Butter Dream Cookies

We all have our favorite Christmas cookies that we make year after year but sometimes it is fun to try a new one and see if it becomes a tradition.  This little cookie sounds elegant, light & pretty.  I like how it uses the red cherries for decoration.

Butter Dream Cookies

~found somewhere on the internet and printed off to try later

• ¾ cup butter, softened
• ¼ cup shortening
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 24 maraschino cherries (about one-half of a 10-ounce jar)

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter & shortening with a mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar; beat until combined, combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.  Beat in almond extract and salt until combined.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer.  Stir in any remaining flour; continue stirring until dough comes together, or use your hands to knead dough if necessary.
2.  Shape dough in to 1-inch balls.  Place balls about 1 inch part on ungreased cookie sheets.  Press your thumb into the center of each ball.  Drain maraschino cherries.  Pat cherries dry with paper towels.  Cut each cherry in half.  Place a cherry half, cut side down, in the indentation of each cookie.
3. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.  Cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes.  Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool completely.  Makes about 48 cookies.

Tupps Tidbits ~ if you follow the blog or know us well, you know that “Tupps” is not cooking this one, Deanna does the baking….So this is Deanna Tidbits - you really need to watch the bottoms on this one, you want to pull the cookie out of the oven just after it is lightly brown, you might need to take them out and check them a few times, do not over bake

We found that this cookie reminded us a lot of a “Spritz” cookie.  So if you do not want to get out your Spritz gadget out this year… this the recipe for you.  They are very buttery & sweet and definitely a KEEPER in our house!  Enjoy and happy baking!

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

We have been looking for a simple quick chicken dinner recipe & came across this Bruschetta Chicken at allrecipes.com.  What is Bruschetta you ask?  When it has been served to me, as an appetizer, it included a salsa type mixture placed on top of garlic toast with a bit of cheese.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

Allrecipes.com

1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves-cubed

1 tsp salt

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice

½ cup water

1 Tbs minced garlic

1 (6 ounce) box chicken-flavored dry bread stuffing mix

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 Tbs Italian seasoning

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray.
• Toss the cubed chicken with the salt in a large bowl.  Place the chicken in a layer into the bottom of the baking dish.  Stir together tomatoes, water, garlic, & stuffing mix in a large bowl; set aside to soften.  Sprinkle the cheese on top of the chicken, then sprinkle with the Italian seasoning.  Spread the softened stuffing mixture on top.

• Bake uncovered until the chicken cubes have turned white & are no longer pink in the center, about 30 minutes.

Tupps Tidbits ~ cut the chicken in similar size to ensure the chicken is cooked evenly

This was an extremely simple & quick meal to prepare & have on the table in about 45 minutes.  You can have everything cut up & ready to go by the time the oven preheats.  It was a delicious creative chicken meal that really mimicked the popular Italian appetizer.  Defiantly a KEEPER & one will we be making again & again! 

Also, just an FYI, we have been behind a few weeks in “posting “the recipes on the blog, but to ensure you, we are keeping up with our 2012 resolution in making/trying one new recipe a week.  Are you still working on your resolution?

Busy-Day Pork Chops

Looking at this Taste of Home recipe makes me think that it would be a substitute for making your own “shake-n-bake”.  All you need is to thaw out some pork chops & this would be a quick fix for them.

Busy-Day Pork Chops

Tasteofhome.com

¼ cup fat-free milk

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp pepper

4 boneless pork lion chops

Cooking spray

:

• Place milk in a shallow bowl.  In another shallow bowl, combine the cheese, bread crumbs, salt, garlic powder & pepper.  Dip pork chops in milk, then coat with crumb mixture.
• Place on baking sheet coated with cooking spray; spritz chops with cooking spray.  Bake at 375 for 9 -11 minutes on each side.

Tupps Tidbits ~ You must dip pork in the milk to get the crumb mixture to stick to the chop

This was an extremely simple meal to prepare & the mixture coated the pork chop every well but there was not any extra taste added to the pork chop. I do not believe any taste of home recipes we have experienced we have not enjoyed but this dish would need additional seasonings to make it a keeper…. and it is definitely NOT A KEEPER!

Recipes are coming......

Recipes are coming….please be patience with us!  We have been making, creating and trying them….just a little behind in posting…..Thank you!