Carolyn's Tortilla Soup

Tortilla soup is like an enchilada...add what you like to suit your taste buds.

Suggested toppings: Tortilla strips (packaged especially for salads and garnishes)
Monterey Jack shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, avacado, cillantro or green onions.

1 small onion - diced
2 cloves garlic - minced
1/4 c. olive oil
Diced peppers of your choice (handle with care - remove all seeds)
2 med Habanaro, Jalapeno chile or Anaheim
(I've used canned diced green chili's in a pinch, just not as hot as I'd like)
Chili Powder (about 2 Tbs - add more later if you like)
Cumin (about 1 1/2 Tbs...more if desired)
Chicken broth (8 to 10 cups) approx.
Canned tomatoes (any type, diced, crushed, stewed)
1 small can tomato paste
1 can small black beans or beans of your choice (drained and rinsed)
1 can corn
Salt to taste
Cilantro - 1/2 bunch finely diced and added towards the end of cooking
Cooked Chicken - diced

Saute onion and garlic in oil till tender. Add diced fresh pepers (know your peppers...some can be extremely hot and can burn skin). Cook for 5 minute or so.

Prepare chicken broth, enough to fill a large soup pot 2/3 full.
Add sauted onion, garlic to pepers to bouillion. Add tomatoes and spices and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes or so, then add rest of ingredients. Simmer 20 minutes and serve.

Ladle into bowls and top with tortilla chips, avacado, cheese, onions, sour cream or salsa.
Makes a pot full!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Makes: 2.5 Doz
Prep: 15 min
Bake:10 min

1 cup butter or margarine (can sub half shortening)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. bk. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups uncooked regular oats
1 (15 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate mega morsels (or chips)
1 cup toasted pecans or nuts of your choice

Oven: 350 degrees
Beat butter & sugars till creamy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well
Mix dry ingredients and combine with butter mixture.
Spoon onto baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes.

Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles

¾ c sugar
½ c margarine
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla
1 ½ c flour
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp bk soda
¼ tsp cream of tarter
2 TBS sugar
2 tsp cinnamon (mix and roll balls in mixture)

Place on cookie sheet (no need to smash)
375 for 8-10 min. (makes about 36)

Congo Bars

Congo Bars
(bar chocolate chip)

½ c. margarine
2 c br. sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
2 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp bk. Pd.
3/4 c nuts
2 c chocolate chips

350 - 15 x 10 or 13 x 9 pan. grease pan and dust w/flour
Mix wet, then add dry ingredients. 20 – 25 min. May take longer in 13 x 9 pan
Cut into bars when cooled.

Grandma Madsen's Ranger/Shortbread Cookies

Grandma Madsen’s Shortbread Cookies

(Ranger Cookies)

(use any flake type cereal)

1 c flour

1 tsp bk pd.

¼ tsp salt

½ c shortening or margarine

½ c gran sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

½ c nuts

3/4 c flake cereal (raisin bran, frosted flakes etc)

Roll slightly or drop onto cookie sheets. Smash slightly w/fork400 for 12 min.

Best P-nut Butter Cookies

Best P-Nut Butter Cookies

Makes a bunch!

I also freeze this in small baggies

Spoon out later, roll slightly into balls, dip fork in flour and press each cookie

2 c shortening

2 c p-nut butter

2 c sugar (gran)

2 c brown sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

4 ½ c. flour

4 tsp bk soda

½ tsp salt

350 for 10-12 min. (don’t overbake)

Grandpa J's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Grandpa J’s recipe)

2 ¼ c flour (sometimes a little more…pretty stiff so they won’t spread)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 c shortening

¾ c gran. sugar

¾ c br. sugar

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp water

2 eggs

Chocolate chips Nuts (opt)

Mix shortening, sugars, vanilla, water & eggsMix dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to wet. Mix well, add chips and nuts.

Drop on cookie sheet – Bake 375 for 10-12 min. (not sure how many this makesI 4 times this to get 4 rolls of dough for freezing & 2 batches to cook now)