Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are one of our favorite cookies.  Especially around Christmas time.

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. butter
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. buttermilk
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
6 c. flour

Directions

Heat oven to 350°. Grease a cookie sheet or line the cookie sheet with a silpat.

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, and sugar until light and fluffy.  

Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Pour in the buttermilk and mix in well. 

Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, and flour.  Mix until smooth.

Roll the dough into balls between the palms of your hand. Place on a prepared cookie sheet about 3-inches apart. Dip the bottom of a glass in sugar.  Press the sugared bottom on the cookie top and press down, so the cookies have a flat top.  Sprinkle with sugar or colored sugar.

Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the sides just start to turn brown.

Remove to a cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool.   Or at least try to wait that long.

Pork Chop Medallions

 This is an easy supper to make up. The gravy is so flavorful and the pork is so juicy and tender. My family loves this meal. 

Ingredients

1 Tbs. cooking oil
4 pork chops
salt and pepper
1 c. onion, chopped
1 Tbs. garlic, minced
3 Tbs. butter
1 (8 oz.) can mushrooms, drained
1/4 c. flour
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
2 c. beef broth or chicken broth
1 tsp. rosemary (optional)

Directions

In a cast iron skillet, add cooking oil.  Heat over medium high heat. 

Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper.  

Add the pork chops to the hot skillet. Cook until the pork chops are browned, turning them over to brown both sides. This can take about 3 minutes on each sides. Remove the pork chops from the skillet and place them on a plate. Set aside.

 Melt the butter in the skillet. Add the onions, garlic, and mushrooms.  Sauté until soft.

Stir in the flour.  Cook and stir for about a minute to remove the flour taste.

Pour in the beef or chicken broth, stirring constantly to remove the flour lumps.  Scrape the bottom of the skillet to remove the flavorful bits.  Add Worcestershire sauce and season the sauce or gravy with salt and pepper.  Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the pork chops back into the skillet. Simmer to reduce the gravy, spooning some over the top of the pork chops. 

Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.

Fried Cabbage and Bacon

This is an old recipe, passed down through the generations. It is full of flavor and so easy to make.  Fried cabbage and bacon can be served as a side dish or as the main meal.  

Ingredients

6 slices bacon, cut into pieces
2 lbs. cabbage, cored and chopped or 1 large head
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
2 tsp. prepared mustard
2 tsp. vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large stockpot or cast iron Dutch oven skillet, fry the bacon until the fat melts and the bacon is crisp. Remove from the skillet and place on paper towels to absorb the excess fat.

Drain off all but 1 tablespoon bacon grease.  Don't throw the bacon grease away as you may need a little extra when frying the onions.

Add onion and garlic to the skillet.  Cook and stir until the onion caramelizes.  This takes about 10 minutes.

Add cabbage.  Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally.  Cook until the cabbage wilts  begins to turn brown. This takes about 12 to 16 minutes.

Stir in the mustard, vinegar, red pepper flakes onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Notes;

Add some shredded carrot for extra color.

Add some cooked egg noodles to the dish.

For extra meat and flavor, cut up some Kielbasa and fry that along with the bacon, onions, and garlic.

Chicken Casserole

 With cooler weather,  our family likes to settle down and eat comfort food. This chicken casserole is one of our favorites to make. It is so easy to put together, especially if you have left over chicken. 

Ingredients

2 c. egg noodles, cooked
2 to 3 c. chicken, cooked and shredded
1 onion, chopped
1 sweet bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 c. corn, frozen
1 c. whole milk
2 (10 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup
1 c. (4 oz.) cheddar cheese, shredded 
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 tsp. onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 c.  stuffing mix, crushed or Ritz crackers
5 Tbs. butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spray or grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, combine egg noodles, chicken, onion, sweet bell pepper, garlic, cream cheese, corn, milk, cream of chicken soup, cheddar cheese and bacon.  

Season with onion powder and salt and pepper to taste. Spread in prepared baking pan. 

Combine the stuffing mix with the butter.  Sprinkle over the top of the chicken mixture.

Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, and the dish is heated through.

Notes

You can use canned corn. Just be sure to drain the liquid out of the can.

Ritz crackers or panko bread crumbs can be used instead of stuffing mix.

If you want to reduce some calories, use 3/4 cup French fried onions in place of the stuffing and butter.

Cranberry Fluff Salad

This salad is so good, it is almost like eating dessert during the meal.  Even people who do not like cranberries will like this salad.

Ingredients

3 c. fresh or thawed frozen cranberries,  ground up in a food grinder
1 (20 oz.) can unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained
1 small can mandarin oranges
2/3 c. sugar
dash salt
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 small box pistachio instant pudding

Directions

In a large bowl, combine ground cranberries, crushed pineapple, marshmallows, mandarin oranges, sugar, and salt.  Mix well.  

Cover the bowl with a lid or a sheet of plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, beat whipped cream until stiff peaks form.

Mix the pistachio instant pudding mix into the whipped cream.

Gently fold the whipped cream in the cranberry mixture.  Serve and enjoy.

Notes;

You can pulse the cranberries with a food processor if you don't have a food grinder.

You can use or red or green grapes instead of pineapple.

Instead of mandarin oranges, chop up one apple or a banana and use that instead.

If you like nuts, add some chopped walnuts.

Replace the marshmallows with cooked rice.

If you don't have whipping cream, substitute it with 1 container whipped topping.

Buttery Pull Apart Bread

This is a buttery pull-apart bread that is so good.  It disappears quickly at our house.  They are very easy to make too.  You can put some minced garlic in the dough balls or add it to the melted butter that you roll the balls in.

Ingredients

1 Tbs. yeast or 1 pkg yeast
1 Tbs. sugar
1/4 c.very warm water, 110 to 115°
3/4 c. warm milk
1/4 c. sugar
4 to 4 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
4 to 4 1/2 c. flour
6 Tbs. butter melted

Directions

Heat oven to 350°.  Grease two loaf pans, or you can use a fluted tube pan.

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water.  Set aside in a warm location for 10 minutes, allowing the yeast to activate or bloom.

Add sugar, 1-cup flour, butter, egg, and salt.  Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. 

Stir in the rest of the flour to form a soft dough.  When it gets too hard to stir, turn the dough out onto a floured surface.  Knead in the remaining flour until the dough is only slightly sticky.  Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap or a tea towel. Place the bowl in a warm location and allow the dough to rise until doubled, or about 60 to 90 minutes.

Punch the dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut off pieces of dough and roll the dough between the palms of your hands to form 1 1/2 inch balls. Dip and roll each dough ball in the melted butter. Place in prepared pan or pans, placing balls on top of each other.

Cover with a tea towel and place in a warm location to rise until doubled in size. This takes about 45 minutes.  Carefully remove the tea towel.

Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter.

 Cheesy Taco Beef Casserole

This is a quick and easy meal, perfect for the times when you don't want to spend much time in the kitchen but want a comforting meal to share with your family. 

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 sweet bell pepper, chopped
1 jalepeno pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 oz.) can spicy chili beans or black beans
1 c. salsa or picante sauce
1 (10 oz. ) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, like Rotel
2 Tbs. taco seasoning or 1 package taco seasoning
salt and pepper to taste if needed
1 (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1 (9 3/4 oz)pkg. nacho flavored tortilla chips, or plain
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. pepper jack cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.  Lightly grease a 2.5 qt casserole dish.

In a heavy cast iron skillet, cook ground beef, onion, sweet bell pepper, jalapeño pepper and garlic. Cook and crumble the beef until the meat is no longer pink.  Drain.

Stir in black beans, salsa, and diced tomatoes and green chilies, taco seasoning blend.  Add salt and pepper if needed.

Layer half of the nacho flavored tortilla chips in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish.  Layer half of the meat mixture over the chips. Then add half a can of soup over the top of the meat.  Smoothing it out as good as you can. Or you can just add it by the teaspoonfuls over the top. Next, sprinkle half of the cheddar cheese and pepper jack cheese over the soup.

Repeat the layers. 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until thoroughly heated and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Note:

Some recipes say to drain and rinse the black beans, but we do not. The juice adds flavor to the dish. 

You can easily make your own taco seasoning. Check out our recipe for Taco Seasoning Blend.