Lemonade Pie

I'm all for easy pies. So when I ran across this Lemonade Pie from Lulu the Baker via Pinterest, I knew it was the perfect 4th of July recipe to throw together. It was definitely a hit and isn't just for the 4th! It's the perfect summer pie. Here it is, and there are only 4 main ingredients!

Ingredients:
Graham cracker crust (you can make your own but I just bought one, reduced fat)
Frozen lemonade concentrate (thawed)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz, I used reduced fat)
2 containers Cool Whip (1 for recipe, 1 for topping)
Sliced strawberries and blueberries, for topping

Directions:
Mix sweetened condensed milk. A whisk works best. Add cool whip carefully- don't over-mix! Pour into crust. Freeze until solid (I froze overnight). Serve immediately out of the freezer- add sliced strawberries, blueberries, and Cool Whip if you'd like. Do this right after the pie comes out of the freezer, trust me- it will melt! Especially if it's 4th of July and hot. 

It's kind of like a tart-er key lime pie, according to Chris. Everyone loved it and it was the perfect refreshing, sweet treat after a day of swimming, drinking, and soaking up the sun. Enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcake

Summer means strawberries, which means another excuse to make a dessert. Or, something like that. This strawberry shortcake is easy to whip up  and will definitely be a crowd-pleaser for your summer get-together...or just for yourself.

Ingredients:
3 cups strawberries (rinsed and sliced into bite-sized pieces)
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp corn starch
3 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp Triple Sec (orange liqueur) or orange juice
1 can crescent rolls (I used Pillsbury Reduced Fat)
1 egg white, beaten
2 tbsp white sugar
Whipped topping (About 1 cup or however much you want. I used Fat Free Cool Whip, could also use regular whipped cream or make your own)

Directions:
Puree 1 cup strawberries and water in blender or food processor. In a saucepan, mix corn starch and 3 tbsp white sugar. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens (about 5 minutes). Mix in liqueur and let cool. Stir remaining 2 cups of strawberries and refrigerate.

Pre-heat oven to 325F. Grease cookie sheet. Unroll and separate crescent rolls, press 2 triangles together (so 8 pre-cut rolls become 4 big rolls). Roll up as directed on package. Brush top with egg white, sprinkle sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool for a few minutes then cut rolls in half. Stuff with strawberry mixture and cool whip. Less is not more, here, so pile it all on!

Enjoy :)

Adapted from this recipe

Double Chocolate Cake Cookies

Have you had cake cookies before? 

They're cookies made from cake mix and are light, fluffy, and always have the perfect flavor. I always have cake mix on hand, so when I needed to make a quick and easy dessert to bring to family dinner, I was able to whip these up with everything in my pantry.

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix (any flavor, obviously I used chocolate to make these "double chocolate"!)

1 cup chocolate chips

1 stick butter (softened)

2 eggs

1 tsp vegetable oil (not pictured, use more/less to consistency)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Stir together cake mix, butter, eggs, and oil in medium bowl until well mixed. Add chocolate chips, mix in. Use cookie scoop or drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool on pan for 2 minutes before transferring to wire cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Cheerio Treats

I love fancy desserts, don't get me wrong, but there's something about a simple, quick, and yummy treat.
My mom used to make Cheerio treats when I was a kid and I haven't had these in years before randomly remembering them a few days ago. Naturally, I had to make them ASAP.
They're just as good as I remember... the chewy-ness of the marshmallow and peanut butter flavor plus the crunchy-sweetness of the cheerios make for such a yummy dessert.
Best of all, I guarantee your kids (if you have em) will love these, as long as you don't eat them all first. That's what I would do.

Ingredients:
5 cups Honey Nut Cheerios (I used a combo of Honey Nut and regular to cut down the sweetness)
1 package (aprox 6 cups) miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter

Directions:
Grease pan (I used 13x9 but an 8x8 would make thicker bars)
Put butter, marshmallows, and peanut butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave (at full power) for 2 minutes.
Stir until marshmallow is smooth and ingredients are well-mixed.
Add cheerios, mix well to coat cereal.
Press mixture into pan (I find a rubber spatula helps a bunch with this, the mixture is sticky!)
Let cool, cut into bars, and enjoy!

Spice Cookies

There's nothing better than homemade cookies around the holidays. Growing up, my mom would make various cookies this time of year. The kitchen counters would be covered in cookies. We would give them out to teachers, friends, and neighbors. Mom still makes them, but I've definitely continued the tradition in my house.
Spice cookies were always the most popular, and the ones I always make sure to bake. They're always a hit when I bring them to work parties and I've given the recipe out countless times. 
Now it's time to share it with all of you! Enjoy!

Spice Cookies

Makes 3 dozen cookies

12tbs. butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup molasses
2 and 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
sugar for coating

1. Cream the butter and sugar. Add egg and molasses and blend well.

2. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices and beat them into the mixture. 

3. Chill dough for about 20 minutes.

4. Form the batter into balls about the size of a walnut, roll them in the extra sugar and place on an ungreased baking sheet.

5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven. Careful not to overcook! 

6. Let cool completely before serving. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container and stored on your counter, but I doubt they'll last long enough to necessitate that. Enjoy!

Weekend Update

Happy Monday!

Yeah, usually Mondays aren't too "happy" but I don't have any work this week so as far as I'm concerned, I have a super long weekend.

The weather was gorgeous this weekend. It was in the 60's but when my car read 70 degrees, I couldn't believe it. November 11th... 70 degrees? You always surprise me, Maryland.

Chris took me to dinner at P.F. Chang's on Friday night to celebrate my job ending, and it was so good as always. We got the banana spring rolls for dessert which are my favorite! I also got the perfect fortune. 

"You'll never know what you can do until you try" 

This is probably my favorite fortune ever.

Warmer weather also meant putting away the sweaters for the weekend {agh this time of year is so confusing!}.. Chambray and cord skinnies it was! Messy hair and awkward poses are normal around here, in case you're new.

{Chambray shirt: Old Navy, Cords: Kohl's (LC by Lauren Conrad) }

Also, who else watched Revenge last night? Besides being totally hooked on the show, I'm loving Target's partnership with Neiman Marcus. I'm totally obsessed with this Oscar de la Renta bag and need to have it.

source

So, for the next week I'm looking forward to sleeping in and doing whatever the heck I feel like doing. Chris is off work tomorrow so that's a nice bonus :)

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Linking up with Sami, Dana, and Leeann as usual!

{does anyone know what's up with blogger? Whenever I try and go into html to insert buttons, all my pictures are gone when I go back to "Compose". Anyone else have this problem? :\ }