Habit
is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed
downstairs one step at a time.
- Mark Twain
Friday, December 9, 2011
Frosted Sugar Cookies
Frosted Sugar Cookies
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat together the sugar and butter until creamy. Add eggs, blending well. Add vanilla and beat in thoroughly. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the butter mixture and blend until well incorporated. Form dough into approximately one-inch balls and place on either an ungreased baking sheet or one that is lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Let stand on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Buttercream Frosting for the Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3-4 cups of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1-3 teaspoon water or milk
Food coloring as needed or desired
Colorful sugar or sprinkles
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add cream of tartar and powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add water or milk and continue beating until you have a spreadable frosting. Whip an additional five minutes to make it light and fluffy. Spread on cooled cookies and immediately add sprinkles before the frosting sets. You can divide the frosting into two bowl and have two different colors. In honor of the Christmas Holidays, I went with pale green and pale red today.
I can think of a few . . .
Citizens
of powerful nations and their leaders tend to believe that power is eternal and
victories are forever.
- Stephen
Vizinczey
Easy way to dinner . . .
http://www.recipe.com/sticky-chinese-chicken/?sssdmh=dm17.563540&esrc=nwdr120911&email=4011674711
With just a few ingredients, it seems we can come up with a fun meal for the family. We just need to fix the rice and a salad. More time for Christmas preparations and holiday fun.
With just a few ingredients, it seems we can come up with a fun meal for the family. We just need to fix the rice and a salad. More time for Christmas preparations and holiday fun.
Sugar Cookies to decorate!
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Shortbread-Ornament-Cookies?pmcode=ILLDV01T&_mid=2317732&_rid=2317732.558202.436632
This sounds like a great cookie for decorating. I'm always looking for ones that not only take to festive icing but are good tasting, too. This one seems to combine both those virtues!
This sounds like a great cookie for decorating. I'm always looking for ones that not only take to festive icing but are good tasting, too. This one seems to combine both those virtues!
Interesting . . . In case you thought baked potato chips were better . . .
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/baked-chips-as-bad-or-worse-than-fried/
Once again, we have to rethink our value system when it comes to providing for our families. Just because the packaging claims it is better for you, doesn't always mean it is better for you. If I'm going to splurge and enjoy potato chips, I'll stick to the old-fashioned bad ones!
Once again, we have to rethink our value system when it comes to providing for our families. Just because the packaging claims it is better for you, doesn't always mean it is better for you. If I'm going to splurge and enjoy potato chips, I'll stick to the old-fashioned bad ones!
Good Thought for Advent . . .
"Never worry about numbers.
Help one person at a time,
and always start with
the person nearest you."
Mother Theresa
A Smile to Begin the Day . . .
"The wages of sin are death, but by the time taxes are taken out,
it's just sort of a tired feeling."
-- Paula Poundstone
-- Paula Poundstone
"When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate
each other." -- Eric
Hoffer
Leave it to Homer Simpson . . .
A big mountain of sugar is too much for one man. I can see now why God portions
it out in those little packets.
Barbara's English Trifle
This dessert will jeopardize my diet any time! There is something about the combination of flavors that encourages bite after bite in case you might miss one. It is one of those recipes that lends itself to personal creativity. Instead of the egg pudding, try make a chocolate pudding. I use a plain pound cake but no one says you can't try a spice or chocolate one for variety. this can be made the morning of your dinner party and take one less, last-minute stress off your list.
Barbara's English Trifle
One baked pound cake (Homemade or store-bought)
One recipe of Favorite Egg Pudding (Recipe follows)
2 pints of heavy cream
3 Tablespoons sour cream
1 jar of your favorite jam (raspberry is good, apricot interesting)
1 small package frozen, sliced strawberries, defrosted
3 tablespoons brandy
Juice and zest of one orange, mixed together with brandy
One can chunk pineapple, well-drained
Maraschino cherries to garnish
Although you can use an ordinary, large serving bowl, if you have a big, glass one, it makes a nice display. Have it cleaned, shiny and standing by!
Place your heavy cream and sour cream in an electric mixing bowl and beat until stiff and thick. Have your Egg Pudding at your work station.
Slice the Pound Cake into ½-inch slices. Cut them into triangles. Spread your choice of jam over each slice. Place a layer of cake in the bottom of your serving dish. Sprinkle with a little brandy mixture, some pineapple, a thin layer of strawberries and a good serving of Egg Pudding. Add a layer of whipped cream and repeat until you end up with a top layer of cake. Whatever you have left at this point in the way of fruit, layer it on and top with a final layer of Egg Pudding. Cover the top with the rest of the whipped cream, garnish with cherries and refrigerate until ready to serve.
If you have other preferences on fruit for your English Trifle, just about anything works! The main ingredients are the cake, pudding and whipped cream. Your imagination and the contents of your cupboard will design your own dessert.
My Favorite Egg Pudding
2/3 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
dash salt
4 cups milk
6 egg yolks, slightly beaten
4 tablespoons margarine or butter
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Grated zest of one orange, optional
Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt and yolks in a large saucepan. Whisk thoroughly. Stir in milk gradually. Cook mixture over low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens and begins to boil. Continue to boil for approximately one minute. Remove from heat; stir in margarine, extracts and orange zest. Best eaten slightly warm or cold.
Barbara's English Trifle
One baked pound cake (Homemade or store-bought)
One recipe of Favorite Egg Pudding (Recipe follows)
2 pints of heavy cream
3 Tablespoons sour cream
1 jar of your favorite jam (raspberry is good, apricot interesting)
1 small package frozen, sliced strawberries, defrosted
3 tablespoons brandy
Juice and zest of one orange, mixed together with brandy
One can chunk pineapple, well-drained
Maraschino cherries to garnish
Although you can use an ordinary, large serving bowl, if you have a big, glass one, it makes a nice display. Have it cleaned, shiny and standing by!
Place your heavy cream and sour cream in an electric mixing bowl and beat until stiff and thick. Have your Egg Pudding at your work station.
Slice the Pound Cake into ½-inch slices. Cut them into triangles. Spread your choice of jam over each slice. Place a layer of cake in the bottom of your serving dish. Sprinkle with a little brandy mixture, some pineapple, a thin layer of strawberries and a good serving of Egg Pudding. Add a layer of whipped cream and repeat until you end up with a top layer of cake. Whatever you have left at this point in the way of fruit, layer it on and top with a final layer of Egg Pudding. Cover the top with the rest of the whipped cream, garnish with cherries and refrigerate until ready to serve.
If you have other preferences on fruit for your English Trifle, just about anything works! The main ingredients are the cake, pudding and whipped cream. Your imagination and the contents of your cupboard will design your own dessert.
My Favorite Egg Pudding
2/3 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
dash salt
4 cups milk
6 egg yolks, slightly beaten
4 tablespoons margarine or butter
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Grated zest of one orange, optional
Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt and yolks in a large saucepan. Whisk thoroughly. Stir in milk gradually. Cook mixture over low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens and begins to boil. Continue to boil for approximately one minute. Remove from heat; stir in margarine, extracts and orange zest. Best eaten slightly warm or cold.
Not a time to chicken out . . .!
What is almost always on sale somewhere and appears on your dinner table more often than you would like to think about? Chicken! The price is right but it seems to be such a limiting bird. No matter how you fry it, you still end up with chicken. If you notice this, it is a good bet that your family does, too. You shouldn't let chicken make you feel cooped up. It can safely appear at your table three times a week and still be welcomed.
We had a lot of chicken when I was growing up. I remember one time, my mother had three, whole chickens to deal with for a company dinner. She was a bit harried. As a twelve year old, I probably wasn't ideal help. The chickens were on the counter awaiting culinary direction. My mother left the room to tend to other matters. When she returned, I was gone but the three, plump birds had formed a trio. Before I left, I had seated them closely, side by side on the edge of the counter and chummily arranged their wings around each other. My stressed mother got through the evening with a chuckle every time she thought about it.
Chicken is versatile. And your oven (especially on those cold, overcast days) can take the drudgery out of cooking it. With a little forethought, you can present a platter of chicken at the dinner table that will eliminate the need for putting away leftovers. The following are general ideas. You are the only one who knows how much is needed by your family. As you try each suggestion, you will soon be incorporating the ideas into your mainstream kitchen life. The ideas will soon be a part of your cooking, not just words of direction in a book.
Fried Chicken in the Oven takes the grease splatters out of your life! You will need two or more sticks of butter or margarine, melted. And one or more cut up chickens, depending on the size of your family. Cutting it up yourself saves money especially when you hit those under eighty cents a pound sales. Mix approximately two cups all-purpose flour blended with the following: salt and pepper to tastes, garlic salt, half-sharp paprika and any other seasoning in your cupboard you like or that sounds interesting. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Dip each piece of chicken into the melted butter or margarine, coat with seasoned flour and arrange the pieces on a baking pan or sheet (with sides!). Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until chicken is golden, crispy and fork tender. Drain excess fat, arrange on platter and serve. It takes about ten minutes to prepare, tastes like fried and avoids the mess of frying.
There is something about coming into the kitchen and smelling chicken cooking. My family would probably welcome oven baked chicken five times a week. Sometimes the budget dictates chicken more than once a week! Once you realize the oven can do your work and save you time, there are other ways to cook that bird!
Ordinary Oven Chicken needs cut up chicken, one-half cup olive oil or vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange chicken in a baking pan. Brush with oil and liberally pepper and conservatively salt the chicken. Bake for about 20 minutes and brush with oil again. Continue until golden, the skin is crisp and it is tender, approximately 25 minutes more. Serve hot, warm or cold.
Lemon Oven Chicken calls for juice of two lemons (limes are an interesting change), 1/4 cup (or more) olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic salt, paprika, dash of chili powder, if desired. Combine all the ingredients and bake chicken as outlined in previous recipe.
Barbequed Chicken in the Oven is good for days when you don't want to light charcoal! All you need for this one is a bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce. You will be surprised to see the variety available at the supermarket today. Pick out something different but that still sounds appealing to your family. Proceed as instructed in Ordinary Oven Chicken. Don't brush on the sauce until after the chicken has been in the oven twenty minutes. Great served hot and very good the next day for a cold picnic lunch.
We had a lot of chicken when I was growing up. I remember one time, my mother had three, whole chickens to deal with for a company dinner. She was a bit harried. As a twelve year old, I probably wasn't ideal help. The chickens were on the counter awaiting culinary direction. My mother left the room to tend to other matters. When she returned, I was gone but the three, plump birds had formed a trio. Before I left, I had seated them closely, side by side on the edge of the counter and chummily arranged their wings around each other. My stressed mother got through the evening with a chuckle every time she thought about it.
Chicken is versatile. And your oven (especially on those cold, overcast days) can take the drudgery out of cooking it. With a little forethought, you can present a platter of chicken at the dinner table that will eliminate the need for putting away leftovers. The following are general ideas. You are the only one who knows how much is needed by your family. As you try each suggestion, you will soon be incorporating the ideas into your mainstream kitchen life. The ideas will soon be a part of your cooking, not just words of direction in a book.
Fried Chicken in the Oven takes the grease splatters out of your life! You will need two or more sticks of butter or margarine, melted. And one or more cut up chickens, depending on the size of your family. Cutting it up yourself saves money especially when you hit those under eighty cents a pound sales. Mix approximately two cups all-purpose flour blended with the following: salt and pepper to tastes, garlic salt, half-sharp paprika and any other seasoning in your cupboard you like or that sounds interesting. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Dip each piece of chicken into the melted butter or margarine, coat with seasoned flour and arrange the pieces on a baking pan or sheet (with sides!). Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until chicken is golden, crispy and fork tender. Drain excess fat, arrange on platter and serve. It takes about ten minutes to prepare, tastes like fried and avoids the mess of frying.
There is something about coming into the kitchen and smelling chicken cooking. My family would probably welcome oven baked chicken five times a week. Sometimes the budget dictates chicken more than once a week! Once you realize the oven can do your work and save you time, there are other ways to cook that bird!
Ordinary Oven Chicken needs cut up chicken, one-half cup olive oil or vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange chicken in a baking pan. Brush with oil and liberally pepper and conservatively salt the chicken. Bake for about 20 minutes and brush with oil again. Continue until golden, the skin is crisp and it is tender, approximately 25 minutes more. Serve hot, warm or cold.
Lemon Oven Chicken calls for juice of two lemons (limes are an interesting change), 1/4 cup (or more) olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic salt, paprika, dash of chili powder, if desired. Combine all the ingredients and bake chicken as outlined in previous recipe.
Barbequed Chicken in the Oven is good for days when you don't want to light charcoal! All you need for this one is a bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce. You will be surprised to see the variety available at the supermarket today. Pick out something different but that still sounds appealing to your family. Proceed as instructed in Ordinary Oven Chicken. Don't brush on the sauce until after the chicken has been in the oven twenty minutes. Great served hot and very good the next day for a cold picnic lunch.
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