Better Than Swig Sugar Cookies

Many of you have seen the recipe for Swig sugar cookies going around on pinterest. If not, if you live in St. George Utah you've probably tried some Swig sugar cookies. It's the happenin place right now. They aren't my favorite cookies though. Sure they're good, and sure they're trendy. However, I realized I like my sugar cookies nice and fluffy with some yummy cream cheese frosting. Again, this is the recipe my mom gave to me. Everyone usually likes them. You can make them for every holiday.

Ingredients:
1 cup Crisco
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:
Cream together Crisco and sugar. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Add the milk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients until combined. The dough shouldn't be sticky.

There are a couple of different ways you can make the cookies. You can roll them out and use the cookie cutters. I do this for every holiday. I usually make different colors of frosting for the different holidays and then decorate them.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

OR

you can make them look like Swig's. You'll want to put the dough in the fridge for about 10 minutes if you want to make them look like Swig's. This way the dough will be the right consistency to make the cracked edges.

Then you'll roll the dough into balls a little bit smaller than golf balls. Place on a cookie sheet. Grab a bowl and pour some sugar in it. Get a drinking glass. Dip the bottom of the dipping glass in the dough mixture to get it sticky, then in the sugar. Press down on the ball to flatten edges.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Let cool before frosting. You can use any frosting to make these. Most of the time I just use canned frosting. But when I'm feeling extra motivated I make this:

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 cup of butter, softended
8 oz cream cheese
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until smooth. Add more powdered sugar as needed to make it creamy.  

"Healthier" Chicken Alfredo Bake

Ok, so there's still some unhealthier ingredients in here, but it's a lighter version and it's filled with some veggies. My husband has had to go gluten free so the pasta here is also gluten free, along with everything on the recipe. The original recipe was totally vegan, but we didn't go that extreme. 

 

Ingredients:

1 box of gluten free pasta (or regular if you'd like)

1 cucumber

1 green or red bell pepper (the red would be a nice addition to the color)

olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Italian seasoning to taste

1/2 cup cooked chicken

 

Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons gluten free flour (or regular)
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vinegar (any type)

Directions:

Cook pasta just under al dente, according to package directions. If you over cook it, it becomes soggy and mushy and not as good. Meanwhile, peel, slice, and halve the cucumber. Chop the pepper into bite size pieces. Heat oil on a skillet medium high heat and add garlic, vegetables, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning until the vegetables are nice and crisp. Just a couple minutes. Set aside.

 

When pasta is done drain it well and drizzle with some olive oil before combining sauce and vegetables.

 

To make the sauce:

Heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the flour until it's a paste. Slowly add the milk in. Add the parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and nutmeg. Turn the heat down and stir until it thickens.

 

Turn the heat off and add the vegetables, chicken, and pasta. Stir to coat. Pour in a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. When finished, top with parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.

 

You could also add a bread crumb and parmesan cheese topping to make it yummier. Just melt a couple tablespoons of butter and combine about a cup of bread crumbs (gluten free or not) and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. It would make it nice and crispy on top, but wouldn't help with being healthy ;)



Caramel Apple Snicker Salad

I had this at a BBQ before and I had no idea what it was. It was one of the best dessert recipes I have ever had! It would also be good for a dessert to serve for a girls night or bunco group! So easy to make ahead. I know many people make it, but not everyone has the recipe. I found this one on pinterest HERE and loved it!

 

Ingredients:
5 oz box of dry vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup milk
1 tub of cool whip
4 snickers bars, chopped
4 green apples, chopped
Caramel Ice Cream Sauce

Directions:
Mix pudding mix, milk, and cool whip together. Add the snickers and apples. Top with caramel sauce. Refrigerate for an hour or so.

Pasta Salad - Ranch Style

I love BBQ's when spring and summer hit! I also like to try new recipes to take to potluck ones too. This is another salad recipe I found in a Betty Crocker cookbook. You can also change it up to add your own vegetables too. I added a few extra.

Ingredients:
1 Suddenly Salad Bacon and Ranch Mix
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 cup ranch
Vegetables of your choice
I used:
1 1/2 cups broccoli
1 red bell pepper sliced into bite sized strips
1 small cucumber sliced then halved
4 green onions chopped
1/2 cup carrots sliced

Directions:
Boil some water in a saucepan and pour the pasta into the boiling water. Cook for 12 minutes (according to the package). Stir it occasionally. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. In a bowl combine the seasoning mix, ranch, and dill weed. Add pasta and all vegetables. Toss to coat. Refrigerate until it's time to serve.

So simple and a perfect addition to any BBQ!

Mexican Pasta Salad

Whenever I have a BBQ to go to and I need to bring something, this is it! I always get asked for the recipe from at least one person too. I got the recipe from a Betty Crocker cook book and changed it just a little bit.

 

 

Ingredients:
Boxed pasta salad mix. I use Betty Crocker's Suddenly Salad.
3 tablespoons cold water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
4 cups of torn romaine lettuce (this one is optional)
1 1/2 cups Mexican blend cheese
2 roma tomatoes chopped
1 can olives, sliced
1/2 bag of tortilla strips

Directions:
Cook pasta according to box directions. Meanwhile, combine seasoning mix from the box, water, oil, and cumin. After the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the seasoning along with the beans and corn. Toss to coat.
Place the lettuce in a serving bowl on the bottom. Add the pasta mixture. Sprinkle with tomatoes and cheese and olives. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Just before serving, add the tortilla strips and toss everything together.

Homemade Crescent Rolls

 

These rolls are made almost weekly in my family. My husband said the bread is what sealed the deal on our marriage ;) Super easy to make. Perfect to add to any meal.
First, make the dough

Dough:
2 cups heated milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
4 1/2 -5 cups flour
2 teaspoons yeast

If you have a bread maker just put the ingredients in the bread maker in that order on the dough setting. If not just use a mixer. Melt the butter in the milk. Pour milk into mixer. Add sugar and salt. Slowly add half of the flour. Add the yeast and the rest of the flour. Knead for 5-10 minutes. Dough should be soft. Cover and let stand for 10-30 minutes. The longer they stand, the fluffier they are.

Then follow these steps:

 

 

After the rolls have risen, cook in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Just after getting out of the oven, use a basting brush to spread butter over hot rolls.

 

ENJOY!

 



 

Balloon Cluster Decoration with Streamers

Ok, so this isn't a food recipe.. BUT it is a recipe on how to do something. That fits right? :) Well, for a church activity we were celebrating a birthday. I saw this idea floating around on pinterest and I couldn't wait to try it. When this event came up, I thought it would be perfect. But just like pinterest does, it only gives us an idea.. not step by step instructions. The girl that originally posted it told us how she made it, but I didn't have the materials on hand (wood and staple gun) or the right place to hang a piece of wood up. So I created my own and thought I would share the step by step instructions.

So here it goes:

Materials:
5-7 balloons of 5 different colors
String, ribbon, or twine
a box that has been cut up one side (making it a long length) and the top and bottom cut off
tape
streamers that match the color of the balloons

Instructions:

Step 1: Cut one side of a large box so that the box lays flat length wise. Cut off the top and the bottom of the box. I used a box that had pots and pans in it to give you a good comparison. If you use a smaller box, you just need to blow your balloons small.

Step 2: Blow up your balloons and tie a string to the balloon. Make sure to use enough string to bring through the back of the balloon and tie it.

Step 3: Visualize where you want each color to be. Start from the left side. Punch a hole (using something like a screwdriver) through the middle part of where you want your first color to be. For example, I had five colors and wanted them close together. I sectioned off a small section for the first color and then poked my hole in the center of that section.

Step 4: Take 1 balloon and bring the string through the hole so the string comes out the back. DON'T punch a whole bunch of holes until you get the balloons in one at a time. You never know how they'll be placed and you want to adjust as needed as you go.

Step 5: Take the next balloon, position it by the first balloon and decide where you want your hole to be for that one. (You want the hole to be where the bottom part of the balloon will sit)

Step 6: Repeat step 5 for the remaining balloons in that one color. Turn the box around and tie two strings together, then tape them. (I thought of this like how kid toys come packaged. They are always tied together in the back to keep them in place)

Step 7: Repeat this with the remaining colors.

Step 8: Add the streamers. I would highly suggest adding your streamers on the cardboard BEFORE hanging the balloon cluster up. I didn't and it ended up being a huge pain. You could staple them, or tack them in, or tape them. I taped them and a few occasionally fell down.

Ok I hope this helped! Let me know if you have any questions.

Bunco Girls Night Dinner

Bunco is always so much fun! Good food, good company, and some friendly competition. Here is what we served for dinner this night.

Cheesy Chicken Tortellini

 

Ingredients:

Pasta Mixture:

½ cup chopped onion                              

1 teaspoon olive oil                                              

1 garlic clove, pressed                               

1 jar (16 oz) white Alfredo pasta sauce         

2 packages (9 oz each) refrigerated

cheese filled tortellini       

1 ½ cups cubed cooked chicken                   

1 cup milk         

1 cup water                                                        

1 cup chopped green peppers

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper                 

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

Crumb Topping:                                               

¼ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons butter melted

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat oil over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in pasta sauce, tortellini, chicken, milk, water, peppers and black pepper. Heat until mixture just comes to a boil; remove from heat. Stir in basil into pasta mixture. Mix crumb topping together, set aside. Spoon pasta mixture into baking dish and sprinkle with crumb topping. Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are bubbly and topping is golden brown.

Side Dishes:

Olive Garden Salad

SALAD RECIPE:

1 bag American Blend Salad (Dole works well)

4-5 slices Red Onion

4-6 Black Olives

2-4 Pickled Pepperoncini

1/2 cup Croutons

1 small Tomato sliced

Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

DRESSING RECIPE:

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

1/3 cup White Vinegar

1 tsp. Vegetable Oil

2 Tbsp. Corn Syrup

2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese

2 Tbsp. Romano Cheese

1 clove garlic minced

1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning

1/2 tsp. Parsley Flakes

1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

Sugar (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Dressing:

Mix all ingredients in a blender until well mixed (approximately 30 seconds).

If this is a little to tart for your own personal tastes please add a little extra sugar.

Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Salad:

Chill a glass salad bowl in freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Place the bag of salad in bowl.

Place on top of the lettuce – red onion, black olives, banana peppers, tomatoes, and croutons.

Add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese if you like.

Add plenty of Olive Garden™ Salad Dressing on top.

Homemade Breadsticks

Use the dough recipe:

2 cups heated milk

2 tablespooons butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

4 1/2 -5 cups flour

2 teaspoons yeast

If you have a bread maker just put the ingredients in the bread maker in that order on the dough setting. If not just use a mixer. Melt the butter in the milk. Pour milk into mixer. Add sugar and salt. Slowly add half of the flour. Add the yeast and the rest of the flour. Knead for 5-10 minutes. Dough should be soft. Let stand for 10 minutes.

 

 

Let raise til doubled in size.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden on top.

While cooking, melt 1/3 cube butter in microwave. Mix in small bowl about 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon garlic salt. (You can alter to your liking).

Take breadsticks out of the oven and immediately baste the butter on the bread and sprinkle with cheese.

Let cool before covering or storing. 

 

Strawberry Lemonade

 

I got this recipe from a Martha Stewart cookbook, it's delicious!

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 7 lemons)

1 pound strawberries

16 oz seltzer

Directions:

In pan, bring 2 cups water and sugar to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, 2 minutes. Transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate until cool, about 45 minutes. Add lemon juice and stir to combine.

In a blender, puree strawberries until smooth. Pour through a strainer. I didn't do this cause I like the fruit bits. Stir in seltzer.

 

Homemade Brownies

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1 square butter or margarine softened

4 eggs

½ cup cocoa

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ¾ cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Add dry ingredients and combine thoroughly. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. No longer. Cool and frost.

We might have to start posting all of the recipes from Bunco because they always turn out so yummy!

Italian Potatoes

I love potatoes and will eat them anyway! This recipe is great for any addition to a dinner dish. You can even change the seasoning to match what you're making.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
Garlic
4-6 potatoes
Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Peel and cut the potatoes into bite size pieces. I just slice the potatoes and then cut into quarters. Heat olive oil and medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the potatoes. Sprinkle italian seasoning and salt and pepper over the potatoes. Cover and cook on low for 20 minutes stirring ocassionally until the potatoes are tender.

Pink Lemonade Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 box of pink lemonade cake mix (you can use strawberry as well and it would be just as good).
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together cake mix and baking powder. Add eggs and oil and mix until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Use a scooper, or spoon to make dough balls. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. After 5 minutes transfer to a cooling rack.