Ginger Molasses Cookies

I love these cookies' soft texture and bright spice flavor. They are so perfect for this time of year either as a gift or at a cookie swap. I found this recipe back in 2006 in Sunset magazine. The original recipe is called Frosted Ginger Cookies. But, I've changed the name and I don't include the frosting in my version. Of course, you can make a little frosting to drizzle over  these with powdered sugar and some lemon juice. However, I've always found these to be perfect without the frosting. They are sweet enough since they're rolled in sugar. And, though I normally love the combination of ginger and lemon, I'm not a fan of the lemon frosting on these. Frosted or unfrosted is your choice...regardless, you'll be happy you made these.

Ginger Molasses Cookies

(adapted from Sunset Magazine,  December 2006 issue)

Makes approximately 36 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling cookies

3/4 cup butter, at room temperature

1 egg

3 tablespoons molasses

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Preparation:

1) Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream 1 cup granulated sugar with butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg and molasses.

2) In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and spices. Add to butter mixture and blend well.

3) Fill a shallow bowl with granulated sugar. Break off walnut-size pieces of dough and roll into balls; roll balls in sugar. Arrange on greased cookie sheets or ones lined with parchment and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks and enjoy.

Winter Squash

It's hard to believe that back in May, I planted several, tiny winter squash plant starters and I have ended up with actual squash. This is the first time that I have had any success growing them. Given the size and the huge growth of all of the vines, I thought for sure that I would be harvesting dozens of squashes but that was not the case. A number of them literally died on the vine. And, though, it was not a large haul, it has been gratifying nonetheless. I am looking forward to using some of them for autumn and Halloween decorations. And, a few, like the Baby Blue Hubbards and Sweet Dumplings, I look forward to eating. I cannot wait to grow more next year.

Goodbye Winter...Hello Spring

Amazingly enough, I have some how made it through my first Portland winter in over 25 years. I did not breakdown in tears and I don't think I bitched too much about the rain and cold. I have a new found appreciation for wool socks and gloves plus the importance of layers that goes beyond the typical fashion approach. 

Spring is slowly starting to make her presence felt though we did have receive a light dusting of snow just a couple of evenings ago. The snow was very pretty but I am happy to see it go. And, there are supposed to be a few dry days ahead of us. If we're lucky, we may even get a few sunbreaks. I am looking forward to the weather getting warmer and being able to shed a layer or two.

Beef Stew with Stout

Not surprisingly, it is a cold and rainy winter day here in Portland. Which means that it will be the perfect evening for something warm and comforting for dinner...beef stew. Instead of making it with red wine, which is also delicious, I decided to use the bottle of stout that was in the fridge. There is an earthiness that comes with using a stout or even a porter in a hearty beef stew.

I really just improvised this stew since I make them fairly frequently this time of year. Therefore, I did not work from an actual recipe. But, since many people, really do love to have some basic instructions to work with, I have tried to write down what I did. Hopefully, it makes some sort of sense and will actually work for you. Let me know.

Beef Stew with Stout

Serves 6

Time: 30 minutes prep and 3 hours cook time

2 lb beef chuck, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch cubes

2 tbs. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt (preferably kosher)

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tbs. fresh rosemary minced

2 tbs. fresh thyme minced

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley minced

2 tbs. olive oil

1 medium or large onion diced

8 cloves of garlic minced

3 stalks of celery diced

2 cups of carrots chopped

1 cup of parsnips chopped

2 lbs. baby red or white potatoes quartered

3 bay leaves

1 (22-oz) bottle of stout

2 cups beef broth

1) Preheat the oven to 325°F.

2) Season the meat with salt and pepper, place in a large bowl, and toss with the flour.

3) Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or wide-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Cook the meat, in batches, until well browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes, transferring the pieces to a plate as they are browned.

4) Add the onion, celery, garlic, rosemary and thyme and sauté for 5 minutes. Drizzle in a little more olive oil if needed. Return the meat and any juices back to the pot along with the stout, beef broth and bay leaves. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1 1/2 hours.

5) Then add the potatoes, carrots and parsnips to the pot, cover, and return to the oven. Cook until the meat and vegetables are fork-tender, about 1 1/2 hours more.

6) When done, stir in 2 tbs. of the flat-leaf parsley and use the rest for garnish.

Mending Clothes

It's been cold and dreary here in Portland for the last couple of days. And, I needed a little indoor domestic project to keep me busy so I decided it was time to mend a few clothing items that have piled up in need of repair. Let's just say that I have been procrastinating a bit on this since I'm not exactly a sewist (I think that's the correct term). I have taken a few sewing classes since moving to Portland but I am by no means anything but an absolute beginner. As you can see from the photo of the "mended" sock, my hand-sewing skills definitely leave a lot to be desired. But, the point of mending a few things was to make them usable again and not to show-off my skills or lack thereof. After all, the toe of that sock will be hidden inside a pair of Dan's boots. 

Most people would have thrown out that sock or tossed the two bras and the other sock that I also mended. We live in a throw away world. It's bad for the environment. It's bad for us financially. It's sad that we have stopped valuing quality and instead prefer quantity. So, in my personal effort to try and be a more conscientious consumer, I am trying to mend our clothes and make them last a little longer. In today's economy, being frugal and extending the life of your possessions, such as our clothes, is no longer looked as as being out-of-the-norm as it was just a few short years ago. I feel that is a step in the right direction and I hope it stays that way even when the economy improves. It is completely unsustainable for our culture or any culture to live in a world of disposable this and disposable that. So, I am just trying to do my little part and learn a few new skills in the process.

Mead Making

Let's just say that Portland's culture of craft beer and homebrewing has had an effect on my husband, Dan. He liked beer but was never all that excited about it, until we moved to Portland. Then he got a taste of what fine micro-brewed beer was all about. And now, he has been bitten by the homebrew bug. First, came the trip to F.H. Steinbart for all of the equipment. And, given his love of dark beers, his first batch of homebrew was a stout. That was bottled a couple of weeks ago and is now happily sitting in the basement waiting for its first tasting,  which is most likely sometime in January. 

But, brewing beer was not enough. Next up on the agenda was mead. Most people don't even know what mead is but there are now about 150 meaderies in the U.S. And, for the uninitiated, mead is honey wine. It is an alcoholic beverage made from fermenting a mixture of water and honey with yeast. It is believed to be the first fermented beverage, predating wine and beer. And, it is found throughout history in Europe, Africa and Asia. 

Dan bottled the mead last week, on December 22, which was the first day of winter.  And, since mead should bottle-age for awhile (at least 3 months but 6 months or more is preferred, according to the books), we think it only appropriate to have a tasting party on the longest day of the year, the summer solstice on June 21. Between now and then, we need to think of a name for the mead and design a label. After all, we have 23 pints of it in the basement (right next to the stout). What's next on the homebrew to-do list? Well, Dan is thinking about a Belgian-style ale since it takes a year to bottle-age. After that, he has his sights set on making hard cider. That's for me, since I am the hard cider fan in the family.

Scenes From a Winter Garden

Little Gem Lettuce

Beets

Radishes