Alfajores

My ex-husband served a mission in Argentina and he would talk about these cookies all the time, and then I saw this recipe on this cool blog called cooking classy found here   and made them and liked them.  Personally I like to make my own caramel to put between the cookies, and you can do that by putting a can of sweetened condensed milk covered in water in a crockpot on low overnight, in the morning when you open up the can, it is a delicious caramel.

Alfajores
1 1/4 cups cornstarch
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
10 Tblsp butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
3 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/2 tsp coconut extract, optional 
1 can Dulce de Leche (caramel in a can you can buy by the sweetened condensed milk cans)
various toppings for coating

Directions:
*In a mixing bowl, whisk together cornstarch, flour, baking powder, and salt.  set aside.
*In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend together butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 30 seconds.  Mix in lemon zest.  Add in egg yolks one at a time, mixing after each addition until well blended.  Mix in vanilla and coconut extract.  With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until combined and dough starts to come together.  Shape dough into a ball, cover ball with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes to one hour until dough is easy enough to work with
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll chilled dough out between two large sheets of parchment or wax paper to 1/6 in thickness.  Using a 2 in round cookie cutter (or smaller) cut dough into circles, use a spatula to transfer cookie onto cookie sheet lined with Silpat or buttered or greased.
*Bake for 10 to 11 minutes.  Allow cookies 5 minutes to cool on cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack to Cool.  Cool cookies completely and then spread generous layer of Dulce de Leche over the bottom side of one cookie, then sandwich it to the bottom side of another cookie.  Spread a thin layer of caramel around the round edge of the cookie and roll in desired topping. 
* Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature
*Here are a few of the toppings to roll them in:
sweetened coconut flakes (you can grind them a little bit in food processor to smaller size)
toasted coconut flakes
finely chopped pecans, toasted if desired
sprinkles
grated white, milk or semi chocolate
You dont have to coat edges at all.  If desired, you can dip to coat or drizzle cookies in white, milk or semi sweet chocolate.
Look at the blog above to see a picture of these cookies
They are yummy, I am thinking you could spread nutella in between and that would be yummy too!

Kneaders Over-Night French Toast

This is an awesome french toast recipe recipe from Kneaders, you just have to buy a loaf of their chunky cinnamon bread to make it

Kneaders Over Night French Toast
Ingredients:
1 loaf Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon Bread cut into 8 slices
8 eggs
3 cups milk
1 Tblsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tblsp vanilla
2 Tblsp butter

Preparation:
Butter a glass baking dish generously (9 x 13) Place the bread flat in the baking dish.  Mix all remaining ingredients, reserving the butter and pour over the bread.  Cut butter into pieces and dot over the top.  Refrigerate over night or at least one hour.  Bake 45 to 50 min at 350 degrees.  Serves 8

Kneaders Caramel Syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup Light Karo Syrup
Blend together and heat on stovetop until sugar is smooth.
Serve warm.

And now for the nourishing of our souls:
My daughter Megan serving a mission sent me this quote:
"I slept and dreamt that life was a Joy.  I awoke and saw life was  Duty.  I acted and behold Duty was Joy."

Danish Almond Sweet Bread

My sweet landlord that lives upstairs made this treat for me for Christmas and it was so so yummy, I ate it all in one day (I shared too!) so I  had to find the recipe and make some myself.  I found the recipe on thesisterscafe.com and Erin said her friends' inlaws make this every Christmas to give out, it makes 3 to 4 loaves , and it is so so so so yummy!  I think I will start this for a Christmas Goodie Handout Tradition as Well! You will LOVE it!

Danish Almond Sweet Bread

Dough:

Put in standing mixer:

1 ¼ c scalded milk

1/3 c shortening (melt with milk) I used butter

1/3 c sugar

1 t salt

2 eggs

Pulse, then add:
1 T yeast

Pulse again, then wait 3 minutes. Then add:

4 c flour

Knead for about 3-5 minutes.  Cover and let rise in a warm place 35 minutes.

Filling #1:

Scald in microwave and set aside:

1 c milk

Mix together in another bowl:

1/3 c sugar

2 T flour

¼ t salt

Beat in with a fork:
3 egg yolks (save the whites!)

Pour hot milk into mixture and stir well. Heat in microwave 2 minutes, whisking every 30 seconds, until thick like pudding.

Filling #2:

Mix with pastry blender:

½ c butter

½ c flour

1 c sugar

¼ c oats

1 ½ t almond extract

¼ c sliced almonds

Topping:

½ c almonds

¼ c sugar

Punch down dough. Divide in 4. (You may also divide dough into 6 for smaller pastries.) Roll each out to a rectangle 8” across and 12” long. Mentally divide the rectangle into thirds lengthwise and onto the middle third spread filling #1 and then top with filling #2. With a pizza cutter, cut slits down each side, crosswise, all the way to the bottom, ½ – 1” apart. Alternate sides and cross the strips over the middle. Make sure the top and bottom are tucked in so filling does not leak out. Brush the top with beaten egg whites, then sprinkle with sugar and almond topping generously.

Let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes, making sure the bottom and top are both slightly brown. Let cool 10 minutes before cutting.

Mexican Lasagne

 This is a great recipe, it might not sound like it, but try it and you will see!  It is a fun version when you get tired of tradtional lasagne!

Mexican Lasagne  from Jill Flink  Sandridge Ward Cookbook
1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
1 (16)oz can refried beans
1 pkg taco seasoning
12 uncooked lasagne noodles
2 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups salsa
2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup green onions
1 cup black olives (or more)
1 cup grated cheese

Combine beef, beans, and taco seasoning together.  Place uncooked noodles in bottom of 9 x 13 pan.  Spread beef mixture over noodles. Top with more noodles and beef mixture.  Combine water and salsa and pour over all.  Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until noodles are tender.  Remove from oven and spread sour cream, onions, and olives over casserole.  Top with cheese. Bake 5 minutes more.

YUMMY!


Nourishing of our soul:
I've been reading the book "An hour to live, and hour to love:
and would like to quote from Richard Carlson
"If I could live my life over, I'd be more loving to you and to everyone else as well - and I'd expect far less in return.  I see now that life is all about love, sharing, compassion, and kindness.  Mother Teresa said 'We cannot do great things on this earth.  We can only do small things with great love'. . . even small things can be great things when our hearts are in the right place"

Fresh Pesto Sauce

My daughter Jenna and I have learned to enjoy Pesto sauce and use it in our sandwiches and cooking.

Fresh Pesto Sauce

2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 Tblsp pine nuts, toasted

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

2 Tblsp freshly grated Romano cheese

3 Tblsp butter, softened

Blend first five ingredients until smooth in processor or blender.  Put in bowl and stir in remaining ingredients.

yummy!

Veggie Pizza

This recipe is a fun one that never dissapoints, great for appetizers.

Veggie Pizza
1 can crescent roll dough
1 pkg dry Ranch dressing mix
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Carrots, shredded
Cucumbers
Cheese
Tomatoes
Press dough into 9 x 13 pan.  Cook according to package directions.  Mix Ranch dressing mix with 16 oz container of sour cream. Spread over cooled crust.  Cut veggies into small pieces and spread on top.


Nourishing of the soul:
This is taken from the book I read "An Hour to Live, an Hour to Love" by Richard Carlson and Kristine Carlson
"Another thing I am absolutely certain of is this: If I could live my life over again, I'd rarely if ever be in such a hurry.  What is the point? You get to the end of your life and you finally pause and reflect and it all becomes so clear.  You see the absurdity of all the rushing around . . we rush around and for what?  All it does is keep us from truly experiencing life in any sort of meaningful deep way.

Cake Mix Cookies

This recipe is for cake mix cookies from my friend Diane Worthen, she has fun creating different flavors with diff cake mixes!

Cake Mix Cookies

2/3 cup shortening (I like to use butter instead of shortening)

2 eggs

1 box cake mix (any kind)

Take 1/2 package of cake mix and mix with the shortening and eggs.  Add the other 1/2 and mix well.  Shape into balls and bake at 375 for 8 to 10 min.

If using lemon mix, roll balls in sugar before cooking.   If using chocolate, after cooked, add a marshmallow, put back in oven to soften, then frost with chocolate frosting when cool.

Yummy!