Best Sugar Cookies Ever!

This recipe comes from Betty Crocker herself. I have seen and tried several different sugar cookie recipes but I always come back to this one. The key is in the sugar. This recipe uses powdered sugar, not granulated. Big difference. Melt in your mouth goodness! Great for frosting or just sprinkling with crystallized sugar.

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar

Mix everything in a bowl. Form into a a big flattened disc (I like this better than a ball) and refrigerate for about 2 hours. Cut out into desired shapes. Sprinkle with crystallized sugar if you aren't going to frost them later. Bake at 375* for 7-9 minutes depending on size of cookies. Let cool and then frost if desired. Enjoy with a cup of tea!

Chanukkah Sufganiyot

This is a very easy but good recipe for Chanukkah donuts. Here is a little background tidbit that came with the recipe:

The oil in the recipe symbolizes the miracle of Chanukkah. The sufganiyot also symbolizes the meeting of Eastern and Western cultures. The fritter is of Sephardic origin while the sugar topping and jelly filling are part of the Chanukkah tradition of European immigrants, who celebrated Chanukkah with glazed doughnuts filled with apricot jelly.

We usually double the recipe when we have guests.

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

Heat until melted. Cool to lukewarm.

Add

4 tsp. yeast

Stir until dissolved

Add

3 cups flour

2 eggs

a pinch of salt

Knead with additional flour until the dough has a smooth texture. It will be a fairly soft dough.

Cover and let rise in warm place for 30 minutes

Roll out dough and use a circle cutter or drinking glass to cut out doughnuts. You shouldn’t get more than 18 or so  if you use a 3 inch cutter, or they will be too flat. Allow to rise for 30 minutes. Fry in oil** on both sides. Let cool, then fill with jelly or jam. Roll in powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Make sure to use a good high heat frying oil such as safflower. Olive oil is not a good choice-ask me why I know! :-)

Baked Oatmeal recipe

Oh my goodness, this is a good one. A friend gave me this recipe a few years ago and it's a keeper. It turns out more like a cake and is always completely devoured. I usually double it and bake in a 10x14 (adding a few extra minutes baking time)

Combine in large bowl:
1/2 cup melted butter or oil
3/4-1 cup sucanat or other sugar
3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cup yogurt, kefir, or buttermilk

if possible and for best results, let this sit overnight.

The next morning add:
2 beaten eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dried fruit or chopped apples-optional

Bake in a greased 11x7 pan at 350* for 25 minutes. Serve with butter and maple syrup if desired

My Sweet Challah recipe

Sweet Challah

Mix together in large bowl:

2/3 cup softened butter

1/2-2/3 cup sugar or 1/2 cup honey (depends on taste)

Beat in:

3 eggs

Stir in by hand:

4 heaping tsp. yeast***

3 cups white flour (no whole wheat allowed on Shabbat!)

Add:

1 1/2 cups very warm milk (or water)

Beat with an electric mixer until smooth

Add 4+ cups of flour (and any dried fruit if desired) and mix until it can be kneaded.

Add small amounts of flour until you have a SOFT, but not sticky ball of dough. Knead for several minutes until nice and smooth. Cover, and let rise in an oiled bowl for about an hour (until double in size). Split dough in 2 parts large loaves. Make 3 or 6 ropes out of each part and braid into challah loaves. Brush an egg glaze on top and let rise on cooking skeet for about 30 minutes. I bake mine for 28 minutes at 350 degrees. Baking time will depend on individual oven temp.

***If you are having trouble getting a nice loaf, you can 'proof' the yeast by adding it to your warm milk along with a tablespoon of the sugar. Let it sit for a few minutes. If the yeast was activated, it should be frothy.

Cinnamon roll variation:

Divide into 2 parts after first rising. Roll out into rectangles and spread with butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon (LOTS!**) and sugar. Roll up and cut into 9(for each rectangle) large rolls. Put 9 rolls into a 9 x 13 pan, making sure they slightly touch each other. Let rise for about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes (depending on how done/gooey you want them). While still warm, spread with frosting made of 1/4 cup butter, 4 ounces cream cheese, and about 2 cups powdered sugar. After they are cooled, cover with saran wrap and enjoy the next morning on Shabbat! This will make 2 pans of cinnamon rolls, one to keep and one to give away!

      Pecan Sticky Bun variation:

Follow same rolling instructions for cinnamon rolls but ease up on the cinnamon and use brown sugar. Mix some more brown sugar and chopped, toasted pecans and sprinkle on bottom of the 9 x 13 pan before you put the rolls in. The more sugar-nut mixture, the better! Bake the same. When serving, be sure to flip the roll out upside down onto the plate. No frosting needed.

** The types and amount of cinnamon are the keys. Try getting some cinnamon from Cinnabon or a specialty shop. There is a HUGE difference! With an excellent quality cinnamon, pour it on and it’s delicious!

Lentils

 
Lentils are cheap, easy to prepare, and really good for you. They can stretch the use of meat in a recipe also. What else is there to say? Here are my top three ways to use them.




                                      Lentil Sloppy Joes


1 lb. groung turkey or beef
1 onion-chopped plus some garlic (to taste)
1 green pepper-chopped
2 cups brown lentils
1 can tomato paste
about 3 cups stock or water


all seasoning amounts are approximate:
1-2 Tbl. sugar
1 tsp. salt
a couple dashes Worcestershire sauce
a couple dashes pepper
any type of b-b-q sauce or seasoning if desired


Brown the ground turkey, onion, and pepper. Stir in lentils, tomato paste, and water. Simmer until lentils are tender; about 20 minutes. You may need to add more water and stir occasionally.  Add seasonings etc.. to taste and serve over buns with cheese. should serve 8-10 depending on appetites.








                                       Lentil-Rice Pilaf


2 cups brown lentils
1 1/2 cups long grain brown rice
1 large bunch green onions chopped
3 cloves garlic-minced
4 Tble. butter
5 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
2 Tble. parsley
a couple dashes pepper-to taste
(a lemon-pepper seasoning works great)


Saute the lentils, rice, onions and garlic in the butter. Add broth and seasoning; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 30-40 minutes. I shamefully always peak at my rice to see if it is done so I'm not precise on the cooking time. This feeds a large group as a side. I like to add a little lemon juice at the end sometimes. 








                                Chocolate-Lentil Cake


2 cups water
2/3 cup brown lentils
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
barely 2 cups sifted flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt


Bring water to boil. Add lentils, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Drain, but save the liquid.
Add 1/2 cup liquid back to lentils and puree in a blender. Beat together sugar, oil, and eggs. Add vanilla and pureed lentils. Sift and add remaining ingredients. Mix until smooth. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes. Let cool and frost if desired but it's good on it's own too!

Exercise Update

I am officially in phase 2 of my "lose the jello" exercise regimen. For all of February I will be doing strength training along with my yoga stretching. I have really enjoyed this so far. It has not been hard core crazy workouts that burn millions of calories, but I have been able to be consistent and not give up. That is important, making something work well enough to stick with it. I've learned this the hard way with so many failed crazy plans under my belt. An interesting side not is I have found my mental attitude is better since I have been exercising. Now if I can just get my snarkiness under control I will be much pleased with myself.

I am also working diligently at making healthier food choices. This is probably the most frustrating part for me. I used to be great at eating healthy and I never, ever had to watch calories. That's what I get for bragging about my metabolism. So now I am addicted to cupcakes and cookies and pie and I really don't want to give them up. I am trying to eat healthy during the week, and then reward myself with the good stuff on the weekend. Friday night dinner should always include carbs and sugar! Now since it is still the weekend, I am off to make a double batch of: 

           Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

2/3 cup butter

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups oats

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup craisins

2/3 cup white chocolate chips
2/3 cup Macadamia nuts

bake @ 375* for 10-12 minutes

Challah Time

I have been using a challah recipe for the last few years that I generally like. It's sweet and makes awesome cinnamon rolls! But I have been wanting to find one that is a little bit lighter and has a smoother shape to it. My challah always tastes good, but it can look fairly ugly at times. I came across a recipe that a friend posted a link to on her blog and I have been wanting to try it for about a year now. I finally got around to making it last week and it is wonderful! I want to tweek it just a little with a bit more sugar but for the most part it is perfect. It makes two huge loaves and trust me, you will have plenty to share. This is one of the best challah recipes I have made. And as a bonus, she has a video showing you how to do the always mysterious 6 braided loaf! How much better can it get?