Cut-out Cookies!

Cookie Cutter Cookies

1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 cups all purpose flour

3 Tablespoons milk

 

Heat oven to 400 degrees. 

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla.

 Mix baking powder and flour in bowl.

 On low speed, gradually beat flour mixture into butter mixture until combined.

 Add milk; beat until dough masses around beaters.

Divide dough in half or thirds (whatever you prefer).

 Lightly flour work surface and roll out dough to 1/3 inch thickness. Cut shapes.

Bake for 10 minutes.

 ( I usually bake them for 14, so I suppose it depends on your oven)

Cool and frost.

(I usually double this recipe)

Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbs milk (or more depending on how thin you want your frosting)

 food coloring--divide the frosting and color whatever you want

Cream butter and shortening. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. When all sugar has been mixed, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat on high speed until light and fluffy.

Makes 3 cups.
Makes enough for cookie recipe to be doubled.

Special Sugar Cookies

 Thankful for my Special Sugar Cookie recipe I've been making since I was a young teen

Special Sugar Cookies

Cream together:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 cup butter (softened)

1 cup canola oil

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp almond flavoring (I think this is the secret ingredient)

Sift together:

4 cups flour plus 1 heaping Tbsp

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

1 tsp cream of tarter

Add to first mixture and mix well.  Place by teaspoons full onto ungreased

cookie sheet.  Press down with glass dipped in sugar, sprinkle with sprinkles, 

or my favorite, cinnamon and sugar mix!

Bake 350 for 12-15 minutes

(these are crispy cookies)

Vegetable Soup

 Thankful for vegetable soup! 

chicken broth or vegetable broth
Basil, pepper,
salsa,
minced garlic,
 and
 all the low cal veggies you have on hand

like:
Carrots, onions, green peppers, celery, green beans, zucchini, tomatoes
(those are the ones I always use!)
Just put in the crockpot until all veggies are tender!

ZERO WEIGHT WATCHER POINTS!

Apple Crumble

Apple Crumble

Bag of apples (we used Mclintosh)

peeled and sliced

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp vanilla

mix and put in bottom of 9x13 pan

add crumble mixture:

1 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups oatmeal

2/3 cup melted butter

mix crumble mixture together and put on top of apples.

Bake 350 degrees 45 minutes

Italian Muffuletta

 Italian Muffuletta

Italian bread

ham

turkey

salami

Swiss cheese

provolone cheese

chopped green olives

chopped black olives

6 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup Italian dressing

2 tsp fresh minced garlic

Mix the last 5 ingredients together

spread onto bread and layer the rest!

Homemade Dressing

 My  mom used to make this homemade dressing when I was a kid:

Mayo mixed with kechup

That's it, that is the recipe!

Delicious!

I made it this past week and it brought me back to childhood!

(you know how much I love salads, right?)

Black Bean Veggie Salad

Black Bean Veggie Salad

2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can of green beans

cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (a bunch)

a cucumber diced

1 can corn (I used white corn here), drained

Avocado, sliced, chopped into bite size pieces

Sliced Black Olives, leftover from Taco night...

Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing of your choice,

I used a tomato vinaigrette

YUMMY!

Pigeon Poop!

This is one of our "bird theme" snacks, Pigeon Poop!

4 cups peanut butter crunch cereal

3 cups rice krispies

2 cups pretzel sticks broken in 1/2

2 cups miniature marshmallows

2 bags white chocolate chips

Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl and melt white chocolate chips in microwave and cover and mix, then lay on wax paper until cooled. Break into pieces.

The kids loved making this! It's so fun to say too!!

Peanut Butter Pie!

Did you know that "Happy Birthday" has 13 letters in it?

It does.
(which is perfect for your newly donned teen)

Just like his father, Jedi loves pie instead of cake.

Peanut Butter Pie to be exact.

Peanut Butter Pie

Crust

25 Oreo cookies, crushed to a fine crumb

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

Filling

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 cup creamy peanut butter (I use Jif  and eyeball it)

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla 

Small container of Cool Whip

(because it's easier)

Press crust ingredients into a 9 inch pie plate. Bake 375 degrees for 10 minutes

Let cool.

In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, butter and vanilla until smooth.

Fold in Cool Whip.  Spoon into crust, garnish with cookie crumbs if you want to.

Refrigerate or freeze

(we freeze it and take it out for like 15 minutes before cutting)

If you have a big family like we do, you will make 2 of these pies

and if you do that, well,  you might not measure those cookies!