Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe! I got it from my sister Ellen. I always bake a test cookie before adding the chocolate chips to the dough. If the test cookie turns out flat, you just need to add a little more flour.

3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
2 Tbsp. vanilla
2 1/2+ cups flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, if desired

Cream the sugars and the butter. Mix in the egg and the vanilla. Sift in the flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix in the chocolate chips and nuts, if any. Bake @ 375 for 9-10 minutes.

Honey Oatmeal Cake

1 cup oatmeal
1 stick butter
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups honey
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups sifted whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

In a large bowl, pour boiling water over oatmeal and butter and soak for 20 minutes. Stir in honey, vanilla, and eggs. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then stir into wet ingredients. Pour into greased and floured 9 by 13 pan. Bake at 375 for 30 to 40 minutes.

Raspberry Lemonade

5 lemons, sliced and seeded
1 package frozen raspberries
2 cups sugar
1 gallon water

Dissolve sugar in water. Add lemons and raspberries and mash with a potato masher. Chill and serve.

I got this recipe from my friend Darcie. I love it for BBQs.

Stuffed Mushrooms

1 pound loose sausage
1 8-oz. package cream cheese
large mushrooms

Core mushrooms. Fry the sausage until cooked through, breaking into small pieces. Remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese. Spoon the sausage mixture into the mushroom caps and bake on a cookie sheet at 350 until the mushrooms are tender.
This is by far my favorite appetizer.
I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Tami.

Pizza Bread

This is my sister-in-law Erin's recipe--it is one of my kids' favorites!

bread dough, risen and punched down once*
pepperoni
ham (optional)
shredded mozzarella cheese
pizza sauce

Roll dough into a rectangle as long as your cookie sheet. Lay slices of ham the length of the dough (no need to fill the width). On top of ham, place pepperoni about four wide. Sprinkle cheese on top. Starting with long side of dough, gently but tightly roll. Pinch seam along side and ends to seal in toppings. Bake immediately at 350 for about 20 minutes or until browned. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

*I recommend using white bread dough (one loaf worth). Don't try french bread dough.