Date Nut Bars

I remember eating these all the time growing up, and my favorite part is still sprinkling the confectioners sugar on top. It's the sweet topping to a thick, cake-like bar.

Ingredients:


3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
3 cups all-purpose flour (take 2 tablespoons out of each cup of flour)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour milk (1 cup milk + 1 teaspoon vinegar)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped dates
confectioners sugar


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking dish.

2. With an electric mixer, cream together the sugar and shortening in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg; beat.

3. In another large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients and milk to the creamed mixture in small batches, alternating between sour milk and flour. (Begin and end with flour.)

4. Fold in nuts and dates. Evenly spread batter into the baking dish.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out barely moist with some crumbs. Don't overcook or bars will be too dry.

6. Remove from oven and let cool completely in pan. Once cooled, sprinkle liberally with confectioners sugar. Cut into squares and serve. Enjoy!

Shortbread Cookies

All you need to make great cookies is 5 ingredients. This is a staple recipe, and you can jazz them up in so many ways. And if you want to always have them on hand, pop the prepared rolled dough log in the freezer and bake them off within a month.

Ingredients:


1 1/2 sticks butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar, plus some for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Add vanilla extract; beat.

3. In another mixing bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Add to butter mixture in small batches, beat on low speed after each addition. Beat just until dough starts to form.

4. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface. Loosely wrap dough in plastic wrap and form into a log shape 2 inches in diameter.

5. Refrigerate wrapped dough log for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove from refrigerator and unwrap dough.

6. Slice into 1/2-inch cookie disks. Place cookies on baking sheet 1-2 inches apart. Sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of sugar.

7. Bake cookies for 20 minutes, or until edges are light golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


Enjoy cookies plain or jazz them up with the following suggestions:

– For chocolate dipped cookies, melt 3/4 cup chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir after 30 seconds then continue microwaving in 30-second intervals until completely melted. Add in another 3/4 cup chocolate chips and stir vigorously until chips melt from the residual heat of the microwaved chocolate. Then dip cooled cookies halfway into the chocolate and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet to harden. For extra special cookies, sprinkle chocolate-dipped cookies with finely chopped pecans.

– For lemon shortbread cookies, substitute lemon extract for the vanilla extract. When cookies are cooled, dip in a lemon glaze mixture: 1/2 cup confectioners sugar and 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice. Allow dipped cookies to harden.

– For pecan sandies or almond shortbread cookies, stir in finely chopped pecans or toasted slivered almonds before rolling dough into a log.

– For coconut shortbread, stir in toasted coconut before rolling dough into a log.

Chicken Fingers

Skip the drive-through and make these in your own kitchen. And did I mention they're not fried?

Ingredients:


1 chicken breast (makes about 4 fingers)
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
15 saltine crackers, crushed
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. With a sharp knife, slice chicken breast into four finger-shaped pieces, about 3/4-inch thick. To insure even thickness, slice on a diagonal.

3. Make a dredging station: 1 plate with mustard, 1 plate with the combination of crushed crackers and seasonings, then the baking sheet at the end.

4. Dredge the chicken pieces through the mustard to coat, then coat well with the cracker mixture. Press the mixture onto the outside so it sticks well. Place coated chicken on the baking sheet.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on thickness of chicken fingers. Remove from oven when golden brown and fingers are firm when pressed.

6. Serve alone or with dipping sauce such as honey mustard. Enjoy!

Pasta with Italian Sausage and Tomato Sauce

Combining ingredients that I know my boyfriend likes always turns out well. And if it has pasta in it, it's always a winner. This concoction did not disappoint. 

Ingredients:

16 ounces pasta of choice (I used a mixture of penne and elbow macaroni.)

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch strips

1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch strips

1/4 onion, diced

3 links mild Italian sausage, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 teaspoon each of dried sage, dried basil, dried thyme, garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package in a large pot of boiling water. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, combine tomatoes, herbs and seasonings over medium-low heat. Using a potato masher, gently smash the tomatoes to release the juices to make a thick sauce. Cook over a low heat until other elements of dish are ready.

2. In a deep-sided skillet over medium-high heat, sauté onion and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until onions are translucent and peppers are tender. Add in sausage chunks and continue cooking until sausage is done all the way through.

3. Drain pasta once cooked. Toss together tomato sauce, pasta and sausage mixture. Serve and enjoy! 

Coconut Cupcakes

Coconut, sweetened condensed milk, whipped cream and cream of coconut. Enough said.

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix

1 small can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 can (13.5 ounces) cream of coconut

1 (8 ounce) tub thawed whipped topping

1 small bag frozen grated coconut

flaked sweetened coconut

1. Prepare cake mix as directed on package. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake as directed on package.

2. Combine sweetened condensed milk and cream of coconut in a small bowl. 

3. Remove cupcakes from oven and immediately poke several holes in each using a toothpick. Liberally drizzle milk mixture over each cupcake so it soaks into cake.

4. Let cupcakes cool completely.

5. For frosting, combine whipped topping and grated coconut. Spread about 2 tablespoons onto each cooled cupcake. Lastly, sprinkle with flaked sweetened coconut. 

6. Keep cupcakes refrigerated. Enjoy!