Eggnog Cookies

If you like Eggnog, you'll LOVE these cookies.

21/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg, plus extra for sprinkling

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup salted butter, softened

1/2 cup eggnog

2 large egg yolks

Preheat an oven to 300. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp nutmeg. Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer to form a grainy paste. Add eggnog, vanilla, and egg yolks. Beat at medium speed till smooth.

Add the flour mixture on low until just combined. DO NOT OVER MIX. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, 1 inch a part. Sprinkle lightly with a little nutmeg. Bake 23-25 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Immediately transfer to cooling rack.

Austrian Goulash Suppe

This is a recipe that has been passed down to me from my mother, who got it from her mother. I've modified it a bit since I couldn't remember the exact details.

Ingredients:

1 lb. stew meat (cut small bite size pieces)
1 large onion or 2 small chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons paprika
4 cups water
4 teaspoons chicken bouillon
oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot brown the onions and garlic in oil. I used olive oil. Add meat until brown. Cover with water and add paprika and bouillon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Serve over hot noodles, rice, or potatoes. Great for a rainy or snowy day.

Pumpkin Bars

Bars:

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened (or up the ante and use 1/2 pumpkin cream cheese which makes it that much more amazing!)
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients:

2 cans 28 oz. diced tomatoes or 4 cans 14 oz. diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 to 1 onion (chopped)
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic (minced)
pinch of baking soda
1 tablespoon fresh basil (chopped) or 1 teaspoon dried basil
2 cups cream

Directions:

Mix tomatoes, chicken broth, sugar, butter, onion, garlic, baking soda in a pot. Simmer for 1 hour. Then heat cream in a small pan, stir to avoid burning or use a double boiler. Add cream to hot soup mixture.

Sprite Cake

This cake is super moist and tastes almost homemade! (For this cake I doubled the recipe, you could probably get a decent two layer cake if you only did one)

1 box white cake mix

1 10oz can Sprite (mini can)

4 eggs

3/4 cup oil

1 3oz box instant Vanilla pudding

Mix all ingredients together, but don't over beat. Preheat oven to 350 and grease 2 (or 3) 9 inch round cake pans.

Separate mix into however many bowls of different colors you'd like. We had 4, I've seen Rainbow before with 7 bowls. Food color away. Remember, the more vivid the color, the better and brighter it will bake. For the first color, use a 1 cup (or smaller depending on how many colors you have) and drop one circle into the center of the pan. Repeat with alternating colors, dropping the next on top of one another, creating concentric circles, like above. The previous color will get pushed out as the color on top hits. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool, cut tops off to make flat. You can leave the top one rounded or flatten it, whatever you like.

We used a whipped cream filling that was light and airy with fresh strawberries.

Icing

3 cups heavy whipping cream, beaten into soft, but firm peaks

3/4 cup powdered sugar beaten into the peaks

any food color

you want this icing pretty firm- almost like a regular buttercream icing.

Strawberries diced with a little sugar. Don't over sugar them or you'll get a ton of syrup and the cake will be really wet and can affect the icing.

When layering, put the icing first, then the strawberries on top, then the next cake layer.

click on picture to see the color swirls better

Mandarin Spinach with Caramelized Walnut Salad

Really good with shredded chicken too.

Caramelized Walnuts:

2 cups water

1cup ¼” diced walnut pieces walnuts

3 Tablespoons white sugar

Boil water. Add walnuts and cook for 40 seconds. Strain the walnuts. Combine walnuts and sugar in a bowl. Stir to coat. Place sugar covered walnuts on a sheet pan and bake at 325 degrees for approximately 8 – 10 minutes or until golden brown.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Dressing:

2 cups canola oil 1 ¼ cups fresh orange juice

1 cup white sugar 6 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4 Tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 Tablespoon Spanish paprika

1 Tablespoon table salt

Combine ingredients and whisk to thoroughly dissolve the sugar

Yields approximately 4 ¾ cups.

Salad:

8 cups chopped spinach

1 ½ cups Mandarin oranges

1 cup caramelized walnuts

¼ cup ¼” diced red onions

3/8 cup dressing

Combine ingredients and toss until evenly coated with dressing.

Summer Lemon Salad with Spiced Pecans

This is from Souplantation and I LOVE LOVE LOVE this salad! It's light and really good if you add Manchego cheese instead of Blue.

Dressing- Yields 5 cups

• 3 cups Mayonnaise- whole egg
• 2 cups Lemonade Concentrate
• 2 ½ TBLS Dijon Mustard

Combine ingredients and whisk until smooth. Season to taste with sugar.

Spiced Pecans

• 1 ¼ cups ¼” Diced Pecans
• ¼ lb Butter or margarine
• 2 TBLS White Sugar
• ¾ tsp Ground Cumin
• ½ tsp Table Salt
• 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Melt butter in pan. Add sugar, cumin, salt, cayenne pepper. Heat until bubbling and sugar dissolves. Immediately add pecans and stir to coat. Spread pecans on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until brown and toasted.

Salad

• 4 cups Chopped Romaine
• 2 cups Spring Mix Lettuce
• ½ cup Spiced Pecans
• ½ cup Blue Cheese Crumbles
• ½ cup Diced Craisins
• ½ cup Lemon Vinaigrette

Combine ingredients and toss and ENJOY!!

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

3 sticks butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 lg eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips/chunks

1 1/2 cup coconut

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars till fluffy, about 6 minutes. On med-low, add vanilla, then eggs one at a time till fully combined. Mix drys together then into butter mixture till just combined. Fold in chocolate chips and chunks and coconut. Using a 1/4 cup measure, create balls of dough, rounding with your hands. On parchment paper, refrigerate 1 hour (or freeze). On parchment lined trays, bake 6 at a time. Bake at 350 (preheat oven with racks in upper and lower thirds) for 17-18 minutes, rotating trays halfway thru baking time.

Pretty Darn Good and Super Easy Chili

Those of you that have had Basil's chili know that he's a picky guy. If I can't get him to make his, this one is a close second. If you want it closer to his, add one Chipotle pepper in adobo and some chopped up fresh jalapenos.

2lb ground turkey

1 chopped onion

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic salt

2 cans tomato sauce

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 8oz jar red salsa

4T chili seasoning mix or 1T chili powder, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 1T seasoned salt

2 cans kidney beans

Sautee onion and garlic with all spices till tender, add meat and break up with wooden spoon. Add salsa, tomato sauce, and beans.

You can substitute any type of meat, beans, and add corn if you like!