Grandma Nila's Sugar Cookies

These are so yummy they will ruin your diet, trust me I know. I made these on Sunday thinking I had enough will power to resist, but I didn't! They are super moist and have the perfect texture for a sugar cookie. They are wonderful on their own, but even better with frosting.

Sugar Cookies
2 Cups butter, or lard
4 cups white sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups cream (sweet or sour)
2 tsp. vanilla
(I added 1 tsp. almond extract too because I like it in the cookies as well as the frosting)

Mix these ingredients together and then add:
6 tsp. baking powder (sweet cream)
or 4 tsp. baking powder, & 2 tsp. baking soda (sour cream) and 4 cups flour.

Mix together slightly then add 4 more cups of sifted flour. (You may need more flour if dough is still pretty sticky) Roll into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Put in fridge for 1 hour or freezer for 30 minutes. Don't skip this step because the dough needs to firm up again to roll out nicely. If you skip it the dough will stick and become a big mess.

once chilled, roll out to about 1/2 in thick and cut out. Put on a parchment lined or silicone mat lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Cool for about 3 minutes on pan before moving to a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting. Makes a lot of cookies

Grandma's Pink Frosting
1 cube butter, room temp
4 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
2 lbs. powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp. milk
Mix until your desired consistency and tint color of your choice (my grandma always did pink). Spread on cooled cookies.

Alfredo Sauce

This recipe came from a Worldwide Ward Cookbook series and it's full of recipes from around the world-I can't wait to try everything! Here is the first one we tried and we really liked it!


Alfredo Sauce

1/2 C. Sweet Butter

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

2 C. Heavy Cream

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1/2 C. Parmesan Cheese, grated

3/4 C. Mozzarella Cheese

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add garlic, cream, and white pepper, and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently. Add parmesan cheese and simmer sauce for 8-10 minutes or until sauce has thickened and is smooth. When sauce has thickened, add mozzarella cheese and stir until smooth. STIR FREQUENTLY! Makes 5 servings.

Serve on your favorite noodles. We also like to add grilled chicken. So yummy and easy!

Creamy Mexican Noodles

I originally found this recipe on foodgawker.com from Annie's Eats. It's quick and easy and yummy. Below is her original recipe and what I did.

Ingredients:
1¼ lbs. ground turkey (I used beef)
8 oz. dry pasta shapes
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
4 tbsp. taco seasoning (I only used 3 1/2 T., I was worried it would be too salty if I put it all in. I thought this was enough seasoning.)
3 oz. cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
Salt and pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese, optional (I topped each serving with cheese.)

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the ground turkey over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the turkey is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the turkey is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit. Remove from the heat and top with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.