Strawberry Shortcake

I love to go strawberry picking and today we brought home over 5 pounds! I have a feeling as I find ways to use the strawberries we picked this evening, I'll find a few more things to post on here as well.
This recipe is for 12 shortcakes. I cut it in half for us and just used 1 egg white.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup butter
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 egg, beaten
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
3 tablespoons white sugar Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and cream of tartar. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives. Stir in cream and egg. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 2 minutes. Press into a half-inch thick sheet. Cut into squares. Place on baking sheets.
Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes, or until golden. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons sugar over sliced berries.
Let shortcakes cool before splitting and filling with sugared berries.

"Mexican" Pizza

This is a recipe I stole from a friend. It combines the best of two of our favorite dinners: Pizza and nachos.
For starters, my favorite Pizza dough:

Quick Pizza Dough
(Makes 2 pizzas)

1t sugar
1c warm water
3c unbleached flour
1 packet active dry yeast
1t salt
2T olive oil

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar into water then sprinkle the yeast over the top. Let stand 10 minutes or until it has developed a good foam. Stir oil into yeast water then incorporate half or more of the flour and salt until a sticky ball forms. Knead dough with leftover flour mixture. Knead about 5 minutes. Cut in half, cover and let rise 10 minutes. Roll each ball into desired shape for your pizza. Let rise 15 minutes before adding toppings. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes. It should be solid on the bottom but not overcooked.

Here's the part my friend contributed:
Mexican Pizza

1 pizza dough
1/2 lb ground turkey or beef
Taco seasoning
1 can pinto beans
Fiesta blend cheese

Brown the ground meat and incorporate taco seasoning as indicated on the packaging. Let cool slightly. Mush the pinto beans and spread on pizza dough. Sprinkle meat on top. Top with cheese.
She incorporated lots of other things to spice it up. She uses pintos with jalapenos in it and puts peppers on top. Since I'm cooking for a young crowd who aren't all crazy for hot stuff, we skipped the extra spices and it turned out great! I was skeptical but the tastes together worked out really well. A big thank you to my friend Lyndsay!

Crumbly Cornbread

We make this with chili all the time. It is so yummy it usually doesn't last a day in our house.


1 c flour
1 c yellow cornmeal
1/2 c whit sugar
1 t salt
3 1/2 t baking powder
1 egg
1 c milk
1/3 c canola oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9 inch round or square pan.
In a large bowl combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in the egg, milk and oil until combined. Pour batter into pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Apple Crisp

3-4 apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 c rolled oats
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9 or 8x8 baking dish. Put in sliced apples.
In a separate bowl mix oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is mostly even and crumbly. Sprinkle mixture on top of fruit and bake for 40 minutes.

Everyday Waffles

These we make about every other Saturday. I don't beat the eggs, even though the directions say to. I usually just mix it all together and it comes out yummy anyway. Our favorite is with peanut butter and syrup.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until smooth.
Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot.

Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

This is an awesome spin on regular peanut butter chip cookies. Much more substance. These might be my new favorites!
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, salt and peanut butter. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flours and baking soda; stir into the batter to form a dough. Mix in the peanut butter chips and walnuts. Scoop mounds of dough as large as two tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be at least 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until well risen and brown. Do not overbake they will firm up a little as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Easy Fluffy Yummy Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 cup milk (more or less)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead a couple times until it all comes together. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or drinking glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown