Peanut Butter Cookies July 31, 2006

I bring cookies to the National Night Out block party each year. This year I’m making peanut butter cookies again (being that I detest peanut butter, it insures that I won’t eat them all myself).

½ cup sugar

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup peanut butter (I usually use Krema brand crunchy pb)

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

Sugar 

Heat oven to 375 F.  In large bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter, milk, vanilla and egg; blend well.  Stir in flour, baking soda and salt; mix well.  Shape dough into 1-inch balls.  Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  Flatten in crisscross pattern with fork dipped in sugar.  

Bake at 375 F for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Immediately remove from cookie sheets.  Cool completely.

Pancakes July 29, 2006

My kids love to help me make pancakes. We usually use some variation of the standard recipe from the red Betty Crocker cookbook.  The kids will tell you they are best eaten with butter, syrup, grape jelly, strawberries AND whipped cream.

1 egg
1 c flour
¾ c milk
1 T sugar
2 T vegetable oil
3 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

Beat egg until fluffy; beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth. For thinner pancakes, stir in additional ¼ c milk. Grease heated griddle if necessary. Pour about 3 T batter onto hot griddle. Cook pancakes until puffed and dry around edges. Turn and cook other side until golden brown.

Ginger Snaps July 28, 2006

I’m told that my husband’s first spoken word, as a baby, was ”cookie.”  His earliest memories include being at his grandma’s farm, begging for homemade ginger snaps out of the red cookie tin on the counter.  

1 c sugar

¾ c butter, softened

¼ c molasses

1 egg

2 ¼ c flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ginger

½ tsp cloves

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ c sugar 

In large bowl, beat 1 c sugar, butter, molasses and egg until light and fluffy.  Stir in remaining ingredients except ¼ c sugar; mix well.  Cover and refrigerate 1 hour for easier handling. 

Heat oven to 350 F.  Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in ¼ c sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake at 350 F for 8 to 12 minutes or until set.

Pizza Crust Dough July 27, 2006

Every Thursday is Pizza Night in our home.  I’ve found that, by Thursday night, we’re all tired and crabby and looking forward to the weekend (even if the weekend brings more craziness – hey! It’s still the weekend!).  Whatever I cooked for dinner on a Thursday night was met w groaning and whining.  Viola! Pizza!  The one thing everyone can agree on.

Often we have good old frozen pizza.  Other times it’s some variation of homemade, with the crust being a split open french loaf, leftover pitas from Holy Land Deli or dough made in the bread maker.

1 1/2 c water

2 T olive oil

2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

4 c flour (I usually do 1 c ww, 3 c bread flour)

4 tsp quick-rise or bread machine yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine, and mix according to manufacturer’s directions.  Shape dough into greased pan, top as desired and bake.  Also makes a good base for focaccia bread.

Cucumbers in Sour Cream July 25, 2006

I found this recipe at http://www.recipezaar.com/154103.  It is very similar to(the same as?) my Mom’s recipe.

1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cucumbers (sliced thin)
1 small onion (sliced)

4-6 servings

serve immediately

Sliced Tomatoes & Onions July 25, 2006

½ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 

Thinly slice an onion and several tomatoes.  Combine dressing ingredients and gently toss with tomatoes and onions.  Serve immediately, or allow salad to marinade for a few hours.

Crazy Cake July 25, 2006

This is one of my 13yo daughter’s favorite desserts to make. 

Dry:

3 c flour

2 c sugar

1/3 cocoa

2 tsp soda

1 tsp salt 

Wet:

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp vinegar

¾ c vegetable oil

2 c cold water 

Put all dry ingredients into a 9 x 13 inch cake pan.  Mix.  Dig a well in the middle for wet ingredients.  Add all wet ingredients and mix well.  Bake at 350 degrees 40 minutes.

Texas Two Step Chicken July 25, 2006

2 C. salsa

1/4 C. brown sugar

2-3 T. dijon mustard 

Pour over 4-6 BSCB (boneless/skinless chicken breasts) and bake at 350 until chicken is done. Serve over rice.

This is a nice dish to throw in an oiled cast iron skillet, put it on the gas grill (on low) and let cook outside.

Cheerios Breakfast Bars July 24, 2006

from www.mrbreakfast.com

1/2 cup butter

32 large marshmallows or 3 cups miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder

4 cups Cheerios toasted oat cereal

1. Grease 9×9x2 pan.
2. Melt margarine and marshmallows over low heat stirring constantly.
3. Stir in peanut butter until melted.
4. Stir in milk.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Fold in cereal stirring until evenly coated.
7. Turn into pan with buttered hands, pat evenly in pan.
8. Cool thoroughly then cut into bars.