Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies

*Makes 2-3 dozen sugar cookies (about 2-3 inch size)

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened to cool room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla extract, almond extract and lemon zest; mix. Add two cups flour, baking powder and salt. Mix. Add remaining flour and mix just until flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth and soft.

The dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator for up to a week or it can be rolled out right away. Dust a counter with powdered sugar or flour and roll the dough to desired thickness (I prefer my cookies on the thick side so I roll my dough out to about 1/4-inch, maybe even slightly thicker than that). Cut the dough into shapes. Place the cookies on a lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes. The cookies won’t appear browned on top (or on bottom) when they are done baking so don’t let them overbake! I find 7 1/2 minutes is about perfect but if they are even lightly browned on bottom, I decrease the time by 30 seconds. I like them super soft with not even a hint of browned edges or bottom. This way they literally melt in my mouth.

Cool the cookies completely on a wire rack before frosting. The baked cookies (unfrosted) can be stored in a tupperware or ziploc bag in the freezer for up to a month. I also often freeze 1/2 of the sugar cookie dough when I don’t have time or don’t want to roll it out and cut shapes. I wrap the dough in plastic wrap and then stick it in a freezer-safe ziploc bag and freeze it for up to a month. I take it out the night before I want to roll it out and store it in the refrigerator to thaw (for about 12-15 hours). About 30 minutes before I want to use it, I let it sit on the counter to soften a bit and then I roll it out and cut out the cookies.

Recipe Source: method adapted slightly from Good Things Catered

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

*Note: the key to success here is using really soft cream cheese and beating it with the powdered sugar until no lumps remain.

*Makes about 4 cups of frosting

1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

In a large bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla. Mix until very smooth and light and no lumps remain. In a separate bowl, beat the cream to stiff peaks. Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture. Mix until well combined and smooth. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Review: Terrific!!

Fruit Fluff

Source: becomingbetty.blogspot.com via Bernadete on Pinterest

Ingredients:

~Frozen mixed berries (I used two smaller bags from Walmart)
~1 tub Cool Whip*
~1 large container of vanilla yogurt
~1 small package of cheesecake pudding mix
Directions
1.Pour berries into a large bowl.
2. Add the Cool Whip and yogurt and then sprinkle on the pudding mix.
3.Stir together really well until it's all combined and looks pretty.
4.Chill before serving

Review: This was the perfect recipe for our Valentine's day dinner. It is simple and ohh so good!

Homemade Hot Chocolate

Source: marthastewart.com via Tonia on Pinterest

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups cocoa
1 tablespoon table salt
Whole milk for serving
Directions

In a large bowl, combine sugar, cocoa, and salt, and whisk to combine well. Store the mixture in an airtight container.

For individual servings, pour 1 cup whole milk into a microwave-safe mug, and microwave on high just until hot. Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa mix, and stir to dissolve. For a larger batch of cocoa, warm the milk in a saucepan set over medium-low heat, taking care not to let the milk boil; as it warms, stir in 2 tablespoons of mix for each cup of milk.

Review: My daughter wanted hot cocoa but I had ran out of store bought mix, so I turned to the Internet and found this recipe. This is a great tasting mix without all the added powder.

Mini pumpkin Pies

Source: makeandtakes.com via Bernadete on Pinterest

pumpkin pie filling for one 9-inch pie
2 9-inch pie crust doughs – pre-made from a box or I love this recipe from Martha Stewart
bowl or round cookie cutter 4 inches in diameter
muffin tin
whipped cream

Makes 12 mini pumpkin pies

1. Prep your dough. Using a bowl or 4 inch round cookie cutter, cut out 12 circles from your 2 9-inch pie crust doughs.

2. Place each circle into a pre-greased muffin tin. Press them in, letting the sides come up for a fun look. Score the bottom of your dough with a fork to keep the crust from bubbling up as it cooks.

3. Pour your filling into each muffin tin cup. Fill them to the very top. I like to use the recipe for filling from the pumpkin can. But there are a lot of great recipes out there where you can use fresh pumpkin to make your filling. *I did have a little bit of filling left over. I used it with a homemade graham cracker crust recipe*

4. Bake your muffin tin pumpkin pies at 425* for 15 minutes. Then turn your heat down to 350* and bake them for 25-30 minutes. (This is 15-20 minutes less than a regular pie)

5. Let these cool on a wire rack for a couple of hours to let the pumpkin filling set.

6. Add a dollop of whipped cream to each individual muffin tin pie.

Review: These tasted great and were a nice way to dress up pumpkin pie!

Sticky Buns

Source: all-things-delicious.blogspot.com via Bernadete on Pinterest

2 small tubes refrigerator buttermilk biscuits OR 1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1/2 C. pancake syrup
1/3 C. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 C. chopped pecans, opt.
1/4 C. chopped almonds, opt.

Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if desired).

Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top.

Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring.
I used two tubes of Pillsbury Grands biscuits this morning, but won't do that again. I'll either use the smaller biscuits or one tube of the grands, as stated in the recipe list above. These had to bake for about 30 minutes. Still amazing, but I'll be doing it the other way from now on (the way they're supposed to be made).


Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures.

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter and enjoy!

Review: These were oh so good!

Santa hats

Source: luxefinds.com via Bernadete on Pinterest

Santa Hat Brownies
Adapted from this recipe found on Erica’s Sweet Tooth
Yields 12-16 brownies

Ingredients:
1 pan of your favorite brownies, cooled and cut into desired size and shape (I used a round cutter)
12-16 small strawberries, cleaned and hulled
vanilla-mascarpone buttercream (recipe below)

Mascarpone Buttercream
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
2-1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Method:
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and mascarpone cheese until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and salt. Add 2-1/2 cups of sugar, half a cup at a time and continue beating until smooth. Add more sugar, if needed to reach desired consistency and sweetness.

To assemble, pipe a ring of vanilla buttercream on top of each brownie. Cut off the base of a strawberry so it is flat and place it upside down on each brownie, pushing slightly to secure in place. Top the tip of the strawberry with a dot of buttercream to finish the santa hat


Review: These were easy to make. I used about 2 cups of sugar as it tasted very sweet at this point. Supper festive.

Mini Fruit Pizza's

Source: lessordinarydesigns.blogspot.com via Bernadete on Pinterest

2 packages Pillsbury Sugar Cookie dough.
1 block of cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. of vanilla.
1 cup of each of your favorite fruits.

Directions:
1. Bake cookies as directed. Let cool.
2. Mix cream cheese, confectioners sugar and vanilla. Spread on top of cooled cookies.
3. Place desired amounts of fruit on pizza. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Review:made these for Christmas eve. They tasted great and were oh so good!

No Bake Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

Source: tastykitchen.com via Bernadete on Pinterest

Ingredients
8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, softened
1 Tablespoon Milk
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 container Whipped Topping, 8 Ounce Tub Plus Extra For Serving
1 cup Milk
1 can Pumpkin (16 Ounce Can)
2 packages Instant Vanilla Pudding (3.3 Ounce Boxes)
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
½ teaspoons Ginger
½ teaspoons Cloves
1 whole Pre-made Graham Cracker Crust

Preparation Instructions
1. Mix cream cheese, 1 Tablespoon milk and sugar until smooth.
2. Fold in whipped topping.
3. Spread cream cheese mixture into graham cracker crust.
4. Blend 1 cup milk, pumpkin, pudding and spices (mixture will be thick).
5. Spoon pumpkin mixture over cream cheese layer and gently spread.
6. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours.
7. Serve with additional whipped topping.


Review: Made this for Christmas . My family and I loved it! Delicious, and creamy. The only thing I found though, was that the cream cheese/whipped topping mixture made a lot, next time I will only mke/put about half in the bottom of the pie shell to leave room for the pumpkin mixture.

Coffee Cake

Source: bettycrocker.com via Mandy on Pinterest

Cinnamon Streusel

1/3 cup Original Bisquick® mix

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons firm butter or margarine

Coffee Cake

2 cups Original Bisquick® mix

2/3 cup milk or water

2 tablespoons sugar

1 egg


1 Heat oven to 375°F. Grease 9-inch round pan. In small bowl, stir streusel ingredients until crumbly; set aside.

2 In medium bowl, mix coffee cake ingredients until blended. Spread in pan. Sprinkle with streusel.

3 Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutella Hot Chocolate

Source: thehungryhousewife.com via Bernadete on Pinterest

NUTELLA HOT CHOCOLATE
1 serving

1 cup milk (I use skim)
2 1/2 Tbsp Nutella
1 Tbsp Cocoa
Tiny pinch of salt

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, whisk all ingredients together until well blended and hot.
Pour in a cup and top with homemade whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

Review: This was soo good.. rich and oh so good!!

Brownie Strawberry Banana Truffle

Brownie Strawberry Banana Truffle

Source: Uploaded by user via Bernadete on Pinterest

Ingredients
1 box brownie mix
2 pints fresh strawberries
2 bananas, sliced
1 large tub Cool Whip
4 Skor or Heath candy bars, chopped
Instructions
Mix the brownie mix as directed on package, adding an extra egg for cakelike brownies. Spread batter on a greased jellyroll pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until done.

Wash, hull and slice strawberries, leaving about 5 whole for decoration on top.

When brownies are done, remove from oven. Cool. Cut into bite size pieces. Arrange half of brownie pieces in the bottom of a trifle bowl, or a bowl with deep sides.

Scatter half of srawberries over brownie pieces, arranging some slices along the bowl so that you can see them. Scatter half of bananas over berries, arranging some slices along the bowl so that you can see them. Sprinkle half of the candy bar over. Spread half of Cool Whip over the top. Repeat layering, leaving a few slices of banana and a sprinkling of candy bar bits for decoration on the top.

Review: This was super simple to prpare and was a hit! Just remember to pull the brownies a few minutes early so that they are nice and moist!

Family Dinner!

Tonight I had the honor of cooking for my Goddaughter and her family, here is what we served:

Pork Loin
Ingredients
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds boneless pork loin roast
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.Crush garlic with rosemary, salt and pepper, making a paste. Pierce meat with a sharp knife in several places and press the garlic paste into the openings. Rub the meat with the remaining garlic mixture and olive oil.
3.Place pork loin into oven, turning and basting with pan liquids. Cook until the pork is no longer pink in the center, about 2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Remove roast to a platter. Heat the wine in the pan and stir to loosen browned bits of food on the bottom. Serve with pan juices.

Strawberry and Spinach Salad


Baby Red Potato Salad

4 cups baby red potatoes, cut in small pieces
1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
3 scallions, diced
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise
salt and fresh pepper

Boil potatoes in salted water until soft, approx 10 minutes. Drain and let cool.

While the potatoes are boiling, combine red onion, green pepper, mustard, olive oil, vinegar and mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and let the flavors marinade while the potatoes cook. Once the potatoes are done and cool, mix into the bowl and add scallions and additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve room temperature or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Ranch Potatoes
Ingredients:

¼ cup vegetable oil
1 packet (1 ounce) Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix

Instructions:
Place potatoes in a gallon-size Glad® Food Storage Bag and add oil; seal bag. Toss to coat. Add salad dressing mix and toss again until coated. Bake in ungreased baking pan at 450°F for 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes are brown and crisp.

Three Bean Salad
Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can green beans
1 pound wax beans
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 onion, sliced into thin rings
3/4 cup white sugar
2/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Directions
1.Mix together green beans, wax beans, kidney beans, onion, sugar, vinegar, vegetable oil, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Let set in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

Sweets:
Resess Peanut Butter cup Bites

Cake Balls

Cake Mix Banana Bread

Cake Mix Banana Bread from here

1 (18.25 oz) pkg cake mix (yellow, white, or I used butter pecan)
3 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 medium bananas)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl blend together the cake mix, eggs, oil, and bananas for 2 minutes. Pour batter into a greased 5.25 x 9 x 2.75 loaf pan.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and allow to cool completely. Makes 1 large loaf

Made just the way it was stated. This was a good recipe, it doesn't have the traditional banana bread taste, but great none the less.

5 layer Brownie Dessert in the crock-pot

5 layer Brownie Dessert in the crock-pot adapted from here

I have a 4 quart crock-pot and therefor doubled the recipe. Some suggestions on her site also included placing oven safe stoneware in your crcok-pot and place the ingredients in the stoneware. The original poster recommends using a1.5 quart crock-pot.


-1 16 oz package of brownie mix
--1/4 cup melted butter
--1 egg
--1/4 cup water
--1 can sweetened condensed milk
--1/2 cup walnuts
--1/2 cup coconut
--1/2 cup oats



The Directions:

--melt butter place in crockpot


--add 1/4 cup of water, the egg, and the brownie mix


--stir until none of the powder is left dry; batter will be quite thick


--pour can of sweetened condensed milk over the top.


--cover milk with a layer of oats, then coconut, then walnuts.


--close up crockpot and cook on high, if using a little crock, low if using a bigger one. Test with a knife after two hours, if it comes out clean, cook for another 20-30 minutes with the lid off to get rid of the collected condensation and to help solidify the condensed milk. You will know this is done when the edges pull away from your stoneware.

Review: I made this for a work pot-luck and everyone seemed to like it, I personally thought it was just the right amount of sweet. I also loved that I could bake dessert in the crockpot!

Paula Dean's Jelly Roll

Paula Dean's Jelly Roll


Ingredients
4 eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup cake flour, sifted
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Garnish:
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting, sifted
1 cup jam or jelly, stirred well
Whipped cream


Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small bowl beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and set aside. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks until light. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla, and mix well. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the sifted flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture. Fold in the egg whites into the egg mixture and pour the batter into a 15 by 10 by 1-inch jelly roll pan lined with waxed paper. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cake is golden.

Loosen edges of cake, invert cake onto a towel dusted with confectioners' sugar. Gently peel wax paper off cake. Trim 1/4-inch of hard crust off each long side of the jelly roll cake. Begin with the narrow side and roll the cake and towel up together. Cool cake on rack, seam side down, for 10 to 15 minutes.

Once cake has cooled, gently unroll and spread cake with jam or jelly and re-roll. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar or cover with whipped cream.


Review: This was the second Jelly Roll recipe that I attempted to make. The first one cracked. This one had good color and rolled well.

Crustless White Chocolate Cheesecake

Crustless White Chocolate Cheesecake from
Lynn's Kitchen adventures

1 1/4 lbs white chocolate, cut into pieces
3 egg whites
pinch of cream of tarter
3 tablespoons sugar
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 egg yolks

Melt white chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and set aside.

Beat the egg whites until frothy and then add cream of tarter. Slowly add sugar while continuing to beat. Beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In another bowl beat cream cheese until smooth.

Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Add egg yolks one at a time beating about 30 seconds in between each addition.

Beat in the melted white chocolate

Fold one third of the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture. Once folded in well, fold in the remaining egg whites.

Prepare a 9 inch cheesecake pan using the water bath method. ( Do not skip this step the water bath helps give it the right texture)

Bake at 250 for 1 hr. Do not open the oven during this time.

After 1 hr turn off the oven but DO NOT open the oven. Leave cheesecake in the oven to continue cooking as the oven cools for 1 hr.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let cool.

Once cool refrigerate for several hours or over night. This is best made a day ahead.

Here are the directions for the water bath.
Wrap the outside of the spring form pan in foil . This keeps the water from the water bath from leaking into the pan and making your crust soggy.

Place a small cloth in the bottom of a large pan or roaster. This pan has to be large enough to hold the spring form pan.

When your filling is ready to bake, place it in the spring form pan that has been wrapped in foil and set the pan into the larger roaster pan.

Fill the outer pan with about 1 – 1 1/2 inches of very hot water. Thus, creating your water bath.

Place the whole thing in the oven and bake at 250 for 1 hour. And yes 250 is the correct temperature here. You cook it low and slow. And Do not open your oven while the cheesecake is baking.

After the cheesecake has baked 1 hour, turn the oven off, but DO NOT open the oven.

Leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1 more hour. It will continue to cook as the oven cools off.

Remove cheesecake from oven and also from the water bath.

Let cool in pan and refrigerate for several hours or over night. I prefer to make my cheesecakes the day before I serve them. I think they are better the day after I make them.

Serve and enjoy!


Review: This was the first time I used the bathing technique, and it worked great the cheesecake did not break and it had great texture!

Almond Brittle Cookies

Almond Brittle Cookies

1 box graham crackers
Break into 4 pieces. I use a light sawing motion with a serrated knife to cut the crackers along the lines. You will not use the whole box of crackers. Line up crackers as close as possible on cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Sprinkle ½ of 6 oz. package of sliced almonds on top of crackers. Heat oven to 350˚.

Sauce: Melt 2 cubes butter
½ cup sugar
Simmer until bubbly, foaming and frothy. Pour over crackers and almonds with a soup ladle, so the almonds do not move around.

Bake 15-20 minutes. Do not over bake.
Take out. A few minutes later break apart along cracker lines while still warm and then cool. Don’t wait too long or it may be difficult to break apart crackers.

NOTE: I use a 12x18 size cookie sheet lined with heavy-duty foil. This makes clean up so much easier.


review: These make great gifts for neighbors or loved ones. I loved the texture of these, be ware these are addictive!

Death by chocoloate

Ingredients
1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix
2 (3.9 ounce) packages instant chocolate pudding mix
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
3 (1.4 ounce) bars chocolate covered English toffee
Directions
Prepare brownies according to package directions. Let cool.
Mix pudding according to package directions.
In a glass punch bowl, layer in the following order: 1/2 of the brownie, crumbled; 1/2 of the pudding; 1 toffee bar, crushed; 1/2 of the whipped topping.
Repeat layers in the same order. Save the last toffee bar to crumble and sprinkle on top before serving. Refrigerate. Best if made the day before you serve it.

Review:Simple to prepare and the presentation of this dish is great! Tastes good with low fat prodcuts as well.

Peanut Butter Brownie Bites*

Peanut Butter Brownie Bites*

Ingredients:
15 ounce package brownie mix
1/3 cup hot water
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
48 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine brownie mix, water, oil and egg, beat well with spoon. Fill paper-lined mini-muffin cups 1/2 full. Press one peanut butter cup in each cup. Bake 15 - 20 minutes. Cool completely.

Review: These are great, a very nice combonations of flavors. Simple to make and the presentation is good!

Double Layer pumpkin Pie

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1 cup cold milk 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together cream cheese, 1 tablespoon of milk, and sugar until smooth. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spread into bottom of crust.

Pour 1 cup of milk into large bowl, and thoroughly mix in pudding mix, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. When thickened, spread over cream cheese layer.

Refrigerate 4 hours, or until set.