/salt/water mixture just until a thick liquid is formed (you may need more hot water)
3. Add shortening and the rest of the powdered sugar
4. Beat on med/high for about 3 minutes.
5. Take a knife and test to see if the frosting is fluffy but sturdy (see picture)

   

Note: If frosting is too stiff, add a bit more cold water 1 tbsp at a time until it is light and airy. Likewise, if it is too soft add more powdered sugar 1 tbsp at a time.

6. Continue to beat on medium for 5 more minutes. The more you beat the frosting, the fluffier it becomes.

Voila, now you will be the superstar of every party… because even if your cake sucks, your frosting is da bomb!

I am not one to keep secrets about my recipes. I really do like to share the wealth. But this particular recipe has been in the vault for a while. I am glad to finally reassure anyone who has tried it that no, I do not put drugs in my frosting (Kristin Whitney I am looking at you 🙂 ) Though it does pair nicely with a glass of prosecco!