This Is Us

  Today I looked through some saved recipes, read up on cream of tartar (to see if my cookies actually needed it) and created this recipe. Cream of Tartar (how do you say it Tar-Tar or tarter?) is needed for this recipe. It interacts with the baking soda, which makes the cookies puff up and then flatten out when cooling off. It also is what gives snickerdoodles their signature cracking. Here is the recipe: Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies Ingredients: 1 3/4 c Granulated Sugar  3/4 c + 2 tbsp Softened Salted Butter 2 Large Eggs 3/4 c Sourdough Starter 3 1/2 c Flour 1 tsp Baking Soda 1 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar 1/2 tsp Salt Directions: Preheat your oven to 350°. In the bowl of your stand mixer add the butter and sugar and mix for about 2 minutes.  Now add the eggs and sourdough starter and mix until creamy.  In a smaller mixing bowl add the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and the salt and mix with a fork.  Add these ingredients to the stand mixer bowl and combin...

  These sourdough sugar cookies are so soft and delicious.  I know it has a lot of sour cream in them, but I don't notice it and it helps keep them soft. I made almond butter cream frosting to go on top. Here is the recipe: Sourdough Sugar Cookies Ingredients: 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp Salted Butter 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil 2 Large Eggs 1 1/2 cups Sour Cream 2 tsp Vanilla Extract 2 tsp Almond Extract 3/4 cup Sourdough Starter (Discard) 3 1/2 cups Flour 1/2 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp Baking Soda 1/2 tsp Baking Powder Directions: Preheat oven to 325°. Line a baking/cookie sheets with parchment paper.  In the bowl of your stand mixer add the butter and sugars.  Mix until well combined.  Add the oil and mix.  Add the eggs and mix for 1 minute (until fluffy).  Scrap down the sides and add the sourdough, vanilla and almond.  Mix well.  In a separate bowl add the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.  Mix with a...

  Nick loves peanut butter cookies.  So, I decided to try and make some.  I found several different recipes and then came up with my own.  I'm not good at knowing everything I should put in cookies, but I can adjust different recipes to and make my own from it.  lol Here is my recipe: Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies Ingredients: 1/2 Cup Salted Butter softened 1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar 2 Eggs 1 tsp Vanilla 3/4 Cup Sourdough Starter 1 Cup Peanut Butter 2 1/2 Cups Flour 1 tsp Baking Powder 1 tsp Baking Soda 1/2 tsp Salt Directions: Preheat the oven.  Add the butter and sugars to your stand mixer.  Mix until it's lighter in color.  Add the eggs and mix again.  Mix in the vanilla and sourdough starter. Add the peanut butter and mix until creamy.  In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add to your dough in your stand mixer.  Mix until well combined.  Using a 2 t...

I adjust and combine several recipes to create new ones that work for my family and the few allergies that we have. I don’t add garlic or any shell fish to any recipe, because of allergies. If you’d like, you can add garlic to this, however I can’t tell you how much! Haha! Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients: 1- 15 oz. can Black Beans (drained) 1- 15.25 oz. can Corn (drained) 2- 14.5 oz. can Chicken Broth* 1- 14.5 oz. can Diced Tomatoes (not drained)* 1 Whole Lime, juiced 1 tbsp Onion Powder 1 tsp Chili Powder 1 tsp Cumin Powder 1 tbsp Paprika Powder 1 tsp Black Pepper 2 tsp Salt 3 Chicken Breasts 1- 8oz. Block Cream Cheese Directions: Add all ingredients, except the cream cheese, to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 hours. Pull out the chicken and shred it, then put it back in. Cut the cream cheese into small cubes and mix it into the soup. Cook for another 2 hours. Mix again before you serve it. To serve add cheese, sour cream, guacamole, tortilla chips, or anything else ...

  This is a recipe from Nick's mom.  I'm not sure how long they have been making it, but it was before I married Nick. I make it different than they do.  They use un-breaded chicken tenders, but I have a hard time biting into them (it's a texture thing) so I use the canned chicken and shred it.  There are so many different ways you could make these... Chicken Hoagies Ingredients: 1 10oz. Can Chicken (you could use the 12oz. can as well) 3 cups Shredded Cheese 1 tbsp Onion Powder 1/2 tbsp Paprika Powder Pinch of Pepper 1 tsp Salt Hoagies or French Bread Directions: Heat oven to 375°. Butter both sides of the bread and place on a baking sheet (I lined the baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up).  Once the oven is ready, place the bread in the oven for about 5 minutes to toast it.  While the bread is toasting, combine the chicken, 2 cups of cheese, and spices in a bowl. Remove the bread from the oven. Be careful not to burn yourself and place the mi...

  Today is national chocolate chip cookie day! What a great day! 😂 Here is my recipe for  Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies   My family LOVES these. It makes about 3 dozen. I added more flour and water to my  Sourdough Starter  so I had enough for cookies and  Sourdough Mini Pizzas  (since it’s Friday night, which is pizza night in our house). I have a whole  List of Dinners  that I make a  Monthly Dinner Calendar  from.

  We use only three ingredients for chocolate pie. Pudding mix, milk, and a premade chocolate pie crust. Here is the recipe. Chocolate Pie 1 5.9 oz. box Chocolate Pudding 3 cups Milk 1 chocolate pie crust Follow directions on pudding box (whisk milk and pudding mix for two minutes). Dump into pie crust. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Then cut into pieces. Serve with whipped cream, if desired. That’s it!

  About 10 years ago when we would have dinner at my parent's house every week, once in a while my dad would buy these Campbell's soup chicken and dumplings dinners. They were delicious.  For a while now we haven't been able to find them. I found a few recipes on Pinterest.  Most of them included ingredients that we can't cook with because we have picky eaters in our family and allergies.  So I created my own. Here it is... Just a note first… I dump the cream of chicken soup in the crockpot, use the cans from the soup to measure the milk, then whisk it together with the herbs. It mixes better. Also if you like the soup thicker, you can add in 6 tbsp of cornstarch dissolved in 6 tbsp of water after it’s cooked for 2 hours and before you add in the dumplings. Chicken and Dumplings Ingredients:  Soup 2 - 12 oz. cans Cooked Chicken 2 - 14.5 oz. cans Cream of Chicken Soup 2 - 14.5 oz. cans Milk 1 - 14.5 oz. can Chicken Broth 15 Baby Carrots (cut into small ...

  With allergies and picky eaters in our family we make a lot of things from scratch. Taco seasoning is one of them.  I start out by browning the meat with salt, pepper, and onion powder. I know that most people would tell you that you shouldn’t cook that way, but I think it gives the meat more flavor and makes the house smell so good! I should just mix a whole bunch of the seasonings together and then I wouldn’t have to add everything every time, but I haven’t done that yet. 😆 Here is my recipe for taco seasoning for 1 pound of ground beef. Taco Seasoning Ingredients: 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Onion Powder 1/4 tsp Black Pepper 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder 1/2 tsp Chili Powder 1/2 tsp Paprika Powder Directions: Like I said… I put the onion powder, salt, and pepper on while I brown the ground beef. Once it’s brown and most of the moisture is cooked out then I sprinkle the cumin, chili, and paprika on the meat. I mix until it’s well mixed. Then serve with taco shells or tortilla chips.

  Here is my recipe for homemade spaghetti meat sauce. With Nick being allergic to garlic we can’t buy store bought sauce. All of them contain garlic. So Colleen showed me how to make it, and I adjusted the recipe a little for our family. Most of the time I can use herbs either fresh from our garden or ones I have drying in our garage (also from our garden). Sometimes I don’t judge correctly how much we will need to dry, and end up having to buy from the store. I need to learn how to dry my own onions and make them into powder! It’s on my list of goals to do this year! I use this recipe for spaghetti, lasagna, and baked ziti. Here is the recipe: Spaghetti Meat Sauce: Ingredients  1 lb. Ground Beef 2 - 8 oz. cans Tomato Sauce Water 1 tsp Onion Powder 1/4 tsp Black Pepper 1 tsp Salt 1/2 tbsp Oregano  1/2 tbsp Basil  1/2 tbsp Thyme  2 tbsp Sugar 4 tbsp Butter 4 tbsp Flour Directions: Put the ground beef in a big sauce pan. While browning the meat add the salt, pepp...

  I thought I had shared this recipe on here, but I can’t find it so I guess not.  About a year before my aunt (Lorena) passed away she found this yummy recipe on a butter package. We’ve altered it because there was stuff we didn’t like in it, stuff we were allergic to, and added in other stuff. We try to make this once a month. We miss her lots, but we are grateful for the knowledge that we will be able to be with her again! Anyway… Here is the recipe: Bacon Chicken Pasta Ingredients: 1 bag (16 oz.) Bow Tie Noodles 1 can (10-12 oz.) Chicken Breast 1 package Bacon 1 stick Butter 16 oz. Heavy Whipping Cream 2 cups Shredded Parmesan Cheese 1 Tbsp Onion Powder 1 tsp Pepper 1 tsp Salt Directions: Cook the bacon to a crispy texture. Put on paper towels and set aside. Cook the noodles as directed on the package. Drain, add back to pot, and add a little butter to them so they don’t stick together.  While you cook the noodles cut the butter in squares so it will melt easier and a...