lemon-ginger drop cookies

I got this recipe from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook (thanks Cassandra!) and these cookies are Jarom's new favourite treat! So good and so easy!

ingredients

8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 C + 2 T sugar (plus more for sprinkling)
1 large egg
1 T grated lemon zest
1 1/3 C all-purpose flour
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 C finely chopped crystallized ginger

directions

Preheat the oven to 350F with two racks centered. Line two baking sheets wtih parchment; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 mintues, scraping down the sides of the bowl twice. Add the egg; mix on high speed to combine. Add the zest; mix to combine.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, salt, and crystallized ginger; add to the butter mixture; mix on medium-low speed to combine, about 20 seconds.

Using two spoons, drop about 2 teaspoons of the batter on the prepared baking sheet; repeat, spacing them 3 inches apart (about 6 drops per sheet). Bake for 7 minutes. Sprinkle the cookies with sugar, rotate the sheets between the oven racks, and bake until just golden, about 7 minutes more. Cool the cookies on a wire rack for about 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

notes

I used a wooden spoon do do all my creaming and mixing because I don't have an electric mixer yet, and they still turned out fine. I think I forgot the extra 2 T of sugar too, so these aren't very finicky. You can add extra lemon zest if you want these to be more lemon-y.

black beans and rice

This recipe is so good and super-easy to make. We eat this all the time, and we never get tired of it.

ingredients
1 can black beans, not drained
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 t ground cumin
1 t dried oregano
pinch salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 T red-wine vinegar

rice - I always use brown rice

tomatoes
cucumbers (preferably Persian)
fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
fresh coriander
fresh lemons (and limes if you like)
olive oil
ground cumin
ground coriander
ground pepper
sumac

plain yogurt

directions
Put the rice on to cook.

Heat the beans, spices, and vinegar in a saucepan, including the bean juice, over medium heat until the liquid reduces a little, about 7-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley and coriander in a bowl. Add the lemon (and lime) juice, olive oil, and spices to taste. It can be as juicy as you like.

When the rice and beans are done, serve the rice, beans, salad and yogurt as you like. I usually spoon them into a flat soup bowl separately but touching, and then mix each bite as I go along. I also like to drizzel olive oil and grind some pepper onto the top of the whole thing.

Mandarin Chicken & Rice

This is a really good recipe when you don't have a lick of groceries in the house, and you need dinner on the table in 25 minutes. Every single ingredient here can come from your food storage (if you choose) and it is really easy to make.

The ingredients are completely approximated, so you can dump in whatever you like or have on hand. I've made it dozens of times, and it's evolved over the years. I use it as a rough guideline, as opposed to an actual recipe.

Mandarin Chicken & Rice

Chicken - I throw some boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the oven until cooked and then chop / tear them into bite sized pieces and set aside.  Alternately, you can use canned chicken (I've only tried the Costco brand) if you don't have fresh or frozen chicken.  Drain and set aside.

1-3 cans of mandarin oranges.  Drain and set aside but make sure to reserve all of the liquid to use in the sauce.

Mushrooms - I like to use smaller sized fresh mushrooms and there's no need to slice them.  If yours are a little larger then cut them in half.

Rice - Go ahead and get it cooking because dinner will be ready soon.  We've also tried this over egg noodles and that tastes good too.  I prefer  rice, but either will work.

To make the sauce, first you saute the mushrooms for a few minutes in your pan.

Next add 2-3 cans of cream of mushroom soup (depends how many people you are feeding).

Whisk in the mandarin juice and a good splash of soy sauce (about 1/3 cup).

Add some garlic & ginger.  I use the freshly chopped refrigerated kind.  I use about a tsp each or so. 

Add a good dash of pepper and a bit of salt to taste (the soy sauce is salty already).

Next you need to decide how thick you like your sauce.  I usually add a little more liquid in the form of milk or water.

When you're just about ready to eat, add in your chicken and stir while it gets nice and hot in the sauce.  You want to heat it through without cooking it any more. 

Last thing you do is gently stir in the mandarins, as they tend to break up if you add them earlier.

Serve over hot rice (or noodles).

Enjoy!

Celery Soup with Sourdogh Croutons and a Tarragon Swirl

This recipe sounds hard, but it's actually one of the most easy and delicious soups I've ever made! I found this on epicurious when I was searching for a recipe that would use up all of our leftover celery after Thanksgiving. I think it's my new post-Thanksgiving favourite, after leftover turkey, of course!

Bon Appétit recipe on epicurious

notes
The only change I made was that I used dried tarragon instead of fresh and it was still delicious. 1T fresh herbs = 1 t dry herbs, so use between 1/4 and 1/2 t of dried tarragon. This would be a great appetizer, but we ate more generous servings for dinner and it was quite filling.

Cookie Jar Ginger Snaps

These are some of my absolute favourite christmas cookies! They are really flavourful and a little crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.

ingredients
2 C white, all-purpose flour
1 T ground ginger
2 t baking soda
2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground cloves
3/4 C softened butter
1 C dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/3 C molasses
granulated or coarse sugar for rolling the cookies in; you can also use coloured sugar

instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and molasses, mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix until the dough comes away from the sides and the flour is completely mixed in. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. Roll into 3/4 inch balls and roll in a sugar. Cook on an ungreased, unlined cookie sheet for 8-9 minutes. Transfer immediately to a cooling rack.

notes
The dough can be refrigerated for 2-3 days before baking, although I prefer to use it within a day of making it. These cookies store well in an air-tight container, and also freeze well. You can adjust the baking time to make them softer or crunchier without ruining them.

Scones

ingredients

2 C all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 C unsalted butter, cold
2/3 C milk

instructions
Sift flour, backing powder and salt together. Cut butter into small pieces and rub into flour mixture until it's a sandy texture. Cut in milk with a knife until it forms a sticky dough. Either roll out the dough to 1/2" thick and cut with a scone or cookie cutter, or drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet to make 4 large or 6 small scones. Bake at 450F for 12 minutes. Serve hot or transfer immediately to a cooling rack; cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 1 day.

variations

• Brush the top of the unbaked scones with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
• Mix in fresh or dried herbs (oregano, basil, thyme...), grated cheddar cheese (or other hard cheese), and paprika (to taste) before you add the milk to make savoury scones.
• Mix in chopped apples and cinnamon before you add the milk.

notes

I love my scones fresh from the oven with butter and jam. If I'm eating them at room temperature, I prefer them with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.