Sugar Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
  

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Frosting

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• assorted food coloring
  

1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
2. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.
   

I made these into tiny feet for Alycia's baby shower, and frosted them blue and brown- the icing is amazing! It dries all glossy and looks like it came from a bakery! Or, at least it would if I had any artistic skill.

German Apple Cake

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 cups apples - peeled, cored and diced
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch cake pan (or, I used a bundt pan.
2. In a mixing bowl; beat oil and eggs with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat well.
3. Combine the flour salt, baking soda, and ground cinnamon together in a bowl. Slowly add this mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined. The batter will be very thick. Fold in the apples by hand using a wooden spoon. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes or until cake tests done. Let cake cool on a wire rack. Once cake is cool serve with a dusting of confectioners' sugar or with a Cream Cheese Frosting.

I made this for Alycia's shower and took the leftover's to Craig's, where it was very-well received. I believe Patrick's exact quote was "Holy crap, this is the best cake I have ever had! Who made this?! Seriously, top 5 things I've ever eaten." So yeah, definitely a winner- so easy, but it's super moist and yummy.

Mae's Cheeseburger Soup

• 2 lbs. hamburger
• 4 cups cooked rice
• 1 cup carrots
• 1 onion
• 1 pound Velveeta cheese
• 4 Cups milk
• 4 t chicken bouillon
• 1 16oz pkg sour cream
• 4 t pepper
  

Saute onions and carrots in a large pot until tender. Cook rice according to directions. Brown hamburger in a frying pan.

Add hamburger, rice, milk, cheese to the vegetables and heat through. Add sour cream last (do not boil).

This recipe is courtesy of our Amish-ish friend, Mae, passed to me through my mother. I happened to have everything on hand so I made a big pot of it- and I do mean big. Seriously, don't make this stuff unless you're expecting the Duggar family for dinner or you plan on making April the Month of Cheeseburger Soup. I've been eating it for a week and finally took it to TJ & Alycia's to get rid of the last bit. It's a great comfort food and I especially like it with tortilla chips and salsa.

Shrimp Lemon Pepper Linguini

• 1 (8 ounce) package linguine pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguine, and cook for 9 to 13 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, and saute garlic about 1 minute. Mix in chicken broth, wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat, and simmer until liquid is reduced by about 1/2.

Mix shrimp, butter, and basil into the saucepan. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until shrimp is opaque. Stir in the cooked linguine, and continue cooking 2 minutes, until well coated.

This was a Friday Lenten meal, thanks to Aldi and their ridiculously cheap seafood sales. True to its name, it's got a real pepper 'kick' to it, but if you're into that sort of thing (which I am) it's quite delicious.

Asian Chicken with Peanuts

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 3/4 cups Chicken Stock
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
  
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into strips
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 small red peppers, cut into 2-inch-long strips
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup salted peanuts
• 4 cups Hot cooked regular long-grain white rice

Stir the cornstarch, stock, soy sauce, ginger and sesame oil, if desired, in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry until it is well browned, stirring often. Remove the chicken from the skillet.

Reduce the heat to medium. Heat the remaining vegetable oil in the skillet. Add the broccoli, peppers and garlic and stir-fry until the vegetables are tender-crisp. Stir the cornstarch mixture in the skillet. Cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. Return the chicken to the skillet. Stir in the peanuts and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling. Serve over the rice.

This is the best stir fry I have ever made, and some of the best I've tasted, period. But then, I have a strong like of all things nutty. Regardless, this was quick and easy and great as leftovers.

Sweet Potato Casserole

• 4 cups mashed sweet potatoes
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup chopped pecans

In a mixing bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, milk, salt, 1/3 cup butter and vanilla. Mix together and pour into a greased 13x9 inch baking dish.

To prepare the topping, combine in a separate bowl the brown sugar, flour, 1/3 cup melted butter and pecans. Mix together and crumble over sweet potato mixture. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 45 minutes.

Banana Muffins

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
  
• 2 tsp baking powder
  
• 1 tsp baking soda
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
  
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  
• dash or two of nutmeg
  
• 1 egg
  
• 3/4 cup milk
  
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  
• 1 cup mashed bananas
  

Preheat oven to 400*
Using a whisk, combine all your dry ingredients in one bowl: whole wheat and AP flour, sugar, baking soda and powder, salt, nuts, spices).
Beat the egg lightly in a separate bowl. Whisk in milk, applesauce, vanilla to the eggs.
Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold bananas in.
Divide the batter among a greased or paper-lined muffin tin.
Bake for about 18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Black Bean Burritos

• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 t minced jalepeno peppers
  
• 1 T olive oil
  
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Cream of Chicken Soup
  
• 1 cup Thick & Chunky Salsa
  
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup white rice
• 1 can corn
• 1 can black beans
• 2 cups shredded chicken, seasoned with 1 t cumin and 1/2 t chili powder
  
• 4 flour tortillas (10-inch)

Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Place onion, garlic and jalapeños in skillet, cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Add soup and salsa and heat to a boil. Pour beans into skillet, cook 3 minutes stirring. Add corn, rice and chicken and heat through.
Spoon about 1 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Fold tortilla around filling. Cover with cheese and bake (or microwave) until cheese is melted.

Chipotle Pepper and Black Bean Chili

• 1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
• 2 14-oz. cans beef broth or chicken broth
• 1 16-oz. jar chunky salsa
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-oz. can golden hominy, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups loose-pack frozen diced hash brown potatoes
• 1 to 2 canned chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped*
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• Dairy sour cream, chopped avocado and/or shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
• Tortilla chips or corn bread (optional)

In a large skillet, cook ground beef until meat is brown. Drain off fat. Transfer meat to a 4- or 5-quart slow cooker. Stir broth, salsa, beans, hominy, potatoes, chipotle peppers, chili powder, oregano and cumin into meat in cooker.
Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-setting for 3-1/2 to 4 hours.
Top individual servings with sour cream, avocado and cheddar cheese and serve with tortilla chips, if you like. Makes 6 servings (9-1/2 cups total)

Kansas City Steak Soup

• 1 1/2 pounds cubed steak
• 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 2 14-ounce cans beef broth or 3-1/2 cups beef stock
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 10-ounce package frozen mixed vegetables
• 2 tablespoons steak sauce
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

In a pot, cook beef, onion and celery over medium heat until meat is brown and vegetables are tender. Drain well; return to pot.
Stir in 1 can of the beef broth, undrained tomatoes, mixed vegetables, steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together remaining can of beef broth and the flour. Stir into mixture in pot Cook until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Makes 6 main-dish servings.