Better-Than-Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1 t. vanilla
2 large eggs
2-3/4 to 3 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
Chocolate chips

Mix butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly. Add soda, salt and 2 cups flour and mix. Add remaining flour 1/4 c. at a time until desired consistency is reached (dough should be slightly tacky when you touch it, and little or no dough should remain on your finger if you touch it). Stir in chocolate chips.

Bake 9-11 minutes at 375 degrees.

I like to use milk chocolate chips and Heath toffee bits. So yummy.

Seductive Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 c. butter
1 c. butter-flavored Crisco
1 c. granulated sugar
1-1/2 c. brown sugar
1 T. pure vanilla
2 eggs
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. soda
2 t. salt
1 pkg chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together butter, Crisco, both sugars, vanilla and eggs until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, soda, baking powder and salt until well blended. Add chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoon and bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden.

Strawberry Cucumber Limonade

This stuff is the best lemonade I've ever sipped--seriously. I've been a fan of cucumber lemonade for over a year. And then I decided to mix two of my favorite flavors. The thought of adding cucumber and strawberry together was pure genius, if I may say so. It is totally worth the effort!!

Strawberry Cucumber Limonade (Lime-uh-nade)

by Alana Lee

Ingredients

3/4 c. sugar

2 T. lime juice

3/4 c. less 2 T lemon juice

3-3/4 c. cold water

few dashes salt (optional)

2 T. cucumber juice

1/2 c. strawberry puree.

a handful or two of ice cubes

Directions

1. Pour sugar and water into pitcher.

2. Pour 2 T of lime juice into a glass measuring cup. Now add lemon juice until lime-lemon mixture equals 3/4 c. Add to sugar water.

3. Add a dash or two of salt if desired. (Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't.)

4. Whisk well until sugar is dissolved.

5. Peel and slice half a cucumber and puree it in a mixer. Strain the pulp out using cloth or mesh fabric. Stir in cucumber juice

6. Cut of the stems of fresh, juicy strawberries and puree in mixer. Add 1/2 c. strawberry puree.

7. Whisk in ice cubes and serve.

Hint: Puree and drain pulp of one cucumber and store in fridge in a mason jar for easy mixing next time.

Recipe: Lala's Limonade #2

This is the easier version--no boiling water to dissolve the sugar.

LaLa's Limonade #2

Ingredients

3/4 c. sugar

2 T. lime juice

3/4 c. less 2 T. lemon juice (*see Step 2 under Directions)

3-3/4 c. cold water

few dashes salt

Directions

1. Pour sugar and water into pitcher. 
2. Pour 2 T. of lime juice into a glass measuring cup. Now add lemon juice until lime-lemon mixture equals 3/4 cup. Add to sugar water.
3. Add a dash or two of salt.
4. Whisk well until sugar is dissolved. 

Recipe: Chicken Enchilada Soup #1

Our good friends make the best chicken enchilada soup. I didn't have their recipe, so I created this one. My husband LOVED it, and so did the kids!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

by Mrs. Lee

Ingredients

1 lb. chicken breast, whole, sprinkled with Lawry's Garlic Salt

1 T. olive oil (optional)

1 c. water

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1 T. minced onion

1/4-1/2 t. cumin

1 can red enchilada sauce, mild

1 small call green chilis, diced

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1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

1 c. sour cream

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Toppings:

1 can olives, sliced

sour cream

extra shredded cheese

tortilla chips

Directions

1. Cook chicken in a frying pan (in olive oil, if desired). Remove chicken and set on cutting board. Deglaze frying pan by adding 1 c. water; pour into large sauce pan. Dice chicken and add to sauce pan.

2. Add cream of chicken, minced onion, cumin and enchilada sauce to chicken. Stir well. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

3. About 5 minutes before you plan to eat the soup, add sour cream and cheddar cheese to soup. Mix well until cheese is completely melted. (Do not bring to a boil or cook longer than 5 minutes once you add the cheese or sour cream since we don't want these ingredients to turn grainy or become curdled.)

4. Serve soup topped with olives, sour cream, cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

Cook's Note: Many other recipes call for masa harina, a special corn dough that is dried and made into flour (NOT corn meal). This one is easy and you can make it without the masa harina. Also, other recipes call for green enchilada sauce. Use whatever your preference is.

Recipe: Grandma's Tomato Soup

This isn't MY grandma's recipe, someone else's grandma. You won't ever buy the canned stuff again! Not only is this cheaper than Tomato soup from a can, it is much tastier!

Grandma's Tomato Soup

Ingredients

2 T. butter

1 T. flour

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8 oz. can tomato sauce

1-1/4 c. water

1/8 t. salt

1 T. sugar

Directions:

Melt butter and flour together in a medium saucepan. Once melted, add rest of ingredients and whisk well. Bring to a boil and let simmer one minute.  Makes 2-3 servings.

Cook's Note: you can add 1 c. egg noodles if you wish.

Recipe: LaLa's Limonade#1

You are going to be so happy sipping your homemade limonade this summer--actually, this lemonade you can enjoy in any weather. It's costs less than half as much as buying frozen lemonade concentrate (which is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, a bad thing for your body), and it is much healthier for you. I've tested and tweaked this recipe a half dozen times to find the right balance of tart and sweet, and here it is....

Lala's Limonade (pronounced "lime-oh-nade")

Ingredients

2/3 c. sugar

1/2 c. water

Boil these ingredients together for one minute and then cool completely.

Then add:

3/4 c. lemon juice

1 T. lime juice

3-3/4 c. water

a few dashes salt (helps take away bitterness)

Mix together and serve chilled.

 

Cook's Note: Do NOT be tempted to add the lemon and lime juice until the sugar water is cold! You can mix a bulk batch of sugar water ahead of time and store it in the fridge to make it more convenient to make. 

Bulk Batch Sugar Water (for 5 batches)

4 c. sugar

3 c. water

Bring to boil; boil one minute. Place pan dish of ice water to cool it down faster. Makes about 5-1/4 c. sugar water, or 5 batches. Store in fridge in a container that holds 3 pints (or even a left over 2-liter bottle or something).