Hmmm, there’s nothing like a soft, chewy Sugar Cookie and this this is such an easy Sugar Cookie recipe that you will find yourself making it again and again. Your family and friends will keep asking for this favorite treat!

Ingredients

• Baking Powder, 1 teaspoon
• Baking Soda, 1 teaspoon
• Flour, 4 cups
• Butter, 1 cup (softened) or Margarine
• Eggs, 2
• Salt, ½ teaspoon
• Sugar, white – 1 ½ cups
• Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
• Milk, 2 teaspoons

Instructions

1. Using a large mixing bowl, combine butter (or margarine), sugar, and eggs, then beat until light and smooth. Add milk and vanilla extract to bowl and mix thoroughly.
2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add this mixture into the butter/sugar/eggs batter and stir until everything is well combined.
3. Wrap this sugar cookie dough in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator until dough is semi-firm (about 1 ½ hours).
   Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F).
4. Using a lightly floured cutting board, flatten sugar cookie dough to about ¼ inch thick and cut into shapes with a knife or cookie-cutter –or- roll into teaspoonful balls.
5. Place pre-cooked sugar cookies or balls on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Watch carefully as they can burn easily.
6. Remove baking sheet from oven and let stand about 1 minute. Then place sugar cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
7. To decorate your sugar cookies you can sprinkle them with 2 tablespoons of colored sugar crystals before cooking them or after cooking and cooling decorate them with your favorite cooking icing.

This sugar cookie recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies.

A few tips for making the best sugar cookies is to remember to watch them while cooking to prevent burning them and that you can make up larger batches of dough and freeze some of it for cooking additional cookies later in the month.

Traditionally served on a barbecue with a grill cover, you can also cook this beer can chicken recipe in the oven. A great dish for parties, and backyard gatherings with friends, this easy beer can chicken recipe will be a winner with all your mates. This is more of a “blokes” recipe - any kitchen incompetent man can pull this one off! The beer will boil when cooking, and force flavour into all the chicken meat! It really is delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 Large Whole Chicken
• 1 Can of your favourite beer
• 3 tablespoons of dry spice rub

Directions:

1. Clean the chicken by giving it a quick rinse with water, inside and out and remove any big bits of fat from the chickens cavity.
2. Dry the chicken with some kitchen paper, inside and out. You don’t need to be too thorough, just make sure there isn’t too much surface moisture.
3. Open the can of beer, and drink about 1/3rd of the can (This is my favourite part) - Make some additional holes in the top of the beer can.
4. Pour one tablespoon of dry spice rub into the beer can, let this sit to the side for now.
5. Pour a second tablespoon of dry spice rub into the chicken cavity and rub it around to coat all surfaces.
6. Using a third tablespoon of dry spice rub, evenly coat the outside of the chicken.
7. Place the chicken cavity over the beer can so that the can is inside the chicken.
8. If you are using a barbecue, place the chicken on the grill and close the grill cover. Cook for about 70-90 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken is about 165 degrees in the breast area, and 180 degrees in the thigh.
9. If you are using a stove, heat to about 300 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for around 1 hour.
10. Once cooked, remove the beer can and carve the chicken.
11. Enjoy

As you can see, this is a super simple and easy beer can chicken recipe. Its simple, and tasty. Anybody can make it!

I love picnics and parties especially when I am invited to a friend’s home that I know will be serving potato salad. I have one friend who has the best potato salad recipe and whenever she serves it up I always have seconds.

Ingredients

• Potatoes, 3 pounds (red, white, or the best Yukon Gold)
• Green Onion, 3 stalks
• Sweet Pickles, 1 cup diced
• Eggs, 5 hard-boiled
• Mayonnaise, 1 cup
• Dijon Mustard, 2 tablespoons
• Sour Cream, ½ cup
• Celery, ½ cup chopped
• Salt, 1 teaspoon
• Pepper, ½ teaspoon
• Paprika
• Black Olives, 10
• Parsley

Instructions

1. Boil potatoes in salted water until they are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool.
2. Dice sweet pickles, chop green onions and celery. Cut eggs into 1 inch pieces. Cube potatoes when cooled. Place eggs and potatoes in a large bowl.
3. With a medium bowl, stir sweet pickles, onions, celery, mayonnaise, mustard, sour cream, salt, and pepper together. Pour this mixture over the potatoes and eggs, and then toss gently ensuring that they are well coated.
4. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
5. Sprinkle potato salad with paprika before serving. Garnish with olives, some slices of hard-boiled eggs and a sprig of parsley.

The secret to a fantastic potato salad is to let it stand by refrigerating it for 24 hours. This will give the salad a chance to semi-solidify and the flavors to combine. Try it; your friends will rave over your potato salad recipe.

A perfectionists Macaroni Salad Recipe. Great for a warm summers day, dinner party or picnic. Everybody loves a good Macaroni Salad, and trust me, this is a good one!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of your favourite macaroni
• 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped into small pieces
• 1/4 cup of chopped celery
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 a red capsicum, chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 a yellow capsicum, chopped into small pieces
• 1/3 cup of mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
• 1/2 Teaspoon of black pepper

Directions:

1. Cook your macaroni and wait for it to cool
2. Mix the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, sale, mustard and pepper in a small bowl
3. Put the cold macaroni, eggs, celery, onion and capsicum into a larger bowl and mix it
4. until the ingredients are spread around evenly.
5. Pour the sauce into the larger bowl and mix it around until everything is covered in sauce.
6. Cover the bowl and chill it in the fridge for several hours before serving.

There are a few variations to this recipe, but this is the best all-rounder. You can add some other ingredients if you like, and you have a fair amount of creative freedom. If you like Capers, throw some in! If you don’t like Celery, leave it out. You really can make this macaroni salad recipe your own.

Roast Beef is an excellent meal, easier to prepare than most people think, and is a very good way to impress your guests. When I make this Roast Beef Recipe I like to serve it with baked potatoes and stewed mushrooms.

Ingredients

• Boneless Beef Tenderloin, 4lbs pre-strung
• Olive Oil, ¼ cup
• Salt, 2 teaspoons
• Ground Pepper, 2 teaspoons
• Garlic clove, 1 finely smashed/pureed
• Garlic Powder, ½ teaspoon
• Onion Powder, 1 teaspoon
• Butter, 3 tablespoons
• Red Wine, 4 cups

Directions

1. Remove meat from refrigerator about 3 hours prior to cooking to bring it to room temperature.
2. Pre-heat oven to 550 degrees.
3. Mix salt, pepper, garlic, onion and garlic powder together in small bowl.
4. Spray a shallow roasting pan with Pam or line pan with aluminum foil.
5. Rub the olive oil all over the meat to coat it.
6. Rub meat all over generously with seasonings from bowl.
7. Place meat in roasting pan.
8. Cook for about 30 minutes (for rare meat cook 5 minutes per pound, medium-rare 6 ½ minutes, medium-well 8 minutes).
9. When cooking time has ended turn off oven, but DO NOT open oven.
10. Leave meat in oven until oven has cooled off (about 1-2 hours) and then remove to a warmed platter. Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes while you make the sauce.
11. Deglaze roasting pan by adding red wine and bring to a boil and whisk in 3 tablespoons of butter and a pinch of salt and ground pepper.
12. Place sauce in serving container and serve with Roast Beef.

Remember these two things when making this Roast Beef recipe: make sure the oven is pre-heated and let the cooked meat rest before carving it. Enjoy!

 Ahh, one of nature’s perfect foods is the egg and one of the best ways to enjoy it is made into egg salad and served on toast or a sandwich. Here is my favorite Egg Salad Recipe:

Ingredients

• Eggs, 6
• Mayonnaise, ½ cup
• Mustard Powder, 1 teaspoon
• Salt, 1 teaspoon
• Pepper, 1/8 teaspoon
• Pickle Relish, 3 tablespoons
• Celery, ¼ cup

Directions

1. Boil eggs and remove shells. Mash or food process 4 eggs till they are finely mashed. Coarsely chop 2 eggs and set aside.
2. Finely chop celery making enough for ¼ cup.
3. Add mayonnaise, mustard powder, salt, pepper, and (if you like pickles) pickle relish to the mashed eggs. Stir until it becomes a creamy mixture.
4. Gently mix in coarsely chopped eggs and celery.
5. Chill until served.

Serves 4-6.

Remember this next Easter … all those leftover hardboiled easter eggs can be used in this Egg Salad Recipe.

If you are an apple lover, this is your favorite time of year. Mid-September through the middle of October is the best time to pick everything from Macintosh and Red Delicious to Gala and Granny Smith apples.

Many apple pie fans favor the Granny Smith apple, but just about any apple can be used to make a mouth-watering pie. Here’s a favorite apple pie recipe of mine:

Ingredients

• Cornstarch, 2 tablespoons
• Sugar, ¾ cup
• Ground Cinnamon, 2 - ½ teaspoons
• Nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon
• Butter, 3 tablespoons
• Apple Juice, ¼ cup
• Egg, 1
• Lemon Juice, 3 tablespoons
• Apples, 5 (2 ½ pounds)
• Piecrusts, ready-made or home-made

Instructions

1. Place a baking sheet on middle rack and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel, core, and slice apples into ¼ inch pieces. Place apple slices in a bowl and spoon lemon juice over the slices to keep them from browning.
3. Combine cornstarch, sugar, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg, and apple juice in a large bowl. Add apples and ensure they are well coated. Place the apple filling into pastry-lined pie plate and place dots of butter over the filling. Place pastry cover over this pinching edge to bottom pastry.
4. Whisk one egg lightly, brush over the pastry cover, sprinkle top with ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, and then cut small slits in pastry cover to let steam escape.
5. Bake for 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and the apples are tender. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack before cutting and serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
6. Cool pie on a small rack to room temperature, about 2 ½ hours.

Serves 6-8.

This really is a delightful apple pie recipe.

This Carrot Cake Recipe is an old classic! It goes well with a nice cup of tea or coffee, makes the perfect desert at a dinner party, or keeps the kids happy when they get home from school. Just don’t tell them there is carrot in it!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups grated/shredded carrots

Optional Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup raisins

Instructions:

1. First things first, you need to preheat your over to around 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) - this will take a while, so this should be the very first think you do.
2. Next you should grease a cake tin.
3. Crack the eggs into a bowl and add the oil, sugar and vanilla extract. Beat these together until they are smooth and creamy
4. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon powder to the mix.
5. Now add the grated carrot, and if you decided to use pecans, walnuts, coconut or raisins, fold these in together with the grated carrot.
6. Pour the mixture into the previously greased cake tin.
7. Bake the cake for about 45 minutes, or until the toothpick test tells you its ready.
8. The toothpick test is where you insert a toothpick into the middle of the cake, and if it is clean when you pull it out, the cake is cooked on the inside and ready.

Frosting:

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions:

1. Mix the cream cheese and butter (or margarine if you prefer) together until it is nice and creamy.
2. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until it is well blended with the cheese and butter.
3. Add more powdered sugar to make it less runny.
4. Wait till the cake is completely cooled and then put a thin layer of frosting spread evenly on the top of the cake

And there you have a delicious carrot cake made from a fantastic and EZ carrot cake recipe.

This is my Great Grandmothers Lemon Chicken Recipe. I love it and I think you will love it too.

Utensils:

• Measuring Cups
• Frying Pan
• Sharp Knife
• Chopping Board

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup of plain flour
• 2 Tablespoons of Butter
• 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
• 4 Chicken Breasts
• 2 Teaspoons Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1 Cup Sliced Mushrooms (Fresh or Tinned - Fresh is always better)
• 2 Cloves of Garlic - Minced
• 2 Onions - Sliced
• 2 Lemons - Sliced very thinly

Optional Ingredients:

• 1 Teaspoon Paprika
• 1 Teaspoon Turmeric (Chinese style)

Instructions:

1. Mix the flour, pepper, salt and optional seasonings together in a bowl
2. Roll your chicken breasts around in the flour mixture until they are well coated
3. Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan and when it is hot, fry your chicken breasts until they are a golden brown.
4. Place the chicken breasts to the side and put your mushrooms, garlic, onions and lemons into your frying pan with about 1/4 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of butter
5. Simmer with the lid on for 5 minutes and then put the chicken breasts back in the pan
6. Simmer with the lid on for a further 15-20 minutes

If the sauce is too watery you can let it simmer with the lid off for a while

There you have it, an easy and tasty Lemon Chicken Recipe.

I’ve put together this amazing banana bread recipe for you to enjoy.

First of all make sure to preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C)

Utensils:

• Loaf Pan
• Egg Beater
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Small mixing bowl for beating the eggs
• Small pan for melting the butter

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional Ingredients:

• 1 cup walnuts or pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Instructions:

If you haven’t preheated your oven to 350°F (175°C) do this before you start anything else.

1. Mash the bananas in your mixing bowl
2. Slowly melt the butter in a pan
3. Pour the melted butter into the mixing bowl and mix it in with the mashed banana
4. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl
5. Add the sugar, beaten eggs and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl and mix thoroughly
6. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt into the mixture
7. Add the flour to the mixture and mix thoroughly
8. Lightly grease your loaf pan
9. Pour the mixture into your loaf pan
10. Baked the loaf in your preheated over for around 1 hour, or until a toothpick poked into he middle of the load comes out clean
11. Take the banana bread out of the over and let it sit for 10 minutes before turning the banana bread out onto a cooling rack

Please feel free to print this banana bread recipe and share it with your friends. I also appreciate feedback on my recipes.