Nicole’s Recipes

When one snicker just isn’t enough…

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 Snickers candy bars chopped into small chunks

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on high speed. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.

2. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cream of tartar.

3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in chopped Snickers!

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees while you let the dough rest for 30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator. Drop onto pan and bake!

Meatballs:
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup minced onion
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 pounds ground beef

Glaze:
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger

To assemble:

Mix eggs, milk & bread crumbs, let soak. Add onion, salt, pepper and beef. Mix thoroughly.

Drop 1 inch meatballs on a cookie sheet. (I use my small cookie scoop). Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute garlic in butter until tender. Stir in the ketchup, honey, ginger and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Drain meatballs; add to sauce. Carefully stir to evenly coat. Cook for 5-10 minutes more or put them in a crock pot for serving later.

When you can’t decide between Italian and Mexican for dinner, compromise and have some Mexi-Cotti’s! I made this up one night when nothing sounded good. Try it at your own risk!

1 box of manicotti shells, cooked
2 or 3 chicken breasts, boiled, chopped finely
1 container of whole milk ricotta
1/2 small onion, very finely chopped
Gobs of cilantro
Garlic clove, minced
2 cans of green chilies
1 cup half and half
1/2 block cream cheese
2 cups Jack, Italian or Queso cheese, grated
Salt
Pepper

Dump the ricotta in a bowl, add finely chopped chicken, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and a copious amount of chopped cilantro, mix with a spoon. Fill manicotti shells with this as the filling. Lay the filled shells in a 13×9 baking dish.

In your batter bowl, empty 2 cans of green chilies, half and half, cream cheese, salt, pepper and more cilantro. Put in your stick blender and give it a good whiz! Pour this over filled manicotti shells.

Bake covered with foil at 375 for 20 mins. Uncover, sprinkle 2 cups of cheese over top, bake until cheese is melted and bubbly. Yum.

This is enough for a double crust. I have found a mixture of butter and lard give the best flavor & texture. You get flavor from butter, but butter makes a tough crust. Lard gives the light flaky texture, but is tasteless. So, I use both.

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup lard
Cold water

Mix flour and salt, cut in butter and lard until you have small pea sized crumbles. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until moistened and it comes together. Do not over work.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup blanched almond halves or cashew halves for nasty yellow nails
A few TB of red fruit jelly for coagulated nail bed blood
Few drops of green food dye for that lovely putrid green witch skin color

1. Combine the butter, sugar, egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat together with an electric mixer; gradually add the flour, baking powder, food dye, and salt, continually beating; refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheets.

3. Remove dough from refrigerator in small amounts. Scoop 1 heaping teaspoon at a time onto a piece of waxed paper. Use the waxed paper to roll the dough into a thin finger-shaped cookie. Press one almond into one end of each cookie to give the appearance of a long fingernail. Squeeze cookie near the tip and again near the center of each to give the impression of knuckles. You can also cut into the dough with a sharp knife at the same points to help give a more finger-like appearance. Arrange the shaped cookies on the baking sheets.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until the cookies are slightly golden in color, 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Remove the almond from the end of each cookie; squeeze a small amount of red jelly into the cavity; replace the almond to cause the gel to ooze out around the tip of the cookie.*

3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
3 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons sea salt
3 teaspoons black pepper

Blend all ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container.

Don’t buy any more nasty store taco seasoning. MSG and dextrose are not good for you ya know and this takes all of 5 minutes.

This cookie will satisfy everyone. It’s not boring like chocolate chip. It’s got flavor and texture, but not too much of anything. I love it.

2 cups all-purpose white flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
Generous 1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (1 stick plus 2 2/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/2 cup white vegetable shortening
1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups rice krispies
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 1/4 cups (about 3 1/2 ounces) shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
1 cup Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and shortening until lightened. Add the brown sugar and sugar and beat until fluffy and smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until evenly incorporated. Beat or stir in the flour mixture until evenly incorporated. Stir in the oats, rice krispies, pecans, choc chips, and coconut until evenly incorporated. Let the dough stand for 5 to 10 minutes, or until firmed up slightly.

Drop with small ice cream scoop on the baking sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart.

Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, in the upper third of the oven for 8 to 11 minutes, or until tinged with brown and just beginning to firm up in the centers; be careful not to overbake. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack and let stand until the cookies firm up slightly, about 3 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks. Let stand until completely cooled.

Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.