No one cried - we'll maybe I did, a little.

I was on kid entertainment duty one afternoon between the holidays and that included my seven-year-old niece. We decided sugar cookies would be fun, and I wanted to try this rolled buttercream frosting idea. It seemed like the perfect idea, no special decorating, just cut it out with a cookie cutter and away you go. That was not how it went. It was a LOT of mess... a lot of trial and error - mostly error - but we persisted and kept trying different things and we ended up with frosted cookies! Also, extra frosting to play with like playdough that was very tasty! I'm really unsure what the difference was from where I got this recipe - because this was not the texture I saw in the videos - at all, but the most important thing? The kids had fun and cookies got made with frosting! Considering cut out cookies are my least favorite kind of cookie to make - I'll take the fun and run with it.

Rolled Buttercream
1 stick salted, softened butter (1/2 cup)
2 TSP flavoring (I use vanilla)
1 TSP meringue powder
2 TSP light corn syrup
2.5 CUPS of powdered sugar

Mix together frosting and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Color in small sections.
Roll out between parchment paper and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Use cookie cutters to cut shapes.
Freeze for 20 minutes, then peel or use lifter to get shape off parchment on onto cookie.
Use corn syrup as glue to stick to cookie.

Yes, yes it is the best!

A friend of mine introduced me to this recipe for sugar cookies - she promised it was the best, it was easy enough for kids to do it. She even proved that twice over, baking cookies with our girls club, then the boys club! She's not wrong. This New Years I had my niece in from DC and decided we'd bake cookies with the kids. I mixed up the dough but the kids were in charge of rolling and cutting the cookies out - my least favorite kind of cookie! The kids did great and this dough worked wonderful for 7 year olds and 13 year olds. The kids also snatched little bits of dough which they also enjoyed. I loved the low bake time - it meant I could cycle through 3 trays of cookies pretty quickly and get to the decorating part of the day.

Best Sugar Cookies
1 Cup unsalted butter
1 Cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups all purpose flour

PREHEAT oven to 350° F.
In the bowl of your mixer, CREAM butter and sugar until smooth, at least 3 minutes
BEAT in extracts and egg.
In a separate bowl, COMBINE baking powder and salt with flour and add a little at a time to the wet ingredients.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If the dough looks crumbly keep mixing for 30 seconds to 1 minute longer. The dough should be pulling away from the sides of the mixer.
If the dough still looks too dry or stiff for your mixer, turn out the dough onto a countertop surface, flour surface as needed. Wet your hands and finish off kneading the dough by hand.
DO NOT CHILL THE DOUGH. Divide into workable batches (2-3 chunks), roll out onto a floured surface, and cut. You want these cookies to be on the thicker side (closer to 1/4 inch rather than 1/8).
Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.

Need to get my head out of the cheese and cookies and remember my meal prep ways

New Year same old me - I don't make resolutions but it was time for something new for dinner that wasn't a cookie, ham, or cheese. I scanned the recipe - not the instructions, and got myself some instant Jasmine rice (I didn't know it was a thing) and quickly realized my mistake as I went to cook... Oops. But I used it and we moved on and good to go. Also that Teriyaki sauce looks complicated right? I mean sure all those things I don't have, but what I did have was a half a bottle of Teriyaki sauce from something else - done and done! This recipe was a lot of prep, lots of chopping as most Asian recipes are. But if you put the work in the prep, the cooking is actually simple and quick. Got this one in the oven and we all sat and just waited for it to come out of the oven. Chicken thighs are always a hit in my house - they are just better than other cuts of chicken, you can try to argue with me, I'll wait. Ok... anyway. I think this recipe could be made easier with prepping ahead. I need to remember how to do that... need to get my head out of the cheese and cookies and remember my meal prep ways.

Teriyaki Chicken and Rice Skillet
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
pinch chili flakes (optional)
2 Tbsp. butter, unsalted
1/2 white onion, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced small
1 head broccoli, diced small
1 cup jasmine or basmati white rice
2 cups chicken broth
For the teriyaki sauce (or bottled sauce)
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. mirin
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. chili garlic sauce
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely minced
2 tsp. cornstarch + 2 tsp. water
green onions (sliced on the bias) and sesame seeds for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Combine the seasonings together in a small bowl. Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the seasonings all over the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Brown the chicken on each side for 2-3 minutes, then set aside on a clean plate.
Add the butter to the pan and melt. Add in the onion, carrots and broccoli with a pinch of salt and cook 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are fragrant and softened just a bit.
Pour in the rice and stir for ~1 minute. Add the broth and then turn the heat off. Nestle the chicken into the pan, cover with foil and place in the oven for 35 minutes or until broth is absorbed and chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients together for the sauce and bring to a simmer. In a small ramekin, whisk together the cornstarch and water until the cornstarch is dissolved and the liquid looks milky white. Whisk into the sauce. The sauce will thicken, then remove from heat.
Serve the chicken and rice with the teriyaki sauce and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

No one has to know.

Sometimes I want to make the fancy cookie with the fancy frosting or decoration and do all the things... Sometimes I want to make a slab of cookie in a pan, slap some frosting on it and then cut it to look like Christmas trees. Being near the end of the holiday season meant less effort but also still cute bakes. These cookie bars could be customized to whatever holiday or event you are planning, they don't need to be trees, they could just be squares or triangles. I brought these to a family party and they were gone very quickly. My favorite dish to bring home is an empty one - and in this case - toss. Make all the good things, even if they are easy, make them. No one has to know.

Christmas Tree Sugar Cookie Bars
Sugar Cookie Bars:
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder not baking soda!
½ teaspoon salt omit if using salted butter
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
Buttercream Frosting
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick) softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk
Topping
Green food coloring
Sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350°F. If butter hasn't been softened you can place in microwave for 10 seconds to *slightly* soften it.
In a large bowl, cream together unsalted butter (1 cup, i.e. 2 sticks) and granulated sugar (1 cup) on medium speed for 20-30 seconds. While mixer is still on medium speed, add in egg (1 large), vanilla extract (2 teaspoons), and almond extract (1 teaspoon).
Once mixed, add in baking powder (1 ½ teaspoons), salt (½ teaspoon), and *all-purpose flour (2 ¼ cups); adding flour ½ cup at a time on low speed.
Mix until all flour disappears, typically 20-30 seconds. You do not need to beat/mix this any longer than it takes to mix in the flour. When pinched between your fingers, dough should be similar to a playdoh consistency and not be very sticky. Refer to photo above in post for how dough should look.
Spray a light-colored metal 9×13 pan with cooking spray, then line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2 inch overhang on each long side so that you will be able to lift the bars out of the pan.
Drop the dough into 1-tablespoon sized chunks into the prepared pan. Use your hands or a spatula to press down the dough until it covers the pan.
Tip: If the dough is sticky, you can place another piece of parchment paper on top and continue pressing down. To get clean edges, you can fold down the sides of the parchment paper and press like shown in the FAQ section above.
Bake bars at 350°F for 14-16 minutes. The trick to soft sugar cookie bars is to take them out right when you see the TINIEST amount of brown around the edges. The center may look underdone and this is okay; the bars will continue to bake in the hot pan when cooling.
Allow to cool completely before frosting (you can put the pan in the fridge on a cooling rack to speed this up).
In a large bowl, beat unsalted butter (½ cup, i.e. 1 stick) on medium speed using a hand or stand mixer (with paddle attachment) for 1-2 minutes, until light and creamy.
Keeping the mixer on medium speed, slowly add in vanilla extract (2 teaspoons), almond extract (½ teaspoon), and powdered sugar (2 cups).
Once incorporated, turn mixer to high speed and beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add 1 tablespoon of milk and beat for 30 seconds. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of milk if frosting seems too thick to spread.
Add green food coloring and mix until combined. If you plan to add a little frosting star, reserve about 2 tablespoons of the white frosting so that you can dye it yellow!!
If using sprinkles, add them immediately after frosting. If you wait too long, the frosting will set and the sprinkles won't stick.
Chill or freeze bars for 30-60 minutes before cutting (this will help prevent the frosting from smearing!).
If not eating same day or within 3-4 hours, place in airtight container to stay fresh. These bars can sit out for a few days due to the sugar in the frosting keeping the milk stable. These bars are also amazing chilled or frozen for 1-2 months (any longer and they tend to dry out).

Don't wear black, you'll be a wreck.

These cookies are a hot mess... Are they delicious? Yes! Are they a pain to make in the crescent shape? Oh man yeah - round flat balls would be way easier on all accounts. But folks we are making crescent cookies! The recipe was in my mom's cookbook - get this - from my dad's former mother-in-law Reka. Didn't know he had one of those? He did. He was also a widower, another story for another time. But these were Reka's recipe! It's old, like REALLY old so you know it's a legit recipe! Forming the shape was a pain, I broke too many to admit. I used a cookie scoop to get the amount of dough I was using to be approx. the same and did my best. These are very crumbly and like to fall apart. Do you best and when in doubt - douse in powdered sugar. Oh the hot mess part? You'll be covered in powdered sugar when you eat them. Don't wear black, you'll be a wreck.

Crescent Cookies
1 cup butter
2 cups flour
1 cup pecans
5 tbls sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tbls water
1/2 tsp Salt

Mix together. Form into crescent. Bake in 325 oven for 20 min. Dip in powdered sugar while warm.