Sunday, May 29, 2011

Daisy Sprinkle Cookies

These cookies were for a 6th Birthday Party. It was a garden themed party. Full of flowers and very pink! The birthday girl wanted bright, fun, and colorful. I think these fit the criteria!
I packaged them in cellophane bags tied with a sunny and bright yellow ribbon! They were a hit!

Friday, May 27, 2011

7th Birthday Purse Cookies


Cute cookies for a 7th Birthday party! Not posting recipe. . .I'm selling these babies!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Sausage Biscuits and Gravy


Baking Powder Biscuits

7 Tbsp Cold Butter

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder

1 cup milk

Additional flour for rolling out and kneading

Heavy cream for brushing on top

1.
Mix together flour, salt, and baking powder.


2.
Cut in butter until crumbly


3.
Slowly add in milk. (Mixture will be sticky.)


4.
Turn onto a HEAVILY floured surface and knead until dough is no longer sticky.


5.
Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness and cut with a 3" round cookie cutter. (I use the top of a children's cup to cut biscuits.)


6.
Place on baking sheet, and brush with heavy cream before baking.

7.
Bake at 450 for about 10 minutes.



Sausage Gravy

1/2 lb ground pork sausage
1/3 cup flour
4 cups milk
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp butter
Salt to taste

1. In a medium sized skillet, brown sausage until completely cooked.

2. To sausage, add flour and stir until it's paste like.

3. Slowly stir in milk.

4. Add in pepper and cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

5. Once gravy has thickened, add in a pat of butter for a silky texture and rich taste.

6. Add salt to taste.

7. Serve over baking powder biscuits.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Perfect Fried Eggs. . .(If You're Cooking for Dave.)

As I've mentioned in MANY of my posts before, I am not a breakfast person. But as you know, I am a breakfast-for-dinner person. Which is what this is. We had a GREAT dinner! Eggs, fresh berries, homemade biscuits, and homemade sausage gravy. Dave and Justin were in heaven! I am a fan of biscuits and gravy, could do without the eggs.

I don't know what it is about a fried egg that makes me just say, "eh. .. it's an egg." But that is my reaction to fried eggs. Toss an omelet my way, full of veggies and cheese, and you'll get a far different reaction. Even scarambled eggs, love em! But a fried egg? It's so plain. I guess, for all you egg lovers out there. That's the beauty of it. A simple, perfectly cooked, egg.

I will say this, according to Dave, these fried eggs were absolutely perfect. Yolk was just runny enough, and whites were cooked just enough. I will admit it. Eggs were not always my thing. It took me years to be able to fry an egg the way he likes it. I usually over cooked them. Then, when I was trying so desperately to get the runny yolk he loves so much, I undercooked them. He complained many times about "snotty egg whites." Yuck! If that wasn't enough to make me never want a fried egg again! But I kept with it.

Now I'm not going to do this post in recipe format, instead I'm going to give you a few pointers and tips that helped me along the way.

1. Get the griddle good and hot. I mean piping hot.

2. Don't skimp on the butter. For crying out loud, it's a fried egg!

3. Only flip the egg 1 time. None of this back and forth business. Cook it on one side until the whites look done on the edges, and give it a good flip.

4. Don't forget the salt and pepper. Without it, your eggs, well, just an egg. But with it. . .delicious!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Vanilla Almond Sugar Crinkles


Vanilla Almond Sugar Crinkles

1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 3/4 cup flour
Additional sugar for rolling cookies in

1. Cream together shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add eggs in one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Continue to beat until fluffy and lemony color.

4. Add in extracts and salt.

5. Sift together powder and flour.

6. Roll into 1" balls and roll in sugar.

7. Bake at 350 for about 11 minutes.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Cheddar Chicken Tetrazzini

This was dinner in a pinch. Happened to have all ingredients on hand, and needed dinner. Now if you know me at all, you'll know that I rarely use "cream of" soups. They TOTALLY gross me out. I usually make my own sauces. But like I said, in a pinch, and keep them on hand for nights like this.

It's a very tasty dinner. Quick, easy, and nice to prepare one for now and one for later. Always love having a frozen meal on hand. It comes in handy! This recipe is from a Southern Living at Home magazine. I don't subscibe anymore, but still have several from when I did. Always good recipes!

Cheddar Chicken Tetrazzini


1 package vermicelli or spaghetti noodles, cooked
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of celery soup
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Mix together chicken, soups, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

2. Toss noodles with chicken broth.

3. Mix together noodles with chicken and soup mixture.

4. Divide evenly among 2 baking dishes.

5. Top each dish with 1 cup of cheese.

6. Bake one of the dishes at 350 for about 35 minutes.

7. Freeze the other dish.

NOTE:
To cook frozen Tetrazzini just thaw overnight in the fridge, and bake as directed! Use within 1 month for best results.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Quick and Easy Baked Ziti

Quick and Easy Baked Ziti

1 jar of Spaghetti Sauce
1/2 lb of hamburger, browned
1/4 lb of sausage, browned and drained
3 cups mozzarella cheese
1 box (12oz) ziti, cooked as directed

1. Mix together sauce, hamburger, and suasage.

2. In a large baking dish spoon 1/4 cup of sauce onto bottom of dish.

3. Top with 1/2 the noodles.

4. Add 1/2 the sauce.

5. Sprinkle with 1/2 the cheese.

6. Repeat layers.

7. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until cheese is melted and gooey.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Parmesan Crusted Baked Tilapia


Parmesan Crusted Baked Tilapia

3/4 cup bread crumbs
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp Lawry's Garlic Salt
1/4 tsp pepper
5 tilapia fillets
2 Tbsp butter, melted

1. Mix together the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic salt, and pepper.

2. Line a baking pan with foil, and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

3. Coat tilapia in the crumb mixture and set on foil lined pan.

4. Spoon leftover crumb mixture over each fillet.

5. Drizzle a little bit of butter over each fillet.

6. Bake at 425 for about 16 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.