Day 2 -Cranberry Cookies

Happy Sunday dear sweet friends!  It's time for Day 2 of the Twelve Days of Christmas!!

Since it's Sunday, I have another fun recipe that's going into my Family Favorite Recipe Cookbook to share with you.  Every December, before the Christmas baking begins, we start the month off by making these delicious Cranberry Cookies.  They are a family favorite and I hope they become a favorite of yours too!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup milk 
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 large egg
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt 
• 2 cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped 
• 
  
Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Beat in milk, orange juice and egg. Separately, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, then blend well into the butter mixture.  Stir in the cranberries.  Drop dough onto a cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, remove from sheet to continue cooling.

See you tomorrow night for day three!!

 Enjoy and Merry Christmas!!!

Kristii

Perfect for a cold winter's day

Happy Sunday sweet friends!  It's time to add another page in my "Make your Own" cookbook series.  and today I am going to share my Minestrone Soup recipe with you.  There is nothing that warms your heart during these cold winter days than a nice bowl of homemade soup!  Minestrone has become one of our favorites not only because it is good for you, but because it just plain tastes good!!

Garden Vegetable Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup green beans, trimmed and chopped
2 stalks celery
3 carrots, sliced

1 zucchini, sliced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

6 cups chicken broth

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup shell pasta

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic, green beans, celery and carrots and cook until they are soft.  Add zucchini, oregano, basil and salt and cook until zucchini softens.  Add the tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes.  Stir in kidney beans and pasta and cook until pasta is tender.  Top each serving with Romano cheese.

Such a delicious and hearty meal and made even better when served with Garlic bread.  

Yields 6 servings.

Enjoy!

Kristii

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hi there sweet friends!  It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just a few days away!  This fall has gone by so quickly and I'm sure those of you who are well acquainted with me, know that I'm ready to start putting out Christmas decorations and begin my Christmas baking!  I love everything about the Christmas season!!  Just so you know, I've already started on my 12 Days of Christmas posts and I can't wait to start sharing those with you!!  Since it's a little early to be in Christmas mode, however, I thought I would share one of my favorite fall recipes with you, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.    I make these cookies regularly throughout the fall season and my family just loves them!!  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!!  This recipe will go in my own copy of my Family Favorites Cookbooks that I created over the summer break.  I still have a cookbook that is available in my Etsy store and I have plans for a new design coming in the next several days.  Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 c. pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. ginger
1 c. chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Beat in eggs.  Stir in pumpkin and vanilla.  Blend in half the flour and add baking powder and spices.  Stir in the rest of the flour.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet.  Bake at 375 for 12-14 minutes.  Makes 2 1/2 dozen.

Thank you so much for stopping by!!! I hope you have a wonderful Monday!!
Kristii

More Cookbook Fun!!!

Happy Monday dear friends!!!  I'm so excited to share a brand new cookbook cover design for my cookbook series featuring Papertrey Ink's Strawberry Patch Stamps and Dies!!  

The cover begins with layers of black white and Pure Poppy Patterned Paper.  I think the Pure Poppy bitty dot patterned paper is one of my all time favorites!!  It's beautiful!!!  I die cut several strawberries and leaves and layered them onto a kraft Berry Basket die cut layered with a sweet little doily.  I added a filigree border on the top and bottom and a red gingham ribbon....another one of my favs!!  Here's a peek at the inside:

The inside contains a sweet little pocket page for notes and 10 dividers-3 of which are blank.

The spine is decorated with the bitty dot paper and the title is stamped with "Garden Fresh"  found in the Friendship Jar stamp set.

I am enjoying these cookbooks so much!! They are going to make great Christmas Gifts for sure!!

Supplies used:

Papertrey Ink Stamps and Dies:  Strawberry Patch, Berry Basket, Friendship Jar, Block Alphabet, Filigree Border

Papertrey Ink Cardstock and Ink:  Pure Poppy, Simply Chartruese, True Black, Stamper's Select White, Kraft, Sweet Blush

Papertrey Ink Patterned Paper:  Pure Poppy and Simply Chartreuse
Papertrey Ink Kraft Binder

I have a fun little recipe that I found on myrecipes.com will be added to my own cookbook to share with you!

Sweet and Spicy Citrus Tilapia

Ingredients

4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
Cooking spray
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons lower-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Preparation

1. Arrange fish in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Combine orange juice and next 9 ingredients (through garlic); pour over fish. Let stand 15 minutes.

2. Preheat broiler.

3. Sprinkle fish with paprika; broil 15 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Drizzle sauce over fish.

Such an easy recipe filled with flavor and oh so good for you!!!!  We cook ours on the grill so we don't have to cook over a hot stove or oven and it makes the perfect summer dinner!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Happy cooking,

Kristii