Have I mentioned I love a cassarole?

Good lord, our eating has been so good in the past 12 hours. I am sure I gained a pound or two, but the dinner I made last night and the breakfast I made (last night and) this morning were amazing! Neither required a lot of effort either. I like to cook a good dinner on the Friday nights that my step-son comes to stay with us. As well I like to make a really nice breakfast for him and his daddy. My preference is to strike a balance between delicious and low maintenance. Especially when it comes to making dinner after working all day.

Last night I made BBQ Chicken Cornbread Bake . When I looked at the picture I was skeptical. Things didn't seem all that appetizing but the ingredient list made me take pause.

Source: plainchicken.com via Tiffany on Pinterest

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Holiday Treats Part II ~ Texas Ranger Cookies

Brandon's most favorite cookies are called Texas Ranger Cookies.  His grandmother, who lives in Alabama, used to make these for him as a child. After about a year of hearing about these cookies I went on a mission to track down the recipe. Boy am I glad I did. After giving some cookies to a man at work, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. (Despite the fact that he is about 30 years my senior and already happily married.) People have tried these and said, "Coconut? I hate coconut, but I love these cookies!" or "The perfect mix of salty and sweet!"

These cookies will never let you down, as long as you put in the effort, prepare for the mess and have the time to invest in making them. I think a better name might be "Breakfast Cookies" based on all the breakfasty ingredients or "Kitchen Sink Cookies" due to the vast array of ingredients.

This time around I broke out of my shell and tried the food proccessor for some of the prep. It rocked my world. I was so used to doing things the hard way. No more! Thankfully Brandon had experience with this type of contraption and was able to break it down for me.

I believe most people really love these cookies, or they are fantastic liars. If you feel tempted to make these there are quite a few recipes on the internet, but I will share the one passed on from Brandon's grandmother.

Texas Ranger Cookies

2 c. flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt (generous)

2/3 c. unsalted butter (soft) [1 stick & 2/3 tbsp.]

1/2 c. white vegetable shortening
1 1/3 c. packed brown sugar
2/3 c. sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. old fashioned rolled oats

2 c. crushed corn flakes
1 1/4 c. chopped pecans
1 1/4 shredded or flake sweetened coconut

Set oven to 375

Use cookie sheet.

In a medium bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt then set aside.

With a mixer (And it should be a good one, because I burned up the motor of a cheap one on these cookies.) mix butter and shortening until fluffy. Add brown sugar and white sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until mixed well. (And fluffy.)

Add flour mixture. ( A deep bowl is best as is adding the flour in increments if you don't want a cloud of flour dust to settle over every surface in your kitchen.) Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Let mixture set for 5-10 minutes to firm up. Shape to golf ball size and place on cookie sheet 3" apart. Flatten balls to about 1/3" thick.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until they are a perfect golden brown. Be careful not to overcook. (I prefer them crispy and crunchy but Brandon likes them chewy, so I guess it depends on what you prefer.)

Let cool 3 minutes.

Enjoy!~

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Holiday Treats Part I ~ Fantasy Fudge

Every year I make sweet treats for those that are near and dear to me. My go to recipe for years has been Fantasy Fudge. What's really awesome about this recipe? Well, for one, if you forget where you placed your chicken scratched, college rule copy you begged off your mom, you can always find it on Kraft Jet Puffed Marshmallow Creme. (The key ingredient.) My first step is to always measure everything out first, because once the molten sugar/butter/evaporated milk concoction hits that rolling boil, you better bust a move!

I used to think that the candy thermometer was not really necessary, until one year my fudge came out grainy. Nothing could be more mortifying so I splurged about $2.50 on one and ever since that my fudge has come out silky smooth.

Be careful if you make this though, it's sweet enough to hurt the teeth.

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