Frosted Ginger Cookies

 Preheat oven to 350.

In large bowl, mix until light and fluffy:

• 1 c. sugar 
• 3/4 c. room temperature butter

Mix in:

• 1 egg
• 3 T molasses

In separate bowl, stir together:

• 2 c. flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1 1/5 t. ground ginger
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. ground cloves
• 1/2 t. ground nutmeg

Add dry ingredients to butter/egg mixture, and blend well.

Shape into balls, and roll in a bowl of:

• sugar

Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes, then cool

Drizzle with glaze, which is:

• About a cup of powdered sugar
• Either 1 t. lemon juice, or juice one fresh lemon
• Lemon zest (optional)
• Enough water to get the right consistency

Adapted from Sunset magazine

Blueberry Pie

You'll need 5-6 cups of fresh blueberries, and one baked, and cooled, bottom pie crust in pan.

3/4 c sugar

3 T corn starch

pinch of salt

1/4 c water

Heat on stove until smooth

Add half your blueberries, bring to a boil until it's thick and bubbly.

Remove from heat.

Add

1 T butter

1 T lemon juice

remaining berries

Stir until combined, and let cool for a bit. 

Pour into crust, and chill in the refrigerator.

Moussaka

The basic idea here is 

Top Layer            Bechamel Sauce

Fourth Layer       Meat Sauce

Third Layer         Fried Vegetables

Second Layer     Meat Sauce

Bottom Layer     Fried Vegetables

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes

Vegetables- peeled, salted, let sit in paper towels to extract moisture, and fried in oil:

Eggplant, Zucchini, Potato

Meat Sauce:

1 T. Olive Oil

1 finely diced onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 pound of ground beef

2 T tomato paste

1 c. tomato puree

1 c. beef broth

1/4 c. fresh parsley (or 1.5 T dried)

1 T. fresh thyme (or 1 t dried)

1 bay leaf (optional)

3/4 t. salt

1/2 t. sugar

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. black pepper

Bechamel Sauce, thickened in pan

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup of flour

4 cups milk

1 t. salt

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

1/4 t. pepper

1-2 egg yolks (I think this is optional, depending on thickness of sauce you want)

Baked lemon pasta

 1 lb spaghetti

4 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves of minced garlic 

Juice of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 lemon

2 cups sour cream

3/4 tsp salt

Grated Parmesan cheese

****

Preheat oven to 375

Cook spaghetti according to package

In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil in LOW heat. When butter is melted, add minced garlic . Squeeze lemon juice into pan. Turn off heat.

Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add zest and salt. Add to drained spaghetti, stir, then put in oven safe dish.

Bake covered for 15 minutes, then remove cover and cook an additional 7-10 minutes (not too long or pasta will be dry). Remove from oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over top and sprinkle with cheese.

Frosted Ginger Cookies

 

Ingredients

1 c. sugar (plus some for rolling)

3/4 c. butter, room temperature

1 egg

3 T molasses

2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 t. ground ginger

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. ground cloves

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

1 c. powdered sugar

2 T. lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease cookie sheets.

2. In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

3. Mix in egg and molasses.

4. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and spices. Add to the butter mixture and blend well.

5. Fill a small bowl with sugar for rolling. Make small balls of dough with hands, with about a diameter of a quarter, and roll the balls in the sugar bowl to coat. Place balls on cookie sheet.

6. Bake cookies for 10 minutes, then move to cooling racks a few minutes after they come out of the oven.

7. Meanwhile, make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar and lemon juice (you may need to add more lemon juice if it's not drizzle-able). You can use juice from a lemon, and add lemon zest, if you want it to be even better. Drizzle glaze over cookies.

Mexican coleslaw

 

German Red Cabbage

 This was really good. And easy.

• 1/2 large red cabbage, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• fresh chopped  peeled apple 1/2- 1 cup. Optional.

Melt the butter over medium heat, saute the cabbage and onion until soft, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle mixture with sugar. Add balsamic vinegar and apple (if desired). Toss to coat evenly. Bring to a simmer, then reduce to medium low. Cook until soft, approx 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper.

Crispy Peach Cobbler

This is my kind of cobbler- crispy on top. More cake-like, less bread-like.

• 8 large peaches (about 4½ pounds), unpeeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
• Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
• 1-2 T minute tapioca, OPTIONAL
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar, DIVIDED
• 1½ cups (about 192 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup hot tap water

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Put the peaches in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Pat the peaches into a roughly even layer, then, using a zester or a Microplane, zest the lemon evenly over the fruit and squeeze the lemon juice evenly over the top. Spread tapioca over dish.
3. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and 1½ cups of the sugar on medium speed about 1 minute. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and beat again for another 30 seconds, until all the flour is incorporated and the mixture is evenly crumbly. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the milk. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. (Add a little more milk, if needed, to make it spreadable)
4. Plop the batter in large blobs over the top of the peaches. Carefully spread the batter evenly over the fruit, so it’s no more than about ½ inch thick in any one place.
5. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup sugar directly over the batter. Drizzle the hot water evenly over the sugar, using it to melt the sugar into the topping.
6. Bake the cobbler for 70 to 80 minutes, or until the top is browned and cracked. (A toothpick inserted into the topping should come out dry—be sure to check in a few places.)
7. Let the cobbler sit for about a half an hour to firm up before serving.

Easy lentil coconut curry

https://www.theendlessmeal.com/creamy-coconut-lentil-curry/
This was simple and delicious.

Pretzels

INGREDIENTS

DOUGH:

•  2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
•  1/2 teaspoon salt
•  1 teaspoon sugar
•  2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
•  1 cup (8 ounces) very warm water

TOPPING:

•  1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water
•  2 tablespoons baking soda
•  Coarse salt (optional)
•  3 tablespoons butter, melted

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combine. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and quite slack. The goal is to get a really soft dough that isn’t overly sticky. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes (see pictures below).
2. Preheat your oven to 500°F. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into eight equal pieces (about 70g, or 2 1/2 ounces, each). Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda, and place it in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved; if it isn’t, it will make your pretzels splotchy. 
4. Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (anywhere from 14 to 22 inches long), and twist each rope into a pretzel. Dip each pretzel in the baking soda wash (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
5. Bake the pretzels for 7 to 9 minutes or until they’re golden brown. 

Tzatziki sauce

1 c plain yogurt
1 T lemon juice
1/3 garlic clove
1/3 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dill
Salt and pepper

Sprinkle salt over diced cucumber. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then dab dry with a paper towel. This pulls the moisture out of the cucumber and keeps the sauce from getting watery.
Combine all ingredients, add salt and pepper as needed at the end.

Good on pita, falafel, as a veggie dip.

Mushroom Stroganoff

Salt (1/4 tsp)
Pepper (1tsp)
Garlic salt/powder
1-2 tsp flour
2T butter
2 T olive oil
1 can crm of mushroom soup
1 med onion
8oz mushrooms
1 can (15oz?) Beef or vegetable broth
1 c sour cream

Slice mushrooms and onion. Cook in butter and oil until soft. Sprinkle flour over mixture and season with salt/pepper/garlic powder. Mix in.
Add soup and broth, cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Allow to cool. Mix in sour cream. Serve over egg noodles.

Lemon blueberry muffins

INGREDIENTS:

For the muffins:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
• 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

For the lemon glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper muffin liners.
• In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In another small bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest. Rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingers until fragrant.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, and milk. Mix until combined. Add flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Gently stir in the blueberries.
• Divide batter evenly into 12 muffin cups. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let muffins cool on a wire rack.
• While the muffins are cooling, make the lemon glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins. Let the muffins sit until the glaze sets. Serve!

Mexican Quinoa Chili

I made this at the beach last summer.  It is tasty and my kids will eat it, so that's a plus.
https://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/

Thai Crunch Salad

This salad was my favorite at the "Favorite Foods" Christmas dinner 2016.  I add cooked quinoa and whole peanuts and sometimes cooked chicken to make it a meal salad.
Link to original blogger https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/thai-crunch-salad-with-peanut-dressing.html

For the Thai Peanut Dressing

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from one lime
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
• 2 tablespoons honey

• 2-1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1-inch square piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

For the Salad

• 4 cups chopped Napa cabbage or shredded coleslaw mix (I like to toss in a little shredded red cabbage for color)
• 1 cup prepared shredded carrots
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 1 small English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded (or it makes the salad too watery) and thinly sliced
• 1 cup cooked and shelled edamame
• 2 medium scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. For the dressing, combine all of the ingredients except for the cilantro in a blender and process until completely smooth. Add the cilantro and blend for a few seconds until the cilantro is finely chopped. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. For the salad, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. If serving right away, drizzle the peanut dressing over top and toss; otherwise, serve the dressing on the side so the salad doesn't get soggy.

Lasagna Soup (vegetarian)

This seemed easier to make than lasagna, and maybe tastier too.

1 yellow onion, diced
1/4 tsp salt
4 garlic cloves, diced
1 tbsp oregano
1 zucchini, cubed
5-10 mushrooms, sliced
28 oz of diced tomatoes and/or pasta sauce (I used 1 can of tomatoes and about 1/2 jar of pasta sauce)
5 c. chicken broth
 4 lasagna noodles, broken into 2 inch pieces
2 c.  shredded mozzarella cheese
 ground turkey or beef (optional)

Spray the bottom of a soup pot with cooking oil. Saute onion and salt in pan until soft. Add garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add zucchini and mushrooms and drizzle with 2 T of olive oil. Add oregano and cook on medium heat until vegetables are soft. Add tomato products and broth, bring to a simmer. Add pieces of pasta, cook 10 minutes until soft. Mix in cheese until melted. Serve.

If you want to add meat, I'd add it with the garlic and cook until browned, before you add the vegetables.

Apple Pie Recipe, never leave me again.

Combine 1/4 c apple juice, 1/2 brown sugar, 2 T corn starch, 1 tsp cinnamon

Add 4-5 large apples, cut into pieces, mix everything together and put in crust.

Dot with 4T butter (cut into pieces, room temperature)

Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes.

Chocolate Pudding Cake

2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 T. cocoa (we like to use special dark)
4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. milk
4 T. oil
2 t. vanilla
2 c. nuts (optional)
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
3 1/2 c. hottest tap water
vanilla ice cream

Heat oven to 350°.
Mix flour, sugar, 4 T cocoa, baking powder and salt in ungreased 9x13 pan. Mix in milk, oil and vanilla with fork until smooth. Stir in nuts, if using. Spread in pan.
Sprinkle with brown sugar and 1/4 c. cocoa. Pour hot water over batter.
Bake 40 minutes.
While warm, spoon into dessert dishes and top with ice cream. Spoon sauce from pan onto each serving.

Gordon's Balsamic Glaze for vegetables

~1/3 to 1/2 bottle of balsamic vinegar

2 or 3 tablespoons sugar or honey or both

~1/2 t salt

~2 T orange juice (or maybe lemon w/ more sugar)

Mix together and cook on the stove until it's reduced to about 1/2 the starting volume. Taste as you go and adjust ratios until you like it. There's a good chance I underestimated how much sugar I put in. 

Sage:

Lightly brown a little butter (~1/2 T), then add a handful of whole fresh sage leaves, fry until they're crisp

Vegetables:

I used brussels sprouts and special selection baby sweet potatoes. Chop into roughly equal sized pieces, spread on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and a little salt, stir so they're coated, and roast at 350 for 30-40 min until done, turning once midway through. Pour balsamic glaze on top, add the sage, and stir it all together. 

Basic Sweet Bread Dough

Rapid Mix Sweet Dough

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup margarine, softened

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
• 2 eggs (room temperature)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar and salt; stir well. Cut in margarine with a fork until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add warm water to flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs and 1 more cup of flour; beat until thick. Stir in the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Cover dough with a damp towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
2. Punch down dough and form into desired shape. Cover and refrigerate dough for up to 48 hours. Let dough come to room temperature before baking in a 375 degree oven.