Gingersnap Cookies Recipe

When I posted on Facebook about these D-licious cookies that I make, the recipe was requested. I thought I'd share it here, because just about any sweet made with molasses and ginger falls into the Christmas category. So here it is:

Gingersnap Cookies

3/4 C Shortening
1 C brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 C molasses
2 1/4 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp gr. cloves
1/4 tsp salt
granulated sugar for rolling

*Mix shortening, brown sugar, egg, and molasses.

*Stir in dry ingredients.

*Shape into 1-1 1/2 inch balls and roll in sugar.

*Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for about 8 minutes at 350'.

*Remove from cookie sheet immediately.

Usually these are perfect when they are just beginning to crack on the top. Don't overcook them! They are best when they are soft and chewy. Err on the side of underdone. We have a tradition in our family that we eat the first batch before the second one comes out of the oven. YUM!

Spicy Pumpkin Chili

(Not my image. This is the picture from the Allrecipes website.)

Friday night we had a Trunk or Treat and chili cook off at our church. I decided to try a new recipe. It was one I found online and was itching to try. I cooked this up on Friday afternoon and I LOVED it. It is spicy and almost a little sweet. It is warm and earthy and delicious. So here's the link to the recipe: Spicy Pumpkin Chili

I did make a few changes, just because I wanted to use what I had on hand. I swapped out the Northern beans for corn. I like corn in my chili and I didn't have any Northern beans, so it worked out well. I used home canned tomatoes, homemade tomato sauce and a can of Rotel (tomatoes and green chilis.) I think the Rotel added a little extra spiciness which was nice.

This is a perfect recipe for a crisp fall day, or cold, snowy afternoon.

Enjoy!

(My chili arrived late and was not entered in the cook-off, so I can't tell you if it is a contest winner or not. I can tell you that the crock pot was scraped clean at the end of the dinner, so it was well-liked!)

Holiday Season 2010 (Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls)

(Do I have your attention!?)
Well, I know it's time to get back to it over here at Gingerbread and Candy Canes when I have my first cup of hot cocoa. I had a cup of cocoa this morning alongside a delicious pumpkin cinnamon roll.


I thought this would be the perfect thing to share with you to kick off the season. This is something you can make now and then you can make it over and over throughout the holidays. When I saw the recipe a couple days ago at Good Life Eats, I knew I had to try it right away. I have TONS of pumpkin puree in my freezer from last year and now that it is pumpkin season again I figure I better start using it up before I have more to add to it.

These rolls are rich, gooey, and spicy.


Think cinnabon, but in pumpkin. SOoo good. I'm going to copy and paste the recipe here, but you should still go to the site and check out the pumpkin pie oatmeal recipe. I haven't tried it yet, but I fully intend to.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
roll dough adapted from King Arthur Flour
makes approximately 15-16 rolls


Ingredients:
Roll Dough:
1/4 cup warm water (not hot, about 110 degrees)
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm milk
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup pumpkin puree, either fresh or canned
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 cups (approximately) All-Purpose Flour
1 1 /4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Filling:
1 stick butter
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each of allspice and ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
2-3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften. Let rest for 5 minutes before stirring. Add milk, eggs, pumpkin, butter, 2 cups flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom to yeast mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.

Gradually add remaining flour, a little at a time, until you have a dough stiff enough to knead. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead, adding flour as necessary, until you have a smooth, elastic dough.

Put dough into an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Combine the white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and cloves in a small bowl, set aside. Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface, and pat or roll it into a 16" x 12" rectangle. Spread softened butter over dough and then sprinkle with the sugar mixture.

Roll the dough into a log the long way; it'll stretch to about 20" long as you roll. Using a very sharp knife, slice the log into 15 slices. In order to cut down on drag, it helps to rinse the blade in hot water, and wipe it off, between slices. Place slices in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan (or in two 8 or 9 inch round cake or pie pans). Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 375°F oven. Bake the rolls till they're brown around the edges and beginning to turn golden brown across the center, about 20-30 minutes.

While rolls bake, prepare the cream cheese frosting. Add the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and lemon juice to a small food processor. Blend until smooth and combined. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, blending in between, until well mixed and desired consistency is reached. (I used 2 cups powdered sugar)

Frost warm rolls with the cream cheese frosting and serve immediately.

For night before prep: Prepare the rolls up to the point where you roll and place in the pan. Then, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove the pan from the fridge and proceed with the instructions where you left off. Rising time may be slightly longer than noted in the recipe due to the dough being cold vs room temp.



Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Popcorn

This is a yummy, easy, recipe my Mom used to make sometimes. I make it pretty often. This is fantastic to throw together as a sweet gift, or to take along to a party. I threw some together just this morning when I remembered I was supposed to bring something to share to book club. So simple, and people always ask for the recipe. Luckily it's really easy to remember, so you'll be able to tell them on the spot.

Peanut Butter Popcorn

8 Cups popped popcorn, lightly salted.
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C light corn syrup
1/2 C peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Put the sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan on the stove. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, stir in peanut butter and vanilla. When thoroughly mixed, pour over popcorn. Stir to coat all the popcorn. Now, you can form it into popcorn balls, or leave it crumbly. I like to add in some chocolate chips because, hey! everything is better with chocolate chips. (Have you noticed that every single recipe modification I do involves chocolate chips?) You can add anything you think might be tasty- craisins, coconut, raisins, and another one of my favorites, pretzel sticks. It's also yummy to make the recipe with crunchy peanut butter so you have peanuts in it. Or add almonds or some other favorite nut. Have fun, be creative.

I'm linking up to the Recipe Party at Remodelaholic!

Another Recipe I Haven't Tried...Yet.

First, a little follow up on the stuffing recipe. I didn't like it. It was too sweet for my liking. I think it was the brown bread. Turns out, I much prefer a more savory stuffing. But I did think it was pretty looking and if you like that sweeter sort of thing, I think it would be really good. So whatever, try it if you want.

I found this recipe today in blogland. I found it through Be Different Act Normal, but it's from Baking Bites. I don't know about you, but I think this is a guaranteed hit.

Triple Chocolate Cookies and Cream Peppermint Bark



Triple Chocolate Cookies n’ Cream Peppermint Bark
8-oz dark chocolate, chopped
8-oz milk chocolate, chopped
8-oz white chocolate, chopped
2 cups crushed peppermint Oreo-type cookies
or 1 cup crushed peppermint candies

Very lightly grease an 8×8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
In a medium-sized, microwave safe bowl, melt dark chocolate. Heat in 45 second intervals in the microwave, stirring frequently, until smooth. Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer with a spatula.
Refrigerate for about 20 minutes, or until firm.
Repeat with milk chocolate.
When milk chocolate is firm, repeat with white chocolate. Before refrigerating, sprinkle top with crushed peppermint Oreo cookies (Trader Joe’s Peppermint JoJos) or crushed peppermint candies.
Refrigerate until firm.
Bring to room temperature to serve. Slice with a sharp knife or break into chunks to serve.

Makes about 1.5-lbs of candy.

I'm very much looking forward to trying this one!

Brown Bread Squash Stuffing

I'm not a big lover of stuffing. Soggy bread, onions, and celery cooked together totally grossed me out as a kid and it has taken me a long time to get past that. You know that instant stove top stuff? That's my speed- with nothing added to it. But as I've grown up and matured, I've been coming around. A few years ago I copied down this recipe for Brown Bread Squash Stuffing, (I don't remember the source), because I thought it sounded like a nice variation on traditional stuffing. Plus, Brown bread is so quirky and reminds me of my childhood. Most people of my generation don't even know what brown bread is. (When I asked at a certain superstore if they carried canned brown bread the lady started heading toward the bread isle and said, "I'm assuming "Canned" is the brand name?") In fact, brown bread is bread in a can. Mom used to put it in our 72 hour emergency kits. She would rotate it out when it was time for it to be used and we would slide it out of the can, slice it up, and toast it for breakfast.

So when I saw a recipe that called for brown bread, I thought, "I haven't seen that stuff in years! I have to try this recipe!" As it turns out, brown bread can be a little difficult to find. I have yet to make this. BUT, it is on the Thanksgiving menu this year. I found brown bread at the local Piggly Wiggly and I have already cut it into cubes along with the honey wheat bread to be toasted and made into stuffing in a few days. Anybody want to try it with me? I can't recommend the recipe yet because I haven't tried it, but I think it sounds good. If you want to give it a try, here is the recipe. Let me know if you make it and how it turns out.

Brown Bread Squash Stuffing

7 C honey wheat bread cut into 1/2" cubes (7-9 slices)
(1) 16 0z can brown bread with raisins, 1/2" cubes (5 C) (Look for brown bread in the grocery store next to the baked beans)
6 T butter
4C peeled and seeded squash 3/4" cubes (butternut or acorn)
1 1/2 C coarsely chopped celery with tops
1 large red onion, thin wedges
2 1/4-2 3/4 C chicken broth
1/4 C snipped fresh sage {OR} 2 tsp dried sage, crushed
2 T fresh parsley
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

*Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread wheat bread and brown bread cubes in 2 shallow baking pans. Melt 4 T of butter and drizzle evenly over bread cubes. Toss to coat. Bake, uncovered, 15-20 minutes, until lightly toasted, stirring once. Transfer to a very large mixing bowl.

*In a very large skillet, melt 2 T butter over medium heat. Add squash. Cook, uncovered, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add celery and onion; cover and cook 10 minutes more. Stir in 1/4 C broth. Cover and cook 5 minutes more, until squash is just tender. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in sage, parsley, nutmeg, salt, pepper.

*Add squash mixture to bread in bowl. Add 2 C of broth; toss to coat. Add enough broth for desired moistness.

*Transfer stuffing mixture to a greased 3 quart casserole dish. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until heated through.

~TIP: Bread crumbs can be toasted and kept dry in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Prep: 35 min
Bake:45
Yield: 10-12 serv.

Cranberry Squares

I happen to love cranberries. I love the look of them, I love the taste of them, I even love the smell of them. (Have you tried the cranberries and frost Febreze? I love it!) As a result of this love affair, I have lots of delicious recipes featuring these beautiful, tart, berries.
Today's recipe is one I've had for a while. I think I may have gotten it from Better Homes and Gardens, but I'm not positive. And it's actually 2 recipes, because you need a batch of one recipe to put in the other.
So first up is

Brandied Cranberry Sauce Yield: 3 cups
4 C fresh or frozen cranberries
2 C sugar
1/3 C orange juice
Place 4 cups of fresh or frozen cranberries in a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with 2 cups of sugar. Cover and bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Stir carefully, then stir in orange juice. Pour into jars or serving dishes. Store in fridge.

You can serve this as a Thanksgiving or Christmas side or garnish, or use it to make

Cranberry Squares
1 1/2 C each of Oats, flour, brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Mix the above ingredients together, then blend in
1 C butter
until mixture is crumbly.

Press 2/3 of mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch square pan. Top with 1 C. of Brandied Cranberry Sauce. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture over cranberries.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool completely.

Now, I've tweaked that basic recipe a bit for my own tastes, and you can do the same. For example, I always add some cinnamon to the oat mixture, probably a teaspoon. You can add coconut (I am guessing coconut lovers would like that. I can't stand the stuff, so I'm not a good judge of this!), walnuts or other nuts, and the one I always add, chocolate chips. These are great to whip up for a holiday party. If you make a batch of Brandied Cranberry Sauce to have on hand all season, these whip up pretty quickly.
I don't have a picture right now, but maybe I can add one later in the season. I know I'll be making these!

Moms Chocolates- Photos

As promised I'm posting pictures from candy making day. This post features Mom's Chocolates. As I mentioned when I posted the recipe, this can be a little time consuming. I decided to experiment this year. I spread the chocolate coating in a pan, popped it into the freezer for a couple minutes to harden quickly, pulled it out and pressed in the flavored filling, spread more coating on top, popped it into the freezer for another couple minutes, and then cut them. It worked pretty well actually and was MUCH quicker than dipping.

The mixture is very dry and stiff. It takes some time to knead it to a point where it is smooth and creamy.

It works best if you knead it in small sections, then just flavor each individually.

Shape small bits of the mixture.

Dip, set on wax paper to dry.

Or layer in a pan and cut.

This makes A LOT. I still have a lump of filling to coat. I'll probably do it in a pan again. Happy candy making!

Cinnamon Rolls

I tried a new cinnamon roll recipe a couple days ago. My old recipe seemed to turn out rather dry cinnamon rolls more often than I liked. It seemed the stars had to be aligned just right for the rolls to be soft and moist. So I decided it was time to find a new recipe. Just about at that time I happened to be perusing the fabulous recipes at Prudence Pennywise. Lo and behold, there was a recipe for gooey cinnamon rolls. So I tried it out and my family loved them. In fact, both the kids and my husband asked me if they were completely homemade (whatever that means!) because they have more of a Pillsbury consistency. So if you're into that, give these a try. I won't copy the recipe, I'm just going to send you right on over to Prudence Pennywise because you should really check out her blog. It's fantastic.

Crinkle Cookies

About a month or so ago, we had lunch at a little restaurant here in town called Blue Sky Cafe. The kids meals came with their choice of a cookie. We were on our way out when we remembered the cookies so I picked one for them. I chose a delightful looking Chocolate Crinkle cookie. It was exquisite. (Yes, I also ate it.) I told Lincoln I wanted to go back to the restaurant and ask for the recipe. To my surprise and delight, in my next issue of Cooking Light magazine, they had a recipe for Chocolate Crinkle cookies. I made them exactly according to the recipe and they were fantastic. The one from the restaurant was thicker, so next time I'm going to experiment with larger cookies and baking time, but here is the basic recipe for you. You can decide if you want to play with it or not.

Chocolate Crinkles

Lightly coat your hands with flour to make rolling the dough into balls easier. The dough freezes well. Freeze the dough after step 1, thaw in the refrigerator, then proceed with step 2.

4.5 oz all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1 1/4 C powdered sugar, divided
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 1/4 teaspoons canola oil
1 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3/4 C packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons light-colored corn syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg whites

1) Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups. Level with a knife. Combine flour, 3/4 C powdered sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk. Combine oil and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat; cook until chocolate melts, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Pour chocolate mixture into a large bowl; cool 5 minutes. Stir in brown sugar, syrup, and vanilla. Add egg whites, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, stirring gently just until combined. Cover; chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

2) preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3) Roll dough into one inch balls. Dredge in remaining 1/2 cup of powdered sugar; place balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until tops are cracked and almost set. Cool cookies on pan 2 minutes or until set; remove from pan. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Yield: 2 dozen

Happy baking!

Mom's Chocolates

These candies are as much a part of Christmas for me as candy canes (or gingerbread, for that matter!) My mother has made these for years to give away as gifts and to keep in a candy dish on the cardboard mantle. The centers are a powdered sugar and condensed milk mixture flavored however you like. Mom would do green wintergreen flavor, pink cherry flavor, white peppermint flavor, and orange colored flavored like lemon. I'm kidding, they were orange flavored, of course. Sometimes she would have two colored the same and would simply shape them differently. I've not been very good about making these regularly, but I'm trying to be better, for tradition's sake. If you do these in candy molds they can be rather time consuming, you see. But perhaps I will simply shape them into balls and and dip them this year. I'll post pictures after I make them, assuming I remember to TAKE pictures.

Mom's Cream Chocolates

1 Can condensed milk
3 lbs powdered sugar
2 T corn syrup
8 T (1 stick) melted butter

Mix together, knead until smooth and creamy. (This takes a while, it's pretty dense.) Divide into sections, color and flavor as desired, to taste. Shape, put on a cookie sheet, cover with wax paper, freeze for a few minutes. Dip in chocolate. Place on wax paper to dry. (Or put in candy molds. The best way to do this is to buy a new paintbrush and paint the chocolate into the empty molds. Put it in the freezer to harden. Once hardened remove from freezer and press candy mixture into mold and cover with more chocolate. Freeze it to harden again, then pop them out of the molds. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to give away or serve.)

Happy candy making!

Sugar Cookies and Cocoa...

...does it get any better than that? In our family, sugar cookie creating has always been a big event in the weeks leading up to Christmas. An evening is set aside to mix, roll, cut, and decorate Christmas cookie masterpieces. The third Christmas after we were married, my husband and I spent an evening doing just that. We had only one small child, to young to want to be involved in the decorating, so we were able to spend lots of time making our cookies spectacular. After we had made and decorated dozens of cookies, we left them on the table to harden while we went to do a little shopping. When we returned we discovered that the dog had eaten or knocked to the floor almost every one of them! We had never had a problem with the dog eating food off tables or counters so we never even saw it coming! Live and learn. Now it's the five kids we have to worry about! That same Christmas a friend brought us the best sugar cookies I had ever had. They were soft, perfectly sweet, and pretty light. I asked her for the recipe and she refused to give it to me! After that I was on a quest to find the perfect sugar cookie recipe. Luckily, several years later I became friends with someone willing to share their recipe. A big shout out to my friend Michelle in NC for giving me this fantastic recipe!

Michelle's Sugar Cookies
(This recipe makes a million. If you're making to share that's great. If you want plenty for your family and a few friends, halve the recipe.)

1 C shortening
1 C butter
4 C sugar
Cream together, add 4 eggs
Sift: 12 C flour
1 tsp salt
12 tsp baking powder
Add: 2 C milk
2 tsp. vanilla

Use lots of flour to roll out 1/8" thick. Bake at 375 degrees for about 5 1/2 minutes. (You can roll them a little thicker and bake a minute longer. They should be set but not browning.)

Frosting
(Frosts half of the cookie recipe)
3 C powdered sugar
1/3 C butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 T milk

Beat until smooth


What good is a fresh batch of sugar cookies without some yummy hot cocoa?

Hot Mint Malt
(From my friend Carrie in NC)
6 York Peppermint Patties
5 C milk
1/2 C chocolate malted milk powder
1 tsp vanilla
whipped cream

Combine everything but the whipped cream in a crockpot. Heat on low for 2 hours. Beat with a rotary beater until frothy. Pour into cups; top with whipped cream and garnish with festive sprinkles or chocolate shavings. Be creative! Makes 6 servings. ( If you can't find the malted milk powder, use any hot chocolate mix.)

This is great to throw together before a caroling party so you can come home to hot minty cocoa.

Mmmmmmm...Doughnuts!

This past Friday we had a Halloween Party in our home. I made this big ol' pile of doughnuts to feed to the masses. These doughnuts are the ones my Mom always made, and my grandmother and perhaps her mother before her. Not sure how far back it goes, but it is a delightful old-fashioned mashed potato doughnut recipe. Now, admittedly, this is more of a fall recipe in my memory. Mom would often make doughnuts for us to dunk in cider as we carved jack-o-lanterns the week of Halloween. However, these are equally at home dunked in wassail on Christmas Eve, or served with jam alongside perfect pancakes on Christmas morning. Nothing beats these fresh from the grease while the outer shell is still crisp and the center soft and warm. Just like any doughnut, they are best fresh, though for jams and dunking it doesn't really matter. The nutmeg and hint of ginger add to the robust down-home flavor of these sentimental favorites. Try them out and let me know what you think!

Mashed Potato Doughnuts

1 C white sugar
2 eggs
1 C sour milk (can use buttermilk or 1 C milk with 1 T vinegar)
4 T oil
1 T vinegar
1 C mashed potatoes
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg (or to liking)
pinch of salt
pinch of ginger (to keep from soaking grease)
Flour to make a soft dough (This can be the tricky part. Add enough flour that the dough is no longer sticky, but still soft and very pliable. Err on the side of too soft. You can add more flour as you roll them out if they are still too sticky to roll.)

Roll thick (about 1/2 inch) and cut. Fry in deep, hot grease (about 400 degrees) and turn. Set out on paper towels to soak up any grease. My aunt Mary says she chills the dough for several hours to help with rolling out. And my Mom says if you remove them from the grease and immediately plunge them quickly in boiling water it helps repel grease. I think the ginger sufficiently does the trick, but if you find they are still too greasy for your liking, give that a try.

***Edited to add: The boiling water trick works quite well. I've done it a couple times now and it really makes a difference. However, the doughnuts don't turn out quite as crisp.

Gingerbread- Finally!

Considering the title of this blog, I figured it was high time I gave you my favorite Gingerbread Ornament recipe. Gingerbread ornaments are kind of my thing. I LOVE making things with gingerbread. I like how they look, how they smell, and how they make me feel. Several years ago I went on a quest, an Internet quest, searching for the perfect recipe. One that gave the ornaments the right smell and texture for my preferences. After all that searching the answer came to me in the mail. Of course, you may have different preferences, but give this recipe a try and see if you like it. Some recipes I found were very difficult to work with, but this one works up easily and holds up well after it is done. So here it is folks, straight from Better Homes and Gardens. I found this in the December 2003 issue of their magazine.

Gingerbread Dough for Decorations
3 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 C butter or margarine, softened
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C light molasses
1/2 C water

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in molasses. Stir in water. Stir in flour mixture. If dough gets too stiff, use your hands. Separate dough into four balls. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 to 3 hours. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. For best results, roll dough and cut shapes directly on a baking tray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely or overnight on a flat cooling rack, so cookies are very hard.

Royal Icing (For decorating only)
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 pound confectioner's sugar with 3 egg whites and 1/2 tsp cream of tartar. Beat until the mixture is stiff and forms peaks. Keep the icing in a bowl, covered with a damp paper towel and a layer of plastic wrap. Store icing in the refrigerator when not in use.

You can use this recipe to make gingerbread men, angels, stars,etc, or you can make gingerbread beads and string them with cranberries, dried orange slices (1/4 inch slices in a 185 degree oven for 6-8 hours), and nuts. Use your imagination!

Thanksgiving Dinner Fare

My sister is preparing to host Thanksgiving dinner for the family of her beloved. There's never any pressure in that, right? She is looking for yummy suitable dishes to serve up to the crew. All she requested was "yummy", but I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume she also would like no fuss, traditional, and tried and true. So I'm including recipes that I have used myself and been very pleased with. These are dishes that use harvest vegetables and put them in their best light. So fire up the printer or go grab your recipe cards because these are truly worth trying.

My favorite cookbook I own is the White Dog Cafe Cookbook. The White Dog Cafe itself is in Philadelphia, PA. Author credit goes to Judy Wicks and Kevin Von Klause. Buy it here.


Caraway-roasted Vegetables
1 Large white onion, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 lb red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
4 T olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp rubbed sage
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 oz button mushrooms, cleaned
8 oz Brussels sprouts
2 T chopped fresh sage leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450 deg.
2. In a medium bowl, toss together the onion, potatoes, 2 T of the olive oil, 1 tsp each of the garlic and caraway seeds, and 1/2 tsp of the rubbed sage. Spread the vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, using the same bowl, toss together the carrots, mushrooms, the remaining 2 T of the olive oil, the remaining 1 tsp each minced garlic and caraway seeds, and the remaining 1/2 tsp of rubbed sage. Spread the veggies in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast, stirring occasionally, until slightly golden and just tender, about 15 minutes. Keep warm.
4. While the veggies roast, bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil. Trim the end off each Brussels sprout with a paring knife. Make two shallow incisions at the base of each, forming an X. Blanch the sprouts until just cooked through, about 4 minutes. To test the Brussels sprouts for doneness, remove 1 from the pot and cut it in half. If cooked through to the center, it's done. Drain and reserve.
5. Toss together the warm roasted vegetables and Brussels sprouts in a large bowl. Season with the chopped fresh sage, salt, and pepper. This dish tastes and looks best when served immediately. However, if necessary, let cool to room temp, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat in a warm oven before serving.


I'm telling you, this cookbook is plum full of savory delights. If you don't want to get it for yourself, buy it as a Christmas gift for your favorite cook. I got it as a wedding gift and it has seen a lot of use these 10 years.

The next one is from Cooking Light, also a great recipe source online or in publication.

Honey-Roasted Acorn Squash Rings
2 acorn squash (about 3 lbs)
2 T honey
4 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Cut 1/4 inch from stem and bottom of each squash and discard. Cut each squash in half crosswise. Discard the seeds and membrane. Cut each squash half crosswise into 2 (1-inch-thick) slices. Combine 2 T honey, 4 tsp olive oil, black pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Add squash and toss to coat. Place squash on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until tender. Serves 4.

I can't seem to find the recipe for the next one, but have no fear, you can do it without it. When making mashed potatoes, try mashing in some cooked cauliflower. It gives you an extra veggie, but also adds a wonderful earthy flavor to the spuds. I love this as a sneaky way to get cauliflower into my kids.

Here's a slightly less traditional spin on mushrooms that has become a Thanksgiving Dinner staple in our home. This is from the good ol' Better Homes and Gardens Prize-Winning Recipes.

Spicy Teriyaki Mushrooms
2 T sugar
2 T soy sauce
1 T white wine vinegar
1 T cooking oil
1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8-1/4 tsp garlic powder
24 small mushroom (about 8 oz), halved
2 T sliced green onion

In a medium saucepan combine sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, crushed red pepper, ginger, and garlic powder. Add mushrooms and green onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Makes 4 servings.

Watch out, that one can get pretty spicy!

This last one I clipped from Parents Magazine some years ago.



Creamy Pumpkin Soup
4 T butter
1 large onion, finely chopped (though for my taste I prefer to back off a bit on the onion)
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) reduced sodium chicken broth
1 C water
1 can (29 oz) solid-pack pumpkin
1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 tsp gr. ginger
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp gr. nutmeg
1 C heavy cream

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrots; cook five minutes, until softened. Add broth, water, pumpkin, apple, ginger, salt, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.
2. Using a handheld blender, puree soup in pot, or puree in batches in a standing blender. ( Soup may be prepared up to 2 days ahead to this point.) Whisk in cream. Reheat gently. Ladle into a soup tureen.

To make a pumpkin tureen, heat oven to 375. Cut top off a 5 to 6 pound pumpkin. Scrape out the seeds and some pulp. Rinse inside with cold water; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Replace top and roast 45 minutes, until pumpkin is slightly softened .

Hopefully that will get you started- let me know if you want other ideas. I'm actually in the process of organizing my recipes. What a task! As I come across others that fit the bill I'll include them here.

Happy cooking!

Here We Come A-Wassailing!

Does anything say "Christmas Eve" better than hot wassail? OK, maybe not to everyone, but for me it certainly is the essence of Christmas Eve. My mother always made a big pot of this spicy, sweet, tangy, hot drink to be consumed Christmas Eve along with lots of delightful goodies. We drank it out of punch glasses, the swirling eddies of spices visible through the glass. The aroma alone is enough to cheer and warm the soul, but tasting and feeling it slide down truly warms from the inside out. I've had wassail made by other people, and they are all good, but none compares to the perfect combination of spicy, sweet, and tangy that my mother's recipe achieves. This is the recipe she has always made on Christmas Eve and the one I use now. Try it out. Make up a big batch for a sledding party, a caroling party, or, of course, a quiet Christmas Eve.

Mom's Wassail
1 Gallon apple cider
1 C light or dark brown sugar
1 6oz can lemonade concentrate
1 6 oz can orange juice
1 T whole cloves
1 T whole allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Mix together with cloves and allspice tied in cheesecloth. Simmer covered for 20 minutes. Scoop out spices, serve with cinnamon sticks.