Aunt Thelma's Feather Bread

I've really been into home cooked meals, and more recently, family recipes from scratch. While visiting my Aunt over the 2012 Thanksgiving holiday, I had the opportunity to snatch a copy of her dinner roll recipe. I've made this recipe four times since. While the 3 x 5 hand written index card shows many years of use, it is still as awesome as the name.

Ingredients:
2 c. scalded milk
¼ c. shortening
¼ c. sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tbls yeast
½ c. warm water
2 eggs
5-6 c. flour

Directions:
Scald milk. Add to shortening, sugar and salt. Let cool. Soften yeast in water. (I use water that is between 115°F to 120°F). Once yeast is foamy, add to milk mix. Add beaten eggs. Add flour 1 cup at a time until a soft and only slightly sticky dough forms. (I kneaded the dough for five minutes in my KitchenAid mixer and the time I mixed by hand I only kneaded it until dough was completely mixed; no clumps of dry flour.) Let rise in large bowl until doubled in size. Roll into balls. Will fill two 13" x 9" glass pans. Let rise again. Bake at 350°F until tops are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Butter tops is necessary.

Paco's Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar

I had recently received a quart jar of mixed ingredients with directions to make fresh baked bread. It was so easy, I only needed to add 3 wet ingredients plus the contents of the Jar into my KitchenAid mixer, mix and bake. Being very pleased with the outcome, I thought this would be a good idea as an auction item for our family reunion. We raise money for renting a space for my family to enjoy a weekend together once a year. 

Figuring since I didn't have the recipe, I went looking for a recipe and came up with something all together different. Cookies!

Yields about 4 dozen two inch cookies.

Dry Ingredients in Jar:
2 c. *fluffed flour
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ c. white sugar
½ c. packed brown sugar
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ c. old fashioned oats
½ c. chopped pecans

Wet Ingredients:
2 large eggs
¾ c. softened butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Use an oven thermometer to make sure temperature is correct.
In the KitchenAid mixer with the wisk attachment, mix eggs, vanilla and butter. With the dough hook, mix the rest of ingredients. Never use a dough hook on a speed larger than 2. Scrape sides of bowl if needed to mix well. Spoon tablespoon size amounts of dough onto cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes or until bottom sides of cookie are slightly brown. A larger size of cookie dough will require a longer cooking time. Let cookies set on cookie sheet for a minute or two, then transfer to wax paper to cool the rest of the way. Let cookies sit overnight in an air tight container for the best ever tasting cookies!

If you are making Jars as a gift:

Mix flour, white sugar and baking soda. Using a funnel, carefully pack flour mix into bottom of quart jar. Add brown sugar. I bent an old spoon to make it easier to pack the brown sugar. Add oats and shake the jar to settle them. Add chocolate chips and shake to settle them. Add pecans and shake to settle. Seal the jar with a lid and ring. Attach directions to the jar for the reciever to follow.

* To fluff the flour I take my measuring cup and scoop up the flour and drop it back into my canister. This process adds air. I repeat 2 or 3 times before I scoop a cup of flour and shake to level off. If flour is not fluffed, you will have trouble fitting all the dry ingredients into the quart jar.