Perfect Sugar Cookies

This is my mom's recipe and a family favorite. Actually, a favorite of anyone that tries them. They are also my go-to holiday cookie (if you can't tell). If there's a holiday, we usually have an excuse to make these cookies.

Recipe:
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c margarine
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 c buttermilk (you can make you own by mixing 1 T lemon juice into milk and letting it sit and curdle for 5 minutes)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
6 c flour (this isn't exact, add 5 and then check the consistency of your dough)

Cream sugars, margarine, eggs, vanilla and milk. Add sifted dry ingredients until you get a stiff dough. Don't add too much flour! Refrigerate the dough for several hours or overnight. Roll out on a floured surface and cut into shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Then frost and decorate. Have fun!

Pasta and Alfredo Casserole Style

You can't really call this fettucine alfredo, because I wouldn't use fettucine. Besides that noodles are hard for kids, a noodle isn't great for this dish.

Kev's grandma was making this one day when I went over to cut hair. She was just sort of inventing it as she went along and I took the idea and tried it out too. It turned out pretty good and the kids seem to like it too, which is always a bonus.

I've tried all sorts of sauces and all work, but so far, homemade is my favorite. I really like this one by Shirley J, but you have to have their universal mix. So any recipe you have will work, and you can do jar alfredo, it just isn't quite as good.

Boil pasta, but make sure it isn't too soft. Then mix with sauce. I like to add chopped canadian bacon or ham, and crumbled bacon would be great too. You could also throw veggies in. I was going to add small pieces of cauliflower, so the kids couldn't tell, but so they'd get some vegetable nutrition, but that will have to be next time.

Put what you've combined into a 9x13 and then I top mine with seasoned bread crumbs. You could also just grate fresh parmesan on top, or both. Bake for 20 or so minutes at 350.

I like to make this early in the day and then put it in my fridge until dinner time. If you do this, bake it for closer to 35-40 minutes. You can also eat it without baking. We've done that and it is really good and creamy.

Teriyaki Noodles and Vegetables

This is one of those easy meals that you can just throw what you have into and make it work.

Cook some pasta (just according to package), whatever you may have. I happened to have spaghetti, but when I do this again, I will do somthing different, since thin noodles are really hard for kids.

While the water is boiling and noodles are cooking, prep your veggies. You can use whatever you have or like. This time I used carrots, broccoli, mushrooms and onions. After they are cut and washed, saute them in a small amount of oil or butter. Depending on how much time you have or how picky you are, add the veggies in the pan in the order of how much time they'll need. For example, onions take a little longer to tenderize than mushrooms, so I would start my onions first and then add the mushrooms towards the end.

When the veggies are cooked to your liking, add in about 1/2 cup of teriyaki sauce for about 8 oz of pasta. If you make more, add more. Then add your cooked, drained pasta. If you have sesame seed oil, add in a generous teaspoon and toss together. Done. Not bad for a healthy, quick and fresh meal, huh?