M&M Christmas Cookies

These are pretty much chocolate chip cookies with red and green M&Ms instead of chocolate chips.
But… but I have the best chocolate chip cookie recipe and therefore here goes!

(I have no photos because I totally forgot to take any. Also, these cookies tend to disapear very quickly.)

Ingredients

1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
½ teaspoon salt
1 bag holiday red and green M&Ms


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
4. Dissolve baking soda in hot water.
5. Add to batter along with salt.
6. Stir in flour,
7. Add M&Ms.
8. Roll into small inch balls and place on greased cookie sheets
9. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.


These cookies are always a hit… and this recipe can be doubled very easily… just make sure you are using a bowl big enough for 6 cups of flour plus everything else.

Kay’s Joyful Sugar Cookies!

There is a bit of prep work to these.... but I find that it is worth it.

 Yes, you can buy the bag of sugar cookie mix that just needs water or oil or whatnot.... but I promise you that these taste better.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter softened (not melted)
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Dash of nutmeg
¼ cup milk
Red and Green Sprinkles!



Directions:

In large bowl beat softened butter with electric mixer on medium until mostly creamy.
Add sugar and blend.
Add vanilla and egg and blend until smooth

In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, and dash of nutmeg (I used 2 shakes)

Pour half flour mixture into butter mixture
Add milk
Stir in the rest of the flour mixture

Mix well, the dough will be thick and sticky.

Here’s where it gets fun.

Scoop out half the dough and place in the bowl you had used for the flour etc.


Pour green sprinkles into dough ball one and red sprinkles into dough ball two… mix each dough ball well (I use a spatula).

Once mixed separate each dough ball into two to three mounds or logs or clumps… whatever you want to call ‘em. Place these in foil lined baking pan (lasagna sized 9 by 13) or casserole dish.

Cover the dish with plastic wrap and pop in the fridge overnight.

The next day….

Roll each mound of dough into a small snake like log and then use a sharp knife to cut into , err slices. You may need to re-roll the dough and pat it down at the ends to make it the right shape.

I make small cookies because I like them tiny and crispy.

Bake on greased sheets for 8 minutes (longer if you have thick slices), cool for 4 minutes then transfer to wire rack.

If you make ‘em small like in the photos, you will end up with around 80 cookies.

Mother Milk Helper Cookies

I can't vouch if these "lactation" cookies actually do anything for milk production or supply... but it was fun to make cookies with my mom and they are delightfully yummy. I think they are probably healthier than "normal" cookies so, there you go.

Mother Milk Helper Cookies

* 1 cup butter
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 12 teaspoons water
* 6 teaspoons flax seed meal
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 cups white flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3 cups oats
* 1 cup chocolate chips
* 6 teaspoons brewer’s yeast

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Mix the flaxseed meal and water and let sit for 3-5 minutes.

3. Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar well.
4. Add eggs and mix well.

5. Add flaxseed mix and vanilla, beat well.

6. Sift together flour, brewers yeast, baking soda, and salt.

7. Add dry ingredients to butter mix.
8. Stir in oats and chips.

9. Scoop onto baking sheet.

10. Bake for 12 minutes.

Note: the dough will look loose, but it is fine. They didn;t spread out all that much at all (used an ice cream scoop -about half- to make them.)

Did 12 on a sheet per bake and made at least 6 sheets... in other words, tons of cookies!

English Pasties

English Pasties

This recipe came from my pseudo sister in law Annie. I have, of course, slightly adapted it. (Specifically I took out the beef as eating beef tends to make me very very ill.)

 2-3 russet potatoes

2 carrots per potato

2 celery stalks

1 mushroom per potato

1 small onion

1 pound ground turkey meat

¼ teaspoon thyme

¼ teaspoon marjoram leaves

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon sage

Pie crust dough

Clean, slice, and boil the potatoes. (Place in pot with enough water to cover them and cook on high until an inserted fork slides out with ease.)

Chop carrots, celery, and mushrooms, and onion.

Steam the veggies, about 20 mins until carrots are not hard.

Cool the potatoes.

Cook meat: Brown 1 pound ground turkey meat. Add spices.

Take meat off heat, add cooled veggies and cooled potatoes.

Stir (mash) until thick and goop-ey

Roll out pie crust dough. Be careful to not knead it too much or it will get hard.

Cut dough into circles,4 inches across or slightly bigger. (We used a coffee can lid)

Place spoonful or so of mixture into dough, roll over and pinch the sides to make a little pasty packet

Cut four little vents in top of packets so air can vent.

Pop pasty packets into zippy bags and freaze.

Pre Heat Oven to 350 degrees.

Remove pasties from freezer, rub with butter. (I used tub margarine)

Place on greased cooking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes.

I didn't get a photo of when they came out of the oven because they got eaten so fast. Trust me, they were golden brown and crispy and delightful! 

Goes will with either brown gravy or scrambled eggs. (Probably not both)

My Maifan-San was unsure to start but soon was requesting these over and over again. This recipe made 22 pasties and there was a lot of left over filling to freeze as well. We started with four boxes of pie curst dough.

I am going to use the frozen fillings to make some more… going to try crescent roll dough and see if it works. I’ll keep you posted!

Simple Chicken Tenders

Simple Chicken Tenders

Ingredients

Canola oil cooking spray
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 egg whites
1 pound chicken tenders

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Set a wire rack on a foil-lined baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.
Place almonds, flour, paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a food processor; process until the almonds are finely chopped and the paprika is mixed throughout, about 1 minute. With the motor running, drizzle in oil; process until combined. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish.
Whisk egg whites in a second shallow dish. Add chicken tenders and turn to coat. Transfer each tender to the almond mixture; turn to coat evenly. (Discard any remaining egg white and almond mixture.) Place the tenders on the prepared rack and coat with cooking spray; turn and spray the other side.
Bake the chicken fingers until golden brown, crispy and no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.
Yield: 4 servings

I haven’t made this yet… because honestly it was billed as “Simple Chicken Fingers” and in my book anything with more than 10 ingrediants (including egg whites) isn’t “Simple” at all.
But I plan on attempting this (with possible variations) in the next week or so.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.