Buttercream Frosting

• 1/2 cup Shortening
• 1/2 cup Butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 fluid ounces heavy cream
• Food Coloring

Cream shortening until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and continue creaming until well blended. Add salt, vanilla. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add cream a teaspoon at a time if necessary to achieve the right consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy. If desired, divide frosting into several small bowls and stir in food coloring to create various colors of buttercream frosting.

For a pure white frosting, use white shortening and clear vanilla.

Sugar Cookies

• 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

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 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Fast and Easy Pizza Crust

• 1 Package of Yeast
• 1 C Water
• 2 Tbs Oil
• 1 Tbs Honey
• 2 1/2 C Flour
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Ground Red Pepper

Mix yeast and water then add rest of the ingredients. mix til smooth. Let sit covered for 5-10 min. Flatten on greased pan and add topping. Cook as topping requires or 425˚ for 15 minutes.

Sargento's Chicken Ranch Pizza

• 2 cups cooked chicken, torn or cut into bite-sized pieces
  
• 2/3 cup ranch dressing, divided
• 1 (12-inch) prepared pizza crust (see pizza crust recipe)
• 6 slices bacon, cooked crisp, crumbled
• 1/4 cup sliced green onion
• 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Combine chicken and 1/3 cup dressing in medium bowl; mix well. Spread remaining 1/3 cup dressing over pizza crust. Spoon chicken mixture over crust; top with bacon, onion and cheese.

Place on baking sheet; bake in preheated 400°F oven 14 minutes or until crust is browned and cheese is melted. 

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana

• 1 lb ground Italian sausage
• 1½ tsp crushed red peppers
• 1 large diced white onion
• 4 Tbsp bacon pieces
• 2 tsp garlic puree
• 10 cups water
• 5 cubes of chicken bouillon
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
• ¼ of a bunch of Kale

Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.

In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic for approxiamtly 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.

Mix together the chicken bouillon and water, then add it to the onions, bacon and garlic. Cook until boiling.

Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.

Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated.

Stir in the sausage.

Add kale just before serving.

Chicken Parmesan

• 4 Boneless Chicken Breasts about 1/2 inch thick
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 cup Milk
• Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• 2-3 T Olive Oil
• 8 slices mozzarella Cheese
• 1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce 16 oz
• Parmesan Cheese

Whisk together the egg and milk. Dip the chicken breasts in milk and egg mixture and then in bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken until cooked thoroughly. Put in baking dish.

Put 2 slices of mozzarella cheese on each piece of chicken. Pour spaghetti sauce over all. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and a bit more mozzarella on. Bake at 350˚ for 252-30 minutes or until bubbly. Good ideas for what to serve with are spaghetti, garlic bread, salad, or just with some curly pasta.

Homemade Oreos

• 2 Boxes German Chocolate Cake Mix
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup Crisco
• 1 (8oz) pkg Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup Butter
• 1 (1 lb) Bag Powdered Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Mix top 3 ingredients with hands. Roll dough into balls (size of walnuts) Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 9 min at 350˚. Cool on pan 2 min. Then place on brown paper sack or wax paper.

Filling

Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and vanilla. Put cream mixture in between 2 cookies. And voila the best cookies ever!

Mom's Pecan Tarts

Crust

• 6 oz Cream Cheese
• 1 cup Butter
• 2 cups Flour
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 1/3 cups Broken Pecans

Filling

• 2 eggs
• 2 T Butter
• 1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Beat filling ingredients til smooth towards end of hour chilling.

Crust

Soften butter and cream cheese. Mix together. Then blend well with flour and salt to make a very stiff dough. Chill for 1 hour. Shape into balls and place in mini muffin tin. Shape around crust in tin. 

These don't need to be more than 1/4 inch thick in any one place. Place a few peices of pecans in crust then fill 1/2 to 2/3 full with filling. (It rises and forms a bit of a crusty top in oven.) Place a few more pecans on top, put in oven and bake at 325˚. Mini muffin tin- 25 min. Regular muffin tin- 40 min. While still quite warm take tarts out of pan. Can freeze or just cool off. Good reheated but not needed and great with ice cream.

Coffee Cake

• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 cup Butter
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 cups Flour
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 cup Sour Cream

Topping

• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preaheat oven to 350˚. Cream butter until soft. Add sugar cream mixture well. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each egg. In separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients and sour cream to sugar mixture. Stir in vanilla. Grease 9x9 pan. Mix all topping ingredients in a separate bowl. Spread half of the cake mixture in pan. Sprinkle on half of the topping mixture. Add remaining cake mixture and then the rest of the topping. Bake 30-35 min. THOROUGHLY MIX ALL INGREDIENTS!