Christmas butter sugar cookies

My kids made these yesterday, it is so easy to make with less ingredients.Just chill the dough and use a christmas cookie cutter ice with simple powder sugar and milk icing  and color icing  with the holiday color. This is just half of the original recipe and makes 24 buttery cookies.The recipe is from The homemade cookies recipe book.


1/2c.butter room temperature
1/2c.sugar
1/2c.sour cream
1 extra large egg yolk
1/2t.vanilla
1 1/2c.sifted APF
1/2t.salt
1/2t.b.powder
1/4 t. baking soda
Sugar (for tops)

Cream butter and sugar thoroughly; add sour cream, egg yolk, and vanilla.
Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture, blending well; chill.
Roll out the dough flat and cut the shapes out and place on greased cookie sheet. (be sure to flour the cookie cutter and surface)
Place in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Fried Rice

day old rice about 4-5 cups
minced ham/bacon/cooked sausage
celery/carrots/peas/onions/garlic minced or use a frozen mixed veggies
hoisin sauce/soysauce or sweet and sour sauce
2T. of oil

1.cook all the meat and add all the veggies
2.add the day old rice  frequently stir them
3. add the hoisin,soy sauce add pepper and salt to your taste,stir
4.the secret of fried rice is constatly stirring so the bottom wont burn
5. taste and  adjust the seasoning, you could add  cooked scrambled eggs too.

Hot Chocolate In A Jar

Hot Chocolate In A Jar

you will need:
Clean jar with lid
Instant hot chocolate mix (best to buy it in the can)
Chocolate chips
mini marshmallows
 candy cane (wrapped)

What to do: Fill the jar half-full with hot chocolate mix. Add a layer of chocolate chips. Then fill to the top with marshmallows. Decorate the lid with ribbon. Tie on a candy can to use as a minty stirrer. Write serving instructions from the hot chocolate can on your gift card.

Stained Glass Cake

Stained Glass Cake

This recipe is very good, we served it at our church christmas party and they loved it! Recipe is courtesy of Cooks Country magazine.

Ingredients:
12 Graham crackers, crushed to fine crumbs (about 1 1/2 cups)
3/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 (3-ounce) boxes Jell-O
4 1/2 cups boiling water
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Stir cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and butter in bowl until crumbs resemble wet sand. Press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan and bake until edges are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

For the filling: In 3 seperate large bowls, whisk each box of Jell-O with 1 1/2 cups boiling water until dissolved. Pour into 3 loaf pans or pie plates and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. Once Jell-O has solidified, cut into 1/2 inch cubes and keep chilled. Combine 1/4 cup pineapple juice and unflavored gelatin in bowl. Microwave, stirring occasionally, until gelatin is dissolved, 1 to 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in remaning pineapple juice. With electric sand mixer set on medium-high speed, whip cream, vanilla,salt, and remaining sugar until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and slowly add juice mixture until combined. Gently fold Jell-O cubes into cream mixture. Scrape into prepared pan and referigate until set, at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.

Fresh Spring Rolls

This is my husband and my daughter favorite,very light,healthy and minty refreshing. Combined with the peanut hoisin sauce is the all time party appetizer.


12 cooked,peeled shrimp butterfly into two(lay the shrimp flat and cut it into horizontal )
leaf lettuce,matchsticks carrots,mint
boiled  and rinsed rice noodles
vietnamese rice paper
a bowl of warm water


1.wash and dry all the veggies
2.on a clean plate lay all the ingredients
3.dip the rice paper roll in warm water until pliable spread it on a plate.lay 3 shrimp on the rice paper then lettuce carrot sticks then mint.
4.fold the side first then the bottom part make sure its tight  then roll it gently,place on a dish and cover with plastic wrap
5.chill before serving


Peanut Hoisin Sauce


1T.cornstarch
3Tsmooth peanut butter
2T.hoisin sauce.
3/4c.water
1t.sesame oil
a dash of hot sauce
3T brown sugar

1.cook and blend all ingredients until thicken serve  it at room temperature with the spring rolls.

HEALTHY MEAT LOAF

This is my recipe for a healthy meatlof, I hid all the veggies so my kiddos will eat them and it never fail me. They think they are eating  meat but guess what, its good for them. You could use any veggies fresh or frozen as long as not an over powering veggies like bitter melon (ampalaya)(duh!)I used lean ground turkey but a combo of meat will be ok too.The ketchup and bbq sauce together on top give it a little zing. This is like embotido but easier to prepare. I used a meatloaf seasoning but you could mix spices from your pantry  like parsley,oregano,garlic or onion or use fresh spices if available,enough for the talking,here is my  simple recipe.


1lb lean/lowfat ground meat(I used turkey)
2 whole eggs(for low fat use only the egg whites)
1c. rolled oatmeal (I used the old fashioned but you could use the instant too)
1c. low fat milk
2 stalk of celery,1/2 onion, a clove of garlic,1/2 c. frozen peas and carrots or any veggies you like sometimes I used zucchini too
1/2 package meat loaf seasoning (McCormick meatloaf seasoning)or just mix your seasoning like salt ,pepper choice of fresh or dried spices
ketchup and bbq sauce combined, some salt and pepper

1.preheat oven to 350
2.mix oats with milk
3.add spices,eggs,meat
4.put all veggies in a food processors and pulse until little pieces
5.add veggies with the meat mixture and mix until blended with a clean hands
6.spray meatloaf pan with oil, add the meatloaf and top with ketchup and bbq sauce and bake for an hour
7.after baking let it cool down for about 5 minutes before serving.

Kitchen tip: you could throw some potatoes  in the oven for baked potatoes just adjust the cooking time  to 1 1/2 hours. or longer.

Leche Flan

Its the holiday season again, time for bibinka topped with kesong puti and salted eggs and puto bongbong,hot tea and simbang gambi. Puto with lugaw and leche flan yum,yum,yum.Here is my Inang Daling(my grand ma )recipe of leche flan.My Inang always used duck eggs but I  substitute extra large chicken yolk.I added a pinch of lemon extract and fresh dayap(lime)zest and used pancake syrup for the kiping or pure maple syrup.


12 extra large eggyolks
1t.lime zest or lemon zest
1- 14oz condensed milk
1-12oz evaporated milk
1t.lemon extract
1/2c. maple or pancake syrup


1.preheat oven to 350
2.pour the syrup in a baking dish(I used an oblong pryrex)
3.whisk the rest of the ingredients until blended and let the zest soak in the egg mixture for 5-7 minutes
4.strain into the  prepared  baking dish(to remove the zest)
5.bake on a water bath(get a bigger pan,pour hot water and use a folded foil or disposable aluminum pie plate folded and place the custard on top)
6.bake for an hour or until knife inserted in the flan comes out clean.chill and turn it upside down on a nice plate.make sure you run a clean knife around the dish to loosen up the custard.


  tips: you could steam leche flan too and cover  them with foil while steaming.

Sweet Potato Pie (KAMOTE PIE)

This recipe is so simple and so easy. I got the recipe  from All Recipe web sites.A good way to eat your veggies!This is my son  all time  paborito!

1pound sweet potatoes
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1c. white sugar
1/2c. evap. milk or fresh milk
2 eggs
1/2t.cinnamon
1/2t.ground nutmeg
1t.vanilla extract
1T. flour
1(9 inch) unbaked pie crust

1.You can bake or boil the sweet potatoes until tender.wrap in foil before baking and cook for 1 hour at 350
2.Peel and mashed,add butter,sugar and the rest of the ingredients,use a mixer to remove sweet potatoes fibers,beat in medium speed until smooth.
3. Pour into unbaked pie shell bake at 350(175 degrees  C)for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Pecan Pie

This recipe is from the back of Karo corn syrup bottle.We used  Karo syrup to top  our pancakes back then  when we  were little.

1c.Karo syrup
3 eggs
1c. white or brown sugar
2T.melted butter
1t.vanilla extract
1 1/2c. pecans
1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pie crust

1. preheat oven to 350
2.stir the first 5 ingredients throughly. Mix pecans
3.pour into pie crust
4.bake in the center of oven for 60-70 minutes.cool for 2 hours,store pie in refrigerator


tips-  spray measuring cup with oil before measuring the karo syrup for easy clean up.Try different nuts if pecans are unavailable. Very good!