kid freindly recipe |

Okay, so it has definitely been a hot minute since I’ve blogged, buuuut it’s the holiday season and that has been my excuse for absolutely everything. Over the holidaze, I love love love baking cookies. This year I made twelve different kinds – yes you read that correctly. It was an expensive and fattening weekend to say the least. One of my favorite kinds to make are sugar cookies simply because decorating them is so much fun and I really get to be creative. However, in my baking experience I noticed that so many sugar cookie recipes end up with me toiling in the kitchen rolling out the toys and making the perfect thickness of cookies just for them to expand in the oven. I need clean edges! Then, my life was changed and I stumbled upon a recipe and tweaked it a bit to make it perfect! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, unsalted, COLD. I also suggest slicing the butter at each Tbsp. mark as it will be easier to mix.
1 heaping cup of sugar
2 eggs
4 cups flour – be sure not to pack it when measuring!
3/4 cup cornstarch (this is the secret trick! Instead of baking powder, this will insure it doesn’t rise and leaven and spread).
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Parchment paper
Extra flour for rolling dough out

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar. Once combined, add eggs and mix on low speed until smooth. You don’t want to mix too fast and potentially melt the butter.
Add flour, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until all comes together. It may seem like an eternity but I promise it will all come together.
Flour a clean space as well as the rolling pin and roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Use your cookie cutters and keep repeating this process until all the dough is used up!
Cook for 8-11 minutes. They won’t really brown, so be careful not to overcook them!
Let cool and then decorate with icing and sprinkles.

Here are my Christmas ones below!

I don’t know about you, but I can certainly live off of buffalo mac n cheese, actually anything buffalo for that matter! I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t like it. Since I’m always exploring new ways to incorporate it into meals and instead of shelling out my paycheck to restaurants for this delicacy, I decided to try it out for myself. I mean just look at this ❤ ❤

Ingredients:

Pasta – I use shells or elbows
12 oz. breaded chicken – I use Purdue Simply Smart
4 oz cream cheese
4 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup milk
6 oz. (slightly more than half a block) of cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce
1/4 cup hot sauce
Blue cheese crumbles (optional)

Directions:

Begin to boil water for pasta. Once boiling, add a pinch of salt and pasta. Let cook until al dente (about 7-9 minutes).
Cook the Purdue chicken strips as per directions on front and cut into small cubes.
Cut the cheddar cheese block into smaller slices so it melts easier.
While pasta is cooking, in a medium sauce pot, add cream cheese, butter, and milk. Allow the cream cheese to soften and butter melt over medium heat.
Add both cheddar cheese and mozzarella. Let the cheeses begin to melt, continually stirring.
Once the cheese has just melted, add the wing sauce and hot sauce.
Combine the mixture over low heat. Once the mixture is all melted and combined, it should be super cheesy and stringy. Remove from heat.
Strain pasta and put back in the pot it was cooking in.
Pour the cut chicken and the cheese mixture over the pasta. Stir gently to combine everything.
Serve and drizzle some more hot sauce on top! If you included blue cheese crumbles, definitely sprinkle some on top!