My Favorite Sugar Cookie recipe

This recipe was given to me from my mother in law!!  I have been hooked ever since.

1 C. sugar 2 eggs beaten

3C. flour 1 C. sour cream

1 tsp.  salt 1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. nutmeg or van. 1C. soft butter (room temp)

In a med. bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking soda together and set aside.  In your main mixing bowl combine, sugar, eggs, butter and sour cream.  Mix well.  Add dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Make two flat discs with the dough and wrap with plastic wrap.  Chill for 30 min.  Roll out to desired thickness and cut out with desired shapes.  Bake at 425 for 8 to 10 min. 

I make my cookies thick with lots of frosting!! Yummy!!

 

My favorite dough ever!!

I am finally making some time to post on this recipe blog. And for my first post what is more appropriate than posting my most favorite dough EVER. I use it to make hamburger buns, dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls and breadsticks! It's super fast (done in just over an hour!) and so yummy! Hope you like it, too!

My favorite dough

2 packages yeast ( 4 1/2 tsp)
4-5 cups flour (I like to use 1/2 white and 1/2 wheat sometimes)
1 cup milk
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. salt

Mix yeast and 2 cups flour in large mixing bowl. Set aside. In a new bowl (or I like to use a glass measuring cup) mix milk, water, oil, sugar and salt. Microwave until lukewarm (about 70 seconds). Stir and dump into yeast and flour. Mix until very smooth. Add 2-3 more cups flour until a soft dough forms. Set under a greased bowl for 10 minutes. Form into desired shape (dinner rolls, hamburger buns, cinnamon rolls, etc... ) Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled - about 1/2 an hour or so. I usually pre-heat my oven to 400 at this time - it helps them raise quicker as well. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Delish!

** to do cinnamon rolls I divide dough into two balls, roll out into large rectangle, spread with softened butter, sprinkle with cinnamon & lots of brown sugar, roll them up and cut into rolls and frost with whatever frosting you like.

** to do hamburger buns I divide dough into 12-18 slightly flattened balls (depending on how big you like 'em)

** for dinner rolls I usually do small un-flattened balls or divide the dough into two balls, roll into a circle, cut it like a pizza and let the kids roll the triangles up into crescents

** for breadsticks I divide into two balls and roll each ball into a circle on a pizza pan, cut into strips, sprinkle with garlic and parmesan.

I usually divide the dough into two balls and make dinner rolls with one and cinnamon rolls with the other!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are one of my families FAVORITE cookies ever!! They are so delicious!

Cream together:
1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter (TIP: Reese's Peanut Butter brand doesn't work very well)
I like to mix mine in my kitchen aid for at least 3 or 4 minutes (or until light and fluffy)! Just make sure the sugars are mixed really well!! It will make your cookies so much better! And another tip.... make sure your butter is either at room temp or cut it in up and make sure you just barely soften it in the microwave! That really makes a HUGE difference in cookies. If the butter is too soft, or melted, it will cause the cookie to spread rather then hold firm.
THEN...........
MIX IN :
2 eggs
2&1/2 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
(TIP: I add the baking powder and salt into the measuring cup with the flour and gently stir it with a fork so you don't get any concentrated spots of salt or baking powder)
Now add these ingredients all at once and mix until blended. Then add
1 & half bag semi sweet chocolate chips (we like lots of choc. chips!)
Now the hard part.... cover and let chill in fridge for one hour. Then heat oven to 350. Then spoon on a baking sheet or use a small ice cream scoop it works best to form uniform shape balls and size. Make sure not to pack it too tight. Bake 8 to 10 minutes.


The outside of your cookies should be slightly firm to touch but the outside will still be pretty soft. The tops will brown on top slightly. Don't forget that they actually keep cooking when you take them out so don't let them to get too done in the oven!! You have to pull them out before they get too done or they will be hard!! I like to leave mine on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes then move to tinfoil. Let them cool and the middle will be soft and delicious! These cookies took me some practice but the original recipe doesn't really have detailed directions. But I think I have put all my tips here to make it easier! Hope you like them!! I make cookies at least once a week! This is one of the three favorite recipes that I use the most. MY FAMILY LOVES THEM!!

ENJOY!!!

Yummy Zucchini Cake

4 eggs
3 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. oil
1 tsp soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
3 c. grated zucchini
3 c. flour
1 c. walnuts (optional)

Beat eggs. Add sugar and oil and beat together. Add everything else except flour and zucchini, beat together then add the flour and zucchini.

Bake in 9x13 cake pan at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. You can also put this in a sheet cake pan but do not put the whole recipe in, you will have a mess in the oven. Bake for 20+ minutes.

Icing
1/4 c. butter
3 oz cream cheese
2 1/4 c. powder sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 c. canned milk (I used regular and it was fine too)

I got this recipe looking on other peoples recipe blogs. I needed a recipe for my zucchini that has been growing in my garden. I decided to try this recipe not knowing how it would taste and it ended up being really good. It is almost like a spice cake to me except for really moist. If any of you have any good zucchini recipes let me know I have been looking for some good ones lately. This is really Yummy especially when it is warm.

Oreo Cookies

2 cake mixes (I used Devil)
4 eggs
2 sticks butter (soften)
Mix together

Bake at 350 for 8 minutes and let cool.

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1/2 teas vanilla
1 c. powder sugar

Beat your cream cheese first then add the butter beat these together and add the rest of ingredients.

I got this recipe from Nicole she made these cookies for us once and I love them!! They are a little time consuming but they are definitely worth it. I have made them twice now and they are gone fast!! The boys eat them all in one day.

Chicken Penne in Smokey Chili Cream Sauce

My sister made this for me one time when we visited her, and I loved it!!  She got it from a magazine (I'm not for sure which one).  Just to warn you, it is a little spicy.  I made it one time for my family and added a little too much chipotle.  My kids were literally crying because it was so hot!!  Before I had tasted it I told them, "You better eat it because there is nothing else!!"  Then I tasted it and felt bad that I had said that because it was pretty hot.  So go easy on the chili powder and chipotles if your kids don't like spicy food.  Enjoy! 

12 ounces uncooked penne pasta                   1-1/2 TBS. veg. oil

1 lb. bonless, skinless chicken breasts

(cut into 3/4 chunks) 1/3 C. chopped onions

1 tsp. minced garlic 2 C. prepared Alfredo sauce

1 TBS. chipotle in adobo sauce 2 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. maple syrup 1/2 tsp. salt

8 slices fully cooked bacon, chopped 2 TBS. chopped fresh cilantro

Cook penne following package directions. Heat oil in a large skillet 

over med-high heat and cook chicken for about 4 min. or until 

cooked through. Remove to a plate and reserve.  Reduce heat to med.  

Add onion to the skillet and cook for 3 min, stirring occasionally.  

Add garlic and cook 30 sec. Stir in Alfredo sauce, chipotle, 

chili powder, maple syrup, and salt. Cook over med-high heat until 

bubbly. Stir in chicken. Place pasta back into the pot and stir in 

the Alfredo and chicken mixture. Garnish with the bacon and cilantro.

Black Bean Corn Salsa

On the weekend mom made this salsa for us all to try, we all actually loved it so I decided to make it and post for everyone to try. You can make it mild, medium, or HOT!! Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.

Black Bean Corn Salsa

2 c. black beans, rinsed ( used one can)

1 can tomatoes with green chilies or you can use fresh tomatoes

1/2 c. diced green onions

2 c. corn ( I used frozen )

1/2 teas. cumin

1/2 teas. diced jalapenos (this is your desire on how hot you want it)

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together and put in fridge. Serve with chips or you can roll in tortilla and enjoy.