Glazed Lemony Sugar Cookies

I really wish I had a picture because these were just pretty. We made them on valentines day in stylized heart shapes with the egg glaze dyed red. Gorgeous. And delicious!

Honestly, I was really impressed by these cookies. The sugar cookie dough was easy to work with, even as it warmed up. I typically have to re-chill some of the dough because my 4 year old works slowly and deliberately with cookie cutters. He took his time and the cutouts still held their shape well during transfer. (I used my offset icing spatula, which helps with some of the squishing and breaking during transfer. Works well, but I'm convinced there is a better way out there.)

I also really liked that they didn't puff too much and distort the cut shape. A serious plus.

The glaze makes this a great cookie for kids to help with. Make several colors and let them paint their own masterpieces.

And then there was the flavor. I'm actually not a huge sugar cookie fan. (No chocolate!!) They're boring. And typically too crispy. These were fantastic. Just a hint of lemon and the perfect chewiness. Enjoy!!

Glazed Lemony Sugar Cookies
From The Pioneer Woman

2/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
4 teaspoons milk
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream shortening, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla thoroughly. Add in egg and beat until light and fluffy. Add in the milk and mix.
Sift dry ingredients together, then blend into cream mixture. Divide dough in half (thirds if you double the recipe), slightly flatten between two sheets of waxed paper, then refrigerate for one hour (or freeze for 20 minutes.)

Roll out dough (about 1/4 inch thick) on lightly floured surface and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Transfer shapes to lightly greased cookie sheet and paint cookies with soft brushes with egg yolk glaze:

Egg Yolk Glaze (mix ingredients lightly with a fork)
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon water
2 to 3 drops food coloring

Bake at 375-degrees for approximately 6 minutes. Do not allow to become brown.

Remove cookies from oven, remove cookies to wire rack to cool.

Where did I go?

Wow, it's been a while. I apologize for not sharing. Things have been more than a little crazy over here. I haven't been posting for two reasons.

First, our food budget was tight so I'd fallen back to our old standbys. I always keep the ingredients for those on hand, so I didn't have to spend money to make them. Now that my food budget is back to normal, I'll be trying new things again. (No, he didn't get a job. It's just that food stamps for a family of four is a shockingly large amount of money each month.)

Second, the few things I have tried have only been meh. I'm not going to share something that's only mediocre. (Anyone have a good whole-wheat pizza dough recipe? The one I tried was much too thick.)

Actually, that's not entirely true. I have an egg-washed lemony sugar cookie recipe and a triple chocolate muffin recipe to post. Both were so good that I completely forgot about getting pictures.

Ah, pictures. I'll probably be posting without them for a while. The good camera is sans power cord and the bad camera has been hidden by the kids. So you won't be able to laugh at my horrible photography skills. At least for now.

Last Minute Chili

I don't have a picture because I really did make this at the last minute. My boys started crumbling an hour and a half before our regular dinner time. It was clear that they needed some food fast and then a very early bedtime. I walked into the pantry and started grabbing. We all loved how it came out!

Last Minute Chili

1-28 oz can diced tomatoes
1-15 oz can kidney beans
1-15 oz can corn
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
Chili powder to taste
Cumin to taste

Dump everything in a pot and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until warm throughout. Serve with rolls or bread.

Pasta with Roasted Summer Vegetables

I borrowed this picture because I roasted my veggies a little too long. They weren't very pretty. But man they tasted good.

Pasta with Roasted Summer Vegetables
From Martha Stewart, Serves 4

• 4 yellow summer squash (about 2 pounds total), sliced 1 inch thick crosswise, halved if large
• 2 pints grape tomatoes (about 4 cups)
• 2 medium red onions, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 8 ounces short pasta, such as campanelle or fusilli
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1 cup torn fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Divide squash, tomatoes, onions, and garlic between two large rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Roast without tossing until tender and starting to brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain, and return to pot.
3. Add vegetables, butter, Parmesan, and basil to pasta; season with salt and pepper, and toss gently to combine.

Pumpkin Cookies with Vanilla Glaze

If you've been around during the winter in last few years, you might know that these are my favorite winter cookies. Moist and chewy and oh so good.

(FYI: I used half whole wheat flour in this batch and you couldn't taste any difference. The pumpkin, spices, chocolate, and vanilla help hide it well. Yay!)

Pumpkin Cookies with Vanilla Glaze
From Nestle, makes 5 1/2 dozen

2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 can pumpkin
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips
Vanilla Glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 375. Grease baking sheets.

Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until creamy. Beat in pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until slightly brown on the bottom. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely before glazing.

Vanilla Glaze
Combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp milk, and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Slip wax paper beneath cooling racks and drizzle glaze over cookies.

Zucchini Farfalle

Yummmmm. This is on our list of favorites now. Thanks go to Jenny for pointing this one out! This seems light, but is very filling. And it makes a lot. So impress some guests or horde the leftovers for yourself. (This picture is missing the fresh herbs and parmesan cheese, so use your imaginations.)

Zucchini Farfalle
From: The Pioneer Woman

1 med. onion
4-5 small zucchini, quartered longways and chopped
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
3 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup white wine or chicken broth (I used wine)
1/2-3/4 cup heavy cream (I used 1/2 and wished I used 3/4)
1+ Tbs. Arrowroot/Cornstarch
1 lb. Farfalle, cooked
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Fresh Basil, Thyme, chives- chopped
Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Heat a couple tablespoons of oil over med-high heat. When hot, throw in 1/2 of the zucchini and sprinkle some salt over top. I probably used 1/2 tsp. Stir the zucchini around until it is browned. Don't overcook it. You want it to be crisp tender. Remove from pan and repeat with other half of the zucchini. Add more oil and throw in the onions and garlic. Reduce heat to med/med-low. Throw the tomatoes on top. Toss. Add 1/3 cup white wine. Whist up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Place 1/3 cup white wine in a small bowl and add in 1-1 1/2 Tbs. cornstarch or arrowroot. Stir to combine. Add to pan and gently stir. Immediately add cream. Now add in zucchini and gently stir to combine, turning off the heat. (Add water from your pasta is the sauce is too thick). Season with salt and pepper. Place pasta in a bowl and top with fresh herbs. Pour zucchini mixture over top. Toss. Top with Parmesan cheese.