Rolled Sugar Cookies

This is a recipe that my mom grew up making. She always loved to bake cookies, and still does. We use this recipe every year, it is a favorite. You can decorate the cookies prior to baking with sprinkles or colored sugar, or you can wait and use an icing on them after backing, and add sprinkles then.

ROLLED SUGAR COOKIES

Preheat oven to 35oº

Cream together:

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Measure and sift:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt,

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Add to egg mixture

Work in 1 cup of butter (softened)

Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Roll out on floured surface, and cut out cookies.

bake 10 -12 minutes.

Psalm 119:8

I will keep thy statues:

O forsake me not utterly.

Ham, Cheese, Pineapple Cups

This is a recipe that is easy to make. We made this one afternoon for my dad to take out to work for his crew.

Before baking....

...and after.

Ham, Cheese, Pineapple Cups

1 can of Pillsbury Grand biscuits

1 cup diced ham

3/4 cup diced provolone cheese

1 small can pineapple tidbits

pineapple Honey Mustard

(from Hickory Farms)

TO MAKE:

Divide biscuits up to make 12 circles.

Shape circles into greased muffin tin.

Put in the pineapple honey mustard sauce in the center.

Add ham, cheese, and pineapple.

Bake at 350º for 16-18 minutes

Psalm 119:7

I will praise thee with uprightness of heart,

when I shall have learned thy righteous judments

Banana Split Twinkie Cake

My mom had been wanting to make a cake using Twinkies. She had seen recipes for various kinds of cakes using them. Twinkies are not something that she usually buys. But when she saw them on sale last week for $2 a box, she decided it was time to try out a new dessert. We decided to make our own recipe, using what we had on hand.

Twinkies...
One layer of cut in half twinkies,
topped with a thin layer of Cool Whip,
then a layer of fresh sliced Strawberries,
a layer of drained crushed pineapple,
a layer of sliced bananas,
a layer of vanilla pudding on top,
and then another layer of twinkies.

We topped it with another thin layer of Cool Whip,
chocolate sprinkles,
and 3 cherries.

It was put in the refrigerator to chill.
It was a hit at our house!

My dad's crew will be enjoying this dessert

in a couple weeks!!

Banana Split Twinkie Cake

2 boxes of Twinkies (cut in half lenghtwise)

1 large box of vanilla pudding mixed with 2 cups of milk

1 large can of Crushed Pineapple (drained)

8-10 fresh strawberries (sliced)

3 large bananas (sliced)

1 12oz COOL WHIP

Chocolate Sprinkles

Maraschino Cherries

Layer ingredients in a 9x13 pan

refrigerate overnight

serve

store in refrigerator

Psalm 119:6

Then shall I not be ashamed,

when I have respect unto all thy commandments.

Jello Popcorn

I made my first batch of JELLO POPCORN today.

My mom has made it for years.

We are going to be making a lot of it in the next few months

for my brother's lawn service customers.

He has quite a few of them...LOL

My brother Bear's popcorn bowl...

I used WATERMELON JELLO.
It didn't turn out as red as I wanted,
but it tastes great!



JELLO POPCORN

10 cups of popcorn popped,
with unpopped kernels removed.

Keep popcorn warm in the oven on a
Large greased cookie sheet (or 2)
At 300º.




Jello coating


1 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup of sugar
1 3 oz package Jello (your choice)
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup



Melt butter/margarine in 2qt saucepan.
Add sugar, Jello, water and corn syrup.
Cook over medium heat until boiling,
and candy thermometer reads 255º.
Stirring constantly.

Remove from heat, and pour over warm popcorn.
Toss to coat evenly.
Bake 5 minutes.
Toss again.
Bake 5 more minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes,
then break up and store in air tight container.




Psalm 119:5
O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

Aimée's Italian Chicken Bake

My mom and I recently went to a PRINCESS HOUSE party. Mom has several pieces of FANTASIA Crystal that we use and enjoy. We added the 3 qt covered casserole dish to her collection. She also added one to my collection along with a square baking dish, and a loaf pan. :) I know I will enjoy these! (I already enjoy mom's)

Here is a recipe we tweaked to our liking here.

Aimée's Italian Chicken Bake

1 16oz box corkscrew pasta

1 16oz bag frozen broccoli

2 14oz cans Italian Seasoned Chicken Broth

2 10.75 oz cans Broccoli soup

2 12 oz cans white chicken (or use 2 cups cooked chicken cubed)

1/2 TBS Mrs. Dash

1/2 TBS Garlic powder

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

1. Cook pasta in a 3qt pot. Add broccoli after 4 minutes.

2. Drain and return pasta and broccoli to pot.

3. Add chicken, chicken broth, broccoli soup, Mrs. Dash, garlic powder.

4. Mix and heat together on low heat.

5. Transfer to 3 qt casserole dish.

6. Top with Parmesan cheese

7. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Psalm 119:4

Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.

What's in the Bowl

To answer Marie, :) The food in the bowl was a quick dessert that my mom came up with after Bear talked her into buying Cinnamon Roll Toaster Strudels. He thought Todd and I liked those, but we do not. Mom suggest that I do a version of a quick dessert we sometimes make.

Here is what I did:

I used one entire box of Cinnamon roll Toaster Strudels, a can of apple pie filling, and an 8x8 glass baking dish.

I first put the Toaster Strudels in the toaster and toasted them. :)

Second, I put the apple pie filling in the baking dish and warmed it in the microwave for 2 1/2 minutes or until warmed.

Third, I cut the toaster strudels into small bite sized pieces.

Fouth, I put those pieces on top of the warmed apple pie filling. And warmed them together for about 1 minute.

Fifth, I drizzled the toaster strudel icing on top of the warmed apple topped with the pieces of toaster strudel.

Some of us had it with Ice Cream, some did not. :)

It was very good. Todd and I were thankful that we had found a way to make those Cinnamon Roll Toaster Strudels tasty! If mom should buy these again, I plan to try this with Cherry Pie Filling.

Psalm 119:3
They also do no iniquity:
they walk in his ways

Simple Southern Snack

I am a SOUTHERN GIRL. I was born and have been raised my entire life in the South. One of the snacks I really enjoy this time of the year, is also known as the OFFICIAL SNACK FOOD OF SOUTH CAROLINA. It is BOILED PEANUTS!

A finished pot full of boiled peanuts.
Aren't these beautiful?

My mom and I, and sometimes my dad, but never my brothers,

love boiled peanuts.

SOUTHERN BOILED PEANUTS

You need:

PRESSURE COOKER

GREEN PEANUTS

(we used a little more than 4lbs of peanuts

in a 6qt pressure cooker)

1 cup of salt

enough water to cover the peanuts.

Let the peanuts soak for 30 to 45 minutes in the salt water.

Then turn the stove on HIGH.

Wait to hear the noise of the pressure cooker.

Reduce the heat to medium.

Cook for 30 minutes.

Wait for the pot to release the handle.

Grab your mom, and EAT!

We are very happy Publix has green peanuts in their produce section right now.

Psalm 119:2

Blessed are they that keep his testimonies,

and that seek him with the whole heart.

Picnic Cupcakes

Today, my mom asked me to make up this cupcake recipe she found from TASTE OF HOME.

I liked how these didn't need the icing, because the filling gave them that little extra sweetness.
They were quite simple to make.

Doesn't that look really good?

My brothers are always ready for their part of my cooking and baking.

TASTE TESTING

They both really liked them.

They are very moist, and would travel nicely to any picnic.

I will be making these this fall to take to school!

PICNIC CUPCAKES

(from Taste of Home)

Ingredients

1 package ( 18-1/4 ounces) chocolate or yellow cake mix

Filling

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocholate chips

(I used Ghirardelli Chips)

Directions

Mix cake according to package directions.

Spoon bater into 24 greased of

paper-lined muffin cups, filled two-thirds full.

In a bowl, beat cream cheese, egg and sugar until smooth.

Fold in the chips.

Drop by teaspoonfuls into batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

or until a toothpick inserted in the cupcake comes out clean

Yield: 4 servings.

Psalm 119:1

Blessed are the undefiled in the way,

who walk in the law of the LORD.

My favorite Fast Cookie Recipe

CAKE MIX COOKIES

1 package cake mix (your choice)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Add 1-2 cups of your choice of:
chocolate chips
raisins
raspberry chips
cinnamon chips
butterscotch chips
peanut butter chips
mint chips
heath bits
coconut
nuts
whatever.....

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Beat the butter and vanilla, adding the eggs;
add in the cake mix.

Mix together until smooth.

Stir in chips, raisins or nuts.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto
an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until the edges are set.

Cool 1 minutes; remove to wire rack.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Why The Flaming Mitt??

We do a lot of baking here. For years we have baked brownies and cookies for our trashmen. It was during one of those baking times that I became affectionately known to my family as "THE FLAMING MITT".

I was baking cookies alone in the kitchen. My mother came in and asked me what was burning. I told her I didn't burn the cookies. But she just looked at me. In my hand was an oven mitt. My mother noticed the mitt had smoke coming from it. I was still insisting I had not burned the cookies. She asked me to open the mitt. It had a little flame going, and a hole burnt through it. I didn't burn the cookies, but I had burnt the mitt. My mother decided that when I had pulled a pan of cookies out, I must have grabbed the element in the bottom of the oven, which caught my mitt on fire. That was the reason she smelled something burning from her bedroom.

I did not BURN the cookies! :) My mother saved the mitt. I think there might be more than 1 burned mitt at our house..........