Grandma Pearce's Sugar Cookies

These are SO delicious and soft!

Cream together these ingredients:

2 tsp. vanilla (you can be generous)

5 C sugar

2 C butter or shortening

4 eggs

Then add:

2 C milk

12-14 C flour (Grandma's recipe calls for only 8, but it doesn't seem to be enough.)

1 1/2 T baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp nutmeg (I use 2 tsp. for more flavor)

1 C powdered milk

2 tsp. salt

Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes

Frosting:

1 regular size package cream cheese

1 cube butter

vanilla to taste

1/2 package of powdered sugar (add more it the consistency isn't right)

For raisin filling grind together nuts and raisins and place in the middle of 2 circles of dough before baking.

Green Smoothie Girl's Craisin Salad

This is one of our favorite salads! YUM!

1 head red leaf lettuce

2 heads Boston/bibb/butter lettuce

1 large can mandarin oranges, drained

1 C Craisins

1 C mozzarella cheese, grated

1 C sliced almonds

1 Tbsp. butter ( I usually use grapeseed or olive oil)

2 Tbsp. agave (raw, organic) or maple syrup (she recommends grade B)

Saute almonds over medium heat with butter and maple syrup, stirring constantly until light brown (be careful not to burn). Set aside. Toss all remaining ingredients together. Add nuts and dressing and toss right before serving.

Craising Salad Dressing

This big batch makes over 2 C, enough for 2-3 salads

1/2 C honey (raw)--I have never had raw honey for this recipe.

1/2 C apple cider vinegar

1 C extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp mustard

1 tsp. sea salt

1 small red onion, cut into fourths (I usually only use 1/4 of the onion for this recipe)

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Blend all ingredients except poppy seeds in a high-powered blender until onion is pureed. Add poppy seeds and pulse a couple of times.

Green Smoothie Girl's Mango Meltaway

This is a recipe from the Green Smoothie Girl's smoothie book. It is one of our favorites! This makes 3 quarts of smoothie. I have yet to make this with yogurt or kefir and it still tastes great, I just usually add extra blueberries or mango to take up that space. Also, after blending the first four ingredients pour some off into 3 glass quart jars or you won't be able to fit all of it in the blender (usually about 1-2 inches in each jar). Then finish making the smoothie.

2 3/4 c water/ice

2 stalks celery, chopped in fourths

Spinach, added until mixture reaches 6 cup line (this is when the blender is off. I highly recommend doing less in the beginning like maybe to the 5 cup line or less and just add more fruit)

1/2 c cashews

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp stevia

2 large mangoes, peeled and cut away from the pit

2 bananas, frozen in chunks

2 cups frozen blueberries

1/2 cup lain, nonfat yogurt or kefir

Blend first 4 ingredients until smooth, then add remaining ingredients and blend again until very smooth. Serve immediately for best results, or refrigerate up to 24 hours in glass jars and shake well before serving.

EGG AND SAUSAGE CASSEROLE

2 lbs of sausage

10 slices of bread-cubed

10 eggs

5 C milk

1 1/2 tsp dry mustard

Cook sausage and spread in a 9x13 pan. Layer cubed bread over sausage. Mix eggs, milk and dry mustard and pour over the top. Refrigerate over night or at least a few hours before cooking.

In the morning mix and pour over the top:

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

4 cups grated cheese

1 C milk

Bake uncovered at 350 for one hour.

This is what my daughter Makenna wrote by the recipe after we made it: "This casserole is BOMB DIGITY FO SHO!!!!! Ha Ha!

HAPPY COOKING!!

EASY Cheese Fondue and Fruit

This is fast and tasty.

1 can can Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup

Milk

Cheese (mozzarella or monterey jack, or any cheese you like)

French Bread

Fruit (apples, bananas, strawberries and grapes are great)

Dump cheese soup into a pan. Fill empty can with milk and dump into pan. Add desired cheese to taste. Whisk together over medium to medium-high heat until boiling.

Cut French Bread into cubes for eating. Cut up fruit for dipping. Serve fondue in small bowls and dip bread and fruit into the cheese soup for a delicious and light meal!

Martha Stewart's Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe is AWESOME!!! Everyone I know who has tried this has really liked it. This is a great freezer casserole too. YUM!

8 Tbsp. butter (1 stick)

6 slices white bread

5 1/2 c milk

1/2 c flour

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

14 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

4 1/2 c grated white sharp cheddar cheese (~18oz)

2 c grated Guyere cheese (80z) or Pecorino Romano (5 oz)

1 lb rotini or elbow macaroni (I recommend the rotini)

Butter a 9x13 casserole dish and set aside. Cube bread into 1/4-1/2 inch squares. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter, put over bread and toss together.

Heat up water for pasta and cook pasta according to directions, but for 2-3 minutes less than usual, and then run cold water over it.

Heat up milk in a pan, or 4 c of it in the microwave for 5 min.

Melt butter in a pan, when bubbling add flour and whisk for 1 min. Then slowly pour in milk, also adding in the extra 1 1/2 c milk. Whisk until thick, bring to a boil and remove from heat.

Next, stir in all the spices. Then stir in 3 c cheddar cheese and save 1 1/2 c for the top. Stir in Guyere cheese, saving some for the top if you so desire. When cheese is melted, stir in the undercooked pasta.

Pour mixture into buttered dish, then put left over cheese on top and cover with bread crumbs.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until bread browns and the mac n' cheese is hot.

Go Green Smoothies!

We love to drink these smoothies before breakfast for snacks or anytime.

Put all of the following in your blender:

4 cups of water
Any single or combination of spinach, Kale, collard greens, backyard wild greens (just kidding), just something dark green!!! Pack plenty in your blender

Fruit: There are so many combinations so have fun with it. Here are some we like......
Frozen or Fresh Pineapple, Pears, Blueberries, Strawberries, Peaches, Apples, Bananas
Some of our favorites are Strawberries and Bananas, or Pear, Blueberry & Banana, Or just Plain fresh Pineapple.

Sweeten with liquid Stevia to taste.

Enjoy!