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Sugar Cookie M&M Bars

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup shortening or butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup holiday M&Ms
  • 1 cup white vanilla baking chips

Directions

Preheat over to 350°. Spray bottom only of 13×9 inch pan with cooking spray.

Cream together butter (or shortening) and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture slowly and thoroughly. Stir in the white vanilla baking chips and 1/2 cup M&Ms. Press dough in bottom of pan. Sprinkle remaining M&Ms on top.

Bake 22-24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack, about 1 hour. Cut into small squares.

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Peppermint Meltaways

Ingredients

Cookies

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1 & 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch

* these are supposed to be little ball shaped cookies. Mine were flat, but still delicious. Next time try refrigerating longer and keeping cool until just before popping them in the oven. Or try 1 C powdered sugar, 1 cup butter, 1/4 t peppermint extract, 2 cups flour, 1/8 t salt)

Frosting

  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons 2% milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 2 drops red food coloring, optional
  • 1 & 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
  • 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in extract. In another bowl, whisk flour and cornstarch; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Refrigerate, covered, 30 minutes or until firm enough to handle.
  2. Preheat oven to 350. Shape dough into 1 inch balls; place 2 in apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 9-11 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
  3. In a small bowl, beat butter until creamy. Beat in milk, extract and food coloring (optional). Gradually beat in confectioners sugar until smooth. Spread over cookies; sprinkle with crushed candies.
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Perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups butter (3 sticks), softened
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 5 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon espresso powder (optional)

Directions

Add cocoa to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk through to remove any lumps.

Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well-combined.

Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.

Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.

If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears to wet and does not hold its form, add more confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.

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Anne’s Soy Glazed Salmon

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp. dry white wine
  • 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 2 lbs. salmon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Stir up all the sauce ingredients.  Place the salmon in a baking dish (a little olive oil on the bottom of the pan) and pour the glaze over the salmon and season with some fresh ground pepper.  Bake the salmon for 20 minutes (uncovered).

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Shannon’s Cheese Souffle

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Bisquik
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 1 pt small curd cottage cheese
  • 1 pound cheddar or jack cheese
  • 9 oz chorizo
  • 1 can green chilies

Directions
Whisk all ingredients together and pour into a 9×13″ baking dish. (Can be refrigerated overnight at this point). Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Edges will brown and center will be slightly jiggly when ready. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

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Pepper Pasta

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pasta
  • Olive oil
  • Grated romano
  • Pepper (a lot)

Directions
Boil pasta. Save 1 cup of water, drain the rest. Add olive oil and reserved water. Add romano and a lot of pepper.

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Sara’s Spicy Chicken Dip

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 8 oz Franks hot sauce
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 8 oz sour cream
  • 2 c colby jack
  • Ground celery seed
  • Garlic salt
  • Pepper
  • Onion powder

Directions
Boil chicken with spices to taste (or shred 1 small roasted chicken). Shred meat and soak in hot sauce for at least 1 hour. Combine sour cream, cream cheese, and cheese with additional spices. Add chicken mixture and stir well. Place in baking dish, cover with cheese and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Sour cream, cream cheese, Franks, cheese is a good dip too.

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Pomegranate Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked quinoa
  • Seeds from 1 pomegranate
  • ½ cucumber, diced
  • ¼ cup flat leaf parsley, diced
  • 12 cherry tomatoes, diced
  • 4 green onions, chopped
  • 2 T apple cider vinegar
  • 2 T lemon juice
  • 2 T olive oil
  • Zest from 1 lemon
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • ½ cup toasted almond slivers

Directions
Mix quinoa through green onions. Mix apple cider through zest. Combine. Add salt, pepper and almond slivers.

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Slow Cooker Chicken, Green Beans, Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds chicken breasts
  • 1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
  • 1 1/4 pound quartered red potatoes
  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 t dried oregano
  • 1 t salt
  • 1/4 t pepper
  • 1/4 t onion powder
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions
Place chicken in slow cooker. Add green beans on one side. Add potatoes to the other side and mound high. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic cloves. Pour over chicken, green beans and potatoes. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours.

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Southwest Cilantro Chopped Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 head Romaine, chopped
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed
  • 1 orange bell pepper, diced
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, diced
  • 2 cups corn, thawed
  • 5 green onions chopped
  • 1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped
  • 1/2 avocado (or 1/2 cup plain vegan yogurt)
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime), more to taste
  • 1-2 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar
  • 1/8 tsp. salt

Directions
Puree cilantro through salt in blender. Combine everything and mix.