Sugar Cookies/Jenny Cookies

 I love my Ethel's Sugar Cookies, but today Sarah brought some of these home from YWs. Soooo yum!

Best Sugar Cookies Ever - Jenny Cookies Sugar Cookie Recipe

The sugar cookie that started it all!

This recipe will always be dearest to me.  Every time I tell students in my cookie workshops that these sugar cookies are fail-proof, they eye me suspiciously.  But once they try it, they agree: Anyone can make them and everyone will love them.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 3 CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR PLUS MORE FOR ROLLING
• 2 TSP. ALUMINUM-FREE BAKING POWDER
• 1 CUP 2 STICKS SALTED BUTTER, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
• 1 CUP SUGAR
• 1 LARGE EGG
• 2 TSP. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT

Instructions

• Into a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed, beat butter and sugar for about 1½ minutes, or until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Turn the mixer speed to low and carefully add the flour mixture a little at a time, occasionally stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl. Once all the flour has been incorporated, the dough should form a ball around the mixing attachment and feel soft but not sticky.
• Wrap the dough ball in a piece of plastic wrap and press down to form a 1-inch-thick disk. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes before rolling or store for up to 7 days tightly wrapped.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured flat work surface to about ¼-inch thickness, using additional flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Use cookie cutters to create desired shapes, and carefully transfer with a cookie spatula to a nonstick baking sheet, placing the cookies about ¾ inch apart.
• Bake one sheet at a time in the middle of the oven until puffy, about 7-8 minutes. Allow the cookies to rest for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Repeat with the gathered scraps and remaining disk until all the dough has been used.

Butter Cream Frosting (adaptation of the author's recipe)

1 C butter/margarine (can be half Crisco)

3 1/4 C powdered sugar

1 t vanilla

1 1/2 T milk

Beat fats for 2 minutes

Add half the sugar, beat for 2 minutes

Add the rest of the sugar, vanilla, and milk, beat for 2 minutes or until creamy and fluffy

Add desired food coloring, beat in on low

Store up to 30 days

Swedish Smorgasbord Menu

 This is the list in the Johnson Family Cookbook:

Dop-i Groten (grandma noted that this is spelled wrong in her copy of the book)

Breads: Limpa, rye, white, etc. (to dip in the dopi)

Rye crisp*

Ham*

Roast beef

Swedish meatballs*

Pickled cucumbers*

Anchovies, pickled herring

Liver sausage

Jellied veal (head cheese)

Svea Ost Nat'l cheese

Sost caraway cheese

Relish tray: pickles, olives, tomatoes, etc.

Vegetable tray with dip

Jello salads*

Rice

Potato salad

Baked beans

Punch*

Swedish Christmas rice*

*The Barker family has toned it down over the years by just doing the marked items. We just do a cheese tray that includes Havarti and other cheeses. Sometimes we'll have a vegetable tray, sometimes a salad. Mom will make dopi if requested, but we usually don't have it anymore because it's so much work and is expensive! On occasion, mom will pull out a tin of sardines, too. For punch, the Johnsons usually mix grenadine with 7 Up (or is it Sprite?), but the Barkers will usually mix a soda with apple or cranberry juice. Mom also likes when we make green bean casserole for Christmas, too.)

Inglagd Gurka - Pickled Cucumber

 This was Grandma Johnson's recipe for the pickled cucumbers we eat at Christmas.

1 cucumber (about 7")

1/2 C white vinegar

2 T water

1/4 t salt

2 T minced parsley

Thinly sliced onions

A few grains of white pepper

3-5 T sugar

A few peppercorns

Wash and dry cucumber. Slice very thinly without peeling. Place in serving dish. Mix sugar, vinegar, water, salt, pepper, and peppercorns. Pour over the cucumber. Add the sliced onions and sprinkle the fresh parsley over all. Chill for 3 hours before serving.

Christmas Breakfast Casserole

This is a fun one I got when we lived in the Bountiful Heights 41st ward. Rather than a Christmas party/dinner each year, we had a Christmas breakfast on a Saturday morning. They would serve this (recipe from Gayla Allen) as the main dish (you'd sign up to bake it and someone would deliver to you all the ingredients) along with juice, milk, chocolate milk, some sort of Danish from a bakery, and fruit (I think it was just canned fruit cocktail in a cup). I don't remember if we did a Nativity program, but I sure remember LaVon Johnson leading us in signing a very boisterous 12 Days of Christmas!

1/4 C margarine or butter*

1 32 oz. package hash browns - thawed*

1 doz. eggs

1 t onion salt

1/2 t pepper

1/2 t seasoning salt

1/8 t dry mustard

1 2/3 C milk

4 C grated cheese

2 C cubed ham, bacon, or sausage

Melt margarine or butter in large bowl, add hash browns and stir. In another bowl, beat eggs and seasoning together. Add milk, cheese, and meat, and then add to hash browns and stir. Pour into greased 9x13 and bake at 350 for 45 min to an hour.

Note: This can be made the night before and cooked the next morning. If made the night before, bake at 350 for 1.5 hours to 1.75 hours.

*I think it's yummy with the butter on the potatoes, but if you want to cut calories and fat, you can omit the butter, and I don't think you'll really notice that much. You can also use baked/boiled potatoes and shred them if you don't have frozen hash browns on hand (around 4 cups).

Home-Style Potato Soup

This is from the Betty Crocker Sunday Dinner Cookbook, but with a few modifications (like adding the corn).

1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth (can use a couple bouillon cubes in water or if you leave it out, it's probably ok)

3 med potatoes, cut into large pieces (about a pound)

1 1/2 C milk

1/4 t salt

1/8 t pepper

2 med green onions (optional)

1 can of corn (or half a bag or so of frozen corn)

1 - 1 1/2 C shredded cheddar

Boil the potatoes in the broth for about 15 minutes until tender. Remove the saucepan from the heat, but DO NOT drain. Break the potatoes into smaller pieces with a potato masher or fork. The mixture should be lumpy. Add the milk, salt, pepper, green onions, and corn. Heat through on medium, stirring occasionally. Don't let it boil or it will look curdly. Add the cheese.

New England Baked Bean Stew

This is a modification of the recipe in the Betty Crocker Sunday Dinner Cookbook. We like this in the winter or camping or it was great for Scout trips.

● One to two links cooked Polish sausage cut up

● 2 Cans Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained 

● 2 Cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained 

● 2 Cans diced tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, and spices, undrained 

● 2 T packed brown sugar 

Combine all ingredients. Cook uncovered over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally. Serves 8.

Impossible Vegetable Pie

(from Grandma Dolly) 

2 C chopped broccoli/cauliflower

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 C chopped onion

1/2 C chopped green bell pepper

1 1/2 C milk

3 eggs

3/4 C Bisquick Mix

1/2 t salt and some pepper (optional)

Boil the broccoli, cauliflower, onion, and green pepper in 1" water for 10 minutes. Drain the water. Stir in the cheese. Pour into a 10" pie plate (glass works well). Beat together the milk, eggs, Bisquick, salt, and pepper. Pour over the vegetables and cheese in the pie dish. Bake at 400 for 35 to 40 minutes.