Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies are not my favorite cookie, but this recipe changed my mind about them. I kept going back to the kitchen to steal another bite! 
I'm a huge cookie fan and I love baking, hence the food blog! I love all the memories that come from making and decorating sugar cookies for the holidays and for special occasions. I love spending time with family and having fun. I love being creative and having food as my canvas. Here's an amazing recipe to try with your friends and families if you want to have a fun and yummy time!

Sugar Cookies

Cookies:
1 cup butter (softened)  $2.00
3/4 cup oil  $.36
1 1/4 cup sugar  $.31
3/4 cup powdered sugar  $.30
2 Tbsp. water
2 eggs  $.24
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar  $.01
1 tsp. salt
5 1/2 cups flour  $.44

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened  $1.00
3/4 cup sour cream  $1.12
5 cups powdered sugar  $1.39
1/2 tsp. vanilla  $.08
food coloring

In a bowl, cream together the butter, oil, sugar, powdered sugar, and water. Then add eggs and mix. Add baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix again. Add flour and stir until combined. 
Shape dough into golf ball sized balls. Place dough on the cookie sheet. 
Dip the bottom of a drinking glass in sugar and then press the dough down until about 1/2" thick and the edges get the crinkle look. 
Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350°F. Bake until the bottoms are barely starting to get a little golden brown. Don't over bake. Cool cookies. 
For the frosting, cream butter, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until well blended and smooth. Add a little milk if needed. Add food coloring until you get desired color. Spread over cookies. 

Total Estimated Cost: 
           cookies: $3.66     Total: $7.25
Servings: 24 cookies
Cost Per Serving:
           cookies: $.15   Total: $.30

Stuffed French Toast

Growing up we ate french toast a lot. It was quick, easy, and tasty. I remember some days when my brothers would eat at least 6, if nor 8 or 10 pieces! I love french toast and its sugary goodness. Honestly, that's the best way to start out the day for me! Well, I like to spice up my french toast with cinnamon, fruit, powdered sugar, peanut butter, you name it. Here's a super delicious recipe for stuffed french toast. It's heaven in every bite and a recipe that you'll love!

Stuffed French Toast

1/2 loaf of bread (in a loaf that's not sliced already)  $.50
6 tsp. jam (of your favorite flavor)  $.16
3 large eggs  $.48
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract  $.08
pinch of grated nutmeg  $.02
2 Tbsp unsalted butter  $.31

Slice bread into 6, 1 inch thick slices. Slice a pocket crosswise about 1/3 of the way into the bread. Spread 1 tsp. jam in the pocket. Press bread together.
In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, and nutmeg. Add bread slices to mixture and let them soak for 5 minutes, flipping them in the middle of the waiting time to ensure they're good and soaked.
Heat large frying pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Add butter. When butter begins to brown, spread to coat pan evenly. Place slices of bread onto pan. Cook until golden on the undersides (4-5 minutes). Flip the bread and cook for addition 4-5 minutes for the other side to be golden brown. Remove from pan, enjoy!

Total Estimated Cost: $.97
Servings: 6 slices of French Toast
Cost Per Serving: $.16

Herb and Garlic Butter

I love garlic. I love garlic butter to spread on my bread or on anything that sounded good. I love the idea of making my own food and being self-reliant. It was so much fun being able to make butter myself and then making it super tasty. I'm not gonna lie, the butter alone was super yummy. I could have just eaten it plain, haha! But, the final product is divine! It's so easy and super yummy and you'll be able to say you've made butter! This recipe is a keeper, that's for sure. I hope it becomes one of yours as well.


Herb and Garlic Butter

Butter:
2 Cups heavy cream  $2.15
1/4 tsp. salt

Pour cream into a food processor or blender. Process for 10 minutes, or until the butter separates. Strain of the liquid. Add salt. Press butter into small bowl (through metal strainer or cheesecoth) to further remove liquid.

Garlic Butter:
2 Tbsp. dried parsley  $.06
1 1/2 tsp. pepper
3 cloves garlic  $.18
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar

Mix all ingredients. Enjoy on your favorite bread or anything else it sounds yummy with!

Total Estimated Cost: $2.39

Sourdough Starter and Bread

Let's be serious. If you've had sourdough bread before, you know how amazing it is. If you haven't, you're missing out! There's something so good about the taste that makes you crave it. You won't want to make just one loaf! I love making bread. I don't know what it is, but there's something so tasty and so much better about homemade bread compared to store-bought bread. This recipe takes a little longer than your normal bread (because you have to make the starter), but if you keep up with the starter, you'll be able to make loaves of bread whenever you want! The starter is also a fun little thing to give to your friends and neighbors, so that they can enjoy making their own sourdough bread too!

Sourdough Bread

Sourdough Starter:
1 Tbsp. yeast  $.15
1 cup warm water
1 cup flour  $.08
1 Tbsp. sugar  

In non-metal bowl (best to maintain it in a large glass jar), dissolve yeast in water. Stir in flour and sugar. Loosely cover the bowl or jar and let the mixture stand for 2-3 days (the mixture becomes bubbly, frothy, and smells sour. If it hasn't started bubbling after 24 hours, start again).

Once you've prepared the starter (after the 2 or 3 days), store in refrigerator, loosely covered. Once you've used part of the starter, you'll need to replace it if you want more starter for later on. If so, replenish it by adding 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup warm water, and 1/2 tsp. sugar. If a dark liquid collects on top of the starter, that's a good thing! Just stir it in.

Sourdough Bread:
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp. yeast  $.22
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup sourdough starter
2 Tbsp. oil  $.06
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar  $.01
3-4 Cups flour  $.32

Mix together water, yeast, and 1 tsp. sugar. Let it set until foamy (a good 10 min). Add starter, oil, salt, sugar, and flour. Mix thoroughly. Add flour as needed to make a firm ball. Let rise for 30 minutes. Shape into a loaf. Let it rise on greased cookie sheet for 20 minutes. Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes.

Total Estimated Cost: $.84
Servings: 1 loaf
Cost Per Serving: $.84

Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

Fact: I don't like donuts. There's something about them that's not super appealing. But, there are only 2 kinds of donuts I'll really eat. One, Cinnamon-Sugar donuts, and the other are homemade powdered sugar donuts from biscuit dough. This recipe is a lot lighter and tastier than almost more than any donut I've eaten. I don't feel gross after eating them. So, if you're craving donuts, something sweet, or want something delicious, try this recipe! You won't be disappointed!

Cinnamon-Sugar Donuts

oil for frying
2 1/4 cups flour  $.18
1/4 cup sugar  $.02
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. baking powder  $.06
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg  $.02
1 egg  $.12
1/2 cup buttermilk  $.15
1/2 cup apple cider  $.17
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted  $.31
1/2 tsp. vanilla  $.08

1/2 cup sugar  $.13
2 tsp. ground cinnamon  $.22

Pour enough oil for at least 1 inch deep in a pot. Heat on medium. Don't use olive oil to fry!

In a bowl, stir together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and nutmeg. In another bowl, mix together egg, buttermilk, cider, melted butter, and vanilla until smooth. Add liquids to the dry ingredients and stir until the dough is thick.
Transfer dough onto floured surface and knead lightly until ingredients are evenly mixed (the dough will still be sticky). Pat out the dough until about 1 inch thick. Cut out doughnuts (I just use the rim of a cup and then a smaller circle for the center, because I don't have a donut cutter). Mix scraps together, pat out again, and cut out more doughnuts until all the dough is cut into donuts or donut holes.

Place 3 or 4 donuts into hot oil and fry until gold on the underside (about 1 minute). Flip them and cook until the other side is golden. Take them out of oil and place on paper towels to soak up excess oil. While donuts are still warm, put cinnamon- sugar mixture into a large container with lid (or a paper bag), add donuts, put on lid, and gently shake to coat donuts. Pull them out. Eat. Enjoy.

Total Estimated Cost: $1.46
Servings: 12 donuts
Cost Per Serving: $.12

Chicken Nuggets

Usually, if you want something quick and easy for dinner you may often think of chicken nuggets, mac n' cheese, etc. I love chicken nuggets smothered in ranch dressing and ketchup! But, if you look into frozen store bought chicken nuggets, only about 40% of a chicken nugget is actually the meat. The rest is primarily fat, tissue, and bone. The breading is often full of preservatives and fillers. There's usually nothing natural or really healthy about the chicken nuggets you find at the store or fast food restaurant. How about you change that by making your own chicken nuggets and knowing exactly what has gone in them. I made my own and they were really good. Plus, I made extra and just froze some and put others in the fridge for lunch the next day. Just pop them in the oven to heat them up and their crispy like when you first made them. Don't take my word on it, give this recipe a try. 

Chicken Nuggets

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts  $3.00
2/3 cup flour  $.05
Salt 
Pepper
1 tsp. garlic salt  $.02
3/4 Tbsp. onion powder  $.02
3 eggs  $.48
2 cups bread crumbs  $1.72
2 tsp. Italian seasoning  $.02
1 cup oil  $.48

Heat oil on medium in a frying pan. Thaw and cut chicken into 2 inch cubes (your preferable chicken nugget size). In a medium size bowl, mix a dash of salt and pepper, garlic salt, onion powder, and flour. Dip and coat chicken in dry mixture. In separate bowl, beat 3 eggs. Dip coated chicken in eggs. In a third bowl, mix bread crumbs and Italian seasoning. Dip the egg covered chicken in the bread crumbs and coat well. Gently place chicken in hot oil. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until chicken is fully cooked. Place cooked chicken on paper towels to absorb any extra oil. Serve hot.

Tips: try doing chicken strips. Mix up your seasonings and find what you like. Instead of eggs, try ranch dressing. the BIGGEST tip I can give you is to coat the chicken in the flour First, before dipping it in the egg and bread crumbs. This will help keep the breading on as you're cooking it, rather than having it fall off into the frying pan.

Total Estimated Cost: $5.79
Servings: 4
Cost Per Serving: $1.45