3 Amazing Recipes From My Youth . . .

So it is the Fourth of July. Happy Independence Day. Holidays make me nostalgic for the carefree days of my youth.  We almost always were with family, where fifty or so kids would run around lobbing flaming flowers at each other and trying to brand each other with sparklers. In fact, I remember one year when a flaming flower was lobbed at my sister and caught in the back of her dress, turning her into a sort of human sparkler.

Good times.

So, in honor of the day where I used to attempt to blow my fingers off by holding firecrackers in my hand until the very last moment and then lobbing them high in the air until they blasted birds and squirrels out of the trees, I thought I would post a few recipes that made me happy as a kid.

I promise you, these recipes rock.

AMAZING CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES:

These cookies are awesome when gooey and hot , but in my never-to-be-humble opinion, they are even better the next day. I use Ghirardeli semi-sweet chips. Your taste buds will thank you.

1 cup Crisco

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/4 cup flour with the 1/4 cup heaping

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 package of semi sweet chocolate chips

Cream Crisco and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla and cream.  Add flour salt and baking soda in three portions, mixing after each.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Drop on the cookie sheet in small spoonfuls.

Bake at 375 for seven minutes. Do not over bake.

Hold up and shake five minutes, then put on cookie racks to cool.

 

THE BEST HOMEMADE ICE CREAM ON THE PLANET:

This homemade ice cream is fantastic, creamy, and rich. Sometimes I add fresh peaches or strawberries to the mix before freezing. It works well with chocolate and even Matcha.

4 Eggs

1 Cup Sugar

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

1/2 Pint Whipping Cream

2 Cans Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

Whisk about a cup of milk, the sugar, and the Whipping Cream in a heavy sauce pan. Heat on medium for about seven minutes, then remove from heat. In another bowl, whisk the eggs. Pour a bit of the hot milk mixture into the eggs and whisk. Pour that mixture back into the sauce pan, and continue to whisk for one minute.

Add the Vanilla and condensed milk.

Chill for one hour.

Fill the rest of the ice cream maker with milk until the line.

Freeze with salt and ice.

 

HALLOWEEN SUGAR COOKIES:

Is it too early to be talking about these cookies? I don’t think so. You don’t have to make these only at Halloween.  However  in my book, it is never too early to be talking about Halloween. In fact, next week I’ll go to Michael’s and check out their new Spooky Town houses.

1/2 Cup Butter

1 Cup Sugar

1 Egg

1/2 Tsp. Salt

2 Tsps. Baking Powder

2 Cups Flour

1/2 Tsp. Vanilla

Cream sugar and butter. Blend egg. Add salt, baking powder, and flour. Blend in Vanilla. Chill for 2 hours. Roll out with more flour and use cookie cutters to shape.

Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes until golden.

Make a glaze from 3/4 cup Powdered Sugar and 3 to 4 tsp. Water. Add a few drops of almond extract and whatever food coloring you want.

Alright, so there you have it. Three very different recipes. All of them awesome. Enjoy! If you try any of them, leave me some feedback and let me know what you thought.

Be safe tonight, and don’t blow up any Bald Eagles.