Lemon Burst Cookies

I know we all are needing a little sunshine lately, hoping Spring will soon be on its way. So make some of these bright, lemony cookies to brighten your winter day.

Lemon Burst Cookies

1 (18.25-ounce) package lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Zest of 2 lemons
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon lemon extract
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

2. Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in eggs, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and lemon extract until well blended.

3. Place confectioner’s sugar in a bowl.

4. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough into balls and roll in confectioner’s sugar until lightly coated and place on baking sheet.

5. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool for 2-3 minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pictures by ME

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Oven-BBQ Ribs

Since grilling season is not for couple months here and we have been itching to grill, these ribs hit the spot. We made them over super bowl weekend and they were fall of the bone, smack down, delicious! Easy to make and easy to clean-up what else can you ask for.

This recipe is adapted from Emeril Lagasse's recipe, but I changed a couple things.

1. I halved the recipe because I did not think we would be able to eat two racks of ribs.

2. I did not use Emeril's rib rub. I found a Famous Dave's rib rub and used it with the Famous Dave's Sweet & Zesty BBQ sauce and it was awesome!

Oven-Barbecued Ribs

Ingredients

2 racks baby back ribs
6 tablespoons Emeril's Rib Rub spice blend
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon celery salt
Emeril's Bam! B-Q Original Sweet Barbecue Sauce or other favorite barbecue sauce

Directions

1.Preheat oven 300 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil large enough to cover the pan twice. Line the aluminum foil with an equal sized piece of parchment paper. (You will be folding this over the ribs and sealing it.)

2.Place ribs, meat side up, in an even layer on prepared baking sheet; set aside. In a small bowl, combine Rib Rub, salt, pepper, and celery salt; stir to combine. Divide seasoning evenly between both slabs of ribs, coating well on each side. Fold the extra length of parchment paper-lined aluminum foil over ribs and seal tightly on all sides. Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake until ribs are very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

3.Remove baking sheet from oven. Peel back parchment paper-lined foil so that ribs are exposed. Using a basting brush or the back of a spoon, coat meat side of ribs lightly with barbecue sauce. Return ribs to oven, and bake, uncovered, until sauce is thickened and lightly browned, 20 to 30 minutes.

4.Remove ribs from oven and let cool briefly. Cut between each rib and serve with additional barbecue sauce, if desired.

Pipe Cleaner Flower Rings

Okay I like to watch Martha....I admit it, but I would like to say I am more inspired by the people she has on her show than her. Last week she had on Wendy Baner aka Pipe Cleaner Lady. Wendy made these adorable rings, that I knew my daughters would love. We started making them and as you will see we just could not stop. It was so much fun and they turned out so cute.

This is the daisy and it is the most simplest design and it only takes 3 pipe cleaners. Below is a video of Wendy making this ring.

Every girl likes some bling! Wendy shows how to do this in the video also.

The Rose Ring
This ring Wendy showed how to do on Martha and I have included the instructions below.

Tools and Materials

Six pipe cleaners in color of desired rose
One green pipe cleaner

Ring How-To

1. Group six pipe cleaners with ends even, and twist in the middle about 5 times to create something that looks like whiskers.

2. Put the twist under the intended ring finger and cross the "whiskers" over the top of the finger to measure the ring size. Remove pipe cleaners from finger and twist to size.

3. Open and spread out the "legs." Make a very tiny bend on the end of each leg, pressing back onto itself. Start rolling each leg from the bend into the center, pulling back as you roll to make the roll as tight as possible.

4. Arrange each rolled "petal" of the rose. Begin by turning the two innermost rolls to face each other, and work outward, arranging and organizing the petals until you are happy with the rose's shape.

5. To add a leaf, twist a green pipe cleaner around the top of the ring, where it meets the flower. Roll each leg of the green pipe cleaner into the center as you did for the rose. Pinch the outside of each roll to give it a leaf shape.

Aria got really creative while I was in the shower. These are her "Wild Flowers"

Butterfly ring and a little lady bug.

I ♥ Brownies

Some like them chewy, some like them cakey.....me I just love them! So for your Valentine this day bake them up some yummy, chocolatiness. Frost them with this fudgy frosting that is to die for and they will love you FOREVER!

Happy Valentines Day!

Thirty Minute Brownies

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

2 sticks of butter or marg at room temp.

6 Tablespoons unsweetened Cocoa

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (opt)

Directions:

Cream sugar, butter or margarine until light in color and well blended. Add the eggs, vanilla and beat well. Add dry ingredients, and mix just until blended. Add chopped nuts if desired.

Place batter in UNGREASED 9x13 Pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Don't over bake. Cool on wire rack until cool. Frost with yummy frosting ....only if you want to!


No Cook Fudge Frosting

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)

1/3 cup Boiling water

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add butter, boiling water, and the vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed. If necessary, cool for 10 to 20 minutes or until mixture reaches spreading consistency.

Pictures by Me

Adapted from Get off your Butt and Bake

Healthy Snacks for Kids

Kohl's has launched a healthy kids website that has a recipe and activity book you can print out. My kids love to snack and they get bored with the same old piece of fruit or box of raisins. So I thought it would be fun to jazz up our diet a bit. I also thought it would be great for me also to try some new things. I am horrible at eating healthy. Below I added some recipes from the website and if my children and I liked them.

The first recipe we tried was called Carrot Raisin Salad or Carrot Slaw I renamed it.

Carrot Raisin Salad

Ingredients:

4 medium carrots (shredded)
¼ cup raisins
2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

Stir carrots, raisins, sugar and lemon in a medium sized bowl. Serve chilled.

Makes 4 servings.

Verdict: Aria (age 6) who loves raw carrots, said it was sour and only took one bite and ate no more. Audrey (age 20 months) gobbled it up! Me (age old) thought it was okay, did think the lemon juice was a little strong, but would make it again.

Golden Apple Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1 golden delicious apple, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup apple juice
1/3 cup water
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
1/3 cup quick-cook rolled oats, uncooked

Directions:

Mix apples, juice, water, cinnamon and nutmeg in a microwave safe medium-sized bowl. Have your parents help you microwave your mix for 1-2 minutes until hot and apples are soft. Stir-in rolled oats. Cover and let stand several minutes until it is cooled before serving. Makes 1 serving.

Verdict: Aria (age 6) took one bite and said the oatmeal tasted weird and ate no more. Audrey (age 20 months) took a couple bites but only liked the apples. Me (age only as old as you feel) ate most of it. I thought the apples were yummy and I also had a problem with the oatmeal texture, but I have always had that problem. I think I would make it again and maybe add some brown sugar to it.

Frozen Banana Treat

Ingredients:

1 banana
honey
nuts or granola

Directions:

Peel banana. Have you parents help you slice the banana into small chunks. Roll the chunks in honey and then into the granola or nuts. Put the chunks into a small baggie and then put in the freezer for 4-6 hours. Take out of the freezer and enjoy your treat

Verdict: Aria (age 6) I offered her one and she said she did not like bananas and ate none of it. Audrey (age 20 months) loved it and ate quite a few. Me (age unknown) thought this was my favorite snack and would definitely make them again.

Flowers for your Lil' Sweetie

The other day I was blog hopping and found these cute fabric flowers, perfect for all that extra scrap fabric I had. The original pattern was to make the flower into a pin to be worn on a shirt, skirt, bag, etc. But I never wear pins and thought it would be cuter has a hair clip instead. If you would like the pattern you can click here.

The pattern for the flowers I thought were quit large for my little girls heads. So I took the smallest one that originally went in the center and made that the outside. Then I reduced it by 75% on my copier and made that the new middle section.

On the pattern instructions she mentions making a matching button from some fabric, I did not have the materials to do that at the moment. I just used some things I already had.

I had some tulle so I mixed that in with some fabric, just in time for Valentine's Day!


This one I made for me and I wanted it a little smaller so I took my new center and made that the outside layer and reduced it again on my copier.

I covered the hair clips with ribbon using hot glue

and then hot glued it on the back. That easy and so cute.