Rich Little Tea Cookies

Can you fix a little something sweet?  I got that question one Sunday afternoon and I completely agreed.  Sometimes you just need a little something sweet.

A quick shuffle through my clippings turned up this one for "Rich Little Tea Cookies".  Based on the yellow-ness of the clipping I would guess it came from an early 1980's edition of some unknown magazine and it says under the title they were "pictured on page 160".

But it seemed to fit the bill ... it was sweet, it was quick and more importantly, I had all the ingredients.

Rich Little Tea Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Put all ingredients in a large mixer bowl and mix on low speed until well blended.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and using floured hands, shape dough into 1-inch balls.

Place cookies on a large, ungreased cookie sheet (I opted for parchment paper).  Using a fork, mark the top of each crosswise, flattening as you go.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until lightly golden.

Cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet then remove to wire racks to complete cooling.  The recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies and it says "30 calories per cookie" ... they're small, but quite good.

I actually halved the ingredients giving us about 2 dozen because as I said we only wanted a "little" something sweet.

Layered Taco Salad

I didn't intend to be gone for almost a month but that's life, and life has been busy.

Layered Taco Salad is a one dish meal that's about as quick as quick can get, perfect for those times when life gets ahead of you.

In a large serving bowl layer the following, in order:

1 bag of your favorite shredded lettuce mix

1 pound ground turkey, cooked and crumbled, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper

1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

a sprinkling of grated carrots

1 large tomato, seeded and diced

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar-jack cheese blend



1 package of dry taco seasoning mix, sprinkled over the top.

Cover with several handfuls of crushed, flavored tortilla chips (I use Doritos nacho or taco flavored).

Set aside 10-15 minutes.  If making ahead, cover and refrigerate at this point.

When ready to serve, drizzle half of a 16-ounce bottle of fat-free Catalina dressing over your salad.

Toss layers together, blending well.

Serve on a bed of tortilla chips.  Add sour cream, salsa, sliced jalapenos, whatever else your taste desires.  

You can easily change the ground turkey to ground beef, the kidney beans to black beans, add diced onions, etc., etc.  

A spritz of fresh lime juice can add a zesty touch.

Just have fun with it!