Recipe Wednesday - Beef and Quinoa

I realize I just posted a recipe yesterday, and a not so healthy one at that.  However, today I will redeem myself with a healthy, delicious option for dinner.  Did I mention it is also quick and easy?  I found this recipe a couple of weeks ago and tried it out last week for dinner. We had delicious meals for days of this recipe!  Keep in mind, it is just the two of us, so things tend to stick around a little longer than they would if we were feeding a few extra mouths.

I hope you enjoy this one as much as we did!

Back To Baking

I love baking, and we are headed into prime baking season.  Sadly, I think the art of baking, or the enjoyment of baking, is disappearing.  Everyone seems so busy these days that baking has turned into breaking off a square of the pre-made dough from the refrigerated section of the grocery store and throwing it on a pan to stick in the oven.   

I hope some day to pass along my love for baking to our kids just as my grandma and mother have passed it along to me; see evidence of my early baking below!  Since Halloween is right around the corner, I wanted to whip up a batch of sugar cookies to take with me to a work meeting this week. 

I like to say baking is in my blood; I remember baking with my grandma when I wasn't old enough to see over the counter yet.

I use the sugar cookie recipe my grandma used.  Nothing fancy, just traditional, delicious cookies!

 

 Halloween cookies in the works for this year!

Thanksgiving cookies from last year!

No, baking sugar cookies isn't a "quick" process, but it is totally worth it in the end!  

Grandma's Sugar Cookies- 

1 Stick of Butter (warmed to room temperature)

1 Stick of Margarine (warmed to room temperature)

2 tsp. Baking Powder 

1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla 

1 Cup Sugar

3 1/2 Cups Flour 

3 Eggs 

1. Mix sugar, margarine and butter in a mixer until well mixed.  

2. Add in baking powder, vanilla and eggs 

3. Slowly add in flour and continue to mix 

Chill the dough for at least four hours, I generally chill it overnight.  Roll the dough out onto a floured surface.  You can see in the photo above that I use a pastry cloth with a frame to hold it tight and keep it from moving around while rolling out the dough.  I also use a rolling pin sock to make sure the dough doesn't stick to the rolling pin.  I have tried rolling them out without the sock when I was in a pinch and it did not go well.  Roll the dough out a little at a time making sure the dough doesn't become to thin.  Depending on how long it takes you to roll out all the dough, you might have to put the dough back in the refrigerator from time to time to make sure it stays easy to work with.  

Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes until the edges just start to brown.  Spread out on the counter to cool.  

I generally frost the cookies the following night unless I'm making them over the weekend and then I just let them cool for about an hour before I frost them.  

Frosting: 

1 stick of margarine (melted), start with 1/4 to 1/2 bag of powdered sugar and 1 tsp. of vanilla.  Mix all the ingredients and slowly add in 2-3 Tbs. of milk until the frosting is the right consistency.  

Frost the cookies and have fun decorating! Make sure to let the frosting dry for a bit before putting the cookies away.  

The thing I like about these cookies and the frosting is that they aren't heavy.  They are both very light and don't hit your stomach like a brick... until you eat half a dozen of them at a time. 

Recipe Wednesday - Crockpot Cheese Tortellini

This recipe was a huge hit in our house.  It was just as good leftover, which is always a bonus.  Andrew isn't a huge fan of leftovers, so when I make something he will eat for multiple meals, I count that as a win.

This recipe was super easy to make and will be going on our regular dinner rotation. The only thing I changed from the recipe is using ground turkey sausage rather than links or slices.

Fall Favorites

I'm not sure I could pick one season as my favorite.  There are things I like about all of them.  Spring brings tulips and lilacs and new life.  Winter gives me an excuse to drink peppermint mochas, summer is full of color with all the flowers in bloom, and fall has tons to offer as well.

1. Pumpkins- I love going to the pumpkin patch and finding the perfect one for our porch.  We haven't been to a pumpkin patch for a couple of years.

2. Changing Leaves -

3. Pumpkin Flavors -

4. Scarves -

5. Football -