Perfect Boiled Eggs

Place eggs in a single layer (preferably) in a saucepan and cover with cold water, about one inch above eggs. Cover and heat to boiling. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 15 minutes. Drain and immediately place eggs in cold water to stop cooking.

This carefully timed method will prevent overcooking and those green colored yolks.

Grandma's Brown Bread

2 pkg. dry yeast
¾ c lukewarm water
1 tsp. plus 1 cup sugar, divided
4 cups water, divided
½ c shortening
1 ½ tbsp. salt
½ dark molasses
1 cup rye flour
2 cups graham flour (whole wheat)
7-8 cups all-purpose flour

Mix yeast, lukewarm water and 1 tsp. sugar. Heat 2 cups water to boiling and pour over 1 cup sugar, shortening, salt and molasses in mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve shortening. Add remaining 2 cups water to mixing bowl, and cool to lukewarm.
When shortening mixture is lukewarm, add dissolved yeast and stir in rye and graham flours. Add all-purpose flour, beginning with 7 cups and adding just enough to allow for easy handling while kneading. Let dough rest for 10 minutes. Knead for 8-10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
Place dough in greased bowl, rolling it over to grease the other side. Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the dough to rise until double in volume (1 ½ - 2 hours).
Punch dough down and knead briefly. Divide dough into 4 parts, shape and place in greased loaf pans.
Let rise until double in size, or until a depression remains if touched lightly with finger. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Remove from pans and cook on wire racks.

Yield: 4 large loaves (You should be able to half this recipe pretty easily.)
Source: I have no idea whose grandma is referenced in the name. I'm pretty sure I got the recipe from a newspaper article years ago.
Notes: This bread is fabulous and turns out well every time.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

1 medium head cauliflower, cut in little flowerets
1/4 c butter
1/2 c chopped onion
2 tbls flour
2 c chicken broth
2 c light cream (or milk)
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp salt (if necessary - see note)
1 c grated cheddar

Cook cauliflower in boiling water; drain, reserving 1 c liquid.

Melt butter. Add onion and cook until soft. Blend in flour; add broth, and cook, whisking constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Add cauliflower water, cream (milk), Worcestershire sauce and salt. Add cauliflower and heat to scalding. Stir in cheese.

Yield: 2 quarts
Source: Original recipe was from 1972 Farm Journal Cookbook
Notes: Velveeta is a good melty substitute for the cheddar but omit the salt if you use it.

Pizza Dough

1 pkg. Quick rise yeast
1 ½ c warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 ½ tsp. sugar
1 ½ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 ¾ cups flour (use white flour or a combination of white and whole-wheat)

We like to make this recipe by simply mixing all ingredients in our food processor, beginning with yeast, water and sugar, waiting for 1 minute and then adding the rest of the ingredients. Add enough flour so the dough is not sticky.
OR
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in remaining ingredients; beat vigorously. Knead for 1-2 minutes.

Prepare 2 pizza pans by spraying them with Pam. Divide dough into 2 balls and place one in the center of each pan. Cover and let them rise for 10-15 minutes. Gently spread dough to cover the pan with a slightly raised edge to hold sauce and other ingredients on as they bake. Top with pizza sauce and ingredients of your choice. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

Notes: For thicker crusts, you can let your assembled pizzas rest for 30 mins. before baking.

You can bake this recipe for 10-15 minutes (till firm but not browned), cool and freeze them for use later. Having these available in the freezer is nice for a quick, delicious meal. They take only a little more time than commercial frozen pizza and taste much better!

Update: The best thing I've done for my breadmaking skills recently is purchased a killer Kitchenaid Mixer (the food-service version with all metal gears). It kneads the dough effortlessly and perfectly every time, even containing the mess to one bowl. Highly recommended!

Hippie Mom's Granola

(from Slashfood)

2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup peanuts or toasted almonds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup coconut
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ (optional)
scant 1/4 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried fruit (e.g. dried apricots, craisins, dried apple)

Mix the nuts and grains in a large bowl. Measure oil into the measuring cup and swirl it around before pouring into bowl. Then measure out the honey in the same cup. (The oil will help the honey exit the cup.) Toss everything together until evenly coated and then pour out into a large roasting pan or a cookie sheet with a lip.
Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes, until everything is an even golden brown.
When it is finished cooking, return the baked granola to the mixing bowl, add the raisins and fruit and stir to combine. Stir gently several times as it cools (every 10 mins or so), so that it doesn't clump together too much. Enjoy!

My Taco Hotdish

Brown 1 lb. hamburger with a chopped onion.
Drain and add:
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
½ cup water

Simmer about 10 minutes and add:
1 15 oz. can of refried beans
8 ozs. tomato sauce,
1 ½ cups of cooked rice (white or brown).
Mix and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Layer in a casserole dish:
1 ½ cups of crushed tortilla chips,
Hamburger mixture
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup crushed chips
sliced black olives
¾ cup cheddar

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes till warm.
Top with lettuce, tomato, picante sauce, sour cream.

Notes: If you use Doritos, you may want to decrease the spices a little.
It's best the first day because the chips get pretty soggy as leftovers.
Would also work with shredded chicken or beef.

Source: Not exactly rocket science, but I made it up myself.

Yield: About 8 servings. (should be pretty easy to decrease)

Magic Bars (it's true!)

1 brownie mix
1/2 c melted margarine
2 eggs
1 can sweetened cond. milk
6-8 oz. choc. chips (I used peanut butter-chocolate swirl chips and it was awesome)
2 tbls. marg

Blend first three ingredients, and pour 2/3 of it into a prepared cake pan. Mix S.C. Milk with chocolate chips and 2 tbls. marg. Melt and pour over the brownie batter. Spoon remaining batter over all and add nuts if you like. Bake at 325 for 20-25 mins.

Jewel Bars

1 cake mix
1/2 c melted margarine
2 eggs
1 sweetened cond. milk (no size indicated)
6-8 ox. choc. chips
2 tbls. marg

Blend first three ingredients, and pour 2/3 of it into a prepared cake pan. Mix with chocolate chips and 2 tbls. marg. Melt and pour over the cake batter. Spoon remaining batter pver all and add nuts if you like. Bake at 325 for 20-25 mins.

Turkey Soup

1 leftover turkey carcass
5 qts. water

3 c cubed turkey
1 large onion
2 carrots, sliced
1 c chopped celery
10 oz. package frozen, chopped spinach
3/4 c fresh or frozen peas
3/4 c uncooked rice
4 chicken bouillon cubes
3/4 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp dried marjoram
3/4 dried thyme

Place the turkey carcass and water into a soup kettle. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove carcass and discard. (Make sure there are no stray bones in the broth.) Skim fat if necessary (but probably won't be with turkey). Stock may be frozen for up to 6 months.

Add vegetables, rice, bouillon and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until everything is tender. Add turkey cubes to heat up in the last 10 minutes or so.

Yield: Lots

Original Source: Taste of Home Cooking

Notes: I used some wild rice from the freezer instead of what was called for here; it was very good. Also, the vegetables you use are all pretty optional - these are good choices. The spinach made it a lot like Italian Wedding Soup without the meatballs. The bouillon called for in this recipe was just a good amount of salt. Also, I added my leftover turkey gravy from the day before to this recipe. Very good!

Grandpa would call this Turkey Carcass Soup (and as you may know, he would consider it a capital waste to throw away a perfectly good turkey carcass without making soup of it).

Sour Cream Streusel Coffee Cake

Batter:
2 c flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
½ c butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
1 ½ c sour cream
Preheat oven to 350º. Grease and flour 2 (8 inch) round cake pans. Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Cream butter and sugar; add eggs one at a time, beating after each one. Add the vanilla and almond extract. On low speed, alternately beat in the flour mixture and sour cream, in 3 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Streusel:
½ c brown sugar
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. butter
¼ c flaked coconut
1/3 c sliced almonds
Mix the ingredient. Pour half the batter into each pan, then sprinkle the streusel mixture on top. Cover with remaining batter. Bake at 350 º for 30-35 minutes.

Glaze:
¼ c powdered sugar
¼ tsp. almond extract
2-3 tsp. milk
Mix ingredients; drizzle over baked coffee cakes.

Shrimp Dimp

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c sour cream
8 oz. shrimp
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
½ c diced celery
2 oz. jar diced pimento
2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp. diced onion
1 tbsp. lemon juice
¼ tsp Tabasco sauce

Beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover, refrigerate 2 hours to blend flavors. Serve with crackers.

NOTE: This may taste more bland at first, but tends to get spicier as the Tabasco blends in. Don’t add too much or it will be really spicy the next day.

Steel Cut Oatmeal for the Crockpot

1 cup steel cut oats (DO NOT substitute old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats)
4 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins, prunes, apricots, dates) (optional)
Serve with
milk, sugar, cinnamon, or maple sugar (to taste)
1.Place all ingredients in a 2 quart slow cooker.
2.Cover and cook on LOW 6-8 hours.
3.It might form a "crust" around the outside. Just scrape it down with a spoon and stir it in.

MY NOTES: I added a cubed apple and reduced the water to 4¼ cups. It was pretty runny after 8 hours. I did like the raisins I added, though.
I’d try the following changes: use only dried fruit, add 1 tsp. cinnamon, keep cook time closer to 6 hours, if possible.
I got the steel cut oats in the health food section of Cub, but you can also get them at a Whole Foods store.

This was nice to wake up to and was really healthy and hardy.

Source: http://www.recipezaar.com/101101

Molly Koop's Scones

Bet you never thought I'd be endorsing a scone recipe, did you? Well, this one is very good when served fresh from the oven, and even pretty good when cold. (Not that there will be any leftovers...)

It came as a gift - a jar of dry ingredients and a recipe card with instructions to complete it.

Scone Mix (these are the ingredients that were in your jar)
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

The recipe card (in a very girly font with a teapot clip on it) said this:

Ingredients
1 Jar Scone Mix
1 Bag Chocolate Chunks or Cinnamon Chips
1 Stick Butter cut into pieces
1 ¼ Cup Milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In mixer with paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer) mix dry ingredients. With mixer running, add butter and mix until coarse and sandy. You should be able to see small lumps of butter. Add milk and mix until almost combined. Add chips and mix just to distribute them evenly through the dough. DO NOT OVERMIX. There may still be some flour not mixed in at the bottom of the bowl.

Turn dough out onto lightly-floured surface. Knead dough ten times to bring it together and smooth it out. Using floured rolling pin, roll out dough to thickness of one inch. Using biscuit cutter or two-inch cup, cut out circles. Using a spatula, transfer scones to ungreased baking sheet. Knead scraps together just until combined, then roll again and continue cutting out circles until dough is used. Bake until light golden brown, about fifteen minutes.

Variation: Use dried fruit or other baking chips for a different flavor scone.

Notes: I HIGHLY recommend the cinnamon chip option.

Egg Brunch

4 cups croutons
1 8 oz. pkg. cheddar
4 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. pepper
10 slices of fried, chopped bacon OR 1 lb. browned breakfast sausage

Spread the croutons in the bottom of a greased 9 X 13 pan. Sprinkle with cheese. Blend the eggs, milk, salt, onion powder, mustard and pepper. Pour over the bread/cheese mixture. Top with meat. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 325 º for 40-50 minutes.

From the Schoenstatt 1996 cookbook.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

TOPPING:
1/3 c chopped walnuts
1/3 c firmly packed brown sugar
3 tbls flour
1 tbls cinnamon

COFFEE CAKE:
1 ¼ c sugar
1/3 cup cooking oil
2 large eggs
3 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ c buttermilk
1 tbls vanilla

•In small bowl, combine topping ingredients.
•Coat a 12-cup bundt or tube pan with cooking spray, sprinkle 1/3 c topping mixture.
•Preheat oven to 350º.
•In large bowl, combine sugar and oil. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well.
•In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Stir until well mixed. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
•Set aside 2 cups batter. Pour remaining batter into prepared pan.
•Sprinkle remaining walnut mixture over batter. Pour reserved batter over walnut mixture.
•Bake 45-55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center of coffee cake comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack before removing coffee cake from pan.

Source: I think one of you made this as a 4-H project, right?

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

1 c butter or marg., softened
2 ¾ c sugar (divided)
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
Cream butter and 2 c sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and then eggs, one at a time, until mixed well.

3 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp salt

Combine all dry ingredients and add to butter mixture alternately with: 2 cups sour cream. Spoon 1/3 batter into greased 10” tube or bundt pan.

Combine:
2 tbls cinnamon and remaining ¾ c sugar. Sprinkle 1/3 of it over batter. Repeat two times with remaining batter and cinnamon/sugar.

Bake at 350º for 70 minutes. Cool 10 minutes then remove from pan.

Source: Donna Webster

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

1 c butter or marg., softened
2 ¾ c sugar (divided)
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
Cream butter and 2 c sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and then eggs, one at a time, until mixed well.

3 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp salt

Combine all dry ingredients and add to butter mixture alternately with: 2 cups sour cream. Spoon 1/3 batter into greased 10” tube or bundt pan.

Combine:
2 tbls cinnamon and remaining ¾ c sugar. Sprinkle 1/3 of it over batter. Repeat two times with remaining batter and cinnamon/sugar.

Bake at 350º for 70 minutes. Cool 10 minutes then remove from pan.

Source: Donna Webster

Breakfast Pizza

2 (8 oz.) pkg. Crescent refrigerator rolls
1 lb. Pork sausage or bacon (fried and crumbled)
2 c. potato shreds (fresh or frozen and defrosted)
10 eggs
½ c milk
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
chopped onions and green peppers (opt.)

Arrange crescent rolls on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Brown sausage or bacon and spread over dough. Top with potatoes, onions and peppers. Combine eggs with milk and pour over top. Garnish with cheese. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Fettuccine Alfredo Wannabe

1/2 lb. fettuccine, uncooked
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 1/4 c chicken broth
3 tbsp flour
4 oz cream cheese (or Neufchatel)
3 tbsp grated Parmesan, divided
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat a nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Add chicken; cook 5-7 mins or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet. Mix broth and flour in a pan; heat until boiling and add the cream cheese and 2 tblsp of Parmesan, garlic, pepper, and basil. Whisk constantly until it thickens, and the cream cheese is thoroughly mixed in. Stir in chicken. Drain pasta and mix with sauce/chicken. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.

Yield: 4 generous servings
Source for original recipe: Kraft Food & Family, fall 2008
Notes: While not exactly Fettuccine Alfredo, it's not lasgana made with Velveeta either. We liked it! I used chunks of leftover turkey breast and it was really quick and easy to make.

*I put about 1/4 c cold broth into a jar with the flour and shook all the lumps out before mixing with the rest of the broth.

Apple Muffins

1 egg
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
¼ vegetable oil
1 cup grated apples
1½ cup flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup sugar

Beat egg. Stir in milk, oil, apple, and cinnamon. Mix in remaining ingredients just until flour is moist. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full, sprinkle with nut crunch topping, bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes.

Nut Crunch Topping
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup walnuts
1 tablespoon melted butter
Mix ingredients together.

Apple Pancakes

2 c flour
5 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 c. milk
1/3 c. oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. chopped, unpeeled apples

Mix all ingredients. Cook on a griddle.
These pancakes are very good when served with warm, spiced applesauce for a topping. To spice the applesauce, simply add cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to taste.

Cincinnati-Style Chili

1 quart water
2 pounds ground chuck, crumbled
2 medium onions, finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, crushed (use garlic press) or minced
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
10 peppercorns, ground
8 whole allspice, ground (3/4 tsp)
8 whole cloves, ground (1/2 tsp)
1 large bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, grated

Bring water to boil in a 4-6 quart pot. Add the ground chuck (do not brown first). Stir until separated and reduce heat to simmer. Add onions, garlic, tomato sauce, cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to mix well. Add peppercorns, allspice, cloves, bay leaf, salt, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and grated unsweetened chocolate. Bring back to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 2 1/2 hours cooking time in all. Cool uncovered and refrigerate overnight.

Skim all or most of the fat and discard. Discard bay leaf. Reheat and serve over hot spaghetti, cooked al dente.

Optional toppings:
Finely-grated Cheddar cheese, chopped onion, red kidney beans. Serve oyster crackers and red pepper sauce on the side.

Cooks Illustrated's Best Blueberry Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
1 1/4 cups sour cream (10 ounces)
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick vegetable cooking spray.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl until combined. Whisk egg in second medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add sugar and whisk vigorously until thick and homogenous, about 30 seconds; add melted butter in 2 or 3 steps, whisking to combine after each addition. Add sour cream in 2 steps, whisking just to combine.

3. Add frozen berries to dry ingredients and gently toss to combine. Add sour cream mixture and fold with rubber spatula until batter comes together and berries are evenly distributed, 25 to 30 seconds (small spots of flour may remain and batter will be thick). Do not overmix.

4. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to drop batter into greased muffin tin. Bake until light golden brown and toothpick or skewer inserted into center of muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan from front to back halfway through baking time. Invert muffins onto wire rack, stand muffins upright, and cool 5 minutes. Serve as is or dip in melted butter and then cinnamon-sugar.

Notes: Super moist, even after several days!

Special K Bars

1 c sugar
1 c Karo syrup
4 tbls butter
1 1/2 c peanut butter (creamy is best)
6 c Special K cereal
1 c chocolate chips
1 c butterscotch chips

Boil the first three ingredients for one minute; add the peanut butter and stir until creamy and well mixed. Pour over the cereal and mix thoroughly. Spread into a 9X13 pan for thick bars or a cookie sheet (with sides) for thinner bars. Melt the chips together and spread over the smooth cereal mixture. Cool and cut.

Source: Mrs. Sivula

Notes: Using the store-brand equivalent cereal is fine. In fact, I prefer it because it's lots cheaper and we get to make fun of the silly name.
I butter the back of a spoon and use it to firmly press the mixture into the pan.
I also sprayed the pan with non-stick spray.
These bars mail very well and stay fresh a long time. (perfect for mailing)

Cheesy Chicken and Salsa Skillet

2 c uncooked penne
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/4 c chunky salsa
1 c frozen corn, thawed
1 green pepper, cut into thing strips
1 c shredded cheddar

Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, cook chicken for 2 minutes in a little oil. Stir in salsa, corn, and peppers. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta, and stir into chicken mixture. Move to a serving dish, sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Yield: 4 generous servings

Source: Kraft Food and Family Magazine

Notes: This was good and super easy to make.

Beef Barley Stew

1 1/2 lbs. lean beef stew meat, cubed
1 chopped onion
3 cans beef broth (14.5 oz each) OR the equivalent of reconstituted beef soup base or bouillon
1 c medium pearl barley
1 tsp thyme, dried
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/4 tsp crushed rosemary, dried
1/4 tsp pepper
4 carrots, sliced

Brown meat and onion; add the broth, barley and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Simmer for an hour or until meat is tender and barley is fully cooked.

Add carrots and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Garnish with parsley before serving.

Yield: 8 generous servings

Source: Taste of Home Cookbook

Notes: I added some celery also. You may need to add additional water if the barley absorbs too much liquid. The seasonings all add important elements to this soup, but measure carefully.

Fresh Salsa

4 c cubed tomatoes
2 c green, yellow, red, purple sweet peppers
1 c hot peppers
3/4 c onion
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/4 c cilantro (or to taste)
1/2 lime (squeeze the fresh juice in)
1 1/2 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

Dice or cube the vegetables; mix together for a few hours before serving.

Source: Some guy Dad works with.

Yield: It makes a lot. Reduce recipe unless you're bringing it to a picnic or some other group event.

Notes: Instead of cutting the hot pepper, I buy a small can (maybe 4 ounce) of already-chopped jalapenos and just dump them in. A full cup would be too spicy for us.

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened - see note
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 c (12 oz. package) chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Add baking soda, and salt, then flour, and finally chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls (or a size 60 food service scoop) onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool slightly then remove to a wire rack.

Yield: about 6 dozen

Notes: I think one stick of margarine and one stick of butter is the ideal mix for texture and flavor. Mix the flour in on low speed!