Snickerdoodles

After moving to Seattle I went down to Pike Place Market to explore the place. That place is amazing with all the fresh fruit and flowers. They have an amazing wine and cheese store too. I now have gone three times and one thing I always get when I am there is a snicker doodle cookie. They are so big and so yummy. I wanted to make them at home so I went searching online for a recipe. I found one on All Recipes. I tried it out and it taste just like the ones I get at Pike Place Market.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mrs-Siggs-Snickerdoodles/Detail.aspx

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
3. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Sugar Cookies

I remember every holiday as a kid my mother make this sugar cookie recipe. We had cookie cutters for almost every holiday. We use to make Halloween, Christmas and Easter cookies every year. I think Christmas was our favorite time since there were so many cookie cutter choices and icing colors.

One Christmas I remember my Mom and the lady across the street both making this recipe and we would decorate cookies for each other. We had this one huge gingerbread cookie cutter probably about a foot tall. Well my two sisters and I thought it would be funny to make one and decorate like the lady across the street and take it to her. After we completed the cookie we took it over to her house and she laughed. Her kids followed us home and borrowed the cookie cutter. Next thing we know they are coming over with a cookie looking like my Mom. It was so funny we could not help but laugh. That is one thing I miss about my Mom.

With my Mom gone I thought I would carry on the tradition and still make sugar cookies every holiday. My cookie cutter collection is not as big as hers is but maybe someday it will be.


1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking powder
3 ½ cups flour
3 eggs

1. Sift flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
2. In a mixer blend the butter and sugar until creamy.
3. Add eggs one at a time.
4. Add vanilla and mix until well blended.
5. Slowly add dry ingredients.
6. Chill dough for at least 3 hours or overnight.
7. Roll out dough on a flour surface and cut into desired shapes.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

Spinach Chicken Lasagna

I rarely make this recipe because it always makes a huge mess in my kitchen but since I got new pots over the weekend I thought this would be a good way to break them in.

12 ounces frozen Spinach chopped, thawed and drained
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded
4 cooked lasagna noodles
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 ¾ cup milk
2 cups Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
14 ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 medium onion chopped
1 garlic clove
2/3 cup white wine
1 can tomato paste
1 teaspoon oregano

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine, tomatoes, onion, garlic wine, tomato paste and oregano into saucepan. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Drain the spinach and spread into the bottom of a casserole dish. Sprinkle nutmeg, salt and pepper over spinach.
4. Next add chicken on top of the spinach.
5. Once sauce is done add on top of the chicken. Then add lasagna noodle on top of chicken.
6. Blend the cornstarch with a little of the milk to form a paste. Warm the rest of the milk in a saucepan and slowly add the cornstarch mixture. Heat for about 2 to 3 minutes until thicken then pour over noodles.
7. Top with the cheese and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Mexican Cornbread

Sorry I have not posted in awhile. I took a job that only lasted a week and that took away from my cooking and baking time. Now that I am home again for awhile until another job comes I will try and post more.

This recipe comes from my grandmother’s recipe box again. I was looking though it and came across this one. It actually had my Mom’s name written across the recipe since my Mom had given it to her. I remember my Mom making this on occasion and we always enjoyed it.

On most of the recipes found in my grandmother’s recipe box she has the name of the person who gave her the recipe across the top. I really enjoy looking at each recipe and seeing who gave it to her and if I knew the person. Anyways I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did.


1 lb hamburger meat
2 cloves of garlic
1 jalapeno
1 onion
1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 can cream of corn
2 cups cheese

1. Saute meat with onions, garlic and jalapeno.
2. In a small bowl mix corn meal, sugar, baking soda, salt and cream of corn.
3. Grease a baking dish and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Take half hamburger meat and cover bottom of dish. Then take half cornmeal mixture and lay that on top of the hamburger meat. Add the rest of the hamburger mixture. Add the cheese. Then add rest of cornmeal mixture.
5. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.