St. Patty's Cookies

Princess "O"-- my daughter-- and I decided to do a fun project for St. Patty's while little boy slept.
I found some paper plates at Joanne's for half price and I took advantage of Maceys' one day deal yesterday to get huge bags of Skittles and Starbursts for just .99 each.
The recipes I used are from my cooking class in high school. They turned out so freakin yummy that I will be including them for your baking enjoyment.

The Princess did most of the dry ingredients.

She helped with the wet ingredients but I did most of it. Holy BUTTER!!! This recipe is NOT for the diet conscious. It called for 4 sticks of butter just for the batter. Butter sure does make for yummy treats though!

Cleaning off the paddle to change to another one that would be suitable for adding in the dry ingredients.

Adding green food coloring to the batter!

 The Princess and the cookies.

Green cream cheese frosting. Seriously the BEST frosting I have EVER eaten!! I know that's a big claim, make it yourself and you will see what I mean!

 Frosting the cooled cookies.

Getting ready to plate them for a few neighbors.

Princess and Little Boy with the cookies they decorated and ate.

Daddies and Mommies need yummy, colorful treats too!!!

Recipes

Sugar Cookies

4 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 C butter, softened

1 1/2 C granulated sugar

1 egg

1/2 C dairy sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

Sift flour with baking powder, soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar and egg until light and fluffy. At low speed, beat in sour cream and vanilla until smooth. 

Gradually add flour mixture, beating after each addition until well combined. Here I added the green food coloring. Form dough into a ball, wrap in waxed paper or foil, refrigerated several hours or overnight. I omitted the cooling. Still worked great!

Divide dough into 4 parts. Preheat oven to 375. I did 350 on mine as it bakes hot.

Lightly grease cookie sheets. On well floured surface, roll dough one part at a time to 1/4" thickness. Cut with cutter and using spatula, move cookie to cookie sheets. I didn't bother rolling the dough out. Instead, I sprayed Pam on my hands and made balls of dough and then slightly flattened them.

Bake 10-12 minutes. I did 9 minutes for mine. You may have a great oven and not have to mess with the called for times or temps but don't be sad if you have to experiment a bit. I feel your pain. ;)

Cream Cheese Frosting 

I had to double this recipe to cover all of my cookies. The cookie recipe makes LOTS of cookies!

 3 T butter, softened

1 1/2 C powdered sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 C Cream cheese, softened

1 tsp vanilla 

Beat butter until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, lemon juice and cream cheese, beating until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Here's where I added the food coloring. Frosts 12-14 cupcakes or one 9-inch cake. Or about half the above cookie recipe.

Enjoy!!!

Please let me know if you try this recipe out and how you like it!!!

Taco Pizza

 I remembered my ex-husband bringing home a Taco Pizza from Pizza Hut once upon a time and was thinking I would like to have that for dinner last night. I found a few different recipes online and did a variation on all of them.

I started with a boxed pizza crust mix and baked it for half the listed time.

 After it had baked...

I spread refried beans

Then topped it with cooked ground beef and cheese.
It baked again for the second half of the listed baking time.

For toppings, I had shredded romaine lettuce, chopped green onions, sliced black olives, and diced tomatoes.

Here's the finished product, topped with salsa and ranch.

Easy to make and yummy to eat. :)

Beef Pot Pie

James baked up the most delicious Beef Pot Pie to enjoy during the Super Bowl. He used canned beef, canned potatoes, beef broth, corn, green beans, and frozen broccoli. He made the crust from scratch. Super duper yummy!

Beef Roast

 I made a roast in the slow cooker the other day. I thought it turned out nice but then my husband told me that night that it was the best roast I have ever made. Now I wish I had taken a picture to show you, but at least I can tell you what I did.
I used a boneless beef butt roast I had pulled from my freezer. With it in the slow cooker, I added:
1 can Beef Broth
2 T refrigerated Minced Garlic
2 T Ketchup
After cooking it on high for about 4 hours, I flipped the chunk of meat, topped it with another 2 T of ketchup, and then cooked it on low for about 4 more hours. It was quite yummy. We ate it in tacos. I have some leftover that I think I will either use for tostadas or burritos. I love when things just come together. :)

Quick Wheat Pizza Crust

 I have used this pizza dough recipe before and we like it at my house. It's easy and it's quick and I have adapted it to use half wheat flour to make it a bit healthier.

 Here it is ready to go in the oven. I had left over chicken from the slow cooker so we used bbq sauce because it just goes so nicely with chicken. Other toppings: Olives, pineapple, Tillamook cheese.

Quick Wheat Pizza Crust

1 (.25 oz) package Pizza Yeast

1 tsp white sugar

1 C warm water

1 1/2 C White flour

1 C Wheat flour

2 T olive oil

1 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand 5 minutes. (10 minutes if you aren't using Pizza specific yeast)

2. In mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and oil. Add yeast mixture, beat until smooth. Let rest 5 minutes.

3. Roll dough into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan dusted with cornmeal. Bake 5 minutes.

4. Add sauce and toppings. Bake 8 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

 I also used the same recipe to make bread sticks. 

I brushed it with butter and added garlic salt, parmesan cheese and a cheddar monterray jack mix.

They turned out okay but I want to figure out how to make them lighter and fluffier like the stuff you get at the pizza place. I will have to experiment a bit with this.

Cookie land!

I'

 I've been baking cookies lately. These are Lemon Cream Cheese cookies. The left are waiting to be dusted with powdered sugar.
I didn't love them and will probably not make them again, but James and the kids ate them all, so I guess they were okay.

I haven't made Jam Thumbprints in years! My little brother is leaving this week to serve a mission for our church. He asked me a couple of weeks ago to bring back some pleasant memories from his childhood. He is 11 years younger than me, by baby brother.
I can't be with him for the next two years to protect him or comfort him when he is lonely, but I could do this for him. A lovely batch of Jam Thumbprints with assorted flavors of jam. Peach, raspberry and strawberry. He was delighted! I am a happy sister. :)



Should you like to try your hand at these delights, here's the recipe:
Jam Thumbprints

1 1/2 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 c butter
1/3 c sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
2 slightly beaten egg whites
1/3 c strawberry jam (or any flavor you enjoy)

Stir together flour and salt. Beat butter for 30 seconds; add sugar and beat till fluffy. Add eggs yolks and vanilla; beat well. Add dry ingredients to beaten mixture, beating till well blended. Cover and chill 1 hour. (I didn't bother with this part and they turned out fine.)
Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll in egg whites. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 1 inch apart. Press down centers with thumb. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Just before serving, fill centers with jam. Makes 36 cookies. I had to work with the bake time. Starting a new oven fund!

 Tonight for family night, my daughter and I decided to make Peanut Blossoms for our special treat. I got a fabulous deal on Hershey's Kisses at Walmart's after Christmas sale, just $.90 per bag after coupons. I haven't had these cookies in a long time and we were excited to make them together.
My RA has been affecting my hands pretty badly lately and the thought of unwrapping 48 kisses was daunting. Send in able bodied, enthusiastic daughter!

 While she unwrapped chocolate candies, I made the peanut butter dough, rolled it into 1 inch balls and rolled them in sugar.

 Turns out this activity was a good opportunity to work on our counting skills. A sweet way to combine baking with homework. :)

Ready to go in the oven!

As soon as they were out of the oven, we started pressing the candies into the cookies. My poor girl brushed her finger against the hot pan. :( We've been icing all night. Luckily the yummy cookies helped make up for the accident.

This one was a hit so I am including the recipe:

Peanut Blossoms

48 Hershey's Kisses (I used special dark)
3/4 c Peanut Butter (I was out of crunchy unfortunately and had to use creamy. Still good though)
1/2 c butter (the original recipe called for shortening but I am anti-hydrogenated products and butter just tastes so yummy!)
1/3 c granulated sugar
1/3 c packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 T milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Granulated Sugar

1: Heat oven to 375. Remove wrappers from chocolates.
2. Beat peanut butter and butter with electric mixer on medium speed in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 c granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in additional granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookies will crack around edges. Remove to wire rack and cool completely.  Makes about 48 cookies.   

Christmas Goodies

 As with most people, our home has been filled with the aromas of Christmas goodness! I put together goodie plates for neighbors and my visiting teaching ladies featuring the following:

  Christmas Hay

aka Triscuit snacks

  This is a fun no bake treat that combines all kinds of yummy things; peanut butter, Triscuits, honey, raisins and more!

Her are the raisins and powdered milk.

Putting the crackers in a zippy bag makes for an efficient and clean crunching process.

See how nifty?! :)

 Lots of mixing.

Then roll into balls (very sticky) and roll the balls in more crushed Triscuits. A strong honey flavor. Really yummy!

Here's my Applesauce bread. I added brown sugar and chopped almonds on the top.

And here's my Chex mix. Super easy and super yummy!

And finally, Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake cookies!
This was a fun project.  I am excited for the goodies that I will attempt next year!