Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

Finally after approximately 4 billion experiments with different sugar cookie recipes, I've found it! The perfect recipe. Not too sweet to add frosting and sprinkles to and without any baking soda, they actually keep their shape during baking. So stop drooling and start cookie cutting!
















(My kids determine a holiday's worth by whether or not they get to make and decorate cookies to go with it. Anyone seen an Abraham Lincoln shaped cookie cutter?)

The ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
2-1/2 cups flour

Using an electric mixer at medium-high speed, cream the butter, gradually add the sugar. Beat in the egg until evenly mixed, then blend in the vanilla extract and salt.

With a spoon, stir the flour into the creamed ingredients, about one third at a time until evenly blended. **LAZY ALERT--to heck with stirring by hand, I just mixed the flour in the mixer and it turned out just fine**.

Refrigerate dough 2-3 hours.

Cookie cut as desired. Bake at 350° for ~7 minutes.















For a fun variation on the normal sugar cookie try this:
















Cut a smaller shape out of each cookie, then place on a piece of parchment paper on baking sheet.

Place a Life Saver or two (depending on the size of the hole) into the cut-out shape.

Bake as usual. Allow liquid to set then remove from pan.















Voila! Stained glass cookies...guaranteed to be the most unique cookies at the party!

This also is particularly stunning as a star shaped cookie at Christmas time.

Enjoy!

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Honey Mustard Chicken

We "bought" this dinner from a young man at a Boy Scout fundraising auction and were pleasantly surprised at how yummy it was. When I got the recipe from him and realized that it's not even that time consuming to make, I was pleased! This is another one of those rare meals that everyone in the family enjoys and one time we were even told by a guest that it was the best meal that he'd EVER had in his entire life. I'm not sure I would go that far with my praise, but it's definitely still a keeper!
















Click here for PRINTABLE RECIPE. 


The ingredients:
















The ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 boxes Stove Top stuffing
2 Tbs. butter

Glaze:
1/2 cup mustard
1/2 cup honey
2 Tbs. maple syrup
2 Tbs. vinegar
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt


Heat butter on high. Brown chicken breasts until nice looking golden brown, but do NOT cook all the way through (you want the centers to remain pink).















Prepare stuffing as directed on box. Line bottom of 9x13" pan with thin layer of stuffing. Split chicken breasts so that they will open like a book. Stuff breasts with stuffing. Cover with tin foil.















Bake at 375° for 30-40 minutes or until breasts are cooked thoroughly. Remove foil and cover chicken and stuffing liberally with glaze. Bake another 10 minutes uncovered. Serves 6.















Enjoy!

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Fudgy Brownies

Karey here - Lara's sister-in-law. I tried out a new brownie recipe today, and they turned out to be so tasty! My mouth thanked me, my husband thanked me, but my jeans definitely did not thank me. I'm sure you will love these, too!

When I looked at the recipe tonight, I discovered that I did things all wrong. But it turned out, oh so right, so I'm going to give you my version!

4 squares (4 oz.) Bakers Unsweetened Chocolate
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter, softened
3 eggs
1 c. flour
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1 c. chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 (325 for a glass pan). Line 9x13 pan with foil, extending over the edges to form handles. Spray foil with nonstick spray.

Microwave chocolate in large microwavable bowl on High for two minutes or until chocolate is smooth when stirred. Stir sugar into melted chocolate. Don't use a mixer, or you will end up with sugary chocolate all over your kitchen. Not that I would know that....

Mix in eggs and butter. You can use a mixer for this step to get it blended really well. Stir in flour and nuts or chocolate chips. Or both, if it strikes your fancy. When it's well blended, spread in prepared pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick insterted into center comes out with fudgy crumbs. Do not overbake. Cool in pan. Lift out of pan using foil and place on cutting board. Cut into squares.

Now if you want to get all technical and follow the actual recipe, do this stuff instead:

Melt the butter with the chocolate in the microwave. Then stir in the sugar. Then when you add the eggs, go ahead and put in 1 tsp. of vanilla. I just forgot.

Let me know how it turns out!

**Update! My mom made these according to the original recipe (melting the butter with the chocolate), and they turned out greasy. When I made them and just mixed in room temperature butter, they were not greasy at all. The fat was there, all right, but you couldn't tell! If you want a lower fat version, try cutting the butter by 1/3 or 1/2 (so 1/2 cup or 6 tbsp.) and melting it with the chocolate.

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Chocolate Raspberry Torte

I had this cake served to me at an Enrichment night for women. It was such a lovely cake and I was instantly in love with the chocolate, cream, and raspberry combination. I just had to have the recipe! Now I can make this cake and it tastes just as divine as I remember, but I have to confess that me + cakes=disaster. This is an example of how pretty it could look if someone like my friend Denise were making it. At the bottom you'll find my pathetic version.






















The ingredients:















1 pkg. Duncan Hines dark fudge chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup sour cream
3-oz. cream cheese, softened
1 pkg. (3.4-oz) instant pudding, white chocolate or vanilla
1 pkg. (8-oz) Cool Whip, thawed
1 pkg. (12-oz) fresh raspberries (we used frozen, but fresh definitely would've been better)
garnishes: powdered sugar, chocolate curls, fresh raspberries

Make cake as directed on box, except substitute 1 cup of the water with 1/2 cup sour cream. Bake in 2-10" pans or 3-8" round pans. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pans.

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Combine milk and pudding and add to cream cheese mix. Fold in Cool Whip and frozen berries. Layer cake and refrigerate. Garnish right before serving.















(Hehe. I know it's pathetic. Please don't laugh.)

Enjoy!

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Orange Breakfast Bread

This delicious breakfast bread is super easy to prepare, looks elegant, and makes for a perfect dish for a brunch. I don't make it too often since it definitely wouldn't win any health awards, but when I'm cooking a brunch for guests this is more often than not on my menu. And more often than not I get asked for the recipe afterwards. My kids {Glen included} seriously get SO excited every time I make it!

Click here for printable recipe.

The ingredients:
2 rolls (12-ounces each) Pillsbury "Grands Jr." biscuits (or other flaky biscuits)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar ( I use less)

Directions:  Lay the biscuits standing on end in greased bundt pan.  Light separate a couple of layers per biscuit, leaving the bottoms intact.  Set aside.  
Combine orange juice, butter, and sugar in small saucepan and stir until boiling and sugar is dissolved; 1-2 minutes. Pour sauce over biscuits.  It will be very liquidy.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Invert onto serving plate and serve warm. Serves 6-8.
Enjoy!

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Giveaway Winners!!!

I know you've all been waiting on pins and needles for the big winners of our first ever giveaway!

First a little on my method for picking the winners:

I assigned each comment and follower a number...basically I just started at the top of the comments and gave the first comment #1, the second #2...down to #16 for the sixteenth comment. Then I continued the numbering from there with the followers #17 for the first follower down to #27 for the last one.

Then I went to random.org which prides itself on generating random numbers. I instructed it to choose two numbers between 1-27 and here's what I've got:



















So who are # 19 and #15?

The winner of the $25 Visa gift card is: MIRIEN (#19).

The winner of the $25 Regal Cinemas gift card is: KIM (#15).

Congratulations to Mirien and Kim! If you could please email me at wawadehut@gmail.com with your mailing addresses I'll get those in the mail to you as soon as possible!

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Famous Chicken Tortilla Soup

I got this recipe from a friend who bragged that it was from a famous restaurant in Houston.  Not being from Houston though, the restaurant name meant nothing to me and I have no memory of which one it is.  Lucky for me, the kids don't care one bit whether it's famous or not--this meal has been on our menu for more than a decade now and it's still one of my favorite stand-by meals for crazy nights. Not only is it flavorful and satisfying, but it's also one of the quickest meals out there.  When I use pre-cooked chicken and dried onions, I can whip up a batch of this in 8 minutes flat...ready to eat. Seriously. Even with sauteing the onions and using raw chicken, it's only a thirty to forty minute meal, most of it spent simmering. 

 Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by Lara.

The ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
4 cups chicken broth (or 4 cups of water + 4 chicken bouillon cubes)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 bay leaf
1 can (15-ounces) black beans, drained
4 corn tortillas, torn in pieces
2 chicken breasts, cubed (I usually use a 12-ounce can of cooked chicken breast or 2 cups of leftover chicken chunks)
1 can (14-ounces) diced tomatoes (or you can use a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies if you like it spicier)
Desired garnishments: sour cream, shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips.

Directions:  Saute chopped onion in hot oil over medium heat. Cook until soft, about 7-8 minutes. [If you're in a big hurry, you can just add some dried onions in with the rest of the ingredients]. 

Add broth, black beans, spices, tortillas, chicken, and tomatoes.

Heat until boiling. If you are using pre-cooked chicken then it's ready to serve immediately, otherwise simmer until chicken is cooked through.

Remove bay leaf and serve hot with sour cream, grated cheese, and corn tortilla chips.

Serves 5-6. 

Enjoy!

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Apple Fritters Recipe

Straight from Grandma Hepworth's kitchen...good old fashioned apple goodness! These are soft and light and have just the right amount of flavor. Our family eats up a plate of these in no time flat!

 Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:

 

1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups flour (I used part whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 cups finely diced tart apples (about 2 medium)
Vegetable oil for frying

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together.

 (because I used whole wheat flour, the batter is a little darker
than it would be if I had used all-purpose white flour)

Blend buttermilk and egg yolks with flour mixture. Beat  until well combined. Set aside.

Beat egg whites until stiff, then fold egg whites and chopped apple into buttermilk and flour mixture.

 (after the egg whites and apples are folded in)

Heat oil in heavy pan, then drop batter by tablespoonfuls into hot oil.

Cook until golden brown, then roll over with a fork and cook the other side until golden also.

 (My kids thought they looked a little like chicken nuggets before we glazed them)

Remove from pan and roll in sugar or drizzle with orange-butter glaze. Serve hot with fresh fruit.

Enjoy.

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Giveaway!

To welcome all of our new Foodie BlogRoll friends (and our old friends too), Recipe Shoebox is hosting our first ever giveaway. Please leave a comment for a chance to win one of two fabulous prizes:

$25 Visa Gift Card

$25 Gift Card to Regal Cinemas

Winners will be chosen at random from all comments. If you are a follower of Recipe Shoebox, you will automatically receive a second bonus chance to win! All entries must be received by Sunday, February 1st at 11:59pm.

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Hearty Spinach Salad

This recipe from Aunt Zina is the perfect accompaniment to any meal. It's bright, colorful, fun to look at, hearty, and delicious. What more could you ask of a salad? I sometimes serve it with bread as a standalone meal, when we're looking for something light, yet filling.

My mouth is watering just looking at this picture.

This is one of those recipes where you don't really need exact measurements, but I'll include them for a family size salad. You can easily adjust them for your own needs or preferences.

1 bag baby spinach
1/2 container cherry tomatoes
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/4 lb. mushrooms, chopped
2 Tbs. Parmesan cheese
1 avocado, chopped
1 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds

Place spinach in bowl and garnish with remaining ingredients. Serve with your favorite creamy dressing.

Enjoy!

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