Really-Good Cut-Out Cookies

Christmas is not complete without our favorite cut-out cookie recipe. We make them every year the day of our Christmas dinner. It hasn't been without trauma since we have varying degrees of perfection required for frosting. We keep coming back to the experience so it must have meaning. Here is the recipe. The name is for real, from a school cookbook.

Really-Good Cut-Out Cookies

1 cup butter

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. almond flavoring (or 1 tsp vanilla)

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

Mix ingredients in order listed. Cool one hour. Then cut in desired shapes. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes.

Edited to add photos of the 2008 cookies. Made with gluten free flour!

Peanut Butter Balls

So I am at moms this week and got to help with the annual making of Christmas goodies. Leah & Bethany got in on the action too. As we mixed & rolled mom brought up the story of our first Christmas in Pella when I got bored waiting for mom to help me make peanut butter balls. I had collected the ingredients and started spinning around the kitchen with the bag of powdered sugar. Little did I know that I had hit the counter and broken the bag! I ended up coating the entire kitchen in powdered sugar. So instead of mixing up the peanut butter balls, I spent the afternoon vacuuming. Mom loves me so much she took a picture back then and still let me help yesterday.

PEANUT BUTTER BALLS

1 1/2 Cups Peanut Butter (we like crunchy)
1/2 cup oleo, melted
1 medium pkg chocolate chips
1/2 square paraffin wax
2 cups powdered sugar
3 cups rice krispies

Mix powdered sugar, peanut butter and melted oleo. Add rice krispies. Cool and shape in to balls. Melt chocolate chips and wax in double boiler or microwave. Dip balls into this mixture. Place on waxed paper.

Easy Lasagna

I know this recipe came from mom. I'm not sure where she got it from but it must be good since the recipe on the box of noodles I had last night was almost exactly the same one! This version is straight from the recipe card from my home-ec recipe box from high school but I tweak it some by adding about a cup of frozen chopped spinach to the cheese mixture, a LOT of garlic, and using ground turkey or Italian sausage instead of ground beef. Oh and mushrooms, lots of mushrooms at Paul's request. It has never turned out bad. Also great for freezing and makes great leftovers.

Easy Lasagna
1 lb ground beef
32oz jar spaghetti sauce
chopped onion
1 1/2 cups water
8 oz uncooked lasagna noodles
15 oz cottage cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
12 oz mozzarella cheese
2 eggs (beaten)
1/4 cup parsley flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Brown beef & onion. Drain fat. Add sauce & water; simmer 10 minutes. Mix all other ingredients except noodles. In a 9x13 inch pan, layer one cup sauce, one layer lasagne noodles, 1 cup sauce and 1/2 of cheese mixture. Repeat, ending with a layer of noodles and sauce. Bake covered at 350 for 55-60 minutes. Remove foil & bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Time for me to add a recipe since I am the mom. Here is a family cookie favorite. Bethany actually had these first when she was babysitting a few years ago. She asked for the recipe and it has been a favorite since then. Also known as Katie's cookies.<

Cranberry Chocolate Chip  Cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

 1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 1/2 cups blended oatmeal (measure - then blend in food processor))

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

12 oz chocolate chips 

1 cup chopped pecans

1 pkg dried cranberries

Cream butter and both sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix together with flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Add chocolate chips, cranberries and nuts.  Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a  cookie sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees.

Reindeer Poop

Reindeer Poop

OR- as Helenmom likes to refer to them... "oreo truffles" even though reindeer poop is much more enticing. Right?

INGREDIENTS:

1 package of oreo cookies
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
1 package of almond bark
red and green sprinkles, or other festive items to decorate the poop. [if we are feeling really ambitious we will drizzle chocolate over the top.]

DIRECTIONS:
Crush the entire package of oreos in a plastic bag. Stir the crushed oreos in a large mixing bowl with softened cream cheese. Roll the oreo, cream cheese mixture into small balls, whatever size you prefer. Freeze the poop for several hours, or until hard. Later, melt the almond bark and coat the oreo and cream chesse balls in the almond bark. Set on wax paper, and sprinkle with festive detail of your choice. Allow to cool, and devour. Keep poop chilled. ENJOY!

edited to add photos. 2008

Cranberry Salad or Cranberry Fluff

I think the "real" name for this salad is Cranberry Fluff. It's very much an old school, church cookbook, grandma's kitchen type recipe. When Paul and I got married I quit going back to mom and dad's for Thanksgiving since we do Thanksgiving and Christmas with Paul's family over Thanksgiving. Well, this salad is the one Thanksgiving dish I refused to miss. (I really miss the apple & raisin stuffing too though). I'm not convinced anyone in Paul's family eats it when I make it, but I don't care. I make it for me!

Oh and it's a good one even if you aren't fond of cranberries as all the other stuff makes it so sweet it tastes good!

2 cups frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup drained crushed pineapple
1 container of cool whip

Grate cranberries (I use a mini food processor) and mix with sugar. Let stand 2 hours. Add pineapple & marshmallows and refrigerate overnight. Add cool whip before serving. You may need to drain off some of the "juice" before mixing in the cool whip to keep it from being too soupy.

Tortellini Soup

I keep looking at the title and wondering if I spelled torellini correctly? Oh well, as long as it tastes good, right? This one is from mom's kitchen. I had to call her for it a few weeks ago and amazing had remembered most of the ingredients from memory. I had to strain the broth off a can of chicken and rice soup to get enough chicken broth though! Thanks for that idea mom!

1/2 lb italian sausage, browned & drained (I screwed up and used a pound)
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of minced garlic
2 cups broccoli florets
2-3 diced carrots
2 cans chicken broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup
9 oz dry tortellini
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
2 quarts milk (don't use skim! Whole milk or half and half tastes best)
1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheese

Simmer vegetables and pasta in chicken broth until pasta is tender and vegetables are soft. (add a bit of water if necessary) Stir in milk & spices. Heat until hot. Stir in cheese. Continue to simmer over low heat until thick.

This is good as leftovers but don't freeze it!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

When I was a teenager a good friend introduced me to the wonderful combination of pumpkin and chocolate in the form of muffins. Honestly, I think the recipe her mom made was supposed to have raisins in it but added chocolate chips instead. Anyway, this is one of my favorite treats in the fall and I ate it like it was going out of style the year I was pregnant with Leah. (2 loaves a week!). Oh and the recipe is great as a bread but tastes equally as well as muffins, just bake for 30 minutes instead of an hour. If you are opposed to chocolate feel free to omit the chips!

1 1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup water

1 2/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon & ginger (or cheat and use pumpkin pie spice like I did)
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream together the sugar & butter. Add eggs, pumpkin & water. Sift flour with soda, salt, baking powder & 1/2 tsp of each spice. Add to pumpkin mix. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill pans 1/2 full. Bake at 325 for about an hour.

Greek Stuffed Chicken

Ha ha ha! Mom called me from the grocery store for a recipe! This one I dug up a couple of years ago when Paul and I were doing the South Beach diet. I think is Stage 2 friendly. This is just the basic recipe. Adjust amounts according to how many chicken breasts you are using.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Frozen Chopped Spinach
Feta Cheese
Mayonaisse
Garlic
Turkey Bacon

Pound Chicken breasts with a meat mallet or rolling pin until 1/2 inch thick. Set aside. Mix feta cheese, garlic & spinach. Add enough mayo to make the mixture stick together. Less if you like chunky filling, more if you like it smoother. Put about 1/4 cup mixture on each chicken breast, roll up and secure with toothpicks. Wrap with turkey bacon and place in a baking dish. Bake at 350 until chicken juices are clear. About 35 minutes.

Chicken Carbonara Style Casserole

This recipe comes from my friend Wendy. I'm not sure where she got it from but it sure is tasty. It's what I requested she bring over after Jonah was born. Paul thinks that this would be better with shrimp or crab meat instead of chicken.

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 lb bacon
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 medium onion sliced
garlic
1 jar jarred garlic Alfredo sauce
8oz shredded cheese
80z small pasta (bow tie, rotini, wagon wheels, penne)

Cook pasta according to directions. Cut chicken breasts into small chunks and saute' until cooked through. Using the same pan, saute onions, mushrooms & garlic until soft. Chop bacon into small pieces and cook until crispy. Combine chicken, onions, mushrooms, bacon and pasta in a baking dish. Mix in the cheese and pasta sauce. Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted.

Hoot Owl Cookies

This is a recipe that mom made with us when we were little and I requested this fall for Leah and I to make for our playgroup Halloween party. I did make one change which was to use candy corn for the noses instead of cashews. Leah's not a fan of nuts so we made the change. Just be sure to put the candy corn on AFTER you bake the cookies. Here is the recipe copied directly from an e-mail from family friend Julie Boleman who had the recipe when mom couldn't find it.

HOOT OWL COOKIES from Julie BoelmanBake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes

Cream :

1/2 t. salt

3/4 cup butter1 cup brown sugar

Blend in:

One egg

One t. vanilla

Add:

2 1/2 cups flour

2 t. baking powder

Divide the dough in thirds. To one third add

1 1/2 squares melted chocolate and

1/4 t. baking soda.

Roll white dough into two 10" by 4" strips. Form chocolate dough into two 10" rolls. Place chocolate rolls over the white dough; wrap white around the chocolate. Chill.Slice with sharp knife; place two slices together. Place a cashew nut for the beak; chocolate chips for the eyes; pinch dough for the ears.

On the backside of the recipe card Ida Mae Bock of Klemme, IA wrote: Julie, That's the recipe. Being "unambitious," I found it was easiest to shape the light dough if I measured waxed paper 10" by 4" and crease it to that size. (Have the waxed paper long enough to roll around roll when chilling.) I just pat the dough to size on the waxed paper.For Christmas, color the 1/3 dough red or green (instead of adding chocolate). Pinch the shape for bell; use a small piece of dough for the clapper.

Here's Leah making the cookies!

Pulled Pork

So I guess I am the only one cooking. This is what we had for supper last night. I actually made it and then split it in two and brought half of it to a friend who recently had a baby. Paul was upset that I was giving it away so I guess I will have to make it again this weekend.

PULLED PORK

-Pork Roast - I used a 4.5 lb pork butt roast. You can also use a "boston cut" or "picnic cut". I don't know much about cuts of pork but what I used tasted excellent.
-One can of beer or other carbonated beverage (7-up, rootbeer, coke)-
-Liquid smoke

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on medium for 10-12 hrs or high for 5-6 hours. (I did mine on high). Remove meat from cooker and shread with a fork. Toss out cooking liquid. Return pork to the cooker and add barbeque sauce. I used Baby Ray's. Cook on med for an additional hour. Serve alone or on buns.

Next time I think I will add onions.

Chicken with Onion & Pears

1 lb Skin on, bone-in Chicken thighs or legs or both
2 bosc pears
1 large sweet or red onion
dried or fresh thyme
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp olive oil

Lift the skin of the chicken and rub with thyme to cover. Mix honey and oil and brush over chicken. Place on foil lined baking sheet. Slice onions and pears and add to baking sheet, arranging around chicken. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

This is a variation of an Everyday Food recipe. I can't find the actual recipe so I just typed it out the way I made it last night.

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is what Helen is making for us for lunch today. Bethany requested it on this visit home. 

In a large saucepan, saute:

1 chopped medium onion and

2 minced garlic cloves in

2 tbsps vegetable oil

over low heat for 5 minutes or until onion is softened

Add one 4 oz can chopped green chilies, 

a 15 oz can italian style stewed tomatoes (chopped & in their own juice)

4 cups chicken broth

1 tsp lemon pepper

2 tsps worcestershire sauce

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin and

1/2 tsp hot sauce

Simmer for about 20 minutes 

In a small bowl, combine 4 tbsp flour with 1/2 cup water and whisk into soup. Bring the soup back to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. 

Add 1 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into small cubes. 

Simmer for 5 minutes. 

Stir in 1/3 cup non-fat sour cream, salt & pepper to taste. 

Serve with sliced corn tortillas. 

Mom can edit this later to tell you how she really makes it.  This is just the recipe. 

The Beginning

Well really this isn't the beginning because our family has been eating for years. It is the beginning of this blog though.  

Last week Abby made four phone calls seeking the recipe for "Really Good Cut-Out Cookies".   I (Sarah) didn't have it. Bethany didn't have it. Meagan had it but was at work and mom had it and was at work too. Finally, mom called a family friend who provided the elusive recipe. Of course Abby could have used a different recipe but, it wouldn't have been the same. The pumpkin cookies turned out great!

Anyway, the multiple phone calls for a recipe is a common occurrence in our family so we decide having a blog to post some of our favorites would be handy. In fact, I called mom last week for "Tortellini Soup".  So here begins the record of what we are cooking. Enjoy!