My New Favorite Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In an electric mixer, cream butter and powdered sugar together. Add almond extract, vanilla and egg and mix well. Slowly add in baking powder and flour. When the dough is ready most of it should be sticking to the beater. If the dough is too sticky add up to 1/4 cup more flour.
Roll out on parchment paper or on a surface that has been sprinkled with powdered sugar. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick (or a little thicker if you like really thick, soft cookies, like we do) Cut in desired shapes then bake for 6-8 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees half way through baking time.

I tried out 2 new sugar cookie recipes this past weekend. This one was delicious and the other one was just ok. I found this recipe on this fun cookie decorating blog She has some really great cookie decorating ideas and tips. The original recipe calls for 2 tsp baking powder, but I found that my cookies got too puffy and didn't keep their shape very well when I used that much, so I cut it down to 1 tsp. Also she uses unsalted butter, which I never buy, so I used regular butter and just cut the salt out of the recipe. This dough is awesome, though. You don't need to refrigerate it prior to rolling it out and it's really easy to work with. These cookies taste so good, even without frosting, but I can imagine that they would be absolutely amazing with some cream cheese frosting piled on top of 'em.

Peppermint Patties

32oz powdered sugar
4 TBS butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 cup evaporated milk
24 oz chocolate chips
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Line 2 cookie sheets with wax paper and set aside.
Put butter, vanilla, peppermint extract and evaporated milk in an electric stand mixer. Slowly add in powdered sugar until the mixture is the consistency of play-doh. (You don't want the mixture to be dry and crumbly, if it is add a little more milk) Roll into 1-2 inch balls and flatten into patties. Place the patties on the lined cookie sheets and freeze for at least 30 minutes. While they're in the freezer, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. When the chocolate is all smooth, remove one tray of patties from the freezer and begin dipping them in the chocolate one by one. (I used a fork to lower them into the chocolate, a spoon to cover them with chocolate, then lifted them back out with the fork, scraped off the excess chocolate with the spoon and I used a butter knife to slide the patties off the fork and back onto the cookie sheet.) When one whole tray is done, place it in the refrigerator to set the chocolate. Then remove the second tray from the freezer and repeat the process. When they're all set up, place them in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator.

I love, Love, LOVE York peppermint patties! So, when I found this blog, I got excited and knew I had to give this recipe a try. They were pretty easy to make and definitely worth the effort!

Crescent Rolls

2 TBS active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
4 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup butter, softened (to spread on the dough before baking)
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Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water (110-115 degrees). Set aside and allow yeast to activate.
Heat butter and milk until butter is melted. Allow to cool.
Add sugar, salt, eggs and yeast mixture to the milk and butter.
In a stand mixer, combine the flour and the milk mixture. Mix until smooth and dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If mixture is too sticky, add up to 1 more cup of flour. The dough should be slightly sticky but workable.
Cover the mixing bowl and allow to rise until double in size. About 1 hour.
Divide dough into 2 equal pieces and form into balls.
On a floured surface, roll each ball of dough into about a 16" disk.
Using the back of a spoon, spread 1/2 cube of very soft butter all over each of the disks.
Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough like a pizza into 16 equal pieces from each disk. (You should have 32 triangles) Grab hold of both ends of the bottom of the triangle and gently stretch the dough and roll up to the point. Place each roll onto a cookie sheet, curving it into a crescent shape. (Make sure to tuck the point under the roll so it doesn't pop up and burn)
Allow to rise for about another hour.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes then brush the tops of the hot rolls with melted butter.

These crescent rolls have quickly become a favorite in our house. I attribute it to the fact that they contain butter, butter and more butter. Boy are they delicious! Skyler loves them so much that he'll try to grab them off the pan and eat them before they're even baked. He's done it twice now. And IF there are any left over that's what he wants for breakfast the next day. They are so soft and delicious! This recipe is easily halved, that's what I usually do unless we're having a big dinner party. On an average night16 rolls is plenty. Enjoy!!

Sugar Cookies

3 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 TBS milk
powdered sugar for rolling out cookies
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Preheat oven to 375

In an electric mixer cream butter and sugar until light in color. Add egg and milk. On a low speed, gradually add flour, baking powder and salt and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide dough in half, wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

for cut out cookies:
Sprinkle counter (where you will roll out the dough) with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time. Sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar and roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shape and place at least 1 inch apart on greased baking sheet.

for sliced cookies:
before refrigerating, roll dough into a log (similar to the cookie dough you buy in the refrigerator section of the grocery store) then slice dough with a sharp knife into1/4 inch slices and place 1 inch apart on greased baking sheet.

Bake for 7-9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet half way through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after baking before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve as is or try them with this cream cheese frosting....

1 cube cream cheese
1/2 pound of powdered sugar
2 tbs milk

combine all ingredients with an electric mixer, adding more milk or powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency.

.....Or you can try spreading some Nutella on them. Super Yummy!!!

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

1 large eggplant
1 can diced tomatoes
1 jar pasta sauce
2 cups bread crumbs
3 eggs
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup sliced mushrooms
8-10 basil leaves, chopped
2 TBSP olive oil
salt
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Preheat the oven to 350. Cut the eggplant crosswise in 1/4 inch slices. Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and let them sit for about 15 minutes, then rinse off the salt and pat dry with a paper towel. This will remove excess water and bitterness.
Beat the eggs in a bowl. Dip the eggplant slices in the egg mixture, wetting both sides. Dip the eggplant in the bread crumbs, thoroughly coating the surface. Lay the breaded slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes on each side or until the bread crumbs are beginning to brown.
Saute the garlic and mushrooms in olive oil. Add the diced tomatoes and pasta sauce and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and add the chopped basil leaves.
Remove the eggplant from the oven and assemble the casserole. Place a layer of eggplant in the bottom of a medium size baking dish. Cover the slices with a layer of sauce then a layer of cheese. Repeat layers until the baking dish is full, ending with a layer of sauce and sprinkle cheese on top. Cover and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until the cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

Not too long ago, Rich kept asking me to buy eggplant whenever we would go to the store. I had never eaten eggplant that I could recall and I certainly had never cooked it before. I had no idea what to do with it and I was a bit intimidated by it. I went ahead and bought one and when I came home I began searching for recipes using eggplant. Somewhere online (I don't remember where) I stumbled across this one. Typically eggplant parmesan is fried and I liked that this was a healthier baked option. The first time I made it, it was a huge hit even with my picky 2 year old who doesn't like to eat his veggies. He cleaned his plate and had seconds, crazy. I thought it must have been a fluke but when we had it for left overs a few nights later he scarfed it down again. I did tweak the recipe a little bit to fit our tastes. We love mushrooms in everything so I added those and the fresh basil, both of which are absolutely delicious in this dish. I am now an eggplant lover! This is a really yummy recipe that tastes just as good left over as it does fresh.

No Bake Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake

Lemon Cheesecake Filling:
3 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
16 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2/3 cup whipping cream

Raspberry Mousse:
3 TBS cold water
1 cup raspberry puree
3 TBS sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup whipping cream, soft peaks

Raspberry Gelee:
3 TBS cold water
1 1/2 cups raspberry puree
6 TBS sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
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I adapted this recipe from the one I found on the Barbara Bakes Blog
Her's looked so unbelievably delicious I just had to give it a try! I'm always up for a delicious new cheesecake recipe and the fact that this was a no bake recipe, which required no eggs, was a double bonus for me. I have a nephew with an egg allergy and the poor kid always gets left out when we have cheesecake. I've been looking for a recipe that he can eat for quite some time now. The crust in the original recipe looked a bit more difficult and time consuming than I was willing to do, and it called for eggs, so I substituted a coconut crust and it was really good! I think an Oreo crust or a Nilla Wafer crust would also work well with this recipe.

Lemon cheesecake filling:
Put the lemon juice in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let it stand until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave the mixture until it is bubbling around the edges and the gelatin dissolves, about 20 seconds. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and salt until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the whipping cream and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the gelatin mixture. Beat until the mixture is smooth and airy, about 3 minutes.
Pour the filling into the prepared crust and smooth the top. Refrigerate the cheesecake until set, about 1 hour.

Raspberry Mousse:
Put the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let it stand until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave the mixture until it is bubbling around the edges and the gelatin dissolves, about 20 seconds. Add the gelatin to the raspberry puree.
Fold the whipped cream into the puree. Pour the mousse on top of the cheesecake layer and let it set in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Raspberry Gelee:
Put the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let it stand until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave the mixture until it is bubbling around the edges and the gelatin dissolves, about 20 seconds. Add the gelatin to the raspberry puree. Pour the gelee on top of the raspberry mousse and let it set several hours in the refrigerator before serving. If you're feeling really fancy you can melt some white chocolate and drizzle it on top once the gelee is set.

I think this dessert turned out really well. If I was really craving cheesecake it would not satisfy my desire but I think it's the perfect summertime dessert. It's very light and delicious!

Coconut Crust

7 oz shredded coconut
1/2 cube melted butter
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Combine butter and coconut and press in the bottom of pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

This coconut crust is super easy and very delicious! There are many ways to use it. Today I made this as the crust for a lemon raspberry cheesecake instead of the normal graham cracker crust. You could also make up a box of instant coconut pudding and you have a very quick and easy coconut cream pie.