Easy Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are one of the first things I learned to bake once I was out on my own. But having to ice them and decorate them, is mostly something for holidays and special occasions, unless you have the time and patience. Just having a simple sugar cookie on any day of the year, or even just a quick cookie to take somewhere, or to eat on throughout the week, is something a lot of us enjoy. Sugar cookies, just baked and left by themselves, is such a simple cookie to mix together. The key to these easy sugar cookies is to roll them in sugar before baking, without the hassle of cookie cutters, or icing. Here is my version of "Easy Sugar Cookies" that you can make any time of the year. And the best part, they're soft.

Here's how to make these easy, soft sugar cookies:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking power
• 3/4 tsp. sea salt
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk

Mix dry ingredients together and set aside. Using a stand mixer, mix wet ingredients together starting with the butter. Combine butter and sugar, and add the eggs. Combine dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well. Form into balls, about two tablespoons for each ball. Roll in granulated sugar, or colored sprinkles, flatten just slightly and lay on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for about 30-45 minutes, or freeze at this point to bake later.

Bake for 12-16 minutes at 350 degrees.

I would add to allow them to cool before eating, but nothing is better than a warm sugar cookie straight from the oven, so enjoy!

Our Thanksgiving (2024)

 This year for Thanksgiving I used my routine of getting prep done each day of the week leading up the Thanksgiving. It has been working well, and it helps to not feel overwhelmed on the day of. Here is a breakdown of each day and the delicious food I made each day, and I will link the recipes that I used.

Monday (November 25, 2024):

Cranberry sauce, pumpkin pies, and strawberry cheesecake.

Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

We like to use the graham cracker crust for the apple pie, pumpkins pies, and cheesecake. Also, the strawberry puree is easy to make. Two handfuls of freshly washed and cleaned strawberries, with green tops removed, placed in a blender and blended until smooth. I just pour it over the top of the cheesecake and place it back in the refrigerator until the day of serving.

This is my personal no-bake cheesecake recipe, but there are a lot of them online you can follow, too. We like ours on the bitter side, so I always add more lemon juice to the mix.

Tuesday (November 26, 2024):

Mashed potatoes, broccoli mac and cheese, and creamy sweet potatoes.

 

Wednesday (November 27, 2024):

Stuffing, apple pie, cheeseball, and rolls.

Stuffing Recipe

Apple Pie Recipe

Cheeseball (I like to use a mix of this recipe and this recipe), and Homemade rolls.

Thursday (November 28, 2024): Thanksgiving Day

Charcuterie board, ham, and deviled eggs.

First time using the skull serving platter and I am thrilled at how well it all came together.

The only thing needing to be done is heating everything up the day of. The heavy-lifting was done through the week, so it makes it easy to bring everything together on Thanksgiving day. Hardy is always my helper in the kitchen during the week of prep and anything that falls is quickly cleaned up. He is a good boy and keeps me company while I prep everything.

Everything came together great this year and it was delicious!

At the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade my hometown high school band attended and was featured. I played in the Lake Hamilton High School Band through my entire high school time at Lake Hamilton and seeing them preform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade made me so happy for them. The band has come a long way and I am proud to call myself a Lake Hamilton Wolf alumni! GO WOLVES!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours, and thank you for being a reader and supporter at this little space on the internet. We appreciate all that you do to help keep this space alive. Thank you!

10 Ingredient Road Trip Trail Mix

 We have a big road trip coming up in April and I have been making some snacks for us so we don't have to stop as often. This road trip trail mix got its name because it is our go-to no matter where we are going. It works great for camping, hiking, boating, road trips, snacks during the day, and any other time you want a high calorie snack that lasts a while. If you omit the chocolate disks you can substitute them with other forms of chocolate; dark chocolate, vegan chocolate, white chocolate, or even these. Everything in this recipe can be altered to suit your taste, or likes. You can also use more, or less of any of these if you want to taste one thing more than the others in each handful. Either way, it's a great starter recipe to try on your next road trip, or day trip. This is the basic recipe mix that we use.

10 Ingredient Road Trip Trail Mix:

• 1 package (10 ounces) Dandie's Mini Marshmallows

• 1 to 2 cups of chocolate (we used organic milk chocolate disks, but these would be good, too)

• 1 (8 ounce) package dried sweetened cranberries

• 1 to 2 cups (16 ounces) raisins

• 1/2 to 1 cup walnuts 

• 1/2 to 1 cup pecans

• 1/2 to 1 cup almonds

• 1 to 2 cups dry roasted peanuts

• 1 cup cashews

• 1 to 2 tbsp. salt (optional)

Mix it all up and store in an air-tight container or bag. I like to use Stasher bags. (I use the mega bag for this recipe).

Enjoy!

Tomato Cucumber Salad

With the end of the summer season coming to a close, it's about the time of year where I figure out how to use the remaining tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden. One of the quick and easy recipes I've come up with the last two years is a tomato and cucumber salad. It's a delicious and healthy way to incorporate a few vegetables, especially if you're needing to use several at once that could possibly go bad before using them for individual dishes. The best part of having a garden in your own backyard is being able to walk outside and get whatever you need for a certain dish. 

This year's garden we grew tomatoes (cherry, Roma, and beefsteak), cucumbers, nasturtium, pumpkins, zucchini, yellow squash, onion (red and yellow), watermelon, butter lettuce, cabbage, and peas. We had good results from a few crops, but others not-so-much. We have come to the conclusion that they aren't getting enough sun each summer. So, we are going to move some things around next growing season. 

Our tomatoes and cucumbers did well and with that overabundance, I created this summery dish. Here's how it's made.

• Four to five medium to large tomatoes (any kind), diced into bite-sized pieces
• Four to five small to medium cucumbers, sliced and then cut in half
• Black olives, whole, cut in half
• Three to four pickles, diced small
• Four to five tablespoons olive oil
• Splash of vinegar, to taste
• Two tablespoons Italian seasoning
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Add everything to a large dish and toss. Refrigerate for up to 30 minutes before serving. Eat right away, or store for up to three days in an air-tight container. It's delicious the following day, too!

Bacon Jalapeño Poppers

This recipe has pretty much become a go-to for holiday snacks in our house. We sometimes make them before we take off to go camping, or before the weekend begins. They can be made up ahead of time and placed in an airtight container in the refrigerator and popped into the microwave, air fryer, or oven for a short time to warm them back up, because they are best served hot.

• 20-30 jalapeño peppers (seeded and cut lengthwise in half) **use gloves for this**
• 3-4 (8oz) blocks of cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1 tablespoon of onion powder
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 teaspoon of salt (to taste)
• 1 tablespoon of jalapeno juice (this adds some additional spice to the mix)
• 10-12 jalapeno seeds (more or less to your own spice tolerance)
• Cooked bacon (entire package)

Mix cream cheese, onion powder, pepper, salt, and seeds together in a bowl and fill each jalapeño shell with mixture. Be sure to overfill to your desired amount. Cut bacon into small diced pieces and sprinkle on top of cream cheese mixture. 

Place on baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven, or until the tops are browned and bacon becomes crispy.

Enjoy!

Nuts and Seeds Banana Bread

• 1/2 cup melted salted butter
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, or more to taste
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground or grated nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (not imitation)
• 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup, or more of seeds and nuts (peanuts, pumpkin, flax, sunflower, almond, cashew, chia)

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and butter a loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the ripe bananas and melted butter. Mix in the baking soda and salt. Then add in sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour last.

Pour the batter into greased loaf pan and sprinkle 1/2 of the nuts on top. Halfway through baking, sprinkle the remaining nuts on top and finish baking.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before slicing.

This recipe is customizable in so many ways. Instead of bananas, try canned pumpkin, zucchini, even watermelon. Instead of nuts, add raisins, cranberries, currants, blueberries, or even strawberries. The possibilities are endless. We have tried all different ways to incorporate foods into this recipe. It should be called, "Everything in the Cabinet Bread."☺ I hope you enjoy it, because it's a huge favorite in our house! If you give it a try, let me know by tagging me on social media. I would love to know what you think of it, or if you added something fun.

Chocolate Chip Cookies Five Ways

Nothing is more comforting in our house than a warm chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven. I have about 20 different ways to make chocolate chip cookies, but these five are our most loved. 

#1 •Coconut-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies:

2/3 cup butter, room temperature

2/3 cup coconut oil, solid

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

Cream together until light in color and "fluffy"

2 eggs (add one at a time)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix until well combined

In a separate bowl:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups rolled oats

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

Add dry to wet

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes

(Makes three dozen)

***

#2 Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies:

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 cubes butter

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup cocoa

2 tbs. honey

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

2 cups rolled oats

2 cups vanilla chips

Cream sugar, honey, butter, eggs, and

vanilla together until light in color.

Sift dry ingredients together until combined.

Add vanilla chips and drop by tablespoonfuls.

Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

(Makes three dozen)

***

#3 Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies:

2 cups butter

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

5 eggs

5 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 package chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

Add vanilla and eggs. Beat well.

Add dry ingredients together and add to 

butter mixture. Add chocolate chips and mix 

to incorporate. Drop by teaspoonfuls and 

bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Of course, all of these recipes are a bit different, but give the same result of a chocolate chip cookie. Bake all of them at random times and find out which one is your favorite. The quality of ingredients are important here with these recipes. Keep in mind, when you use lesser quality ingredients you will get a lesser quality cookie. We eat only organic in our household, and your tastes are geared towards what you eat on a regular basis. If you are not completely organic, change one ingredients in your recipes at a time when you cook or bake and eventually you'll be using all organic for certain recipes. Try on of these chocolate chip cookie recipes with all organic and see how you like it.

#4 Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line two baking 

sheets with parchment paper.

Cream butter until smooth and add peanut butter,

and both sugars, beat well until combined.

Add eggs and beat well. Mix dry ingredients together.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients gradually until combined.

Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Scoop small portions onto sheet.

Bake 15 minutes until just firm around edges. Don't overbake.

(Makes two dozen)

***

#5 Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies:

3 1/2 cups flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 sticks melted and cooled butter

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 tbsp. vanilla

2 cups chocolate disks

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat butter and sugars until fluffy.

Add eggs, and egg yolks. Combine after each addition, but do not

over mix. Add vanilla. Combine all dry ingredients until combined and 

add dry to wet mix and mix well. Add in chocolate disks by hand.

Bake about 10 minutes until edges are just golden in color.

And lastly, since we can all admit that we eat some of the cookie dough before it reaches the oven, here's a better version of cookie dough that won't have the potential to possibly make you sick.

Edible Cookie Dough:

1/2 cup melted butter, cooled

1 tsp. vanilla

2/3 cups water

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 1/2 cups (heat-treated flour)*

1-2 cups chocolate chips (depending on taste)

Combine melted butter, vanilla, water, and 

sugar until smooth. Add salt and flour to mix.

Mix thoroughly before adding chocolate chips.

Eat right away, or refrigerate for up to three

days. Try freezing into balls and dip in

melted chocolate.

*How to make heat-treated flour:

Heat by one cup at a time in microwave.

30 minutes at a time, stirring between,

Make sure the flour reaches 165-170 degrees

before removing. Or, place in oven at 300 degrees.

Spread evenly on a cookie sheet and bake for about

five minutes. Check the flour in several places

to make sure it has reached 165 degrees.