Apple Pie Baked Apples

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We are SO excited because this week is our first ever guest post with our friend Sheri who shared this delicious recipe with us! She and her husband had just returned from a spur of the moment trip to Julian for their famous apple pie and cider when she called us with the idea to make our own apple pie …. in baked apples! Needless to say we were hooked… luckily she had picked up some ready mix from Julian during her trip, so we set a date to make these yummy treats! The recipe we used is simple and practically fool-proof, as well as being the perfect single serving dessert. And, if you’re looking for a fun treat to really make a statement at your family table this Thanksgiving, this is it!

Apple Pie Baked Apples

Ingredients

4-8 Apples (Granny Smith & Rome apples are perfect!)

Your Favorite Apple Pie mix (Or self prepared mix of sugars & cinnamon)

1 tsp. Butter to coat Apples

Pie Crust (Ready made)

Directions

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees.

Cut tops off of apples, core with melon baller leaving 1/4 inch thickness around sides so the apple does not buckle when baking.

Use 1-2 apples to peel and slice into small-ish pieces. Place into mixing bowl.

Coat evenly with butter & sugars, place mixture into cored apples and set aside.

Roll out pie crust mixture, slice into strips for lattice & cover apples

Place into 8×10 baking pan and fill with just enough water to coat the bottom of the pan.

Cover with tin foil & Place into oven.

Bake apples for 25 minutes with the foil, then remove foil and bake additional 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Let cool, serve & Enjoy!

Thank you again to Sheri for sharing your kitchen and recipe with us, we can’t wait to do it again :]

ENJOY!

-L&A

Sweet Potatoes topped w/ Spinach, Pine Nuts & Feta Cheese

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The weather is FINALLY cooling off here in Southern California and we are so excited! So in honor of the cooler weather we wanted to make a special treat for our Sunday Dinner! It is super easy to prepare and hits the tummy just right! Try it out for yourself & let us know how it makes you feel :]

Sweet Potatoes topped with Spinach, Roasted Pine Nuts & Feta Cheese

Ingredients

4 Sweet Potatoes

1/4 Stick of Butter

2 Handfuls of clean, Fresh Spinach

1/4 tsp. Garlic

1/4 tsp. Salt (Kosher)

1 Tbsp. Feta Cheese & Pine Nuts

1 Tbsp. Bacon Bits (Optional)

Directions

[Sweet Potatoes]

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place potatoes on baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes until soft.

[Topping]

In medium saute pan, add butter, salt & garlic on low heat, add bacon bits, saute for 1-2 minutes.

Add spinach & toss in pan until spinach slightly wilts, add pine nuts & feta cheese, saute another 1-2 minutes.

Slice open potatoes and top them with spinach mixture (Optional: put a slice of butter on potatoes prior to topping for increased flavor]

ENJOY!!
-L&A

In the name of L.O.V.E

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Happy October! (well, what is left of it hehe)

We just love, love, love weddings!

For the past month or so we have been meeting with a lovely couple to help them create a colorful cake, and cupcakes to go with their rainbow themed wedding in gorgeous Dana Point, California. We are so honored they asked us to be a part of their event (I also did the hair for the big day!) and even more excited to be able to create from the ground up our first ever wedding cake! It was a very trying process to say the least but for first timers I must say we’re pretty dang proud of what we accomplished and can’t wait to take on our next project!

Check out our process below and let us know what you think. :]

(Any tips or tricks you bakers use are greatly appreciated as well so don’t be shy!)

-L&A

*Special thanks to my amazing sister Danielle for helping us create and deliver our masterpiece! We can’t thank you enough!

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup [Stove Top]

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Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup [Stove Top Recipe]

Fall is here … and that means cool weather (something we’ve been desperately needing lately) and lots of comforting foods. We found this recipe for a stove-top tomato basil soup and HAD to give it a try. It is so simple to make and the most amazing blend of flavors that will have you coming back for more!

Recipe

  • 3 cups diced tomatoes with juice (you can use canned)
  • 1 cup finely diced celery
  • 1 cup finely diced carrots
  • 1 Tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup finely diced onions
  • 4 Tbsp fresh basil or 1 Tbsp dried
  • 1/2 bay leaf
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 cups half and half, warmed (if you want you can use whole milk, evaporated milk instead…or even skim if you want to skinny it up)
  • 1 tsp salt

1.  Heat oil in 4 quart soup pot. Add celery, onions and carrots.  Saute 5 minutes. Add basil, oregano, bay leaf, tomatoes, and chicken broth. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender (15 minutes).
2.  While soup simmers, prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat, add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth.  Add back into soup pot.
3.  Simmer, stirring constantly, until soup begins to thicken. Add Parmesan cheese and whisk to blend.  Stir warmed milk, salt and pepper (we also added a bit of paprika to smoke it up a bit, yum!). Simmer over low heat 15-20 minutes,    stirring occasionally.
4. Serve & ENJOY! (We couldn’t resist some delicious French bread on the side for dipping as well)

Until Next Time,
Here’s to Sharing! :]
-L&A

Peach Cobbler Cupcakes

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Our final peach post is here, and it is even MORE delicious than our last! The inspiration for this treat came from the thought of peach cobbler cookies which got us thinking … why not cupcakes?! It’s the perfect blend of flavors and will not disappoint. We garnished with cream cheese frosting (our favorite!) a sprinkle of cinnamon and a cute little slice of peach! What do you think?

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2  C. Flour
  • 1 1/4  Tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/4  Tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1/2  C. Butter, Room Temperature (TIP: microwave for 10 sec)
  • 3/4  C. Brown Sugar
  • 1/4  C. Sugar
  • 2  Eggs
  • 1/2  C. Sour Cream
  • 1  Tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 1 1/4  C.  Peaches, thinly sliced (about 2 peaches)

Directions:

  • Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a small bowl.Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl for 1 minute, or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract until blended.
  • Mix in flour mixture.
  • Fold in peaches.
  • Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full.
  • Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean.

Decorate & Enjoy!

-L&A

Just a Note …

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As some of you know I love to make greeting cards for family & friends.  Last week I made a “thank you” card for a friend.  She liked the card so much, she decided to order 25 for her clients to give as gifts.  I offered to bundle the cards in 5′s and package them.  Anyway, to make the card I used 5 different art stamps somewhat layering them on the card using  the same ink color (Vintage Photo Distressed Ink by Tim Holtz) and then rubbed on Tumbled Glass and Spiced Marmalade with an applicator (you”ll see what the tool looks like in one of the pictures; another Tim Holtz product).

It’s a simple process, but has a great effect.  Take a peek below to view the stages… The distressed inks are really fun to work with!  Try it, I bet you’ll like it!


Enjoy your week!

-Loralee :]

Love By The Bay

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This past weekend I had the pleasure of doing Bridal hair for a positively B E A U T I F U L wedding at the Hilton Mission Bay in San Diego. Wedding styling is one of my favorite aspects of being a hairstylist since there is so much energy, love (and often bundles of nerves!) that make it such a memorable experience for all involved. Claire and Sam’s wedding was no exception! I had an amazing time with her lovely ladies in waiting as they spoke of  the tradition of the wedding ceremony and reflected upon  how truly happy they were to be witness to these two becoming one. Claire even sent the groom a secret gift while he was brunching with his groomsmen that morning via adorable flower girl …. a custom-made watch he had no idea she knew he wanted, too sweet!

Now, on to the HAIR!  (he he) What can I say, this was a stunning group of girls and their styling definitely showed through!  They ranged from a super sleek Zooey Deschanel look with long sleek hair for the flower girls with blunt bangs, to a sweet Taylor Swift inspired side do. The beautiful bride went with a classic pulled back updo with some fun fishtail braids and plenty of curls accented by a low veil and an awesome custom flowered hairpin made by her mother, so cute!

I could not have dreamed of a sweeter group of girls to work with, and I am so glad I could be a part of their love filled day.

Congrats again Claire & Sam!

-Amanda :]

Roasted Peach and Lavender Ice Cream [Organic]

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Something about roasted peaches and the smell of lavender just overwhelms the senses and makes your mouth water. This is our organic adaptation of Roasted Peach & Lavender Ice Cream… and there are really no words that capture the flavorful goodness of this treat. Not to mention the extreme heat we’ve been experiencing these last few weeks which only makes this recipe that much more appetizing . It is truly a “perfect storm”  of ingredients to create the ultimate summer time snack! We can’t wait for you to give it a try!

Roasted Peach & Lavender Ice Cream [Organic]

Ingredients:

6 peaches (organic)
1 tablespoon(ish) sugar-free honey substitute to drizzle over peaches
1 teaspoon dried edible lavender buds (can be found at sprouts/whole foods)
1 cups organic heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup almond milk
1/3 cup sugar-free honey substitute (also found at sprouts, and so delicious you won’t even notice a difference!)

Instructions:

Prepare the ice cream:
Pre heat the oven to 415 F
Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits.
Place in large roasting pan, cut side up. Drizzle with the honey and lavender. Roast until golden brown and soft, about 50-60 minutes. Let cool completely and peel the skins off the peaches (our peaches didn’t seem to want to peel so we simply sliced them into small/skinny pieces to blend).
Reserve.

In a large saucepan set over medium heat, cook together the cream, milk, almond milk and honey until they barely start to boil. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Refrigerate until cold.
When the fruit and cream base are chilled sufficiently, add them to the base and process the ice cream according to your ice cream maker’s instructions (we used our blender to leave it  a little chunkier and more natural in texture).
Freeze until set (Mason Jars work GREAT for freezing and look so neat!)

SCOOP AND ENJOY! 

-L&A

Peach Custard Bread Pudding

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Happy August Everyone!

This month is dedicated to all things PEACH!

Our first peach recipe comes from a dear friend of ours (and FANTASTIC chef) Berenice McCurdy, who lent us her southern cookbook and a few fresh peaches from her tree at home. We flipped through the pages of delicious recipes, saw a peach infused bread pudding and we just couldn’t resist … this wonderful bread pudding has it ALL!

Please enjoy this fabulously easy and positively scrumptious treat :]

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C. Diced Fresh Peaches

1/4   C. Peach Nectar

4      C. Soft Bread Pieces (we love using baguettes for this)

2       Tbsp. Melted Butter

4       Large Eggs

1/2     C. Granulated Sugar

1 3/4  C. Milk

1        Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the diced peaches and peach nectar; simmer for 5 minutes, or until peaches are tender.

2. Heat oven to 325. Butter a 2- to 2 1/2- quart baking dish.

3. Arrange the torn bread pieces in the baking dish. Drizzle melted butter over the bread. Add the peach mixture and toss to combine ingredients.

4. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, milk, and vanilla; pour the mixture over the bread and peach mixture and stir gently to combine ingredients.

5. Set the pan in a larger pan; pour very hot water into the larger pan to a depth of about 1/2 to 1 inch. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until pudding is set. A knife should come out clean when inserted near the center.

6. Serve with butterscotch sauce, or your favorite dessert (or breakfast) topping.

Enjoy!

-L&A

Grandma’s Kitchen

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This past weekend my husband and I flew out to Waupun, Wisconsin (my dad’s hometown) for my cousin’s wedding and it was GORGEOUS! We stayed with my grandpa in the house he has lived in since my dad was young and actually built himself, along with several others on the street. There is something so special about that house and all the love and memories shared there through out the years. It gives you that real sense of “home”.

My grandmother passed away in 2003, but one of her favorite things to do was bake. As I was telling my grandpa about our new adventures in blogging & baking, he brought out her old cookbooks (her true pride and joy) for me to take a look at. I spent almost an hour drooling over and jotting down recipes until I stumbled upon an entire section devoted to lemon-inspired goodies… I was in HEAVEN! I immediately text my mother-in-law to tell her we HAD to make our final lemon dish one of my grandma’s favorites, Lemon Chiffon Dessert! (And how perfect was it that the name was one we had used for our delicious rum drink!?)

So, our final lemon inspired post this month is Grandma’s Lemon Chiffon Dessert hope you enjoy! :]

Ingredients:

1 C. Flour

1/2 C. Oleo (Similar to Crisco)

1/4 C. Brown Sugar

1/2 C. Chopped Pecans (We mixed it up and used almonds instead)

1 Pkg. Lemon Chiffon Pie filling (Stove-top brand works best)

Whipped Cream

Directions:

Mix four, oleo, brown sugar and pecans. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes on cookie sheet. Cool, stir. Save small amount for top. Press remaining mixture in bottom of 8 x 8 x 2 inch glass pan. Make pie filling according to package. Put on top of pecan mixture. Cool 2 hours (at least). Optional: Spread with whipped cream. Sprinkle remaining pecan mixture on top.

-Amanda :)

Lemon Linguine & Roasted Shrimp

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Lemon Linguine & Roasted Shrimp

This recipe reminds me of when I first made a basic pasta dish, and the recipe came from a 4 year old.

When my son was in preschool, the teacher decided the mother’s day gift for that year would be a cookbook from the children’s recipes; so the children told the teacher their favorite recipe, and she typed the recipes for the cookbook. Cookie recipes were baked at 10 degrees for 2 hours, and cake ingredients included jelly and 5 dozens eggs; I’m sure you can imagine the cuteness of this cookbook.

But, this one little boy shocked the mom’s with a great basic pasta dish! He said to boil the noodles in water and drain them, poor melted butter over the noodles, sprinkle garlic powder and Parmesan over noodles, and toss together. And, I said to myself why haven’t I thought of that! The cookbook was made 20 years ago, and my dinner sides at that time mostly included potatoes, and potatoes… and more potatoes. If you have a Scottish or German background you’ll understand – ha!

This Lemon Linguine & Roasted Shrimp recipe is one of my favorites, and we wanted to share it with you to make for your loved ones. It’s easy to make, and super delicious!!

 

Ingredients:

1 (8-ounce) package linguine
½ cup of finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup of sour cream
4-6 tablespoons of grated Parmesan (some for the sauce & some for topping)
1-2 tablespoons of milk
1 ½ teaspoons lemon-pepper seasonings
¼ teaspoon salt & ¼ teaspoon of pepper
2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice & ½ teaspoon of sugar mixed together
Lemon zest from one lemon
2 tablespoons freshly chopped chives for topping
20-25 shrimp (no tails or shell)
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Directions:

Roasted Shrimp

Preheat oven to 415 degrees

Clean & pat dry shrimp with paper towel, and place shrimp in bowl, add salt & pepper, and olive oil, toss together, place shrimp on sheet pan and roast for 6-8 minutes.

Lemon Linguine

Cook linguine according to package directions.

In a skillet, cook onion and garlic in butter, stir repeatedly until tender, not brown. Stir in sour cream, Parmesan, milk, lemon pepper, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes. Turn heat down to lowest temperature, and stir in linguine to sauce mixture, and then add shrimp. Top with Parmesan and chives. Serve warm.

-Loralee :)

Thank You!

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Hi Everyone!

We just wanted to say we are so excited about all the recipes we have recieved over the week/weekend. Thank you to all of you that shared your favorites with us, we can’t wait to get into the kitchen and start baking! Stay tuned for our next post as we share our top 3 choices and some fun table decorating ideas to finish out our lemony goodness month.
Also, if you haven’t already, be sure to click the follow us button on the right side of our blog so you can recieve our updates via email, we are so thankful for all the support and love so far!

Here’s to Sharing!

Loralee & Amanda

Lemon Chiffon Cocktail Delight

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Lemon Chiffon Cocktail

Forget about the Lemon Drop Martini, we have even something better!  Just kidding, we like martini’s too! But really, the creamy smoothness of this cocktail is unbelievable.

Our recommendation would be to chill the glasses, rum, and lemon juice in the fridge for at least 2 hours; the colder the better!   

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Part Light Rum (we used Bacardi)

1/2 Cup Lemon Juice

1/2 Cup Hagen Daas Lemon Sorbet

1/2 Cup Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream

Top with lemon zest, if you like…

Blend and Enjoy!

Lemon Spa Retreat

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Lemon Spa Retreat

Are we screaming for relief with the rising temperature this past week?  We don’t like the humidity either, yuck!  How about a cool and refreshing homemade lemon sugar body scrub to cleanse and exfoliate your body?  We made this body scrub, and couldn’t believe how delightful it was; the aroma was magnificent!  We guarantee you’ll tingle all over after trying it!

Mix Together (this recipe fills a bit more than TWO 16 oz Mason Jars)

5 Cups of Sugar

1  Cup of Olive Oil (We used extra virgin olive oil, but canola oil works as well and it is just as moisturizing)

Add  7-8 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice

Spoon into desired containers (It may be a bit runny as the sugar and oil settle but just give it a little mix and its ready to use!)

That’s it!  The Lemon Sugar Scrub is ready touse or give!

Do you have a favorite lemon inspired recipe or project that you would like to share?  If yes, email it to us at  - whenlifegivesulemons@yahoo.com, and we will post it on our blog.  Invite 5 of your friends to email us as well.  Please submit no later than Sunday, 07/22/12.