Quick Easy Sugar Cookies

 I love sugar cookies! A friend of mine brought these to an event, and they were great. She says they don't roll out well to make shaped cookies, but great to use a cookie scoop and bake. The dough does not need to be chilled first.

Sugar Cookies   (Betsey)

3 cubes butter, softened

4 eggs

2 c. sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

4 c. flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp. Baking powder

Cream together the butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Add in the flour, salt, and baking powder. Scoop onto a greased cookie sheet and Bake at 350 for 9 minutes.

Frosting

¾ c. butter

6-7 TBS. milk

1 tsp. Almond extract

Powdered sugar (enough for a light consistency)

Chocolate Sheet Cake (Brownie Like)

From Bobbi:

Chocolate Sheet Cake

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1/2  tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 c. cocoa
1 c. butter (2 sticks)
1 c. boiling water
3/4 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

-Mix together flour, sugar, and salt. Set aside.
-Melt the butter in a pan and add the cocoa.  

-Mix the butter and cocoa well, then add boiling water and let the mixture boil for just a       minute.  

-Remove from heat and mix this in with the flour mixture.

-In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk, egg, baking soda, and vanilla.  

-Next, stir this into the chocolate and flour mixture to complete the cake batter.

-Pour into greased and floured cookie sheet (13"x 18") and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Icing:
1/2 c. + 6 TBS butter (equal to 1 and 3/4 stick of butter)
1/4 c. cocoa
6 TBS milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 - 3 1/4 c. powdered sugar

Melt butter in a saucepan, and then add cocoa.  Whisk well until there are no lumps (on low heat). Remove from heat and pour over top of powdered sugar in a bowl or electric mixer.  Add vanilla and milk, and then beat well so there are no lumps.  Poor over the top of the warm (BUT NOT HOT!) cake.

A LITTLE LESS FROSTING:
10 Tbs. Butter (1 stick + 2 Tbs.)
3 Tbs. Cocoa
5 Tbs. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. powdered sugar

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

6 Tbs. chopped onion
4 Tbs butter
Approx. 4 cups cooked butternut squash
3 c. water
1 tsp. chicken bouillion
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
1/8 tsp. red pepper (cayenne pepper)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 oz. cream cheese

1. Cook butternut squash.  I recommend peeling it, then cubing it into about 1 1/2" cubes.  I then cook it in the instant pot for 5 minutes.
2. Saute onions in butter.
3. Take half of the squash and add it to the blender with 1 1/2 cups water and the cooked onions. Blend well.  Poor into a large soup pot.
4. Put the remaining squash into the blender as well as the boiullion, marjoram, red pepper, salt, pepper, cream cheese, and other 1 1/2 c. of water.  Blend until smooth.  Add this to the soup pot with the other squash mixture previously blended.
5.  Stir all together.
6.  Simmer about 10 minutes.
7. Serve with ritz or saltines and enjoy!

Notes: The original recipe called for 8 oz. cream cheese and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper.  This was way too much cayenned for my family, and I felt the full cream cheese made the soup tast too much like cream cheese and not enough like squash.  The cream cheese does give a very smooth texture though.

Cook butternut squash.  I recommend peeling it, then cubing it into about 1 1/2" cubes.  I then cook it in the instant pot for 5 minutes.

Saute the onions in the butter.

Instant Pot Venison Stew

Venison Stew:

1 lb. deer meat cut into bit sized pieces and all sinew removed
4 cups beef broth or 4 cups water with 4 tsp. beef bouillion
2 Tbs. stew seasoning (stew seasoning recipe is on this blog)
1 1/2 c. V8 or 1 quart bottled tomatoes, blended
1-2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

4 potatoes
4 large carrots
3 celery stalks
1 onion
2 Tbs. melted butter
2 Tbs. flour

Set Instant Pot to Saute.  Add about 2 Tbs. oil to the hot Instant Pot.  Drop in the meat and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and about 1/2 tbs. of the stew seasoning.  Brown the meat on saute, then turn the Instant Pot off and pour in the beef broth to deglaze the pot.  Stir in the V8 or tomatoes, (whatever you're using), the rest of the stew seasoning, worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, and garlic powder.  Set time for 15 minutes, and then quic release the pressure when cooking is done.

In the meantime, cut up vegetables.  In a small bowl, melt the butter and whisk in the flour.  When the meat is done cooking and the pressure is released, add all the vegetables and the flour/butter mixture.  Set pressure cooker for 4 minutes.  Quick release when done.  Enjoy!

Enchilada Sauce

This is great when you don't have a packet mix or can of enchilada sauce!

Enchilada Sauce:

1 can tomatoe sauce
1/3 c. water
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 Tbs. cumin
1/2 Tbs. minced onion
1 Tbs. vinegar
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. ceyanne pepper

Cream Puffs with Custard Filling

NOTE: This recipe is easily halved.  I have a large family so I make a lot.  If you don't want to make the filling, you can use Jell-O instant vanilla pudding, but make it with 1/2 c. less milk than it calls for.  Mix the pudding with whipped cream. 

Cream Puffs
2 c. water
1 c. margarine or butter (2 sticks)
2 c. flour
8 eggs

Preheat oven to 425.  In a saucepan, combine water and butter.  Let the butter melt, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, add the flour and stir well.  Cook on low about 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add the eggs all at once.  Initially, the dough will appear coagulated, but just keep mixing until is all combines and a smooth dough is formed. 

Put the dough in a Ziploc bag with a small hole snipped in the corner.  Squeeze it onto an ungreased cookie sheet to your desired size.  The original recipe says 1/4 c. each, and will yield 24 cream puffs.  This is way too big for me.  The ones I make are usually about 2-3 Tbs. 

Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 400 and bake an additional 15 minutes.  They will be puffed up and golden brown.  Let cool on a wire rack for a few minutes.  When ready to pipe the filling in, cut a small hole near the top of the cream puff and fill them up. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

Custard Crème Filling
2 c. milk
6 egg yolks
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c, flour
2 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Scald the milk in a saucepan on the stove on medium heat.  In the meantime, whisk the eggs and sugar together in a separate bowl until the sugar is almost dissolved.  Add in the flour and whisk some more.  Take about 1/2 cup of the hot milk and mix it into the egg mixture to temper the eggs (so you don't cook them).  Add about another 1/2 cup and mix it in.  Return the egg and milk mixture back to the saucepan with the remaining milk.  Cook on medium until the pudding becomes thick and starts to bubble.  Do not Scorch the pudding!  Remove from heat, and add in the butter and vanilla.  Pour the pudding into a separate glass dish and cover with saran wrap so a film doesn't develop on the pudding.  Let cool completely.

Whipped Cream: (optional)
1 c. heavy cream
1/3 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat the heavy cream until it starts to get thick.  Add in 1/3 cup powdered sugar (more or less depending on your sweet tooth) and vanilla.  Continue to beat until its the desired consistency.  Mix with the custard when completely cooled, and then pipe it into the cream puffs. 

Tip: If you don't care about a great presentation and you want to speed things up, just drop the batter by spoonful onto a cookie sheet.  They won't look as pretty, but they won't be half the mess either when dealing with piping them through a bag.  To fill just cut in half and spoon the pudding in, and replace the top.  EASY! (see pics below)

 

Spanish Rice

Spanish Rice

- 2 Tbs. Oil
- 2 Tbs. chopped onion (I often use dehydrated onion)
- 1/2 T. minced jalapeno (I seldom have a jalapeno on hand.  I use about 1/2 tsp. cumin and 1/8 -1/4 tsp. ground red pepper instead. A little less than 1/4 is great for my family)
- 2 cloves minced garlic

-1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 cups long gain white rice
- 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 3 1/4 cups water (only use 3 cups if you are using the pressure cooker method)


Stovetop: Heat oil in pan.  Add onion, jalapeno, salt, and minced garlic.  Add in the rice.  Sauté until the rice just starts to brown.  Add tomato sauce and water.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and serve.

Pressure Cooker:  Using the sauté feature, sauté the onion, garlic, jalapeno, and rice for 4-5 minutes.  Turn sauté off and add water.  Add in the tomato sauce and the rice.  Stir well and then set on high pressure for 10 minutes.  Let the pressure release on its own, or for at least 10 minutes.