Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

My friend, Kendra, gave me this recipe. I'm not sure if I was just out of the loop, but my chocolate chip cookie recipe was not nearly this good. You all for sure need to try this recipe out!

Makes 4 to 5 dozen.

Cream together:
2 cups Crisco
1 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 1/2 cup sugar

Add to above:
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Add to above:
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
5 c. flour (I don't always put this much. I just add until it doesn't stick to my finger.)

Add chocolate chips

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. I only cook them 8 minute, because I like them SUPER soft! Mmmm.... Oh, and I don't usually add chocolate chips. They are yummy enough without them! ENJOY!!

Yummy Chicken Rice Bowl

I made this for the first time last night and it was super yummy! The three ingredients above are the key to the yummy taste! This is for sure going to become a regular in our household!

Serves: 4

4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/4 cup Kraft Asian Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
1/4 cup orange juice
3 to 4 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables (just put in as much as you like)
3 to 4 cups hot cooked long-grain rice (again... as much as you would like)
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Heat large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; stir-fry 5-7 minutes. or until cooked through. If you would like to add a little kick then add 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper (Cayenne Pepper). I don't like really hot things, but I loved the little bit of a kick the Cayenne pepper added!

Stir in dressing and juice. Bring to a boil. (The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of both liquids. Next time I will do 1/3 cup of both though. I would have preferred more dressing, so there was some on my rice. So, adjust this to your preference.) Add vegetables; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Serve over rice. Sprinkle with nuts.

White Chocolate Popcorn

I know, it sounds like a strange combo right? Trust me it's so good!

AIR Pop 8-10 cups of Popcorn
Spread pop corn out on cookie sheets.
Melt one bag of Nestle's White Chocolate Chips in a double-boiler (make sure it's real chocolate, not that fake stuff)
Drizzle over popcorn and lightly toss till coated.

It looks just like regular popcorn, but YOU WON'T BELIEVE HOW IT TASTES!!

Total time for making this was like 5 minutes. Super easy & yummy!

I made this for my YW tonight for and they ate it up!!

Cream of Chicken Soup

While planning my weekly menu, I decided that I would make a home made version of cream of chicken to keep in my freezer to use instead of the canned stuff. And surprise surprise! Cream of chicken soup can be edible by itself! I got the original recipe here, but since I changed it, I'll post my variation:

2 cups milk
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups finely chopped, cooked chicken meat
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder


Make a white sauce of milk or cream, flour, and oil. Add chicken. Add sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder (may use more or less as desired). Mix well and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat.

If soup is not as thick as desired, mix a small amount of cornstarch with a small amount of water and add to soup. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

I bought a huge amount of greens from Costco the other day and quickly tired of the dressing we had in our fridge. I searched the web for an easy home made dressing and found this on allrecipes.com. It is seriously delish! I find myself eating huge amounts of salad just as an excuse to load up on the dressing.

3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

In a blender or food processor, combine the first six ingredients. Slowly add oil; process until smooth. Stir in parsley. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. Can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Graham Crackers

3/4 C whole wheat or graham flour
1 1/2 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 Tbl water
1/2 C brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C shortening, margarine or butter
1/4 C honey, warmed

In a medium-size bowl, combine flours, salt, baking soda and brown sugar, and cut in shortening or margarine. Combine water and honey and add to dry ingredients. Blend well. Roll out half the dough on an ungreased cookie sheet to 1/4 inch thick. Prick dough with a fork. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake at 375* for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cut into squares (we use a pizza cutter). Cool.

Not only is this a good food storage recipe, but these are fun to make with kids and super yummy! It makes quite a few so just freeze some of the extras for later!

Solid Peanut Butter Cups

Whos in the mood for chocolate peanut butter goodness? You will be when you eat these. Recipe and photo courtesy of this awesome recipe site.

12 ounces melted chocolate (I used 9 ounces semi-sweet squares and 3 ounces white chocolate squares)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Melt chocolate according to package directions, taking care not to overheat. I melted the semisweet and white chocolate separately and then mixed together. To melted chocolate add peanut butter, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Spoon or pipe (I used a decorating bag with a large round tip) chocolate mixture into small baking cups. Refrigerate until set. Enjoy!

I made these yesterday, they are gone....all gone. So good!