Holiday Sugar Cookies

I found this recipe in the book "Call Me Mrs Miracle" by Debbie Macomber. I love sugar cookies and was very curious about this recipe since it's made with brown sugar rather than white sugar. They are very good with an obvious brown sugar taste. Watch Debbie Macomber's "Mrs Miracle" and "Call Me Mrs Miracle" movies on the Hallmark Channel.

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract or grated lemon peel

6 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vani9lla; beat until combined. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Reduce mixer speed to low; beat in flour mixture just until combined. Shape dough into two disks; wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets iwth parchment paper. Remove 1 dough disk from the refrigerator. Cut disk in half; cover remaining half. On a lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll dough 1/4-inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut dough into as many cookies as possible; reserve trimmings for rerolling. Place cookies on prepared sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake 10 to 12 mintues (depending on the size of the cookies) until pale gold. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough and rerolled scraps. Makes about 48 cookies.

TIP: Decorate baked cookies with prepared frosting or sprinkle unbaked cookies with colored sugars before putting them in the oven.

Thanksgiving Quesadilla with Cranberry Cream Dipping Sauce

I got this recipe from Food Network Sandra Lee. It was something new to try with leftovers. Depending on the size of tortilla used, it makes alot, so share it. We felt it was a little dry. Maybe add some gravy to it.

1 cup small diced leftover turkey breast

1/2 cup leftover stuffing, broken into small pieces

1 cup shredded Cheddar

2 large flour tortillas

Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Put 1 flour tortilla into the pan. Cover with half of the cheese, then a layer of turkey, a layer of stuffing. Top with the remaining cheese and cover with another tortilla. Cook for 3 to 4 mintues and flip. To flip, put a large plate on top of the quesadilla in the pan. Put your palm on the plate and flip the pan upside down. Put the pan back on the stove and slide the quesadilla back into the pan. Cook until the cheese is melted, another 3 to 4 minutes. Stir together the sour cream and cranberry sauce in a small serving bowl. Cut the quesdailla into 8 wedges, transfer to a serving platter and serve with cranberry sour cream.

Green Tomato Muffins

This is a fabulous recipe!!!! I found this at eclectic cook.

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 1/2 cups green tomatoes, seeded and chopped

brown sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Greas and flour muffin tin or line with paper cups. In a medium bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the egg and mix well to combine. Gently stir in the buttermilk. Stir in the flour mixture and fold in the tomatoes. Fill the muffin cups with the batter. Generously sprinkle the muffins with brown sugar. Bake for 10 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes more. Muffins should be golden brown and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin will come out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from tin and cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

Green Tomato Chili

I found this recipe at Cooking With Michele. I was lost because her recipe did not have beans, so I added some. I thought her amount of Poblano peppers was too much, so I added only 1/4 of 1 pepper. I wasn't too excited with the flavor so I added 2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies. I will not be making this one again.

First brown 1 pound ground beef with 1 onion, diced. Add about 2-3 cups of diced Poblano and banana peppers (small, thin - skinned ones - if they are thick - skinned you will want to roast and peel them first), 1 cup diced red tomatoes and 1 1/2 cups pureed green tomatoes. Add standard chili seasoning blend - a good amount of chili powder (1-2 tablespoons), cumin (2-3 teaspoons), coriander (1 teaspoon), salt and pepper - plus a little cayenne for a kick but leave that out if you don't want it hot. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes. You'll never know there are green tomatoes in the mix.

Norman's Egg Salad

I got this recipe from the book "Plum Pudding Murder" by Joanne Fluke. We didn't like the carrots, so the second time I made it I replaced them with green onions. This recipe is a keeper!!!

4 cups peeled and chopped hard-boiled eggs

1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon

1 Tablespoon chopped parsley

1/4 cup grated carrots

4 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Peel and chop the hard-boiled eggs. Add the crumbled bacon, the parsley and the grated carrots. Mix well. Put the cream cheese in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds on HIGH to soften it. If it can be easily stirred with a fork, add the sour cream and mayonnaise and mix well. If the cream cheese is still too solid, give it another 10 seconds or so before you add the other ingredients. Stir in the garlic powder and onion powder. Add the cream cheese mixture to the bowl with the eggs and stir it all up. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and chill until ready to serve. Serve by itself on a lettuce leaf, as filling in a sandwich or stuffed in cream puffs. Makes approximately a dozen egg salad sandwiches.

Pork and Beans Bread

I got this recipe from the book "Plum Pudding Murder" by Joanne Fluke. It taste like Zuchini Bread. Try it before you turn your nose up at it!!!!!!

1 (15 oz) can of pork and beans
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
3 cups all-purpose flour

Spray two 9x5x3-inch deep loaf pans with Pam. Don't drain the pork and beans. Pour them into a food processor or blender, juice and all, and process them until they're pureed smooth with no lumps. Place the beatne eggs in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the pureed pork and beans and mix them in well. Add the vegetable oil and the vanilla extract. Mix well. Add the sugar and mix it in. then mix in the baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir until everything is incorporated. Stir in the chopped nuts. Add the flour in one-cup increments, stirring after each addition. Spoon half of the batter into one loaf pan and the other half of the batter into the second loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 to 60 minutes. Test the bread with a long food pick inserted in the center. If it comes out sticky, the bread needs to bake a bit more. If it comes out dry, remove the pans from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run the sharp blade of a knife around inside of all four sides of the pan to loosen the bread and then tip it out onto the wire rack. Cool the bread completely, and then wrap it in plastic wrap. At this point the bread can be frozen in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Do we look like dorks or what?

Kay wears his headphones because his 4 wheeler is noisy. I wear the handkerchief to keep the dust out. We have fun!!!!

Brazilian Meat Loaf

I got this recipe from Alessandra Wortmann when she appeared on Good Things Utah. She also has a blog at http://howicook.com/. My changes were Lipton beefy onion soup, no ham, and red bell pepper. I think this can be layered in a meat loaf pan. I think it would be fun to try it with the makings of pizza inside or a hamburger foil dinner makings inside. It has very good flavor.

2 lbs ground beef

1 package Lipton onion soup mix

1 large carrot

2 boiled eggs

6-8 slices of ham

4 ounces shredded cheese (mozzarella or cheddar)

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

3-4 slices of bacon

Oil (just enough to spray on your hands)

Mix onion osup mix and ground beef together, set aside. Put a large sheet of plastic wrap on the counter and spray it with oil. Then pad the meat mixture open to about a 13x8 rectangle (just like you soul for thin hamburgers). You may need to spray your hands with a little oil to make it easier to spread the meat. You want a nice thin layer. Then top it with the ham slices, carrots, sliced eggs and cheese. Starting with the side closer to you, roll the meat. Use the plastic to help you form the loaf. Transfer it to a cookie sheet (lined with foil). Spread the mayonnaise on top. Add strips of bacon over the top, wrapping around the sides fo the loaf. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes.

OPTIONS: Filling ideas: Spinach and cream cheese; 3 cheeses; prosciutto, artichoke hearts and brie; vegetables (green peppers, red pepopers, carrots, spinach, olives); all meat (ham, pepperoni and sausage). Another Option is to use ground chicken, sausage or turkey instead of beef.