Fluffy Sugar Cookies

Don't lie to me, now, who here hasn't devoured those sugary-soft fluffy cookies they sell at the grocery store? I know I have and my kids love them and ask for them every time I have to take them into the store. And, though I'll admit to totally eating my weight in them, I knew there had to be some way to make these at home with ingredients I could pronounce and make enough that I didn't feel as though I was losing money, or my fair share of cookies, every time they disappeared the same day I brought them home from the store. Having a large family often means cage matches to see who reigns supreme and gets the last cookie!

So, I set about trying 11ty billion "soft sugar cookie" recipes and, in some way or another, they all seemed to fall short of the mark, at least in my opinion. In all that research, one thing became very clear... A "sugar cookie" can be many things, but it is not consistently defined around this country. A lot of the recipes I found used shortening. I have a large issue cooking with that stuff, I really much prefer using butter and other fats.

So, in efforts to make a lightly textured cookie with an irresistible flavor, I put my smarts to work and came up with a recipe that beats out any pre-packaged cookie, hands down! And the best part? The recipe makes a LOT of cookies, so cage matches aren't required and I always have enough to share with anyone who drops by to visit.

Here is my method:

For the cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp salt
1 cup canola oil
2 tsp almond extract
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour


In your mixer, beat the butter on high until it's lightened in color and fluffy. Add in the powdered and granulated sugars, baking soda, cream of tartar and the salt and beat again until it's lightened in color and fluffy. Stream in the canola oil as the mixer is going. Then add in the eggs and the almond extract. Take a moment to scrape down the sides to make sure it's all one cohesive batter. Then gradually add in the flour a cup at a time until it's all combined. The dough will be pretty stiff. Cover and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

When it's chilled, preheat your oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment, scoop out dough balls in 2 tbs portions and roll them to make smooth. Press them flat with your fingers or a glass. I aim for about 1/3 inch thick and bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow them to sit on the cookie sheet for a minute or two before transferring them to a rack to cool. Keep the unused dough in the fridge in between baking.

For the frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt

Beat the butter and extracts together and gradually beat in the powdered sugar until it's light and fluffy. Spread on cooled cookies and decorate however you wish.

Note: When making these for a bake sale, I double the frosting recipe.

Mexican Chicken

This is a huge family favorite and I make it nearly every week. It's beyond simple, extremely versatile, and pleases every person in this house. So, in other words, this dish is full of win! We use it for all sorts of Mexican dishes, filling for enchiladas, quesadillas, tacos, but also as the base for chicken enchilada soup or white chicken chili. Talk about versatility! And, the added bonus is that we can get 3-4 meals out of one batch, so it's extremely economical.

The best part, though, about making this dish is that I don't have to babysit it while it cooks. Oh no, this beauty of a recipe cooks up in my crock pot. I chuck the ingredients, set it to low and off we go. By the time we make it back in the house, the air smells SO ridiculously divine. I take a quick minute to chuck the cooked chicken in my Kitchen Aide mixer with the paddle attachment and viola, perfectly cooked and shredded chicken for the masses!

This is my method:

4 chicken breasts, frozen
2 cans of tomato and chilis
2-3 Tbs of taco seasoning (about 1 packet, but I make my own and so should you!)
1 lime, juiced

Chuck it all, except the lime, into your crock pot, set it to low and walk away. In 6 hours, you'll have the best chicken EVER! You can shred it with two forks or chuck it in your mixer. Toss in the lime juice and mix to incorporate and use as you'd like.

Broccoli Sausage Pasta

We have a large family rife with big personalities and varying tastes. It can be very challenging to please them all, at times. Of our 4 children, one doesn't like rice, except plain sticky rice, one doesn't really like any veg except for carrots and broccoli, one refuses to eat any ground meat of any kind, and one is just a baby and likes to chuck his food to the floor. Usually, I try to make a conscious effort to include one component of each meal that I know everyone will like, which can be challenging. But, sometimes, it brings inspiration and I manage to sneak a 1 pot dish in front of my kids that they'll all eat to some degree... And that, in my book is a huge win!

Broccoli Sausage Pasta is something I came up with spur of the moment after we'd gotten home late from the store. The ground meat hater in the family hadn't been born just yet, so the 2 picky eaters we had at the time surprised the heck out of me by devouring the entire meal with out a single complaint and shocked me even more by asking me to make it again the following week. And thus, a family favorite was born! Even now, when my 5 year old tells me she hates ground meat, she will gladly eat the pasta and broccoli in this dish, which is good enough for me.

The dish is ridiculously simple. Bite size pieces of Italian sausage, broccoli, some garlic, olive oil all tossed together with adorably kid friendly bow tie pasta and topped with fresh parmesan cheese. You can NOT get this wrong, people! It's just not possible.

This is my method:

1 package sweet/mild/hot Italian sausage (if you use the kind in the casing, cut that off and rip into chunks)
1 box farfalle pasta
1 pound broccoli, cut into bite size spears
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Get a pot of water off to a rolling boil and cook your pasta to package directions. 1-2 minutes before you think the pasta is done, add the broccoli to the pot.

While the pasta is cooking, in a large pan, brown the sausage up until it's cooked through. Turn off the heat and add the garlic and the olive oil to the pan and let the residual heat saute the garlic while you go drain your pasta and broccoli.

Toss the cooked pasta and broccoli into your pan and toss it all together until it's well coated. Sprinkle with the Parm and serve hot.