Two Personal Sized Caramel Apple Pies

There are some days where you just NEED dessert.  Some of those days though I either don't trust myself to make a whole pie without wanting to eat the whole thing myself (ugh, I'd be so regretful and sick!), or I lack the ingredients to make much.  On days like that, two personal sized caramel apple pies are perfect!  Clearly these are for Jeff and myself to enjoy after the kids go to bed.  Shh!

The only thing that could have made these better would have been if I'd remembered to get vanilla ice cream.  A scoop on top would not go amiss.


Two Personal Sized Caramel Apple Pies

Ingredients:

• 3 large apples (I used fuji), peeled and diced
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup Kraft caramel bits
• tiny pinch of salt
• 1 ready made pie crust (I like Pillsbury)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon decorating sugar

Directions:

1. Place the diced apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, caramel bits, and salt into a pot and stir on medium until the apples are soft and the caramel has fully melted.  It should smell amazing.
2. Take the pot off the heat and let cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Take two oven safe pie tins, tart pans, whatever you have that are about 4 inches wide and lightly spray with PAM.
4. Unroll your ready made pie crust and cut out 4 evenly sized circles (I had a round cookie cutter about 5 inches across which worked perfectly).  If you don't have a large round cookie cutter use a glass or small bowl turned upside down.  Place a crust circle in the bottom of each pan, stretching them out a little if the sides are too short.
5. Scoop the apple pie filling evenly into the two pans.  Make a lattice crust with the two remaining crust circles and top the pies with them.  
6. Brush an egg wash over the lattice top and sprinkle the decorating sugar over the tops.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, then remove and let cool completely.  Enjoy!

Blueberry coffee cake

This is one of the easiest baking recipes ever.  Okay, I totally cheat here and use Bisquick.  Normally I am a "completely from scratch" type of baker, but I like to keep a bit of Bisquick on hand in case I want something baked very quickly, or run out of too many essential ingredients.

Liam was my baking assistant today.  He was so excited to get stirring and egg cracking duty (his favorite), but he was mostly excited to eat them... :)

The picture above was Liam instructing me to take a picture that looked like he was trying to eat the uncooked coffee cakes.   Silly boy.

As you noticed, I used mini fluted pans for this recipe.  Totally unnecessary, but SO pretty!  Plus portion controlled.  Always a plus!  If you don't have a mini fluted cake pan, just use a 9" cake pan.

I love this recipe because it's so simple, and sometimes in the mornings I completely forget about breakfast... but it's okay because this recipe only takes about half an hour to make!

Blueberry Coffee Cake
serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 Cups Bisquick
• 3/4 Cup skim milk
• 1/4 Cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats, uncooked
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2/3 Cup blueberries
• 1/4 Cup brown sugar, unpacked

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Spray a mini fluted cake pan (or one 9" cake pan) with baking spray and set aside.
2. Stir all ingredients except the blueberries until there are no lumps.  Gently stir in the blueberries.  Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle brown sugar over the tops.  Bake until inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from oven to cool for 5 minutes before eating.

Bake times:

mini fluted pan: 16-18 minutes

9" cake pan: 18-23 minutes

Peach Crisp Overnight Oats

I think I've made it pretty clear how much I like a sweet breakfast, especially one I can grab as I'm running out the door in the morning.  This peach crisp overnight oats recipe is my new favorite.  Its perfect for this gorgeous early spring weather and makes me so happy when I eat it!  

I love the serious peachy flavor from the oats and at less than 300 calories per serving, plus 14 grams of protein this little jar will keep me going all morning.  It tastes like dessert, makes me happy, and doesn't make me hangry halfway through the morning like some other quick breakfast can.  

I like putting my overnight oats in cute jars so they're easy to grab the next morning, but it also helps with portion control.  Yeah, I'd probable eat more of it because its so good, but its really the kids I portion it for. They can be little rage monsters if I don't give them the right amount, but if its already in a little jar?  Crisis averted.  Yay!

I love making overnight oats because it takes ingredients I keep in stock anyway, one big bowl, and 5 minutes the night before to make.  You can't beat it.  Sometimes I'll double the batch or make single batches of different flavors.  My other favorite is chocolate.  

Peach Crisp Overnight Oats

serves 3

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 6 oz. peach yogurt (1 yoplait container)
• 1/2 Cup vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 1/3 Cups old-fashioned oats, uncooked
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 Cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1-3 teaspoons sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until fully incorporated. 
2. Portion into 3 airtight containers (mason jars, tupperware, etc.)
3. Refrigerate overnight.  Enjoy cold.  

Note: These containers last at least a week in the fridge so don't worry if you want to make several batches at a time.

Caramel Apple Pie

Who doesn't love pie?  Crazy people I guess.  This pie is delicious (and totally gone.  It really didn't last long!) and smells amazing.  Plus, it was super easy to make, and didn't require very many ingredients.

I know what you're probably thinking.  Geez, that crazy girl is posting ANOTHER dessert?  Does she ever make real food?  Okay, maybe you weren't thinking that.  ...But you probably are now I guess.  I do really love baking.  The smell alone is wonderful, but also because sometimes I get busy or really want something familiar.  I have posted many real food recipes, and I have more favorites that I won't post because they aren't mine, and I tend to not try as many new dinners as I do desserts.  I will try to post more savory dishes soon though.

Plus, look at these pictures.  Who wouldn't want to have this in their house?  It's a good thing I have three boys with sweet tooths here to eat most of my desserts or I'd be in real trouble.

I totally cheated and used a store bought pie crust.  I'll make pie crust if I have to, but in general if I'm going to cheat in my desserts it's going to be using store bough pie crust or puff pastry.  I'm pretty sure I'm NEVER going to make puff pastry.  EVER.

This pie is flat because I have a 10" pie pan and an 8" or 9" is really preferable.  Pies are so much prettier with a bit of a domed center.

Pies are even better a la mode.  Seriously, a scoop of vanilla ice cream on this pie is heavenly.

Caramel Apple Pie

Ingredients:

• 8 apples, peeled and thinly sliced (I used braeburn and fuji)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 Cup Kraft caramel bits
• a pinch of salt (forgo if using salted butter)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 3/4 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 package 2 rolled pie crusts

Directions:

1. In a large pot on medium heat stir together the apple slices, lemon juice, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel, and salt.  Stir occasionally to mix and prevent sticking.  Remove from heat when the apples have softened, and the caramels have melted.The mixture should not be overly runny.  Stir in the vanilla.
2.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Spray your pie pan with cooking spray and lay out the bottom crust.  Pour in the pie filling.  Apply the top crust.  I like using a lattice, but a full top is fine too.  Just be sure to cut a few slits in the top.
3. Beat the egg and gently brush it over the crust.  Sprinkle the sugar over the wash.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crust is golden.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the counter before storing in the refrigerator.  Do not be concerned if the pie looks runny when hot.  Once the caramel cools the pie will firm up nicely.  Enjoy by itself or a la mode!

cinnamon roll cookies

I have about a million cookies at my house already.  Between my love of baking, cookies the kids made, cookies exchanges, you name it...

So of course I decided to make some more cookies yesterday.  By the way, if you remember that I'm (trying to) keep track of how much I've baked just this December the numbers are as follows:

• about 25 dozen cookies
• 10 pounds of caramels
• 4 batches of marshmallows

and I'm seriously just getting warmed up!  I'm curious what the final count will be now.  

Anyway, I felt like experimenting yesterday and I think I found a winner.  In fact, I can't stop eating these, and I'm usually pretty good at only eating one or two.  I really like this recipe.  It makes soft chewy cookies that taste EXACTLY like a cinnamon roll.  

Start out by making a standard sugar cookie dough.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Take 2/3 of the dough out of the bowl and onto a lightly floured counter.  Leave it and return to the bowl.  Add the cinnamon, brown sugar, and dash of vanilla to the remaining 1/3 dough in the bowl.  Mix well and upturn onto the lightly floured counter next to the other dough.  

Roll both sets of dough out into rectangles of the same size.  I'm TERRIBLE at this.  You can see that from the photos.  I'm just telling you this so you know that it really doesn't matter if your rectangles are perfect.  The cookies will still look good once they're rolled out even if you rectangles are ugly.  I promise.

Gently pick up the cinnamon dough and lay it on top of the original dough.  The dough should both be pretty pliable if you need to shape them a little into matching sizes.

Roll the dough into a log.  If you didn't use enough flour on the counter and the dough sticks a little, you can use a scraper to help un-stick the dough and move it along.

Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.  If you make this dough up to a few days ahead of time (I love options!) just set the dough on the counter for 5-10 minutes to soften.  If you try to cut the dough straight from the fridge it will be too stiff and the two dough sections might separate.

Slice the cookies and place them on parchment covered cookies sheets.  Bake for 7-8 minutes.

Once the cookies come out of the oven you can start making the icing.  When the cookies have cooled drizzle the icing over top, then allow about an hour to dry fully.

The icing takes a while to dry, but once it has you can stack the cookies without smudging the icing.  Yay!

I don't usually frost or ice cookies, they generally don't need it, but please don't forgo the icing here.  First of all, cinnamon roll cookies just aren't the same without it, and I tried a cookie before I iced them (always a must with new recipes) and the crazy amount of cinnamon without the added sweetness of the icing made for a very spicy cookie!  The icing just helps balance the flavors so much.  A necessity.

I like the random icing drizzle, but if you want to get fancy you could drizzle the icing in a spiral or go crazy and cover the entire cookie lightly.

I'm going to have to give these away, because otherwise I'm going to eat them all.  I LOVE cinnamon rolls, and having smaller (and less guilty) versions available anytime I want is very dangerous.

AND, some gratuitous cookie shots...

Cinnamon Roll Cookies
make about 18

Ingredients:

Cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 1/2 tsp
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3 cups AP flour
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp cinnamon

Icing

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 5 tbsp milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Cream the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Beat in 1 tsp vanilla and the egg.
2. Slowly mix in the baking powder and flour.
3. Remove 2/3 of the dough and place on a lightly floured counter.
4. Add the 1/2 tsp vanilla, brown sugar, and cinnamon to the remaining dough in the bowl.  Mix well.  Remove the remaining dough onto a lightly floured counter near the first dough.
5. Roll both doughs out into rectangles of matching sizes.  Gently pick up the cinnamon dough and set it on top of the other dough.  Roll up dough and wrap in cellophane.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Slice dough into medallions and place on parchment lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 7-8 minutes.  
7. Make the icing and drizzle over the cookies once they've cooled.

pumpkin carrot cake

This cake is awesome.  Do you like carrots, coconut, walnuts, pumpkin, vanilla, and pineapple?  Even if you only like one of those things you'll probably still love this cake.  It stays moist and delicious several days later (I'm really amazed we still have any left).  I love the flavor, it's a lovely mix of everything.  Jeff hates carrot cake, and nuts in baked goods and even he really liked this cake.  I love cakes like this.  It needs minimal hardware to make, and is so easy to make, it's almost impossible to screw it up.  Who doesn't love an easy cake?

Even with whole wheat flour, cornmeal, and protein powder in the batter this cake stays soft and sweet.  Yes, there is a lot of sugar, it is a cake after all.  But pretty much everything else in the cake has decent nutrients.  This is probably the most nutrient dense cake that you'll ever taste (and enjoy).  

This recipe is definitely a keeper.  I plan on making again soon.  It isn't sickeningly sweet, but is sweet enough to make the though of frosting completely unnecessary. 

Disclaimer: This is not my original recipe.  I tweaked it a bit from the original recipe found here at the Gold Medal flour site.

Pumpkin Carrot cake

 Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup vanilla whey protein powder
• 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated fresh carrots
• 1 cup crushed pineapple
• 1 cup pure pumpkin
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1-1/2 cups flaked coconut

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a bundt pan. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, protein powder, cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.

3. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. The dough will be very thick at this point.

4. Fold in the pineapple and pumpkin until well combined. Fold in the carrots and then the nuts and coconut until just combined.

5. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until the cake is browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Turn it out onto the wire rack and let cool completely.

  

Notes:

Keep leftover cake refrigerated.

triple cinnamon cinnamon rolls

You know your husband is awesome when he goes to the grocery store and brings home fun new food items to mess around with.  This time he brought home Hershey's Cinnamon chips.  He scored big time with these.  They are so good!  Super hot and cinnamon-y, not too sweet, and very creamy.  Heavenly.  Of course my first thought was to make cinnamon rolls.  Jeff always wants a crazy amount of cinnamon in his cinnamon rolls, so I figured, why not add the cinnamon chips?

I'm never going to back to chip-less cinnamon rolls again.  Ever.

The best part about these extra cinnamon-y rolls?  I used TONS of chips and still have some left in the bag for later!

This was the very first time I've made cinnamon rolls where Jeff hasn't (half joked) that I should try to add more cinnamon next time.  But at the same time, they weren't overly spicy hot or sweet.  Perfect balance of hot, sweet, and creamy.  My personal best.

 Evenly distribute the chips over the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon when you lay out the filling.

Haven't even been baked yet and they look amazing!

Take your cinnamon rolls out of the oven when they look like this.  Lightly golden edges, cooked centers, and don't expect all your chips to be melted.

 Set the rolls aside to cool because its time to make your cinnamon icing!

This is my favorite part about this recipe, and why the cinnamon is tripled.  Cinnamon can be found in the rolls in two ways, and the icing is cinnamon flavored, not vanilla like usual.

 Little tip?  I like to double the icing recipe and store the extra in tupperware in my fridge.  A bit of it drizzled over oatmeal, vanilla ice cream, in your coffee, etc... sooo good!

I made these yesterday and my batch is already half gone!  I like them soft and warm.   Enjoy!

Triple Cinnamon Cinnamon Rolls

total time: 2 hours

makes 12 rolls

Ingredients:

rolls:

• 2 1/4 tsp yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 1/2 cups AP flour

filling:

• 3/4 cup unpacked brown sugar
• 6 tbsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup cinnamon chips

icing:

• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cinnamon chips

Directions:

1.  In a small bowl mix the yeast into the warm water, set aside.
2.  In a large bowl or stand mixer mix the milk, sugars, melted butter, salt, egg, and vanilla. Add half the flour and mix. Pour in the yeast mixture, then mix in the remaining flour. Knead the dough until smooth. Let the dough sit in a greased covered bowl until it doubles in size, about an hour.
3.  When the dough has doubled in size punch it down. Spread plenty of flour on your counter and roll your dough into a 9x15 inch rectangle. Leave one long side empty on 1" and cover the rest of the dough evenly with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and the cinnamon chips. Roll the dough inwards towards with the empty long edge. Pinch the edges together. Cut into 12 pieces.
4.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the 12 rolls 3x4 in a greased casserole dish and cover with a dish towel.  Let rise again for 45 minutes. 
5.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven when the edges have become lightly golden.  Let cool.
6. In  small saucepan whisk together the milk and sugar on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.  Do not allow the milk to boil.  Once the sugar has dissolved turn off the heat and whisk in the cinnamon chips.  When the cinnamon chips have also dissolved take the pan off the stove and set aside.  Let the icing sit for several minutes to allow it to thicken.  Once the rolls has mostly cooled pour the icing over top. Enjoy!

These don't last long at our house!

cinnamon vanilla protein scones

I love scones.  You can make them in pretty much any flavor you like, they have a great consistency, and although you can make them any size you want, I LOVE my cast iron scone pan.  It makes 16 scones to a batch (the perfect size for a toddler to grab, fyi).  I have a basic recipe that I love and this is a variation on it.

If you're not a robot I know you've gotta have had a morning where you just need some form of baked good.  I know I have!  Scones are great for that.  At least little ones like these.  They aren't fried like donuts, and they don't come in a huge stack like pancakes or waffles.  You really only need one scone to curb that craving.

More bonuses: they are easy to stick into a sandwich bag and take to work, and they are the perfect size for toddlers (plus they don't crumble all over the place).  Sounds good to me!

Even if you are the worst baker on the planet you cannot mess up this recipe.  It only needs a few ingredients, a wooden spoon,and a medium sized bowl.  This is the only recipe I know of that comes out better WITHOUT using a stand mixer.  It makes them too light and fluffy, and you really need a bit more density in a proper scone.

Note: this is a difficult post to write as I have to do it one handed while cradling Luna (our cat) in the other arm while she hugs me, glaring and purring like a lawnmower.  Life is weird).

These scones are good enough to eat plain,and the vanilla protein powder is tasty and filling, but if you really want a spread,may I recommend some caramel apple butter?  Imagine what Heaven tastes like and you're getting closer.  I got my batch at a farmer's market, but I'm working on my own recipe, so that post will hopefully come soon.

If you don't know what apple butter is then I am sorry.  You poor sad person.  It is like a eggless lovechild of applesauce and an apple version of lemon curd.  And this version contains caramel. *Insert my drool here*.

 Cinnamon Vanilla Protein Scones
makes 16 scones (if you make them larger up the bake time by 1-2 minutes)
20 minutes total time

Ingredients:

• 2 cups AP flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Add all ingredients into a medium sized bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until just incorporated.
3. Spray a scone pan or baking sheet and scoop out batter in 1-3 tbsp sized bowls, according to your size preference.
4. Bake 12-15 minutes, until tops are golden.  Remove from oven and let cool before removing.

Store scones in an airtight container and they will last a week.

Mediterranean tapas

Sorry, I've been a bit absentee lately.  Thanksgiving, having company stay, getting sick, having two wild and crazy boys, etc.  It's been a bit mental this Fall!  This recipe has actually been in the works for a while, but as you'll see when you scroll down, its fairly long and actually involves multiple recipes.

Okay, I know most people wouldn't really put Mediterranean and tapas together, but I really don't know what else to call this, because its accurate.  And yummy.

This spread is great to just leave out on the counter and grab at will.  The veggies are easy, just use what you have.  I made some pitas pretty quickly (they taste better than store bought, but they aren't as pretty).  I like to put a little of everything on my plate, and I've learned to make a lot of hummus because Jeff will eat gallons of the stuff in one sitting.

This hummus recipe can be easily halved, and is very quick and easy to make.  You don't even need that many ingredients (other than seasonings).  I don't use tahini because I really dislike the flavor and consistency.

This is all you need to make a good basic hummus: garbanzo beans, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt, cumin, water (not pictured), and a food processor.

Pulse until smooth, adding more water if necessary.  If you like a little heat add some cayenne.  I know this sounds weird, but before adding the garbanzo beans into the food processor I microwave them in a bowl for 2 minutes.  This helps soften them and they puree better.  Once the hummus is ready, scrape it into a bowl and refrigerate until cool.

Now comes the finish.  This isn't very pretty is it?  Not so much.  Time to dress it up with a light drizzle of olive oil and a few shakes of paprika.

So much better.

This hummus is easy, yummy, healthy, and will last over a week in the fridge in an airtight container.

Onto the carrots!  These are very simple to make too.  Start by dicing the carrots and steaming them until they are soft (not mushy!)

Saute some garlic until it turns golden and soft.

And here are your seasonings: cayenne, paprika, cinnamon, ginger, cumin, and coriander.

Toss the carrots in a pan with the garlic, salt, seasonings, lemon juice, and water.

Voila.  All done.  Healthy, delicious, easy to grab, colorful tapas.  Also, I can tell a meal is a winner when the kids take all of it before I can eat it!

Once again, store bought pitas are fine, but these were easy and so good.  Here's the excellent recipe from the view from great island on how to make perfect pitas every time.  I made 8 pitas with this recipe.  They were thick and doughy (in a good way), but thin enough to have pockets and be pliable.
I highly recommend this recipe, but make sure you give yourself about an hour and a half to complete it, there is a lot of resting dough time involved.

My stomach is officially growling now... :)

Mediterranean tapas:

ingredients:

• veggies (red bell peppers, spinach, etc.)
• pita triangles

hummus:

• two 15 oz cans garbanzo beans
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp olive oil (more for top)
• 1 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne (optional)
• water as needed
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• paprika for top

carrot dip:

• 3 large carrots, diced
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 garlic cloves, diced
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• water as needed

directions:
1.  Cut up some veggies and pitas and spread them on a plate with some greens (spinach, lettuce, etc.)
2.  To make the hummus, drain and rinse the garbanzo beans.  Microwave in a heat safe bowl for two minutes, until warm through.  Add into food processor with salt, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, cumin, garlic, and optional cayenne.  Pulse until smooth.  Add water 1/2 tablespoon at a time to get the consistency you want.  Occasionally scrape the sides down.  Once smooth, scrape hummus into a bowl and refrigerate until cool.  Serve.  Store in an airtight container for at least a week.
3.  To make the carrot dip dice the carrots and steam them until just soft.  Set aside.  Saute the diced garlic with the olive oil until lightly golden and fragrant on medium heat.  Add in the carrots and season with the salt, coriander, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, paprika, and cayenne.  Mix together well.  Pour in the lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of water at a time until you have a bit of a sauce.  Serve warm.