Shortbread Lasso Biscuits

This shortbread recipe is loosely based on the “official” Lasso shortbread. It’s not too sweet, but it’s very buttery and tasty!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

3/4 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.

2. Sift flour and salt into large bowl.

3. In separate bowl, butter should be soft - the consistency of mayonnaise, but not melted into a liquid.

4. Mix the vanilla into the butter.

5. Sift the sugar into the butter and mix thoroughly.

6. Mix the sifted flour into the butter/sugar mixture and combine evenly.  It will be crumbly.

7. Use a square pan, either covered with parchment paper or coated in butter. Pour the mixture into the pan and evenly spread out and press down to about 1/2” thick. Use a piece of parchment as a barrier sheet under your hand to flatten in the pan.

8. (Optional) You can cut into squares in advance before baking to make the cuts smooth later.

9. Bake until golden and firm, approximately 45-60 minutes.

10. Cool and re-slice, if necessary.

The Best Homemade Waffle Recipe Ever

My son and I have perfected a waffle batter recipe. You’ll need a waffle iron.  It will get messy and drippy, so maybe put a piece of parchment paper underneath your machine while you use it to catch the drips. It’s totally worth the mess, though.

Also, you can put the cooked waffles in a freezer bag, freeze them, and save them for later. These are better than store bought waffles!

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A dash of cinnamon
• Nonstick cooking spray
• (Optional) Toppings for your cooked waffles, such as butter, syrup, powdered sugar, jam, peanut butter, Nutella, etc.

Directions

1. Preheat your waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

2. In a large bowl, whisk just the eggs until they are thoroughly blended and smooth.

3. Add the flour, milk, and vegetable oil. Mix until blended.

4. Whisk in the sugar, and then everything else - the baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon just until smooth, Be careful not to overmix.

5. Spray the waffle iron with non stick cooking spray. Pour some batter onto the hot waffle iron and cook until golden brown.  I use a soup ladle, which seems to be the perfect amount (about 4 oz)  to fill both sides of our smallish waffle maker. Use whatever works for your machine.

For our waffle iron and this recipe, 4 minutes seems to be the perfect amount of time to cook the waffles to a perfect level of golden brown crispness.  But it could take anywhere from about 3-5 minutes for other waffle makers.

Enjoy your amazing waffles!

Aunt Eleanor's Potato Salad

My Aunt Eleanor was an excellent cook!  She taught me how to make potato salad when I was about 15.  This is a basic and forgiving recipe, which can be adjusted however you like.  It's an oldie but a goodie.

My husband begs me to make this whenever we have fresh potatoes, but I make it whenever I want to remember my feisty Aunt Eleanor.  Everything she cooked was delicious and she was the hostess with the mostess.

Ingredients

• 10 medium potatoes (approx. 5 lbs), peeled, cubed
• 2-3 (to taste) hard boiled eggs, chopped
• Mayonnaise  - about 2 cups - you'll add to your taste
• 2 TBL yellow mustard
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped fine
• 2 stalks celery, chopped fine
• 1 small yellow or white onion, chopped fine
• 1 small (2 oz) jar pimentos 
• Dill pickle relish to taste 
• Salt/pepper to taste
• Season salt or celery salt to taste
• Pinch or 2 of herb, such as basil or oregano, to taste

1. Boil the potatoes in a large soup pot, until tender - about 15-20 minutes.  Drain and move to very large mixing bowl.
2. One by one, add the chopped vegetable ingredients and the jar of pimentos.  Add the yellow mustard at this point, too. A little pickle juice or pimento jar juice can be added for flavor.
3. Gently toss the mixture - you want to keep the potatoes chunky.  (You do not want mashed potatoes.)
4. Gradually add mayonnaise to your taste.  Fold it in.  Do not stir.
4. Add herbs to your taste, followed by salt and pepper.

You can also sprinkle a little paprika on top at the end, for decoration.  (I am a big paprika fan.)  I have also added tiny bits of homegrown fresh chopped basil and oregano to sprinkle on top.  Yum.