The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies

Allrecipes by Jill Saunders Note: I halved this. Ingredients 1 1/2 cups butter, softened 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt Directions In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight). Preheat oven to 400 °F. Roll out dough on surface sprinkled with powdered sugar (won't make the dough tough like flour will) 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake 6 to 8 minutes until JUST turning golden on the edges. Cool completely on racks before decorating. If you want to keep these simple, just sprinkle them with decorator sugar, non-pareils or other decorating sprinkles before baking. These cookies are very good all on their own! Royal Icing Dries hard Ingredients 3 tablespoons meringue powder 4 cups confectioners sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or other flavoring of choice - watch color though, it will tint the frosting) 6 tablespoons water (less for really thick icing, more for thin) Directions Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl. Beat on high for at about 10 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Divide and color as desired. Add more water as needed for flooding or more sugar if you get a little heavy handed with the water.

Zeppole di San Giuseppe(Italian cream puff with custard filling)

Makes 12 large or 24 small pastries, adapted from Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups unbleached AP flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups water
3/4 stick plus 3 1/2 tbsp butter
6 large eggs

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together and set aside.
In a heavy saucepan, heat the water. Add the butter. When melted, remove the pan from the stove and add the flour mixture all at once. Beat with a wooden spoon, then return the pan to medium-high heat, beating the mixture until it comes away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon or hand mixer in-between additions to mix well.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch tip with the cream puff batter. Squeeze out 3-inch puffs, about 1/2 inch apart on a cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. When done, carefully slit the side of each cream puff with a knife to allow steam to escape and to prevent the puffs from becoming soggy inside. Transfer to cooling racks and let cool.


Italian Custard
Adapted from Go Ahead and Snicker


Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups whole milk
4 egg yolks
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp rum

Instructions
In saucepan over moderate heat, combine sugar, flour and salt. Add milk gradually, cooking and stirring until mixture is thick and bubbly.
Lower heat, stirring for 2 minutes and remove from heat. In a small bowl, add cream mixture to eggs slowly. Return mixture back to pan. Bring to gently boil for 2 more minutes, adding butter, rum, and vanilla. Tranfer to a shallow bowl to cool, placing plastic wrap on the top of the custard to prevent a skin forming. Refrigerate.
Once custard has cooled completely, pipe into opened pastry shells until they are so full they might pop, top with a cherry, and dust with powdered sugar.

Carrot Cake(deliciously moist)

Ingredients:
CAKE

2 cups of flour
2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2-1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups of sugar
2-3/4 cups shredded carrots(don't need to peel carrots before shredding just wash thoroughly
1(8 oz)can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup walnuts in pieces
1 cup flaked coconut

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 pound (about 1-1/2 blocks) of cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

PREPARATION:

Mix sugar, oil, and eggs. Beat in flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in shredded carrots, crushed pineapple, nuts and coconut, and pour into greased and floured cake pans.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool thoroughly before frosting.

FROSTING:

Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth and completely blended. Mix in 1 tbsp of the milk and vanilla. Blend in the powdered sugar and add the second tbsp of milk if needed. Enjoy! Save some for the family. hehe

GARLIC BASIL PIZZA

Laura Arbogast Bloomfield shared this recipe

1 Pizza Crust
2/3 Cup Mayo
2 Tbsp Basil
...1 clove Garlic
1 oz Parmesan Cheese
8 oz Mozz Cheese
Roma Tomatoes

Mix Mayo, Basil, Garlic, and cheeses. Spread on pizza crust. Cut tomatoes into wedges and top pizza with wedges.

Bake at 450* until done.

Try not to eat the whole pizza by yourself - always a challenge for me! DELISH!!!!

BAKED RICE PUDDING

1/3 c brown or white rice
4 c whole milk
1/4 to 1/3 c honey or sugar
1 Tbsp butter
1/3 c raisins
1 tsp vanilla
cinnamon to taste

**Rinse rice. Mix rice, milk, honey, and butter in a greased baking dish. Bake in slow oven at 225-250 degrees for about 6hrs, stirring occasionally. Pudding is done when rice is tender and pudding is the thickness you like. Add raisins, vanilla and sprinkle with cinnamon. Return to oven for about 20min. Serve warm or cold.

BOSTON BAKED BEANS

1lb dried navy beans(2C)
1/4 lb salt pork, quartered
1 med onion
2T brown sugar, packed
3T molasses
1/2t salt
1/2t dry mustard
1/8 t pepper

1. Rinse beans and place in large pan; cover with water. Boil 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 1hr (or soak overnight). Simmer uncovered 1hr or until tender. DO NOT BOIL or beans will burst. Drain beans, reserving liquid. Place beans in 2 quart casserole dish. Add salt pork, onion, and remaining ingredients. Add enough of reserved liquid to almost cover beans. Stir to blend. Cover and bake @ 300 degrees for 3-1/2 to 4 hours.

GF Carrot Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Moist and luscious, gluten-free carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is a gluten-free favorite at my house. The cake freezes well and the recipe makes one round layer cake, one 13x9-inch sheet cake or 36 cupcakes. Three cups of grated carrots add healthy carotene, a nutrient that the body uses to make vitamin A. Not bad for a cake!


Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
•2 cups sugar
•4 eggs
•1 1/2 cups light olive oil OR your favorite vegetable oil
•2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour mix (see notes)
•2 teaspoons baking soda
•2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
•2 teaspoons cinnamon
•1 teaspoon salt
•2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•1 cup chopped nuts
•3 cups freshly grated carrots
•4 tablespoons unsalted butter
•3 ounces cream cheese
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•2 1/2 cups gluten-free powdered sugar (See note)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350° F / 176° C

Use two round 9-inch cake pans, one 9x13 pan or 36 muffin cups for this recipe. If using round cake pans, lightly grease and place a circle of parchment in the bottom of the pan for easy removal. Use paper lining cups if making cupcakes.


1.Cream sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl with an electric beater or stand mixer. Add oil and vanilla and beat just until smooth.

2.In a separate bowl combine gluten-free flour mix, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until blended.

3.Stir in grated carrots and nuts. Pour the batter into prepared pans.

4.Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. For muffins, reduce baking time to 30-35 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test. Cool on a wire rack.

5.While cake or muffins are cooling place butter, cream cheese and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat on high until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.

6.When cake is cool frost.

Notes:

•Most powdered sugar products are made with granular sugar processed with cornstarch or tapioca starch. However, when buying powdered sugar, read labels carefully to be sure that the product you are considering is not made with wheat starch. Manufacturers can change product formulations without notice.
•Alternatives:used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Mix in this recipe with good results. It contains xanthan gum, eliminating the need to add more gum to this recipe. Use your favorite gluten-free flour mix in this recipe and add 1 teaspoon xanthan or guar gum to the recipe IF the mix you are using does not contain one of these baking gums.