Pumpkin Cookies with Bourbon Icing

This makes a soft cookie.

Pumpkin Cookies

• 2 sticks butter
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 large can pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Cream butter and sugar together.
2. Add eggs and stir well.
3. Add pumpkin and stir.
4. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Stir well.
5. Add flour a little at time, stirring to mix well.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. On a cookie sheet lined with a silicone cookie sheet liner, drop dough onto the sheet, using a medium sized cookie dough scoop.
8. Bake 12-16 minutes.
9. Let cool one minute before removing from the sheet and place on rack to finish cooling.
10. Makes approximately 60 medium sized cookies.

Bourbon Frosting

• 2 sticks butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon bourbon
• 1 2lb. bag confectioner’s sugar

1. Cream butter and confectioner’s sugar.
2. Add vanilla and bourbon.
3. Stir until smooth.
4. Frost cookies when they are completely cooled.
5. Enjoy.

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Nancy's Tangy Ham Sandwiches

• 2 pretzel burger rolls (I find them at Cub Foods)
• 6 slices shaved ham
• 2 slices thin sliced Swiss cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic (the refrigerated kind in a jar)

1. Melt butter in microwave.
2. Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, brown sugar, and garlic. 
3. Mix well.
4. Slice the rolls horizontally.
5. Brush with the butter mixture.
6. Brush mixture on the insides of the rolls, making sure they are covered.
7. Add one slice cheese to one side of each roll.
8. Add three slices of ham to the other side of each roll.
9. Toast under the broiler until cheese is melted.
10. Assemble the sandwiches.
11. Serve and enjoy.

Garlic Buttered Baked Potatoes

Ingredients for each potato:

• 1 large baking potato
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic (I use the refrigerated kind in a jar)
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon shredded parmesan cheese

1. Melt butter. 
2. Add the garlic and cayenne pepper.
3. Cut ¼ inch slices across each potato, but not all the way through.
4. Place each potato on a individual sheet of aluminum foil.
5. Pour melted butter mixture in the crevices of the potato.  Sprinkle with half the parmesan cheese.
6. Wrap the potato, top side up in aluminum foil.  Place wrapped potato in a baking container as the butter could drip.
7. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 1 hour or until tender, testing with a fork.
8. Unwrap and plate.
9. Sprinkle the remaining shredded parmesan cheese across the top.
10. Serve and enjoy.

Nancy's Stuffed Peppers

• 1 cup brown rice (not the instant cook rice)
• 2 cups water 
• 1 lb. ground chuck
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic (from refrigerator jar)
• 1 large onion, chopped 
• 4 or 5 green bell peppers
• 2 cans condensed tomato soup
• ½ soup can water 

Bring rice to boil in the two cups water and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, so it does not stick.

Wash and top the green peppers, scooping the ribs and seeds out to discard.

Combine and mix well the ground chuck, cooked rice, salt, pepper, minced garlic, onion and one of the cans of condensed tomato soup. 

In a microwavable covered dish, stuff and place the peppers, open side up.

Mix ½ cup water with the other can of condensed tomato soup, and pour mixture over the tops of the peppers.

Cover the filled dish and microwave 30 minutes on power level 5.
Remove lid and baste the tops of the peppers with the soup mixture that has drained to the bottom of the dish.
Turn the dish, cover again, and microwave for 30 more minutes at power level 5.
Remove, let set for about 5 minutes and serve.

 

Sydney's Salted Caramel and Chocolate Shortbreads

This recipe was adapted from British concoction, Millionaire Shortbread, this is my granddaughter Sydney's improved version of it.  Shortbread, being very fragile, often crumbled when we made these in a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Using one of those silicone pans for baking filled mini-cupcakes we adapted the recipe to take advantage of this updated baking container. These finished delights reflect on the complex of layers of life—the salty caramel  paired with  the sweetness of the chocolate.  These cookies are required a bit work, but not overwhelmingly so and are so WORTH it!

Shopping list:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 pounds salted butter in sticks (2 packages, but you only use 6 of the sticks) 
• 1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt,
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla divided
• ¼  cup light corn syrup
• 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 2-12 ounce packages of milk chocolate chips
• Non-stick cooking spray

Shortbreads:

Bake in two batches as follows.  For each batch:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Spray the silicone filled mini-cupcake baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

To make batch of shortbread, measure the 2 cups flour, ½ cup of the brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon of the salt into the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until mixed.

Add 1 cup (two sticks) of the butter in chunks and pulse until roughly mixed.

Add ½ teaspoon of the vanilla.  Continue to process until the dough begins to for a ball.  Remove from the process and press evenly over cupcake cavities of the silicone baking pan.  Try to make them even.

Bake 20 minutes.  Turn baking pan so that it browns evenly.  Bake another 15 minutes.  Remove the container and let cool exactly 10 minutes.  

Place a cookie sheet over the pan of baked shortbreads.  Invert and press if necessary to make the cups release the shortbread.

Repeat this process for the second batch of shortbread.  Use a separate cookie sheet for the inversion step.

Caramel Layer:

This amount will fill all the cookies.  

Melt the remaining 1 cup butter (2 sticks) over low heat.  Stir in the remaining 1 cup of brown sugar, the corn syrup, and the condensed milk.  Raise heat to medium-low.  Bring to boil, stirring constantly for 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  With a measuring spoon, scoop 1 teaspoon into each of the cooled shortbreads.  Let cool 10 minutes.

Chocolate Layer:

Do this next step in two batches. 

Heat half a bag of milk chocolate chips. heat over low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Stir after every minute until the chips are all melted or microwave for one minute.  

Again with a measuring spoon, scoop 1 teaspoon over each shortbread with caramel piece.  This should do half of them.  Let cool.

Repeat with the second half bag of milk chocolate chips.  

Makes 40 Sydney's Salted Caramel and Chocolate Shortbreads.

Nancy's Simple Cheese Dip

• 8 oz. shredded Mexican Mix cheese
• ½  onion
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/3 cup lite mayonnaise 

1. Place all the ingredients in the blender.
2. Blend, stopping to stir to redistribute every 30 seconds.
3. Repeat this process for the next 4 minutes.
4. Scoop into a dish, cover, and refrigerate.
5. Chill for an hour.
6. Serve with crackers, chips, veggie crudités, or crunchy snacks  Enjoy.

Baked Vidalias with Morels

• 4 Vidalia onions
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 package dried morels (rehydrated)
• 2 oz. white chardonnay
• 4 tablespoons butter
• ½  teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 ounces water

1. Spray four pieces of aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Peel and wash the Vidalia onions.
3. Scoop a triangle from the top  to make a cavity for the morels.
4. Spray the onions with non-stick cooking spray.
5. Wrap each onion separately on one sheet of the cooking foil, shiny side touching the onion.
6. Bake in 450 degree onion for 35 minutes.
7. While baking the onions, make the morel mixture by sautéing the rehydrated morels in olive oil, stirring often. Towards the end of browning, the minced minced garlic (I used the kind  in a jar that is refrigerated).
8. When browned to your taste, add  two ounces white chardonnay and reduce, stirring frequently. 
9. When the wine has been reduced, add 4 tablespoons of butter to the mixture and stir until melted. 
10. Remove onions from the oven. 
11. Open the foil and brush the sugar water mixture on each onion. 
12. Place the onions, still on the foil, but not covered, on a pizza pan. 
13. Return to oven and start with browning for 10 minutes.  Check to see if you like the color, and return to oven if not quite brown enough suit you.  When the browning suits you, remove.
14. Divide the morel mixture that among the cavities of the four baked onions. 
15. Serve and enjoy!