Cookies & Cream Cookies

I made these cookies for FHE treats the other night, and they were SO YUMMY! Especially the dough! Just use your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, and instead of chocolate chips, fold in broken up pieces of oreos. So good......got the idea from pinterest :)

Tomato Garlic & Herb Bread

I've been on a little bit of a bread kick lately.  For years I could NEVER make a decent loaf of bread, or rolls, or anything using dough!  But then a couple years ago my mom came over and SHOWED me every little step.  So now I'm getting a little daring, and have been experimenting and tweaking my recipe a little.  This is the latest........Tomato Garlic & Herb.  I had some leftover sun dried tomatoes from a pasta that I made, so I chopped them up and put them into the dough.  It was so good, especially toasted with laughing cow cheese spread on it, or on a turkey sandwich!  My little girl, Macie, ate about 1/3 of a loaf while it was warm.  While I was trying to get a picture of it she kept stealing little bites, then she stole the whole slice, haha.  That's why I added the pictures......I thought it was funny. 

When I did it, I halved my usual bread recipe, so it made 2 loaves instead of 4.  If yours makes 4, I would probably double these ingredients. 

Favorite bread recipe
1/2 cup hopped sun dried tomatoes (you can get these in the bulk bins at Winco for way cheap)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs Italian seasoning (or you could do whatever herbs you like)
1 egg (for egg washing the crust)

Make your dough, and add the the tomatoes and spices for about the last 2 or 3 minutes of kneading.  Then separate into equal pieces and shape into a ball, then flatten them just a little.  Place them on a greased cookie sheet to rise.  When they are about double, cut three slits in the top of each one, and brush them with the beaten egg.  Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes.  The crust will be dark and shiny, and the bread should sound hallow when you tap it.  Cool on wire racks. 

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

I tried this today, and it was SO YUMMY hot out of the oven!  All I did was use the whole wheat recipe that I usually do, and added the cinnamon swirl.  But just use the bread recipe you're used to making, doesn't have to be whole wheat.........

your favorite bread recipe
cinnamon
sugar

Make your dough, then when you're ready to put it into the pans, roll each loaf out into a rectangle.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Roll up and pinch the edges shut.  Then pinch the ends together and fold under (to make it look pretty).  Put it the pans and let rise like normal and bake.  My little girl LOVED this!

Easy Roast Pork & Veggies

My Mother-in-Law made this the other week and it was delicious, so I tried it the other day and mine turned out the same......so yummy and JUICY.  It only takes like 5 minutes of prep, so it's very easy.

Pork Loin/Roast (I'm sure this would work with tenderloin too, just don't cook it as long)
Grill seasoning (I use Mrs. Dash, my Mother-in-Law used McCormick, both were really good.)
Oil
Salt
Pepper
Potatoes
Any other fresh veggies you want.  I just used carrots and potatoes, because that's all I had.  But Donna also did Onions, Green Beans, and mini Peppers.  Asparagus would be really good too. 

Heat oven to 450.  Rub roast with oil, then rub with grill seasoning.  Put in glass pan or roasting pan.  In a large bowl, put a couple tablespoons of oil.  Then wash and cut up your veggies and add them to the bowl.  Salt and pepper them really well, then toss it all together.  Pour the veggies around the roast in your pan and cover with foil.  Bake at 450 for about 30 minutes, then take off the foil and let it cook for about another 10 minutes.  Check for doneness. 

*These leftovers make the BEST sandwiches.  Thinly slice the cold pork and put it on rolls with mayo and mustard and salt & pepper (& lettuce if you want).  Just like a turkey sandwich, but these are SO GOOD!

Garlic-Ranch and Veggie Pizza

I was craving Papa Murphy's Pizza like this, so I looked up a mock recipe on the Internet........pretty good! 

Garlic Ranch Pizza:

Pizza dough

1 Cup Ranch

1 Tbs Fresh minced garlic

Mozzarella cheese

Cooked shredded chicken

Veggies:  I put zucchini, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and artichokes.  I would have loved to put onions on, but my husband hates them.  Olives and peppers would be good too, just put on whatever you like. 

Preheat oven to 375.  Roll out dough and partially bake for about 15-20 minutes, until crust begins to brown.  Mix Ranch and Garlic together and spread over crust.  Add topping and bake until hot and bubbly. 

SOFT Sugar Cookies

This is the recipe I've been searching for for years!  These are SO SOFT and good and PERFECT! 

SOFT SUGAR COOKIES

1 cup sour cream
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
6 cups flour, approximately
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, vanilla, and sour cream.  Add dry ingredients, mix thoroughly (it will be sticky, don't add too much flour).  Chill in the fridge 2-3 hours.  Roll dough out, cut into shapes. (I left my dough pretty thick, at least 1/2 inch, when I rolled it out.  And try to work and roll the dough as LITTLE as possible after you chill it.)  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. (Watch them, and don't let them over cook, and they will be perfect.) Cool and frost with icing. 

Spiced Apple Cider

My Parents had HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of pounds of apples from their trees this year! So that means I have a ton of fresh-pressed apple juice! But you can use this recipe with any apple juice and it will taste great......just not as great as mine;)

You can either do a big batch of this on the stove or in a crock pot.....or you can do a mug-full at a time in the microwave.

Apple Juice
Cinnamon Sticks: One for each serving. If You're doing a big pot, put in a few. If you are doing it in a mug, just put in one.
cloves: A couple for each serving.
Orange slice(opt) One for each serving.

Heat on stove top, in the microwave, or in crock pot. If you do it the crock pot it makes your house smell wonderful! Then you can drink it hot(that's how I like mine) or chill in the fridge.

Sweet Pork (Cafe Rio)

I also use this on homemade Cafe Rio Salads. It's SO EASY, and we LOVE it! It makes a lot, so I usually freeze the leftovers in a couple ziplocks and it makes it that much faster and easier next time!

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

Pork roast
1 Cup Salsa
1 Cup Brown Sugar

Cook in crockpot all day, and shred meat when it gets tender. Leave in for a little while longer so all the pork gets saturated with the sauce. This also makes good burritos.