Sugar Cookies

I don't remember a single Christmas without eating sugar cookies. We always make my Aunt Hattie's sugar cookies, but this year I decided to branch out a little bit and try another recipe. It's almost the exact same as Aunt Hattie's recipe, but it has sour cream instead of sour milk, butter instead of shortening, and one extra egg. These additions made the cookies much softer, and I love them! I'm not a crunchy sugar cookie person, and these were the perfect softness. I scaled these down so they don't make quite so many cookies (I still got about 4 dozen small to medium cookies out of the batch). I hope you enjoy them (and family, please don't throw things at me! I know it's not the same recipe, but it's really close. And you love me, remember?)

Sugar Cookies
1/2 c. sour cream
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
2. Combine sour cream, butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Chill dough in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
3. Roll out dough on well floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut dough into shapes. Place on cookie sheet.
4. Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes and move to cooling racks to cool completely. Frost with your favorite icing and crushed candy canes, if desired. Store covered for up to 1 week. They stay really soft even after a couple days. Enjoy!

Rice Crispy Treats

So I know that everyone has a recipe for rice crispy treats, and it's always pretty simple: butter, marshmallows, rice crispies. But these are much, much better. I promise. They're originally supposed to be made with Special K cereal, but I always use rice crispies instead. Enjoy!

Rice Crispy Treats

2 Tb. corn syrup
1 cube butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
24 marshmallows
6 cups rice crispies
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

1. Combine corn syrup, butter, sugars, and vanilla in large saucepan. Cook until well blended. Add marshmallows and cook until melted.
2. Pour mixture over rice crispies and walnuts, if desired. Pour into buttered 9 x 13 pan and cool for at least 2 hours. Cut into squares.

Rocky Road Fudge

This is a family recipe. I can't remember a single Christmas without eating this fudge. It is absolutely delicious. You don't have to add the nuts, but it definitely adds a lot of flavor and texture.

See's Fudge

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cube butter
1 can ( 5 1/3 oz) evaporated milk
2 cups sugar
10 large marshmallows, cut in half
1 cup mini marshmallows (optional)

1. Into large bowl put walnuts, chocolate chips, vanilla, and butter.
2. In large saucepan combine evaporated milk, sugar, and marshmallows. Boil for 5 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly.
3. Pour over chocolate and nuts mixture. Stir until melted and well mixed. If making rocky road fudge, cool 5 - 10 minutes and stir in mini marshmallows.
4. Pour into 8 or 9 inch square pan, lined with foil and sprayed with butter flavored cooking spray. Chill at least 4 minutes or over night. Cut into small squares to serve.

Pumpkin Bars

Ok, friends. I've been holding out on you. I made these for my holiday party last weekend and they were my very favorite thing that I made. How favorite? Well...let's just say that I like them so much that I didn't put them all out...or send leftovers home. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do!

Praline-Pumpkin Dessert
(from Betty Crocker)

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
3/4 cup butter, melted
fresh, sweetened whipped cream

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of 9 x 13 pan.
2. Beat pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice in medium bowl with shisk until smooth. Pour into pan.
3. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle with pecans. Pour melted butter evenly over top of dessert.
4. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool slightly. Cut into bars and serve warm with whipped cream. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Scotcheroos

These are a classic in Corey's family, they always have them at Christmas time. I made them for our holiday party this year and they were a hit! Who wouldn't like peanut butter, butterscotch, and chocolate?

Chocolate Scotcheroos
1 c sugar
1 c light corn syrup

1 c peanut butter

6 c rice krispies

1 c chocolate chips

1 c butterscotch chips

1. Combine sugar and syrup in saucepan and cook to boiling.
2. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and stir until well blended.
3. Add rice krispies. Spread in 9x13 pan. Melt both chips together in small saucepan over low heat. Spread over the top of rice krispy mixture and cool. Cut into small squares and serve.

Thai Chicken Soup

I love Asian food, especially southeast Asian (things like Thai and Vietnamese). There just seems to be a near perfect balance of sweet, sour, spicy and savory in most of the dishes. All with a wide variety of flavors and textures. It's just amazing stuff. This recipe is one of my favorites, it's a coconut based Thai soup that I've adapted from an America's Test Kitchen recipe.

Thai Chicken Soup:
serves 4

Ingredients-
1 tsp. vegetable oil
3 stalks lemon grass, tough outer leaves removed, bottom 5 inches halved lengthwise and sliced thin crosswise (other than at the Asian market, the only places I've found fresh lemon grass around here is at the Sunflower Market and some Whole Foods stores)
3 large shallots, chopped
8 sprigs fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
3 TB fish sauce (look in the Asian section of the supermarket)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 (14oz) cans coconut milk, well-shaken (you can substitute light coconut milk if you want it lower fat)
1 TB sugar
1/2 lb white mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts , halved lengthwise and sliced on bias into 1/8-inch-thick pieces
3 TB fresh lime juice from 2 to 3 limes
2 tsp. red curry paste (Thai)
Garnish
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 serrano chiles, sliced thin
2 scallions , sliced thin
1 lime, cut into wedges
Thai basil (optional)

Directions-
1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat, adding lemon grass, shallots, cilantro, and 1 TB fish sauce when it's just starting to shimmer. Cook, stirring frequently until just barely softened (2 to 5 minutes). Don't let the vegetables brown!
2. Stir in chicken broth and 1 can coconut milk; bring to simmer over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until flavors have blended (10 minutes).
3. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer and discard solids in strainer. Rinse saucepan and return broth mixture to pan (I think this step is fairly optional, it will look prettier if you do it, but sometimes I don't)
4. Return pan to medium-high heat. Stir remaining can coconut milk and sugar into broth mixture and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium, add mushrooms, and cook until just tender (2 to 3 minutes).
5. Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until no longer pink (1 to 3 minutes). Remove soup from heat.
6. Combine lime juice, curry paste, and remaining 2 tablespoons fish sauce in small bowl; stir into soup.
7. Ladle soup into bowls, serve with garnishes of cilantro, chiles, scallions, lime and Thai basil (I serve them on the side and let people garnish for themselves, it's easier, more fun and more authentic).

If you want it to be more substantial then serve it over cooked noodles (I just use Ramen without any flavouring) or jasmine rice (about 3 cups worth).

Molasses Cookies

This is a great holiday recipe. These are some of my father-in-law's famous cookies and we always love it when he makes them. They're pretty much homemade ginger snaps, only way, way better than anything you could buy at the store. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Molasses Cookies
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg (optional, I leave it out because I can't stand the taste, but if you like nutmeg feel free to add it)
additional granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream together shortening, butter, and sugar. Add molasses and egg. Slowly add dry ingredients.
3. Roll dough into small balls. Roll in sugar. Place on greased baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 7 - 8 minutes. Cool 2 minutes and move to cooling racks. Serve warm with milk!