What. The. Hell.

So I put a lid on the dry ingredients and put them away. Tonight I brought them back out, and with the exception of using 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of almond extract in place of what the doubled recipe calls for (two teaspoons of vanilla extract, I believe), I made everything to the letter. And damn, they are quite delicious! They’re fluffy yet firm, crisp yet oh-so-soft, and the best part? THEY DON’T STICK TO MY WAFFLE MAKER. I’ve had recipes where I’d spray down the waffle maker after each and every single waffle and the bastards would still stick and crumble and break apart. These fall out perfectly formed, totally dense goodness. Nom nom nom.

Here’s the recipe!

• 2/3 cup of butter (for the record, 2/3 cup of butter is approximately 10 tbsp + 2 tsp of butter; or 1 stick of butter + 1/3 of another stick of butter)
• 2/3 cup of shortening
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2.5 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine butter, shortening and sugar, then cream together. Add in eggs and vanilla extract, mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Then add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, mix until dough is consistent. Make tablespoon-sized balls on a cookie sheet, lightly flatten along the top to make sprinkles stick more readily. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to rest on cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks.

These sugar cookies come out thick, fluffy and soft! I recommend storing them in a container with a lid in order to keep them fresher longer.

• two large boneless and skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth
• 1 cup of cream of celery soup
• seasonings: scampi, garlic powder, paprika

I turned the crockpot up to high and added the chicken broth. Then I thawed the chicken breasts, rubbed them down with the scampi, sprinkled them with garlic powder and paprika, then laid them in the crockpot. I then added the cream of celery soup, making sure to mix some of it with the chicken broth that is surrounding the chicken breasts. Finally, I sprinkled a little more scampi, garlic powder and paprika on top.

I know it’s nothing glamorous, but it smells and looks delicious, and hopefully it’ll taste delicious when laid over some rice and accessorized by a vegetable this evening.

To Die For Chocolate Cake

• 1 box of Devil’s Food Cake mix
• 1 3.9 oz package of chocolate fudge pudding
• 2 cups (16 oz. container) low-fat sour cream
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine everything but the mini chocolate chips and mix well (dough will be thick). Stir in chips. Bake for 50-60 minutes in a greased bundt pan. Once cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with melted icing or glaze.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 tbsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. onion power
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. powdered oregano (tip: mash up the leaves in a Ziploc bag if need be!)
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1.5 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. sugar (yes, sugar)
• 1 tsp. salt (I skipped this one, but my mom recommended it)

Combine with 3/4 cup of hot water, then stir into your ground beef and simmer away as usual. This recipe makes enough seasoning for approximately one pound of drained ground beef.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs. chicken breasts, fresh or thawed
• 2 cups uncooked rice (regular, not instant!)
• 1/2 cup peas*
• 1/2 cup crinkle carrots*
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 can water
• 1 cup (or so) of bread crumbs
• Seasonings: salt, pepper, paprika

*My husband hates vegetables, so I try not to overload one-dish meals with them.

Pre-heat your oven to 350°.

Combine cream of celery, cream of chicken, chicken broth and water in a 13 x 9 baking dish.
Mix in the rice.
Add peas and carrots.
Sprinkle about 3/4 cup of bread crumbs on top of the soup/water/rice/vegetable mixture.
Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture.
Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper, paprika, then sprinkle with remaining bread crumbs (use more or less according to your preferences).

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes to an hour (length of time depends on the thickness of chicken breasts. Here in the boonies, the grocery stores cut them THICK, so it takes a while for slab meat to cook all the way through!).

Remove foil, then bake for an additional 10-15 minutes for browning.

Serve with biscuits or rolls.

Enjoy!

Simply melt half of a stick of butter, toss in 1.5 tablespoons of garlic powder and a tablespoon of parsley, mix it all up and use a pasty brush to paint the liquid Italian goodness on your bread. You can apply it to untoasted bread or raw biscuits, then toss in an oven heated to 400° for a few minutes to brown. Add a finishing coat, and they’re ready to be served!

Ingredients:

• 1 can of beef broth
• 1 can of garden vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
• 1 lb. beef chunks
• 6-8 small red-skinned potatoes, cut into chunks (I leave the skins on for extra flavor and nutrients, but feel free to peel them!)
• 2 stalks of celery, sliced
• 1 cup of chunked or shredded carrots
• salt, pepper, thyme

Basically, combine all of your ingredients in your slow cooker! Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Then reduce heat to low, remove 2 cups of the liquid broth and mix in a bit of flour (I’d say half of a cup or so) to thicken it up. Slowly mix that thickened mixture into the remaining liquid of the slow cooker. Continue cooking on low for an additional half an hour. Serve with warm biscuits or rolls!

So, here’s my spiffy little chicken casserole ingredients:

• 1 32 oz. can of cream of chicken condensed soup
• Half of a can of water
• 8 oz. of spiral pasta
• 3-4 chicken breasts, uncooked
• 2 cups of vegetables — your choice
• bread crumbs
• seasonings: salt, pepper, paprika, and a teensy bit of montreal chicken seasoning

Mix soup, half of a can of water and a bit of montreal chicken seasoning together in a baking dish (I use an 11″ x 7″). Boil pasta to the point where it’s not quite done, then add to the soup & water mixture. Toss in vegetables, then sprinkle the surface with bread crumbs. Lay chicken breasts on top, then sprinkle with seasonings. Cover with foil and bake at 375° for an hour. Remove foil, then bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Ta-dah! A simple, delicious and decently nutritious meal is ready. Enjoy!

Get yourself several potatoes. Peel them, and slice them into chunks. Place into a large bowl.
Get together however many chicken breasts you think you’ll need to feed your family (for us, a family of four with a husband and son with very hearty appetites, four chicken breasts, or roughly 2.5 lbs. worth of meat, is plenty to feed everyone AND provide leftovers for the next day), and place them in a bowl or other container with sides higher than that of the chicken breasts.

Now, whip up a marinade. I recommend a half/half blend of white and/or apple cider vinegar and Italian or Hearty Italian salad dressing. Use enough so that your chicken and potatoes will be completely immersed. Throw in one or two marinade packets – I recommend grill seasonings or chicken or beef herb, but go with whatever you enjoy.

Now! Go after some spices and seasonings with gusto. We use garlic salt, Montreal Chicken seasoning, and salt and pepper.

Finally, make sure that when your marinade concoction is complete, your chicken and potatoes are completely submerged into the mix.

Place both chicken and potatoes in fridge for at least six hours. But the longer, the better. In the past we have left our meat and potatoes soaking for up to 48 hours (obviously you’ll need to buy fresh chicken breast so there’s no risk of expired meat!).

When you’re ready to make your meal, gather up several chunks of potatoes and place them on a piece of aluminum foil that is large enough for the sides to come up and wrap around and cover the potato chunks. Add melted butter to the potatoes for an extra delicious touch.

When it’s time to cook, cook in a broiler or on a grill.