Sugar Cookies (and frosting)

2 cups sugar 

1 cup shortening 

1 cup sour cream 

3 eggs 

1/2 teaspoon almond extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla 

5 cups flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream sugar and shortning. Add sour cream, eggs, and almond/vanilla. Mix well.In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt.Add to creamed mixture until well blended. Remember, the more you mix, the tougher your dough will be.Chill for a few hours (at least 3-4). The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.Roll out (I use a floured pastry cloth), and cut with a cookie cutter. Flour cutter between each cookie to prevent sticking.Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cookies shouldn't be brown, just done to the touch.

 FROSTING- See ingredients below.
2 lbs. powdered sugar

1 cup shortening

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon almond extract.
Just mix ingredients until smooth.

*My mother-in-law found this really awesome recipe for sugar cookies and frosting. I had a hard time not eating them! Also, we've found if you double the cookie recipe, you do not have to double the frosting recipe. It makes just enough.

Bourbon Chicken

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking time: 15 min

Ingredients:
1 c. butter, softened
1 TBSP. garlic (1 clove)
1 small onion, diced
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 c. Bourbon (your personal preference)
1 c. water
salt and pepper to taste
2 TBSP. cornstarch
 

Sauce:
1. In a small sauce pan, melt butter and stir butter until a light simmer. Dice onion, and garlic. Place in pan and cook until soft and transulcent.

2. Mix together soy sauce, and water. Add to butter mixture. Let simmer about 2 min. Add bourbon and bring to a boil for about 2 min. (If there's still a strong alcohol taste on tongue, boil longer, or light on fire in an open area away from face and small children.)

3. After bourbon has been boiled out, season to taste with any seasoning of choice. Feel free to get creative with it. When it's to your liking, add cornstarch, let boil until it starts to thicken and turn down heat.

Chicken:
1. Place chicken in a hot skillet, add half of the sauce on top while cooking. Cover and let sit on low heat until rice or potatoes are done.

2. Serve chicken over rice or potatoes.

This is a recipe from my good friend, Ariel. I haven't tried it myself, but I'm sure it's amazing.

Sweet and Sour Pork

2 Tablespoons corn oil 

2 Tablespoons ketchup

1 lb boneless pork in 1-in cubes

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 can pineapple chunks

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup Karo corn syrup

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup vinegar

1/2 cup green pepper

Heat corn oil in skillet and brown pork. Add next 6 ingredients. Bring to boil. Simmer 10 mins or until done. Mix cornstarch and 2 Tablespoons water, add to pork with green pepper. Boil 2 min. Stir constant. Serve over rice.

5 Meat Habanero Chili

4 slices hickory-smoked bacon

3/4 pound ground beef

1 pound bulk pork sausage

3/4 pound cubed beef stew meat

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 stalk celery, chopped

1/2 habanero pepper, seeded and minced, or to taste

1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

3 (14.5 ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with juice

1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 ounce) can butter beans, rinsed and drained

salt and pepper to taste

3/4 cup sour cream (optional)

 

Place the bacon in a large pot, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. In the same pot, stir in the ground beef, sausage, and beef stew meat. Cook and stir until the ground meat is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and set meat aside in a bowl. Discard any excess grease.

Reduce heat to medium, then stir the onion, garlic, celery, habanero pepper, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper into the same large pot; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and cumin, then add the beef and sausage mixture, bacon, and chicken. Stir in the diced tomatoes, cannellini beans, pinto beans, and butter beans. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

*I absolutely love this chili, but I exclude the habanero peppers.

Braised Pork with Vegetables

1 lb pork boneless shoulder cut into 3/4 in pieces

1 med onion, chopped

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, chopped 

3 carrots cut into strips

1 cup water

1 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup water

1 pkg (10 oz) frozen brussels sprouts

8 oz thin spaghetti

2 Tablespoons margarine or butter

Parmesan cheese

Cook and stir pork in oil in 10 inch skillet over med heat until brown. Drain on paper towel. Cook and stir onion and garlic in same skillet until onion is tender. Stir in pork, carrots, 1 cup water, the bouillon, salt, basil, thyme and pepper. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer 45 mins. Add 1/2 c water and the Brussels sprouts. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until Brussels sprouts are tender, 10-15 mins. Cook spaghetti. Stir in margarine and cheese. Serve pork and veggies over spaghetti.

One of my very favorite family meals. My family has been making it for as long as I can remember.

"White" Enchiladas

1 family pack of chicken breasts
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 large onion
1 large tub of sour cream
2 family size cream of chicken soup
1 jar of cumin (about half the jar)
1 large package of flour tortillas
4 packages cream cheese (8 oz each)
1 lb shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 cans of mild green chilies (tiny cans)


Cook chicken all the way through. About 15 minutes before chicken's done, saute onions and cilantro (chopped & minced) with it and add cumin & 1 can of green chilies. Cook thoroughly. While you're waiting for chicken to cook: Mix in a large bowl sour cream, cream of chicken soup, 2 cans green chilies.
Once chicken is cooked, shred it and mix with all 4 packages of cream cheese.
Warm tortillas up in microwave. In a large baking dish (13x9) put a layer of soup mixture on bottom. Fill the tortillas with chicken mixture, as desired. Roll tortillas closed and place seam side down in pan. Repeat until you run out of ingredients.
Once pan is filled, place another layer of soup mixture on top of enchiladas and cover with cheese. Cook at 400 deg for about an hour. Just enough to melt the cheese.


*This makes a lot! It's a large recipe because of my family size. You can cut it down to suit your family's needs.


From Monica McAllister via Kira McAllister

Dairyland Casserole

8 oz noodles (egg noodles)
1 1/2 lb ground beef
2 cups tomato sauce
1/3 cup onion, chopped
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
3 Tablespoons melted butter

Cook noodles until tender. Drain and set aside. Brown beef. Add tomato sauce and chopped onion. Combine cheeses and sour cream in a different bowl. Butter large casserole pan. Pour in half of noodles. Add cheeses/sour cream mixture and cover with remaining noodles. Cover with meat mixture. Drizzle melted butter over top, optional. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.

The Vance Sisters - My brother's girlfriend, Mara, and her 3 sisters, and her mom gave us this recipe and the one right before it. I LOVED this casserole! Sooo yummy!

Yorkshire Pudding

A delicious breakfast dish

Delicious as a side dish when accompanying a meat dish, or even better as a breakfast favorite when lemon juice, powdered sugar and your favorite jam are added on top of the oven pancake after baking.

2 cups flour

2 cups milk

8 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients, and pour into a hot pan in which 1 stick of butter has melted. Bake at 400 deg for 20-25 minutes.

The Vance Sisters 

Recipe Exchange

I recently had a recipe exchange at my house with a few friends and family. It was a lot of fun and I received some very good recipes and am trying to get them up as fast as I can. I hope you enjoy them!

Bowtie Salad

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 box bowtie pasta (I used tri-colored rotini)
2-3 pieces of celery
1 cup grapes (cut in half)
1 cup strawberries (if in season)
1 cup pineapple (fresh if in season, or canned) - I didn't care for this in the salad
1 can mandarin oranges

Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and cook; season if you so desire. Cook noodles as directed; drain and set in large bowl. Cut up the rest of the ingredients and mix with the noodles and the chicken. Chill in refrigerator.
*I used Zesty Italian Dressing on this and it was fantastic!

English Muffin Bread

Cornmeal
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 packages active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups milk
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Grease two 8x4x2 inch loaf pans. Lightly sprinkle pans with cornmeal to coat bottoms and sides; set pans aside.
In a large bowl combine 3 cups of the flour, the yeast, and baking soda; set aside. In a medium saucepan heat and stir milk, the water, sugar and salt just until warm. Using a wooden spoon, stir milk mixture into remaining flour.
Divide dough in half. Place dough in prepared pans. Sprinkle tops with additional cornmeal. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double (about 45 minutes).
Bake in a 400 deg oven about 25 minutes or until golden. Immediately remove bread from pans. Cool on wire racks.

My mom got this from a recipe book (not sure which one)

White Bean Stew

1 lb white beans (I used lima beans) Soak overnight in crock pot. In the morning, pour off the water and replace with 4 cups new water. Turn to high and cook 4 hours or until tender. Add 1/2 teaspoon of each dried thyme and rosemary.
1 onion, sliced (not diced)
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
Saute onion and carrots in 3 Tablespoons olive oil until they begin to brown. Salt and pepper and add 1 cup water and simmer, covered, until the carrots are nearly tender.
6 cloves garlic
Brush garlic with olive oil and bake at 250 deg 30 minutes or until tender.
Add sauteed vegetables to crock pot. Squish out the centers of the garlic cloves and add to crock pot.
4 sprigs of parsley. Cut up and add to stew at the end. Heat on high 30 minutes to blend flavors.

Karen Baughman

Green Pesto

1 bunch Italian parsley (or spinach, basil or combination)
1 cup raw almonds
Juice from 2 large lemons
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup olive oil
(can be thinned with 1/2 cucumber, diced)
Process parsley, almonds, lemon juice and garlic in food processor. Scrape the sides of the bowl and process again until well blended. Add olive oil and salt and process until smooth. If you want a lighter pesto, add cucumber to thin.

Can be used as a dip for chips or raw vegetables, or as a spread on wraps. Very good for you and very satisfying!

Karen Baughman

Meal In A Dish

1 lb hamburger
1 clove garlic or 1 Tablespoon minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 onion, chopped
1 can tomato paste
2 cans tomato sauce
1 beaten egg
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese
2 cups cottage cheese
1 package frozen spinach
1/4 teaspoon sweet basil
Lasagna noodles

Saute 1 lb hamburger with garlic, salt and onion; drain. Add 1 can tomato paste, 2 cans tomato sauce, oregano & basil. Mix: cottage cheese, egg, and spinach (cooked & drained). Cook noodles. Layer in buttered casserole lasagna, cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese and sauce. Bake at 350 deg for 30 minutes. Top with Parmesan cheese. Heat until cheese is melted.

From Grandma Perry

Cherry Delight

2 cans cherry pie filling
1 box yellow cake mix
2 sticks margarine
Coconut or chopped nuts

Place cherries in bottom of pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over cherries. Cut butter in thin slices. Cover the top of dry cake mix with butter. Spread coconut or nuts over cake and bake in oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serve with Cool Whip or ice cream.
*You can use any kind of pie filling.

From my Grandma Perry

Chicken Enchiladas

2 packages flour tortillas
4 cups sour cream (2 pints)
6 cups cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup green chives, finely chopped
4 cans cream of chicken soup
1 Tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
6 cups cooked chicken (boneless, skinless chicken breast works best)
1 can olives, chopped

Combine soup, sour cream, chili powder, cheese and chives. In separate bowl, combine chicken and olives. Add 3 to 4 cups sauce to to chicken. Wrap chicken mixture in tortillas and place in well greased pan. Spread remaining sauce over rolled tortillas. Sprinkle with leftover cheese. Bake covered at 375 deg until cheese is melted (about 20 minutes); avoid over cooking.

From my mom via Jodee Harding (Best chicken enchilada recipe ever!)

Fried Rice

5 cups cooked rice
Oil
Dash of salt
2 Tablespoons Soy sauce
Oyster sauce (optional)
2 eggs
Dash of sugar
2-3 scallions

Steam rice hours in advance and chill well (best if chilled overnight). Stir-fry rice in oil in hot wok. Add more oil if necessary. Sprinkle with salt and add soy to color rice. Pour beaten eggs in wok center and stir-fry quickly, then stir into the rice. Add a touch of sugar and oyster sauce, if desired. If you would like to, add chopped barbecue pork/shrimp, etc. At the very end, stir in chopped scallions, if desired.

From my Grandma Perry.

Peachy Keene Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 (15 oz) can sliced peaches drained and chopped well

Mix all dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Add remaining wet ingredients and stir until blended (may appear thick). Fold in chopped peaches. Spray 12 paper baking liners very lightly with cooking spray (this helps liners release easily from any baked muffin) and fill 3/4 full. Mix 1/4 Tablespoon cinnamon and 3/4 Tablespoon white granulated sugar and sprinkle muffin tops lightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Best enjoyed warm! (Tastes like peach cobbler in a muffin -- mmmmmmm!)

My mom got this from the Daily Herald. It's from the Savvy Shopper.

Tater Tot Casserole

1 lb ground beef browned and drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small tub of sour cream
1 bag frozen tater tots
1 can french cut green beans

Mix together all ingredients except the tater tots, place the creamy mixture in a 9x11 casserole dish. Top with one layer of tater tots. Bake until tater tots are browned at temperature posted on the bag of tater tots.

This is a recipe from our friends Brandon & LaRena and it is a fantastic, yummy dish! Super easy too! 

I've been trying to add more fruit to our family's diet.

This is how!

It was all gone fast!

E'Clair Dessert

Crust:
1 cube butter
1 cup water
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Melt butter and add to water; bring to a boil. Add flour. Cool for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each egg. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. *Note to self: if doubling the recipe, use 2 cookie sheets :D
Filling:
1 8 oz package cream cheese
2 small packages instant vanilla pudding
3 cups milk
Cool Whip
Chocolate topping
Cream the cream cheese. Add pudding and milk and beat until thickened. Spread pudding over cooled pastry crust, then spread a layer of cool whip on top. Drizzle with chocolate topping.

Sooooooo yummy! My younger brother-in-law made it with my supervision. We doubled the recipe, because it did not sound like it would be enough, and put it into 1 cookie sheet...lesson learned. Follow the recipe when it comes to quantity, lol. It was ok, though. It didn't overflow, just looked like an ocean, haha. I definitely recommend it!

 Half of what was left disappeared by the time I put it away for the night.

Definitely a success!

Chinese-Style Pork Stir-Fry

1 Tablespoon oil
1 lb boneless pork chops, in strips (or bite-size pieces)
2 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables
1/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Heat oil in large nonstick wok or skillet on med-high heat. Add meat and cook thoroughly; add stir-fry vegetables and cook 5 minutes or until veggies are heated through. Serve over hot cooked spaghetti or instant rice.

This is a family favorite from Kraftfoods.com

Hearty Mixed Bean Stew with Sausage

 I got this recipe from the Campbell's Slow Cooker Recipes cookbook. Super yummy!

3/4 lb sweet Italian pork sausage, casing removed
10 cups Swanson Chicken Broth (I used Shirley J's chicken bouillon with water)
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 medium carrots, chopped (about 2/3 cup)
1 stalk celery, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
4 oz dried pinto beans (about 3/4 cup)
4 oz dried navy beans* (about 3/4 cup)
4 oz dried kidney beans (about 3/4 cup)
6 sun-dried tomatoes** in oil, drained and thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)

1. Cook the sausage in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it's well browned, stirring frequently to separate meat. Pour off fat.
2. Stir the sausage, broth, black pepper, carrots, celery and beans in a 5-quart slow cooker.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours.
4. Stir in the tomatoes. Cover and cook for 1 hour or until the beans are tender.

*I used black beans since I didn't have navy beans and it was just as good. It just made the meat look black :D

**For this I used diced tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano and it just tasted sooo good!

 

This is Harley's version. 

He decided it needed to have his bread and chocolate milk in it :D

Lasagna

1 lb ground beef
2 medium cans tomato paste
2 T parsley
1/2 t basil
1 t oregano
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2-1 t garlic (my family likes a little more)
1 pkg Italian sausage
1 T brown sugar
Cottage, Mozzarella & Parmesan Cheeses
1 pkg lasagna noodles

Cook noodles according to package. Cook ground beef and Italian sausage together with a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Add tomato paste and 2 cans of water (or as much as you'd like to make it as thin or thick of a sauce as you want); mix well. Add the spices. In a 9x13 glass pan layer sauce, noodles and cheeses. Top layer is sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted enough.

Note: If you don't like Italian sausage, this dish tastes just as good without it.

Toffee Torte

This is a recipe from my Grandma Forciea and a woman named Marge Mork. This has been a favorite in my family for as long as I can remember. Many battles have been fought over this dessert. For the last several years, I have even asked my mother to make it for my birthday instead of a regular birthday cake.

1 stick butter
1 cup flour
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1 cup Cool Whip
1 cup powdered sugar
3 cups milk
3 heath bars
2 lg pkgs intstant chocolate pudding
1 banana
1 lg container of Cool Whip

Blend flour and butter, pat in 9x12 pan. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and cool whip; spread over crust. Blend pudding and milk together until it thickens. Pour over cream cheese. Slice bananas and place on top. Spread 1 lg container of Cool Whip over bananas. Chop heath bars and sprinkle on top. REFRIGERATE. Enjoy!

Finally

I have finally decided to do as my wise mother-in-law suggested and create a blog with all my recipes in it until I am satisfied enough to make a hard copy. So, in the next few days, I will post all the recipes I have gathered so far. I will say, a good portion of these have been collected from various cookbooks and other blogs. I am not taking credit for creating any of them, merely posting a collection of the ones I like. Please, if you have a recipe that you or your family just love, send it to my email dhopper7707@yahoo.com. Thanks!