Easy Sugar Cookies

This is probably one of the easiest recipes for sugar cookies that I have ever tried....typically, I am so impatient that I don't want to "wait" for the dough to chill for what seems like 12 hours.  This recipe takes away that step and they taste sooooo yummy.  Kudos to http://www.inkatrinaskitchen.com/2011/12/best-sugar-cookie-recipe-and-kitchenaid_28.html for sharing this recipe...and I will pass it along to you.  This recipe really does make 4 dozen average sized cookies.


Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
2 cups butter, softened
2 eggs
2 teas vanilla
1 teas almond extract (I didn't have this, and they turned out just fine...)
4 teas baking powder
6 cups flour

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350*.  First, in a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.  Add the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract.  Mix until smooth.  In a separate bowl, mix baking powder and flour.  Slowly add the dry mixture to the large mixing bowl.  It might become difficult to blend so you might have to hand stir.

Remember, no chilling allowed here!  Roll out the dough to 1/4" thickness and cut out your shapes.  Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes.  All of mine took 8 minutes.

Transfer to a wire cooling rack.  When they're cool, frost away!  Enjoy!:-)

Delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake

This is now a must have at most holiday get-togethers.  And, I must confess I prefer it over the traditional pumpkin pie.  Here is a super simple recipe that anyone can follow.

This specific recipe will make two 8" cheesecakes...Or a 9" cheese cake and a few smaller ones.  

Ingredients:

Graham cracker crust (8" or 9", see above)

1 can of pumpkin puree (15oz)

2 packages of cream cheese, softened (8oz packages)

2/3 cup sugar

2 teas pumpkin pie spice

1 teas cinnamon

2 eggs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350*.  Beat cream cheese in large mixing bowl until fluffy....it is smart to start with softened cream cheese, otherwise you will have chunky cheesecake...Add your sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.  Blend well. Add eggs one at a time and blend together.  Add pumpkin puree and mix until silky smooth.  It will be a very light orange color...

Pour batter into your pie crust(s).  Sprinkle some cinnamon on top if you wish.  Bake for 35-40 minutes until the center is almost set.  Cool for 1 hour and then refrigerate for 3-4 hours before serving.  Serve with whipped cream.

Enjoy!

A *Nice* White Elephant Gift "When Life Gives You Lemons..."

I had a work Christmas party tonight...and it was a white elephant gift exchange.  I started thinking of ideas for this exchange right away but I began feeling bad if I gave someone maxi-pad slippers, or a ziploc of batteries with "no toy included"...So, I found this idea on Pinterest and jazzed it up a bit to make it a gift that someone could indeed use.  Don't get me wrong, some white elephant gifts CAN be useful, like the super vintage brown Pyrex casserole dishes my mom received one year when I was in college and gave to me because she thought they were hideous---I still use them, and love them.  They are Pyrex after all.  Anyways, here is how I jazzed up my white elephant gift of "When LIFE gives you LEMONS, make LEMONADE".

Materials/Shopping List:
Box of LIFE cereal, I chose cinnamon because that is my personal fav.
A couple lemons.
Some Lemonade mix
Bendy Straws
Two glasses of some sort...I chose a thick plastic.
A carafe/pitcher/etc. whatever is on sale ;-)
Ice cube tray
Mini liquor bottles (rum and vodka)
Mixing spoon (I totally forgot to get this, even though it is in my "recipe")

I typed up a "recipe" that was just a bunch of crap, there is a picture below of it with ridiculous instructions...Copy it if you wish :-) Here are the pictures of my personal creation, wrapped up pretty and topped with an awesome gnome ornament that was almost too good to give away... (Bought at Target for anyone wondering...).

Enjoy your Christmas/Holiday parties!