Fluffy Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies

If there's one type of cookie that Henry likes for us to roll up our sleeves and make together, it's any kind of cut-out cookie. Real talk though: what kid doesn't like rolling out dough and picking out different fun shapes to cut cookies that they then get to decorate? I mean, what's not to love?

I recently found this recipe on Pinterest for old-fashioned sour cream cookies and we have already made it four times in the last month. It's that good. Plus side is that it's not super complicated and I swear these big, fluffy cookies are a no-fail, we haven't had ONE turn out wrong. They last a good while and they're perfect for fun personalized gifts this holiday season.

Ingredients:

5-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

I'm going to try to simplify the recipe but if you want detailed instructions, check out the link above.

1.) Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another then slowly mix the two together. The dough will be super sticky and will likely have to be mixed by hand towards the end.

2) Separate dough in two parts, flatten and wrap in saran wrap and chill for 1-2 hours.

3) Roll out on a WELL floured surface to about 1/4" thick. If your dough sticks, add more flour. Flour your cutters, flour your rolling pin....just add flour. ;)

4) Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes. If you want them to be super fluffy and soft, make sure you don't over bake them. Ours were just barely brown on the bottom and you can bake a few and decide how long you need to bake yours based on your shapes and such by how long the first batch takes.

5) Cool and then top with your favorite icing or glaze. We tend to stick to good old fashioned powdered sugar with a little milk and almond extract. It hardens up and is the perfect amount of sweetness to pair with the big, fluffy cookies.

6) Eat, share, and enjoy!!

I'd love to hear about you and your littles favorite recipe to make together!

Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Every great now and then Jeremy can catch lunch together and we typically hit up the soup and salad buffet at Big Boy. I love their veggie soup but on the days that they have tortilla soup, I typically go back for seconds because it is SO good. 

It's gotten cold here in Ohio and I haven't felt very well the last few days so this soup was calling my name. I knew it would be pretty simple to come up with something similar so here is my own version. 

2 chicken breasts - shredded
4 cans of black beans
1 frozen bag of corn
1 can of diced tomatoes with chiles
1 container of Swanson Mexican broth
1 package of taco/fajita seasoning

Mix all ingredients until warm.

I've made this in a half hour on the stove top or thrown all of my ingredients in the crock pot and let it simmer all day. Most of the time I just throw in a couple of frozen chicken breasts, let it cook, then remove and shred them right before we eat.

We usually have tortilla chips or strips and shredded cheese with ours but any sort of taco topping would be delicious!

Enjoy!

Healthier Mac & Cheese

We all know that sticking to a diet or eating clean all the time can be hard at times. Occasionally we crave some of our favorite foods and indulge and that's totally okay. I've come to realize that if I have a craving bad enough, it's probably best to give in instead of holding out until I am so hungry for something that I binge eat. I've also found that there are typically ways to jazz up my old favorites so that they are much, much healthier than the original. Yesterday was cold and rainy and I just really, really wanted some mac and cheese. Not the crap out of the box, but good old fashioned, creamy, homemade mac and cheese. I knew I had to have it or I was going to go insane wanting it for the next week. I scoured the internet and came across this recipe and modified it a bit to make it my own and slightly healthier. I knew you guys would want to try it too so I thought I'd share the recipe!

Photo Credit

Ingredients 1 chicken breast cubed 1 package Garden Delight Veggie Pasta (or any veggie pasta) 1 cup broccoli 1 cup sliced carrots 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (my husband thought this was the best part) 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese 3 tbsp whole wheat flour 1 1/2 cups skim milk 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tbsp minced garlic (or more!) Directions 1) Boil your pasta according to the package. 2) While your pasta is boiling, throw all of your veggies and chicken in a skillet (whether fresh or frozen) and cook them until they are soft and cooked through. 3) Once your veggies, chicken and pasta are cooked, drain them and mix them into a casserole dish. Heat your oven to 450 degrees. 4) Heat the olive oil and garlic in a skillet on medium heat. Mix in your flour and cook for about a minute until completely dissolved. It should be somewhat thick. Slowly mix in your milk, stirring constantly. Cook until a thick sauce forms - this should only take a few minutes. You should have no lumps. Remove from the heat and mix in most of your cheese until it melts, saving a bit if you wish for topping. 5) Mix your sauce in with your veggies and pasta, top with an optional bit of cheese, crackers, or panko - whatever floats your boat. Throw in the oven until the top browns (about five minutes), pull out, let set for a few minutes and then serve hot and gooey and delicious! ----------------------------------- We all LOVED this dish. It was super easy to make and was a complete meal in one. It was SO filling too! This will go into the occasional 'must-have' list that I keep tucked away for days when I know I have to have some good old comfort food. Nutritional Value Per Serving (Serves 6): 465 calories, 48 carbs, 20 fat, 25 protein, 262 sodium. 4 sugar

Easy White Chicken Chili

I made the most delicious and simple chili last night. It's been a little warmer here than what it had been lately but as I was walking through the grocery store yesterday morning, it was all I could think about. So I grabbed the indgredients, did a quick soak on my beans and whipped some up. I probably could have sat and ate the entire pot. It was really that good. Because I'm awesome and all, I thought I'd share with you the recipe.

What you need:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 small bag of northern beans
1 can of butter beans (you could use another white bean, my husband just loves butter beans)
1 can of hominey (or corn - again, hubby loves hominey)
1 small bag of frozen onion and peppers mix
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cilantro

When buying bagged beans, you have to let them soak and the longer you can soak them, the better. I wanted mine right away so I just boiled mine in about 6 cups of water for 2 minutes, removed it from the heat, covered them and let them sit for a little over an hour. Then you drain and rinse and they're ready to go. However, if you can - let them sit in cold water over night.

After you soak your beans, throw them into a pot with all of your other ingredients.
Add 2 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
Reduce your heat, cover and let it set for 2-3 hours.

Make sure you check and stir it periodically. If you notice that it's not simmering, increase the heat until it starts boiling again and then reduce it again. You want to make sure your chicken gets done.

After it sets, remove your chicken and shred it. I take two forks and pull it apart, it should come apart very easily. If you want, you can let it sit for a bit to cool and shred it by hand. This is easier, but I always feel like it loses some of it's juiciness that way.

Throw your chicken back into the pot, stir and it's ready to be served!

I know some people like to add a dollup of sour cream to theirs. Whatever you do, have fun with it! And as usual, if you attempt it - come back and let me know what you think. I love to have your opinion!