The only sugar cut out cookie recipe you’ll ever need

October 24, 2020 by

I have been using variations of the same sugar cookie recipe for over 20 years now. Along the way I’ve made alterations and tried some different things and I can say I’m 100 percent certain these are the best sugar cut out cookies!

There are few things that I think make these the best.
1. No shortening. These have all butter. I trust cows more than scientists anyways.
2. NO CHILLING. So when it’s 7 pm and you forgot you promised your kid you were going to make cut out cookies you can get ALL the extra super mom (or dad!) points!
3. No spreading. Because what’s the benefit of not having to chill if they spread out?!

These cookies are buttery, tender, and perfect for eating plain or with frosting! Because let’s be honest, that’s the best part of making cut out cookies, right? Putting out colored frosting and copious amounts of sprinkles and just making the best yummiest mess!
If you need a simple cookie frosting this is always a classic. Except I make it with all butter unless I really need it super white.

In case you aren’t sure what things should look like I broke it down for you.
When creaming the butter and sugar it should be smooth but don’t expect it to lump all together:

After adding the egg and vanilla you want it well combined but no need to beat for long. Scrape the bowl if necessary:

Only mix briefly after all the dry ingredients are combined. Use a bowl scraper to lump all the dough together. If you see any streaks of butter mix for a couple more minutes.

I like using a floured piece of parchment paper to roll out on. Dust with flour first (I love my flour duster!) Place half the dough on and dust the top with a little flour.

Top with another sheet of parchment paper and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness.
I much prefer a small wood rolling pin because it’s easier to maneuver. and gives you a more even roll if it isn’t tapered.

When you’ve rerolled a couple of times I just scoop the dough into balls and flatten with a glass.

Or roll in colored sugar then flatten.

And for our all time favorite, with miniature chocolate chips! They come out wonderfully and who doesn’t love chocolate chips in cookies?!

Enlist your little ones if you have them. This one has been well taught to place the cutter close to the cut edge of the next cookie…

And push down with a flat open hand from above.

I love these “Holy Sheet” baking sheets from Great Jones. They are coated with a nonstick ceramic coating so no need to grease or use parchment paper! Everything slides off of them.

As you can see, any spreading is miniscule!

And they hold up to impressions well too!

Looks good enough to eat! And since these are all butter they have amazing flavor if you don’t want to go to the work of frosting.

I like them soft but if you want a firmer cookie bake for an additional 30-60 seconds. I don’t have much issues with breakage though and nobody minds the broken cookie that needs taken care of…

Filed Under: Christmas / Winter, Cookies, Holiday Recipes Tagged With: , , ,

Caramel Oat Shortbread Bars

October 3, 2020 by

What’s better than shortbread? Shortbread with caramel and chocolate!
Don’t worry, there’s some oats as well so really it’s a breakfast bar…
I make these using my pink salt caramel sauce. If you don’t want to take that step (which believe me, that sauce is worth the step!) you could melt premade caramel or just sprinkle with caramel bits. Using a sauce makes these so much more decadent though.
These are great when you need a big batch of something, I make a double batch in a jelly roll pan and bake for the same amount of time.

Filed Under: Brownies / Bars

Pink Salt Caramel Sauce

October 2, 2020 by

Caramel is such an easy thing to make but can often go wrong.
I keep a jar of this in my cupboard for baking with or topping ice cream. A lot of recipes call for butter but I prefer making mine without. I find it works better when adding it to recipes. The other thing I do different is use pink salt. I’ve been doing this for years and everyone always asks what I add to my caramel to make it taste so good. I used to use sea salt with good results but once I tried making it with pink salt on a whim and now it’s the only way I make it!
I don’t use a candy thermometer, I find it’s easier to watch the color. For me, it’s just perfect when it’s a medium amber. Using a nonstick pot will make it easier to clean but harder to see what color it is so I use a heavy stainless pot. Boiling water in the pot afterwards helps cleanup.
This sauce makes perfect little gifts and can be used for an apple dip, ice cream sauce, or incorporated into baking instead of melting down caramel cubes (which taste like straight corn syrup, not caramel!)

Filed Under: Candy / Confections, Sauces / Condiments, Uncategorized

Vanilla Lime Butter Cookies

October 2, 2020 by

These are twist on these orange butter cookies. I love the combination of floral vanilla bean with tart lime.
These cookies are rich and tender from the extra egg yolks but not overly sweet. The citrus is pleasant without being overly tart. Lime juice powder is always in my pantry I add it to baked goods when I want that extra pop of citrus without adding liquid or too much tartness. I think it’s worth keeping on hand but if you don’t have any available you could double the amount of lime zest and add some lime juice as well to the dough.
This dough requires no chilling and doesn’t spread much in baking. I’ve made them in small to extra large with great results. (Nobody turns down a giant cookie!)

Filed Under: Cookies Tagged With: , ,

Soft Cinnamon Rolls

September 22, 2020 by

When I was making the soft milk bread I knew I had to try making cinnamon rolls with it too. They are the new favorite cinnamon rolls in our house and just in time for cinnamon roll season! Because they have tangzong (that’s that cooked slurry of flour, water, and milk) they stay fresh and tender much longer. The dough is easy to make and after the first rise you’ll roll it out (I find it’s easier to do in 2 pieces) and brush with melted butter.

Enlist your favorite helpers to sprinkle on the spiced sugar.

Roll each roll up tight and pinch shut.

I like the dental floss technique. If you use a knife make sure it’s very sharp. If it pinches the layers together when you cut they won’t raise as evenly.

Bake after a second rise in a 9 by 13 pan…

Are you a frost while warm or cooled person? I do like how the frosting melts into them a little while warm.

And best part? You can make 3 pans (9 inch rounds) with the same recipe.

I like to put some frosting in a small ziplock bag on top of them before freezing. Then when I rewarm them I add the frosting then. Make extra pans to share, if you have any elderly neighbors, friends or family I have found homemade breads and cinnamon rolls are always appreciated!

Filed Under: Bread, Yeast, Breakfast, Doughnuts / Pastries Tagged With: ,

Soft Milk Bread – with whole wheat variation

September 16, 2020 by

If you are a baker chances are you’ve heard of the tangzhong method. If you haven’t heard of it, it is an Asian method where you cook a slurry of flour, milk, and water and incorporate into a yeasted bread dough.
Why should you try it?
It makes breads softer, fluffier, and also extends shelf life. Like a week later your bread will still be fluffy, soft, and tender.
I decided to put it to the test with whole wheat. Would it still be as magically pillowy soft and tender? Would it extend the shelf life? Typically I freeze whole wheat breads that won’t be eaten within 2 or 3 days max.

So what’s the verdict?
At 50% whole wheat:
Pillow soft? .. check
Tender?… check
And after a week? still?…. check!

What about at 100% whole wheat? certainly not then…
Pillow soft? .. check
Tender?… check
And after a week? still?…. check!
Much to my amazement the 100% whole wheat was still incredibly soft, tender, and fresh! I realized after I did cheat by using all purpose flour in the tangzong method but at a mere 2 tablespoons I’m not going to fret over that.

For fun I also tried some in a pullman pan (using a double batch as it is a long loaf). It made for some amazing tea sandwiches!

This bread is DEFINITELY worth the 5 minutes of extra work. You’ll be rewarded with amazing bread whether you want to use all, part, or no whole wheat. And while it is typically made with the signature look of placing 3 or 4 rolls of dough in the bread pan it won’t affect the outcome if you just make it into a regular loaf.

Filed Under: Bread, Yeast, Whole Grain Tagged With: , , , ,

Homeschool Classroom Organization

September 10, 2020 by

I’ve been homeschooling for over 15 years so our classroom has been through MANY changes. About once a year… or more… I assess how the current layout is working for us and adjust as needed. Honestly I love the current layout more than any other and can’t imagine changing it. It feels more like a library now which I’ve always wanted. If you have younger kids my old layout may have more ideas for you and you can find that here.

We used to have a big school table but as our girls have gotten older I find that it works best for us to just use our dining room table so we have some open space…. and more room for books. I do have a tablecloth I can throw on it for art projects if they will be especially messy (the IKEA disposable shower curtain liners are super cheap and work WAY better than those thin disposable tablecloths!) But I also have a folding table I can set up for extra messy projects that need to be set up for longer as we do eat at our table every day.

Ledge shelves work great for holding art items used most frequently or for displaying books and I always keep baby wipes on hand for cleaning paint off.

Wall shelves hold a variety of art supplies. Pom poms, different mediums, papers, paintbrushes, pallets, etc. It can be helpful to group things together and label.

Below the shelves I have these drawer carts on wheels that hold more art supplies, another for legos, and one for miniature making (one of my youngest’ favorite hobbies).

On top of them I keep some bins of things we like to have handy. Crayons, fidgets, a silverware caddy makes the perfect caddy for markers, colored pencils and such.

I used to use an IKEA cart (you can find similar ones at craft stores everywhere now as well) but I found our current set up is better for us since we have so much art supplies.

The bookcases on one side of the room hold educational books and supplies.

I like having a big basket for holding each child’s finished work and occasionally go through and sort what should be kept (I keep a couple of bins in a closet) and what should be recycled.

We use these green bins for each subject for my youngest daughter. They contain everything needed to work on that subject. We use thinking tree journals for her and supplement with a few other items. This way she can just take the bin to the table or outside or even the couch to work on that. She really likes the flexibility to do that and not having to gather everything needed before getting to work.
My oldest has special needs and a developmental delay so in alot of ways she’s a preschooler. It works best for her to have one basket with some workbooks.

I used to use these guys from the container store but they just didn’t hold everything needed for each subject so the green bins work better. I think I bought them a decade ago at Joann fabric store!

In the corner is an amazing rotating bookcase someone made for us (It is the most amazing thing ever!) My youngest has her miniatures displayed in it. We recently added a love seat i snagged an amazing deal on!

We used to have this swivel rocking chair with a tent canopy over it but wasn’t the most comfortable and they were ready for a change. I had made it from a giant embroidery hoop and some old curtains.

This 50 cent broken globe was turned into a hanging light (we reused the light cord and disco light bulb from the tent)

Under the loveseat is a simple box with small wheels. It’s currently holding some legos for a stop motion my youngest is making with her Dad but she plans on setting up a prehistoric diorama on it.

And now we have room for a little table and displaying current interests, like a fossil, rock and mineral collection my youngest adored making.

On the other wall is more books… of course! The large ottoman stores our puppet collection that our girls just don’t want to get rid of yet!

Those green play mats from IKEA have held up great over the years and have been used a lot for yoga and such.

And since we don’t have an extra table there’s room to do yoga or games in the middle of the room.

By the table I have a magnetic dry erase board hung (I bought the giant frame for almost nothing. I was pretty excited t fit so perfectly over the dry erase board. I hang happy thoughts, or current things of interest or to work on. Or you can write out a quote every day for your kids to copy down in a “Words of Cheer” book.

And just to keep it real, this is what it looked like for a good week or so while I rearranged everything!

If you don’t have room for a homeschool classroom you can still be successful! I have seen set ups where each child gets a basket or a cart on wheels and that can work too. Every a cardboard box each child gets to decorate can work! The most important thing is that you are learning together. Embrace a little mess. It won’t always be perfect and it won’t always be tidy. Be willing to make changes as needed and always choose time together engrossed in your child’s passions and interests over fighting over academics.

Filed Under: Homeschool Tagged With: ,

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

August 20, 2020 by

It’s that time of year again. You know what I’m talking about if you planted zucchini in your garden. It’s now piling up on your counter, filling your fridge…
My 13 year old was in charge of our garden this year. Earlier this year we volunteered at our local food bank and she learned you can donate produce from your garden so she was really excited to take that on. We have an Asian Pear tree that produces a lot of fruit so between that and the garden she’s donated over 100 pounds so far! That still leaves zucchini on my counter though. I wanted to make something special to celebrate her hard work and remembered my chocolate carrot cake (the most fantastic carrot cake EVER) and wondered how it translate to zucchini. I was NOT disappointed! Rich, tender, moist, and chocolaty!
I have no doubt this recipe will be made again before zucchini time is up!

Filed Under: Cake / Cake Pops Tagged With: ,

Dear Homeschooler

August 11, 2020 by

Dear homeschooler, (or terrified parent jumping into the home education pool),
Home education doesn’t (and hopefully shouldn’t!) look like public education. There are many paths to take to the same destination. Children are not meant to sit in one seat for hours on end. Education can happen anywhere!

If the options available to you are not a good fit you can make something that is.
Technically if you are going the route of online school, or say a K12 program, you are not homeschooling. Your child is still a public school student, just based at home. This may be the right choice for you and your child. For us, we started with a K12 program when our oldest was in kindergarten. And it was the most miserable experience and in the end I felt like we wasted those 2 years. But every state is different and has different laws around what K12’s can offer. For me it is a total dealbreaker if you expect my child to sit in front of a computer for hours.
I decided that instead of fighting for what my children need I would just cut out the middle man and do it myself.
EDUCATION DOES NOT HAVE TO BE CENTERED AROUND A SCREEN

Buy that extra bookcase.
Just trust me on this one…

Don’t be a control freak.
I can’t tell you how many friends over the years have said to me “I wish I could homeschool but (child) won’t listen to me and needs a teacher to instruct them.”
Children are people, just smaller and with less control.
Can you imagine a better time to discover how to communicate with your child? To discover what they are truly passionate about? Taking the time to understand your child’s learning style and what matters to them will open up so many doors to a closer relationship to your child. Children can be involved in their education plan.
At the beginning of each school year we make a list as a family to plan out any extra areas of study they want to focus on, any skills they want to learn, field trip ideas, etc.

A few years ago we switched to using funschooling (also called thinking tree journals) for our youngest. I saw a complete change in her excitement over her education. We still study the basics but she also gets time to delve into subjects she is passionate about. And yes, that means part of schoolwork is studying cryptozoology.

Time is on your side
Because time isn’t wasted going back and forth to classes, sitting and waiting, and everything else that happens at school that isn’t “education”, you will find you have time to allow your children to take on projects they might never be able to. Our youngest loves doing kind deeds and when she was only 8 she started a charity “Lucy’s Stitched Hugs“. So far she’s donated somewhere around 1200 to 1500 stuffed animals and quilts to hospitals, emergency placement foster home facilities, and organizations that assist families struggling with homelessness. There is no way she would be able to do this while in public school!

Take a detour. You’ll still get there!
If your child has an interest in a subject explore it, whether its a passing interest or not! My youngest went through a phase of being intensely interested in everything related to Ancient Egypt. We were lucky enough that a King Tut exhibit was at OMSI at the time so I took her and let her spend as much time as she wanted exploring the exhibit and making notes. We checked out a plethora of books from the library and purchased a few favorites. I printed off Egyptian themed worksheets and activities from online (A lifetime membership to Education.com has been worth every penny for just such occasions!) We found Egyptian recipes and tried them out. Here is her sarcophagus she made on her own one evening while waiting for bedtime. True education has no starting and ending time!

Challenges do not need to define a child
One of the biggest reasons we chose to homeschool was because our oldest has special needs. She has Autism and a developmental delay. Our second daughter is also on the spectrum. Because we homeschool we don’t have to fight for accommodations or inclusion. If something isn’t working or needs to be changed I don’t need permission from anyone to do it. There doesn’t have to be endless conversations about challenges and how to work around them. We are able to focus on strengths and work on strengthening areas that need it without it becoming a huge deal. Our school district wanted us to enroll our oldest in a special education program when she was only 4. This would have required her being heavily medicated. To date the only thing we have had to medicate her for is her sleeping disorder. Separation anxiety and behavioral issues have all been able to be worked through without medication. A public school journey would have involved a lot of medications over the years and I just didn’t want that for her.
Amelia was completely non verbal. But here she is reading to our pet cockatiel, something some doctors never believed would happen!

Don’t forget life!
Life itself holds so much education. Another homeschool Mom gave me a great tip once. Pick an area of the house for each day of the week and work as a team to do any extra cleaning for that area. (For example, Mondays could be bathrooms, Tuesdays could be kitchen, etc)
Involve your kids with cooking, math is so much more fun if you get to bake cookies!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taught cooking classes and I’m shocked at the number of families not teaching their kids this important life skill. As they get older and more confident they can help with meal planning and cooking on their own. I remember my Mom taught me how to compare prices using the per ounce price in small print on grocery store labels. Too many kids are entering adulthood without the crucial life skill of being able to budget, shop, and cook for themselves.

Homeschooling does not make your kids socially awkward
I don’t know why some people still believe this. Public school is not designed to develop social skills. I was mostly public schooled but I was homeschooled for a few years. Homeschoolers are by far more likely to be accepting, less judgmental, and more comfortable in their own skin. Peer pressure loses its power when the fear of daily bullying goes away.
I was once criticized for my daughters social skills… while said person’s kids would not put their cell phones done to play a game. This person also is somehow assumes that autism can be “socialized” away. It doesn’t really work that way any more than you can socialize away autism.
Are my kids weird? Sure. I’m pretty sure all kids are weird.
EVERYONE IS SOMEBODY ELSE’S WEIRDO
I knew plenty of weird kids in public school too. I was totally a weird kid. I practically lived hiding behind my fathers leg and then behind a book. I am so grateful I wasn’t forced to be someone I wasn’t and given the time to grow out of being shy. It usually isn’t a lifelong condition.
We opted on not participating in a coop because honestly, none fit in our schedule. For many years school was done around therapy schedule as my oldest went to occupational and speech therapy a couple times a week and I also just didn’t find the right fit. Being on our own meant I could tailor everything to meet my daughters exactly where they were and grow from there. I volunteer as a 4-H leader and that has provided lots of social time and a local autism group has a tween / teen social club and service group that has been wonderful. Find the right fit for your kid.

You need more quantity of time if you want quality of time
You cannot have true quality time if you don’t have quantity time as well. Having more time together means a closer knit family and more opportunities to appreciate each other, and learn and grow together!

The most important thing I want to tell you?
NOBODY is better equipped or more motivated to teach your child.

Some favorite resources:
Funschooling.com

Education.com

Local zoos and museums – we keep a membership to our local zoo (the Oregon Zoo) and with that comes a reciprocal membership. Each month we also have a guest membership to a different local attraction. So we can go as much as we want within the month to that attraction. We’ve really missed our zoo with Covid. My youngest LOVES catching zookeepers and talking their ears off with animal facts and questions. They are always excited to see a kid so interested in learning!

Our local library has an experience pass as well. Using your library card you can get passes to educational attractions and exhibits. Ask your local library staff what your library has available for resources for homeschooling!

I’m not going to list all the curriculum choices because honestly that would take forever. We have tried many and what I will say is that for us a program that offers all subjects tends to be lacking in areas. But if you go through a math program for your math curriculum they will probably be better equipped in that subject since that is their main focus.
Be prepared to change it up. We started with Singapore math and I thought it was great… and it did go well for awhile. They I came to a realization that too much repetitive work makes the wheels fall off the bus for my youngest. So we’ve switched to Learn Math Fast and so far, so good!
Once I bought ahead 5 years of science curriculum because I thought it was so amazing. First year was fine. Second year I was informed with a heavy sigh “I all ready know all this stuff”. After taking all the review tests I realized that yes, indeed she did know all that stuff. All 4 more years worth.
Now, having an amazing memory is a superpower of kids on the spectrum. But even so I don’t purchase to far ahead now in case we need to make adjustments. Many curriculum have sample pages on their website so you can have your kid give it a try as well.

Exodus Books is a semi local bookstore that sells new and used curriculum (they ship as well!) They’ve been very helpful for us.

Literary Leftovers is a sweet little used bookstore that has a small homeschool curriculum selection. We always find something there! Find local to you used bookstores, they are often good places to look.

Local Facebook groups – odds are there are homeschooling groups on Facebook local to you. It can be helpful to connect with others and sometimes you can find used curriculum for sale locally this way as well.

If you have preschoolers a friend just launched Joey School (A parent led preschool curriculum). If I had a preschooler I would totally use it!

Filed Under: Homeschool

Pollo Asado

July 28, 2020 by

Pollo Asado is always my first choice at our favorite taco joint.
I finally made a recipe that can compare. We love it in tacos but you could serve this in lots of ways. Pollo Asado is best made with chicken thighs and grilled. Marinated in lots of citrus and spices but shouldn’t have a spicy heat. Typically it is made with achiote paste but I’ve found that using paprika and cumin works great and I always have those on hand.

Just don’t forget to serve with lots of lime wedges and some fresh cilantro.
Add in shredded lettuce, cheese, and pico do gallo and you have one amazing taco night!

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Filed Under: Chicken / Turkey, Mexican