Soft Sugar Cookies

*Note* - I am at 6,500 feet elevation.  If you are at a lower elevation, you may need less flour.

Combine:

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Butter Crisco

2 Eggs

Mix together:

3 1/2 cups Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

4 tsps. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

Add last:

1/2 cup Milk

1 tsp. Vanilla

Combine eggs, sugar, & shortening.  Beat well, until creamy.

Then add the flour, salt, baking powder, & soda.

Don’t mix yet. Put dry ingredients in one side of the bowl.

Add milk & vanilla on the other side at the same time.

Mix all together.

Chill for 30 minutes if desired to firm up dough.

Cut out with cookie cutters & bake for approx. 10 minutes at 350* F.

Take out of the oven just as soon as the outer cookies just start to brown on the edges.

Frost with cream cheese frosting or sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar (sprinkle cinnamon & sugar before you bake the dough if you decide to do that instead of frosting) - the cinnamon/sugar sprinkled cookies taste very similar to Snickerdoodles.

Store in an air-tight container & cookies will stay soft.

Sugar, Shortening, Egg mixture. 

 Soon after adding dry mixture, milk, & vanilla.

Final mixture.

Bake cookies approximately 10 minutes.  Take them out just as soon as the outer cookies just start to brown around the edges.  Taking them out this soon helps them to be soft.  I like to bake them on an AirBake cookie sheet.

Easy Fruit Salad

This fruit salad is SO easy and SO yummy!

You can eat it as a side dish or as a dessert.

I'll give you the ingredients first and then you can scroll through the photos for the order to add everything.

Easy Fruit Salad

2 - 15 oz. cans fruit cocktail with juice

1 - 8 oz. can crushed pineapple with juice

1 - 5.1 oz. (lrg. box) instant pudding

2 - bananas

2 - cups marshmallows

1 - 8 oz. tub whipped topping

Optional items:

Slivered almonds, chopped walnuts or pecans, mandarin oranges

Just mix it all together as shown below.

Try changing out different cans of mixed fruits

and different flavors of pudding -

some flavors we like:

vanilla, french vanilla (used here), banana, pistachio.

1.  Pour in fruit cocktail and pineapple with the juice.

 2.  Stir in the instant pudding.

 3.  Add bananas, marshmallows, and (optional) nuts. (I didn't add nuts this time.)
You can use more or less marshmallows or omit them altogether.
This is also where you would add the mandarin oranges (any can up to 15 oz.),
but if you do add the oranges make sure to drain the juice or it will be too thin.

 4.  Stir in whipped topping.  (I like to use the "Lite", but you can use whatever kind you want.)
A whole 8 oz. tub is almost too much so you might want to start with 1/2 tub and add more up to the whole 8 oz. tub until you get the amount your family likes.
I used the whole tub here.

 5.  Can be served immediately, but will set up a little firmer if refrigerated ahead of time.  I would serve within 3 hours of mixing up.  It's still good the 2nd day, but not great the 3rd day.

Store in covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.