Food: Lemon crinkle cookies
I’m a sucker for anything lemon. I’m especially a sucker for lemon recipes with less than 5 ingredients.
I first discovered this crazy easy recipe on Pinterest, via Kitchen Meets Girl. And since the only thing I didn’t have in my pantry was lemon cake mix, the decision to make this cookie wasn’t even really a decision at all. It just had to be done and I couldn’t wait to share it with you.
Go ahead, gather your ingredients. It’ll take you 5 minutes. Here’s what you need:
-
1 box of lemon cake mix
8 oz cool whip (thawed)
1 egg
1 cup of powder sugar
Preheat your oven to 350 and then mix your cake mix, cool whip, and egg together in large bowl.
Your batter will be sticky and awkward. Don’t worry, powder sugar will come to your rescue. Put your powder sugar in a small bowl and then place a dollop of batter in the bowl. Note: the original recipe recommended a tablespoon size dollop and that’s what you see below; however, I’d recommend smaller. Smaller cookies means more cookies.
Cover your batter in sugar completely. Move from hand to hand to shake off excess sugar.
Place your cookie on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake for about 8-10 minutes until golden brown on edges. Because my cookies were probably larger than intended, my cooking time was probably closer to 12-13 minutes. Remove from oven and allow them to cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then move to wire rack to cool completely.
Now, the hard part – try to resist eating all of them. They are so perfectly soft and moist, I couldn’t believe it.
I’ll be making these again soon and might even try other cake mix flavors!
Throwback Thursday: Glycerine
Back in the 90′s, there were a few clear signs that one day I’d grow up and fall in love with a man that had a sexy accent. Bush (and Gavin Rossdale) was one of those signs. I just couldn’t get over the way he said strawberries.
I also remember the day my sister’s Rolling Stone came in the mail and Gavin Rossdale graced the cover. Talk about teen obsession. I stole that magazine faster than a diabetic kid in a candy shop. I can’t actually remember if I ever gave it back, though I’m sure we fought about it, at which point I vehemently denied ever seeing it.
Gavin was my first teen celebrity crush and I just knew we could make our 20 year age gap work. He had a sexy accent and I was in love. Plus, I did own his first 2 albums, Sixteen Stone and Razorblade Suitcase. What more proof did he need?
However, I did miss the 3rd album, The Science of Things, when it debuted in 1999 as I think I was in love with a senior boy at the time. I was making progress from idolizing unreachable celebs to awkwardly flirting with seniors (as a freshman).
Gawd, was I awkward, but Bush were iconic. So here’s ‘Glycerine’ off of their first album, Sixteen Stone, released in 1995.
I still love when he sings ‘strawberry fields’ and I do vow to see him in concert if they ever tour again. I’ll be the 30-something screaming in the back like I’m 14 all over again.
Life: A tribute to Elvy
For Crankypants: a tribute to the one and only, Vox/interwebs sensation…Elvy. Goodbye furry friend.
Elvy butt, so what?
Shmoooooches from Cranky.
Me trying to get in on the fun. Elvy not having it.
Classic Elvy.
Crankypants – I hope you don’t mind the trip down memory lane as I had to dig through the Vox archives for these photos. 2007 just didn’t seem that long ago until I did the math!
(((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))
Weekend review: On the farm
I didn’t exactly get up to a lot this past weekend, other than working on a major 2013 goal! One weekend out of the month, I head up to Humane Domain to study under a well-known behaviorist in the area. I’m actually always doing work (assignments, conference calls, etc), but this past weekend was our hands-on time.
All day Saturday, we worked with pups, not only to teach them the training basics, but to also teach US how to train and work with clients. I was familiar with a lot of the material since I had worked with a mentor to complete my ABC certification, but the day’s activities just helped glue it all together in my head.
Sunday was more of a standard classroom type of day, except for the afternoon when we went out to help train the goats. The day’s goals were to make sure we got our hands on them (to help become therapy goats), allow them to become familiar with a harness, and to ooh and ahh at them 
While training the goats, we had a few on-lookers. Like this alpaca…
He made me giggle, the skepticism in his demeanor (while natural) just cracks me up. We’ll be working with them a little further down the line. All in all, even though I wasn’t out partying, I did have a fantastic weekend working towards my own very important goal to become a national certified dog trainer and animal behaviorist. All good steps in the right direction!
Throwback Thursday: Lemonheads
Back in the days of Vox, we used to celebrate the 90′s and Monday (yes, we celebrated Mondays) with a little 90′s Music Monday action. That was back in the 2000′s. Now, in 2013, it’s all about the #tbt. So I’m going to get a little Vox ritual revival going here and kick it off with some Lemonheads.
I actually used to think I had a knack for picking one-hit wonders. To my credit, my first CD’s were Smash Mouth, Lemonheads, and Reel Big Fish. Not that any of them weren’t class bands, but it just seemed like my friends had no clue about the bands I thought were interesting. I remember they even convinced me to buy a L.L. Cool J CD, explicit lyrics included. So maybe all that speaks more to a talent on my part?
Sorry L.L., we just didn’t mesh. But I did mesh with the Lemondheads and their album Car Button Cloth, released in 1996. Here’s track #2, “If I Could Talk I’d Tell You”.
Interwebs: A Beautiful Mess app
I don’t normally review apps or products, but I do support fellow bloggers. Particularly, bloggers I admire; so, that’s why I had to share the new app from A Beautiful Mess. I already loved their style, but now they’ve made it easy for anyone to create a fun and custom photos.
Sure it’s super girly, but I like the new ideas and opportunities it brings to my own blogging and instagramming. So without further ado, a few photos you’ve already seen before but now with a new and beautiful mess twist.
Food: Strawberry shortcake cupcakes
I’d consider this cupcake experiment a direct product of fate. There were 2 things that happened in order to not only make this a delicious recipe, but also a healthy treat!
1. I found the idea on Pinterest, via Lady Behind The Curtain
But, I knew her awesome recipe was a little too complicated for me. Plus, I wanted to find a way to reduce the calories. That’s when #2 popped into my inbox.
2. An updated, healthy HungryGirl version of tie-dye (or funfetti) cupcakes
After a little planning, I instantly knew exactly how I was going to make this work. First, I started with a healthier cupcake option, using part of HungryGirl’s recipe. So simple, it fell under my 5 ingredient rule and made these perfect looking cupcakes…
Cupcake recipe (servings: 12)
- 1 3/4 cup of moist-style white cake mix
- 1/2 cup of egg whites (4 eggs for me)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup of water
Mix together until batter is smooth. Fill your cupcake liners at least 3/4 of the way so you get nice puffy cupcakes. Bake at 350 for 16-18 minutes.
While my cupcakes were in the oven, I mixed together my frosting.
Cupcake frosting
- 1 container of Fat Free Cool Whip (8 oz)
- 1 box of Sugar Free Vanilla Jello pudding mix
Mix together and whip. Refrigerate after mixed thoroughly.
After the cupcakes have cooled, carve out the center and add a small strawberry.
Next, put your frosting into a small ziplock bag. Cut the corner off and voila – instant piping bag. Swirl around and top your cupcakes with frosting.
Add small chunks of strawberries to the top for a little extra color and flavor.
And finally, it’s time to enjoy your low-calorie strawberry shortcake cupcake. Even though YOU made them, the little strawberry surprise inside is just divine and the cool whip/jello frosting is perfect without being too heavy.
Nutritional facts:
HungryGirl puts her tie dye cupcakes at 135 calories which includes a modified real frosting and sprinkles. I don’t know the exact calorie count, but these should easily come in under 135 since a.) the center of the cupcake has been replaced by a strawberry, b.) the frosting is not only sugar free, but fat free, c.) we nixed the sprinkles. But just to be on the safe side, we’ll say they’re 135 calories.
135 calories for a strawberry shortcake cupcake? Sure why not! I might just even have 2.
