Broccoli cheese soup (This is the one I make for Halloween)

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Boil until tender:
4 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 onion, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium head broccoli, chopped
1 small head cauliflower, chopped

Boil 2 cups water and dissolve 6 chicken bouillon cubes, set aside

In a sauce pan melt:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour

add to roux:
1 pint half and half
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

stir until thick
drain vegetables when tender then add cream sauce and chicken bouillon stir.

add
1 1/2 to 2 cups of cheddar cheese

Favorite Baked Beans

Baked Beans

4 slices bacon, browned and chopped
1-15 oz. can pork & beans
1/4 c. ketchup
2 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons Brown sugar
1 Tablespoon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix all together and bake at 355 degrees for at least 1 hour or until desired thickness is reached.

Loni Winn's Raspberry Almond Bars

Raspberry almond bars

Cream together
2 cups butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
2 eggs

Beat till crumbly

1 teaspoon almond extract
5 cups Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mixture will be dry

press into un-greased pan, pat down until smooth. Wet finger and put diagonal lines down bars fill with
Raspberry Jam and bake 350 degrees for 15-20 min. until edges are golden.

Then I drizzle a powdered sugar glaze over it (Loni doesn't do this)

Sister Hawthorn's Peanut Butter Pie (recipe from Kevin's mission)

Peanut Butter Pie

1 Chocolate Cookie Crust
8 oz. Cream Cheese
1 cup Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
8 oz. Whipped Topping, thawed

With electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar. Blend in peanut butter and vanilla. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Garnish with chocolate syrup grated chocolate and Reese's Cups.

Sonoran Flour Tortillas

Flour Tortillas

2 cups High-gluten Bread Flour
3/4 teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoon vegetable shortening or vegetable oil
3/4 cups warm water
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Stir together flour and salt. Mix in vegetable shortening by rubbing it into the flour mixture with your finger tips. add water, stirring it with a wooden spoon or your hands until a sticky ball forms.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead vigorously for a minute or two to develop the gluten in the dough. The dough will be soft but no longer sticky when you are done.

Let the dough rest, covered with a damp cloth, for about 15 minutes to let the gluten relax a bit.

Divide the dough into 6 or 8 balls depending on how big of a tortilla you are attempting to make (there is enough dough to make six 12 inch or eight 10 inch tortillas in diameter).

Let divided dough rest another 30 minutes, covered with a damp cloth.

Roll out each ball of dough as thin as possible. You can roll them out between sheets of waxed paper if it is easier for you. Let rest again under a damp cloth for about 15 minutes. Roll out again to make even thinner.

Heat a heavy dry skillet over high heat. Carefully cook the first tortilla for about 10 seconds on each side, flipping back and forth for another 10 seconds per side, until the tortilla looks slightly dry with a few brown spots on each side. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Old Fashioned Potato Salad

Potato Salad

5 potatoes
3 eggs
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1 Tablespoon prepared mustard
ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 min. Drain, cool, peel and chop.

Place eggs in a sauce pan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil; cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hat water for 10 to 12 min. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, celery, onion, relish, garlic salt, celery salt, mustard, pepper and mayonnaise. Mix together well and refrigerate until chilled.

Chicken pesto sandwiches

Zupas Chicken Pesto Sandwiches
Copycat Recipe
makes 4 sandwiches 

4 ciabatta rolls, sliced in half
1 large tomato, stem removed, sliced
about a cup of alfalfa sprouts
4 slices muenster cheese

1 chicken breast, cooked, cubed
1 roasted red pepper (I used the ones from the jar = easiest), sliced into small cubes
1/2 C slivered almonds, toasted
 basil pesto to taste
1 cup real mayonnaise 
In a bowl, mix together chicken breast, roasted red pepper, slivered almonds, basil pesto, and mayo until just combined.

Slightly broil your ciabatta rolls in the oven so they're warm and a teeny bit crispy or use your panini-maker.

On the bottom half of the ciabatta roll, layer on your muenster cheese, chicken mixture, tomato (seasoned with salt and pepper), and alfalfa sprouts. Top with the other half of the roll, and use a toothpick to hold in place. You can use other breads or wraps for this sandwich.

Soda Shoppe Sugar Cookie

Yields 2-3 dozen

1 C Butter (room temperature)
3/4 C Vegetable Oil
1 1/4 C Sugar + 1/4 to roll cookies in
3/4 C Powdered Sugar
2 T Water
2 Eggs
1/2 t Baking Soda
1/2 t Cream of Tarter
1 t Salt
5 1/2 C Flour

Cream together Butter, Vegetable Oil, Sugars, Water, and Eggs. 
Combine dry ingredients and slowly add to butter mixture.
Mix until everything is combined.  Your dough should be a little crumbly and not sticky at all.
Roll a golf ball sized ball of dough and place it on your cookie sheet

Put 1/4 c of sugar and a pinch of salt in a dish (this is in addition to the sugar and salt listed above.)  Stick the bottom of a glass in it.  This is going to be your cookie press; it will give the cookie a rough edge. Firmly press it into the center of your dough ball.  You want your dough to spill out over the sides of the glass.  If there is a lip it’s even better. 

Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.  They should just barely be browning on the bottom. Move cookies to a cooling rack.  Once they are cool put them in the fridge.

Sour Cream Frosting

1/2 cup room temperature butter
3/4 C Sour Cream
Approx. 1 2 lb Package of Powdered Sugar (I never use the whole thing but love having extra on hand just in case I add to much milk!)
1 t salt
1/4 C Milk
Red Food Coloring

Start by creaming together butter and sour cream and salt.  Slowly add powdered sugar.  When it gets so thick it’s not frosting like add a splash of milk.  Alternate this process until your frosting is the desired consistency.  Add 1 drop of red food coloring and whip on high for 1 minute.

Keep cookies in a sealed container until they are ready to serve.  The magic of a Swig Sugar Cookie is that the cookies are cold and the frosting is room temperature.  Frost right before serving (if you make them in advance and need to refrigerate the frosting make sure you give it time to warm up before serving)