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)

Cherry Angel Bread

For the feast of St Nicholas, we made this bread found in my Pillsbury Holiday magazine. Oops, as I am typing this, I realized we (I) forgot the drizzled frosting on the top! You will need: 1 can refrigerated crescent rolls 1/2 cup pineapple cream cheese spread (from 8 oz container) 2 Tbsp sugar 1 egg, separated 1/2 cup drained, chopped cherry pie filling 1 Tbsp water 1 tsp sugar Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray cookie sheet. Unroll dough onto cookie sheet forming 13x7 rectangle. Firmly press perforations to seal. In bowl, beat cream cheese and 2 Tbsp sugar with electric mixer on medium speed til well blended. Beat in egg yolk. With spoon, stir in cherries. Spoon mixture lengthwise down center of dough rectangle in 2 1/2 inch wide strip. With scissors, cut 1 inch wide strips on each side of cream cheese filling to within 1/2 inch of filling. Alternately cross strips over filling.

Beat egg white and water and brush over dough. (discard any extra) Sprinkle with teaspoon of sugar. Bake 17-22 minutes until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Glaze: (which I forgot to do) 13/ cup powdered sugar 1/4 tsp almond extract 1-2 tsp milk Drizzle over warm bread. Store in refrigerator, if any left! My kiddos all loved it! A great morning bread for the feast of St Nicholas or any special day around Christmas!

Layered Tortellini and Pesto Chicken Salad

This recipe is actually from my friend Brenda, who brought it to me when I broke my leg, it lasted all week for lunches and is such a beautiful salad to bring to potluck things!

 Layer in order given:
 5 cups torn romaine lettuce
 1 1/2 cups julienne carrots
 2 cups cooked/grilled chicken
1 cup thawed frozen peas
 1 pkg tortellini, cooked
 1 red bell pepper, chopped

 Dressing: 1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise 1/2 cup basil pesto 1/4 cup buttermilk For Sweetie Pie's Baptism, I did make a little extra, more peppers and peas and doubled the dressing to make sure there was enough.

Midnight Bliss Cake

We make this delicious, rich, chocolate cake for Christmas Eve
 to celebrate the birth of Jesus every year.
 We put on a candle for each of us,
 to symbolize the light of Christ inside of us.
 I thought this an appropriate cake since It is believed that Jesus was born at midnight.

Midnight Bliss Cake

1 pkg chocolate cake mix, any variety (we picked chocolate fudge)

1 pkg (4 serving size) chocolate instant pudding

4 eggs

1 container 8 oz sour cream

1/2 cup flavored coffee, prepared (I use International Foods French Vanilla)

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup water

1 pkg 8 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped.

Heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease and flour a tube pan (bundt cake)

Beat all ingredients except chopped chocolate in large bowl with mixer, until well blended and smooth. Stir in chopped chocolate and pour into prepared pan.

Bake 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

 No need for frosting with this cake, it's rich and that good!

Candy Bar Pie!

This is our Christmas Pie!
 We make it every Christmas day to have for dessert!

The kids are great helpers as they love to help cut up the candy bars and nibble a little bit!

Candy Bar Pie

1 pkg Cream cheese

1 Tbsp milk

2 tubs cool whip

2 pkgs chocolate instant pudding

1 3/4 cup milk

1 pkg mini candy bars

(we usually use Snickers, but could use Milky Way or 3 Musketeers), chopped

Chocolate pie crust (we use the Oreo one)

Mix the cream cheese with 1 Tbsp milk until smooth. 

 Gently stir in 2 cups cool whip and the chopped candy bars. Set aside.

Pour 1 3/4 cups milk into another bowl and add pudding,

 beat wit wire whisk and then gently stir in 1/2 cup cool whip.

spread 1/2 the pudding mixture on the bottom of crust,

 spread cream cheese mixture over pudding mixture

 and top with remaining pudding mixture and then on the very top,

 cover the pie with cool whip.

 (place shaved chocolate on top for decoration)

Needs to refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

It's not good to forget this last part, as it's hard to wait for it to be set!

(Hey, the cool whip has hardly any calories!)

 

Cinnamon Christmas Ornaments!

Cinnamon Christmas Ornaments

1 cup applesauce

1 cup cinnamon

No baking and simple for kids! mix together to form a stiff dough. play around with it, if it's too wet and sticky, add more cinnamon, and if it's too dry, just add more applesauce. Roll out to 1/4 inch between plastic wrap. (because it's very, very messy otherwise, kind of a dry-sticky) cut with cookie cutters. Make a hole at the top with a straw for ribbon. Let air dry several days turning occasionally.

Makes about 12 great smelling ornaments!

**The first year we made these we painted them after they were dry with puffy paint and added eyes and glitter and beads, they turned out great!! But they are pretty enough to leave plain also.

***They make great Christmas gifts!

****These are NOT edible****

Green Bread (Pistachio Sweet Bread)

This is the bread I give to all the neighbors at Christmas. The kids love it! We also make it for breakfast on St Patrick's day! *makes 2 loaves

 1 yellow cake mix
 1 pkg instant pistachio pudding
 4 eggs
1/4 cup oil
 1 cup sour cream
5-10 drops of food coloring (or more)

 Mix above well. Generously grease 2 loaf pans.
 Dust with a mixture of
 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon.
 Reserve remaining sugar mix.
 Pour batter into loaf pans.
Sprinkle remaining sugar mix on top.
 Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes. (or til done)
 Remove immediately from pans and place in plastic baggies and refrigerate!