Swig Sugar Cookies

Wet ingredients:
2 sticks (salted) butter (1 cup), room temperature
¾ cup vegetable oil
1¼ cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

Dry Ingredients
6 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cream of tarter


For the Icing:
1 stick (salted) butter, room temperature
⅓ cup sour cream
¼ teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons milk
4 cups powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla
1 – 2 drops red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl with a metal whisk, mix together flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tarter. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together the butter and sugars for 2 minutes. Slowly stream in the oil while beating. Add the water and vanilla and then beat the eggs in one at a time until combined. Now add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time, mixing until combined (scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed).

Using a 1½inch ice cream scoop, scoop out the cookie dough into uniform sized scoops onto a parchment lined baking sheet pan. 12 cookies per pan. With this size of ice cream scoop, you can get about 40 to 48 cookies from this recipe.

Place 2 tablespoons sugar in a small dish with a pinch of salt, use more if needed. Take a drinking glass or something about 2 inches in diameter. Dip it into the sugar and press the glass into the cookie dough scoops to form a jagged edge around the cookie. The dough will spill past the edge of the glass. You might need to use your fingers to press pieces of the dough back into the cookie. Repeat this process of dipping the glass into the sugar and pressing it into each scoop of sugar cookie dough.

Bake the cookies for only 8 minutes. Don't over bake. Let them cool right on the pan

For the Icing:
Cream the butter, sour cream, and salt together. Add powdered sugar a little at a time, alternating with adding the milk. Add extra milk or powdered sugar if needed to reach your desired consistency. Add food coloring and vanilla and mix until combined. Using a rubber spatular add a big dollop of icing onto each cookie. With the backside of a spoon, spread the icing over the center circle of the cookie. Let the icing dry and set to the touch and then store in an air-tight container in the fridge. I used a 9×13 glass pyrex dish with plastic wrap over the top and parchment sheets between the stacked cookies, and it worked great.These cookies are served chilled because of the sour cream in the pink frosting.

(Source: http://www.nobiggie.net/swig-sugar-cookie-recipe/)

One Skillet Mexican Rice Casserole

1 pound lean ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
2 teaspoons New Mexico chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes with garlic
1 (15.25 ounce) can niblet corn, rinsed and drained (or 1 cup frozen corn)
1 (4 ounce) can fire roasted diced jalapenos
1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups water
8 ounces Colby jack cheese, shredded
optional garnish: fresh cilantro, chopped

Warm a large (10") skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until beef is cooked through. Drain excess drippings if necessary (I had very little drippings and did not have to drain). Add spices (chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper) to beef. Stir to combine.

Add black beans, tomatoes, corn, jalapenos and rice to skillet. Stir to combine. Add water. Stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil. Once mixture is boiling, stir well making sure there are no bits stuck to the bottom. Reduce to simmer.

Cook 15 minutes or until rice is cooked through, remove cover half way through, stir well unsticking any stuck bits on the bottom of the pan.

Remove from heat, sprinkle with cheese. Place skillet under broiler until cheese is completely melted, about 2 minutes.

(Source: http://www.theslowroasteditalian.com/2016/02/one-skillet-mexican-rice-casserole-recipe.html)

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Shells

8 oz pasta shells
12 oz broccoli florets
1 pound chicken breast, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (extra sharp would be even better)
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
In a large pot bring water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook according to package directions. Add the broccoli to the boiling water the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain and set aside.

In the same pot, add the butter and melt over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about a minute to create a roux. Slowly whisk in the milk and cheese and bring to a boil over medium high heat until it starts to thicken.

Add in pasta shells, broccoli, and chicken and toss to coat in the sauce. Serve immediately.

(Source: http://therecipecritic.com/2016/02/cheesy-chicken-broccoli-shells/)

Cinnamon Rolls w/Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 -ounce package yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup scalded milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour - half all-purpose, half cake flour


FILLING
1/2 cup melted butter, plus more for pan
3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins, walnuts, or pecans, optional


Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, shortening, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour (1/2 all purpose, 1/2 cake flour) and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle.

Mix melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon together. Spread melted butter mixture over dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.

Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

(Source (adapted slightly): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/cinnamon-rolls-recipe.html)


FROSTING:

1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat softened butter and cream cheese until well blended.
Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy. Spread over cinnamon rolls.

Oatmeal Bars

3/4 Cup(s) firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 Cup(s) granulated sugar
One 8-ounce container vanilla or plain low-fat yogurt
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 tsp Skim Milk
2 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 Cups oatmeal
1 Cup diced dried mixed fruit, raisins, or dried cranberries

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, combine sugars, yogurt, egg whites, oil, milk, and vanilla; mix well. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well. Add to yogurt mixture; mix well. Stir in oats and fruit. Spread dough onto bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into bars. Store tightly covered.

(Source: http://www.quakeroats.com/cooking-and-recipe/low-fat-chewy-fruitoatmeal-bars)