Recipes by Tom Wopat: Christmas Sugar Cookies; Guess-and-by-Gosh Beer Beef Stew

Tom Wopat's Christmas Sugar Cookies

1 1/3 cups butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Scant 3 tablespoons milk
Plain or colored sugar
Vanilla butter frosting (recipe below)

In mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla; mix thoroughly. Sift together flour and baking powder. Stir into creamed mixture with milk. Blend well.

Flour hands. Form dough into 2 rolls. Wrap in waxed paper. Chill 1 hour or longer to facilitate handling of dough. Work with 1 roll at a time, keeping the other chilled until ready to use. Roll out dough on floured board to 1/8-inch thickness. Dip Christmas cookie cutters in flour, then cut out shapes. Place cookies on lightly greased baking sheets. Sprinkle with plain or colored sugar.

Bake at 375 degrees F. 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Cool to room temperature on sheets of brown paper. Frost, if desired, with vanilla butter frosting and colored sugar. Store in airtight containers. Makes
about 5 dozen cookies.

Vanilla butter frosting:

4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
About 1/4 cup milk

Cream butter until soft and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, blending each addition of sugar thoroughly with softened butter. When mixture begins to stiffen, stir in vanilla. Add milk, drop by drop, beating until icing is thick and smooth. Can be spread on cookies with decorating tube or knife.

Notes: If cutters are not available, draw and cut patterns from brown paper. Cut shapes with sharp knife.

Cookies make attractive tree ornaments if made with slightly more flour and rolled 1/4-inch thick to prevent breaking. Punch small hole in cookie before baking for tree ornament hanger.

Tom Wopat's Guess-and-by-Gosh Beer Beef Stew

3 pounds top-grade boneless lean beef steak
Seasoned flour
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
About 2 cups beer, water or beef broth
1 onion, peeled and sliced
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 large bay leaf
1 scant teaspoon leaf oregano
1/2 teaspoon leaf thyme
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
6 large carrots, peeled and cut in large chunks
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut in large pieces
Handful of cleaned fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

Dredge beef in seasoned flour; shake off excess flour. In large skillet, brown a few pieces of beef at a time in hot shortening. Add beer, onion, salt, pepper, bay leaf, oregano, thyme and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to boiling point. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until beef is almost tender (about 45 minutes).

Add carrots, potatoes and mushrooms. Cover and cook 30 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender. Add more liquid if needed.

Taste to correct seasonings. Uncover, cook down to reduce in volume. Spoon stew into heated casserole. Garnish with snipped parsley. Serve with tossed green salad and cornbread. Makes about 8 servings.