Sugar Cookies

3 c sugar
1/2 c shortening
4 eggs well beaten
1 pint sour cream
2 tsp vanilla
Mix together.
Add:
8 c flour
1 tsp soda
6 tsp baking powder

Mix well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 7 to 7 1/2 minutes on the upper middle rack.

This recipe came from Carol! She makes the best sugar cookies!

Taco Soup

1lb. Hamburger browned
1/2 c diced onion
2 (14.5 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
2 (8 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 pkg taco seasoning
Cook for 2 hours in crock pot.
Then add:
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn (or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn)
Let cook for 1 more hour

Serve with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream.

Chicken Gnocchi Soup (Olive Garden Copycat)

• 2 tbsp. Butter
• ½ c. Celery, washed and thinly sliced
• ¼ c. Grated Onion
• ⅓ c. Grated Carrots
• 2 tbsp. Garlic, minced 
• 2 tbsp. All Purpose Flour
• 6 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
• 8 c. Whole Milk
• ⅛ tsp. Ground Nutmeg
• ½ tsp. Ground Thyme
• 4 c. Fresh Baby Spinach, rinsed and chopped
• 2 c. Cooked Chicken (roasted or grilled), small dice
• 2 c. Heavy Cream
• 16oz. Gnocchi, frozen or fresh.  

1. Melt butter in large pan, add onion, garlic, celery and carrot. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until celery softens.  
2. Whisk in the flour; then add the Milk and chicken bouillon cubes.
3. Next, add the chicken, nutmeg and thyme; stir well. Increase heat and bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan; then add it to the soup along with the spinach and gnocchi.
5. Simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes or until gnocchi is cooked. 

*I have found Gnocchi at Smiths and World Market. You can also make your own if you want.  :)

Chewy Choco-Oat-Chip Cookies- Shaurie's recipe!

1 c. butter (2 sticks) softened
1 1/4 c. Packed brown sugar
1/2 c. Sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbl milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 c. Flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt
2 1/2 c. Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 (12 oz) pkg chocolate chips (2 cups)
1 c. Chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Best together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs, milk and vanilla, beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda and salt, mix well. Stir in oats, chocolate chips and nuts. Mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 9-10 minutes. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet. Move to wire rack. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Bar cookies: Press dough onto bottom of ungreased 13x9 inch baking pan. Bake 30-35 minutes.

High Altitude Adjustment: Increase flour to 2 cups,

Chili Cream Cheese Dip

1 (8 oz) softened cream cheese

1 (14 oz) can chili (no beans)

Heat together and stir. This is delicious with Nacho cheese Doritos!

Bacon Cheeseball

1 (8 oz) cream cheese softened
1/2 cup mayo
5 slices bacon crumbled
4 sliced green onions
1 dash dill weed
1 sprinkle pepper
1/2 cup chopped nuts (inside)
1/2 cups nuts (outside)

Mix cream cheese and mayo until smooth. Add in rest of ingredients except for the 1/2 cup of nuts for the outside of the cheeseball. Form into a ball and roll in remaining nuts. Chill. Serve with crackers. Almonds or pecans work well in this cheeseball.

Nut Clusters

1 (12 oz) pkg milk chocolate chips
1 (12 oz) pkg butterscotch chips
12 oz nuts (can use mixed nuts, cashews, peanuts, dry roasted nuts, honey roasted peanuts etc...)

Melt chips in the microwave stirring every 15-30 seconds. Stir in nuts and drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper lined cookie sheet. These take a few hours to set completely. You can put them in the fridge but turn out much better when left at room temp to set up. They look prettier too.

Easy Milk Chocolate Frosting... Perfect for Brownies!

From Brandy's kitchen

3 Tbl butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbl milk
2 Tbl cocoa
1 tsp vanilla

Melt butter in small saucepan.add cocoa and remove pan from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients until smooth. Spread over brownies or cake. (9x13 pan)

Old Fashioned Goulash!

1-2 lbs ground beef
3 tsp minced garlic
1 large yellow onion diced
3 cups chicken broth (or 3-4 chicken bouillon cubes with 3 c. water)
1-2 Tbl olive oil
1-2 Tbl butter
2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 Tbl Italian Seasoning
1 Tbl Adobo Seasoning (recipe below)
3 bay leaves
1 Tbl Seasoning Salt
1/2 tsp pepper
16 oz. elbow macaroni
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredder cheddar cheese


In a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter. Add onion, cook for a few minutes. Add hamburger and season with salt and pepper. When hamburger is almost done, add in garlic and cook until meat is done. Add broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, seasoning salt, pepper and adobo. Mix well. Lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add in the uncooked macaroni. stir well until everything is combined making sure the macaroni is covered in liquid. Cover again and cook an additional 8-10 minutes or until the macaroni is tender. Remove the bay leaves and stir in only the cheddar cheese. Serve with mozzarella. Enjoy!


This recipe was fantastic! We used to have goulash when I was growing up and trust me, this is nothing like it. We loved it!!! I loved the cheese melted in but Glen did not. He would have preferred to have it when it was served for anyone who wanted cheese. Personally, I cannot imagine anyone not wanting cheese! I also added 4 chicken bouillon. It gives it so much flavor.


I couldn't find any adobo seasoning so I found this recipe on allrecipes. I had all of the ingredients on hand and It worked great!


Traci's Adobo Seasoning from Allrecipes.com
2 Tbl salt
1 Tbl paprika
2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder


Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Bread Sticks

36 frozen Rhodes roll dough
1/4-1/2 cup of melted butter
Salad supreme seasoning
Parmesan cheese

Divide rolls onto 2 cookie sheets to thaw. Cover with towel or plastic wrap. When thawed, roll each roll into a rope and arrange on cookie sheet 9 on each side. They will overlap a little in the middle of the pan. Spoon butter over each breadstick. Sprinkle with salad supreme seasoning and then sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Cover loosely with towel and let rise until double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

These bread sticks are delicious! They have been a family favorite of ours for years! Enjoy!!!

Oreo Surprise

1 regular pack Oreo cookies
1 cube margarine
1 small jar hot fudge topping
1 8 oz cool whip (thawed)
1 1/2 gallons vanilla ice cream (partially softened)

Crush 2 rows of Oreo cookies and mix with melted margarine. Press into the bottom of a 13x9 inch pan. Layer softened ice cream over crust. Pour 2/3 jar of hot fudge over ice cream. Spread cool whip over hot fudge sauce. Rough chop the last row of Oreo cookies and sprinkle on top. Freeze 2-3 hours before serving. Serve with a drizzle of remaining hot fudge sauce if desired.

Pecan Pie Surprise bars

CRUST
1 pkg yellow cake mix (reserve 2/3 cup)
1/2 butter or margarine melted
1 egg

Grease bottom and sides of 9x13 pan. Combine above ingredients until crumbly. Press into pan. Bake @ 350 for 15-20 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven.

FILLING
2/3 cup reserved cake mix
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups dark corn syrup

Mix all ingredients, pour over crust. Return to oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until filling is set. cool and cut into squares.

Baked Rice Pudding

Recipe from the kitchen of Leah Smith

1 cup water
1/2 cup long grain rice
4 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bring water to a boil in saucepan. Reduce heat to low, add rice and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain rice. Return rice to saucepan adding milk, sugar, salt and vanilla. Heat just until warm. Pour into 1 1/2 quart greased baking dish. Bake for 1 3/4 -2 hours stirring every 30 minutes until rice is tender and pudding is creamy.

You can add raisins before putting mixture in oven. My mom used to make rice pudding quite a bit when I was growing up. It still brings back so many good memories... Comfort food for sure!

Surprise Cookies

Recipe from the kitchen of Carol Berlin

2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup margarine
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses

Sift first 6 ingredients together. Cream sugar and margarine. Add egg, molasses and dry ingredients and mix well. Form into balls and roll in sugar. Bake @ 350 for about 10 minutes. Makes approx 4 dozen cookies.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 lg bunch broccoli cut into small pieces
1/4 cup butter (1/2 cube)
2/3 cups diced onion
2 Tbl flour
2 cans chicken broth
2 cups milk (or half & half)
3/4 tsp salt (if needed)
1 cup of shredded cheese

Cook broccoli in 1 1/4 cups water with 1/2 tsp salt until tender. Drain, Reserving liquid. Set aside.
Melt butter in saucepan. Add onion and cook until soft. Blend in flour. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth. Cook stirring constantly until mixture boils. Stir in 2 cups milk (can use half & half) plus one cup of the reserved liquid from the broccoli. Add 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce and 3/4 tsp salt (I always use 1 chicken bouillon cube to 1 cup water for the chicken broth. If you use the boullion, you probably won't need any additional salt). Add the broccoli. Heat but do not boil. Stir in cheese. Makes 2 quarts.

Rosy Grape Jelly

2 cups cranberry juice
3/4 cup grape juice
1 pkg powdered pectin
3 1/4 cups white sugar

Pour the juices in a saucepan and stir in the pectin until completely dissolved. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Stir in sugar and return to a full boil stirring constantly for 1 minute. Skim off any foam. Pour jelly into sterilized jars leaving 1/4 head space. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Makes 3 1/2 cups. It will fill 7 of the 5 oz glass jars. You can change up the juices for any combination of flavors that you like. Just make sure to use 2 3/4 cups juice in the recipe. This is a recipe that came from Joan. It's makes a beautiful yummy jelly! Pretty enough for gift giving.

Perfect cupcake frosting and filling

3 Tbl flour
1/2 c milk (whole works best but I have used skim and it still works)
1/2 c good quality butter
1/2 c granulated sugar (not powdered)
1 tsp vanilla (or almond)
Whisk together the flour and the milk. Heat in small sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. Cook until it looks like thick pudding. It should come together and you should be able to see the bottom of the pan. Let it cool completely. I usually refrigerate it. You can push it through a mesh strainer to remove any lumps. I never do. It has to be completely cooled before you move onto the next step. In an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar for a couple of minutes until well combined and fluffy. You'll want to use the whisk attachment, not the flat paddle. Then while beating, add in the milk/flour mixture and the vanilla. Beat it on the highest speed that you can without it flying all over the place. Beat for 7 minutes! Maybe even longer. It goes from looking like a weird gloopy mess to a thick, velvety smooth and perfectly fluffy frosting. You can't go wrong with this frosting/ filling. I ALWAYS double it. The original recipe will frost about 12 cupcakes using a pastry bag and tip but that is never enough for me. This frosting pipes beautifully! Not too rich or sweet... Just perfect!

Jewish Sweet Bread

1 pkg yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 tsp salt
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c oil
2 eggs
4 1/2 c flour
1 cube butter, divided

Put yeast in warm water with a little sugar to activate it. Set aside. In mixer, add salt, sugar, oil, eggs and 2 cups of the flour. Mix well and add in yeast mixture mixing again. Change to dough hook and add remains flour or enough flour until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Move dough to a greased bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled in size. When doubled, punch down and divide dough in half. Divide each half into thirds. Roll each third into a rope and braid. Do the same with the remaining half (makes 2 loaves). Place on greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled. Melt half of the butter and pour over braids. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven. Melt remaining butter and pour over hot loaves. Enjoy!

Beef Stroganoff

From the kitchen of Kris Demik

1 1/2 lbs. Ground beef
8 oz. Mushrooms ( fresh)
1 large onion finely chopped
1-2 garlic clove minced
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 cup butter
 2 cans c of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 Large bag egg noodles

Bring water to a boil. Add in the noodles and salt and cook until tender. Sauté mushrooms and onions in butter. Add in garlic and cook until tender, remove from skillet and brown ground beef with salt, pepper and bullion cubes. Add onion mixture to beef. Add soup and Sour cream. Serve on top of egg noodles.

This is the best stroganoff ever! So creamy and delicious!
I like the sauce a little thinner so I added the 2 chicken bouillon cubes with one soup can full of water. Perfect! You can also add bouillon to the noodle water for more flavor.

Easy Jello Salad

1 small pkg. jello (lime and orange are my favorites)
1 small container cottage cheese
1 12 oz cool whip
1 cup mini marshmallows

Mix dry jello with cottage cheese. Stir in cool whip and marshmallows. Serve!

Barbeque Hamburgers (sloppy joes)

1 lb. ground beef
minced onion
salt & pepper
1/2 c. ketchup
2 tsp. vinegar
4 tsp. sugar
1-2 Tbl. Worcestershire sauce




Brown hamburger with minced onion, salt & pepper to taste. Drain off any fat. Add remaining ingredients in skillet and stir to coat the ground beef. Cover and simmer for approx. 30 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns. This is our favorite sloppy joe recipe!!




We make this often enough that I don't really measure the ingredients anymore. Just be careful to not over do the vinegar. 1 lb. ground beef doesn't make much though. I usually make 2-3 lbs. when I make it. The mix is also excellent to snack on with Nacho Cheese Doritos.


The leftovers are great as the base to shepherd's pie too... just add mashed potatoes and shredded cheese and heat.

Chicken and Stuffing Bake

2 boxes Stove top chicken flavor stuffing
10-12 chicken tenders
6-8 slices swiss cheese
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 soup can of milk


Mix stove top according to directions on box reducing the water by 1/2 cup per box. Spread into greased 9x13 pan. Layer chicken tenders evenly over stuffing followed by swiss cheese. Mix soup with milk and pour over cheese layer making sure to cover everything. Cover with foil and bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour until chicken is cooked through.

Enchilada Sauce

2 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 medium onion diced
3 Tbl chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp sugar
3 cloves garlic minced
2  cans tomato sauce (8 oz cans)
1 1/2 cups water
1 chicken bullion cube
Salt and pepper

Sauté onion in olive oil until tender (about 5 min). Stir in chili powder, sugar and cumin. Cook until spices become fragrant. Add in garlic and cook for a minute or 2 more. Stir in tomato sauce, water and bullion cube. Mix well. Simmer about 5 minutes or until sauce is desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste. You can use as is but I prefer to put it in the blender for a smooth consistency. Enjoy!

I love this enchilada sauce. It is a little thicker than store bought but so much better flavor! I use a zester for the garlic. It's so much easier than mincing. I also dice my onions when I get home from the store and then freeze them in a ziplock freezer bag. Makes recipes easier and the onions don't take as long to cook.

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth

3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

3 (15 ounce) cans white beans

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove the mixture from heat. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Serve warm.

Chik-Fil-A Nuggets

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts

1 cup milk

1 egg

1 1/4 cups flour

2 TBSP powdered sugar

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

peanut oil (is best) or canola oil for frying

Whisk the egg and add milk. Cut up chicken into bite-size pieces. Add to milk/egg mixture and marinate in the fridge for about 4 hours. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a gallon size ziploc bag. Add the chicken to the ziploc bag after it's done marinating and shake till all the it's coated evenly. Fry the chicken in 2 inches of hot oil (about 375 degrees) till it's done...about 1 minute on each side.

Old Fashioned Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

7 cups white bread cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup melted butter
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups half & half
2 cups whole milk

Place bread cubes in a buttered 9x13 glass pan. Drizzle the melted butter over the bread. Do not mix into the bread. Set aside. In a large bowl,  beat eggs until broken up and blend in the sugars,  nutmeg, half & half and milk. DO NOT OVERBEAT THIS MIXTURE, JUST COMBINE. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes and let it all soak in, gently patting the bread down into the milk every now and then. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake pudding for 50 minutes, checking it at 40 minutes to make sure that it's not getting too brown. If it is, cover loosely with foil. Pudding is done when it is puffy all over and golden. Let cool.

CARAMEL SAUCE
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup evaporated milk

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the brown sugar.  Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Whisk in this salt, vanilla and milk.  The sauce can be made ahead of time then warmed in the microwave.  Cut putting into squares and top with warm sauce. It can  also be served with vanilla ice cream.

 This recipe was delicious!  We've served it with ice cream and without ,  it's great either way!!! I used croissants in place of the white bread.  I'm sure it would work well with any kind of bread you have.

Pumpkin roll

Beat 3 eggs for 5 minutes. Gradually add 1 cup sugar. Stir in 2/3 cup pumpkin and 1 tsp lemon juice.

Add:
3/4 c. Flour
2tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
1 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Ginger
1/2 tsp. Salt

Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. Pour onto waxed paper and bake @ 375 for 13 minutes. Powder sugar a dish towel (a sifter works great) and turn cookie sheet over on towel. Peel off paper and powder sugar other side of roll. Roll up long ways in towel and let cool. When cool, unroll and spread with filling. Roll up again without the towel. Cover with waxed paper and plastic wrap and refrigerate. Can be frozen also.

Filling:

1 cup powdered sugar
6 oz. cream cheese (softened)
4 Tbsp. margarine or butter (softened)
1/2 tsp. Vanilla

This is an all time family favorite! I got this recipe from a good friend of mine, Kathy Karren. We have been making it for years!

Note: I always make 3 rolls when I make them. Still mix the batter one at a time but for the filling, I use:
3 8 oz cream cheese
2 squares of butter or margarine
4 cups of powdered sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla

 This makes a little more filling than the original recipe but we like more filling 😊. Enjoy!

Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Bundt Cake

For the Cake:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces plain or vanilla, Greek yogurt
12 ounces fresh strawberries, diced


For the Glaze:


1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Sift together the 2 ¼ cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 Tb. lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.

Toss the strawberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter.

Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool 15-20 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Once cooled whisk together the remaining 2 Tb. of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread (Muffins)

From Chelsey's mom:
3 1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. each of cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves
1 1/2 c. each of brown sugar & white sugar
1 c. oil
2 c. canned pumpkin
4 eggs
Chocolate chips, nuts, raisins (optional)

Mix sugar and oil.  Add eggs and pumpkin.  Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes in greased & floured pans.

This makes 3 regular size loaves. You could make smaller loaves.  They would bake for about 30 minutes.  Muffins would bake for about 15 minutes.

Chelsey's mom made these for Lucas' baby blessing.  They taste like Great Harvest Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread.  YUM!!  Thanks so much for sharing!!