Cheery Cherry Cookies

• 1 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 4-6 drops red food coloring
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries

**OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:  1 Tablespoon Red sugar sprinkles mixed with 1/4 cup white sugar for rolling. Approximately 40 - 50 chocolate kisses (unwrapped) to press into each cookie after baking (this can cause the cookie to crack slightly so be careful not to push too hard) or  20 - 30 halved candied cherries to press into cookie before baking.

Preheat oven to 350ºF

In a large bowl cream butter. Add powdered sugar and salt. Mix scraping the sides of the bowl often. Add cherry juice, almond extract and food coloring. Gradually beat in flour. Stir in cherries. Do not chill this dough, it makes it hard to work with.

Using a teaspoon or my favorite scoop, shape into 1 inch balls [**roll each ball into the sugar mixture]. place 1 inch apart on greased, silicone lined, or parchment lined baking sheet. [**press 1/2 of a candied cherry into the center of each cookie] Bake on center rack of oven for 8-10 minutes or until the bottoms are just light brown. [**Remove from oven and immediately press a chocolate kiss into center of each cookie. It will crack around the edges so be careful not to press too hard. Let cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes then move to rack until kisses are completely set] Allow to cool on pan for at least 2 minutes before moving to cooling rack.

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken with home made BBQ sauce.

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil (vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil works too)
• 1 small onion sliced thin,  saute'd to caramelize
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chilli sauce
• 1/4 cup bourbon or water
• 2 Tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons ketchup
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or more to taste).

Slice onions thin. Toss them into a skillet with a pat of butter and a scant tablespoon of coconut oil. Saute, tossing occasionally, until golden (about 5 minutes) Add minced garlic and saute another 1-2 minutes. In the mean time, in a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, chilli sauce, bourbon, soy sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, mustard and pepper. Set aside.

Add chicken to a 2 quart sprayed crock pot. Top with onion garlic mixture then top with the sauce. Cook on Low for 3 - 4 hours (my crock runs hot so 2-3 is enough). Check it around 3 hours to see if the chicken shreds easily. Using two forks gently shred the chicken. Mix shredded pieces with all the sauce until well coated. We serve it on buttered, toasted buns with a slice of cheddar cheese (this is Wisconsin after all).

Garlic Cheese Beer Bread Mini Muffins

Using this standard Beer Bread Recipe and few minor changes I made mini muffins for a weekend party. They were a BIG hit and super simple.This is how I did it.

• 3 Cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder (fresh!)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese. 
• 12 ounces draft beer
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter (melted)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Heat oven to 375ºF.
Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, garlic powder and cheese in a large mixing bowl.
Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined. Batter will be thick.
Drop by teaspoons into 2 sprayed mini muffin pans (24 muffins each)
Melt butter. Mix in garlic salt. Pour 1 teaspoon butter over each muffin.
Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick  stuck in the center comes out clean.
Pop out of pan into serving basket. Makes 48

Dilly Vegetable Dip

• 8oz Cream Cheese - Softened
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dry Onion Flakes
• 1/2 teaspoons Beau Monde seasoning**
• 1 teaspoons Dill Weed
• 1 teaspoons Dry Parsley Flakes

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Serve at room temperature with cut veggies of your choice.

**Beau Monde seasoning can be hard to find. Personally I like the dimension it adds but you can leave it out all together and it still tastes good. If you can't find it and want to make your own, here's a recipe that works just fine!

Beau Monde Seasoning:

1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground bay leaf
1 tablespoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons ground pepper
1 tablespoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground mace
1 teaspoon celery seed

In a small mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients. Pour into a tightly closed jar and store in a cool, dry place. Yields approximately 9 tablespoons.