Glazed Carrots

This recipe from Lil' Luna has changed my go-to veggie side dish from broccoli to carrots. These are so satisfying and easy to prepare. Yum!

16 oz. bag of baby-cut carrots

1/2 c. water

1 1/2 Tbsp. butter

1 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Bring carrots, water, butter and brown sugar to a boil in a pan over medium-high heat. Turn to low and simmer for approximately 6 minutes.

Here is where I sometimes venture off the directions for a bit. Not all baby-cut carrots are created equal. Sometimes they are thin and petite. In that case, skip this paragraph. The recipe, as written, will work just fine. But sometimes baby-cut carrots are short but very fat and will take longer to soften up. In that case, I cover the pan and simmer (on low or medium low) for an additional 6 minutes or so. Then remove the lid and continue on with the final phase. 

Turn back to high and cook until all the water is evaporated and carrots are tender, usually another 5-6 minutes. I like to stir occasionally to give every carrot a turn in the sweet glaze. Remove from heat. Sprinkle on a little salt and pepper and enjoy!

According to Lil' Luna, this makes 4 servings (94 calories each).

St. Patrick's Day Pistachio Cake Mix Cookies

I'm a fan of cake mix cookies. They are so easy to throw together and I love the chewy, moist texture. This particular recipe also adds a box of instant pistachio pudding mix and they are green so they are perfect for St. Patrick's Day. That's pretty much the only time they are on my radar so we usually only make these once a year, but they are worth the wait! (I found this recipe here.)

1 box white cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)

1 small box instant pistachio pudding

2 eggs

1/2 c. vegetable or canola oil

3/4 tsp. almond extract

a few drops green food coloring (optional)

1 c. white chocolate chips

        Preheat oven to 350º. Combine cake mix and pudding mix. Add the eggs, oil, almond extract, and food coloring. Mix well. The dough will be stiff. Stir in white chocolate chips. Roll into 1" to 1 1/2" balls (or use a cookie scoop). Place on silicone baking mat (or lightly greased baking sheet). Bake for 9-11 minutes.

Grandma Stowell's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Jeff's grandma, Mary Helen Stowell, always (Always!) had these cookies waiting in her cookie jar every time we made the 4 hour drive to her home our first year or so of marriage. These have long been the favorite of at least a few of my kids and the recipe has been hanging in vinyl lettering on the door of my kitchen for ages. 

1 ½ c. shortening
1 ½ c. white sugar
1 ½ c. brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. water
4 eggs
4 ½ c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
One bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
        Combine shortening, sugars, vanilla and water. Beat until creamy. Add eggs and beat. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add chocolate chips. Bake at 350° for 9 minutes. Recipe may be halved. (Certain family members prefer these without chocolate chips, i.e., “Chocolate chip cookies with no chocolate chips.”)

Fudge Cookies (Cake Mix Cookies)

I've had this super easy and quick recipe for years and I've made it dozens of times. The recipe is quite versatile and the cookies are always moist and delicious. My friend, Leona, who gravitated to recipes using 5 ingredients or less, shared this with me and I'll be forever grateful!

1 package Devil’s Food cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)
2 eggs
½ c. oil
1 c. chocolate chips
        Mix together cake mix, eggs and oil. Stir in chocolate chips. Shape stiff mixture into small balls or use cookie scoop. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes. 

        Tip: You can try using different flavors of cake mix or chips. Roll the cookies in powdered sugar after baking or spread a melted Hershey kiss on top. Our favorite is piping melted Candy Cane Kisses over the top at Christmastime….or in July if you still have the kisses left because you bought so many extras. ;)

(Marta's) Coconut Crispy Chocolate Chunk Cookies

These might be my favorite. I mean, I have seasonal favorites like Peppermint Balls at Christmas or Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies and Chewy Gingersnaps as soon as fall weather hits, but these are always a good idea. Sadie, who is not a dark chocolate fan, prefers them with no chocolate chips so I'll sometimes bake a pan full before adding those. Either way, the combination of flavors is SO good! (I have made minor modifications to the original recipe which I found here.)

2 sticks butter, softened
1 ½ c. brown sugar
¾ c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 ¼ c. flour (sometimes I need a little extra flour, no more than ¼ c.)
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
2 ¼ c. Crispy Rice cereal
1 ¾ c. chocolate chunks (or chips), preferably dark
1 ½ c. sweetened coconut flakes
        Preheat oven to 350°. In mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium-high until fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low speed, beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Add dry ingredients, careful not to over-beat the batter. Mix in Crispy Rice, chocolate chunks and coconut on low speed just until well dispersed. Eye ball it and see if you need any more of the marvelous mix-ins.
        Roll dough into balls, a bit smaller than ping pong ball size. (I use my cookie scoop.) Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 9-11 minutes (9 minutes in my oven), just until the golden softly set up stage. Let them cool on the sheet for a minute or two.

Peppermint Balls

These are one of my favorite Christmas treats! Once Halloween is over, I start making these and I don't stop until New Years. The recipe makes a small batch, but believe me, it's much safer that way. (Yes, you can double it.) These cookies are so pretty with the glaze and candies sprinkled on top, and they are just so, so good!

½ c. butter

¾ c. powdered sugar

1 egg

½ tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. peppermint extract OR 10 drops (approx. 1/16 tsp.) peppermint oil 

1 ½ c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

¼ c. crushed peppermint candies* (like candy canes or starlight mints)

        Preheat oven to 350°. Cream ingredients together, stirring in crushed candy last. Form into balls and bake for 9-11 minutes until barely browning around edges. Do not overbake. Allow to cool and then glaze with a powdered sugar & milk or water mixture. (I use 1/2 c. powdered sugar with 2-3 tsp. milk for the glaze. Stir well and add a drop or two of peppermint oil, if desired.) Sprinkle with some crushed peppermint candies. 

        Note: I used to use peppermint extract, which is what the original recipe called for. Now I always use peppermint oil and I add a drop or two to the glaze as well. I poured my oil in a bottle with a dropper which made it so much easier to use and measure. 

*I usually use Brach's Crushed Candy Canes. 

Best Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

We love these cookies! Whenever I make cookies, I leave a few out on a plate and put the rest in a gallon ziplock in the freezer. That keeps me from eating them all. With these, my kids actually prefer them frozen. I got this recipe years ago from my friend, Dana, and it's been our favorite peanut butter cookie recipe ever since. 

1 c. peanut butter
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2 ½ c. flour
2 c. milk chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet)
        Cream butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar and eggs together. Add dry ingredients. Mix and add chocolate chips. Scoop onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 7½ - 10 minutes. Makes 5 dozen.

Gluten-Free Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

This recipe from Real Simple is not my go-to peanut butter cookie recipe, but it works well when you need a gluten free treat. 

2 c. creamy peanut butter (not all-natural variety)

1 ½ c. sugar

½ c. packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. salt

          Heat oven to 350°. Beat the peanut butter, and sugars on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and beat in the eggs, baking soda, vanilla and salt. (I added chocolate chips to part of the batter.)

          Roll heaping tablespoons of the dough into balls (or use a cookie scoop) and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Press down with a fork to 3/8” thickness to make a criss-cross pattern on top of each cookie.
            Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until edges are set, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheets then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight container for up to five days.

Twice Baked Potatoes

One of my kids would not complain if we ate these every day. Since the recipe starts with pre-baked potatoes, we usually have baked potatoes for dinner with chili, cheese, sour cream, etc. and then sometime in the next 2-3 days, we use up all the leftover potatoes using this recipe. But feel free to bake your potatoes solely with this recipe in mind. Microwaved potatoes work well, too.

4-ish medium baked potatoes, skin on

1/2 c. sour cream

1/4 c. milk

1/4 c. butter or margarine

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Bacon bits

        Start with pre-baked potatoes, cold or warm. Cut each potato in half the long way and scoop the pulp out of each half (try to salvage the skin in one piece). Mash the pulp with butter. Add milk, sour cream, cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well. Spoon back into the skins. Top with bacon. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. 

        Note: I spoon the potato mixture into small (~1 cup) oven-proof glass bowls, if needed, to compensate for any skins that don't survive the scooping out process.

Perfect Turkey Gravy

This gravy is pretty easy and it tastes great. I found the recipe here. 

½ c. butter, cut into about 8 pieces

1 tsp. coarse black pepper

½ c. flour

4 c. pan drippings OR 4 c. chicken stock

        Pour drippings into a fine mesh strainer then allow the drippings to cool a bit so that the fat rises to the top and starts to solidify. Use a spoon to remove the fat. If you don’t have enough drippings to equal 4 cups, add enough chicken or turkey stock until you have 4 cups of drippings.

        In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in pepper. Slowly add in flour, constantly whisking to combine. After a few minutes, the flour will be well incorporated into the butter. Slowly begin to pour the drippings into the pan, constantly whisking. Allow the gravy to cook for several minutes, so that it can thicken up. Serve immediately or keep on very low heat until you’re ready to serve.