Gingerbread Crackle Cookies

These were the best gingerbread cookies I have ever had. The kids missed rolling and cutting, so I bought a roll of premade gingerbread dough for them to do (as well as the sugar cookies we made). These are just too delicious for me to care about rolling and cutting.

Ingredients:

·         2 cups all-purpose flour

·         2 teaspoons baking soda

·         1- 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

·         1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

·         1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

·         1/2 cup vegetable shortening

·         1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

·         1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

·         1/2 cup granulated sugar

·         1/4 cup molasses

·         1 large egg

·         1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar for rolling. I used colored sugar mixed with plain.

Directions

·         Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

·         In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt, allspice and cloves.

·         Add the shortening, butter and the brown and granulated sugars to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Slip in the molasses and egg and beat until well incorporated. Add the flour mixture by scoopfuls and beat until combined.

·         Add the extra sugar to a small plate or bowl. Roll the dough into balls that are 1 inch in diameter,  then roll in the sugar. Place on a baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies 9 to 11 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Cool on the baking sheets for 4 minutes, then continue cooling on wire racks. Repeat with the second batch.

NOTE: the original source said to rotate the pans. I've tried it both ways. The ones not rotated looked a bit browner on the bottom. Enough that I noticed, but not enough to fret over, so try it both ways yourself and decide! I usually do rotate, since I'm standing there anyway. 9 minutes total - 5 then 4.

Notes: These cookies are nice and chewy on the inside with a nice crunch on the outside. They have a wonderfully soft texture from using both shortening and butter. When you bake these cookies your house will smell like Christmas!

If you let the cookies completely cool before removing them, they will stick to the pan.

John's Pancakes and Waffles

The best I have ever tasted. I always say "I need to get this into the blog" and now, I finally am!

Posted by John:

This recipe is copied from Alton Brown with only slight modifications.  I use more sugar than he calls for and also add vanilla. I store the instant mix in the freezer for safekeeping between uses.

Ingredients

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (check expiration date first)
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons sugar

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a lidded container. Shake to mix.  Use the mix within 3 months.

"INSTANT" PANCAKES:

• 2 eggs, separated
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups "Instant" Pancake Mix, recipe above
• 1 stick butter, for greasing the pan
• 2 cups fresh fruit such as blueberries, if desired

Heat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350 degrees F. Heat oven to 200 degrees F.

Whisk together the egg whites and the buttermilk in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the melted butter.

Combine the buttermilk mixture with the egg yolk mixture in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined. Pour the liquid ingredients on top of the pancake mix. Using a whisk, mix the batter just enough to bring it together. Don't try to work all the lumps out.

Check to see that the griddle is hot by placing a few drops of water onto to the griddle. The griddle is ready if the water dances across the surface.

Lightly butter the griddle. Wipe off thoroughly with a paper towel. (No butter should be visible.)

Gently ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle and sprinkle on fruit if desired. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the griddle-side of the cake is golden, gently flip the pancakes. 

Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set.

Serve immediately or remove to a towel-lined baking sheet and cover with a towel. Hold in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes.

Yield: 12 pancakes 

Mexican Pot Roast

Or we called it Taco Roast. 

1 beef pot roast 
1 onion, sliced 
2 cans Rotel tomatoes 
1/2 can red wine or water 
4 cloves garlic, chopped 
1 Tbsp chili powder 
1 tsp cumin powder 
1 tsp salt

Put everything but the roast in a crock pot and mix well. Add roast and spoon stuff over the top. 

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for longer. 

We shredded it and served it on tortillas with cheese. YUM.

Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting

my 18-year-old, A., discovered this recipe when he was assigned to bring dessert to a friend's party. I never use canned frosting, so I'm happy to have another keeper to add to my recipe box!

Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons milk (or as needed)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar



Directions:

In a medium bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer until completely combined. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk and vanilla one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get really fluffy. Makes 2 cups.

Healthy Fudge Balls

J is on a paleo diet, and I am trying to find recipes for things he can eat. He especially misses sweets right now. I found this recipe and adapted it a little bit. I will continue playing with it but it was good just like this too! Next week I am going to leave out the cocoa and make it a crust for a paleo-friendly fruit pie.

Fudge Balls

1 cup raw walnuts
1-1/3 cups pitted dates (unsweetened)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
4 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp coconut oil
30-49 drops liquid stevia

Blend all together in a food processor until thick and fairly smooth. Form into small balls with greased hands. Chill. Yum!

Bangers and Mash

As we sat this afternoon talking about the Olympics, one child asked the usual "what's for dinner?". The Opening Ceremonies were scheduled for dinnertime, so someone else said "we should cook English food!". I searched around until I found something we all agreed sounded good. We all liked it!

Ingredients

8 large baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 tbs butter, divided
1/2 cup milk, or as needed
salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 pounds beef sausage (we used bratwurst, as it's the best we could do)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 (.75 ounce) packet dry brown gravy mix
1 cup water, or as needed
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, and mash with 1 teaspoon of butter, and enough milk to reach your desired creaminess. Continue mashing, or beat with an electric mixer, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until heated through. Remove from pan, and set aside. Add remaining teaspoon of butter to the skillet, and fry the onions over medium heat until tender. Mix gravy mix and water as directed on the package, and add to the skillet with the onions. Simmer, stirring constantly, to form a thick gravy.

Pour half of the gravy into a square casserole dish so that is coats the bottom. Place sausages in a layer over the gravy (you can butterfly the sausages if you wish). Pour remaining gravy over them, then top with mashed potatoes.
Bake uncovered for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until potatoes are evenly brown.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sauce

This is the perfect "hot fudge" type sauce. It's best served warm, and will turn into awesome chewy yumminess on your favorite ice cream! When cold, it's the consistency of fudge (fight over eating the leftovers with a spoon).

This recipe came about when I had the hankering for something chocolate-PB flavored and we had a bunch of ice cream in the freezer. I searched online for a good recipe but nothing really struck me. Then I remembered the frosting from my chocolate-cherry cake and how I always thought it would make good ice cream sauce. I used that recipe, making it a little thinner to use as sauce, and added the peanut butter. I used crunchy the first time I made it and it was amazing! I then tried it with creamy and it was just as good.

For the record, one of my kids doesn't like crunchy PB and was leery of that batch - but agreed that the nut chunks really made it.

We served it with banana slices and fresh cherries! Yum!!

Recipe:

1/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk

Bring these to a boil and simmer for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add:

1 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup peanut butter

Stir until melted and completely incorporated.

Cool until just warm. Serve over your favorite ice cream.

Edit to ADD: We thought this would be great with butterscotch chips, but it really was WAY too sweet. I guess those chips are just sweeter than chocolate. I was going to try white chips, too. Someday I will play with it and see how to adapt the sugar - but it really needs the sugar for the texture, so I don't know.