Good Dinner Mrs. Mellen

I haven't made these cookies in years. I got this recipe from my Mother and remember her making these cookies when I was a little girl! This year my daughter and I decided to make these cookies that are very flaky and tender. I will tell you that the pastry style dough is a little hard to work with but the result is a wonderful cookie that melts in your mouth. I am going to work on this recipe and make some changes to see if I can keep the essence of this cookie but make it more easier to make.  For now I will to share with you the original recipe. 1 lb shortening 12 oz cream cheese 2 egg yolks 4 cups flour milk to seal Nut Filling or Jam 1/2 stick of butter 1 lb ground walnuts 1 cup sugar Cream shortening, cream cheese, egg yolks in a large bowl. Blend in flour.  Refrigerate dough over night. Divide dough in fourths, keeping dough that you are not working with refrigerated until you are ready to use. Roll out dough in 10x sugar to 1/8 inch thick on pastry sheet or wa

My family just loves a traditional Pecan Pie. For years I've wanted them to try different flavors like, chocolate and more but no, no, no, they tell me. So I am going to share how I make my traditional Pecan Pie. It's easy and delicious! Traditional Pecan Pie Pie Crust   1-1/4   cups  all-purpose flour   1/4   teaspoon  salt   1/3   cup  shortening   4   - 5 tablespoons  cold water 1. Stir together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are pea-size. 2. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side of the bowl. Repeat moistening dough, using 1 tablespoon of the water at a time, until all the dough is moistened. Form dough into a ball. 3. On a lightly floured surface, u

I love these bars cookies, not only are they a hit with family and friends but they are quick and easy to make. Who doesn't love the combination of chocolate chips and peanut butter? If you are not a baker these beauties are a good first cookie to try and I know that you will make them over and over again. Don't wait until Christmas make them for any occasion. I was so happy to have my daughter Mandi to bake these with me! 2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats 1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar 1 1/2 cup flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup butter 1/2 cup chopped peanuts 2 cups semisweet chocolate pieces 1 beaten egg 1 14 ounce can sweeten condensed milk 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter Preheat oven 350F Combine oats, brown sugar, four, baking powder, soda in a very large mixing bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in chopped peanuts Combine 1 3/4 cups of crumb mixture with chocolate pieces and set aside. Stir egg into remain mixture: press int a 15 x 10 x 1-inch bakin

These Oatmeal Cherry Rounds are easy to make, simply delicious, and add a festive look to any cookie collection. If you are a cookie virgin I would suggest these Oatmeal cookies as a great first cookie to bake.  I used red cherries, you can use red and green cherries or a pecan in the center is also nice. 1 cup butter 1 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 cups flour 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 cup oatmeal (quick cook) 1/4 cup sugar 1 package(4 oz) red cherries Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla until well mixed. Combine dry ingredients and add to cream mixture, stir in oats.  Shape dough into small balls and roll in sugar, place on ungreased cookie sheet. Cut cherries in half and press half in center of ball pressing down to flatten cookie. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. I do love to bake cookies and yes they do take time to make but so worth all your effort. My fondest memories of Christmas are he

Yesterday after a day of marathon baking, I thought I give it a try to create a really sinfully fudgy chocolate chip cookie. I wanted the cookie crisp on the outside and chewy inside. I am so pleased with the result and I am happy to share it with you. It was fun to experiment with this cookie and if it didn't work out I was ready to try again! I think the next time I make these cookies I will melt some white chocolate, drizzle over the cookies to make a more festive presentation. 2 1/4 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened 3/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed 2 tsp vanilla 2 eggs 4(1 oz) squares of unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli) 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans(optional)  I didn't add the nuts. Preheat oven to 375 F. Stir flour with baking soda and salt: set aside. Beat butter with sugars at medium speed until creamy,  add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, m

Mandi's Spinach Triangles As I've said I come from a long line of cooks and bakers so it is no surprise that I have shared my love of cooking with my children. My motto is if you like to eat you should be able to cook!  I am sharing with you this recipe from my daughter Mandi. She made this easier version of Greek Spanakopita with puff pastry instead of phyllo dough.  Phyllo dough isn't hard to work with but it just takes a little more time and you have to get use to using the phyllo leaves. I have some really good recipes that use phyllo that I will share in another blog. Cooking is like anything else the more you do it the better you get and once you try  phyllo dough or puff pastry and see how easy it is you will have the confidence to cook and bake well. It's like my piano teacher use to say, practice, practice, practice! Mandi said that the triangles took a little time but were delicious. She brought them to a holiday party and they disappeared in no time! M

My love of baking started when I helped my Mother bake cookies at Christmas time. Since then  I've never stopped  baking cookies for Christmas. Baking isn't very hard and I am always amazed when I hear people say I don't like to bake. What's not to like, sugar, butter, chocolate, all those wonderful ingredients in one place. Baking is very precise, you need to measure the correct amount of ingredients and follow the recipe especially if you're a beginner. Once you get some experience with baking you can add your personality. Christmas cookies make wonderful personal gifts to share with family and friends. And so many beautiful boxes, bags, tins can be used as containers for your cookies gifts. A few tips that will help novice bakers. Read all the recipe through before you start and assemble everything that you need. Do any preparation before you start, if the recipe calls for chopped nuts, chop and set aside, eggs separated, same thing.  This will make the flow