Grandma Earl's sugar cookies and butter cream frosting

Sugar cookies
3 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
2t. baking powder
1c. shortning
1c. sugar2eggs
1t. vanilla
3T. milk
Mix dry ingredients. Cream shortning, sugar, and eggs in seperate bowl. Stir in flour mixture, milk and vanilla. Bake 375 10-12 min. Cool and frost. Don't grease pan.

Butter cream frosting
1/2 c. butter (softened)
1/2 c. shortning
4c. powdered sugar
2-3 T milk1t. vanilla
dash of salt
Beat butter and shortning. Add vanilla to milk slowly stir with powdered sugar. Gradually add powdered sugar.

Yummy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

This is my favorite sauce! It is always a big hit with the adults!


Make your favorite Alfredo sauce. (I would use the cashew sauce below for health benefits)

Add a couple of spoon fulls of Pesto sauce. (I like Costcos)

Add sun dried tomatoes. (again I get them at Castco)

Pine nuts and Chicken (optional)

Stir and serve. My favorite thing to put it over is tortellini.

Cashew Alfredo Sauce

I love Alfredo Sauce but feel guilty every time I make it for my family because of all of the saturated fats and lack of health benefits in it. In my quest for cooking more healthy lately I came across a Cashew Alfredo Sauce recipe that turned out so yummy! Plus, it is good for you!

1 cup of raw cashews

2 1/2 cups of warm water

olive oil

1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic (I love garlic so next time I would use a little more)

salt and pepper to taste

(I would add some finely chopped onion next time too)

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan

18 ounces of pasta

parsley to garnish (optional)

In a blender of food processor, pulse the cashews until they make a paste slowly add the water.

In a sauce pan heat a couple tablespoon of olive oil and saute the garlic (this is where I would add the onion). Heat on medium until it starts to brown then add your cashew mixture, stirring and scraping at the sides until it boils and thickens. Remove from heat, adding the salt and pepper and the Parmesan cheese and stir until melted. If it is too thick add more water.

Add to your choice of cooked pasta and garnish with fresh parsley.

This is a great base for your creativity. Add cooked chicken, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, fresh diced tomatoes, mushrooms, red bell peppers....anything you like. Also makes a great pizza sauce.

Rice and Cabbage

(Amounts are approximate. Adjust to taste.)

Stir Fried Rice
2 Cups raw rice cooked and cooled
4 stalks celery finely diced
6 green onions sliced thin
1 T. chicken bouillon granules
1/3 C. water
3 eggs
1/2 C. Soy Sauce
1/4 C. Teriakyi Sauce
Chopped Deli Ham that has been thinly sliced before purchase.

In large frying pan saute celery and onions in water and granules.
Move mixture to outsides of pan and crack eggs in center. Break and mix slightly. Allow to cook until firm before chopping up.
Add rice and sauces and ham. Heat through and serve.

Cabbage Salad (Very Common Recipe)
1 head of Cabbage shredded
1 pkg. Ramen Chicken flavored Soup
4 Green Onions, sliced
2 T. Sesame Seeds
2 C. cooked and chopped Chicken (optional)
1/2 C. slivered Almonds
1/4 C. rice vinegar
1/4 C. salad oil
2 T. Sugar
1/2t. Salt

Add oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt to seasoning packet from Ramen.
Add onions, almonds, seeds and chicken, if desired, to cabbage.
Break up Ramen noodles over cabbage.
Add oil mixture and fold until blended.

NOTE: I have substituted Lipton Noodle Soup Mix for the Ramen. I heated the noodles and seasoning in a bit of water in the microwave before adding to the salad

Creamy Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2T. oil
1 C. chopped onion
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
1 T. Worcester Sauce
1/2 C. evaporated milk

2 C. raw rice, cooked

Brown chicken and onion in large fry pan with oil.
Spoon soup over chicken and drizzle with sauce and milk.
Heat through and serve over rice.

Note: May adjust sauce and milk to taste. Do not overcook chicken. It is usually done on medium heat at only 5 minutes each side with additional 5 minutes with lid on to heat through with all ingredients added.

Oddball Spaghetti (Irish Italian)

cooked pasta
1 can tomato soup
1 can mushroom soup
1 small can mushrooms (optional)
Sauteed onions (can steam covered in microwave)
Browned ground beef and onions or cooked chicken breasts, chopped
1/2 C. evaporated milk
paprika to taste
Red Pepper seasoning or Tapatio hot sauce to taste (A little dash goes a long way!)

Combine all and serve with or without Parmesan or other grated cheese.

Note: Two cans of each of the soups for a larger batch and adjust other ingredients as desired.

Can you say slacker.........

Okay so I'm not sure if anyone on here even follows this anymore, but I'll post it anyhow. So while visiting in Washington, my sister made some super yummy homeade pretzels for the kids. It was a huge hit!

Here's the recipe:http://allrecipes.com/recipe/buttery-soft-pretzels/detail.aspxI thought 450 was waaayyyy to high for the oven though so I did 390 and put them on the higher rack so the bottoms wouldn't burn. I also didn't add 5c of flour....more like a heaping 4c.Yum, Yum, Yummy...carbs here I come :)

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup baking soda4 cups hot water
1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping