Breath Freshening Dog Biscuits

3/4 cup minced parsley leaves and tender stems (1 medium bunch)
1/4 cup finely grated carrots (about 1 large carrot)
1 T. vegetable oil (I used Canola)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup corn flour or finely ground cornmeal
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the food processor, mince parsley. Next grate carrot in food processor, no need to wash between uses. Add parsley back to food processor. Add oil. Pulse 2, 3 times. Add dry ingredients, process one minute. Through hole in cover, add water while processing for one more minute. Remove from food processor. Mixture should be in the form of a ball. Spread some cornmeal on counter top and spread dough, rolling with rolling pin, 1/2" thick. Use cookie cutters, large bones 3" or small bones 2". I used 1" bone for last pieces. Bake 20 minutes for soft bones or 30 minutes for hard bones.
Have fun. It really doesn't take much time using the food processor. The original recipe did it by hand. My hands are too weak for this so I tried the food processor and loved it.

Anise Cookies

3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup plus 2 T. sugar
1-3/4 cup unsifted all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 tsp. anise extract

1. Grease and flour (spray may be used) 2 large cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, with electric mixer, at medium speed, beat eggs until very thick and light.
3. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating 20 minutes longer.
4. At low speed, beat in flour. Add anise extract; beat just until blended.
5. Drop by teaspoonful, 1/2" apart, on prepared cookie sheets. Swirl each, to make into a circle.
6. Let stand at room temperature, uncovered, 8 hours or overnight.
7. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake cookies about 10 minutes, or until smooth and firm when pressed with fingertip. Cool cookies on wire rack. Then store in airtight container.

Yield: Approx. 5 dozen

Snickerdookles, cookies of the fairy world

1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2-3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 T. sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix 1-1/2 cups of sugar, the margarine (butter), shortening and eggs, beating well. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda. Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls. In a separate bowl, mix 2T sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon. This is the magic fairy dust!! Roll balls of dough in fairy dust, coating all sides. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown on bottom. Immediately remove from cookie sheet onto wire cooling racks. Makes about 6 dozen cookies. Store in air tight container.
Hint: Great cookie to share with Santa Claus!

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (Drop)

3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup chopped almonds or nut of your choice
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups quick cook oatmeal

Stir together flour, soda and chopped almonds(nuts), set aside. With mixer cream butter/margarine and sugar until fluffy. Add egg, cocoa and vanilla, beat until well blended. Add oatmeal and flour mixture and mix well. Drop by teaspoon full onto greased cookie sheet (or use a baking sheet), 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Remove to rack to cool. Makes about 36 cookies. Recipe doubles easily!

Fry Bread - Native American version

4 cups flour
1 T. baking powder
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. oil

Mix dry ingredients, then add oil and enough water to make a soft dough. Kneed until dough has spring. Let rest for 20 - 30 minutes. Take off a piece at a time, pat and stretch to size you want. Fry in hot oil, turn once, remove.

When I lived in Arizona I had the pleasure of enjoying these at a friends place. She was native American and the recipe has been in her family for many years. It's very basic so if you have seen fry bread you will understand the 'forming of the bread'. I make these when I get yearn for a taste of Arizona!

Bean Salad

1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 can waxed string beans
1 can green beans (or cooked frozen or cooked fresh, your choice)
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/2 sliced yellow peppers (sweet)
1/2 sliced red peppers (sweet)

Mix together above ingredients.
Mix the following ingredients and add to bean mixture:
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup canola oil or extra virgin olive oil (depends on your taste)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. mustard
salt and pepper to taste.

Let stand in refrigerator at least 24 hours before serving.

Puffs

1/4 cup Crisco
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs.

Mix Crisco and water on low heat until crisco melts. Remove from heat. Then, all at once, mix in flour and salt. Add one egg at a time, beat well. Drop from teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees, then lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the cookie sheet. When cooled, fill with desired fillings.
Puddings and cream for cream puffs, chicken salad, shrimp salad, tuna salad, etc. for appetizers.

Corn Muffins

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup flour
2 T. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 cup milk (low fat or skim)
1/4 cup margarine
1 egg (or egg substitute)

Preheat over to 425 degrees. Grease bottoms of 12 medium muffin cups. Blend all ingredients about 20 seconds. Beat 1 minute. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 15 minutes. Remove immediately from pan.
Yield 12 muffins
Variations: Add 2/3 cups dried cranberries.
Or fill each cup 1/2 way, add 1 tsp. of your favorite jam (not jelly), fill the rest of the way and bake as directed.

Banana Bread

3 large or 4 small over-ripe bananas, mashed
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup margarine
1 cup flour
2 eggs

Cream sugar and margarine. Add eggs, mix well. Add bananas and mix. Add flour and baking soda. Beat until fluffy. Spread into greased 8 inch square pan or loaf pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

Pickled Pumpkin

This should have been posted right after Halloween but I got side tracked.
Save this one for next fall. After Halloween pumpkin prices go down, good time to buy a sugar pumpkin to pickle. Yummy!!

5 pounds pumpkin, pealed, pared and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tsp. whole cloves
4-5 whole cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 quart vinegar (apple or wine)
4 lbs. sugar

Place pumpkin in a large pot. In a separate pot, heat vinegar, sugar and spices. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Pour over pumpkin. Cook over medium heat until pumpkins are tender (they change color, become almost translucent). Place into sterile jars, cover with vinegar syrup and seal at once. Note: syrup should be as close to top as possible. Hand tighten the jars, spread a towel on the counter and turn jars upside down onto the towels. Leave for a few hours to cool. When you turn the jars right side up they should be sealed (center of top should be caved in).

Can be kept in pantry for about 1 year, but don't be surprised if they don't last that long. Once people try them it's hard to stop eating them. When jar is open, refrigerate.

Oma's Butter Cookies

Christmas would not be complete without my mother baking butter cookies. Here's her recipe.

1 lb. flour (3-1/2 cups)
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
100 gram sugar (1/2 cup)
2 sticks butter, unsalted
1 tsp. almond extract

This is a German recipe, that's why the lbs. and grams...

With a mixer, in a large bowl combine sugar and butter, cream well. Then add egg yolks and whole egg. Mix well. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add almond extract.
You should now have a ball of dough. Place in refrigerator for about 1 hr. Take 1/4 of dough, roll out on floured surface and use cookie cutters.

Bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Optional: before you put cookies in oven, they may be decorated. Mix one egg yolk with a drop of milk and brush on the cookie to hold the decorations. Or you can decorate after baking with some powdered sugar mixed with a drop of water, makes a simple thin icing. My children's favorite, brushed with egg/milk, sprinkle with sugar, then bake. If you just brush with the egg/milk mixture and bake the top of the cookie is shiney. Or a sliver of almond on top.

Almond Crescents

It's cookie time! Here's one of my children's favorite memory cookies:

Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes about 6 dozen cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
1 T. water
1-1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 cups all purpose flower
4-1/2 oz. almonds, finely chopped
more powdered sugar for dusting finished cookie

1. Melt butter or margarine in a medium saucepan (you will use this pan to make the whole recipe). Remove from heat. Stir in 1/4 cup powdered sugar, water and almond extract; gradually blend in flour, then almonds, to make a pastry like dough.
2. Pinch off dough, about a teaspoonful at a time, and roll lightly between palms of hands into strips about 2 inches long. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, curving into crescent shapes as you put them down.
3. Bake in slow oven of 300 degrees 20 minutes, or until delicately golden.
4. Remove carefully from cookie sheets; dust with powdered sugar while still hot. Cool on wire rack, then dust again with powered sugar.
A delicate, yummy cookies.
Enjoy!