Easiest Fruit Dip Ever

In our circles when someone serves fruit they serve a fruit dip, I don't ever remember people serving fruit dip when I was growing up, but I do enjoy it now! No one knows where this recipe came from but this is what we've all been doing. I don't typically use things like marshmallow cream, it's against my whole foods belief- but it was either that or buy 3 different other things to make a fruit dip, so I went for easy and cheap:

Easiest Fruit Dip Ever
1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 7 oz. jar marshmallow cream

Mix thoroughly and serve.

Baby Shower Eats

Tonight I had a shower for a good friend, who attends the same church as we do and happens to live 3 blocks away, which has been super fun! Dawn just had her 4th baby- she now has 3 girls and 1 boy, she was set for baby supplies so we threw a "Pamper Dawn" shower- we had gift cards for restaurants along with baby sitting coupons, lotions, night gowns and manicure/pedicure supplies.

Dawn happens to be the unofficial church cake decorator- everyone calls on her to make cakes for showers, birthdays, linger longers at church, etc... when I mentioned cake, she said "Oh, we don't need cake! I like lots of things- cookies, ice cream, all sorts of things!" So... yeah, she might be a little sick of cake. :-)
So I made her cookies. I probably wouldn't have thought of it, if it hadn't been for another shower that I made cookies for. This was alot of fun, and I think easier than trying to decorate a cake- though, I would have just made a bundt cake, which I quite easy to decorate... but that's beside the point. Anyway- I went with cookies and fruit, it was very cute.

I thought I would post my punch recipe, as people are always asking about it. I've noticed that people are a bit timid when it comes to punch. They tend to just stick to the apparently traditional Hawaiian Punch with 7-Up. Let me tell you- Don't be afraid of punch. It's just juice mixed with some type of carbonated beverage and sometimes dollops of sherbet. Pretty much any juice works. I've tried most all of them. But this is what I like:


Rachel's Favorite Punch
1 46 oz. can pineapple juice
1 2 liter bottle of lemon lime soda
1 12 can raspberry/strawberry concentrate (left as a concentrate)
and optional
dollops of raspberry sherbet

Mix the juices together and dollop with sherbet- serve.

French Toast

We have had a really busy summer so far! We vacationed in Estes Park, Colorado in early June and since then I've been trying to spend more time on the house than on the computer... so, not much for posting on here! We've hand textured the finished side of the kitchen and painted it. My mom came for a few days and helped me make a bi-fold door for my laundry closet, out of pallets. She's so good at making things!
I haven't really been working on many recipes, and the ones I have been working on still need some tweeking. Brian has been working on a cookbook though, it looks really pretty. I still haven't looked into printing/publishing. Anyone know anything about that or have tips?

Anyway- moving on to the recipe... I love French Toast! This is not the healthiest, just because I like using plain old white bread. I have used homemade whole wheat bread, and it's good, but I just like the texture when it's made with white bread.


French Toast
In mixing/measuring bowl beat:
5 eggs
1 TB vanilla
then pour in milk so it reaches the 4 cup mark and mix together.
2 loaves regular white bread
Quickly dip one slice of bread at a time, making sure to coat both sides. Fry on hot griddle 3-5 per side. Serve- YUMMY!

This uses about 36 slices of bread (1 1/2 20 oz. loaves) It's enough for our 6 big eaters (and Naomi is a big eater- she will eat 3 or 4 slices!) and 2 others- so 8 big eaters total.

Brian likes his with Cinnamon, so after I make a couple griddles of this type I sprinkle cinnamon into the milk mixture.

Tarter Sauce

Every now and then I get a hankering (yes, that's what it is- a "hankering"!) for fish sticks. I found some natural ones at Costco, which I was really happy to find! I love tarter sauce with it- so here's what I do:


Tarter Sauce
1 c. Mayonnaise
1 large dill pickle, finely diced
1 tsp. lemon juice
sprinkle of garlic
Mix thoroughly and serve.

I tend to play a little with the lemon juice and garlic till I get the flavor I want- sometimes I add some pickle juice as well.

New Poll

My wonderful graphic designer husband has been arranging my blog recipes into cookbook pages. So I have set up a poll here to see if there would be any interest in a printed cookbook- please let me know your thoughts! If you have any comments about it- please feel free to leave them.

Thanks!

The Perfect Sugar Cookie

It just is! These are my absolute favorite sugar cookies- none other compare. My friend Suzanne is an excellent cookie chef and at least half of my cookie recipes come from her- including this one.
The last couple days I've been working on these cookies- Saturday, made the dough, Sunday, rolled, cut and baked them and then this morning I frosted them. They were for a bridal shower- they decided to do something different than cake. And after making them, I thought it was a great idea- they were so pretty!



The Perfect Sugar Cookie

1 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
cream and add one at a time:
3 eggs
Stir together and add to creamed mixture:
3 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Chill dough 3-4 hours. Sprinkle the counter with flour and roll out to 1/4". Cut and bake at 350˚ for about 12 minutes. On cold stones I baked them for 14 minutes.
I don't like these cookies to brown at all- so just take them out. If they brown they get a little crunchy, but otherwise they are very soft and oh so yummy!

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