Chocolate and Vanilla Sugar Cookie Pinwheels

These cookies take just a bit more work, but they will leave your guests and family wondering how you did them.  It is worth the extra step in making these cookies, especially if you love the taste of chocolate and vanilla.

Ingredients

1c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2  2/3 c. flour
2 Tbs. cocoa powder
1 Tbs. coffee

Directions

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

Mix in the egg and vanilla. Beat well until thoroughly combined.

Turn the mixer to a low speed. Mix in the nutmeg and salt. Slowly stir in the flour. The dough should be stiff.

Divide the dough in half. Shape one half of the dough into a flat, thick disc and wrap it in plastic wrap or place it inside a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator. Place the other half of the cookie dough back in the mixing bowl. 

With the mixer set on low, stir in the cocoa powder, and coffee.  Mix until combined. Remove the dough and shape it into a flat, thick disc. Wrap it in a sheet of plastic wrap, or place it in a plastic bag. Place this in the refrigerator and chill both dough balls for about 90 minutes.

Lightly flour a sheet of parchment paper. Remove the plain cookie dough disc from the refrigerator and plastic bag. Flour your rolling pin. Roll the dough out into an 8-inch by 14-inch rectangle. Remember to turn your cookie dough a quarter of a turn and dust the parchment paper with more flour, to keep the dough from sticking. Shape the edges with your hands, so they are straight and even. Set aside somewhere cool while you roll out the chocolate dough.

Get another sheet of parchment paper. Lightly dust the parchment paper and your rolling pin with cocoa powder. Roll the dough out into an 8-inch by 14-inch rectangle. Remember to turn your cookie dough a quarter of a turn and dust the parchment paper with more flour, to keep the dough from sticking. Shape the edges with your hands, so they are straight and even. Set aside somewhere cool while you roll out the chocolate dough.

Bring out the vanilla cookie dough. Carefully remove the chocolate cookie dough from the parchment paper and place on top of the vanilla dough.  Press the chocolate onto the vanilla cookie dough to remove any air pockets. 

Beginning at the long side of the dough, begin rolling the dough up into a log.  Try to roll the dough as tight as you can, using the parchment paper to help.

Cut the log in half, so you have two 7-inch logs. Wrap the dough logs in plastic wrap or in the parchment paper you just used. Bend the edges of the parchment paper or plastic over to seal the dough log inside. 

Chill the dough for at least 2 hours or longer.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly spray or grease a cookie sheet. You can also use parchment paper or silicone baking mats if you have them.

Remove one of the dough logs from the refrigerator. Remove the wrapping. Cut the dough in half-inch slices, so you have 14 cookies. Place the cookies 2-inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the outside edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Place the cookies on metal cooling racks to cool completely. Serve and enjoy.

Peanut Butter Pinwheels Potato Candy

In spite of the name Peanut Butter Pinwheels Potato Candy, this is surprisingly an excellent treat. It is easy to make, too. No one would ever guess that the secret ingredient in this candy is a potato.  But not just any potato will work. You need to use a Russet potato.  Any other kind of potato will not work, and neither will instant potatoes.

The recipe is almost fool-proof. You don't really need to use measurements, but these are here as a guideline. The recipe can be made smaller or larger, depending on how much you want to make.  

Directions

1/2 c. mashed russet potatoes
2 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
6 to 8 c. powdered sugar
1/2 to 2/3 creamy peanut butter

Directions

Fill a medium saucepan with cold water. Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into cubes or quarter them and put them in the pot of water. Bring the water to a boil and cook until the potatoes are soft.  Drain the potatoes.

Mash the potatoes with a fork, potato masher or an electric mixer. Try to get the potatoes as smooth as possible.  

Add the vanilla and salt to the mashed potatoes. Mix well.

Stir in one cup of the powdered sugar.  Mix well. The mixture will turn runny when you do this. Don't worry, as that is what it is supposed to do.   Continue adding and mixing in the powdered sugar until the dough becomes stiff.  Add a layer of powdered sugar to your clean counter or on a sheet of parchment paper or waxed paper. Turn the candy dough out onto the counter. Knead in more powdered sugar until the dough is the consistency of play dough.  Continue to knead or work with the dough until it is smooth and no longer sticks to your hands.

Dust the work surface and your rolling pin with powdered sugar.

Form the dough into a rectangle and dust the top with more powdered sugar.   Roll the dough out into a rectangle. The thickness should be about 1/4 inch thick. However, you can make this as thick or thin as you like, but don't make it too thin, or it will crack, and your candy will not look very pretty.   

Once you have the dough rolled out, spread the peanut butter across the top evenly.  Do not spread the peanut butter out to the edge of the dough. Leave a small amount of space between the peanut butter and the edge. 

Starting with the long side, slowly and carefully begin to roll up the dough into a log shape, working from one side to the other.  You can use a dough blade if the dough sticks to your countertop, or paper.  

Wrap the candy log in the parchment or waxed paper that you were using to roll the dough out on. Or you can use plastic wrap. This helps the peanut butter potato log to hold its shape 

Refrigerate until firm. Slice the candy and serve.

Notes:

If the mixture becomes too dry while kneading, add a bit more of your mashed potato. 

If the mixture is too wet, just add more powdered sugar. 

Pecan Pie with Light Corn Syrup

Pecan Pie is so good, but if you buy it at the store or at a restaurant, the cost is huge!  What you pay for a single slice, can be made at home, and you can have an entire pie!  This recipe is well worth the time, and it doesn't take long to make this pie, and the cost of a few ingredients that will give you an amazing pie!

Ingredients

1 c. light corn syrup
3 eggs
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 Tbs. molasses
4 Tbs. butter or margarine, melted
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. pecans
1 (9-inch) pastry shell, unbaked

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°.

In a large bowl, vigorously mix the dark corn syrup, eggs, brown sugar, molasses, butter, vanilla and salt together with a wooden spoon. You can also use a mixer if you'd rather.

Stir in the pecans.

Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The outer edge of the filling should be set and the center slightly soft.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Soft Chocolate Sugar Cookies

If you are craving chocolate in a cookie, then this recipe will satisfy you. These are the classic sugar cookies, but they have chocolate in the ingredient list. They stay soft and chewy.

Ingredients

1 c. butter, room temperature
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla
1 2/3 c. flour
1 1/4 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, and brown sugar together until light and smooth.  

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

Pour in the vanilla, and mix well.

In another bowl, combine cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder.  You can sift the ingredients together. If you don't have a sifter, you can use a whisk to mix the dry ingredients together and lighten it up.

Add the flour mixture into the butter, stirring until just combined. Do not over mix. 

In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar and 2 teaspoon cocoa powder. Set aside.

Scoop some dough up with a regular tablespoon. Roll the dough into balls.

Dip the dough balls in the sugar, cocoa mixture. 

Place the cookie balls on a cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between each one. Dip the bottom of a glass in the cocoa sugar mixture, then press the cookies down. 

Bake for 8 to 10 (or longer, depending on your oven), until the tops are cracked looking. The cracks will still look wet, but remove them from the oven.  If you bake the cookies until they are dry looking, they will be hard, and not soft and chewy.

Notes

If you like nuts, you can add some chopped walnuts or peanuts to the batter.

You can sprinkle a dusting of powdered sugar over the tops of the warm cookies.

Homespun Meat and Potato Pie

Meat and Potato Pie 

This is a very simple meat and potato pie recipe. This dish has ground beef, onions, potatoes, mushrooms, corn and cheese.   It is across between a meatloaf, and a shepherds' pie. My kids love this recipe and request that I make it often.

Ingredients

3 to 4 potatoes

3 tablespoons milk

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c. cheese, cubed or shredded

1 can whole kernel corn, drained (optional)

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped

1 (4 oz.) can mushrooms, drained

1 egg
1/4 c. ketchup

1/4 c. dry bread crumbs

1/2 to 1 tsp. salt

Pepper to taste
Bacon, crisp fried and crumpled

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Wash and peel potatoes. Fill a pot with water and add your potatoes. Cook them until tender. If you want to, cut the potatoes into smaller pieces, so they will cook faster. When the potatoes are done, remove them from the water. 

Put the potatoes into a bowl and mash them with a potato masher, or you can use an electric mixer.  Mix until they are as smooth as you want them to be.

Add the milk, salt, pepper, cheese, and corn. Stir to combine. The cheese does not need to melt, it will do that in the oven.  You can use whatever cheese you like best, but we like sharp cheddar cheese or hot pepper cheese. We often use a mixture of both.

Cover the potatoes and set aside while you prepare the meat mixture.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, onions, mushrooms, egg, ketchup, bread crumbs, salt and pepper.  Don’t mix them too much or the meat mixture will be tough.

Press the meat mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan, or any baking dish. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove the meat from the oven. Tip the pan to drain the excess fat away.  To make this job easier, place an empty pie pan or baking dish inside, so it rests on the meat.  Carefully tip the dish or pan, so the grease drains away.  This way, when you tip the container to drain it, the meat won’t fall out. 

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°.

Fill the meat shell with the potato mixture. Return to the oven and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until everything is hot and cheese is melty.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle bacon over the top. Cut into servings.  Serves about 6 people.

 Fried Potatoes

This is a dish I make quite often for my family. To me, it is comfort food, and it transports me back to a time when I was young.  My dad didn't cook very often, but when he did, this was one of the dishes he liked to make. He would make a large skillet full to feed the family. It is a simple recipe. You can use this as the main meal, or cut the recipe down to use as a side dish.

Ingredients

12 to 16 ounces thick-sliced bacon, cut in 2-inch pieces (optional)
1 onion, sliced and diced
6 to 8 large potatoes, about 3 pounds, peeled
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
cayenne pepper, (optional)

Directions

Fill a pot with cold water. Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Place the potato cubes in the cold water.  Allow the potatoes to soak while you cook the bacon.  This removes some of the starch from the potatoes.

In a large, cast iron skillet, cook the bacon until crisp.  Remove the bacon, placing it on paper towels to drain. Crumple the bacon and set aside.

Remove all but 2 to 3 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the skillet. Save the rest of the bacon grease to use for another recipe.  

Drain the water from the potatoes. Try to get the potatoes as dry as you can before adding to the hot skillet.  

Carefully add the potatoes and onion to the skillet.  Stir to coat the potatoes and onion in the bacon grease. 

Season the potatoes with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper, stirring to ensure they all get seasoned.

Cook over medium heat for about 6 minutes, then turn them over with a spatula. Cook them another 6 minutes and turn them again with a spatula. Cover the skillet with a lid, and lower the heat to medium low heat. This allows the potatoes to fry slowly, so they get tender.  

Cook until the potatoes are tender. Turn them occasionally so they do not burn.  When they are almost tender, remove the lid. Continue to cook the potatoes and onion until they are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Mix the bacon into the potatoes, or sprinkle the bacon over the top.  Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

You can omit the bacon.  Instead of using bacon grease to fry the potatoes in, add 1 tablespoon butter and a tablespoon of olive oil.  

You can also mix in a little Parmesan cheese in during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted. 

Old Fashioned Glorified Rice

 Glorified Rice

This is one of our favorite side dishes to make, serve and eat, especially during the holiday season. Combine cooked rice with whipped cream and crushed pineapple, and you will have a delicious treat. 

However, Glorified Rice isn't just for holiday dinners. It is delicious any time of the year. Glorified Rice is like having dessert in the middle of a meal, or you can even serve it as a dessert. 

Ingredients

2 c. water (use the drained pineapple juice and water)
1 c. uncooked white rice
1/3 c. sugar (more or less depending on how sweet you want it to be)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 (15 oz) cans crushed pineapple, drained
6 maraschino cherries, cut into small pieces
1 c. miniature marshmallows
1 c. whipped cream topping

Directions

In a sauce pan, pour the pineapple juice into a measuring cup.  Add enough water to make 2 cups.  Bring the liquid to a boil, then add the rice.  Stir. Bring the liquid to a boil, and cover the pot with a lid.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Fluff the rice and place in a bowl.  Set aside to cool

When the rice is cool, add the sugar, vanilla, crushed pineapple, maraschino cherries and miniature marshmallows.

Gently fold in the whipped cream topping. 

Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Notes:

Sometimes I will add half a package or a whole package of instant vanilla pudding into the mix while adding the crushed pineapple. This gives it more flavor.