Sugar Cookies with Poured Icing

Sugar cookies are one of my absolute favorite cookies, but I never have the time to make them. I got this recipe from my aunt a few years ago and I think my favorite part is the poured icing. Most icing has too much of an over powering powdered sugar taste to me, but after this one dries it is fantastic!

Cookies
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
Icing
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
2 tsp milk
2 tsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla
Desired food coloring

• Combine flour and salt in medium bowl.
• In large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.
• Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
• Add flour to wet mixture.
• After combined, roll in to a ball and refrigerate approximately one hour (or until firm enough to work with).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Roll dough out and cut in to desired shapes.
• Bake for 13-15 minutes, do not brown.
• Mix sugar and milk together, add corn syrup until you reach desired consistency.
• Seperate in to bowls and use food coloring to make desired colors.
• Spoon or pour on to cooled cookies and let dry.

Rosemary-Sage Chicken

The original recipe was for chicken kabobs, but I was in too much of a hurry to take the time to prepare kabobs. If you want to make kabobs out of these, I will include the alternate directions after the picture.

This recipe is great for a fast dinner. It only takes a few minutes to throw the marinade together and can cook while you're doing other things. All of the ingredients were handy in my cabinet except the fresh parsley, but I simply substituted it with dried parsley.

3 Tbsp red-wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 Tbsp dijon mustard
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
3/4 tsp dried rosemary
3/4 tsp dried sage
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper.
1 & 1/2 lbs chicken

• Combine all ingredients in gallon ziploc bag.
• Refrigerate over night
• Place chicken in 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes (depending on breast or thigh and size of pieces).

For the kabobs:

1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes

16 small cremini (baby bella) mushrooms

1 red pepper, cut in to 1 inch pieces

1 red onion, cut in to 1 inch pieces

8 skewers

• Alternately thread chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, and onions on to skewers.
• Place in 9 x 13 pan and brush with remaining marinade.
• Grill or broil on high for 4-5 minutes. Turn and grill for approximately another four minutes.

Texas Roadhouse Rolls & Honey Butter

I stumbled across this recipe while I was bored one day, and of course I had to try it out. Who doesn't LOVE the sweet rolls at Texas Roadhouse?! I couldn't get mine as fluffy as the restaurant, but they still tasted amazing.

Rolls
1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast plus 1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup warm water (100-110 degrees)
1 cup milk
1Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
4-5 cups flour
1 egg
1 tsp salt

Butter
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

• Mix yeast with 1 tsp sugar and warm water. Let sit for about five minutes.
• Microwave milk for about 60 seconds. Add butter and stir until butter is completely melted.
• Add milk mixture to yeast mixture. Add sugar and about half the flour, the dough should be the consistency of muffin batter. Let stand for 10 minutes.
• Add egg and salt to mixture, beat well.
• Add remaining flour until soft dough is formed.
• Knead dough until smooth, cover, and let rise until doubled (about one hour).
• After rising, punch down and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Shape dough in to rectangle and cut in to squares using a pizza cutter.
• Place on floured and greased baking sheets and let rise until doubled (about one hour).
• Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, brush with honey butter.
• For honey butter, beat butter with hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and beat until well blended. Serve on warm rolls.

I didn't put cinnamon in our butter because I prefer it without.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm a firm believer that baked goods should be homemade as often as possible. The only thing I don't (didn't) make myself was chocolate chip cookies because no matter what I did they never seemed to turn out right. They were always flat, the chips dropped to the bottom, or looked funny. The pre-made dough was just always better than I could get here at home.

The other day, I was visiting some friends for the afternoon at Sarah Russel's house and she had some spectacular cookies! I just had to get the recipe. She had gotten the recipe from bakeitandloveit.blogspot.com.

Sarah made these with whole wheat flour, so even though the recipe called for flour, I went ahead and made mine with the wheat as well. Also, when she gave them to us, they were cold. They were surprisingly good chilled!

3 & 1/2 cups flour
1 & 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 & 1/4 cups butter
1 & 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 bag Ghiradelli semi sweet chocolate chips

• Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix dry ingredients and set aside.
• Cream butter and sugars together until blended.
• Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Add vanilla and mix.
• Reduce speed and add dry ingredients. Mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
• Bake for 12-13 minutes, cool on cookie sheet for a couple of minutes then move to rack.