March 21, 2011

When Life Throws You Lemons


When life throws you lemons, well, you have yourself a good cry and then you bake some cookies as consolation.

The past couple weeks have been such a whirlwind of emotions flying in every direction.  Life has been complicated.  And many days have been spent wondering when things might get a little easier.

Then I visited my best friend while I was in Virginia, and as we talked, she offered me a fresh batch of lemon cookies.  I devoured one chewy, lemony goodness after another and couldn't stop myself.  And when I found out how easy they were to make, I thanked God for simple joys and pleasures in life.  Like these cookies.  And 20 year friendships that withstand the test of time, offensive amount of Rave hairspray, acid wash jeans, stupid boy crushes, and five pregnancies between us.

It took a simple afternoon with a dear friend and some cookies to remind me there is much to celebrate and take delight in, even when life is anything but easy.  But this is what I hope I'll be able to do every day:  find joy in life's simple pleasures.  I look forward to sharing this journey with you all.

Lastly, I am participating in the NYC Bake Sale for Japan.  It's a simple means to help in a big way.  Sometimes we don't think our simple acts amount to much.  But I love this quote on the bakesaleforjapan.com site:  Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world. - Howard Zinne

Additional bakers and volunteers are still needed for the New York bake sale.  If you'd like to contribute in any way, please contact Lillian of Sweets by Sillianah at NYCBakesale@gmail.com.  And if you'd like to get involved in your own area, check out bakesaleforjapan.com for more information and to see participating locations.


Blissfully Simple Lemon Cookies
{Makes 24 cookies; Prep-time: 10 minutes; Bake time: 10 minutes}
Adapted from AllRecipes

Ingredients:
1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  2. Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in eggs, oil, and lemon extract until well blended. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into a bowl of confectioners' sugar. Roll them around until they're lightly covered. Once sugared, put them on an ungreased cookie sheet.
  3. Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven. The bottoms will be light brown, and the insides chewy.  Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely before serving. 

    P.S.  They're even better the day after they're baked.

18 comments:

  1. omigoodness, rachel... this site is beautiful! i should've paid YOU to re-design my blog! Don't tell me this was free, too?? Amazing.

    These lemon cookies are awesome, I've made similar ones before with a cake mix. YUM. =)

    Thanks for posting about the bake sale - it is going to be... I can't believe I'm gonna say it, EPIC. lol! =D

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  2. Beautiful photo of your lovely, lemony cookies! I'd love to sample a few :)

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  3. These cookies look delightful! I love how they come together with such ease.

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  4. Beautiful and soo delicious! Love your photos too!
    Wonderful job!!

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  5. Rachel!!!! Your site is amazing! I totally totally love it and the banner is fantastic! We should throw you a 'blog'warming party!

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  6. Thrilled to visit your blog. Excited to learn of this fresh-looking variety of lemon cookie.

    The Souper

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  7. These look amazing and soooo easy thank for sharing!

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  8. Beautiful blog, and lovely cookies! I too treasure my long time best friend, (over 35 years) and it really is the simple things in life that mean the most!

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  9. rachel, you have two different blogs?! i didn't know! these cookies look sooo yum~!

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  10. LOVE easy cookie recipes! I can't wait to try this one out. Another cake mix cookie recipe I like is one box of spice cake mix mixed with one can of pumpkin. Thank goodness for easy recipes for bad days that require cookies. :)

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  11. These look amazing!! And lemon? Bring on more spring...

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  12. Love the recipe! I just adore lemon flavored treats. I have a mint chocolate chip cookie recipe made with a chocolate cake mix...one of my favs! These come out gorgeous, too! Thanks for sharing and congrats on the Top 9!

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  13. Oh Yum! They look amazingly beautiful and tasty.

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  14. ooh i'm making these this weekend!! i agree that sometimes all you need is a good cry and to be with your oldest and closest friend! congratulations on the top 9!

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  15. Thank you all for visiting and taking the time to comment. I will definitely have to try some more of the cake mix cookie recipes some of you have suggested! These lemon ones have definitely turned me into a fan.

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