Fajita Seasoning

1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon white sugar

1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Broccoli Salad

3 broccoli crowns
1/2 cup raisins or craisins
1/4 cup minced red onion (reduced from 1/2 cup)

1 cup mayo
1/4 cup* sugar
1 TB red wine vinegar

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Cut the broccoli into bite-size pieces. Add raisins and onions. Prepare dressing and toss salad--don't start with all the dressing in case there's too much dressing for the amount of broccoli. Refrigerate and let marinate. Add bacon and seeds when ready to serve.

*I used honey turkey bacon and craisins for Easter 2014 and it was pretty dang sweet. I'm thinking the sugar could be reduced.

Cinnamon Rolls

As I've come to know, mashed potatoes are the difference between meh rolls and super delicious ones. I wasn't a cinnamon roll fan until I tried these from my friend Christy. We're using these to make resurrection rolls for Easter (you know, where you put a marshmallow inside them--representing Jesus' body--and it creates a hollow, empty tomb while baking--which I hope is not sacrilegious).

1 T. yeast
1 1/2 C. warm water
2/3 C. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 C. shortening
2 eggs
1 C. warm mashed potatoes (I prepare a cup of instant potatoes and use that)
7-7 1/2 C. flour

1/4 C. butter, melted
cinnamon
brown sugar
pecans (optional)

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter (at room temp.)
4 oz. cream cheese (at room temp.)
1 1/2 C. powdered sugar (or less)
1/2 tsp. vanilla or coconut

Dissolve yeast in the warm water. Stir in sugar, salt, shortening, eggs, potatoes, and 4 C. of flour. Mix until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead for about 5 minutes in an electric mixer. Place in greased bowl, turn to coat dough lightly in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise.

When dough is double in size (1-2 hours), punch down and roll out to about size of large cookie sheet. Melt 1/4 C. butter and brush onto dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon, brown sugar and pecans. As far as amounts go, I don't measure so I have no idea. Put it on thick though, then add a little more.

Roll up and slice into 1-2" thick rolls. Place on greased cookie sheet and let rise until edges of rolls are all pressing up against each other. (This usually makes about 18 rolls for me)
Bake at 400 for 15-25 minutes.

After rolls get out, mix 1/2 C. butter, powdered sugar, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Spread frosting on warm (not hot) cinnamon rolls.

Taco Soup (slow cooker)

For those crazy get-everyone-to-their-activity days.

1 pound ground beef/turkey, cooked with onion
2 cans black beans, with liquid
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, with liquid
1 can chicken broth
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, pureed (my kids don't like tomato chunks)
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

In a medium skillet, cook the ground beef/turkey/onions until browned over medium heat. Drain. Put everything in a slow cooker. Mix to blend, and cook on Low setting for 8 hours. Serve with chips for happy kids. Cheese and sour cream would be good too.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

2017: I used 9 lbs of strawberries (9 clamshells) to make jam. Ball pectin only has either instant full-sugar or cook reduced sugar. I really wanted to find an instant reduced sugar pectin, but this year to use up what I already had, I did the cooked reduced sugar version.


With MCP Premium Fruit Pectin--2 oz. box:

Buy: 4 pt. berries and 2 lemons (between 2 and 3 small clam shells strawberries)

3 ¼ cups crushed, hulled strawberries (use a potato masher)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
Gradually stir box of pectin in. Mix thoroughly. Set aside 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Get sugar ready but don't add it yet.
1 cup light corn syrup
4 ½ cups sugar. Add gradually. Stir constantly until no longer grainy.
Pour into containers, leaving 1/2” space at top.

Let stand room temperature 24 hours until set. Keep in refrigerator for 3 weeks or freezer for 1 year. Makes 7+ cups.


With Ball RealFruit Instant Pectin:

(Makes 2 half pint jars)
2/3 cup sugar
2 TB Ball RealFruit Instant Pectin
1 2/3 cups crushed, hulled strawberries (use a potato masher)


Tripled (makes 6 half pint jars):
2 cups sugar
6 TB (3/8 cup) Ball RealFruit Instant Pectin
5 cups crushed, hulled strawberries

Stir sugar and pectin together. Add fruit. Stir 3 minutes. Ladle jam into freezer jars and let stand 30 minutes. Enjoy.

Sugar Cookies without sour cream

Yummy.

I don't often have sour cream on hand, so I'm going to give another recipe a try (uses shortening instead). Trying half this for a small cookie crust for fruit pizza. Makes 4 1/2 dozen regular cookies.

2/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup granulated sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, shortening and sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into the creamed mixture until dough comes together. Roll dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in sugar. Place them on an unprepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

[Sept. 2019: 1.5 oz. cookie dough each ball, 15 minutes bake time]

Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until bottom is light brown. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

Regular frosting:

3 c. pwd. sugar

1/3 c. softened butter
1 ½ tsp. vanilla

1-2 TB milk

Cream cheese frosting:

1 stick butter
4 oz cream cheese
2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

You can add whatever other flavoring you want: mint, orange, coconut, etc..