Sugar Cookies + Best Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
3-4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar, on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).

Add the eggs, vanilla and almond.  Beat until combined. Add the salt and 3 cups of flour; beat until you have a smooth dough. If the dough is sticky (meaning when you touch it and pull your fingers away the dough sticks to you), add more flour a tablespoon at a time until it comes together. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about one hour or until firm enough to roll.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.

Remove half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. (Keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter.)  Cut out desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to baking sheet.

Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking. Note: If you are not going to frost the baked cookies, you can sprinkle the unbaked cookies with sparkling sugar at this point.

Bake the cookies for about 9-11 minutes (depending on size) or until the edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.  

Frosting:

6 cups powdered sugar
¼-½ cup whole milk
¼ cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons almond extract
gel food coloring (in desired colors)

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using an electric mixer) combine sugar and ¼ cup milk.  Mix until smooth.  Add milk as need to create a smooth mixture, one tablespoon at a time.  Add corn syrup and almond extract.

Gingerbread Cake with Caramel Sauce

Preheat oven to 350.

Cake:9 TBS butter, softened
1/2 C sugar
1 C molasses
1 egg
2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C water

Caramel Sauce:
1 C brown sugar
1 TBS corn starch
1 C cold water
1/4 C butter, cubed
1 tsp vanilla






Whipped Cream

For the cake:
Grease a 9" round or square cake pan. (Springform would work as well)

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add molasses and egg. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl--add alternating with water.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick comes clean. Put on wire rack.

For the sauce:
Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Add water and bring to a boil for about two minutes, or until thickened. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. Drizzle over warm cake. Add a dollop of whipped cream.

Caramel Apple Pie

Ingredients

For the Caramel

• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

For the Pie

• 3 pounds baking apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt 

Topping

• Milk
• Sugar (for dusting) 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees with a rack in center and a large sheet of foil on rack below. Bring 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming, until sugar dissolves. Cook, swirling occasionally, until mixture is deep golden brown. Remove from heat. Stir in butter, then heavy cream (it will bubble up) and salt. You will have about 1 cup. Let cool while preparing pie.
2. In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, lemon juice, flour and salt. Add 3/4 cup cooled caramel, and toss to combine.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to a 13-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch pie dish. Pour filling into shell. Roll out pie crust for top.
4. Lay 8 strips across pie. Fold back every other strip, and lay a horizontal strip across the center of the pie. Unfold folded strips, then fold back remaining strips. Lay another horizontal strip across pie. Repeat folding and unfolding strips to weave a lattice pattern. Repeat on remaining side. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
5. Bake until crust is golden on bottom and juices are bubbling in center, 1 hour, 20 minutes to 1 hour, 30 minutes. If browning too quickly, tent top or edges with foil. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about 4 hours. Serve slices with vanilla ice cream drizzled with remaining caramel. 
   
   
   **Tip: Microwave apples prior to making pie as to make them softer

Spicy Sausage Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb smoked sausage
• 1.5 cups diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles, Mild
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 oz penne pasta
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

Directions:

1. Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheese is melted, spotty brown, and bubbly.

Beef and Garlic Noodles

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons butter
3 spring onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb beef, cut into THIN strips
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Udon Noodles
Edamame

PREPARATION
1. Melt butter over a medium-high heat in a wok, and fry spring onions and garlic until soft.

2. Add the beef and stir for another few minutes or until desired doneness. Then add the brown sugar and soy sauce and stir together until sugar is dissolved.

3. Throw in the noodles and toss together with the rest of the ingredients.

4. Take off the hob and serve.

5. Enjoy!

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Skillet

Ingredients 16 oz package frozen cheese tortellini 15 oz can Italian diced tomatoes (with garlic and olive oil) 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced 3/4 cup milk 3/4 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons flour 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions Prepare tortellini as directed on package. Meanwhile, combine diced tomatoes (undrained), garlic, spinach, salt, and pepper in a large skillet over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until mixture just begins to boil. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, heavy cream, and flour. Pour into the skillet along with the parmesan cheese. Cook until bubbling again, then reduce heat and simmer about 3 minutes until thick. Add cooked tortellini and stir to fully coat with sauce. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes to further thicken sauce.

Brown Sugar Oatmeal Coconut Chewies

Ingredients
1 cup butter, slightly softened
1 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut

Instructions
1.) Preheat oven to 350°. Cream together butter and sugars, until they are well-combined.
2.) Add one egg and mix until it’s fully incorporated. Then add the second egg, and the vanilla, and mix until everything is evenly incorporated.
3.) Add baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the wet mixture. Mix until well-distributed.
4.) Add about 1/2 your flour, and mix until the flour is JUST incorporated. Scrape down the sides of your bowl, and then add the second half of your flour, mixing until just incorporated. You don’t want to overmix here, or you’ll end up with tough cookies.
5.) Add oats and coconut, mixing until they’re (say it with me) JUST incorporated.
6.) Roll dough into balls, or use a cookie scoop to evenly portion out the dough (I have no idea what size the cookie scoop is that I use, in terms of ounces or tablespoons or anything – but it’s about 1.25″ across, and makes a cookie that’s about 2.5″ across). If you are rolling the dough by hand, you’ll want a ball that is a little over an inch in diameter, and this should give you about 6 dozen cookies.
7.) Place the dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat liner, leaving about 2″ between each cookie. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are veeeery lightly brown, but the center is still light in color and puffy. This will result in a very moist, very chewy cookie.
8.) Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack. Once they’re fully cooled, they can be stored in a ziploc bag or airtight container for up to a week.

Honey Buttermilk Bread

Ingredients

• 1 envelope yeast (I usually use 1 tablespoon because I buy in bulk.)
• Pinch of powdered ginger
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup warm water (105F)
• 2 cups warm buttermilk (105F)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 cups white bread flour, divided use
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled so that it is warm to the touch but not hot.

Instructions

1. In a medium sized bowl mix the yeast, ginger, sugar, and warm water.
2. Set aside for 5 minutes or until foamy.
3. Whisk the buttermilk, honey, salt, and baking soda together and add it to the yeast mixture.
4. Add three cups of flour and mix until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes on low of a stand mixer.
5. Pour in the butter until it is totally mixed into the batter.
6. Add the rest of the flour, one cup at a time, keeping mixer on low speed.
7. When dough pulls from the sides of the bowl remove it from the mixer to a lightly floured surface. Knead until elastic and smooth.
8. You can also knead in your mixer according to manufacturer's directions.
9. Place in greased bowl, turn to grease the top, and cover with a clean tea towel.
10. Allow the dough to rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until double.
11. Punch down and form into two loaves. Place in greased loaf pans and grease tops.
12. Cover, and allow to rise for 45 minutes, or until it is just about the tops of the bread pans.
13. Preheat oven to 400F.
14. Bake for 30 minutes. You can cover the tops with foil if they brown too fast.
15. Remove loaves from oven and brush with melted butter.
16. Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes.
17. Gently run a knife around the edge between the bread and the pan to loosen it.
18. Turn out and cool completely on a rack.
19. Cover the loaves if you want soft crusts.

Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake

Ingredients

• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 3.4 ounce box instant lemon pudding mix
• 1 cup plain or vanilla greek yogurt (may sub sour cream)
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Glaze

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice*
• 3-4 tablespoons milk, or as needed*
• optional: sprinkles

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Heavily grease a bundt pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl whisk together cake mix and pudding mix. Add sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs, and warm water and mix until all ingredients are incorporated. Stir in poppy seeds.
3. Pour cake batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 40-50 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool 30-45 minutes before inverting cake onto a cooling rack.
4. For the glaze, mix together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk (start with 3 tablespoons and add more as needed until glaze is pourable). Drizzle glaze over cooled cake. Top with sprinkles if desired. Store covered at room temperature.

Notes

*I also love to use an almond glaze for this cake instead of lemon. Skip the lemon juice and add 1¼ teaspoons almond extract. Add just enough milk for the glaze to be pourable.

Prep time does not involve cooling time for cake.

 

Hawaiian-BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Pinapple and Grilled Onions

Ingredients:
2 split chicken breasts (about 1 ½ -2 lbs), bone-in and skin on
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
¼ teaspoon onion powder
2 Maui (or other sweet) onions, 1 finely diced and 1 thinly sliced, divided use
2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup all-natural (100%) pineapple juice
1 teaspoon chicken base (I use “Better Than Bouillon” reduced sodium)
¼ cup ketchup
1 cup smoky BBQ sauce
1 tablespoon honey
4 ¼ – ½” thick slices of fresh pineapple, center core removed
4 Hawaiian sandwich buns, toasted
• Mayo to taste

Preparation:
-Season the split chicken breasts with a little drizzle of olive oil, a couple of pinches of salt and black pepper, and the onion powder; place a large, heavy bottom (preferably non-stick) pan or shallow braising pot over medium-high heat, and add a couple of drizzles of olive to it; once the oil is hot, place the chicken breasts skin-side down into the pot, and allow them to sear for about 3 minutes until golden; flip the chicken over onto the bone side, and allow them to sear for another 3 minutes; remove the chicken breasts from pan, and set aside on plate for a moment.

-Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add another small drizzle of oil into the pan, if needed; add in the finely diced onion, and stir to soften and caramelize in the oil for about 1-2 minutes; next, add in the garlic, stir, and once that becomes aromatic, add in the tomato paste, and stir to combine; after a moment or two of cooking the tomato paste, add in the pineapple juice and stir to scrape up any of the brown bits from the bottom, and allow the mixture to gently simmer for a moment or two, just until combined and slightly thickened; next, add in the chicken base, the ketchup, the BBQ sauce and the honey, then stir. Now add the two chicken breasts back into the pot, skin-side down; reduce the heat to low, cover, and allow the chicken to very gently simmer in the sauce for about 20-22 minutes; after that time, turn the chicken over onto the bone-side, and allow it to simmer for another 10 minutes; turn the heat off, and remove the chicken from the pan, and place it onto a plate to cool slightly, just enough for it to be handled; once slightly cooled, remove and discard the skin and the bones, and pull the chicken meat apart into chunky shreds (you can also use a fork); add the shredded meat back into the sauce in the pan and stir in the sauce to coat; cover to keep warm, and set aside.

-To grill your pineapple and onions, place a grill pan over medium-heat, and add in a drizzle or two of oil; once the pan is hot, add the slices of pineapple and grill each side for about 2 minutes, or until golden and lightly caramelized; remove the pineapple and set aside; next, add another drizzle of olive oil to the grill pan, and add in the sliced onion along with a pinch of salt and pepper, and allow it to grill/caramelize for about 8-10 minutes, or until softened and golden-brown; remove and set aside next to the pineapple; cover to keep warm, if necessary.

-To assemble the sandwiches, spread some of the mayo onto each half of the toasted Hawaiian sandwich bun; to the bottom bun, add a slice of the grilled pineapple, then top that with a layer of the caramelized onion, and finish with a helping of the pulled chicken with BBQ sauce, covering with the top bun; enjoy with Maui onion-flavored and kettle-cooked potato chips, slaw, salad or fresh fruit.

Summer Corn Chowder

Ingredients

• 8 ears fresh sweet yellow corn, husked and silks removed and kernels cut from cob
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 5 slices bacon, cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 medium yellow onion chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 5 cups water
• 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 - 3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
• Shredded cheddar cheese, for serving (optional)
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Directions

• Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until onion has softened and just starting to brown around edges, about 8 - 10 minutes. Add in the flour and garlic and cook 1 1/2 minutes. While whisking, slowly pour in 5 cups water. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, then stir in corn kernels and potatoes. Add in thyme and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a light boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Remove bay leave then transfer 2 1/2 cups of the chowder to a blender and blend until smooth. Stir the mixture back into the pot then stir in half and half and honey. Sprinkle each serving with chives and optional cheddar.

Corn Bread

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, yolks and whites separated
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• ¾ cup butter, melted {I use salted}
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a medium-size bowl, combine egg yolks, milk, vanilla, and melted butter and stir.
3. Add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir until fully combined, but do not over mix.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold them into the batter.
5. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 inch pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.