Tinted Sugar

I wanted colored sugar sprinkles for the sugar cookies last night.  However, I didn't want to spend the money on them, nor did I have time to go to the store.  I remembered seeing somewhere that you could color sugar with food coloring.  I looked up on the internet to make sure I did it right.  I found these instructions.  Very easy to do!

1. Place the granulated sugar that you need for your recipe into a Ziploc plastic bag.

2. Add a drop or 2 of dye to the bag. Let the color drip on the inside of the bag instead of directly onto the sugar. If using a thick-concentrated coloring, put some dye on a toothpick and wipe it onto the inside of the bag

3. Close the Ziploc bag. Shake and massage the bag with your fingers until the color is evenly distributed throughout the sugar and all the clumps are removed.

4. Add more color if the color isn't dark enough or add more sugar if it is too dark.

Super Soft Sour Cream Sugar Cookies, Buttercream Frosting & Sugar Gem Frosting

I made this recipe yesterday my church's youth group last night.  I found this on sisterscafe.blogspot.com.  Another recipe site that I love!  Everyone seemed to like them and they definitely were very soft!  I didn't make the buttercream frosting, but I used the sugar gem's icing from their site.

I did not put in the almond extract in the cookies because well....I didn't have any.  They tasted fine without it, but I think adding the almond favoring would make them more yummy!  Also, I found out if you want white icing and you want to use vanilla flavoring...don't use the brown vanilla extract....find the clear kind!  I wanted white icing, but it turned out light brown. So I added some food coloring to make it orange and that worked nicely!

Super Soft Sour Cream Sugar Cookies:

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
4 cups flour

Cream together softened butter with sugar, sour cream and eggs.  Add vanilla, almond extract, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.  Slowly add flour, 1 cup at a time. Dough should be sticky.  Refrigerate one hour.  Knead dough on floured board.  Roll out and cut with cookie cutters.  Bake for 9 to 12 minutes at 350.  Frost with Buttercream Frosting.


Buttercream Frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups butter


Sugar Gem Frosting
2-2 ½ cups powdered sugar
½ cup oil
2 tsp flavoring (almond, vanilla etc.)-sister's cafe prefers 1 tsp of almond
3-4 Tbsp milk
Coloring if wanted

Mix well and add a little more milk or powdered sugar to get the right consistency.

Mexican Casserole

 I found this recipe on sisterscafe.blogspot.com.

 

1 lb. ground turkey or lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped

1 packet Taco Seasoning mix (1/4 cup)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8-10 corn tortillas (12 oz package)
3-4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Haas avocado, sliced
sour cream

fresh cilantro

 

Brown meat with diced onion over medium heat. Add chili powder, black beans, tomatoes, and cream of mushroom soup. Stir to combine and warm through. In 9x13 inch pan, place a small amount of meat mixture on bottom (so tortillas won't stick). Place a layer of corn tortillas down, then a layer of the meat mixture, and sprinkle on a little cheese. Repeat with another layer of corn tortillas, a layer of meat mixture... and top with remaining shredded cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve topped with sliced avocado, sour cream, and fresh cilantro.

Pumpkin Zucchini Bread

From allrecipes.com again!

3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts (personally I'd leave this out, but we're not a nut in our bread kind of family)

In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Add pumpkin, butter and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir in zucchini and nuts. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until breads test done. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack.

Fluffy Pancakes

This recipe came from allrecipes.com.  I already have a homemade pancake recipe, but from the reviews this sounds way yummy!

3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
cooking spray

1. Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

*Recommendations from the reviews:

-The pancakes will start to "foam up" after you stir them. Resist the urge to stir them again. All those bubbles is what makes them so fluffy. The batter will be very thick and difficult to pour at this point. Also, as others have said, this does not serve 8. In my house, it serves 4.

-I forgot to add the butter, and they were better than ever. Lighter, taller, fluffier! Soaked up the syrup and kept its texture!

-let the milk "sour" a bit longer added a teaspoon of vanilla and sugar

-Do not overmix these and let them sit for a 1/2 hour after mixing before frying

-Add 1 1/2 cups blueberries.

-if you exchange the milk for buttermilk they are really thick and need to be watered down

-add mashed bananas to the recipe but it didn't take awy from the flavor

Taco Seasoning

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com.  I love that website, you can find just about anything that you are looking for and reviews are awesome b/c they usually tell you about tweaks to make the dishes even yummier! or know which recipes to avoid!

Anyways, I used this season our taco meat a couple of nights ago and it was yummy!  I loved it was ingredients that I already had and minus all the sodium from the mixes in the store.

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt (I left this out b/c I didn't have any. and we didn't even miss it!)

1 teaspoon black pepper

In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.

I also add some flour to the mixture before adding it to the meat and I added some water to the meat when I was cooking, to make the meat a little saucey.

Mexican Rice & Bean Burritos

This recipe is from allrecipes.com.  Sounds yummy and better than buying those packages from the store that are loaded with sodium and other things.  I hope its yummy and that my kids will eat it.  Okay, I hope I can at least think its yummy.....

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.

Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

*Some recommendations/comments in the reviews section (that's why I love allrecipes!)

-Tried it as written, just with the cumin, and it was not nearly as good as it was when I did it a second time using Taco Seasoning I (from allrecipes.com site). I just sprinkled in what looked like enough, about 1-1/2 tsp.

-Cook onions before browning rice, so onions are more soft and not crunchy (which is very yucky in my opininon!)

-Don't worry about puffing the rice, just brown it.

-Use fresh garlic instead! saute with onions...before adding rice

-Use a rice cooker instead.  Saute the onions, minced garlic and cumin in a skillet, then throw it into the rice cooker along with the 1 c. rice, 1-1/2 c. chicken broth and all the other ingredients, omitting the garlic salt.

-Use sea salt (to taste) instead of garlic salt and added 2-3 cloves of garlic (crushed) - (In my family 1 clove might be enough)

-Didn't have any tomato sauce so I used a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with the juice. I still used the same amount of water and it worked out perfectly

-Omit the salt and just used fresh minced garlic instead and add some green onions along with the regular onions, also use olive oil instead.

-Add 2 TBLS of picante sauce to bring out the mexican flavor a little better and cut that garlic salt by half.

-Omit the tomato sauce and add "Rotel" in its place.

-Use tomato paste mixed with water when don't have any tomato sauce on hand.

-add just a pinch of saffron at the end for another wonderful layer of flavor

Bean Burritos

I was referred to the Mexican Rice from hip2save.com because she puts that rice in her burritos.  The basic recipe for the burritos is cooked black beans, shredded cheese and the rice rolled in a burrito/taco shells.  Then she wraps them up in foil and freezes them.  Then when you want to eat them just take of the foil and pop them into the microwave.  Great for a quick lunch or dinner!

Cinnamon Bun Pancakes

I found this recipe on www.howdoesshe.com.  Here's the direct link.  They sounds sooo yummy!  Too bad we've already had pancakes for dinner this week.


Dry Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp Cinnamon (or more if you’re a cinnamon freak)

In a medium bowl, combine these dry ingredients together. When these dry ingredients are mixed nicely, then you can mix together these remaining ingredients in a SEPARATE bowl.

Wet ingredients:
2 eggs (whole) beaten
1 Cup of milk (or a little more if your batter isn’t runny enough for you)
2 Tbsp Corn Syrup (I only had regular table syrup on hand – worked fine)
1/4 Cup butter or margarine, melted
1 Tbsp vanilla

Beat together these wet ingredients, then add them to the dry. Mix well.  Drop the batter by about 1/3 cup fulls onto the pre-heated/greased griddle and cook until the tiny bubbles JUST start appearing on top, then flip over. These only take a couple of minutes to cook.  This recipe makes about 10-12 medium sized pancakes.

Serve warm with syrup – and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll serve it up with this delicious Maple Icing Syrup that you are about to make RIGHT NOW!


Maple Icing Syrup

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cups butter – melted
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/4 cup milk (more if you want it a little runnier)

Combine all of these ingredients and pour over your cinnamon bun pancakes.

1 hour Rolls

I got this recipe from PheMOMenon.blogspot.com.  Here is the direct link to this recipe.  I made this last night and they were a hit!  It was the first time I used my new KitchenAid Mixer for mixing!  I love it!


1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into measuring cup, then leveled off


In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes.

To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups of the flour - on low speed with the paddle attachment incorporate the flour to create a wet, sticky mixture. Still on low speed, add 1 cup of the remaining flour and incorporate. Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining 1 cup flour. On low speed, mix the dough to incorporate the final addition of flour until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the speed to medium and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl - turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 20 -30 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently deflate into a rectangle. Cut it in half vertically, then each half vertically again into thirds so you have 6 equal strips of dough. Cut each strip of dough into fourths by cutting horizontally to make 24 little squares of dough. Take each piece of dough and cup it lightly under the palm of your hand on a clean surface. Press lightly and start rotating and rolling the dough ball quickly so that it forms a nice little ball of dough. Once you get some practice, you can do this with both hands at the same time and really speed up the process.

Place each rolled piece of dough into a lightly greased 9x13 baking pan in rows of 4 about 1/2-inch apart. Cover the rolls in the pan with a lightly greased piece of plastic wrap and let rise to double while your oven is preheating to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) - about 20 minutes. If you want an even more golden color to the rolls, brush them with a little melted butter before baking. Bake for 13-15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Serve warm and enjoy!

Chili's Salsa

I ate this salsa recipe at my sister-in-law's baby shower.  It taste just like Chili's salsa. YUM!!!  I got the recipe from her sister.  Thanks!

CHILI'S SALSA RECIPE

1/4 Cup yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. diced jalapenos
Mix together just a little in a blender

Add in blender:
1 - 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 - 14.5 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
3/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. sugar

Blend together just a little, not pureed....then stir to blend everything
together a little more before pouring into a jar. Refrigerate.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

I saw this recipe on howdoesshe.com.

2 Cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter, melted (yes, I said MELTED)

1 Cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar (granulated)

1 Tbsp Vanilla

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 1/2 Cups Milk chocolate chips

 

1. First, gather all of your bad boys together into one place.  This is partly for convenience, and partly to be sure you HAVE everything in the house that you need BEFORE you start making the dough!

 

2. Slap that butter into a microwave-safe bowl and start melting it. Okay, this went against everything I thought I knew about cookie-making. Melt the butter? Wha?!? Yes, melt that baby, melt it good!

 

3.  While that butter is melting (it’s okay, breathe, it will work out) you can start to combine your dry ingredients into another bowl. Tip: When measuring flour, take a large, heaping cup full, then  use a ruler or other straight edge to carefully skim off the top. Do NOT do the “tap tap tap down” thing as you’ll compact the flour instead of getting 1 cup of light fluffy goodness. Add to the flour the baking soda and salt. Whisk it together to combine.

 

4. Your butter should now be melted, so take it out of the microwave and be prepared to mix in the sugars. Tip: when measuring your brown sugar, you want to cram as much into that cup measurement as possible! Pretty much exactly the opposite as you did with the flour. Pack it in, baby, pack, pack, pack! Add the brown sugar and white sugar to the melted butter and beat until smooth.

5. Then add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Tip: When baking, it’s actually BETTER to use the artificial vanilla. When the real stuff get’s super heated (like, oh, 350 degrees or so) it actually loses some of it’s flavor! So feel free to be cheap here. It’s like my mantra, any way.

6. Oooh, baby, baby. Ahem.. sorry about that. I got lost in the cookie dough madness for a second. Okay, now we’re going to add the chocolate chips. PAY ATTENTION! You only want to add about HALF of the chocolate chips now. Don’t be tempted to add all of them… trust me. Put aside 1/3 – 1/2 of the chocolate chips in a small bowl and mix the rest in with the dough. You’ll thank me in a minute… Tip: Milk chocolate chips taste the BEST, but if you find the cookies a little on the sweet side, substitute half of the chips with semi-sweet. 

 

7. Don’t get all excited now that  your incredibly delicious dough is ready and waiting. Here is the rub: you need to stick that bowl of doughy goodness in your fridge for about an hour. If you bake it right now, you’ll end up with thin, frisbee-sized cookies that are not very appetizing (although, let’s be honest… anything involving chocolate is appetizing). So, stick that dough in the fridge, and walk away. Walk away before you are tempted above that which you can withstand. Oh, alright, have a little taste and THEN walk away. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll walk away now. Don’t worry, I’ll watch it for you. It’s not going anywhere. Come back in an hour.

8. Hey, you’re back! Wait… is that cookie dough on your cheek? Huh. Anyway, nab that bowl of chocolate chips that you put to the side, get out your baking sheets, and let’s start rolling! Tip: use a scoop to measure out balls which are uniform in size. This will prevent some from over-baking while others are undercooked. Okay, roll some dough to form a ball, then (ooh, you’ll love this) dip the top of the ball into the bowl of reserved chocolate chips. Then place a couple of inches apart on your baking sheet. This is what will give your cookies that “perfect” look. Stick them in a pre-heated 350 degree oven and bake for about 13 minutes. You want to remove them when the tops are just the tiniest bit shiny.

 

 *UPDATE (10/20/10) - I made this on Saturday and they were really yummy!  I did forget I had to put them in the refrigerator for an hour and I didn't have time, so made what I needed and they tasted very yummy!  Then I put the rest of the dough in the fridge and made them the next day and tasted very yummy too!  So I guess do what you need to do.  Do be careful not to overcook these cookies b/c they will get really really crunchy.  Don't worry if you do though, just pop them in the microwave for few seconds and it will make them less crunchy!  I definitely recommend these cookies!

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

This yet another recipes from ourbestbites.com.  I wonder if I could half this recipe because I'm not sure we would eat it all up before it goes bad.  Let me know if any of you try it!

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Recipe by Our Best Bites

*note that all spices/herbs listed below are dried. If substituting fresh, use the rules 1 part dry = 3 parts fresh.

1C mayo
2/3 C buttermilk
1/4 t white vinegar
1 t parsley
1/8 t dill
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1 1/2 t dried chives
1/8 t black pepper
1/4 t seasoned salt
1/8 t dry mustard

Combine mayo and buttermilk.  Whisk together until it's lump-free. Add in vinegar and all spices.  Stir, stir, stir...  For best results, make ahead of time and store in the fridge, so the dry herbs have time to let all their yummy flavors out.