Light and Gooey Lemon Cookies

I looooooove lemon desserts!   The lemon pop recipe I posted earlier this month is really yummy and so is this recipe.   This is my easy go-to summer dessert recipe.  The cookies come out of the oven so soft and if you store them correctly they stay just as soft.  My only complaint about these light and fluffy cookies is that you feel like you are not eating calories.  Before you know it, you have inhaled 10 of these little yellow darlin’s and powder sugar is all over your face.  Enjoy!
 
The Goods:
•       1 Box of Lemon Cake Mix
•       6 oz of cool whip, somewhat softened
•       1 Egg
•       1/2 tsp Vanilla
•       Powder Sugar 

For y'all that need the math support, 6 oz = 3/4 of a cool whip container.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  In a mixing bowl combine cake mix, cool whip, egg, and vanilla.  

With an ice cream or cookie scoop, scoop dough into balls and place in a bowl of powder sugar.  Since the dough is so sticky I like to dip the scooper in powder sugar before scooping the dough.  I make a couple at a time.  

 Cover the dough with powder sugar and place on cookie sheet.  

Bake for approximately 13 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies are slightly brown.  Not going to lie...it is a little difficult to tell when these are done. This recipe makes about 3-4 dozen small lemon cookies.   If you want to, you can easily double the recipe. This is the original recipe halved.

Grace, peace and be sure to enjoy some sweets!  

{Leslie} 

***This recipe was given to me many years ago from a fabulous OU friend, Allison !  You should go check out her awesome blog!  She has inspired me to try some healthy recipes!  :)

Trail Mix as random as Me!

I am one of those people that should not go to the store when they are hungry...but sometimes life just happens and you don’t get a chance to go home to get your afternoon snack (I eat like a third grader).  So I went to Wal-Mart to get supplies to make my class trail mix for winning the six weeks homework competition (WOOHOO).   I had never made trail mix before and wanted to mix things up (I was in a funky mood).  

The Goods: 

•       3 Cups Rice Chex
•       2 Cups Pretzel 
•       2 Cups Gold Fish
•       1 Stick of Butter
•       2 TBSP Worcestershire
•       1 Tsp Seasoning Salt
•       Pinch of Garlic Salt
•       Ground Black Pepper
 
The not so optional Goods:

•       1 Cup Reece’s Pieces
•       1 Cup Dried Cranberries
•       ½ Cup Chocolate Chips

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
  
Combine the Rice Chex, pretzels, and gold fish in a large bowl.  In a microwaveable bowl combine the butter, Worcestershire, and seasoning salt.  Microwave for approximately 1 minute until butter is melted.   Stir until well combined adding the garlic salt and ground black pepper.  Now, SLOWLY add butter mixture a little bit at a time stirring constantly.  You want to stir constantly so that the Chex do not become mushy.  I ended up with a little of the butter mixture left over and did not want to add it because everything was well covered.
 

Spread your Chex Mixture out evenly on a rimmed baking sheet.  You want the Chex to bake a total of 50 minutes.  After 25 minutes take out your baking sheet and stir the mixture so that everything is cooked equally.  Put your baking sheet back in the oven for the remaining 25 minutes.  

When the trail mix is done baking allow to cool for 5 minutes then place on a paper towel. 
This allows some of the excess butter to be absorbed. 

 Once cooled, place the trail mix in a large bowl and add your wonderful mix-ins!

 

This turned out great!  I am sorry if this is too random for you.  Today, me and all my randomness downloaded Bennie and the Jets by Elton John, You Lie by The Band Perry, and E.T. by Katy Perry! I was in desperate need for some new spring running tunes. Have a great weekend! 

Grace, peace and be sure to enjoy some sweets!

{Leslie}

 

Puppy Chow… Ow… Ow…

First, I need to establish the three categories of possible relationships that you, the reader have with puppy chow. Some of you have heard of puppy chow and experienced it in all of its greatness. In the second group there are those of you that think you don’t know what puppy chow is and that is because you call it by another name (muddy buddies, mud puppies, crack(?!), trash, white trash). The last group is the saddest category of them all…you have never experienced puppy chow and you think I am crazy for eating dog food. I did a Google search for puppy chow and was not able to find the creator of the chocolate-peanut butter masterpiece. I first heard of this recipe about 5 years ago and can’t remember who told me. I am pretty sure it was from a friend or Aunt…. Anyway, this is one of those recipes you don’t have to write down because it is so easy! It is great for a football watch party, Bible study, and to be honest it is pretty much fabulous for any event.

The Goods:

• 8 cups of Chex Rice Cereal (I use the store brand)
• 1-12 oz bag of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 Cup Peanut Butter
• 1 stick of Butter
• Powder Sugar

In a microwavable bowl combine the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Microwave for approximately 2 minutes or until the trifecta is melted. Stir until your mixture reaches a good consistency. This will take a little while.

In a large bowl place the 8 cups of Chex.

Add the chocolate/peanut butter/butter mixture (I had to write all 3 because they are all equally worthy).

In a large *reliable* zip lock bag place a generous amount of powder sugar (I'm sorry…I forgot to measure). Now add about half of your Chex mixture.

WARNING: BE SURE…BE VERY SURE…That you sealed your bag perfectly. Now shake your bag until all the Chex are covered with a good amount of powder sugar. “Good amount” to me is not being able to see much chocolate. If you see too much chocolate add more powder sugar and shake again (see warning again before shaking).

Lay the Chex on a couple sheets of wax paper to cool. Repeat the same steps with the second half of the Chex mixture.

Now go put on your pants with the elastic waist band, pour yourself a tall glass of cold milk and enjoy some puppy chow while it is still warm. If you are like me you can’t let it “cool” for too long because it will somehow cause you extreme stomach pains….If you do not understand that statement, you are someone that has something called self control. I on the other hand, have to go ahead and store the puppy chow in an airtight container out of sight.

 

Grace, peace and be sure to enjoy some sweets.

{Leslie}

Pom Pom Necklace

I found this necklace tutorial on Little Miss Momma's blog.  She is so clever and hilarious.  I strongly suggest you check out her blog!  My necklace isn't as cute or perfect as hers.  These are two things I would of done differently:

1.  Make sure you glue the pom poms really close together or you will have too much felt showing.  

2.  Make sure your chain lays flat before you glue...this might of been easier if I was working on a table not the floor :)

I found this shirt at H&M while in Scottsdale.  I love it!  Stripes are everywhere this season.  My favorite spring outfit is definitely a long sleeve T and shorts.  I have to take advantage of the month of April to do this...Texas will be smoldering hot before I know it!

Grace, peace and be sure to enjoy some sweets!

{Leslie}

O•K•L•A•H•O•M•A

I love my home state of Texas but I bleed crimson and cream…I have always loved The University of Oklahoma.  By going to OU I followed in the footsteps of my Granddad (class of 1956) and Dad (class of 1978).  This is the place that my parents met and my Grandparents had their first years of marriage.  Here are some of the reasons why I love OU and my favorite things to do in Norman :)

1.    The campus is beautiful year round.  My favorite season is fall :)

2.    Best Lunch Place: Cafe Plaid.  The first place I had tortellini and haven't found another place to match it!

3.    Shopping on Campus Corner has such unique finds!  I love Antique Garden, Blush & Shoetopia!

 

4.    Shopping for furniture:  405 Imports

This is where I bought my favorite chair:

I really love damask...

5.    827 Flood Street.  Best house ever.

6.    Running Stadiums

7.    Football Games & Tailgating 

8.  Post Game food and swirls.  La Luna.

There are so many more things that make me miss Norman.  I think what I miss the most is having all my friends in one place (or maybe going to class 15 hours a week is better than a 40 hour work week...). Have a great week and BOOMER SOONER!

Grace, peace and be sure to enjoy some sweets!

{Leslie}

My Momma's Granola

This is my wonderful Mother's granola recipe.  She first found this recipe in my Paula Dean magazine but has made some adjustments (don't tell Paula but I love the changes...).  I love this granola on Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries!  It is also good by its self as a snack.  Enjoy!

The Goods:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup Molasses or honey
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/4 TSP salt
• 1 TSP vanilla
• 4 cups of oats
• 1 cup grape nut cereal 
• 1 cup all bran flakes  (such as total)
• 3 cups of nuts
• 1 cup raisins, cranberries...anything fabulous

In a small sauce pan heat brown sugar, molasses, oil, salt and vanilla until the sugar is dissolved.  (Man...I need to clean up my nails!)

In a large roasting pan mix oats, both cereal and nuts.  

Pour molasses mixture all over and stir.
 

 

Bake for 45 minutes; stirring every 15 minutes.  

Allow mixture to cool then add raisins.   

 

This would be a great thank you gift or something to give during the holidays (note-to-self)!

 Grace, peace and be sure to enjoy some sweets!


{Leslie}

Game time BABY shower!

Meghann and Shaun are having a baby!  I am so excited for baby Parker's arrival.  The girls and I threw her a shower this past weekend.

Our theme was OU football, I had a previous post about the invitations I made. 

We had a ton of fun decorating!  Here is the banner Sarah made:

These onesies are so fun and easy to make!

 

Sarah was definitely the pom pom making princess.

 

The center piece was made using the invitations and footballs :)  Meg and Shaun just recently decided on a name so we had to add it somewhere in the shower! 

We are not the type of girls that are afraid to eat...there was plenty of food! We split the food up into Pre-Game, Game Time and Post Game.  For our Pre-Game we had:

fruit kabobs and dip,  

pita chips with french onion dip (go visit Stef's blog for the recipe!)

Caesar salad 

 

For the Game Time foods we made sandwich sliders, pasta salad and Stef made WONDERFUL corn dogs (one of Meghann's pregnancy cravings)!

 

Post Game...aka the best part of a meal was all the desserts.  Stef made fabulous chocolate chip cookies and I made Lemon Cookie Balls.  We also picked up cupcakes from Society Bakery in Dallas!

We got Parker his high chair!  

A party is not a party without favors!  We bought Meg's favorite sugar cookies from Cafe Plaid.

 Grace, peace, and be sure to enjoy some sweets!

{Leslie}

***Some of the pictures were taken by my wonderful Aunt JoAnne :) She is awesome!