Curren loves sharing food with people
Sharing food with others and baking cookies are some of Katie Curren’s favorite aspects of cooking.
“I’m a social person and I love cooking for people,” Curren said. “I love sharing it with people, and it’s an excuse for people to come over to socialize. Whenever I have company over, there’s going to be cookies.”
Curren was born and raised in Union and still lives there. She currently works as an attorney for Curren Lawfirm, which is also based in Union. She enjoys spending time with her husband Seth and their daugher, Bonnie.
Curren said she first learned to cook from her grandmother.
“We always had a sweet tooth, and first I recall baking lemon cupcakes,” Curren said. “We also had a garden and I would do things like shelling peas. I fell out of cooking when I got to law school, but after law school, I had a lot of free time and time to cook a lot. I cooked stews, casseroles, crock pot recipes, and more.”
She said beef stew is one of her go-to recipes, especially in the fall, along with cookies for company.
“I love cookies and finding new cookie recipes like oatmeal, snickerdoodle, chocolate chip, and more,” Curren said. "Everyone is always so busy these days, so cooking is a way for people to come together. Everybody needs to eat.”
SNICKERDOODLES
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Blend in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
Mix 3 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon together. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheet.
SWEDISH CHICKEN BREAST
12 boneless chicken breasts, cut in half
4 strips of bacon, cut into thirds
12 slices of dried beef
8 oz sour cream
½ can of cream of mushroom soup
½ can of cream of celery soup
Pepper to taste
Place smooth side of chicken breast flat on clean surface. Put ½ of the bacon and 1 dried beef slice on each breast and roll up.
Place folded down in casserole dish. Sprinkle with pepper, no salt. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover for the last 15 minutes to allow the chicken to brown, if preferred.
7-LAYER DIP
1 (16oz) can refried beans
16 oz sour cream
1 package taco seasoning mix
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup prepared guacamole
1 cup chopped tomatoes
½ cup sliced green onions
½ cup sliced black olives
Tortilla chips
Spread refried beans in shallow serving dish/ Mix sour cream and taco seasoning. Mix in small bowl until well blended. Spread over refried beans.
Top with layers of cheese, guacamole, tomatoes, onions and olives. Serve dip with tortilla chips.