Sugar Cookies

-1/2 cup shorting

-1/2 cup margarine

-2 cup sugar

-2 eggs

-2 tsp vanilla

-1 tsp soda

-1 tsp powder

-1 tsp salt

-1 cup sour cream

-5 1/2 cups flour

Cream shortening, margarine and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, mix. Add soda, powder and salt. Alternately add sour cream and flour. Mix well; roll out. Bake @ 350 for 8-10 on lightly greased cookie sheet.

(ripped off from cynthia)

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

½ cup sugar

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup crunchy peanut butter

¼ cup shortening

¼ cup butter, softened

1 large egg

1 ½ cups flour

¾ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

Miniature peanut butter cups

Beat the sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening, butter and egg. Add in the flour, soda, powder and salt, mix well. Roll into one inch balls and place in a silicone muffin tray. Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press one peanut butter cup into center of each cookie. Let cookies cool for about 5 minutes then gently pop them out of the muffin tray. Let them cool on wax paper for a few hours. Yields 22-24 cookies.

Tips: I prefer the Great Value or Sam's Choice brands of peanut butter cups. I use a silicone muffin tray so that the cookies will come out of it easily. I think that they would come out of a metal one fine, but would have to cool down in it for a long time. I have never tried a metal tray, so the cooking time may be shorter.

(adapted from betty)

Muddy Buddies

9 cups Chex cereal

1 cup chocolate chips

½ cup peanut butter

¼ cup butter

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

Mix chocolate, peanut butter, butter and vanilla by melting in microwave. Coat cereal with mixture them add powdered sugar until cereal is well coated.

(ripped off from chex)

Mock-Turtles

Pretzels

Rolos Candy

Pecans or your favorite nuts*

Place a piece of parchment or wax paper on a cookie sheet. Lay out as many pretzels as wanted. Top with a rolo and bake @ 350 for about 5 minutes. While rolos are still warm, press nuts onto the turtles. They are also yummy with another pretzel pressed on instead of a nut.

*It is important to note that by favorite nuts I am not talking about your crazy family members.

(ripped off from lori)

Hard Candy

3 ¾ cups sugar

1 ½ cups light corn syrup

1 cup water

2 drams flavoring

food coloring

powdered sugar, optional

Mix first three in a large sauce pan. Stir over med heat until sugar dissolves. Boil without stirring until temperature reaches the point of hard tack (310 degrees). Remove from heat. After boiling has ceased, stir in flavoring and color. Pour onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Break into pieces and store in airtight container.

(ripped off from lorann oils)

Sugar Cookies

1 C Sugar

1 C Butter

3 Tablespoon Milk

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1 Egg

3 C Flour

1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Cream all the wet ingredients then add the dry ingredients and mix until completely combined. Chill for 1 hour to make dough easier to handle. Roll out 1/4″ thick. Cook for 5-9 minutes at 400 degrees F

Take them off when the edges just begin to get golden– they might appear undercooked but they will continue cooking once removed from the oven. DON’T overcook them.

(ripped off from great value)

Dirt and Worms

1 pkg instant chocolate pudding

2 cups milk

1 bag gummy worms

20 chocolate cookies

12 oz whipped topping

plastic sandwich bags

6 see through plastic cups

Optional: chocolate chips, raisins, jelly beans or other mud mix ins

Mix pudding, milk and any optional ingredients wanted together for about three minutes until pudding gets thick. Spoon about 1 inch of pudding into bottom of cups. Crush cookies in bag until they look like dirt. Put about an inch over the pudding in the cups. Top that with an inch layer of whipped topping. Repeat layers. Top with a sprinkle of cookies and poke some gummy worms into the mixture. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes until the pudding is set up.

(ripped off from "how to eat fried worms")

Dinosaur Food (no-bake cookies)

2 cups crushed bones (sugar

½ cup swamp water (milk)

2 Tbsp fat (butter)

2 Tbsp dirt (cocoa)

Slowly bring to a boil over med heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add:

1 tsp tar (vanilla)

2 cups dry grass (quick oats)

¾ cup bug guts (creamy peanut butter)

dash of pollen (salt)

Stir all ingredients together and drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and let cool.

(ripped off from ericka)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

3 ½ cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 pkg milk chocolate chips

1 pkg toffee bits (If desired, but they will make the cookies crisper)

Preheat oven to 375. Cream shortening, butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla thoroughly. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bake 9-12 minutes. Cool slightly before removing.

(ripped off from heather)

Microwave Popcorn

Put 1/4-1/2 cup popcorn kernels into a paper bag. Add 1/2-1 Tbsp of olive oil and shake gently. Fold top down 2-3 times and microwave for about 2 minutes. Top with butter, parmesan cheese, or whatever else you may want

Pumpkin Seeds

Salt

Butter

Pumpkin seeds

Boil water with as much salt as will dissolve for 5-10 minutes. Turn off heat. Soak seeds for 10-15 minutes. Remove and add a lot of butter. Spread on tray and salt. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes.

(ripped off from recipezaar)

Play Dough

1 cup flour

2 tsp cream of tartar

½ tsp salt

1 cup water

1 Tbsp oil

1 tsp vanilla

15 drops food coloring

Cook over medium heat for 4-8 minutes, stirring vigorously until it forms a ball. Remove and let stand on counter for five minutes. Knead dough 30 seconds until smooth. Cool completely. Store in airtight container in fridge.

(ripped off from lori)

Bubbles

2/3 cup dawn dish soap

1 gallon water

1 Tbsp glycerin

Allow to sit for 24 hours in uncovered bucket. Bubbles get better the older they get.

Ripped off from hannah)

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

4 Tbsp flour

4 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp cocoa

1 egg

3 Tbsp milk

3 Tbsp oil

3 Tbsp chocolate chips

splash of vanilla

1 large mug

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in milk and oil, mix well. Add chocolate chips and vanilla, mix again. Cook in microwave for 3 minutes. It is normal for cake to rise over the top of the mug.

(ripped off from a church bulletin)

Lamingtons

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 cups powdered sugar

¼ cup boiling water

2 tsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp baking cocoa

2 cups shredded coconut

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well. Pour batter into a 9x13 greased pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Allow cake to cool completely on a wire rack. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl. In another bowl, add boiling water, milk, vanilla and cocoa; mix. Stir cocoa mix into powdered sugar and beat well. Cut the cooled cake into 16 squares. Use tongs to dip the cake pieces in the chocolate mixture. Then dip cakes into coconut. Allow cakes to dry on rack before serving.

(ripped off from the friend magazine)

Banana Bread

5 Tbsp butter

½ cup sugar

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

1 ½ cups over ripe bananas

1 ¾ cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking powder

½ cup heavy cream (or half & half)

Beat butter until fluffy. Add sugar and brown sugar, beat well. Add egg, egg whites and vanilla, beat well. Add mashed banana and beat on high for 30 seconds. Combine dry ingredients and add, alternating flour and cream. Pour into well greased pan and bake @ 350 for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

(ripped off from "grandma's kitchen" recipe card)

Taco Bake

2-7oz pkgs mac n cheese

1 lb ground beef

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 cup sour cream

1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 cup salsa

Heat oven to 400°F. Prepare macaroni as directed on package. While macaroni is cooking, cook meat with taco seasoning as directed on package. Stir sour cream into prepared macaroni; spoon half the mac mixture into 8-inch square glass baking dish. Top with layers of meat, 1 cup shredded cheese and remaining macaroni mixture; cover with foil. Bake 15 min.; top with salsa and remaining shredded cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

(ripped off from kraft)

Pizza

11 oz water

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 cups and 3 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 ½ tsp yeast

italian seasoning

garlic powder

Knead all ingredients for 10 minutes. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, punch down and rise for 30 more minutes. Divide into two separate balls. Roll out into pizza round on floured surface. Place on lightly greased pan, cover with sauce and cheese. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, then wrap in tin foil.

Pizza Sauce

8 oz can tomato sauce

½ tsp italian seasoning

¼ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp salt

Mix together and add to uncooked pizza.

(ripped off from lori)