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.

Sausage Fondue

This is a traditional Christmas day brunch dish for the Loertscher family.

8 Slices of bread (or 8 hot dog buns)
2 3/4 cups milk
2 cups grated cheese
1/4 tsp dry mustard
4 eggs
1 1/2 lbs link sausage
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Cube bread. Cut links into thirds, brown, and drain. Place bread in greased baking pan. Top with cheese and sausage. Beat eggs with 2 1/4 cups milk and mustard. Pour over bread and sausage (can be refrigerated overnight at this step). Dilute soup with 1/2 cup of milk and pour into pan. Bake at 300 °F for 1 1/2 hours or until set.

Carrot Tops

Grandma Helen Averett

¾ c butter
1 c cooked mashed carrots
¾ c white corn syrup
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp grated orange rind
6 oz chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg, syrup, and carrots and mix well. Add dry ingredients, mixing until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop from spoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 °F for 12 minutes or until starting to brown lightly on the edges.

Makes 3-4 dozen.

Chicken Enchiladas

Another Loertscher staple!

4-6 chicken breasts (or thighs)
1 c sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
grated cheddar cheese
10 flour tortillas

Poach chicken and shred, reserving broth. Mix soup and sour cream in a bowl and add chicken and part of the cheese. Mix together, adding broth to thin until filling is easily spreadable but not watery. Warm flour tortillas in the microwave until they are easily foldable without cracking. Place a scoop of filling down the center of each tortilla (be generous!). Roll up tortilla and place in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Spread leftover chicken filling over the top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 °F until cheese is melted and enchiladas are bubbling.

Serves 5.

Spicy Potatoes

From The Four Ingredient Cookbook by Linda Coffee and Emily Cale

4 large potatoes, cut into small chunks
1 package onion soup mix
1/4 c olive oil
pepper to taste

Whisk together soup mix, oil, and pepper. Toss with potatoes to coat. Place into a 9x13 pan and bake at 375 °F for 45 minutes.

Serves 4 (with leftovers)

Ham Fried Rice

Aaron taught me how to make this Loertscher family favorite.

rice
1 green pepper
1/4 onion
1/2 lb ham
soy sauce
3-4 eggs

Cook enough rice to make 4 cups. While rice is cooking, dice pepper, onion, and ham and place in a wok or large skillet. When rice has only 5-10 minutes of cooking time remaining, cook ham and vegetables with soy sauce until vegetables soften. Move ham and vegetables to the side and add eggs one a time, breaking the yolk and stirring to cook scrambled. Mix eggs with ham, turn off the heat, and add rice. Mix together, adding soy sauce to taste.

Serves 4.

Waffle Cookies

The best quick fix for sudden cookie cravings - and a good way to win friends.

1 stick (1/2 c) butter
2/3 c sugar
3 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 c flour

Melt butter and mix in other ingredients. Bake 1 minute on a heated waffle iron. (A regular waffle iron works better than a Belgian waffle iron.)
Makes about 12 cookies.

For cinnamon waffle cookies, replace cocoa with 1 tbsp cinnamon and use 1 2/3 c flour.

Tuna Casserole

I think of college when I think of tuna casserole - probably because we ate a lot of it one semester when we weren't working!

1 can (6 oz) tuna
1 package (8 oz) egg noodles
1 can (10 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c milk
1/2 c shredded cheese

Boil water and cook egg noodles according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, open and drain the tuna and open the soup. Drain pasta and add tuna and soup to the hot (now empty) pot. Stir to combine. Add milk and half the cheese and stir until well combined. Return the hot pasta to the pot and mix to coat pasta with the sauce. Mix in the rest of the cheese.

Serves 2-3. To stretch it, add more noodles, milk, and cheese.

Whip Cream Cake (Sour Cream Cake)

Credit goes to Aaron's grandma, Helen Averett. She made birthday cakes for Aaron and his siblings when they were younger.

This is Aaron's all-time favorite dessert. It is super easy to put together and absolutely delicous.

3 eggs
1 1/3 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c whipping cream*
1/4 c cold water

Use an electric mixer to beat eggs and sugar at high speed until thick and lemon-colored. Add vanilla. Add soda, baking powder, and 1 cup of flour, mixing well. Mix together cream and water and add to batter. Stir to combine. Add the rest of the flour and combine well. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Use a rubber spatula to cut through the batter several times in each direction to release air pockets.

Bake at 375 °F for 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool, then frost with chocolate cream cheese frosting.

*Grandma used old (soured) whipping cream, but we use the fresh stuff. (I can't taste a difference.) You can also use sour cream, but it makes the cake a little less moist.

Cream Cheese Frosting

No Whip Cream Cake would be complete without chocolate cream cheese frosting. Again, credit to Helen Averett.

1/2 stick butter
1/2 bar cream cheese
1 lb powdered sugar
cocoa to taste (about 1/4 c) for chocolate frosting

Beat together until smooth. Will frost a 9x13 cake generously.
And just leave out the cocoa for a plain cream cheese frosting (especially good for carrot cake and pumpkin cake).

Mom and Dad Loertscher like to make a double recipe and use the rest to spread on graham crackers.