MMMMMMM.....Sugar Cookies!!!

I have the best recipe for sugar cookies. They are soft and fluffy not flat and crunchy. If that's the way you like them, don't use this recipe. Now in this recipe you use sour cream, that is what makes these cookies light and fluffy. I know it sounds weird to put sour cream in cookie dough but trust me, these are the best!! I took these to a family reunion yesterday and they were the first dessert gone!

COOKIE DOUGH:


2 c. Sugar
2/3 c. Butter (Melted)
3 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla ( I use just a titch more)
1 c. Sour Cream
5 c. Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp. Salt

Cream together sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Then add your sour cream, baking soda, baking powder, flour. Its easier to add your flour last so that everything else gets mixed in well.
Once everything is mixed well, you can cut into shapes. If I just want round sugar cookies, I just get a cup and use that as my cutter.
Make sure that you put flour on counter so that your dough doesn't stick to it.
This dough freezes very well. It makes a ton of cookies so I usually use half of the dough at a time.
Heat your oven at 400 degrees and cook for 7-10 minutes.

HOMEMADE ICING:


3 c. Powder Sugar
1/4 c. Milk
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
Dash of salt

Combine all ingredients together and mix well until all lumps are gone. For fun, you can add food coloring. We did these cookies at Christmas once for the kids to decorate.

Its Snack Time!!! Guacamole Tortilla Snacks

Ok, I started making this snack when Casey and I were first married. Its super easy, and tasty!! I have made this quite a bit that the page in my cookbook is all gross. This recipe is good for kids to eat as well because of all the veggies used and you can make it as spicy as you want.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED:

• Vegetable oil for deep frying
• 1 dozen corn tortillas (6inch) quartered (don't use the white flour tortillas...I used them my first time and the chips are not as tasty)
• 3 ripe avocados-peeled and mashed up
• 3TBL spoons of Mayo
• 1 medium onion-diced
• 1 medium tomato-diced
• 2 jalapeno peppers-chopped (if you don't want so much spice just use one pepper)
• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheese (any cheese you would like)

In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat 1 inch (or if you have deep fryer, put oil in to the fill line and heat at 375 or on my deep fryer its the french fry setting) of oil at 375 degrees. Fry the tortilla wedges, a few at a time until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and add salt while still warm.

For the guacamole dip, in a bowl, combine the avocados, mayo, onion, tomato, and jalapenos. Sprinkle with cheese. If you have lemon juice, its always a good idea to add a little bit. It will help keep the avocado from turning a dark green the next day. If your dip does turn a dark green, just stir it up and your good to go.

WARNING: When cutting or seeding hot peppers, be careful not to touch your face. Some people use rubber gloves to help protect there hands. I'm just super careful and make sure I don't have kind of sores on my hands. Even if they are dry or cracked....it will sting!!

Pot Roast with Mashed Potatoes, homemade gravy, & fresh rolls

This recipe I got from my mother in law. Its super easy and really tasty. You may not think that gravy is easy to make from scratch and that its better and easier to have gravy from a packet. NOT TRUE!! Making gravy from scratch it by far tastier and just as easy!

Pot Roast


crock pot
3-4 lb pot roast
1 white or yellow onion
1 can of golden mushroom soup
3-4 potatoes (increase the number of potatoes if you have a larger family.)
6-12 frozen Rhodes Rolls (increase or decrease depending on how large your family is.)

• In the crock pot put in your pot roast with your onion cut into small or large pieces.
• Pour in your can of soup and add a can of water into the crock pot stir everything and coat the meat with the soup and onions.
• Put your crock pot on low and cook for 5-6 hours.

ROLLS
When your meat has about 3 1/2 hours left to cook, take out the Rhodes Rolls, spray a cookie sheet with pam and put your rolls on the sheet. Pull out a sheet of suran rap and put it over the rolls. Spray one side of the suran rap with pam and then flip over the suran rap and place on top of your rolls loosely. Make sure that the side you sprayed is the side that is on the rolls. Let sit and rise.

When your rolls are about double in size, pre-heat the oven to 350 and put in for 16 minutes.

POTATOES

• When your meat has about 45 minutes left start your potatoes.
• Peel and cut your potatoes in half. Don't cut them too small just about in half. 
• When you can put a fork through the potatoes pretty easily they are done.
• Drain and put in a large bowl. Get a mixer and  milk.
• Add small amounts of milk and mix until potatoes are smooth and creamy.

GRAVY

• When your meat is done, take it out of the crock pot and put in a seperate dish.
• In a small bowl mix about a spoon of flour and a small amount of water. Mix  until its almost like pancake batter.
• Take a strainer and a sauce pan. Put the strainer in your sauce pan and pour the contents of the crockpot into the strainer. This will make your gravy nice and smooth.
• Put on the stove and let your gravy come to a low boil. When its boiling, turn it down and add your flour and water mixture a little bit at a time and stir with a whisk. Continue to add the flour and water mixture until your gravy has reach the desired thickness. If its a little lumpy, its ok....it happens to me all the time.
• Take it off the stove and its ready to serve.

Now your ready to serve!! I like to serve this with a salad as well. My favorite salad is a Dole salad kit. Its called Southwest Salad. Its one of our favorites and even Kyla loves it!!
SIDE NOTE: I like to buy a 3-4lb pot roast and when before I freeze it I cut it into sections, wrap in tin foil and then freeze. This way, I get more dinners out of it. Plus I have a small family so I don't need a huge piece of meat in one sitting. This helps us save money!!

Cream Cheese Chicken with Rice and Bruschetta

This was my latest dinner and it tasted really yummy. Even my two year old loved the chicken and she is a picky eater. Here is the recipe:

Cream Cheese Chicken


1 stick of butter
2lb chicken strips ( or you can buy the breasts and cut them into strips)
1 packet of Italian Seasoning
8 oz cream cheese
1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup

Melt the butter in the microwave and then place in your crock pot (which should be set on high)
Add the Italian Seasoning mix and stir well.
Add your chicken and cook on high for two hours.
After two hour or when the chicken is completely cook all the way through, take out the chicken and set on a plate ready to serve.
Keep the butter and Italian mixture in the crock pot and add the cream cheese and cream of chicken soup. Stir until the cream cheese is all creamy with no lumps.
(I like to make rice with this recipe but Butter noodles would be just as tasty)

Fresh Bruschetta


5 ripe Roma tomatoes
3-4 cloves of garlic
Fresh Basil ( about 6-7 leaves)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 fresh loaf of a french baguette

Cut the tomatoes and fresh basil and add in the Olive Oil. Mince the garlic and then add the salt and pepper to taste. there is no exact amount of these ingredients to add, its all just by taste. If you want to add more of something go right ahead. You can't really screw up this recipe.

 I hope that this recipe works for you and your family. It is now one of my family's favorites!!
Enjoy!!!