Valentine Soft Sugar Cookies

It is that time again, Valentine's. I just made some of these yummy cookies and sent them off to my missionary and thought I would share them with you. If you make them and just love them comment and let me know. They are definitely a favorite in our house.

Sugar Cookies
6 1/2 cups of flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter( or margarine)
1 cup sour cream(I usually use 16 oz of sour cream)

Sift flour, baking soda, salt. Cream the rest of the ingredients. Add flour and mix. Chill. Bake 8 min at 400 degrees. Do not brown. ( ROll 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick)Frost. YUMMY

Frosting
2 cups of powder sugar
3 Tablespoons of butter or margarine
warm milk
food coloring
Mix powder sugar, margarine together and then add warm milk and mix in. Add until the consistency that is desired, also add a couple of drops of food coloring as desired.

Happy Valentine's

Don't forget the flour

There is flour in the recipe that I just posted for waffle brownies.
It is 2 cups. I noticed and called my friend, but I didn't realize that the recipe published so hopefully this isn't too late. You need 2 cups flour...

Have a great week.

Yummy treats!!

Waffle Brownies

8 Tablespoons margarine
7 Tablespoons cocoa
4 eggs
1 - 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
chocolate frosting

Combine sugar, flour, salt and cocoa. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Place batter in the waffle iron and cook for about one minute. Let cool; top with frosting. Repeat for remaining batter.

Helpful hints: spray the waffle iron with non stick cooking spray before cooking each brownie.

My husband and I love this recipe because it is quick, easy, and delicious! You can use all or some of the batter. Refrigerate leftover batter for later.


I really need to try this recipe. My friend gave me the recipe and she says it is very yummy. Let me know if you try this and if it is good. I thought it would be perfect for summer because you don't have to bake it.

Yummy Cookies!!!

I know I have been complaining about being on a diet but that doesn't mean that the rest of you are. I have a recipe for cookies that are to die for. My friend gave me this recipe and they are wonderful. I hope you enjoy!!

Orlas Cookies

Ingredients: 3 eggs- Beat until frothy then add the following:
2 cups white sugar
2 cups brown sugar
1 lb butter or margarine
2 tsp vanilla

Measure the following dry ingredients and add to the wet batch above:
6 cups flour
1- 1/2 tsp baking soda
1- 1/2 tsp salt
1- 1/2 bags (12 oz) chocolate chips or more if desired
2 cups walnuts
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. These cookies are usually made huge, but you can make them what ever size you want to. They make quite a few cookies so you might want to freeze some of them.

Enjoy!!!

Try these out

I guess everyone has heard of the No Bake Cookies that I just posted. Sorry. One of my friends just tried my recipe and had never tried them.

So here is a yummy but lowfat recipe for Chocolate Muffins. They do have some ingredients that you might not have on hand, but I think they are worth it especially if you are looking for healthy and chocolate. They might not be a Costco muffin but they are great for lowfat and watching what you eat.

Chocolate Muffins
3 cups of Fiber One Cereal
Soak cereal in 2 1/2 cups water for 10 min, I usually put it in a bowl.
Add Krusteaz Fatfree Fudge Brownie mix, you might have to check a couple of stores.
Add 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
Spray muffin tins with pam or grease them. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Weight Watchers: 1 point
I hope you enjoy these and that this is a recipe that is new to you.

Another note
I can't believe it is snowing... When will Spring ever come???

You should try these yummy treats

I haven't posted a recipe for a while and with Easter and Conference weekend coming up I thought some of you might enjoy an easy yummy recipe to try.

My family loves this recipe and it is real EASY!!!! I hope you enjoy!!!

No Bake Cookies
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup margarine
1 Tablespoon cocoa
1/4 cup milk
pinch of salt

Bring margarine to a boil on medium high heat, stirring constantly.

When it reaches a good boil time for 1 minute continue to stir.

Remove pan from stove onto a hot pad. Then stir in the following ingredients:

1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup quick oats
1/2 tsp vanilla

Continue stirring until mixture cools and holds its shape.( Stir and stir and stir)

When cool drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper

Yummy!!!! You can double this recipe if you desire but boil the mixture for 2 minutes instead of 1 minute.
Enjoy!!!! These are great for any time.

A few different recipes

Just a few yummy recipes with whole wheat in them.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Bars
1/2 c butter or margarine
1 c oil
2 c brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
2 c whole wheat flour
2 c quick oats
1 c nuts
1 c chocolate chips
Cream together margarine, oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add nuts and chocolate chips. Place in 9x13 cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles
1 c shortening, butter or margarine
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 T sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Cream together 1 1/2 c sugar and shortening. Add eggs and beat well. Combine flour, cream of tartar, salt and soda. Add to sugar mixture and mix well. Roll into approximately 1 inch balls. Combine 2 T sugar and cinnamon. Roll dough balls in cinnamon/sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Slightly flatten. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on rack. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Peanut Butter Cookies
1 c softened butter
1 c peanut butter
1 1/4 c honey
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
Blend butter until smooth. Add peanut butter and blend again. Add honey and blend again. Add eggs one at a time and beat until well mixed. Add vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Roll into balls and put onto ungreased cookie sheet. Use a fork dipped in cold water to flatten and make a criss-cross pattern. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes on the top rack of the oven. Remove from pan immediately and cool.

Treats to die for

I just received this recipe and tried it last week and I must say they are to die for. They are so yummy. I hope they are as good as they seemed to me but I have been without sugar for three weeks except for one evening on the weekend so anything is yummy to me.
Try them out, they are very easy too.

Chocolate mint cookies

1 package of Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 package Andes mints
When I made these I doubled it, because the batch is quite small.

Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs by hand. Blend in chocolate chips. Shape into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Take cookies out of oven and let sit for 2 minutes. Place one mint on top of each cookie and swirl to make frosting.

Here are a few last minute Valentine ideas for your sweetheart if you don't have one yet!!!

1. Make a questionnaire about the two of you and when you met, kissed, what dates you went on, when he said he loved you, what your favorite treat is, color, etc.
2. Make a candy bar poster. Men love it.
3. Decorate his car or office with candy or anything that he would love.
4. Leave him a message that you are meeting him in your bedroom during the day at a certain time for a picnic. Have white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate melted and have some strawberries, nuts, carmels, pretzels that the two of you can dip and enjoy and just enjoy the time together...
5. Send him on a treasure hunt with him picking up certain things in the house along the way with you at the end of the treasure hunt.( Mike loved this one)
6. Make your own coupons and give them to him with candy, in his car or with a card. Some ideas might be a massage, candlelight dinner, movie night, anything that would be something that he would just LOVE.
7. Send him a singing telegram.
8. THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO DO SOMETHING!!

I hope this helped any of you that need ideas. Have a great Valentine's day and enjoy spending time with your sweetheart if possible.

Two Valentine treats and the frosting recipe too!!

I know so many of you are on diets and watching what you eat just like me, but there are some of you lucky few that can eat whatever you want or those of you that still want to make great Valentine treats for your family even if you don't eat them yourself. These are two favorites of my family and have been for a long time.

The first one is my favorite sugar cookie recipe. I have many sugar cookies recipes but everyone I make these for rave and rave over these because they are so soft so give them a try and let me know if you like them.

Sugar Cookies
6 1/2 cups of flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter( or margarine)
1 cup sour cream(I usually use 16 oz of sour cream)
Sift flour, baking soda, salt. Cream the rest of the ingredients. Add flour and mix. Chill. Bake 8 min at 400 degrees. Do not brown. ( ROll 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick)
Frost. YUMMY

My other favorite that is already on my blog but I must repost because I don't know how many of you have seen it earlier is my Red Velvet Cake. This is a tradition in our family. My husband still has friends from previous places of employment that call and ask if he has red velvet cake where he is on Valentine's so they can go over and get their piece. It just isn't Valentine's day without our RED VELVET CAKE.

Red Velvet Cake
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp cocoa
2 ounces red food coloring( you can find in the spice department in little bottles, you need 2)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs and mix well. Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring in very small bowl or cup. Add paste to creamed mixture. Mix together thoroughly. Mix salt and vanilla with buttermilk in small bowl. Add buttermilk mixture alternately with flour to creamed sugar mixture. Mix baking soda and vinegar together and fold into mixture don't beat. Grease and flour 2- 9 inch cake pans or a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min.

I hope you give these a try they are great.

Recipe for Frosting for cookies or cake

2 cups powder sugar
1/4 cup margarine or butter( or cream cheese if you want cream cheese frosting, you could use instead of margarine or add some besides the margarine and then add the milk)
warm milk

I add the warm milk to the consistency that I desire for my cookies or cake. If I am making cake frosting I would probably double the recipe. I hope this helps. You can make the frosting for the cake with cream cheese or without it is up to you. Good luck

For years and years

For years and years there has been a tradition in my home. It started when I was very little and it still continues on today in my own home. Every year as long as I can remember we would have a birthday party for Christ on Christmas day night. We would set an extra place at the table for him and eat by candle light and have a very tasty meal. My mom would tell very special Christmas stories and it was always a very special night. I still continue this on. My kids love to hear stories even at the age that they are. After the stories we always have a very special birthday cake and sing Happy Birthday to our savior. I just wanted to share that yummy cake recipe with you and hope that you might want to try it. It is very yummy and the best part is that it is a RED cake. I mean really red. I think this makes it special because it is red, which is significant in so many ways at this time of the year.

Here is the recipe. I hope you enjoy or make it for some fun party. You will be the hit of the party. A friend of mine said that they were making it on the Food Network the other night and she decided that she needed to make it too. So here it is to all of those who love to try something yummy and new. Give it a try and let me know.

Red Velvet Cake

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tablespoon cocoa
2 oz red food coloring( it comes in small bottles in the spice part of the grocery store)
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Cream sugar and shortening and then add eggs. Make a paste with the cocoa and food coloring in a small bowl. Add to creamed mixture. Mix salt and vanilla with buttermilk and add alternately with the flour to the creamed mixture. Mix baking soda and vinegar in a small cup. Fold into the mixture. Don't beat.
Bake in 9x13 or 2-9 inch round floured and greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. You can check to make sure it is cooked with a toothpick and poke it into the center to make sure it is all cooked.

I hope you enjoy this very special treat and remember the real reason for Christmas.
Merry Christmas from my kitchen to yours.

This is evil

My kids talked me into making this yummy pie even though we had enjoyed Thanksgiving and all the pies that were there. They said that it just isn't the same without this pie. I let in and made it. It is so yummy, but I must admit it is EVIL too. Give it a try, when you are ready for pie or dessert again.

Chocolate Cheesecake
1 cube margarine( melted)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup fine chopped nuts
2 Tbsp heaping sugar
2 small pkg instant chocolate pudding
1-12 oz cool whip
1-8 oz cream cheese
1 cup powder sugar
1 hershey candy bar

Melt the butter. Add flour, nuts, and sugar. Mix well and spread on bottom of 9x13 pan. Bake in the oven at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes. Mix pudding using 3 cups of cold milk. Set aside. Take powder sugar and mix it with cream cheese and cool whip but save 1 cup of whip cream for topping. Put cream cheese mixture on cooled crust, then put a layer of chocolate pudding and finally top it with 1 cup of cool whip. Grate hershey candy bar and sprinkle over the top.
Mmm... It is evil but good.

You should try it

You have to try it!!!. Ok you don't but if you like Key Lime Pie, you should. This is one of my easiest recipes and one that has become favorites for many of my friends for Thanksgiving. I hope you all try it and enjoy!!!!
You never know maybe it will become one of your traditions.
Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you it is quite healthy too. Well at least compared to most pies. Many of my friends use it when they are on a diet because it is only 3 pts for one piece. You would never know it because it is very delicious!!!!!!! Let me know if you try it.

Key Lime Pie
1(3 oz) pkg sugar free lime jello
1 (8 oz) carton fat free cool whip( or regular if you aren't watching calories)
1/2 c boiling water
graham cracker pie crust( or reduced fat cracker crust)
2 (6 oz) key lime light yoplait yogurt

Mix lime jello with boiling water until dissolved. Add yogurt and gently fold in Cool Whip. Pour into pie shell and refrigerate until ready to serve.

WOW that was easy, anyone can make it!!

Rice Pudding

My son Todd has been bugging and asking me to make Rice Pudding for a very long time. It has been one of those Rice Pudding days many many days in the last two weeks, but my life is quite busy and it hasn't worked that I had the time to make it. I finally made it today. Most of my family just loves my Rice Pudding recipe. It is different than most recipes for rice pudding. It is REALLY yummy. This is my mom's recipe that she used to make when I was growing up and I love it too. (Colt, I know you will be jealous) My brother that lives in Minnesota loves rice pudding like there is no tomorrow.

I hope you all enjoy and give it a try. It is perfect for a day when it is dreary and cold outside.

Rice Pudding

4 Tbs butter
milk ( approximately 2-2 1/2 quarts)
2 Tbs vanilla
3 cups sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 cups rice
4 cups water
bring water to boil and then put lid on it and simmer for 20 min, unless you have a rice cooker.
Mix sugar, cooked rice, vanilla, nutmeg, and butter together.
Add milk until it is real liquidy. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 3 hrs.
About every hour I add more milk and stir it up. It usually ends up being about 2 or 2 1/2 quarts of milk by
the time I am finished adding milk each hour.

I hope you enjoy!!!!!

Yummy!!!!

Here are the treats that I promised to share. They both are the best.

Pumpkin Dessert Bar
1 large can pumpkin(29 oz)
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1 yellow cake mix
2 sticks butter melted
1 cup chopped pecans
Mix the first seven ingredients as you would for pumpkin pie, pouring batter into a greased 9x13 inch glass pan. Sprinkle cake mix over the top and then drizzle with butter. Sprinkle with pecans if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes.

Carmel popcorn
1 cup karo syrup
1 lb brown sugar
Bring to boil, boil 3 min
Add
1 cube of margarine
boil 1 min
Add
1 can sweetened condensed milk
boil 1 min
Pour over 7-8 qts popped popcorn and mix
YUMMY

If you have any questions just call or comment.

Dutch Oven Cooking Recipes

In the past few weeks, Mike and I have tried some great recipes for dutch oven cooking that
we just love and I wanted to share them with you. It is so nice in the summer to cook outside and to have a great yummy meal. We are so lucky to have a Volcano that we can put our dutch ovens on with the briquets and then cook the food in our dutch ovens. If you have never tried dutch oven I encourage you to try it out. I love it.
Here are a few recipes:
Dutch Oven Potatoes

(This is a big recipe so we just cut it in half unless you are feeding a large group)
10 lbs of potatoes sliced 1 small bag onions
2 lbs bacon 2 lbs sausage
1 can Cream of Chicken soup 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
Prepare charcoal( 50 pieces for Dutch oven cooking, un less you are halfing the recipe then you won't need as many)

1. Rub the inside of the Dutch oven with oil.
2. Place 15 pieces of charcoal under the oven and 35 pieces on top of each oven used.
3. When ovens are hot cook the bacon, sausage and onions, or you can cook them in a pan before hand in a pan on your stove.
4. When bacon, sausage, and onions are cooked remove them from the ovens.
5. Layer the potatoes with the bacon, sausage and onions mixture in each Dutch oven evenly or you can mix every thing up all together.
6. Replace lid and cook for 30 min. Check. If potatoes are cooked top with cheese and replace lid. Cook until cheese has melted. If potatoes are not done cook and additional 10 min before topping with cheese.
7. Adjustments in cooking might be necessary and this recipe can be made in a normal oven if desired.


Cheesy Chicken Breasts

8 chicken breasts, skinned and boned
1/2 lb fresh sliced mushrooms
1/2 lb Muenster cheese, grated or cheddar cheese
1 cup chicken broth
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, grated
Dip chicken breasts in egg, then roll in bread crumbs or breading. Brown the chicken in a buttered skillet. Place in a 14" dutch oven. Top with mushrooms and grated cheese. Pour broth over chicken and bake for 45 minutes to one hour or until golden brown. Use 10-12 briquettes on top and 10-12 briquettes on bottom. This can also be cooked in a conventional oven at 350 degrees. Serves eight.

These recipes are delicious. Try them out.