Cute and Festive Thanksgiving Cookies

One of my coworkers made the cutest little dessert turkeys for our Thanksgiving potluck:

We oohed and aaahed when she brought them in, and then all crowded around to snap pictures with our phones. We were all thinking the same thing - 'One day I'm going to make these'.

She was kind enough to give us the instructions. Starting from the bottom up, here's what you need:

feet - flower-shaped butter cookie
body - mini Reeses peanut butter cup
tail feathers - striped shortbread cookie
beak - candy corn
eyes - pre-made sugar eyes (she got them at a baking store, although I'm sure you could improvise with frosting)

glue the whole thing together with melted chocolate chips

Thanks to Brianna for sharing this with us!

Fun With Cupcakes

When we volunteered to make cupcakes for a Halloween party, we were really venturing into the unknown. To keep with the harvest festivity, we decided to transform pumpkin chocolate chip and carrot cakes with plain cream cheese frosting into cupcakes. Here's what we learned.

- a recipe that makes a 9x13 cake makes about 30 cupcakes
- bake cupcakes for about 20-25 minutes (they're smaller so they cook faster)
- fill each cupcake about 2/3 full, or about 1/4 cup of batter per cupcake
- allow cupcakes to completely cool before frosting
- leaving cupcakes open to the air so the tops aren't too moist makes them easier to frost
- frosting for a 9x13 cake will frost all 30 cupcakes
- use about 1 tablespoon of frosting per cupcake
- while frosting, spread as little as possible for the most beautiful effect
- frosted cupcakes can be stored uncovered for about a day with no ill effects. After that they're still moist but it's harder to get the wrapper off. After more than about 28 hours ... well we can't tell you, we gave most of them away and have eaten the rest.

Grilled Sandwiches

Combining grilled cheese and a basic sandwich

bread
butter
cheese
lunchmeat
condiments and vegetables

Heat griddle or flat pan over medium. Butter one side of each slice of bread (use 2 slices per sandwich). When pan is hot, place bread (butter side down) on pan and place cheese on half the bread. When cheese begins to melt, heat meat on griddle and add to sandwich on top of cheese. When bread is toasted as desired, move sandwiches to plates, leaving open faced. Add condiments and vegetables on empty side of bread. Close sandwiches, cut, and serve.

This recipe is totally customizable. I like ham and cheddar on wheat bread with mustard, lettuce, pickles, and tomatoes. Aaron likes his without the vegetables (maybe a few pickles on the side). Zeke likes his cold so he can disassemble it to eat it. :)

Chicken Broccoli Pesto

2 chicken breasts
1 lb broccoli
1 package egg noodles
1 clove garlic
pesto sauce

Start heating water for pasta. Wash broccoli and cut into small florets. Mince garlic, and chop chicken. Add pasta to water when water boils and cook, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, heat garlic with olive oil in a skillet, and add chicken. Cook chicken stir fry style, over medium high heat and stirring frequently. When chicken is no longer pink, add broccoli and 2 tablespoons of pesto sauce and toss to combine. Cover chicken-broccoli mixture and let steam until broccoli is crisp-tender. If liquid in skillet cooks away, add some pasta water. When pasta is cooked, drain and return to pot. Toss with 3-4 tablespoons of pesto sauce, and combine with broccoli mixture. Serve sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Guacamole

1 ripe avocado
about 1 tbsp finely diced onion
1/2 tomato
lime (or lemon) juice
garlic salt

Peel and chop avocado. Dice tomato and add to avocado with onion. Mix with a fork, mashing avocados as you mix. Add a few drops of lime juice. Season with garlic salt to taste, and let stand for at least a few minutes to blend the flavors. Serve with chips or on other Mexican food.

Twice-Baked Potatoes

Thanks to Carrie for the inspiration that encouraged me to make my own version.

potatoes
olive oil
shredded cheddar cheese
thinly sliced green onions
butter

Scrub potatoes and prick with a fork. Rub a small amount of olive oil into the skins and place potatoes on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 °F for 45 minutes, then turn each potato over. Bake until done (soft when squeezed), probably about 20 minutes more. Remove from oven.

When cool enough to handle, slice potatoes in half lengthwise using a sharp knife. Cut around the edge of the potato, leaving a border and without cutting through the bottom skin. Use a spoon to scoop out the potato, leaving a border along the bottom. Place potato skin shells back on the baking sheet. Mix potato with cheese, butter, and onions using a fork. When well combined, spoon potato mixture back into shells and return to oven for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.


**Mix-ins are variable (and probably limitless) - it's all about adding toppings to taste. Using a fork to mix the potatoes keeps the baked potato texture, while a spoon tends to mash the potatoes more. For mashed potato filling, use a potato masher or electric mixer.

Now That's A Good Recipe

I made the dough for Sour Cream Sugar Cookies last night and lost track of how much flour I had added. I thought it looked right, and Aaron agreed, so we called it good. When I cut and baked them this morning, I realized that the flour wasn't right when they spread a lot instead of just puffing up. I was bummed because I was baking a set of green shamrock-shaped cookies for a work party, and after the Valentines cookies I made last month were just amazing, I was looking forward to wowing my coworkers. (Maybe it's a lesson in humility?) However, while taste-test quality controlling the flour-deficient cookies, I discovered that they were almost as good as if I had made them correctly. You know you have a good recipe when you can mess up big time and still have a tasty product.

Softening Butter

Pretty much every cookie recipe I use calls for 'room temperature' or 'softened' butter. And even if I happen to be planning to bake in advance I rarely remember to get the butter out in time to self-soften.

I have discovered that 10 seconds on high in the microwave is enough to soften butter to a cream-able consistency. It's really great if the butter comes wrapped in paper (not foil) - fridge to microwave to mixing bowl, all in under a minute.

Buttermilk Cookies

Another of Aaron's grandma's recipes (and Aaron's favorite cookie)

1/2 c butter
1 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3/4 c buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 c flour

Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla, egg, and buttermilk and mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Dough will be sticky. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned.

These cookies store well in the freezer between layers of wax paper and taste good frozen as well.

Parmesan Panko Chicken

This one was Aaron's idea. It's basically a chicken parmesan minus the tomato-based sauce.

4 chicken breasts
1 c panko or breadcrumbs
1/2 c parmesan cheese
1-2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
shredded mozzerella cheese

Combine panko, parmesan, and Italian seasoning on a plate. Beat eggs with milk on another plate or in a shallow bowl wide enough to hold a piece of chicken. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture then into panko mixture, pressing panko into chicken. Place in a 9x13 pan sprayed with cooking spray and bake at 400 °F for 20 minutes. Top with mozzerella and bake about 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Aaron's grandma's classic recipe. Brings back so many good memories for all of the grandkids.

1 c sugar
1 c butter
2 eggs
1/2 c sour cream*
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 c flour

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir thoroughly. Add soda and baking powder and mix well. Add flour about 2/3 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Add more flour if dough is still sticky. Roll out dough on a floured surface and cut out cookies. If dough is hard to work with, put in in the refrigerator for a while. Place cookies on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 °F for 10-12 minutes until puffed, set, and just starting to brown around the edges.

Makes 2-3 dozen.

*Or substitute 1/2 c whipping cream for the sour cream and add about 1 additional cup flour

** If you want colored cookies, add food coloring to the batter after mixing the liquid ingredients.

Crazy Cake

This recipe came from both sides of the family - the only difference is Grandma Loertscher used cloves in hers.

3 c flour
2 c sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/3 c cocoa
1/2 tsp cloves
3/4 c oil
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tsp vanilla
2 c cold water

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients until well mixed. Make a round impression in the middle and add liquid ingredients. Whisk together until batter is smooth and has small bubbles. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 375 °F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with very small crumbs attached.

Note: use a hand whisk for this recipe (not an electric mixer). The bubbles make this light and airy, and mixing it by hand makes the best bubbles.

Beef, Tomato, and Macaroni Soup

Loertscher re-creation of the Dairy Keen's classic - fondly known simply as 'Dairy Keen soup'

1 can tomato juice (12 oz)
1 can V8 juice (12 oz) - we use the spicy hot flavor
1/3 lb hamburger
worcestershire sauce
tabasco
penné pasta
parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Brown hamburger and combine with vegetable juices in medium pot. Add worcestershire sauce and tabasco to taste. Heat soup until hot.
Place pasta in bowls, spoon soup over the top, and top with cheese.

Serves 2-3.

Chicken Noodle Soup

a classic

4 chicken breasts or thighs
chicken bullion (enough for 6 cups broth)
egg noodles (8 oz or 4 large handfuls)
1 medium carrot
3 stalks celery

Place chicken in soup pot and add 8 cups water. Turn heat to high. While water is heating, chop carrots and celery and add to pot. Stir occasionally. When water boils, reduce heat but keep at a low boil. Add noodles. Chicken should be cooked through at this point; remove from pot and let cool slightly. Add bullion and stir until dissolved. Chop chicken into bite size pieces and return to soup. Cook until noodles are nearly done, then turn off heat and let cool to a comfortable eating temperature.

Serves 4 generously.

Italian Chicken

From the Loertscher family

chicken breasts or thighs
bottled Italian dressing

Place chicken (frozen or thawed) in a dish or zippered bag. Add enough dressing to coat chicken. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, tossing or turning occasionally. Grill or pan fry until chicken is cooked through.

Scalloped Potatoes

Sources? Just google 'scalloped potatoes' ... I read a bunch of recipes online and then came up with this one.

8 cups extra-thinly sliced potatoes
1/4 c onion
5 tbsp butter
2 c milk
1/2 c flour
dash nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 c grated cheese

Chop onion and sauté in butter until onion is softened and translucent. Whisk flour into milk and add to onion and butter. Reduce heat to simmer. Whisk in spices and cook until thickened. Add cheese and cook until melted, stirring often. Turn off heat, add potatoes, and toss until potatoes are coated with sauce. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13 pan, pushing top layer of potatoes down into sauce. Bake at 370 °F for 30-40 minutes, until browned on top.

Butter Cookies

Taken from Everyday Food (link includes more ways to use this recipe)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 1/4 c flour

Cream butter and sugar and add vanilla. Add egg and beat well. Mix in flour until just combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Roll out and cut with cookie cutters or drop by spoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet. (We used mini cookie cutters.) Thinner cookies will be crisp and thicker cookies will be soft when baked. Bake at 350 °F for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned.