Chocloate Chip Cookies.

I know everyone has their own chocolate chip recipe, but if you need one that is always successful and perfect, here it is. I make these probably 1-2 times every week. I think I will make some right now! :)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 egg
1 c. softened butter (no substitutes and not melted)
chocolate chips
1/2 c. oatmeal (optional)

Mix everything all together and bake for about 10 minutes at 365 degrees.

Sweet and Sour meatballs

Sweet and Sour meatballs

Sauce
1 can 20 ounce pineapple chunks
½ cup water
3 T. vinegar
1 T. soysauce
3 T. cornstarch
½ C. packed brown sugar

Drain pineapple juice & add water to measure 1 cup. Pour in skillet add 1/3 cup water, vinegar, soy sauce and brown sugar. Stir until smooth over medium heat and thick. Mix with meatballs, pineapple, green peppers (sautéed) and serve over rice.

Meatballs
1 egg
1.2 C breadcrumbs
1 t. salt
½ C. milk
1 t. sugar
¼ t ginger, nutmeg and allspice
1 ½ pounds hamburger
Onion

Mix eggs with milk then bread crumbs, salt, sugar and spices. Then add hamburger & onion. Place in baking pan and bake at 350 for 20 – 30 mins (pull out and check the middle one at 20 mins. Because they are dry if you over bake them)

Chicken Nachos

Put all ingredients in a sauce pan, heat, and serve over tortilla chips....

2 boiled chicken breasts - chopped finely into pieces
1/4 - 1/2 package chicken taco seasoning
1 can pinto beans - drained (or black beans)
grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c. salsa

My kids loved this. I kind of made this one up - it was so easy. You could also put all ingredients in a tortilla or taco shell for tacos.

Strawberry Yogurt Cake

Strawberry Yogurt Cake

1 Box White Cake Mix
12 oz vanilla yogurt
¼ c. sour cream
4-6 oz cool whip
16 oz strawberry yogurt
Fresh strawberries sliced

Prepare cake mix as directed on box using egg white recipe for less fat.
Mix well then add sour cream and yogurt and mix well for 3 minutes.
Cook in cake pan 13x9 for approx. 38 minutes. Just watch when cake starts to pull away from sides and middle is done.
Mix together cool whip and strawberry yogurt to your taste and pour over cooled cake. Place in fridge. It is better tasting after yogurt topping has seeped in a bit and set up. Place sliced strawberries on top.

Croissant French Toast

French Toast:
6 eggs
8 croissants - split
2 T. butter or margarine

In a shallow bowl, beat eggs. Dip both sides of croissants in egg mixture. On a griddle, brown croissants on both sides in butter. Top with the following vanilla and berry sauces.

Vanilla Sauce:
1 T. flour
4 egg yolks
1 T. vanilla
2 cups whipping cream
½ cup sugar
2 scoops vanilla ice cream

In a bowl, combine flour, egg yolks and vanilla; set aside. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the whipping cream and sugar to a boil; remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot cream in to egg yolk mixture; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in ice cream until melted. Set aside. (If making small batch of French toast – 4 croissants or less, you may want to half this recipe).

Berry Sauce:
2 cups unsweetened raspberries
2 T. sugar
For berry sauce, combine raspberries and sugar in a saucepan. Simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside. (If using frozen unsweetened raspberries, cook longer than 2-3 minutes.

This is so heavenly good.

Chewy Sesame Bread

2 C Warm Water
1 T Sugar
2 tsp. Salt
1 T Dry Yeast
4 C Flour

Mix well with a wooden spoon (I mix it in my mixer) Beat into a dough. Cover and let raise until double. Spread into a greased cookie sheet or 9x13 pan. It doesn't need to fill the pan. Melt 1/2 cup butter and spread over the top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Let raise 10 min in pan and then bake at 375 for 30 min. Cut into desired size. Good with soups, lasagna etc. This is one of my favorites...It's so easy to make. I usually half the recipe for my little family. (If not I eat the whole pan myself.)

Cheese Ball

Cheese Ball

2 8oz pkgs of cream cheese

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp dry parsley

3/4 tsp Bon Apetite (in the spice isle, but sometimes hard to find)

3 stalks green onions chopped

Mix all the ingredients, form into a ball, and roll in nuts or parsley.  Keep chilled and serve with crackers.  This is a hit everywhere we take it!

Bread Sticks

Bread Sticks

1 1/2 cups of warm water

3 cups flour

1 Tbsp yeast

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sugar

Mix all together and knead until smooth and elastic (I just mix it well in my mixer-I don't ever actually knead it).  Let rise for 10 minutes in the bowl.  Melt 1 cube of butter and pour in edged cookie sheet.  Roll dough out in a rectangle about the same size as the cookie sheet.  Cut in 1" x 4" strips using a pizza cutter.  Roll in the butter, and then place back on the cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with garlic salt, parmesan, and parsley flakes.  Let rise for 15-20 more minutes on the pan and then bake at 350 deg for about 20 minutes.  Until the edges are just starting to turn golden brown.  

Easiest Ever Sugar Cookies.

I love that you can just throw everything in all together and voila! Then I just toll into balls, because flouring my countertop and using cookie cutters is just too much work for us busy women! Great when recipe is doubled too. Just roll some extra balls and freeze for a rainy day!

2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 t. cream of tartar
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. butter (softened)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together, roll into balls and bake at 375 for 8 minutes.

Chocolate Covered Short Bread Cookies

Chocolate Covered Short Bread Cookies

4 cups flour
1 lb. butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
1 bag Wilton Candy Melts or similar melting chocolate (we like "light cocoa" flavor)... I used chocolate chips because I didn't have these and they worked.

Cream the butter and sugar, then add flour and mix well. Roll out on a lightly floured
surface and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
(Start checking after about 20 minutes. You want them to be just barely browning
around the edges.) Yields about 3 dozen cookies, depending on size of your cookie cutter.

Allow cookies to cool. Melt chocolate according to package directions. Dip half of each cookie in chocolate and place on wax paper to cool. When you start running low on chocolate, use a spoon to pour chocolate over cookies. Use the back of the spoon to smooth chocolate around until well-covered.

recipe found on little birdie secrets blog