Cookies, Cookies, Cookies!

When you decide to make cookies, why not make three batches at once... especially if you have a 7 month old who insists on your constant attention unless sleeping :).
These are three family favorites, they always turn out great, plus they freeze well!

Rolled Sour Cream Cookies

**My Grandma B's recipe and my dad's favorite!  Light, fluffy, and lemony!**

1/2 c. shortening
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 t. soda
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1 c. sour cream
1 t. lemon extract
1 t. vanilla (optional)
3 1/2 c. flour

Topping:
sprinkles (optional)

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Mix in eggs.  Add rest of ingredients, mix until blended.  Roll out 1/4" thick and cut, add sprinkles.*  OR simply use a cookie scoop then add sprinkles.  Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.
*This dough is very soft, it helps to stick the dough in the refrigerator for a good hour until it stiffens up if you plan on rolling it out and using cookie cutters.  Flouring the work surface, rolling pin, and cookie cutters before using the dough also helps.  I prefer to use the cookie scoop because it's easier.  They should not be browned on top.

Snickerdoodles

**My Grandma Q's favorite!  Sugary outside, soft inside, smell amazing!**

1 c. butter or shortening
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 c. flour
2 t. cream of tartar
1 t. soda
1/4 t. salt
2 T. sugar
1 t. cinnamon

Mix butter, sugar, and eggs thoroughly.  Sift together flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt; stir into first mixture.  Form into balls the size of a walnut.  Roll balls in mixture of 2 T. sugar and 1 t. cinnamon.  Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.  They puff up during baking but settle down and look sugary and crinkly.  Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes.  Yield: 5 dozen.

Peanut Butter Cookies

**My hubby's favorite!  Chewy, chewy, chewy :)**

1 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. butter or margarine
3 T. milk
1 T. vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 c. flour
3/4 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt

Preheat oven to 375.  Combine brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, milk, and vanilla in large bowl.  Beat at medium speed until well blended.  Add egg, beat just until blended.  Combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Add to creamed mixture at low speed.  Mix just until blended.  Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart unto ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with fork.  Bake 7-8 minutes.

Happy baking!

Good Eats

These are some of the recipes we've tried the past couple weeks!
Sorry there's no pictures- we were too busy eating :).

Spicy Hummus
Ingredients:

• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chickpeas, drained
• 2 rounded tablespoons tahini sesame paste
• A drizzle of olive oil
  
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• Coarse salt
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• Pita breads, grilled and cut into wedges for dipping

Directions:
Combine beans, tahini, oil, pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, garlic, salt, and lemon juice in food processor bowl and grind into a smooth paste. Transfer to a small dip dish and surround spread with warm pita wedges. *Recipe from the Food Network

Black Bean Sweet Potato Burritos
Ingredients:

• 3 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cups cooked black beans
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 8 flour tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Saute sweet potatoes and onion in 1 T. oil just until tender. Add black beans, cumin, cinnamon, and salt, cook until heated through. Divide bean mixture and cheese among tortillas and roll up. Place in 9x13 in. baking pan. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes. Garnish with sour cream, salsa, and fresh cilantro. *Recipe from "Simply in Season"

Baked Penne with Zucchini
Ingredients:

• 3 T. olive oil
• 3 medium zucchini, diced, about 6 cups
• 1 green bell pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 jar (26 oz.) pasta sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, optional
• 1 pound penne
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 350F. Lightly grease 9x13 baking dish. Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat oil in skillet, saute zucchini, pepper, and garlic until tender (about 5-10 minutes on medium heat). Add pasta sauce and basil. Transfer cooked pasta to baking dish. Top with pasta sauce zucchini mixture. Top with shredded cheese and parmesan. Bake for 20-30 minutes until heated through. Serve hot.

3/4 Vegetarian

I don't blog recipes a lot... and when I do it's usually a dessert :).
I've toyed with the idea of blogging weekly menu plans for awhile now for these reasons:

• Spend less on groceries
  
• Stay more organized
• Avoid the evening panic of "what's for dinner???!"

Over the past couple months DJ and I have talked about going more meatless in our diets. We are not ready to give up meat entirely (not sure we ever will, I love a good hamburger :), but in an effort to decrease our carbon footprint on the earth, the growing costs of meat products, and an increased knowledge of animal slaughter (ugh), we are ready to go vegetarian for most of our meals.

Since there are only two of us, I will plan three vegetarian meals a week and one meat inclusive meal a week (mainly chicken or fish).

So far the challenge has been getting used to the different flavors and textures of veggie dishes. Veggie meals use lots of spices I wouldn't normally have in my cupboard. The protein in the dishes are also flavors we're not used to eating a lot of (chickpeas, tahini, and edamame, lentils).

This is our second week of going mainly Veggie. We are enjoying the challenge of grocery shopping for new ingredients and trying out new recipes! We have switched grocery stores as well. Our Walmart's produce and ingredients are lacking in quality and quantity... like finding half eaten apples on the display... or being completely out of carrots!! So, we are now shopping our local Dillons, which is WONDERFUL. I thought we would be spending more on groceries at Dillons but we're actually spending less. Plus we get gas points for money off at the pump, AWESOME.

I am really hoping we can stick to this. My biggest concern is that we get enough protein and actually feel full at the end of a meal. So far it's been great. I am also very lucky to have a husband who's not a picky eater. He'll eat whatever concoction, veggie or meat, that is put on the table!

WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

• Dilled Crockpot Chicken, butter brickle cake (yummy)
  
• Spicy Hummus with toasted pita, salad, tropical fruit
• Cheesy Vegetable Lasagna, salad
• Curried Cashew Burgers, salad
• *leftovers eaten for lunches and in-between days
  

If it's a great recipe I will try to post it on the blog :)

Cute Treat Idea

We got these at work a while back for donating vases to a local church's chocolate tasting fundraiser. They brought us a whole tray of yummy chocolate treats, these little mice were so cute. This would have been a fun thing to make with my class when I taught preschool. I love how the tail is the cherry stem :).

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

This is just what it sounds like. Heavenly gooey deliciousness. You will LOVE it.

Crust:
1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup butter

Filling:
1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese (you can use reduced fat)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar (also called powdered sugar in case you didn't know)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Beat cake mix, egg, and butter on low speed until combined.
Press into greased 9x13 inch pan.



Beat cream cheese and pumpkin together until smooth.



Add butter, eggs, and vanilla; beat until combined.
Add confectioner's sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg; mix well.



Pour over crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.
Cool.
(Original recipe says to chill before serving. I couldn't wait so I ate it warm out of the oven... worked fine for me!)

Baked Apple Donuts

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups finely chopped, unpeeled apples
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Grease two 12 count muffin tins.
Mix together flour, salt, and baking soda.
Beat shortening with mixer for 30 seconds.
Gradually add 1 1/2 cups sugar about 1/4 cup at a time, beating until well-combined.
Beat for 2 minutes.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Alternate adding buttermilk and flour mixture to shortening mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until combined.
Fold in apples.
Spoon batter into greased muffin tins, filling 2/3 full.
Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes until dark golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
DONUTS WILL DIP IN THE MIDDLE :).
Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes.
In small bowl combine the 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon.
Remove muffins from muffin cups carefully (while still warm) and roll in sugar mixture.

SLCC Monster Cookies

This recipe is from the Swan Lake Christian Camp Cookbook. When I worked there as assistant cook we made these cookies A LOT. We rarely had any leftover!

Start with:
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups sugar



Add:
1 cup butter, softened (or melted)
Cream butter and sugars.



Blend in:
6 medium eggs
3 cups peanut butter
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking soda
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp vanilla



At this point I realized this recipe would NOT fit in my Kitchen Aid, so I transferred the dough to a big bowl.

Stir in:
7 1/2 cups oatmeal (that's right, 7 1/2 cups!)



Add:
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate chips)
1 cup M&Ms (I didn't have any on hand so I added another cup of chocolate chips)



Drop by tablespoon full onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
It takes awhile to get them all baked, but the recipe makes 72 large cookies! I usually freeze half of them for later, or you can freeze all of them and eat them frozen because they're delicious that way too.





So good.

Sugar and Spice Makes Christmas Nice

We have a small artificial tree that until yesterday had no decorations (all of our ornaments are on the big tree). So, I decided to make cookie ornaments for the little tree. Boy do they smell GOOD! They're hard as rocks but smell heavenly, and whenever you're near the tree you smell cinnamon deliciousness. The recipe is from www.handmadecountry.com.

Gingerbread Cookie Ornaments

3 T. shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 teas. baking soda
3/4 cup water
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon of cloves, ginger and cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy, stir in molasses. Sift the dry ingredients together. Stir them into shortening mixture in 3 parts alternating with a 1/4 cup of water each time. Dough will be stiff. Refrigerate overnight. Cut dough into 3 pieces. Knead to warm dough slightly, then roll each piece out about 1/4 inch thick. Cut cookie out with a gingerbread pattern of your choice

Use a drinking straw to punch hole in center if ornament will be hanging. Place cookies on cookie sheet and bake 20 minutes, turn oven off and let cool in oven.
Remove from cookie sheet and place on rack to dry for about 3 days to totally harden.
These cookies are purely for decorative purposes and not to be eaten.
If you wish you can seal cookies with 3 coats of clear acrylic and decorate with colorful acrylic paints when dry.

I decorated the tips of the stars and angel wings before baking with Fairway Silvers. I'm not sure how old they are because they were in a huge box of spices and baking goods I inherited when my grandparents moved into the nursing home. Plus, the bottle looks straight out of the 50s. I figured it was safe to use them on something we wouldn't be eating ;)!

I went ahead and hung them up once they cooled and I didn't seal them with acrylic. I was too impatient to get the tree decorated :). You can almost smell the cinnamon just looking at the pictures . . . mmmm

Sugar and spice makes Christmas nice.

Tuesday's Supper- Pepperoni Ziti Casserole

Another good recipe from Taste of Home (and it's healthy)!



Pepperoni Ziti Casserole

10 Servings, Prep: 20 min., Bake: 30 min.

Ingredients
1 package (1 pound) uncooked ziti or small tube pasta
1/2 pound lean ground turkey
2 cans (one 29 ounces, one 8 ounces) tomato sauce, divided
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 can (8 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
5 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
4 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 ounces sliced turkey pepperoni

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook turkey over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the 29-oz. can tomato sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, spinach, ricotta cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic, garlic powder, pepper flakes and pepper. Drain pasta; fold into turkey mixture.
Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine the water and remaining tomato sauce; pour over pasta mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and remaining mozzarella cheese. Top with pepperoni.
Cover and bake at 350° for 24-30 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover; bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 10 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 cup) equals 306 calories, 7 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 37 mg cholesterol, 795 mg sodium, 42 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 20 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2-1/2 starch, 2 lean meat, 1 vegetable.

Chicken Noodle Delight = Comfort Food

I tried out a new recipe from the Taste of Home website. So good!

To make it even healthier I skipped adding the 1/4 tsp. salt, butter, and crackers. I also skipped the baking step and just heated it on the stove. Delicious.

Chicken Noodle Delight

6 Servings, Prep: 25 min., Bake: 40 min.

Ingredients
4 cups uncooked yolk-free noodles
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, cubed
1 cup (8 ounces) reduced-fat sour cream
1 cup (8 ounces) plain yogurt
1/4 cup fat-free milk
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 cup crushed reduced-fat butter-flavored crackers (about 25 crackers)
3 tablespoons reduced-fat butter, melted

Directions
Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the soup, cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, milk, parsley, onion powder and salt. Stir in chicken.
Drain noodles; toss with chicken mixture. Transfer to a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Combine cracker crumbs and butter; sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 432 calories, 17 g fat (9 g saturated fat), 86 mg cholesterol, 637 mg sodium, 41 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 27 g protein.

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls (Buns from Heaven)

Made these today, the house smells heavenly.... mmmmm





Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

Dough*:
2 pkg. active dry yeast
1 C. warm water (105-115 degree)
2/3 C. plus 1 tsp. granulated sugar, divided
1 C. warmed milk
2/3 C. butter
2 tsp salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
7-8 C. all-purpose flour, or more if needed

Filling:
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine, softened

Creamy glaze**:
2/3 C. melted butter (1 stick plus 2 Tbsp.)
4 C. powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4-8 Tbsp. hot water

In a small bowl mix together warm water, yeast and sugar and set aside. In a large bowl, mix milk, remaining 2/3 cup sugar, melted butter, salt and eggs; stir well and add yeast mixture. Add half the flour and beat until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour until dough is slightly stiff (dough will be sticky).

Turn out onto a well-floured board; knead 5 -10 minutes. Place in well-buttered glass or plastic bowl, cover and let rise in warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled, punch down dough and let rest 5 minutes. Roll out on floured surface into a 15 x 20 inch rectangle.
To prepare filling: Spread dough with 1/3 cup melted margarine. Mix together 1cup brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts and raisins, if desired.

Roll up jellyroll-fashion and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices. Coat bottom of a 13-by-9-inch baking pan and a 8-inch square pan with remaining 1/2 cup melted butter, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in pans. Let rise in warm place until dough is doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until rolls are nicely browned. Cool rolls slightly.

To prepare glaze: Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix melted butter, powdered sugar and vanilla; add hot water 1 Tbsp. at a time until glaze reaches desired spreading consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

* I substitute 1/3 of the flour with whole wheat flour.
** I don't usually glaze or frost cinnamon rolls, we like them topped with peanut butter.