Sugar Cookies and Vanilla Butter Frosting

A fast recipe (for a sugar cookie) that is really soft and chewy!

3 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. sour cream

You all know about combining the liquids and the solids....
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen so I usually double or triple the recipe.


Vanilla Butter Frosting

I think this is from my Betty Crocker cookbook. I always have it out of the binder and into my most commonly used recipes binder.

1/3 c. soft butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
About 2 Tbsp. milk (I always put in more until it's a good consistency)

Blend butter and sugar. Stir in vanilla and milk; beat until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency.

Graham Cracker Cookies

This is one of my families favorite holiday cookies and they are SUPER easy. They are best baked in a metal pan but glass works fine - just cook them a little longer.

16 graham crackers (about 2 cups) finely ground in food processor or blender
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix ingredients well in bowl. Press batter into a 9x9 reall well greased and floured pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes. Cool in pan. Invert pan onto large cutting board sprinkled with powdered sugar. Cut into squares and roll in powdered sugar.

Blessing Mix

Even though this isn't really a recipe, I got it from a friend and thought I'd pass it on. Not only is it a tasty, colorful mix, it also is something fun for Thanksgiving!

*The seeds are shelled sunflower seeds

Blessing Mix

Bugles – Shaped like a cornucopia or Horn of Plenty, a symbol of our nation’s abundance.

Pretzels- Arms folded in prayer, a freedom sought by those who founded our country.

Candy Corn – The sacrifice of the Pilgrim’s first winter. Food was so scarce that settlers survived on just a few grains of corn.

Seeds – The promise of a future harvest one will reap only if seeds are planted and tended with diligence.

M&M’s – Memories of those who came before us to guide us to a blessed future.

Hershey Kiss – The love of family that sweetens our lives.

Caramel Apples

Every fall for FHE my family makes caramel apples and every fall when we're finished I think, "I'd like to know how to make these and have them turn out pretty." Well, this year our fellow supper club member, Melissa, made nearly 200 of these beautiful little confections and she was kind enough to show me how. I am posting this merely because I have seen her posting record (zero) and know that this is a project you will have a great time doing.

Supplies: The easiest way to do these is to stock up at a restaurant supply store like Orson Gygi in SLC or the new replacement for Shepherd's Candy. There are a few other little shops around here that sell some of the products as well.

Apples : Melissa suggested Jona Golds (we get them at Allred's fruit stand) and I love them. You could use any tart apple though.

Sticks : they sell wooden sticks with a sharpened end that work really well or a really thick sucker stick.

Caramel: Peter's caramel comes in a 5 lb block and works really well. You can get it at the above stores or a few other places in town. It's a bit expensive ($15 - $18 a brick) but easy to work with and fast. A five pound brick will do at least 24 nice sized apples. If you're dying to make your own, contact me and I can give you a recipe. (I have yet to have any of my 4 attempts turn out but I'm pretty sure I've figured out the solution.) If you have your own recipe CONTACT ME. I'd like to know it. Obviously making your own caramel is considerably less expensive.

White Chocolate: I love using VANILLA A'PEELS found at the above stores. They melt easily and set up really nicely and have a mild flavor. I have used white chocolate chips and do not recommend them.

Chocolate: depending on your taste you could use milk or dark chocolate. Again I like the MILK CHOCOLATE A'PEELS. Use don't have to worry about tempering the chocolate at all. I have used chocolate chips for this as well and they just didn't set up as nicely as the a'peels.

Candy: For your decorating you could really use anything you want. I've tried: oreos, cinnamon-sugar (a favorite), mini chocolate chips, heath toffee bits, butterfingers, snickers, any candy really or just swirl the two chocolates

Cellophane bags and ribbon for gift wrap.

1. Wash, stem and dry COLD apples. Insert stick and lay on parchment paper (waxed paper will melt to the apple) on a cookie sheet. One cookie sheet will hold about 12 apples.

2. Cut caramel in big chunks and melt in microwave at 1 minute intervals--stirring in between--until REALLY runny.

3. Dip COLD apples in caramel and set back on tray. I scrape all the caramel off the bottom of the apple so you don't get a huge puddle. I also reheat the caramel after about every 3rd apple to keep it runny. Place apples back in fridge until caramel is cold. About 15 minutes.

4. Melt chocolates in two different deep bowls. At about 30 second intervals--stirring in between. Dip caramels apples in chocolate of choice. Hold apple over paper plate and cover with desired candy. Using a fork drizzle alternate chocolate on top. Place back in fridge.

5. When set package in cellophane bags (will keep longer) and store in fridge. Before eating leave out on the counter for at least an hour so the caramel is not rock hard.

ENJOY!!! These are SO fun. Let me know if you have any questions.

Jan's Chili

For some reason this chili is RAVED about every time my sister makes it. It is SO easy and tastes fantastic. When the weather gets cold and rainy, we have to find something to look forward to, for me, that is SOUP!

1lb hamburger
7oz stewed tomatoes
32 oz pork and beans (baked beans, Bushes original brand is great)
8 oz chili sauce
1/3 onion
1/3 green pepper
chili powder to taste

Brown hamburger, gr pepper, and onion. Drain grease. Add remaining ingredients and heat through.
*when we make this, we puree the stewed tomatoes because the chunks are a tad chunky, and depending on who makes it, we don't always use all the tomatoes. Do it to taste.
*we also cut the onion and pepper very small - I think that is why the boys love it so much, no chunky veggies.

Spinach Smoothie

I have been looking at this recipe on Mary's cooking blog for quite some time. I knew it would be yummy and I was so excited that it included 3 cups of healthy greens, but I just haven't gotten around to it. When I told Spence about it he said, "yuck!" and when I told my kids we were going to have "green smoothies" today they too were skeptical.

Well, we finally tried them today. After I blended it all up I actually got a little nervous. I thought the first few tastes might be good but I'd probably be choking it down by the end. Boy was I wrong! It was fabulous from the first sip to the last drop. My kids even asked for seconds! and Spencer thought it was yummy too! So, if you're looking for more ways to get in those veggies try this out. I love that you still have all the fiber from the veggies and fruit and are not just drinking juice. Here are a couple of links for the health benefits of kale and spinach. If you want to learn more, google has all kinds of resources.

The kids say they still prefer their "pink fruit smoothies" but I'm hoping to convince them to GO GREEN!

French Egg Bread

This is the bread recipe I brought to the September Supper Club. I cannot harp on any of you for not posting yours yet (except for Eliza--thank you) but really girls...this is so easy. This bread is one of my favorites because it's pretty fast. You only let it rise once and then you shape it and bake it right away and it makes two huge loaves.

I also brought pear jam but that recipe comes straight from the MCP packaging box so I won't post it here.

In a bread mixer (if you have one):
Dissolve
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp yeast

Stir in
1 1/2 cups luke warm milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/4 cup oil
6-7 cups bread flour

Knead until smooth and elastic (soft dough but not so soft you can't work with it) let double in bulk, split in two and shape into long loaves. Place on one greased jellyroll pan. Glaze with 1 egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut diagonal slits across the top.

Bake 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes