The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

This recipe is great because it the cookies are not too sweet and are nice and soft!  Yum!

Jonna's Sugar Cookies

• 1 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup sour cream
• 9 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tsp soda

In a very large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla for two minutes. Mix in sour cream until fully combined.

In a separate large bowl mix together flour, salt and soda. Gradually add this to the butter mixture.

Chill dough for at least an hour to make it easier to work with. Roll out on lightly flour surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies with 2 to 2 1/2 inch cookie cutters. Place cookies about 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets.

Bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes.

This will make about 120-150 cookies and they freeze really well.

Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 8 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a large bowl, cream the butter until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth and creamy. This will make enough for the sugar cookie recipe. Can be made a day ahead.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup (Steph's Recipe)

1 Family size Chicken Noodle Soup
1 Family size Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 "Family" size can milk
1 "Family" size can water
4 stalks celery sliced
4 carrots diced
1 onion diced
1- 2 cans mushrooms (optional)
2-3 cups chicken cooked
pinch of oregano
8 oz. or less country style noodles (or whatever noodles you like)

Saute celery, onion & carrots in a pan. Add soups, milk, water oregano and mushrooms. Bring to a boil and add chicken and noodles. Cook until noodles are tender.

This is a really good soup suprisingly.

Becky's Barley Veggie Soup

1/2 pound ground beef or cut up steak (optional)
1/2 C. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced/crushed
7 C. water
1 (14.5 oz) can unsalted whole tomatoes (blended up into small pieces)
1/2 C. Barley
1/2 C. sliced celery (I added 4 stalks of celery which made it more than 1/2 cup)
1/2 C. sliced carrots (I added 4 carrots which made it more than 1/2 cup)
2 beef bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. dried basil, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 (9 oz) frozen mixed veggies

In a pot, borwn the meat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until onion is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except frozen veggies. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ad frozen veggies, cook about 10 minutes or until veggies are tender. Additional water may be added if soup becomes too thick.

Very tastey soup.

90 calories per cup.

Steph's 5 can Chili

1 pound Ground Beef or Ground Turkey

1 onion chopped

1 can (14 oz. or 16 oz) tomatoes w/green chilis

1 can corn (drained) or 1 C. frozen corn

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

1 can (16 oz.) can black beans (drained)

1 packet taco seasoning

Brown meat with onion. Add the rest of the ingredients into a big pot and simmer for at least 15 minutes. It is great served over lettuce with tortilla chils and cheese for a taco salad or just eat it plain in a bowl with corn or tortilla chips and cheese. Delicious and Easy

Makes 6 1-cup servings.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

No preservatives. No high-fructose corn syrup.  Just creamy, tangy homemade ranch dressing in 5 minutes!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 small bunch of chives
• Small handful of parsley
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper (I use black anyway).

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients with 1/4 cup of buttermilk in a blender
2. Blend for 10 seconds. Check consistency and blend in additional buttermilk if desired. Less buttermilk for dipping, more for dressing.
3. Store in an air-tight jar in the fridge.

Yum!

London's Hummingbird Bakery Vanilla Cupcakes

Yes, I realize the following recipe is in weird measurements but it will be worth your time to convert them!  Enjoy.

Makes 12

Ingredients

120g/4oz plain flour
140g 5oz caster sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
40g/1½ oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
120ml/4fl oz whole milk
1 egg
¼ tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla frosting (see below)
Edible sprinkles, to decorate
A 12-hole cupcake tray, lined with paper cases

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F.
Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined.
Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.
Whisk the egg, vanilla extract and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula).
Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth.

Do not overmix.
Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until light golden and the sponge bounces back when touched.
A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean.
Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the vanilla frosting on top and decorate with sprinkles.

VANILLA FROSTING

Ingedients

250g/9oz icing sugar, sifted
80g/30z unsalted butter, at room temperature
25ml/0.8fl oz whole milk
A couple of drops of vanilla extract

Method

Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.
Turn the mixer down to slow speed and then, in a separate bowl, begin to combine the milk and vanilla extract. When you have done this add it to the butter mixture a couple of tablespoons at a time.
Once all the milk has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed.
Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least five minutes.

The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it wil become.

Stuffed Cheeseburgers

We made these for our Memorial Day BBQ and I have to say we LOVED them. I did use turkey because that is what I had thawed in the fridge....but I am sure it works better with hamburger. Ours fell apart in the turning over process, but still super yummy.


1 cup chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup Ritz or saltine crackers, about 15
1 egg
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (I omitted this)
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp pepper
2 lbs ground beef
1 jar sliced mushrooms
3 T cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar

In a large bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well, form into 12 thin patties.
combine cheese, mushrooms and cream cheese; spoon onto centers of 6 patties. Top with remaining patties and press edges to firmly seal.
Grill burgers covered for 5-7 min on each side or until meat juices run clear.