Gingerbread

Today’s bread comes to us from the inimitable M. F. K. Fisher, out of her book How To Cook A Wolf, published in 1942.    Mrs. Fisher herself states it is the grandest gingerbread recipe she has ever seen.  Mrs. Fisher, suggests that it be served with  ”unsalted butter, preferably pressed into little pats.


Adapted from How To Cook A Wolf, by M. F. K. Fisher

Makes one 8 x 4 inch loaf

5 1/2 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
1/4 cup sugar
6 ounces (1/2 cup) molasses
3/4 teaspoon baking soda, divided
3/4 cup boiling water
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons candied ginger, chopped finely
1.  Preheat the oven to 325º F.  Butter an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan, and sprinkle with a spoonful of flour, knocking the pan to remove any excess.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.
2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the shortening and the sugar with the paddle attachment, until thoroughly mixed.  In a separate bowl, beat the molasses and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda with a nonstick spatula until light-colored and fluffy.  Add the molasses to the shortening mixture, and beat until combined, scraping the bowl down as needed.
3.  Add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to the boiling water, and stir to dissolve.  Alternate adding the water and the dry ingredients to the molasses mixture, in about three installments, scraping the bowl after each addition.  When thoroughly mixed, fold in the beaten egg and the candied ginger.
4.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and bake at 325º F for about 35 minutes, or until fully baked and the center of the loaf feels firm when pressed gently on top.  Begin checking the bread for doneness after 20 minutes in the oven, so as to not burn.  Let cool briefly in the pan before turning out to cool thoroughly on a wire rack.
Notes:
1.  Gingerbread will keep at room temperature, wrapped tightly, for up to a week.  Frozen, it will keep for a month or so.

Chocolate covered Caramel Pretzel Rods

Pretzel rods(2 bags) - whole package of chocolate candy quick - vanilla candy melts to drizzle Caramel   1 cup karo syrup   1 cup brown sugar   1 cup white sugar   1 cube of butter   1 can sweetened condensed milk

Put first 5 ingredients in a large sauce pan over medium heat and stir until melted and combined. 

 

Bring to a boil and stir for five minutes. Be careful to keep stirring so that it doesn't start to burn on the bottom of the pan. 

 

Take caramel off the burner after 5 minutes.Put the hot caramel in a deep container. I used my Pyrex 4 cup measuring cup

Prepare a couple cookie sheets lined with wax paper.

 

Dip pretzel rod in caramel, about 3/4 of the way and let it drip off any excess caramel. 

 

Then lay the rod on the cookie sheet.Repeat with remaining pretzels.

Put cookie sheets in the fridge to help set up caramel.Once caramel is set, lift up each pretzel rod off the wax paper and mold caramel around the rod since it will puddle on the sides as it cools.

Prepare the cookie sheets again with new pieces of wax paper.

 

Melt chocolate in a deep container and dip caramel covered pretzel rods.Place chocolate covered pretzel rods on cookie sheets and place in fridge to set up.

Melt the vanilla candy melts in the microwave. When completely melted, use a knife to dip into the melted chocolate, then drizzle the chocolate on the rods.Place back into the fridge to set up.

Chocolate Butter

How could anything that combined the two of these ingredients be anything but wonderful?

This recipe is on AmberLee's GiversLog.com - as an added bonus, if you are crafty, you will find a wealth of DIY instructions on there.... really a great site, she is so creative!

Low Sodium Dill Dip Mix to Give as A Gift

Dip mixes are expensive and take so little work to prepare.. .and they make ideal gifts!

Mix ahead and package in a small baggie with a header card stapled to it or put it in a sterilized baby food jar. To prepare, you simply add a few TABLESPOONS of this dip to sour cream and mayo for a wonderful vegetable dip.

Beau Monde Seasoning, made by Spice Island, is sometimes difficult to find...Kroger's carries it, if you can't find it you can make your own. (See below)


•1/2 cup dried dill weed
•1/2 cup dried minced onion
•1/2 cup dried parsley
•1/3 cup Beau Monde Seasoning
 1/3 cup garlic powder


Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Pour into tightly sealed container and store in a cool, dry place. Make sure to label container and attach instructions for use.

Dill Dip

1 cup mayonnaise or low-fat mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream or low-fat yogurt
3 Tbsp. Dill Dip Mix
A couple drops of Tabasco sauce - (will not make it spicy or hot)

1 green onion, finely sliced (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend until well mixed. If desired, chill for a few hours before serving to blend flavors.

Note: If you don't need to follow a low sodium diet, you can add a tsp of Lawry's seasoned salt to the mix

Homemade Beau Monde Seasoning

This recipe comes from About.com - I've never made it because I can find it in the grocery store. However, when I buy it, it is a finely ground powder, you might want to use a mortar and pestle to pulverize it when you use it in a recipe.

•1 Tbsp. ground cloves  

•1 tsp. ground cinnamon

•1 Tbsp. salt

•1 Tbsp. ground bay leaf

•1 Tbsp. ground allspice

•2 Tbsp. ground pepper

•1 Tbsp. ground white pepper

•1 tsp. ground nutmeg

•1 tsp. ground mace

•1 tsp. celery seed

Preparation:

In a small mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients. Pour into a tightly closed jar and store in a cool, dry place

Jan's Beer Bread with Options

Who doesn't love options? To me, it's a large part of what makes cooking fun!  This recipe has a lot of options.... and is wonderful as it is... makes a great gift as a mix or the finished bread. Enjoy!

3 cups unbleached flour – sifted (if you absolutely will not sift at least fluff your flour and spoon it into the measuring cup)

3 tsp baking POWDER

1 tsp. salt

¼ cup sugar

1 12 oz bottle beer ( flavor is different with each type of beer)  I like Rolling Rock, Millers or Heiniken

Mix together until blended well… turn mixture into a greased loaf pan

Melt ¼ cup butter and pour over batter in pan  -(can do as little as 2 TBSP but I prefer ¼ cup)

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 – 60 minutes depending on your oven.

Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Beer Bread Variations

• For a “lighter” bread… mix and put in the pan and let it sit about 30 minutes or until it forms a crown before adding the butter – then add butter and bake

• Can divide this dough into 2 small loaf pans –adjust baking time

• Use 1/3 cup sugar instead of ¼ cup

• For a sweeter bread, substitute brown sugar for white sugar
• Add a handful of Mexican blend cheeses ( cheddar and jack) before adding the beer
• Can sprinkle garlic salt on top of the bread half-way through baking – after removing from the oven, brush top lightly with butter and sprinkle with garlic salt.

• Add ½ - 1 cup cup cheddar and ¼ cup chopped chilies

• Add ½ cup shredded cheese and ¼ cup sliced green olives
• If you are salt sensitive – use Unsalted butter on top of the bread mixture
• Use Brown Sugar instead of white and add ½ tsp Onion Powder and 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Add 1 cup finely shredded cheddar, 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning and 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Homemade Lemoncello or limoncello

(Italian Lemon Liqueur)  is one of the most popular drinks today.

NOTE: Do not throw the lemons away - squeeze the juice out, add even quantities of Lemons juice and sugar and shake in a bottle until sugar is melted. This makes a wonderful cool drink especially if you use soda water to thin the syrup.

15 lemons - peeled with a potato peeler
2  bottles of  750 ml Vodka (100% proof)
5 cups water
4 cups sugar

Peel lemons with potato peeler (only the yellow/green peel). Place peels in a large glass jar and cover with one bottle of vodka. Leave in a cool place for 21 - 40 days.

Make syrup by mixing sugar and water over a medium heat. Keep stirring until sugar is melted, then cook syrup for 5 minutes. Cool down.

Strain lemon peel and add the liquid to the syrup together with second bottle of vodka. Mix well and bottle. Leave again for 40 days (if you can!!).

If the vodka is of a good quality, you can freeze the lemoncello.Serve over crushed ice.

Another great foodie blog and GREAT idea for kids

You need to check out her web site - too cute! I love the snowman marshmallows... wondering if the edible markers can be purchased at a national chain store - for those of us who tend to be late bakers and shoppers. Everything you see below for this posting came right from her web site....it's so cute... lots of great ideas... I can't wait for you to see it! 

http://chiccookiekits.blogspot.com/2009/12/sweet-snowy-gifts-gingerbread-snowflake.html

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

sweet snowy gifts (gingerbread snowflake ornaments and snowman cocoa jars)

I made a batch of gingerbread snowflake ornaments for cookie gifts this year, and since no one can escape my newfound love of painting marshmallows, I ended up adding a mason jar o' warmth to go with them.

I used a gingerbread cookie recipe from Williams-Sonoma (link provided below), then filled a mason jar with snowman marshmallows and hot cocoa. I added a recipe tag, slapped on a sticker and all done.



how to make gingerbread snowflake ornaments

you will need
gingerbread recipe
frosting
snowflake cutter (mine was about 2 1/2 inches)
straw
one frosting bag, coupler and size "3" tip
white frosting color
white sanding sugar or sprinkles
thin ribbon
cellophane favor bags

what to do
Prepare gingerbread recipe. Roll about 1/4-inch thick and place on parchment paper lined baking tray. Make holes with the straw and bake as directed by the recipe. Let cool. Tint frosting white and prepare a frosting bag with size 3 tip. Fill with white frosting and tie closed with a rubber band. Working with one cookie at a time, pipe snowflake designs and immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar or sprinkles. Let dry overnight.

To package, string ribbon through several cookies and tie. Place the cookies in a cellophane bag and tie closed with another piece of ribbon.



how to make snowman hot cocoa mason jars

you will need
mason jars
marshmallows
black and orange edible pens (I suggest Americolor gourmet writers)
hot cocoa mix
cellophane favor bags
tags, stickers and ribbon (optional)

what to do
use markers to make snowman faces on marshmallows. Let dry about an hour. Fill a favor bag with some hot cocoa mix (I used about a cup) and twist closed with a tie. (I used the favor bag instead of putting right in the jar to keep things tidy, but you can also just add the mix right to the jar.) Place the favor bag of cocoa in the jar with the tied area in the middle at the top. Place marshmallows around the top of the cocoa facing out of the jar. Close with lid.

If desired, add your own personalized sticker to the top of the jar, or attach a tag with the cocoa recipe using a piece of card stock, a hole punch and a piece of ribbon.

Homemade Cranberry Liquer

This is as close as I come to making my own "moonshine".... You will need to plan ahead for this one... allow 2 weeks.... 12 days if you're really pressed for time. The prep time is quick, the wait time before bottling holds you up.

12 days
20 min prep

Makes 1 Quart - You'll probably want to make more!

• 1 lb cranberries

• 4 cups superfine sugar, divided

• 1 cup water

• 3 cups 80 proof vodka

Combine cranberries with 2 cups sugar.

Add water and boil 4-5 minutes until skins start to pop.

Remove from heat and cool.

Put in a mixing jar, one of those large glass sun tea jars works great!add vodka and shake vigorously.

Cover and leave to infuse at least 7 days, shaking or stirring occasionally. Refrigerate.

Pour thru a coarse strainer and discard berries.

Let rest 3-4 days.

Without shaking the jar, decant only the clear liquor into another jar, leaving white residue in the original jar.

The white residue can be put thru a paper strainer (I use an unbleached coffee filter) until liquid is clear; add the strained liquor to the already decanted liqueur.

Combine liqueur with 2 more cups of sugar and shake vigorously until sugar is absorbed.

Let clear overnight and bottle.

No-Hull No-Seed Puff Caramel Corn

1 (8 ounce) bag barrel o' fun corn puffs (NOT Cereal)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
vanilla (optional)

Mix butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar in saucepan. Cook on low-med heat for 2 min or until bubbly around edges, remove from heat. Add 1t baking soda to cause foaming (helps coat them better). Pour caramel slurry over corn pops and stir until pops are properly coated. Place in 250 degree oven for approx 45 min, stirring every 10 minute Remove from oven and pour onto waxed paper. Break apart into desired piece size.