Sister Sada's Super Soft Sugar Cookies

This is the recipe that I use - they are better than the Wal-Mart ones though! Be careful on the dough - it WILL be a big sticky gooey glob, I usually add up to 1 1/2 c flour when rolling out so that when I take my 'lefttovers' and roll those out I can add a bit more flour w/o them drying out.

Sister Sada's Super Soft Sugar Cookies*
farmin_mama

1 c margerine
2 eggs
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
4 c flour
1 3/4 c sugar
1 8 oz container sour cream
1 t soda

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together dry ingredients (minus sugar). Cream margerine and sugar together. Add eggs and sour cream. Mix well. Gradually add in dry ingredients, mixing well. Roll these cookies out for cut out cookies, batter will be quite sticky at first so be sure to knead some flour into it. Up to 2 cups flour can be added when rolling out the dough. Roll to about 1/4 inch thick. Cookies will not brown and will rise high. Sprinkle w/ sugar before baking or frost afterwards. I also usually grease my cookie sheets.

*These are my all time fave sugar cookie - always soft and chewy and never brown. When baking these cookies rise up but never out so you can place them fairly close on the cookie sheet and not worry about them sticking together.

Amazing Chicken Marinade

Amazing Chicken Marinade/Unbelievable Chicken

(Katiedid) from Recipezaar/Allrecipes

1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons whole grain mustard

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 

1 lime, juiced

1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
ground black pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

In a large, non-reactive container, whisk together ingredients beginning with cider vinegar through salt. Then whisk in olive oil and pepper. Place chicken in the mixture. Cover and marinate chicken in the fridge 8 hours or overnight. Remove chicken from marinade just before you turn on your grill or broiler to let come up a few degrees. Discard marinade. Lightly oil your grill or broiler pan. Grill or broil about 10 minutes per side.

Greek Pizza

Greek Pizza
Michelle (MMmom) Inspired by Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Oct/Nov 2010

* enough for two 12" pizzas

2 premade 12" pizza shells OR if making your own dough, see below
Olive oil
1 1/2 lemons
1 (5 oz) package fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
about 1/2 of a small red onion, cut in rings
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 scant cup feta cheese
1/2 cup sliced Kalamata olives
black pepper

Prebake pizza crusts. Drizzle each with olive oil then squirt 1/2 a lemon over the top of each.

Divide the remaining ingredients between the two pizzas. Pile on the spinach then top with the onion rings. Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese and feta cheese. Scatter the olives on top of the cheese so they're visible. Shake on a little black pepper. Squirt the juice of the remaining lemon half over each pizza (skip if you don't like strong lemon flavors).

Bake at 450 until the mozzarella melts.


Homemade Wheat Pizza Dough
Based on Master Pizza Dough recipe from Aimster aka Amy

Makes 1 (14-inch) thick-crust pizza or 2 (12-inch) thin-crust pizzas.

1 cup whole wheat flour
2-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package FLEISCHMANN'S RapidRise Yeast *see note below
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup very warm water (120 to 130 F)
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
Cornmeal

In large bowl, combine 1 cup wheat flour, 1 cup AP flour, undissolved yeast, and salt. Stir very warm water and olive oil into dry ingredients. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes. Cover; let rest on floured surface10 minutes. Lightly oil 1 (14-inch) or 2 (12-inch) round pizza pan(s). Sprinkle with cornmeal. Shape dough into smooth ball. Divide and roll to fit desired pan(s). Bake in preheated hot oven (450) for about 10-15 minutes.

Amy’s Notes: Honestly, I think this recipe is so easy, I just mix it with a spoon at first and then switch to using my hands. I only knead until it is smooth --probably about 4 or 5 minutes. Test it after a few minutes to see if you can pull a piece of the dough into a thin, tight membrane that you can see light through. If it breaks before you can get it there, knead some more.

*Note: There are several types of yeast available for baking. Make sure you buy Rapid Rise yeast for this...that’s what makes the rising time so short.

Anita's Easy Banana Bread

Anita's Easy Banana Bread:
4 lg eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup apple sauce
7 or 8 ripe, mashed bananas
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
dried blueberries, chocolate chips, walnuts (optional)
optional spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves
*may substitue 1/2 c flour for 1/2 c ground flax

Combine eggs, oil, apple sauce, and sugar. Add mashed bananas. Sift flour, baking soda. Add optional items, if using. Bake in 2 well greased loaf pans for 50 mins at 350. Enjoy! :)

Chili Seasoning

Chili Seasoning (Mark Bittman's)

CindyJ~mommy_of_love1
2 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 Tbs seasoned salt
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp parsley
Mix and store in an airtight container. Use 1 1/2 Tbs for 1 lb beef.

Vegetarian Chili

Vegetarian Chili- this was really yummy and filling for only veggies. I'm not a big sweet potato fan, but they were really good in this. I used a bean mix containing black eyed peas, chick peas, red and white kidney beans, lima beans and northern beans. My DS who isn't a big chili fan devoured this (YAY!!). I used a home made chili mix, so I'll post that too.

Vegetarian Chili
Junquegirl

olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1-2 fat cloves of garlic, minced or put through a garlic press
3 cans of beans, rinsed; or equivalent cooked beans (I used pinto, kidney and black)
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes & their juices
1-2 teaspoons homemade chili powder (I used Mark Bittman’s recipe for chili powder)
½ teaspoon oregano, if your spice mixture doesn’t have it already
1 small sweet potato, diced
salt to taste
[optional, but highly recommended, garnish is chopped fresh cilantro]

In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, sauté the onion in olive oil until it starts to turn translucent. Add the garlic and sauté another minute or so. Add beans, tomatoes, spices and sweet potato. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender. Scoop out up to a cup of beans and mash them with a fork in a bowl or plate. Return to the pot. Stir, taste, and add more chili powder if necessary. Add salt to taste. Serve over brown rice and/or with cornbread. [Options: add diced red bell peppers with the onion; add diced waxy potatoes with (or instead of) the sweet potatoes; add smoked paprika to taste at the end; reduce some balsamic vinegar in the onion and garlic before adding the beans, etc.; add corn kernels towards the end of cooking]

Green Bean Salad

The green bean salad is one I've made a half-dozen times before. I make a simple vinaigrette with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper and a liberal amount of freshly grated lemon zest (zesting the whole lemon for about a half a cup of dressing) and toss it with 1" pieces of raw green beans and quartered kalamata olives. The salty, briny olives, lemony and tart dressing and sweet green beans are SO good together... usually. But I tried to be fancy and blanch the green beans first and it was just... wrong. Stick with the raw green beans.

(junquegirl)