Thumbprint Cookies

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 small egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt


sprinkles (I prefer the longer skinny ones to the hard little balls)
chocolate icing

Mix the first group of ingredients together. Roll into small balls and then roll in sprinkles. Place on cookie sheet and use a finger or thumb to press down the center of each dough ball about halfway. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Make chocolate icing and put a Hershey's kiss sized dollop of icing in the center of each cookie! Store in a sealed container.

Homemade Oreos

1 devil's food cake mix
1/2 cup shortening (don't use less, but a tbsp. or 2 extra won't hurt, especially if the dough seems dry- it varies slightly depending on the cake mix)
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients together. Roll the dough into dime-sized balls and place onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 35o degrees for 8 minutes. Cool cookies.

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz. cream cheese
2 tbsp. of butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2-3 cups powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Frost the backs of the cookies and place two cookies together.

Teresa's Fast and Easy Cheesecake

1 can sweetened, condensed milk
12 oz. cool whip
1/4 cup lemon juice

Mix ingredients together and pour over a graham cracker crust in a 9x13 pan. Chill 2-3 hours before serving. Top with your favorite topping.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I hope she doesn't mind my sharing, because my neighbor Leslie gave me the best recipe for chocolate zucchini bread!

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup oil
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda

Beat eggs. Add sugar, oil, and cocoa. Blend in zucchini. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Fill 2 bread pans 2/3 full. Bake at 375 degress for 50-60 minutes.

The Best Pie Crust

Everyone has their favorite pie crust recipe. This is mine. I got it from my Mom and I've been using it successfully for a very long time! I like that it turns out nice and flaky.

Oil Pie Crust

8-9 Inch Pan
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup oil
2-3 Tbsp. cold water

10 Inch Pan
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup oil
3-4 Tbsp. cold water

Combine flour and salt. Add oil and mix well. Start by adding the minimum amount of cold water and very gradually add more water until desired consistency is reached. You don't want it dry, but too much water turns the crust tough and chewy. Roll and put in pie pan.

Mom's Sugar Cookies

In my opinion, this is the best sugar cookie recipe ever. Just don't forget the cream of tartar- they're never as good without it!

3 cups flour
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Sift together flour, cream of tartar, soda, and salt. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, and vanilla and mix well. Now add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix well. Roll out to about 1/4 an inch thickness (I like them on the thick side) and cut with cookie cutters. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Cool and frost with your favorite icing.

Chicken in Lemon Sauce

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law and every time I make it for someone new, I end up giving them recipe too. It only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish and tastes delicious!

1/4 c. margarine (I use as little as possible)
4-5 chicken breasts, split
1 lemon (I use bottled lemon juice if I don't have a lemon on hand)
2 tbsp. chicken broth
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 pint of cream
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup sliced mushrooms

1. Melt margarine in a skillet, add chicken, cook 10 min or until brown.
2. Put chicken in oven safe pan.
3. Drain drippings from skillet.
4. Grate 1/2 tsp of lemon peel, squeeze out 2 tbsp. of lemon juice, and add to skillet.
5. Cook 1 min., then add salt and pepper
6. Gradually add cream, stirring constantly- simmer until hot.
7. Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with mushrooms and cheese. Broil 6 min.
(I usually just put in lower temp. oven while I finish the rest of dinner)

Fast and Easy Breadsticks

We love bread at my house. Which is why this recipe became an instant hit. These breadsticks take about 25 minutes total to make and can quickly be thrown together and eaten alongside just about any meal! The recipe is originally called Baking Powder Breadsticks- I found it on a blog, I just can't remember which one! And don't worry, the finished product does not taste like baking powder biscuits.

1/4 cup melted butter (I use Pam spray with butter instead)
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup milk

Mix together all the dry ingredients, then add milk. Knead then roll out into an 8x8 square. Cut into 1/2 inch strips and dip in butter. Place in an 8x8 pan and bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

I sometimes like to sprinkle mine with Salad Supreme before baking!

Zucchini Chicken

I found this recipe on Recipezaar's website. We've had it a few times and it's delicious!

I medium onion, sliced
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms (optional)
2 medium zucchini, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can of diced tomatoes (they say drained, but I didn't)
3/4 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 13x8 inch baking dish and place the sliced onions on the bottom. Place the chicken on top of the onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer mushrooms and zucchini over chicken. Combine garlic, tomatoes, basil and oregano, and pour over vegetables. Cover and bake for 30 minutes or until juices run clear in the chicken. Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan cheese!

Jam Filled Muffins

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes! Super easy and delicious too!

1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
jam of choice- I like apricot best

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease the the muffin tin (I love Pam with flour!) Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add oil, milk, and then the egg. Mix until moistened. The batter will be a little lumpy. Fill the bottom of each muffin tin with 1 or 2 tbsp. of batter. Place a tsp. or so of jam on top of the batter. It seems to work best if you can create a small crater for the jam to sit in. Then cover with remaining batter. You can top with streusel topping if you like- I always do! Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Struesel Topping
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2-3 tbsp. of butter or margarine
a dash of cinnamon

My Recipes!

Every once in a while I actually cook (something other than cookies) and sometimes people even like it and want the recipe. It's a miracle, really! I thought I'd try this blog as a way to share some of my favorite and tastiest recipes. I've been collecting delicious recipes off of other people's blogs for months now and I've found some really good stuff. And if nothing else, I'll always have easy access to my recipes as long as I have access to the internet!