Chewy Large Sugar Cookies

 

 

2 ¼ c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 ½ c. sugar (plus 1/3 c. for rolling)

2 oz. cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces

6 Tbsp. melted butter, still warm

1/3 c. vegetable oil or melted coconut oil

1 large egg

1 Tbsp. milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Place cream cheese and 1 ½ cups sugar in a mixer and mix in melted butter. Mix in oil. Mix in egg, milk and vanilla until smooth. Gently fold in flour mixture until soft, homogenous dough forms.

Place remaining 1/3 c. sugar in a bowl and roll dough balls of 2 tablespoons into the sugar until fully coated. Place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press the cookies flat (dipping in sugar also may help it not stick to the cookies). Bake cookies for 11-13 minutes. Let cookies cool on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. Let cookies cool completely before serving. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

For fun, substitute colored sugar for the 1/3 cup sugar for rolling.  

Easy Spritz Cookies

Cream in a mixer:

1 c. butter, softened

1 1/4 c. powdered sugar

Add and beat in:

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. almond extract

Combine together and then add:

2 1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Dough should be sticky. Load up the cookie press with dough. Press out cookies onto ungreased bare cookie sheet (I know, I know, I am a firm believer in the *gospel* of parchment paper, but unless you want to sharpen up on your sailor language, please just press them out on a bare pan--it hurts, I know, but it is by far easier than trying to press them out on to the parchment. Trust me!!). Bake for 6-8 minutes, depending on how dense the cookies are (solid shapes, closer to 8 and delicate thin wreaths, more like 6-7). Bake in a 375 degree oven. Do not brown. 

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

These are pretty good. I am not a super big chocolate fan, but these are pretty darn good.

1 c. flour

1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 c. unsalted butter (or salted butter and omit the above salt)

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. mini chocolate chips

For rolling:

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 c. powdered sugar

Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Beat butter and sugars on medium  until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in egg and vanilla. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients; then mix in chips.  Cover dough and refrigerate 2 hours (up to 3 days). Always chill the dough. Remove from fridge and let sit 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls and roll lightly in sugar; roll generously in powdered sugar. Place 3 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 11-12 minutes. If they don't spread by 9 minutes, remove from oven and bang on the counter and return to the oven. Cool cookies 5 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack. This makes about 3 dozen.

 

Lace Cookies

These are simple and delicate cookies that taste a lot like brittle or candy! Yum! They happen to be gluten-free, too, in case that is important.

1/2 cup (1 cube) unsalted butter (or salted butter and omit the 1/8 tsp. salt below)

2/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup almond flour (you can buy this pre-ground or grind up almonds in small batches in a blender)

1/8 tsp. salt (omit if using salted butter)

1 Tbsp. corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When melted, add brown sugar, almond flour, salt and corn syrup. Whisk until all ingredients are dissolved and completely combined--about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir to combine. Let mixture cool 5-10 minutes--you can preheat the oven to 350 degrees while you wait for it to cool. Drop onto parchment lined baking sheets THREE inches apart by scant teaspoonfuls. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes (6 minutes may make chewy cookies while closer to 8 minutes makes them more crispy--ovens vary). Cookies should be golden on the edges. Cool 5 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Can be made into sandwich cookies with chocolate or Nutella. Store up to a week in airtight container at room temperature.

 

Two Ingredient Biscuits

 This might actually be "four" ingredient biscuits, depending on if you keep self-rising flour on hand. I don't. So what you can do is add 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt to EACH cup of all-purpose flour to make your own "self-rising flour".

2 cups self-rising flour (OR 2 cups all-purpose flour with 3 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt)

2 cups heavy whipping cream

Mix both ingredients together (mix dry ingredients together first if not using store bought self-rising flour) and knead 10 times, using extra flour if needed. Roll with rolling pin onto floured surface to 1/2 inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter, avoiding twisting, just cut straight down. (Twisting sometimes doesn't allow the biscuits to rise as easily, kind of "pinching off" the sides of the biscuit with the cutter.) Roll scraps and repeat until dough is used up or too small to make another biscuit.

Bake in 400 degree oven on ungreased baking sheet--I always use parchment paper--for 15 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Serve warm with butter, jam, honey or your favorite stuff. Can also be served at room temperature, but I really like 'em warm! 

Makes 12-14 biscuits.

Tuscan Soup (Zuppa Tuscana)

My mom told me she had dinner with my brother and sister-in-law and said I really needed to get that recipe! So I asked for it! Yum, yum!

1 lb. Italian sausage (the kind like ground hamburger, not the links, hot or mild)
8 bacon slices

1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic

2 Tbsp. flour

32 oz. chicken stock
4 potatoes, peeled and diced to 1/4 inch

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 bunch kale, ripped into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes (optional)


Brown the Italian sausage in a large soup pot or indoor Dutch oven (also called a French Casserole). Drain. Fry bacon in the same pot and remove, reserving 1-1 1/2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings. Dice the bacon. Add onion to the bacon drippings and cook about 5 minutes and add the garlic the last minute. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and garlic and stir. Add the chicken stock, stirring while pouring. Add potatoes and gently boil for 15 minutes until potatoes are fork tender. Add cooked sausage, most of the bacon pieces, cream and the kale. Cook 5-10 minutes until the kale is wilted. Salt and pepper to taste. Add red pepper flakes if using. Top with bacon to serve.




thechunckychef.com

Big Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay, I think I finally found my favorite totally "normal" chocolate chip cookie recipe! I made these and took them to work during the pandemic (individually packaged with gloves and a mask on, of course) and people REALLY liked them. They are about 4 inches across and the perfect texture--a bit crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Original recipe came from tastesbetterfromscratch.com ("Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies")

Mix in a bowl and set aside:
4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt

Cream together:
1 1/2 cups butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar

Add to creamed mixture and mix:
2 eggs, room temperature
1 Tbsp. vanilla

Gradually mix the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Stir in 2 cups of chocolate chips.
Scoop dough onto parchment paper lined baking sheets with a 1/4 cup measuring cup. I floured the inside of the cup after each portion to help the dough plop out easier. Try to have the dough keep the shape of the cup so they bake uniform if you care about that.  Bake at 375* for 12 minutes (that's my oven, yours may take a little more time). Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 1 minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Makes right around 24-26 cookies.

These two cookies from the same batch look so different. I baked one before the other so maybe sitting out for 12 minutes made it more crinkly. Pretty cool, though!

Frozen Pop Treats (Popsicles--which I think is a brand name)

I probably have at least 50 popsicles in my freezer RIGHT NOW, and all but 5 of them were made last year--it's a deep freeze, so stuff lasts quite a while. I started making them about 4 years ago and was really excited about it! I got a new mold from Williams Sonoma (I don't generally shop there but was in TX with my sis and found the mold on sale). If I could blend it and freeze it, it became a popsicle! Ingredients ranged from spinach to left over Oreo cake at work. Options were endless! I like this kind of mold since you can make many pops and not have to eat them before making the next batch, but you can use whatever kind of mold. With this kind, you will need to get some sticks. I bought special food ones but you can use the craft kind, too. The food ones I have found to be little smoother, but I haven't ever gotten a splinter in my mouth!

The last thing I really "need" is to be making more popsicles, but I admit, I can't help the ideas flowing to my mind about popsicle recipes, and what if I don't have one left of *the* popsicle I'm craving right now? I don't know about you, but I eat my favorites first. Even though 50 or so remain, I have already eaten far more of my favorites throughout the last many months. I even had a "popsicle party" about 4 years ago because I had made easily over 150 of them and needed help eating them! (I know that because the first pack of sticks I went though had 150 in it and I opened another package of sticks and used them too!)

Here are a few of my favorite recipes. The directions for all of them (unless otherwise mentioned) is blend all ingredients, pour in mold, add sticks and freeze for at least 8 hours. (I could make 16 in a 24 hour period!)

Reese's PB Cup Pop

6 peanut butter cups (I use the ones in the orange wrappers, but if you use smaller, individually wrapped ones, just increase the amount)

1 jar of marshmallow creme

2 heaping Tbsp. malted milk

Milk (about a cup to a cup and a half; I don't measure)

(optional) Mini PB cups (the ones that are about 1/2 inch across) you can also use crushed big ones, added to the top of the mold after the liquid is poured in and before you add the sticks. Makes a nice little snack at the bottom of the pop! Just don't add TOO many as the stick will be less secure in the pop if you do.

Circus Animal Cookie Pop

1 1/2 cups circus animal 

Milk to cover by about an inch or more

1 jar marshmallow creme

Banana Malt Pop

1 1/2-2 very ripe bananas

5 spoons of vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. malted milk powder

1/2 jar marshmallow creme

1/4 cup milk

Smoothie Pop

3/4 c. blueberries (or any berries!)

3/4 cup strawberries

1/2 cup yogurt (any flavor)

1/4 cup honey

pineapple, V8 smoothie, or other juice to cover ingredients

Fruit Cream Pop

1-2 cups fruit (I have used strawberries, blueberries, or bananas, both separate or combined with multiple fruits. Half a can of frozen concentrate orange juice can be used to make orange creamsicles, but I use 4-6 oz. of vanilla protein milk instead of the juice for those.)

1 jar marshmallow creme

V8 smoothie juice or other juice

Pudding Pie Pop

1/2 cup vanilla protein milk (I buy Shamrock Rockin' Protein Builder)

1/2 cup cold water or milk

1/3 cup vanilla pudding mix (powdered instant, or a box, I guess. Mine is special because I can use water to make mine)

6 graham crackers (I blend mine first to make crumbs)

1 jar marshmallow creme

Healthier Pop

3/4 cup blueberries

3/4 cup strawberries (you can use any berries, frozen or fresh)

1 handful of spinach

V8 smoothie juice (or other 100% juice) 

Ovaltine Whopper Malt Pop

1 cup powdered Ovaltine

1/2 cup malted milk

1/2 cup Whoppers (chocolate balls with malt on the inside)

A few extra small Whoppers to put in the top of the mold after the liquid is poured (makes an extra treat at the end of the pop; they may need to be cut in half to fit in the mold if they are too big)

Final Pop Note:

The nice thing about these frozen pop treats is that you can combine all kinds of things to make them. The first time I made them 4 years ago I made the mistake of not writing any recipes down. It would be like, "Hey, that one was great! I wonder what was in it so I can make more..." This time, I took notes. I suggest you do the same and find what you like and write it down. Find more combinations you like and write them down too! Good luck!!

Strawberry Pudding Pie

This pie takes a few hours total time to complete--mostly because of "chill" time and "cool" time, but it is well worth the time! I had a guy over (we ate outside six feet apart due to COVID-19 concerns) and we had this pie as dessert. He gave it an 8 out of 10 and I gave it 8.5/9 out of 10. It's pretty good. I love the taste of homemade pudding; it is SOOOO much more delicious than box mix pudding! Enjoy!

1 baked pastry pie shell (9")
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
3 Tbsp. corn starch
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
1 Tbsp powdered sugar

Glaze:
3 cups fresh strawberries, divided
1 cup water

1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Cover bottom of baked pie shell with the toasted almonds and set aside.

Pudding: In a small saucepan, combine sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in milk until smooth. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and pour a small amount of pudding into the beaten egg and stir. Return egg mixture into the main saucepan and return to heat for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Beat whipping cream until thick and holds its shape. Stir in powdered sugar. When pudding has cooled to room temperature, fold in the whipping cream and pour into the pie shell. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Glaze: Crush one cup of the strawberries (I used a potato masher) and place in a saucepan with the water. Boil for 2 minutes uncovered. Strain through cheese cloth or fine sieve to collect the strawberry liquid; discard the fruit and set liquid aside to cool. In another saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in strawberry liquid until blended. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Cool for 20 minutes.

Slice remaining 2 cups of strawberries and arrange over chilled pudding in pie shell. Pour glaze over berries. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

I got this recipe from Taste of Home, Mom's Best Meals 2009

Creamy Chicken Pasta

12 oz. angel hair pasta (or you can use spaghetti or Linguine)

1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 oz.) can green chiles
1 tsp. creole seasoning, divided

2 Tbsp. flour
1 can chicken broth

2 large chicken breasts, cubed (or 4 chicken strips cubed into 1 inch cubes)

1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided (I love sharp!)


Boil water for pasta in a large pot on stove top.
Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet on medium-high and add chopped onion, green chiles and 1/2 tsp. creole seasoning. Saute about 5-7 minutes until onions are clear. Add flour and stir about one minute. Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Season chicken with remaining 1/2 tsp. creole seasoning and add to the skillet. Cook over medium heat about 10-12 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened, keeping at a simmer. Cook pasta according to package directions while chicken is simmering. When chicken is cooked, add sour cream and 1 cup shredded cheese and simmer another 5 minutes. Add pasta to the skillet and coat with creamy chicken sauce. Serve with a little cheese sprinkled on top of each serving (the other 1/2 cup). This would be really good with some chopped broccoli added in about half way through the chicken simmering. Just a thought...I love broccoli!! Olives would be a nice addition towards the end too...oh the possibilities are endless!

Mini Apple Pies

So I altered a regular sized apple pie recipe for these small pies. I didn't use all of the mixture for the small pies, so I made another "bigger" pie that I folded over using the rest of the mixture and apples. So this could probably be cut in half except the apples, which I already reduced.

1 pie crust recipe

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 Granny Smith apples, chopped into small pieces (can be peeled, but optional)

1 egg white

Make crust and set aside, covered so as not to dry out.
Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in flour to make a paste. Add water and sugars and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer. Meanwhile, (peel if you want) chop apples into about 1/4 inch pieces. Roll out dough into two pieces (one will be the tops and one will be the bottoms) on floured surface. I used an apple pastry maker to mark on the bottom dough where I should put the apples and mixture. I put the apples down first and then spooned a little of the caramel type mixture on top of the apples. Then I laid a part of the second pie crust piece over the apples and mixture and stamped down hard to cut and seal the dough with the pastry maker tool.  Mine is shaped like an apple, but you can use any shape.

After apple pies are sealed, place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and brush each pie with egg white using a basting brush. With a fork, poke holes in each pie to let out steam. I forgot to do this in one batch I made and the filling came out the sides! See below.

I cleaned them up a little so it was less obvious, but you can see on some that the sides are split open. There are no such things as mistakes, just learning opportunities! I had made these pies at least twice before this picture, so we can all get distracted sometimes and forget!

Bake in 375* oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until they brown up on top. Honestly, I don't remember how long I baked them, so just watch and smell when they are done. When I make them again, I may edit this to write a more accurate time for baking.  

Inside-Out Ravioli

My mom got this recipe from friends when we lived in Colorado when I was about a year and half old. It is one of the "oldest" family recipes I can remember. This, along with game roast, is one of the tastes of home for me. 

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 10 oz. package frozen spinach (liquid reserved)

1 16 oz. can spaghetti sauce

      with mushrooms (you can use sauce without mushrooms if you can't find it with mushrooms)

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

1/2 t. salt

dash pepper

2 cups macaroni, cooked, drained

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup soft bread crumbs

2 beaten eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Brown first 3 ingredients.  Cook macaroni according to package directions.  Cook spinach in a saucepan until all heated through and pour the spinach liquid in a liquid measuring cup. Add some water to the spinach liquid to make one cup.  Add spinach water and next 5 ingredients (tomato products, salt and pepper) to meat mixture.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Combine spinach and macaroni with remaining four ingredients (cheese, bread crumbs, eggs and oil) and spread in 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan.  Top with meat sauce.  Bake at 350* for 30 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Double Crust Pot Pie

2 pie crust recipes (a recipe is below or you can use refrigerated store bought)
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast, cubed
1 cup carrots, sliced
1/2 cup sliced celery (about one stalk)
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
2/3 cups half-and-half
1 cup peas
1 large egg, beaten

Prepare the pie crust (make from scratch or use refrigerated pie crust) and chill for 2 hours if making from scratch.
In a large saucepan, combine the chicken, carrots and celery. Add water to boil for 12 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside. In a large skillet, cook butter, onions, and garlic over medium heat, stirring occasionally until butter is slightly brown and onions are clear. Whisk in the flour, salt, black pepper, thyme, chicken broth and half-and-half. Cook and whisk until all flour lumps are gone, then simmer over medium-low until thick, about 10 minutes. It needs to be very thick gravy. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out half the dough (one crust) on a floured surface until 12 inches in diameter. Place dough into a 9 inch pie crust and fit it (trim edges, smooth down into the bottom, etc.) Place chicken mixture on the crust. Place peas on top of the chicken mixture. Pour gravy on top of peas. Roll out second pie crust and cover the pie with it, sealing the edges with a fork or pinching with fingers. Slice a few small slits in the tops of the top crust for steam to escape. With a pastry brush, brush top crust and edges with the beaten egg.
Bake 32-38 minutes or until crust is golden brown. You may use a pie crust shield to keep the crusts from browning too soon. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Leftovers are awesome and can be stored in the fridge for about 5 days.

I got this recipe from sallysbakingaddiction.com
There are some really good recipes on her blog!


Pie Crust Recipe: (makes one crust, so double for this recipe is in parenthesis)
1 1/2 cups sifted flour (3 cups)
1/2 tsp. salt (1 tsp.)
1/2 cup shortening or cold butter (1 cup)
4-5 Tbsp. cold water (8-10 Tbsp.)

Mix flour and salt together. Cut in the butter or shortening with a pastry blender until looks like coarse crumbs. Mix in cold water one tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together. Then wrap  tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours for this recipe. 

Spicy Potato Curry

I like to pilfer recipes from other websites. I got this from allrecipes.com and altered it, of course. For one thing, I HATE tomatoes...I know, some of you will likely no longer look at another recipe of mine, but I am sticking to this! I really, really, really, don't like them. Ironically, I love ketchup and salsa. Weird. There's something about the chemical process of cooking them that makes the tomatoes not "of the devil" any more. I still avoid them, however, so this recipe says the tomatoes are optional, even if they are "cooked."  Enjoy!

4 medium potatoes
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves minced garlic
4 tsp. garam masala
2 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp.-1 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper (obviously 3/4 tsp. will be more mild)
4 tsp. curry powder
1 inch ginger root, minced (I used about 1 Tbsp.)
2 tsp. salt
1 (14.5 oz.) can on diced tomatoes (OPTIONAL--it's great without them!)
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans/chick peas
1 (15 oz.) can peas
1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk

Okay, so I altered this part too! I cut up the potatoes into chunks and put them in my pressure cooker to cook.  You can also boil them until almost tender. Original recipe says to keep them whole.

In large skillet, heat vegetable oil on medium heat and add onions and garlic. (I usually add the garlic a little after the onions as garlic seems to cook faster.) Cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with the garam masala, cumin, cayenne pepper, curry, ginger and salt. (I put these all in a prep bowl before starting the recipe.) Cook about 2 more minutes. Add garbanzo beans, peas and potatoes (and tomatoes if using them). Pour coconut milk in and simmer for 5-10 minutes on low. Can be served plain, over rice, or inside roti. Could also be eaten with naan. Makes probably about 6-8 servings, depending on what you are serving with it. Delicious!!

Golden Peanut Bars

This recipe came from an Eagle Brand Holiday Magic in Minutes recipe booklet. It's not as sweet as I anticipated, but it was still delicious! I mean, I can tolerate super sweet! Some people can't eat straight spoonfuls of brown sugar, though. This is for those people. :) Enjoy! (Mine were slightly over-done so I altered the recipe to reduce baking time.)

2 c. flour
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. (one stick) cold butter
1 cup finely chopped peanuts
1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, brown sugar, and beaten egg in a bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender until crumbly. Reserve 2 cups of the crumble mixture and press the remaining crumbles into the bottom of a 9" X 13" pan. Bake 15 minutes or until slightly browned. Meanwhile, beat peanut butter, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla in a bowl. Spread over the baked crust when it comes out of the oven. Top with reserved 2 cups of crumbles. Bake 20-25 minutes or until slightly browned. Cool and cut into bars.

Cast Iron Skillet Brownies

Baking brownies in a cast iron skillet? Yup. Cast iron goes nicely in the oven too!

1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1-2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8" diameter skillet and set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan on the stove top or in the microwave in a glass bowl. Pour melted butter into a mixing bowl. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla to the bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Pour dry ingredients into wet mixture and combine well as to have no lumps. Spread into the greased cast iron skillet. Bake 25 minutes; brownies should be soft when removed from the oven. Do not over-bake. I used a 10" skillet and should have reduced the time as they were slightly over-done in the picture. Enjoy!

Fettuccine Alfredo II

I got this recipe from my brother who makes the best food! 

¾ lb. dried fettuccine

7 Tbsp. butter, divided

½-1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2/3 cups heavy cream

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

Cook fettuccine according to package directions with salt, reserving ¼ cup of liquid when finished cooking. Drain pasta. Thinly slice 3 Tbsp. of butter and set aside. When pasta is cooked, melt 4 Tbsp. butter in a frying pan over low heat. Add pasta and toss to coat, lifting strands with tongs. Add cheese, reserved pasta water, cream, the 3 Tbsp. of set-aside butter, salt and pepper. Toss to combine well. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.

I love adding crumbled bacon to this, or broccoli. Yum!

Jam-filled Hand Pies

1 ¾ cups flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. salt

¾ cup cold butter

1 egg, lightly beaten

2-4 Tbps. Milk

6 Tbsp. jam (I used homemade raspberry jam)

Stir flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter until it looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in egg and sprinkle in one tablespoon of milk at a time into flour mixture just until the dough comes together. Knead gently a few times until the dough holds together and can be rolled. Roll about 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut with large cookie cutter hearts or make rectangles or squares using a knife or a small baking rotary blade. Cut pairs of the same size and shape. Spread jam onto the middle of half of the cutouts. Moisten edges of the jam side of the pastry and place a matching pastry cutout on top. Seal edges by pressing with a fork. Brush tops with milk. Bake on a parchment papered cookie sheet for about 17 minutes (oven may vary) or until the tops begin turning golden.

You can also cut out hearts (or whatever seasonal shape) and attach them with milk to the tops of pastries to make them decorative. They can also be glazed for decoration.

Better Homes and Gardens, Feb 2019 p.97

Cake Donuts

2 cups flour

½ cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. cinnamon

Dash of nutmeg

2 Tbsp. melted butter

½ cup milk

1 beaten egg

Oil for frying, about a quart

Heat oil in a deep pan to 375*. (For my stove it was about medium-low.) Stir or sift together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix in butter until crumbly. Stir in the milk and egg until smooth. Knead lightly a few times on a floured flat surface. Roll out to ¼ inch thick and cut with either a donut cutter or large and smaller round cutters. Drop into hot oil and turn over once when golden. Drain on paper towels.

I rolled half of mine in a cinnamon and sugar mix. The other half I glazed with a milk, powdered sugar and almond extract glaze and immediately applied some Valentine sprinkles on top.

Pioneer Swedish Jam Cake

I am not sure if this is super authentic, and I don't recall where I got this recipe, but it sure is good!

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 eggs, separated

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

2 1/2 cups sifted flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 cup strawberry jam

Cream butter and sugar; add beaten egg yolks and salt. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk. Sift together flour and spices and add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, adding flour mixture last. Beat well and add jam. Beat egg whites in a bowl and fold into cake batter. Bake in greased and floured 8x8-inch pan at 375° F. for 35 to 40 minutes.