Best Family Cookies

Desserts
Cookies
Difficulty Rating 2 & 3
Source: inmykitchen1

TRIED AND TRUE!!! This recipe has been in my family for years. It’s always a great favorite, no matter which version is made!  The Hazelnut-Chocolate Cookies I created today!  What a hit!

Versions (See below recipe)

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Cinnamon-Spice Cookies
Hazelnut-Chocolate Cookies

Main Ingredients:

1 cup butter, margarine or shortening
1/2 cup oil (vegetable, canola or peanut)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cream together the butter, oil, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add dry ingredients and mix well.  Drop from tsp onto ungreased cookie sheets 2 inches apart.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  Transfer to cooling racks immediately.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Add 12 ounces chocolate chips after mixing in the dry ingredients. Bake as directed.

Sugar Cookies
After dough is mixed, drop from tsp onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Gently pat so tops are flattened, but don’t “mush” them down.  Sprinkle with additional sugar.  Bake as directed.

Cinnamon Spice Cookies
Add 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 3/4 tsp nutmeg to dry ingredients before mixing together.  Bake as directed.

Hazelnut-Chocolate Cookies
Omit brown sugar. Change sugar to 2 cups, change butter to 3/4 cup. Add 3/4 cup Hazelnut Cream (Nutella®), and add just after you beat in the eggs.  Blend in well until there are no streaks.  Set aside an additional 1/4 cup sugar.  Add dry ingredients and mix well.  Mix in 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts.  Roll dough into 1-inch balls, and roll in reserved sugar.  Place balls on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart and bake for 12 minutes.  When cooled, if desired, you may drizzle melted chocolate chips across the tops, but be sure to refrigerate to help “set” the chocolate.

Yield:  Cinnamon Spice or Sugar Cookies:  4 – 4 1/2 dozen cookies (about 2 inches each)
Chocolate Chip or Hazelnut Chocolate Cookies:  5 dozen cookies (about 2 inches each)

Red Devil

Appetizers
Difficulty Rating – 3
Source: inmykitchen2

TRIED AND TRUE!!! My maternal grandmother used to make this as a snack for us kids. She would also use it as a party appetizer. We loved it!

This is a word for word copy from her recipe card…

Melt ¾ pound cheddar cheese with a little butter in the top of double boiler. Beat 1 egg in a bowl; add ½ tsp dry mustard, ½ tsp salt and one can condensed tomato soup. Fill soup can about ¾ with milk and mix into egg and tomato mixture. Add to cheese very slowly, stirring constantly while cooking ntil smooth. Serve over bread, toast, or use round crackers to dip into sauce.

Raw Potato Dumplings

Miscellaneous
Difficulty Rating – 2
Source Unknown

2 cups grated raw potatoes
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour

Grate potatoes finely and drain off brown liquid. Add eggs, salt and flour to make stiff dough. Drop dough into salted, boiling water from wet tablespoon, using finger to scoop out the dough. Dumplings will be about 1 ½ inches long. They are done when they rise to the surface of water. Remove and drain. When cool, refrigerate. Delicious sautéed in butter or heated and served as they are with meat.

Raspberry Bars

Desserts
Difficulty Rating – 2
Source: Unknown

2 egg yolks, separated
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; sifted
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup red raspberry preserves
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/4 tsp almond extract
———-
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream shortening, salt and 1/4 cup sugar until fluffy. Blend in almond extract, egg yolk. Mix in flour. Pat dough into ungreased 13×9x2-inch pan. Bake 15 minutes. Spread hot crust with preserves; top with coconut. Beat egg white until foamy; gradually beat in 1/2 cup sugar until peaks form. Spread over coconut, bake 25 minutes. Cool completely on rack. Cut into 2 dozen bars.

Variation: Strawberry preserves; peach preserves, apricot preserves, etc. can be substituted.

Ranch Potato Casserole

Main Dishes – Miscellaneous
Difficulty Rating – 3
Source: Amish-Country Cookbook- Volume III
Submitted by: dm3764

6 medium red potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup prepared Ranch dressing
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup bacon bits or cooked crumbled bacon
2 tablespoons minced parsley

Topping

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups lightly crushed corn flakes

Cook potatoes until tender. Quarter (leaving skins on) and set aside. Combine sour cream, dressing, bacon, parsley and 1 cup cheese. Place the potatoes in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour the sour cream mixture over the potatoes and gently toss. Top with 1/2 cup cheese. Combine cornflakes and melted butter; sprinkle over the casserole. Bake at 350°F. for 40-45 minutes.

Serves 8

Rainbow Punch

Beverages
Difficulty Rating – 2
Source: tamara_534

1 can (46 ounces) Hawaiian Punch, cold
1 can (12 ounces) defrosted lemonade concentrate, cold
1 large jar Maraschino cherries, cold– with juice
1 bottle (2 Liters) Sprite, 7up, or other citrus pop, cold
1 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened

In a large punch bowl combine the first 3 ingredients; add Sprite. With a large whisk, whisk in the vanilla
ice cream starting with 1/2 of the amount called for. You decide how much more ice cream you want in it. You can also adjust the taste by simply adding more of a particular ingredient.

Radish Salad

Salads
Difficulty Rating – 1
Source: The Best American Recipes 2002 – 2003 ©2002
Submitted by: unknown

1 bunch radishes (about 8), thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp snipped fresh chives
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, combine the radishes and onion. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together. Pour the dressing over the radishes and onion and toss. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

Radish Green Bean Toss w/Garlic

Miscellaneous – Side Dishes
Difficulty Rating – 1
Source: russiec

1 pound green beans
1 tbs water
6 radishes, cut into wedges
1 tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp seasoning blend

In partially covered microwave dish in microwave, cook green beans and water 5 min. Drain. In skillet, cook radishes in olive oil 2 min. Stir in garlic, cook 1 min. more. Add beans, cook 2 min. Add seasoning, toss.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Quick Pumpkin Cookies

Desserts
Difficulty Rating – 2
Source: inmykitchen (Sue)

TRIED AND TRUE!!! Forgot I needed to make a dessert for my son’s Boy Scout Troop for a spaghetti dinner fund raiser. I looked in the cupboard to see what I had, and what I could come up with… this is the result! They were DELICIOUS, and the first dessert to disappear! I made them by dropping from a tablespoon… You will get more out of it if you make them smaller… see the note at the bottom of the recipe.

4 1/2 cups baking mix (Jiffy, Bisquick, homemade, etc.)
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2/3 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup canned pumpkin (NOT prepared pumpkin pie filling)

Mix dry ingredients together. Add the milk, eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add the pumpkin and blend well. Mix will be fairly thick, moist and sticky… like brownie batter. Drop by teaspoonfuls* onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375F for 8 to 10 minutes, or til lightly golden and “stiff” to touch. If it caves in a little, bake a bit longer.

If you like, you could sprinkle the tops of the cookies with a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar before baking.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies (*or 3 dozen larger cookies)

Quick Pork Skillet

Main Dishes – Pork
Difficulty Rating – 2
Source Unknown

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1/8-inch strips
2 packages (3 ounces each) pork-flavored ramen noodles
1 1/2 cups water
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 3/4 inch pieces (1 cup)
1 cup broccoli flowerets
4 medium green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces (1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons parsley flakes, if desired
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Heat 12-inch skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add oil; rotate skillet to coat side. Add pork; stir-fry about 5 minutes or until pork is no longer pink. Gently break apart noodles. Stir noodles, seasonings from flavor packets and remaining ingredients into pork. Heat to boiling.

Boil 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until noodles are completely softened.