Soft Sugar Cookies

2 c. sugar
1 c. butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 c. sour cream
6 c. flour, plus more for rolling
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

With a mixer, cream together the sugar and butter (if you forgot to take the butter out, no worries, just microwave for 10-20 seconds and beat with mixer until softened). Add the eggs, vanilla and sour cream until well combined. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients and slowly add until well mixed. Divide dough into 2 balls, wrap in plastic wrap in a disc shape and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight for best results. Once chilled, remove from fridge and let rest at room temp for a few minutes. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick and cut into desired shapes. I usually get around 50 cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes until edges turn golden brown. Remove and let cool. Frost and decorate as desired.

Recipe from Keri Fiddler

Poppyseed Chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
10-14 oz. canned chicken, shredded
1/3 - 1/2 pkg. Ritz crackers, crumbled
poppy seeds
pepper
2-3 TBSP. butter, melted
In an 8 in. square casserole pan, thoroughly combine the soup and sour cream. Stir in chicken until well mixed. Cover top with Ritz crackers and sprinkle with poppy seeds and pepper. Drizzle with butter. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes (until good and bubbly).
Serve with rice or French bread.
You should add a salad or a veggie side since there is not much in the way of nutritional value in this dinner. Obviously you could cook your own chicken, make your own cream soup, but that would require more time and more dishes.

Roasted Veggies

*4 potatoes (red, russet, whatever you've got)
*1 c. baby carrots
*6-10 cloves garlic, peeled
*1/3 large purple onion, cut in wedges
*2-4 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil
*1-2 TBSP. Kosher salt
*1 tsp. pepper
*1 tsp. paprika
*1 TBSP rosemary, chopped

Preheat oven to 400. Wash potatoes and cut into quarters. On a foil-lined baking sheet, toss potatoes, carrots, garlic, and onion in oil to coat. Toss spices in to coat.
Bake 40-50 minutes until veggies are tender. I usually toss the veggies around on the baking sheet about halfway through cooking to make sure everything is good and oiled down.

Whole Wheat Rolls

2 C Warm Water
1 T yeast
1/2 C Sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 C oil or melted butter
4-5 1/4 C Whole Wheat Flour

Mix water, yeast, and sugar. Let proof 5 minutes. Add salt, oil, and half of flour. Mix until elastic. Then add remaining flour. Mix well. No rise necessary. Shape into rolls and place on a well greased dish or cookie sheet. Bake 375 for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 16 rolls.

**If I let it mix for at least 10 minutes they are better. And if I have time to let them rise they are fluffier.

Whole Wheat Bread

Follow the times exactly--I have tried to shorten mixing or rise times--or let rise longer and it doesn’t work.

4 C Warm Water
2 T Yeast (we use SAF)
3/4 C Honey
Let sit 10 minutes

Then add
8 cups Whole Wheat Flour (our favorite is Hard White Wheat) as it is mixing I add 2-3 more cups of flour for a total of 10-11 cups.
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1 T salt
4 T Vital Wheat Gluten

Mix in a heavy duty mixer for 10 minutes.

Put in large oiled bowl (we use a tupperware thatsabowl and coat sides with Olive oil) Place lid on top--don't seal. Let raise for 40 minutes.

Take out divide into 3-4 loaves (we make 4) roll (with rolling pin) on oiled surface into rectangle. If you are adding stuff in-- place on top of rectangle (we commonly do cinnamon and sugar, cinnamon chips, wheat germ, raisins). Roll (with hands) into a loaf shape. Place in greased bread pans. Cut 3 slits on top (not too deep), let raise 40 mins. Put in 400 degree oven for 5 minutes, turn heat down to 325 and cook for 40 more minutes.

Good Luck--my husband had to walk me through a couple times--but it has turned out perfect every time since and it is by far our favorite. It is soft and not crumbly. I haven't bought bread since using this recipe. It slices thin enough for the kid's lunches. Most of the time I make 2 normal loaves, 2 cinnamon sugar loaves. We use the cinnamon sugar bread as breakfast bread--if it lasts until the next morning. It usually takes a good 3 hours from start to finish.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

2 cups whole wheat flour
3 TB sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt (opt.)
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups milk
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs

Mix until large lumps disappear, and pour on griddle on medium-high heat (400 degrees). Cook until bubbles form and edges start to dry.

Whole Wheat Bread

1/2 cup warm water
2 TB yeast (I use active dry for this recipe)
12 cups whole wheat flour (I don't measure any of the flour, other than the 7 cups at the beginning. I just add flour until the consistency is right...slightly sticky....around 13 cups.)
5 cups hot water
1 cup powdered milk (optional, but I always use it)
2/3 cup cooking oil
2/3 cup honey
2 TB salt
2 eggs (optional, but I always add it as well, and I used powdered)
I also throw in a cup of ground flax to increase the fiber content. You'll use a little less flour if you add the flax.

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water and set aside. Combine and beat 7 cups of flour, powdered milk and 5 cups hot water for ten minutes (this is a very important step to develop gluten). Add oil, honey, salt, and eggs and beat until blended. Add yeast mixture and blend. Then add 5 cups of flour. Mix by hand (I don't do this yet...the dough is still way too sticky for me at this point, so I add several cups more flour while it's still in my Kitchen Aid...once it's not too sticky to handle, I take it out to knead by hand and it usually takes 1-2 more cups of flour during hand kneading to get it to the right consistency). Let rise. Punch down and knead for about 3 minutes. Let rise again. Punch down and divide into loaves. Let rest 10 minutes and shape into loaves. Let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn heat down to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes longer. Makes 4 loaves.

TEXAS ROAD HOUSE SWEET YEAST ROLLS – Copy Cat

1 1/2 pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups milk- scalded and cooled to lukewarm
3 tablespoons of melted butter - cooled
1/2 cup sugar
2 quart all purpose flour --
2 whole eggs
2 tsp. salt

Soften yeast in warm water with a teaspoon of sugar.

Add yeast, milk, sugar and enough flour to make a medium batter. Beat thoroughly. Let stand until light and foamy.

Add melted butter, eggs and salt. Beat well. Add enough flour to form soft dough. Sprinkle small amount of flour on counter and let dough rest.

Meanwhile, clean and dry bowl; grease clean surface of bow. Knead dough until smooth and satiny. Put in greased bowl; turn over to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place until double in bulk.

Punch down. Turn out on floured board. Divide into portions for shaping; let rest 10 minutes.

Shape dough into desired forms. Place on greased baking sheets. Let rise until doubled.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes (until golden brown). Baste immediately with butter

Yield: 5 to 6 dozen (depending on the size - I made mine kind of big and got about 3 dozen)

2 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant brown rice
2 medium carrots, sliced (1 cup)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound beef top round steak, trimmed of fat and cut into thin strips
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup fresh snap pea pods, strings removed
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper


1. Heat broth to boiling in 2-quart saucepan. Stir in rice and carrots. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 6 to 8 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender; remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook beef and onion in oil about 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is brown and onion is tender. Stir in cooked rice mixture, pea pods, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
3. Cover and cook about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, just until pea pods are tender. (Add a small amount of water to mixture if it becomes dry before pea pods are tender.)


Substitution
You can use fresh or frozen peas instead of snap peas.
Do-Ahead
All the prep work can be done ahead of time and the ingredients wrapped in plastic and refrigerated. Cut carrots and wrap separately. Cut and wrap beef and onion together.

Thanks Betty Crocker