Ginger Snaps

Here you go girls, these have been your favorites for years. Enjoy!

Ginger Snaps ~ This recipe comes from Aunt Elsie’s kitchen.

I love these cookies dunked in a glass of ice cold milk!

• 3/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp ginger
• ½ tsp. cloves
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

Method:

1. Mix the above ingredients in the order given
2. Let cool in fridge for several hours or overnight.
3. Roll dough into 1 inch balls.
4. Dip in sugar and place on cookie sheet. Do not flatten.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Barcelona Salad

While on my my last trip to Europe in Spring, we enjoyed trying Mediterranean dishes.
We went to this one little quaint restaurant and ordered this avocado/tomato salad. Hm.....
This was delicious. But it was too easy...lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, and fresh basil. I know that I always have those ingredients in my home. But what was in that dressing? That became the discussion of our entire meal....
The next night we went back to that same little restaurant and ordered exactly the same salad.
So I think I have experimented enough with dressings over the past months that I will post this recipe. I know my family has enjoyed this salad with a Mediterranean flare.

Salad Ingredients

• Your favorite lettuce greens
• Avocados
• Tomatoes
• Red Onions
• Fresh Basil
  

Mediterranean Salad Dressing ~ Chef Dez Cooking

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup oil packed sundried tomatoes, drained & finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• 2 Tbsp. liquid honey (I used 4 Tbsp demerara sugar instead)
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl, and whisk thoroughly to combine.
   
2. I often use my small Braun multi-quick hand blender
   
3. Arrange your salad bowls with lettuce greens adding tomatoes, avocados, onions
4. Pour immediately over your ingredients in salad bowls.
5. Sprinkle with fresh basil.

Hope you can add this to your favorites.

Vinaigrette Blueberry

Salads is one of our family's favorites. It's always fun to see what someone else can create.
On Thanksgiving weekend, we sampled another delicious salad, meaning this dressing will really catch your eye. Blueberries? As we all know they are high in antioxidants and good for our health. I'm sure we have all enjoyed fresh blueberries in our salads, but what about the dressing?
When our family joined Chef Dez cooking class, we were all inspired once again to try something new.

Once again, take a salad bowl, and prepare your favorite greens, add a few tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and this wonderful dressing, topped with slices of fresh Parmesan cheese.

The artists are hard at work...as they love to create flavors.

Blueberry Vinaigrette

• 11/2 cups blueberries ( frozen or fresh)
  
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Place all the ingredients, except for the olive oil, in a food processor. Puree on high speed until thoroughly combined.
2. Add the olive oil slowly while the process is still running. Makes approximately 1.5 cups of dressing.

Add some chicken or prawns and enjoy a delightful low calorie meal.

Macadamia Nut Cookies

This has been a family favorite over the past years.
I got this from a friend who said "they never fail."

These cookies come skiing, camping and
now the little boys are becoming more adventuresome and
help in making double batches.
They never stick around long enough.

2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. Sugar
1 C. brown sugar
1 C. margarine
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. baking soda
11/2 C. oatmeal
2 C flour
1 C. white chocolate chips
1 C. Macadamia Nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Like usual
Mix the eggs, sugars, vanilla, and margarine together.
Add the salt, baking soda and mix well.
Add dry ingredients.
I use a smalll ice-cream scoop to put them on the pan.
Bake for 12 minutes. Exacto!
Do not flatten them.
When they come out of the oven,
let the pan drop on the counter or stove top.
(This procedure flattens them out naturally)
Hopefully they will be softer rather than crunchy.
I learned this trick about "slapping" a few years back from
my daughters who learned this at University.
Which course?
The course of living in dorms.

Get those little guys to help you.
Give them assistance with a motor and
you'll be surprised about productivity.

Call it a store or whatever.
Invite your parents/grandparents over and have coffee and cookies.
What better way to help build self esteem
in the lives of these little people!

Spagetti Sauce

This has been another family favorite.
At the end of summer my friendly neighbor lady, Kathleen
who owns a green house across the street from me,
brings me her left over peppers and tomatoes.
What a treat!
Any ways I want to share with you one of my favorite Spaghetti Sauces from one of our own authors, Bev K.
It's in the green "Greendale Cookbook" on pg. 45

1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion
1 C. chopped celery
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 quart canned tomatoes undrained. ( I use fresh tomatoes, skin them, chop them and they are the best.)
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 can mushrooms
1/2 C. ketchup
1 tsp. prepared mustard
2 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. sugar
11/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp Worchestershire Sauce
1/4 - 1/2 Cup grated fresh parmesan cheese.

Brown ground beef, seasoning slighlty with salt and pepper. Drain.
Place all ingredients except cheese in large sauce pan and bring to a boil.
Turn heat to medium and cook until sauce is thick - about 11/2 hours - 2 hours.
Serve over spaghetti.
I add fresh cheese on their dinner plates.

This sauce freezes well. I often double it and freeze half.

Add the ground beef to the mixture, and let cook for 11/2 - 2 hours.


As you can see, I store the sauce in miniature Ziploc containers for those young adults in my life who don't prioritize cooking. It's the best sauce ever and it's so good with fresh vegetables.
I've been waiting for Bev to post this, but I just made it this week, once again.

Tee Gebaeck ~ Christmas

Some of you may recognize this German Recipe.

This recipe could also be referred to as Linzer Cookies.

These cookies were part of a Christmas exchange, years ago from my Tanta Gertraut.
My husband dived in for this gift and he finally won the gift exchange with a happy smile on his face. My aunt passed this recipe down to my SIL, Trudy and she has taken the time to walk me through the steps.

He has begged me for years to get this recipe...
I now have the recipe, the utensils, and actually made them last night.
Guess who had to come and help put the jam between the layers?

2 3/4 C. flour
2 tsp. Baking powder
3/4 C. sugar

Sift these three ingredients.

1 Cup cold butter
2 Eggs
1 tsp.Vanilla

Make a whole in the middle of your bowl and slowly shred 1 Cup of cold Butter, adding the eggs and vanilla. Knead the flour and ingredients till you have a smooth dough.

Divide into two batches. I put the other batch in the fridge while I cut all the bottoms.
It's important to keep the dough chilled as it works much better.
Roll out the dough very thin, less than 1/4 inch. Keep your counter floured so they don't stick.
Use the round base cutter. I made mine a bit too thick, so I tried again....
Bake in the oven at 375 between 4-5 minutes.

Then take the other batch and use your favorite cutter (Linz cutter with an insert) and make all the tops. I think you can buy those Linz cutters at a Delicatessen
Again, bake for 4-5 minutes.

When they are all baked, you can use your favorite jam.
I didn't have home made jam, but Judy was generous enough to loan me some raspberry jam.
Spread about one teaspoon of jam on each bottom.
Place tops over bottoms to create the sandwich effect.

When they are completed, freeze them and just before serving, dust them with a bit of powdered sugar. They taste the best straight out of the freezer.

Yes, they take time but they are worth it.

Hazelnut Roll ~ Christmas

Here is just a tiny touch of what you will see in our home on Christmas Eve.
The Hazelnut Roll has been a favorite in our home since 1980.
It came from a long time acquaintance who could not eat flour.
So she shared this dessert with us and it has been
voted a keeper in our home for many years.
It does take some time and patience,
therefore when I set out do this task,
I make sure I have a morning free and I always make two rolls.
Do not try to baby sit in between....
Don't double them.
I make them individually.

Here goes.

Hazel Nut Roll

1 1/4C. ground hazelnuts
6 eggs
3/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. Baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
11/2 C Whip Cream
1/4 C. sifted icing sugar - (to be drizzled on damp towel)
Nutella Spread

Grease 15x10 cookie sheet (parchment paper) I can't live without Parchment paper.
Heat oven to 350'

1. Separate eggs & whites
2. Mix sugar, & yolks at high speed for 5 min. ( I use my Bosch machine.)
3. Beat in extracts. Beat one more minute.
4. In separate bowl add hazelnut flour, baking powder, and salt - mix well with fork.
5. Beat egg whites till stiff, but not dry.
6. Add flour mixture (#4) to sugar mixture (#2) Beat for 2 more minutes.
7. Fold egg whites into cake mixture. (#6)
   
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes. (This year I baked it for the full 25 minutes and it came off the towel much easier. If it's not baked long enough, it tends to stick to the towel. YIKES!
9. Flip cake onto damp cold tea towel ( I double it) Sprinkle the towel with icing sugar so that the batter does not stick.
   
10. Roll up for 15-30 minutes.
11. Unroll and assemble.
12. One layer of Nutella/nougat spread.
13. Then add a layer of whip cream. Whip it so that's it's stiff, otherwise it's too hard to roll up.
14. Roll up the cake once more and garnish it with more whip cream and hazelnuts.
    
15. Then I cut trim off the edges and that's for the man of the house with a fresh cup of coffee.
    
16. Stick it into the freezer, and serve whenever. We eat it cold, as it's so delicious.
17. I freeze it first on a cookie sheet and make sure it's frozen hard several hours, and then it's easy to wrap with saran wrap and cover it in a plastic bag.
    

Have fun and enjoy the treat!
If you can't figure it out, stop by and let's enjoy a piece together.