What's Cooking

Sugar and Spice Cookies

2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup butter or margarine
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Topping
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
Combine and set aside.

Heat oven to 350. Combine sugars, butter, vanilla and eggs. Beat well. Add dry ingredients and stir until blended. Shape dough into walnut sized balls and roll in topping. Place on cookie sheets and flatten with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 9 minutes and cool. Makes 3 dozen.

What's Cooking

Southwestern Chicken Soup

1 med. onion chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup uncooked white rice
1 16 oz can Great Northern beans rinsed and drained
1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes with juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
1 whole boneless skinless chicken breast (about 3/4 lb) poached and shredded
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
1 med tomato chopped
1 small avocado peeled and diced
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Cook onion and garlic in a large saute pan with a little canola oil for about 3 min. Add broth, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Bring to boil and simmer for 15 min. Stir in chicken, cilantro, salt and pepper and heat thoroughly (5-10 min.) Remove from heat and stir in tomato, avocado, and lime juice. If soup is too thick, add a little water. Serves 4

I like to serve this yummy soup with cheese quesadillas. I make mine with flour tortillas, cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, chopped green onion, diced green chiles, salsa and sour cream. Quick and delicious!

What's Cooking

Cinnamon Breakfast Puffs

2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or margarine melted

Heat oven to 350. Combine first 5 ingredients. In a separate bowl mix egg, milk and 1/2 cup melted butter. Add to flour mixture and stir lightly. Pour batter into 12 greased muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Dip tops of warm muffins into melted butter and then coat with cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve warm.

This was a Sunday morning favorite in our house when I was a girl.

What's Cooking

Fiesta Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 4oz can diced green chiles drained
4 slices bacon
2 green onions chopped
1 avocado diced
1/2 cup sour cream

Heat oven to 350. Lightly pound breasts to ensure even cooking. Lay breasts in a baking pan and loosely cover with foil. Bake 20 min. or until cooked through. Drain any liquid from pan. Mix cheese and chiles together in a bowl. Cook bacon and crumble. Top each breast with 1/4 of the cheese mixture, patting to hold in place. Sprinkle breasts evenly with bacon and green onion. Return chicken to oven and bake uncovered for approx. five minutes or until cheese melts. Top with avocado and sour cream. Serves 4.

This recipe is a favorite in our house. Super yummy!

What's Cooking

Easy Mu Shu Pork

This dish comes together in about 15 min. once you have all the ingredients prepared.

4 tsp canola oil divided
2 eggs beaten
1 Tbsp fresh ginger peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lb. pork tenderloin trimmed and sliced into thin strips
1/2 head of green cabbage cored and thinly sliced
1 carrot peeled and grated
1 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Asian sesame oil
3 Tbsp hoisin sauce
4 green onions chopped
8-10 large flour tortillas
extra hoisin sauce

Prepare all ingredients first. Using a wok or large skillet, scramble eggs in a tsp of oil and set aside. Cook ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes in a tsp of oil for 1 min. Add a little more oil to the pan along with the pork and stir fry for 4-5 min. or until pork is cooked through. Remove from pan, drain any liquid, and set aside. In the final tsp of oil cook cabbage and carrot. Add water and cover, stirring occasionally. Cabbage should be wilted in about 8 min. Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, and hoisin sauce in a small bowl. Add to pan along with green onion, pork and eggs. Heat through. Place tortillas between 2 damp paper towels and microwave for 1 min. Serve immediately with extra hoisin sauce brushed on the tortillas. Enjoy!

What's Cooking

Mashed Potatoes with Bacon and Cheddar

4 baking potatoes peeled an cubed
1/2 cup milk (approx.)
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese grated
2 green onions chopped
3 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled
salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and mash with milk, butter and sour cream to desired consistency. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Serves 4 to 5
This is a family favorite sure to please even the pickiest kids!

What's Cooking

This recipe was my contribution to The Wild Rose Press Cookbook. It's a good one!

Chicken and Ham Roll-Ups

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
4 thin slices deli ham
4 slices provolone cheese
1 egg
¾ cup seasoned bread crumbs
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine

Heat oven to 400°

Pound chicken breasts to ¼ inch thickness. Top each with 1 slice of ham and 1 slice of provolone cheese trimmed to fit. Roll chicken into bundles. Tuck in ends and secure each roll-up with a short skewer. Beat egg in a shallow bowl. In a second bowl mix together bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Dip chicken bundles in egg and then roll in crumb mixture. Melt butter or margarine in an oven proof skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken roll-ups, turning carefully to brown evenly on all sides. Transfer skillet to oven and bake for 15 min. or until chicken is cooked through. Note—If your skillet is not oven proof, wrap the handle in foil. Remove skewers and serve.

4 Servings