Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookies

I have been missing my "Tried it Out Thursday Posts",

 so I figured today was a good day to get back on track with a great recipe!!

I have a HUGE weakness for soft and chewy sugar cookies! I have tried several recipes in the past but none have quite got the chewy texture that I like.  When I saw this recipe over at Healthy Eating for Ordinary People I had to try it out.  My findings were THESE COOKIES ARE NOW MY FAVORITE!!  They are soft, chewy and very delicious.  In fact I had to give most of them to the neighbors otherwise I would of eaten the whole batch. 

Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookies
adapted from Healthy Eating for Ordinary People
1 1/2  cups sugar
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons butter, melted and still warm
1/3 cup oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar - colored or white

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray sheeting with cooking oil.

Put the 1½ cups of sugar and the cream cheese into a large bowl of an electric mixer. Pour the butter in and combine. Add in the oil and mix for a minute or so. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix for another minute or so. Add the flour, soda, baking powder and salt and mix for another minute or two until a soft dough forms.

Spread the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a separate shallow bowl.

Pinch off even pieces of dough, about 2 tablespoons each. (The original recipe suggests that you separate 24 pieces first to be sure they are all the same size.) Use your hands to roll the dough into balls. Roll each ball in the sugar to coat it. Space the balls evenly on the baking sheet, 12 per sheet. Use the bottom of a cup to flatten the dough balls slightly. Sprinkle the tops evenly with a bit more sugar. * I used my cookie scoop.

Bake until the edges are set and just beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. You want them light colored. Cool the cookies for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack and allowing to cool completely.

Usually when I make sugar cookies my family insist on having frosting on them. The frosting was not missed at all with these cookies!

YUM! 

Think I need to bake a batch today!!

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New Great Breakfasts From Pillsbury & A Giveaway!

Weekday mornings can feel like a balancing act. Between scrambling to get yourself ready and the kids dressed for school, it can be a challenge to fit in a good, hot breakfast that will set you up for a good day. Now Pillsbury is bringing your weekend favorites to the weekday breakfast table with new Pillsbury Grands!^® Biscuit Sandwiches

and Pillsbury Egg Scrambles™.

*Available in your grocer’s freezer, Pillsbury Grands! Biscuit Sandwiches and Pillsbury Egg Scrambles heat up in minutes in the microwave.

*Made with quality ingredients like fluffy real egg, tasty meat, cheese, Grands! Biscuits and Green Giant® vegetables, the new line of quick and delicious frozen breakfast dishes comes in six flavorful choices:

Sausage & Cheese Biscuit Sandwich

Bacon & Cheese Biscuit Sandwich

Ham & Veggies Biscuit Sandwich

Bacon & Veggies Egg Scrambles

Sausage Egg Scrambles

Sausage & Veggies Egg Scrambles

My family ate them up before I even got a chance to try them myeslf, but take it from them they were delicious!! Got to go back to the store for more!!  It is always a great feeling to send the kids out the door knowing that they had a good hot breakfast.  These are so perfect for my family's crazy mornings!!

Now thanks to Pillsbury one lucky reader will get the chance with this great gift pack:

3 coupons to purchase a free package of new Pillsbury Grands! Biscuit Sandwiches or Pillsbury Egg Scrambles

A Doughboy Keychain &

A Doughboy Beanie Doll

(Sorry for the lack of pictures..my son used the Doughboy as part of his box asking a girl to homecoming.

"Will you "Dough" to the dance with me?")

To enter: Be a follower of One Crazy Cookie and tell me:

How will new Pillsbury Frozen Grands! Biscuit Sandwiches and Pillsbury Egg Scrambles could help you start a great day?

Winner will be drawn by random number generator on October 6, 2011.

Have a great day!!

The VIP coupons, prize pack, information, and giveaway have been  provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark. All opinions are my own.

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Raw Butternut Squash Salad ♥

Today's salad recipe: It's one thing to eat raw tomatoes and cucumbers and zucchini. But winter squash? When grated small, winter squash is surprisingly tender. Pair it with a little fresh ginger and add some dried fruit for sweetness. This is a salad that will delight the eyes and the tastebuds! A small serving is "low carb" and even a larger serving adds up to only 1 Weight Watchers point (old points) or 2 Weight Watchers points (PointsPlus).

As sweet as vegetables can turn once they're cooked, especially when they're roasted slowly in a hot oven, every once in awhile, "raw" vegetables can really hit the spot.

I first made this salad last fall -- on the very day the recipe was published in the New York Times. I made no notes, I wrote no post, mostly because mid-November didn't strike me as the "right time" for a raw winter squash salad. But I did take a pretty picture and it kept popping up when perusing the photo files for the scores of "work in process" recipes, many which are too "meh" or too "something" to meet my high standards for both A Veggie Venture and Kitchen Parade.

But the first small winter squash are showing up both at the farmers market and the grocery store. They're especially perfect for this raw salad -- because the flesh is slightly more tender, the proportion of flesh:seeds&gunk is high. And just like the Butternut Squash Soup with Mango & Toasted Coconut, it strikes me as a great "transitional" salad, one that spans the season, when the weather is still warm and

And -- Canadians readers, are you there? This would be a great side salad for Canadian Thanksgiving coming up so quickly now, especially with dried cranberries instead of dried currants.
Keep Reading ->>>

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Stacks of Snacks

This is one of the recipes I made for the Honey Nut Cheerios party.  It was a HUGE hit and we had no leftovers.  It is simple and delicous!

Stacks of Snacks
from Cheerios
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 cups Honey Nut Cheerios
2 cups old fashioned oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Heat oven to  350 degrees. In a saucepan, heat brown sugar and butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth.  Remove from heat.
Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch pan.  Spread mixture in pan until even.
Bake 16-18 minutes or until edges are golden brown and firm.  Remove from oven.  Cool completely.
Cut and serve. 

YUM!! Watch out they are addicting!!

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Menu Plan Monday

For the last three years my brother and I have started a tradition of attending the last few baseball games of the season.  This year my parents came too.  We are so excited to have family here! Family and Baseball I am in HEAVEN!! So the menu for the first part of the week is hopefully simple and quick.

This Week's Menu
Monday: Tacos
Tuesday: BBQ Chicken Pizza
Wednesday: Beef Stronganoff
Thursday:White Chicken Chili
Friday: Beef Noodle Bowl
Saturday: Make & Take Sandwiches
Sunday: Roast

Have a great week!

Linked to: Menu Plan Monday

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Pasta Milano

If you are looking for a simple delicious Italian dish that rivals one that you can get at a restaurant this is your recipe!! I had not made it for some time and wow had forgotten how good it is! We had some people over for dinner and everyone had seconds, some had thirds!! Good thing I doubled the recipe.

Pasta Milano
12 oz uncooked bowtie (farfalle) pasta
Sauce
1 Tablespoon butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms (more or less)
1/4 cup diced onions
1 1/2 cups half & half
1 packet (1.6 oz.) Knorr Garlic Herb sauce mix
1 package bacon cooked crisp and broken into small pieces.
2 cups cooked and diced chicken breast.
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1 Tablespoon Parmesan Cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions.
While pasta is cooking: Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in a large skillet on medium heat.  Add mushrooms and onions. Saute 5 minutes or until tender.  Remove from pan.
Add half & half and sauce mix to the skillet.

Stir to blend.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce head and simmer 3 minutes or until thickened. 

Stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons butter, the mushroom/onion mixture, chicken, bacon, tomatoes, and parmesan cheese.  Cook stirring for 1 minute or until heated through. 
Drain pasta reserving 1/4 cup cooking water.  Return pasta to the pot; add the sauce and cooking water. Toss to mix.

Here's what the sauce mix looks like.  I found it at Winco.

This pasta was so DELICIOUS!!

YUM!!

Linked to:
Fat Camp Friday
Friday Favorites
Foodie Friday

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A Honey Nut Cheerios Party!!

As most of you know my son is a runner and he has specific routines he has to do before each race.  One of those things is he always eats Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast.  So when I was contacted  by General Mills about the opportunity to throw a Honey Nut Cheerios party I could not refuse.  Since Kody is captain of the cross country team we used it as a team bonding party!! The boys LOVED it!

It was quite the party! "The After Practice Team Snack."

The Hive Five!!

The Team Captains!

Loving the Honey Nut Cheerios.

I found out runners can eat lots of cereal..

and other goodies with Honey Nut Cheerios in them.

Check out the cute shirts!!

The boys had a great time and were so excited and gracious!

A HUGE thank you to General Mills for providing all the fixings for a awesome party!!

and Thanks to my good friend Liz for helping me out!!

                       We can't forget "BUZZ" (everyone loved him)

 and the little bees!!

They support their brothers' at each meet! Gotta fuel them up with Honey Nut Cheerios also!!

I must admit it was a GREAT PARTY!!
GOOD LUCK WRHS CROSS COUNTRY TEAM!! This is gonna be an awesome year!!

General Mills provided me with a party package.  No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own.

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Box Top$ for Education Giveaway

This school year, giving back to your school can be as easy as looking for the Red Spoon on your favorite Betty Crocker^® dessert mixes, the only brand in the baking aisle with Box Tops.

 Whether you’re collecting for new computers, library books, or a playground, through the Box Tops for Education^® program you can help make a difference. Last year, your contributions earned more than $59 million for America’s schools!

I had the opportunity to be the Box Top's for Education Coordinator for my kids' school for several years.  It was amazing to see how much just clipping the box tops helped the school out!!  So I am a huge supporter of this great program.

Now, you can find Box Tops for Education on all Betty Crocker baking mixes*, including new Fun da-middles™, individual cupcakes with a fun, creamy center. This back-to-school season, look for double Box Tops on specially marked packages of Betty Crocker baking mixes.

For great baking tips, recipe ideas and information on Betty Crocker products,

visit www.BettyCrocker.com

Now to get you started with your box top collection,

A great prize pack will be given to one lucky reader:

A Betty Crocker Mix

Cupcake iclips
Cupcake bag

Cupcake notepads

Box Tops for Education pencils

Neoprene Lunch Sack

This is a super great gift pack!

To enter be a follower of One Crazy Cookie and tell me which product with a box top is your favorite!

Winner will be chosen by random number generator on September 30, 2011.

The Betty Crocker products, information, and giveaway have been provided by Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark." All opinions are my own.

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Beet Salad with Sumac, Yogurt & Pita ♥

A quick beet salad turned appetizer when served with a garlicky yogurt sauce and fresh pita bread. For Weight Watchers, just three points (PointsPlus) or two points (Old Points).

So I set off to find another delicious way to use the sumac that makes a Fattoush (Traditional Middle Eastern Salad) so delicious. You see, I really want you to seek some out and the fact that I just might be a tiny bit smitten to sumac's earthy sourness, well, that might not be enough so, well, will another temptation help? :-)

But what I accidentally happened onto was another contribution to a meze (also spelled mezze and pronounced [MEZ-ay]). It's a happy style of casual eating, a few dishes, full of flavor and texture and -- let's be truthful here -- lots of garlic. Just one meze-style dish we might call an 'appetizer' but with a handful of different dishes, that would be a meal. It's easy to imagine sitting cross-legged on Turkish rugs eating this stuff but in my world, the kitchen table does just fine. A picnic blanket outdoors some fine fall day? That would be heaven.
Keep Reading ->>>

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Suzie's German Chocolate Cake

When my son asked me to make a German Chocolate Cake for his birthday, I knew the perfect recipe to try and it was so delicious!! This recipe was sent to me by Suzie and I LOVED it!!  The whole family LOVED it!!

Suzie's German Chocolate Cake
1 (8 1/4 oz) white cake mix
5.9 oz. pkg, instant chocolate putdding mix
1 c. milk
1 c. water
3 egg whites
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into 2 greased and floured round cake pans. bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes Cool 10 minutes in pans and remove cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:
1 1/2c. evaporated milk
1 1/2c. sugar
4 egg yolks
2/3 c. butter
1/1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. flaked coconut
1 1/2 c. slivered almonds (or chopped pecans)
Combine milk, sugar, egg yolks and butter in a heavy saucepan; bring to a boil and cook over medium heat 12 minutes, stirring constantly. add vanilla, coconut and pecans; stir until frosting is cool and spreadable. frost cake.

Suzie's note: What i really love about this cake is the cake itself, it has no oil or butter in it and the egg whites make the consistency light and fluffy and unique! Really really really, yes, really DELISH cake!

I agree it is so YUMMY!!

Thanks Suzie for sharing it with me!!

PS. I Love when you send me recipes!!

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Menu Plan Monday

A HUGE THANKS to all of you for your sweet comments and for making the Blogiversary week so amazing!! Congratulations to  the winners chosen by random number generator.  :

Cookbook & Such: Debbi Does Dinner... Healthy & Low Calorie

Girard"s Dressing Pack: Happier Than A Pig In Mud

Yoplait's Lids to Save Lives Gift Pack: At Home with Michelle

There's one more day to enter the final Thank You Blogiversary giveaway.!

Monday: Beef & Potatoes
Tuesday:Sweet & Sour Meatballs
Wednesday: Lasagna
Thursday: Picnic Night
Friday: Skillet Ham & Cheese Pasta
Saturday: Sub Sandwiches
Sunday: Mexican Chicken Salads

Off an running this week, trying to keep up with my kids!!

Happy Eating!!

Linked to: Menu Plan Monday

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Strawberry/Rhubarb Jam

This jam is so delicious and so simple to make. A good friend brought it to us and my family fell in love!  It is my familys' favorite hands down!!  We have been out of it for about a year, so I was thrilled when a friend gave me some rhubarb off her plant. 

Strawberry/Rhubarb Jam
makes about 3 pints of jam (I usually double it if I can.)
5 cups chopped rhubarb
4 cups sugar
1 (3 oz.) package strawberry jello
Put the rhubarb and sugar in a large pot.  Let stand until the sugar is dissolved.  Stir once in awhile. (This takes a couple hours). 

Over medium high heat bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes.  Stirring constantly.

Take off heat ad stir in the stawberry jello.  Ladle into clean bottles.  Process in boiling water canner for 10 minutes. *Check the time for the altitude you live it.

Thanks Terri for an amazing recipe!!

Oh YUM!! I'm suddenly craving a PB& J sandwich!!

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Butternut Squash Soup with Mango & Toasted Coconut ♥

Today's soup recipe: A smooth almost custard-like soup, served chilled on warm days or warm on chilly days.

But first, it's "back to school" for a quick lesson about vegetables, specifically 'squash'. What's the difference between 'summer squash' and 'winter squash'?

Is it that one grows in summer and one grows in winter? Nope.
Is it that one's eaten in summer and one's eaten in winter? Nope, at least not in today's global food distribution system that delivers year-round availability of many of our staple fruits and vegetables.

This book you can read by its cover, for the difference between summer squash and winter squash is up-front and visible, right in the skins.

Summer squash have tender, edible skins. Think zucchini (called 'courgette' in many parts of the world) and yellow squash.
Winter squash have tough, inedible skins. Think butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash and even pumpkin.
Keep Reading ->>>

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Muddy Buddies~The Screaming Snack!!

Last Friday night I was craving something sweet, but needed it to be quick and simple.  Then I remembered this recipe that one of my son's friends introduced us to a few years ago.  DELICIOUS!! The great thing is my kids were outside playing when I made them.  My youngest came in and said, "Oh something smells good!" She wandered over to the counter saw the Muddy Buddies and started to scream with delight!! It was hilarious!! So now I call them "The Screaming Snack!!

Muddy Buddies
From Chex.com
9 cups corn chex (or other flavor)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Measure cereal into a large bowl and set aside.
In a microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on high for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave aabout 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth.  Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal and stir until evenly coated.  Add powdered sugar and mix until evenly coated or place mixture in a resealable bag and shake the powered sugar on the cereal.  Spread out on wax paper to cool.  Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

Next time I will make a double batch because they were gone in a flash!!

YUM!!

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