*snicker* at the snickerdoodle

 All in all the Snickerdoodle is pretty amazing!! I mean you get that nice soft middle with just a HINT of cinnamon sugar on top.. YUMMY!! Unfortunately for me, I tend to forget about the darn Snicker D.. but not this Christmas!!! 
No Sir-ee, so here's my fave recipe for the doodle..

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 tspp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tblsp white sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups white sugar, butter or margarine, vanilla and eggs. Mix well.
3. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Blend well. 
4. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. 
5. Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. 
6. Roll dough in sugar/cinnamon mixture and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. 
7. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. 
8. Remove cookies right awaycookie sheets.

For a little something different, add butterscotch chips, or crystalized ginger... the options are endless. 

Be creative with Everything you create!!  

xoxo

ENJOY THE FOOD YOU EAT!!

Vegetables are a must on a diet.  I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.  ~Jim Davis

After all the trouble you go to, you get about as much actual "food" out of eating an artichoke as you would from licking 30 or 40 postage stamps.  ~Miss Piggy

There is one thing more exasperating than a wife who can cook and won't, and that's a wife who can't cook and will.  ~Robert Frost

To go with that....

To go with the Chicken and Dumplings (prior post) ... and in keeping in the 'holiday' spirit.. I decided to go ahead with sweet potato latkes.
Word to the wise... after mixing them... make the latkes and place them i the fridge for a lil bit so they set and don't fall apart once they hit the pan!!

Sweet Potato Latkes

• 2 cups peeled and shredded sweet potatoes
• 1 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• cracked black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sour cream for garnish

• Directions;

  1. Place the shredded potatoes in a cloth, and wring as much of the moisture out as possible. Place the potatoes into a bowl, and stir in the garlic, eggs, flour, Cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper until well mixed.
  2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers
  3. Drop the potato mixture by heaping tablespoons into the hot oil. Press down on the patties to flatten them to about 1/3 inch thick. Fry the patties until golden brown and crisp on the bottoms, 5 to 8 minutes, then flip and cook the other side until crisp and golden. 
  4. Remove the latkes to paper towels to drain, and serve hot, sprinkled with green onion and a small dollop of sour cream.
  (next time around i'd probably make a ginger sour cream dip to accompany this... i'll let you know) 
  xoxo

Side Stepping the Cookies for just a MINUTE !!

I'm gonna postpone my cookie recipe for the day for just a second while i tell share a recipe i tried last night!!
Chicken n Dumplings, in my opinion, has to be one of the top ten favorite comfort foods of mine!!
I never really see it on too many menus of the places i frequents, so as i was watching food network the other day.. i felt the light bulb flash above my head as to what the first thing i should make in my new crock pot should be......

• Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
  • 1 can of bream of celery soup
  • 1 onion, finely diced or shredded

  2 tsp garlic powder

  1/4 cup of peas (for color) 

  salt and pepper

  biscuit dough (recipe below) 

  Directions

  1. Place the chicken, butter, garlic powder, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.
  2. Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. 
  3. Add salt and pepper to taste
  4. About 30 minutes before serving, drop pieces of the biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.
  5. Serve in a bowl and 

  Biscuit Recipe
• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 
  

To be or not to be.. soft... is the real question!

I'm still talking about sugar cookies mind you.... don't get it twisted!! 
Now with the roll-outs, you are gonna want a more firm dough.. so that the cookies will hold shape after being ravaged by cookie cutters, but with a soft cookie.. well you kinda just drop it on the pan and the oven decides the shape we end up with. 
But give it a whirl... you know.. just to decide which one you like best! lol

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup sour cream
• cinnamon sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F 
2. Cream butter to consistency of mayonnaise. Add sugar gradually, while continuing to cream.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.
4. In a separate bowl, mix and sift flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
5. Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream; beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
6. Drop by teaspoons or tablespoons depending on the size cookie you want. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over the tops of the cookies. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

(Photo courtesy of allrecipes.com)

Cookie Tip #1

*When rolling out cookies, you might wanna skip the old stand-by... flour... cuz ya might just get a bite with a bit too much of that flour stuck on there!!

*So instead, use powdered sugar! it will give you the flexibility you will need to roll out the cookies, without that weird flour taste... 


*Ya don't wanna ruin the cookies you worked so hard to find and shop for and make!!! 

xoxoxo and keep the bake! 

Let's ROLL out!!

No, we are not leaving the scene of a crime...we are gonna make the quintessential roll-out Sugar cookie!!!
Almost everyone has at least one memory of cutting cookies to leave for Santa... Now whether or not you believe in the jolly fella, you should still try these little gems for all the little gems in your life! :) 
Roll-Out Sugar Cookies
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup butter flavored shortening
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 teaspoons baking powder

• Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 
  2. Cream together the sugar, shortening, and eggs. Add dry ingredients and then add milk and vanilla.
  3. Roll out dough on floured surface and cut with cookie cutters. Place on cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not let cookies get too brown, only slightly around the edges. 
  4. Store in a tightly closed container. They freeze well also.
  
  Don't forget to have a lil person help and BE CREATIVE!!
  xoxo

Let's NO bake

I decided that with all the baking you are doing following my holiDAZE cookie posts... so here's a quick NO bake for ya!! Equally as delicious just a lil less time consuming. 
I've only tried this once, and i'm thinking about adding some butterscotch or chocolate chips to the mix next time around. 
 
(photo and recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com via jif.com ) 
No Bake Peanut Butter Squares

Ingredients

• 1 cup Jif Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 cups crispy rice cereal
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Directions

1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, extending foil over edges of pan. 
2. Blend peanut butter, almond extract and butter in large bowl; stir in powdered sugar. Add cereal; mix well, crushing cereal slightly.
3. Press peanut butter mixture evenly into prepared pan with rubber spatula. Sprinkle top with chopped peanuts; press gently. Chill. 
4. To serve, remove from pan by lifting foil; remove foil and cut into 1 inch squares