Hillary Rodham Clinton's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay, let me start this by saying if you're not a Hillary fan you should still eat these cookies! I by no means am a fan of Hillary or her husband, but hey I know a good cookie when I eat one! :) Besides, I highly doubt she actually makes these herself or came up with the recipe. I remember when I was younger, my step mom, Cindy, made Barbara Bush cookies. I think every President and his wife comes out with a cookie recipe. If I remember correctly, George W. Bush had cowboy cookies. Anyway, these were yummy, so don't turn away because of political views. I don't think eating these cookies makes you a Liberal :)


I want to say two things about baking cookies:

1. Use a cookie scoop. I didn't always have one of these. They make your cookies perfectly round and the same size. They also make it go quicker in getting them onto the pan and into the oven.
2. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. I don't bake cookies without this stuff! They keep the cookies from sticking and burning! The bottoms are perfect!


Hillary Rodham Clinton's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Source: White House Cookbook


1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 C shortening
1 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 C rolled oats
12 oz (about 2 C) semisweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350°. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. Beat shortening on medium speed. Add sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and chocolate.

Drop by rounded teaspoons on cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Makes 4-5 dozen. (I got 4)

Strawberry Shortbread

I love shortbread. It's one of my favorite cookies! I have also been loving the taste of strawberries lately. These cookies looked so pretty and they were very tasty. They are rich though and one cookie is enough. Make sure you have someone to share them with. We sent some to my brother's family. Also, I would use a small cookie cutter.


Strawberry Shortbread
Source: Christmas Cookies 2007

Cookies
2 T strawberry preserves
1 C butter, softened
1 tsp almond extract
2 2/3 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C sugar
1/8 tsp salt

Glaze
1 T strawberry preserves
2 C powdered sugar
1 T milk

Beat butter, strawberry preserves, and almond extract in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Roll into a log on plastic wrap. Wrap and freeze for 1-2 hours, until firm.

Preheat oven to 325°. Stir together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter mixture breaking of pieces. Use a pastry blender to mix. Knead dough until mixed together and smooth.

Divide dough in half. Roll each half on floured surface and cut with cookie cutter.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 12-16 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Microwave strawberry preserve for glaze at 50% power for 30 seconds, until melted. Stir in powdered sugar and milk with wire whisk. Stir in 1 T of milk at a time (if needed) for glaze to be spreading consistency. (1 T was enough for me)

Spread glaze over each cookie and store at room temperature for 3 days or 3 months in the freezer.

Chicken and Dumplings

It's been chilly here today and I love it! Fall is my favorite season. I love the smell of the crisp air and putting on comfortable jeans. Fall is also my favorite because it reminds me of falling in love. In just 2 weeks Charlie and I will have been together a year. Crazy considering we're already married :)
This meal cooks in the crockpot and makes the house smell so yummy!

Chicken and Dumplings

4 chicken breast, boneless, skinless
2 T butter
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 tube of Grands biscuits, cut into eighths

Place chicken, butter, soup, onion, celery, and carrots in the crockpot. Add 3 cups of water. Cook on high for 5 hours. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken. One hour before serving top with biscuits. Cook for one more hour. Enjoy!

Pizza Casserole

I didn't feel well last night and thank goodness this was on the menu! I refused to let my body get the best of me and was adamant about cooking dinner. This was so easy and yummy. There's no pic though because I didn't feel well enough to worry about it. So just trust me on this one! Mine also ended up very garlicky because I dumped half a jar of garlic salt in it while cooking. I scooped as much as I could out. Although, I loved it...you know me, the more garlic, the better!

Pizza Casserole
adapted from Family Circle

2 cups egg noodles
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic salt
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook noodles, drain, set aside. While noodles are cooking, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic in a skillet over medium-high heat in the oil. Drain the fat off the meat. Stir in Italian seasoning, salt, garlic salt, soup, 1/3 cup water, and noodles. Heat the mixture.

Take off heat and add half the cheese. Pour into a Pyrex dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.

Lemonade Pie

This is easy and yummy, but only if you like the sour taste of lemonade!
Lemonade Pie

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
8 oz whip cream
1 graham cracker crust

Mix the first three ingredients and pour into crust. Freeze for at least 4 hours. Thaw for about an hour before serving.

Pepper Steak

This is an old recipe I'm pulling out. Actually, by old I mean it's not the first time I've made it. We love this one for many reasons. One, it's so yummy! Two, it's weight watchers. Three, we get to use the wok. And four, it's cheaper than take-out and just as yummy, if not more!

Note: If you are my or my husband's Facebook friend you know that we had a fire in our kitchen tonight! Don't walk away from your wok while heating the oil :) Also, this can be made in a skillet.
Please don't judge my horrible picture :)

Pepper Steak
Source: Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes

12 oz top round beef
4 tsp + 3 T soy sauce
1 T rice wine
3 tsp cornstarch
6 tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced into thin strips
1 bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/2 tsp black pepper

Slice meat into thin slices with the grain. Cut pieces to about 1" long. Place in bowl with 4 tsp of soy sauce, 1 T rice wine, 1 tsp cornstarch and black pepper.

In another bowl, mix 3 T soy sauce, 1 T water, and 2 tsp cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat the wok on high. Swirl in 1 T oil and add the beef. Cook undisturbed for 20 seconds letting the beef brown. Stir meat and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer to plate.

Add remaining 2 tsp oil to the wok, add peppers and onions. Cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in beef. Add the sauce. Stir fry about 30 seconds until thickened.

4 servings. 5.5 ww pts. per serving.

Strawberry Muffins

These were supposed to be strawberry cupcakes. When I made them I decided they were much better as "muffins" and make a great breakfast! We all need an excuse to eat a cupcake for breakfast, right? These were delicious! They may have turned out more muffin like than cupcake because of all my substitutions. I don't know. So, I'm posting the recipe via my substitutions rather than the original. If you make the original recipe I'm linking you to and your "cupcakes" are more like a real cupcake let me know.

Don't you just LOVE my awesome picture?! Thanks Krystal for your amazing photography skills!

Strawberry Muffins

Adapted from Annie Eats

Muffins:

2 cups + 3 T all purpose flour

5 T cornstarch

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup salted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups chopped strawberries

Frosting:

1/2 cup strawberries, puree

8 oz cream cheese, room temp.

1 1/2 sticks salted butter, room temp.

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1 T. vanilla

Heat oven to 350°. Line muffin tin with liners.

Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, with electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add buttermilk and oil. Beat in flour mixture in batches. Fold in strawberries. Fill tins 3/4 full and bake for 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Makes 24 muffins.

For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until fluffy with electric mixer. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add lemon juice, vanilla, and strawberry puree. Frost muffins once cooled.