Holiday Gingerbread Cookies- Reindeer & Cardinals

The Christmas Season

this year was too busy for our Annual Cookie Throw Down.  But, I could not let December fly by without making my once-a-Christmas batch of gingerbread cookies.  My recipe is the same one Mom made during the holidays when we were growing up on the farm.  It is flavorful with just the right blend of spices: cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground cloves. The dough is firm enough to stand up to cutting out shapes,and the cookie will hold up to handling a layer of frosting and decorations. My recipe came from The Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, better known as the "Red Plaid" book originally published in 1930 by Meredith Publishing. 

 Rolled Ginger Cookies

From the "Red Plaid" book

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shortening
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 5 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 to 3 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves

Cream shortening and sugar.  Beat in egg, molasses, and vinegar.  Sift together dry ingredients; blend in.  Chill 3 hours.

Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured surface.  Cut in shapes.  Place 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 5 to 6 minutes. Cool slightly; remove to rack.  Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Printable version of recipe: Rolled Ginger Cookies

Mix ingredients together to make dough.

Cover and chill 3 hours.

Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured surface.

Cut into shapes.

Bake on greased cookie sheet.

Continue cutting out desired shapes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 5-6 minutes.

These reindeer are glazed with a powdered sugar icing.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Karo Corn Syrup
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract or vanilla
• 2-3 Tbsp. milk-- thin to desired consistency
• Food coloring

Mix together to desired consistency.

Tint icing red and spread over cookies.  Sprinkle wings with red sugar.

Enjoy them with your grand children.

 Aiden,4 and Camden,2.

Just add a glass of milk!

Potato Soup with Spicy Shrimp

This was the second soup Doug fixed for our dinner guests on December 15th.  This soup was 

incredibly smooth and luscious with just the right amount of spice.

Potato Soup with Spicy Shrimp

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 medium shallots, thinly sliced (1 cup)

Kosher salt

1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

One 8-ounce baking potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

7 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth

1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp—shelled, deveined and halved horizontally

2 teaspoons Turkish red-pepper paste or harissa

2 scallions, thinly sliced

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring, until barely softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer over moderate heat until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Strain the broth into a heatproof bowl and transfer the shallots and potatoes to a blender. Add 1/4 cup of the olive oil and 1 cup of the broth and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the pot. Stir in the remaining broth and season with salt. Bring the soup back to a simmer over moderate heat.

In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with the pepper paste and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt. Add the shrimp to the soup and cook just until they are pink and curled, about 1 minute. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with the scallions and serve.

recipe from foodandwine.com

Printable version: Potato Soup with Spicy Shrimp

 Shallots

For more go to: What is a shallot?

Thinly slice 4 shallots, enough to make 1 cup.

 Cook in large pot with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, about 5 minutes until soft.

 1- 1/2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-in. cubes.

 Add potatoes and cook 5 minutes until softened.

Then, add chicken stock and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

 Red pepper paste with 2 Tbsp. olive oil.

Strain the broth and set aside after potatoes are cooked.

Transfer shallots and potatoes to a blender or use immersion blender and blend in pot.

Puree shallots, potatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 cup broth  until smooth.

 Return all ingredients to pot and bring back to a simmer.

 Chop scallions for garnish.

 Wash shrimp under cold water.

 Toss the shrimp in the red pepper paste.

 Cook shrimp until pink and curled.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with scallions.

Enjoy!

Doug's Christmas Soup- Recipe from Alton Brown

Merry Christmas Soup

We invited two of my brothers and their significant others for a Christmas Soup Dinner before the 25th of December.  My husband's specialty seems to be making soups.  Well, not only making soups, but also cookies, main dishes, desserts, apple dumplings, cakes, pies.  Come to think of it, just about anything he tries!  He can not only find flavorful recipes, but he can also cook them to perfection.

This soup will warm you up on a cold winter's day.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. kielbasa, sliced 1/4-inch thick on bias
• Vegetable oil, as needed
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb. red kidney beans, soaked at least 4 hours or overnight
• 2 qts. chicken broth
• 1 lb. red potatoes, cut into 1/2-in. cubes
• 6 ozs. fresh kale, about 4 handfuls
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the kielbasa into a 7-qt. Dutch oven and set over medium-low heat.  Cook until the kielbasa has browned well and rendered its fat, about 15 minutes.  If you do not have 2 tsps. of fat, add 2 tsps. vegetable oil to the pan. Remove kielbasa from the pan and set aside.

Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring to prevent burning.  Add the beans and the chicken broth and cook, covered, for 45 minutes.  After 45 minutes, add the potatoes, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Wash, rinse, and trim the kale and tear into bite size pieces.  Add the kale to the pot, cover, and cook for 10 minutes or until tender.

Add the red wine vinegar and black pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

(from foodnetwork.com)
Printable version: Christmas Soup

Brown kielbasa over medium-low heat until well browned.

Rinse red beans that have been soaking 4 hours.

Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes.

Add the chicken broth.

Add the beans.

Cook covered for 45 minutes.

Add the potatoes, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Wash, rinse and trim the kale, removing the woody stems.

Add kale and cook 10 more minutes.

Add red wine vinegar and black pepper before ladling into serving bowls.

Yatzi and Gail

Doug, Yatzi, Gail, Keith and Ethyl

Merry Christmas!
Enjoy!

Oh! Christmas Tree Spinach Wraps

Oh! Christmas tree, how tasty are thy branches.

A very simple center piece and appetizer for the holidays are wraps.  We used spinach wraps for the holiday color, and you can use ingredients you have on hand.

Ingredients:

• Spinach tortillas
• Cheese, Monterrey jack
• Deli sliced meats: Smoked Turkey, Pastrami
• Lettuce or spinach
• Tomatoes, thinly sliced
• Mayo
• Mustard, yellow or brown or spicy

Spread the tortillas with mayo and mustard.  Then layer the ingredients, deli meat, lettuce or spinach, cheese, tomatoes, and whatever else you have on hand.

Wrap the tortillas up into tight cylinders and hold together with spaced toothpicks.  Cut them into 1-inch slices.  They will look like pinwheels.

Place them on a festive holiday platter, one at the top, then add one pinwheel to each row as you go down the tree.  End it with a single pinwheel for the tree trunk.

We cut out red and yellow bell peppers with a cookie cutter for the tree top and for decorations on the tree.

Enjoy!

Reindeer Rice Krispie Pops-Christmas In Indiana

Merry Christmas to my grandsons!

Doug  and I celebrated an early Christmas with our grandsons out of state.  We marked the occasion with church, shopping, decorating, delicious dinners, and this fun treat.

Reindeer Rice Krispie Treats

This recipe is simplified by using packaged Rice Krispie treats.

Unwrap them.

The three amigos, Graham, Dane, & Spencer.

Mom is helping them to shape the treats by rounding out the corners.

Insert a Popsicle stick through the center of the bar.

 Melt a package of semi sweet or dark chocolate chips over a double boiler.

Coat each Rice Krispie bar with the chocolate, and let them dry on a piece of waxed paper.

Before the chocolate hardens,

place two pretzels at the top of the bar to make the antlers.

Place some white frosting in a bag and pipe some circles for the eyes and nose.

Place some M&M candies onto the frosting for the eyes and nose.

Let the bars dry on the waxed paper.  

Dane's Iron Man cartoon 2013.

Oh, Christmas Tree!

Christmas 2013.

Isaiah 9:6-7

New King James Version (NKJV)

6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Merry Christmas to all.
May you Believe in the Savior sent to us.