Cinnamon Sugar Bites - A Pinterest Recipe

Pinterest is full of wonderful recipes but I have only actually tried one so far.  And it was a good one so I had to make sure Lemon Tree readers knew about these Baked Cinnamon & Sugar Bites.  The pic and recipe that I found on Pinterest came from The Tomkat Studio. 

pic from The Tomkat Studio via Pinterest

 My kids are big fans of cinnamon and sugar.  So am I.  These were perfect for us.  The best thing about this recipe to me is that the kids can help with every bit of it since it is quick and easy.  Love that.  You can find the recipe here on The Tomkat Studio.

You need flour tortillas to brush melted butter on.

The cinnamon sugar gets put on next.

If you choose a little helper, be prepared for this...

That's an easy fix though.  The recipe suggests using a pizza cutter to make your bites.  We have done this before and it works great.  A cookie cutter is also fun.

Since it was Halloween day this time around, we chose a mini pumpkin and leaf cutter.

They bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes depending on your crunch preference.  We did ours for about 6 mins.  How cute and fun are these?

Perfect bite sized pumpkins and leaves that fit right in little hands.

These make such a fun snack and the kids love to help make them!  I also found the same basic recipe through Pinterest that can be found here.

Let me know if you have tried any amazing (& simple) recipes found via Pinterest!  You can also check out my boards here.  

Happy Tuesday!

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What's For Lunch? - The Best Sloppy Joes Ever

{The Best} Sloppy Joes {Ever}


1 pound ground beef
2/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup water
1 can chicken gumbo soup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon mustard
1/4 cup ketchup


Cook meat and onion until onion is golden.  Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer over low/medium heat for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

I am not kidding when I say these are the best ever.  I got this recipe from my Mom and not sure where she originally heard of it but I think the chicken gumbo soup is the special ingredient that takes these sloppy joes to a whole new level!  Seriously, you have got to give this recipe a try.  Easy and so delicious!

I'll be sharing this recipe at these parties!

Happy Tuesday!

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Citrus Inspired Water

Ahh..the sweet sound of..gulp!

This oh so easy Citrus Inspired Water Recipe is a fun way to spice up your water intake. Especially, for those of us who have a hard time getting in those eight glasses everyday. Lately, I haven't had any trouble considering the temps have been in the 90's! Yikes!



All you need is a nice glass pitcher (to keep things cold ) some sliced fruits and some mint sprigs (mine were free! Thanks neighbor!)




Next dump all ingredients in the pitcher and stir with spoon...chill in the refrigerator for a bit. Serve and voila! Refreshing I must say. The smells of all the fruits together is so nice and the mint is just the touch it needs.




If you stopped by last week you saw my Summertime Topiary using the drink umbrellas which I incorporated into my water drink this time as well! The Citrus Inspired Water is so colorful and fun I think it adds a nice touch to any table.

Thanks for stopping by. I'd love to know if you change up the recipe and find any other fun fruits that make a great combo!

Happy Friday!

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Easy as pie...Strawberry Pie that is!

 It doesn't take much for me to get a craving for summer fruits. All I have to do is walk through the produce section at my local grocers and I can barely contain myself! One craving that hit me pretty quickly last week was one for Strawberry Pie. There are so many ways to make this particular pie, but the one I use it so easy it will have you enjoying your pie in 5 quick minutes!

 

Ingredients you'll need:

2 cartons of fresh, gorgeous strawberries

1 ready to eat graham cracker pie crust

1 package of strawberry glaze

sugar

What to do:

-Cut your strawberries to your liking. I prefer to slice mine thin, but it makes the pie a little runnier. Thicker slicing allows the pie to keep it shape better when cut into.
-Mix your strawberries with a teaspoon of sugar, mashing into the strawberries as you go to create a slight glaze.
-Begin adding your store bought strawberry glaze a tablespoon as a time, until your reach desired thickness.
-Spread your strawberry glaze mixture into your graham cracker pie crust.
-Chill in fridge.
-ENJOY! Add your favorite toppings or ice cream, or simply eat alone.

It is the sweetest summer time treat. Quick, easy and Refreshing!!
What summer time recipes do you enjoy??

Happy Thursday!

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What's For Breakfast? - Coffeecake

Sidenote:  This post is an archive from my family blog but I wanted to share it with our Lemon Tree readers.  My little three year old is now five. Sigh

Avery: "Please, please, please can I have a piece of coffeecake?"

Me: "No, honey, it's for Aunt Julie & Uncle Matt."

Avery: "But I like coffeecake, please, please."

Me: "But I like giving stuff to others and making them happy."

Avery: "But, won't they still be happy if I have just one piece?"

So, after that episode, I couldn't resist making another one and keeping it just for our family last weekend. I love when a coffecake sits on the island on a cake stand. It looks so pretty and inviting...

that is until your 3 year-old daughter comes along and decides she will help herself to a couple chunks out of the middle. Good thing this one was only for us...

This recipe is delicious.  Not healthy, but still amazing nevertheless. It is easy to make, but tastes like you slaved for hours. Love it. We all love it. You should try it.  And please let me know if you do.

Coffeecake

1 package yellow cake mix

1-12 oz. carton sour cream (1.5 cups)

1/2 cup oil

1 package instant vanilla pudding

4 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 t. cinnamon

2 T. flour

2 T. margarine, melted

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Combine cake mix, sour cream, oil, pudding, and eggs in large bowl. Beat 10 minutes at low speed. For streusel topping, melt margarine, add brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour until well blended. Spread half of cake mixture into greased pan. Top with half of streusel topping. Put rest of cake mixture on top of the streusel. Then put rest of the streusel on top. Bake at 350 degrees. Can bake in 2 8-inch loaf pans for 35-45 minutes or in an angel food cake pan for 50-60 minutes. Put a piece of foil loosely over the top of the pan so cinnamon mixture does not burn. Enjoy!


I will be linking to these parties this week.

Happy Monday!

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What's For Dinner? - Meatloaf

I have so many favorite recipes that I decided they should be shared with our fabulous readers.  So about once a month until I run out of good ones, I am going to do a series on "What's for Dinner (or breakfast or lunch)?" and I would love to hear about it if you give one a try!

First up is meatloaf.  My sister gave me this meatloaf recipe awhile back after I ate it at her house and loved it!  Don't let the word meatloaf fool you, it is amazing, trust me.  My Avery has already requested it for her birthday dinner later this month.  She says this is her favorite food.  She always wants seconds, and sometimes even thirds when I make this meal.  Sometimes, we have to actually cut her off.  I don't know if it is the sweet taste of the preserves or what but she LOVES something about it.  Any meal that makes my 4 year old clean her plate is worthy of sharing with our readers.

tantalizingly tangy meatloaf & roasted new potatoes

Tantalizingly Tangy Meatloaf

1 lb. ground beef (optional - 1/2 lb. pork, 1/2 lb. beef)

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1 egg

garlic powder to taste

1 dash worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup ketchup

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup peach &/or pineapple preserves (I use peach because I can never find pineapple)

***Preheat oven to 350*.  In a large bowl, combine the beef, bread crumbs, egg, garlic powder, & worcestershire sauce.  Mix well & place in a loaf pan.  Bake for 30-50 minutes.

***Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together the ketchup, brown sugar, & preserves.  Pour over meatloaf about 20 minutes before removing from oven.

So, go try this recipe and let me know what you think!  

Satisfaction guaranteed!

I'll be sharing this recipe at these parties!  

Happy Tuesday!

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5 Tips to Great Sugar Cookies

I love traditions. One tradition that comes with each and every holiday around here is the making, decorating and packaging (not to mention consuming) of homemade sugar cookies. I love everything about making sugar cookies. I picked up a recipe along the way somewhere, and have changed bits and pieces here and there to get my sugar cookies just the way I like them!

So today, I thought I would share with you...

5 Tips to Great Sugar Cookies

1) Find the perfect recipe. Here is the one I have used to make literally HUNDREDS of yummy cookies:
1 1/2 cups butter (soften)
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla (best not to use imitation)
5 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt (optional, I vote no most of the time!)

Cream the butter and sugar together til smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour,
baking powder and salt. Cover and chill dough for 30 minutes or more.
Bake at 400 degrees F (or 200 degrees C) for 6-8 minutes.

2)Don't preheat the oven. Ok, am I scaring you yet? I know there are a lot of methods to keep your first batch of cookies from burning, but the quickest and easiest is no preheating. It never fails, if I forget this little rule of thumb my first cookies come out crispy with nice dark bottoms. Trust me, you'll live and learn on this one.

3)Roll your dough and cut your cookies thick. I roll my dough out around 1/2 inch thick. It sounds crazy, but it makes for extremely soft and delicious cookies!

4) Never cook your cookies the whole 6-8 minutes. What? I know, I sound crazier by the minute. Here is my thinking on this tip. THE BEST sugar cookies are perfectly fluffly and soft all the way through right? The minute you over cook, even by 30 seconds, a brown ring forms on the bottom of your cookies and you have taken just a little bit of goodness out of them. So, watch your cookies at the 4 minute mark. Depending on how hot your oven has remained, this might be all the cooking time you need a few batches in.

Worried about undercooking? Well that is simple to monitor as well. If your cookies appear slightly darker in the center, as though they are moist, pop them back in the oven for 1 minute increments.

5)Make your own icing. I love to glaze my cookies with powdered sugar icing. It is a sweet, simple icing that is BIG on taste. It brings the sweetness of the cookies to life. Creating this icing is kind of guess and check process. You can find a good standard recipe here, but I tend to guess and check quite a bit! Be sure to add just the right color to make your cookies stand out!

This year I decided to use my new silhouette to package the cookies! I love the way they turned out. I simply typed up my design and printed it on some fun scrapbook paper. Done and done!

Just be sure to not get too carried away with the packaging, I am sure one of your little sweeties and you will want to eat a few too! Enjoy!

Happy Baking!

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Slow Cooker Apple Butter

It's always fun to make little homemade gifts for people. I especially like edible ones!

This one is a super easy Apple Butter recipe (which I found somewhere online). And the best part is that it's all done in a SLOW COOKER!



The simple steps are written below.



Once the ingredients are added to the cooker..you are pretty much a master at the whole cooking part and that's exactly how I like to cook.

So now for the fun decorating of the jars!


I had some old fabric, some cute ribbon, fur looking twigs and buttons!



Before!


After!







Cut fabric in to small squares depending on the size of your jar lid. Next I hot glued the ribbon to the rings of the jars. Add and embellishment to the top if you like.

This batch of Apple Butter made 24 4oz. jars! That's a lot of gifts! Add to some hot biscuits, toast, scones, or just eat out of the jar when no one is looking!

Have a great Friday!

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Sweet and Salty Snack: White Chocolate Popcorn

Last weekend I had the honor of throwing a shower for a good friend. But I had a bit of a dilemma when I was trying to decide what to make. It was an open house shower with 600-ish people invited, so I wanted something that was good, but wouldn't break the bank or take me forever to make. I found the perfect solution-white chocolate popcorn.

I started off with the following ingredients.

(Did you know that you can make popcorn in a paper bag in the microwave? It's true, and a great way to make popcorn exactly the way that you want it.)

I put 1/4 cup of un-popped popcorn kernels in a brown lunch bag with a few shakes of salt, squeezed out most but not all of the air, and then taped it shut.

I then put the bag in the microwave and followed the normal protocol about cooking it until a few seconds went by without any popping. The magic number for my microwave was 2 1/2 minutes, but you can experiment a bit.

(The bag on the left is un-popped, the bag on the right is full of popped popcorn.)

When the popcorn had cooled a bit, I spread it out on a sheet of parchment paper and melted down my white chocolate.

I then lightly drizzled the white chocolate over the popcorn, moving my spoon quickly back and forth to shake the chocolate off in light strips.

I let the chocolate glob on some pieces, and others just had a light drizzling.

While the chocolate was still melted, I got my sprinkles and sprinkled them generously over the popcorn. I went with blue because it was a baby shower for a little boy, but this is easily customizable to any holiday or decor that you can match sprinkles to. Alternately, you could use some white chocolate melts and some colored chocolate melts to add a bit of color, and draw people's attention to the fact that this is more than the normal popcorn.

I let the chocolate cool and then broke it apart into small clusters.

This is such a great treat! It has that perfect blend of sweet and salty, filling without being calorie-heavy, easy to make and relatively inexpensive, especially in large quantities!!

Would this popcorn make a great treat at your next party or get together? Try it out, you won't be disappointed!!

Have a great week!!

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