Sugar Cookies & Raisin Filled Cookies

I haven't tried this recipe yet, but I need to give back the recipe card so I thought I would post it here and hopefully try it out this weekend.

Sugar Cookies
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup soft margarine
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
3-1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
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Cream sugar, margarine, egg, sour cream and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Roll out about 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick. Cut out in desired shapes. Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes.

Use these cookies to make raisin filled cookies.

Raisin Filling
2 cups raisins
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts
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Boil the raisins in the water until the water is almost gone. Then add the remaining ingredients. Boil until blended and thickened. Allow to cool before putting on dough.

To make cookies, roll out cookie dough, and cut out in circles. Place 1 tsp. raisin mix on cookie slice and top with another cookie. Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes.

*I was informed that these cookies really puff up while baking so don't roll them too thick. Also, they need to be refrigerated if you don't eat up quickly or they will go bad. If you try this recipe before I do, leave a comment and let me know how it is. If I don't bake them this weekend, I won't get a chance until mid August because we plan to stay busy! I'll add a picture when I make
them.

*The gal who gave me the recipes says she doesn't add the sugar to the raisin filling because the raisins make it pretty sweet.

Chocolate Pudding

We think this dish is best served warm topped with whipped cream and sprinkles.

Chocolate Pudding
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
3 Tbs. corn starch
1/4 tsp. salt
2-1/4 cups milk
2 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
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Stir the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt together in saucepan. Then gradually stir in the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Continue to stir and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Blend in butter and vanilla.

This is how we do pizza

When I don't feel like cooking (or don't have the time) I use one of the old reliable out of the food section: Frozen pizza. I love pizza! And yet, there is always a problem...there isn't enough sauce. Everything else is fine, but I can never have enough sauce. So last week I fixed the problem.

You start with this:

Then add some of your favorite pizza toppings. Make sure you have a can of sauce! Our favorites our mushrooms, peppers, olives, pepperoni, Canadian Bacon, more cheese (sorry forgot to put that in the picture, use your imagination), and my personal favorite, pineapple.

Then you just make a pizza on top of your pizza! I start with sauce and cheese and then just pile things on.

I always have to make 2 pizza's; one with pineapple and one without. 

We have done this several times now, but always have the same two problems. The pizza is soggy and doesn't seem to cook all the way through. So we have decided that next time we do this we will cook the pizza according to package directions and then add all our extras and cook for another 5 - 10 minutes. I did try letting one pizza thaw while I cooked the first one, but I only have one pizza pan and when I went to put the thawed pizza on, it folded in half and I lost the toppings.

Choco-Peanute Butter-Brickle Cookies

I bought a new cookbook at a book fair last week. It's called "Eagle Brand: Simple 1-2-3". The first recipe in the book is kind of a everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of recipe. They are pretty good and they are the fluffiest cookie I've ever made.

Choco-Peanut Butter-Brickle Cookies

1 (14-oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

2 eggs

1 teaspon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup toffee bits

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat sweetend condensed milk, peanut butter, eggs and vanilla until well blended.

2. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to peanut butter mixture; beat until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and toffee bits. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets.

3. Bake 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly on a baking sheets; remove to wire racks to cool.

Make 3 dozen cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 12 minutes

P.S. - the dough is very good!

Ham 'n' Cheese Pasta

Velveeta isn't my favorite, but since I tend to be a more picky eater than others I can see how normal people would enjoy this dish so I thought I would share it.

Ham 'n' Cheese Pasta8 oz. uncooked pasta shells
1 lb. process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs. ketchup
1 Tbs. horseradish
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 pkg. (8 oz.) frozen peas, thawed
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Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe bowl, combine cheese and milk. Cover and microwave on high for 2 minutes; stir. Heat 1-2 minutes longer or until smooth, stirring twice. Stir in ketchup and horseradish until blended.
Drain pasta and place in a bowl. Stir in the ham, peas and cheese sauce. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.

Impossible Cheeseburger Pie

I was cleaning out cupboards the other day trying to get ready for our upcoming yard sale (I'm am still not so ready!). I have tons and tons (and tons and tons) of cookbooks so I've been going through them trying to decide which ones I can part with. Seriously, I don't know why I keep buying cook books; I have my favorite and I stick with them. I've had some cook books since we married 8 years ago and I still haven't used them.

Anyways, back to my story. I found this recipe on an index card that I haven't seen for years. I was just going to throw it away, but decided to try it one more time. We forgot how much we enjoyed it. It was so good, so good that it is blog worthy. I added a few things and I am going include them here, but feel free to make it according to your taste.

Impossible Cheeseburger Pie
1 lb. ground beef
1 can tomato soup
onion
mushrooms
peppers
olives
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup Bisquick mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs
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Brown meat & onion. Stir in salt. Spread in pie plate with tomato soup, mushrooms, peppers and olives. Sprinkle with cheese. Stir remaining ingredients until blended. Pour into pie plate. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes.

Calzone

Here's another family favorite!


Calzone
Bread Dough
Cheese
Pepperoni
Canadian Bacon
Sausage
Peppers
Mushrooms
Pineapple
Additional pizza toppings
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Make bread dough according to the recipe located HERE. When bread has risen to double it's size, punch down and split into balls about 2-3 inches in diameter and roll out into 8-inch rounds. Divide felling equally on dough rounds. Fold in half and pinch edges together. Place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes. Serve with marinara or pizza sauce.

When I make these I like to make a full patch of bread dough and split it in half. I make two loaves of bread and then use the remaining dough to make Calzones. It makes about a dozen. Go nuts with the toppings. I love to pile pineapple and peppers and cheese on mine.

My mom makes it a quicker way. She buys the Rhodes frozen bread loaves. Let them thaw and rise. Then you roll the dough out flat and build the calzone. Then on each side cut the edges in about an inch and do about an inch long in strips. Then you braid the edges together to wrap it all together. After it has cooked and cooled, just slice it into slices. It is definitely the quicker way, but I like to make the individual ones. I think they aren't quite as messy.

Colorful Rice Cripsy Squares

Here is something to try different next time you make rice crispy squares.

Colorful Rice Crispy Squares
1 sack marshmallows
1 cube butter
6 cups Fruity Pebbles Cereal
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Melt butter and marshmallows. Remove from heat and mix in the Fruity Pebbles Cereal. Spread into a well greased pan.

Sweet & Tangy Sauce

Sometimes I find it hard to be married to a man who LOVES steak. He wants it all the time, and I just don't seem to care for it. But every now and then I get on board and eat it with him. When I do, I make this sauce to go with it.

Sweet & Tangy Sauce
1 can tomato soup
1 Tbs. packed brown sugar
2 Tbs. vinegar
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
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In a pan combine the first four ingredients. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve over pork chops or steak with mashed potatoes or rice.

Chocolate Mug Cake

A few nights ago instead of making Hot Fudge Cake I thought I'd try this instead.

Chocolate Mug Cake
1 Coffee Mug
4 Tbs. sugar
1 egg
3 Tbs. oil
Small splash of vanilla
4 Tbs. flour
2 Tbs. baking cocoa
3 Tbs. milk
3 Tbs. chocolate chips (opt.)
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Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla, and mix well. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool and tip onto a plate if desired.

Yes, it did raise and just a little little spilled over, but it was pretty good. It really made enough that we could just share one.