Recipe Monday

This is the finished Gingerbread House I promised to post along with the recipe, I've tried a bunch of recipes and this one was the best, good for building and it tasted good. It was so much easier then you would think. I will never buy a kit again!

How to Make a Gingerbread House

Ingredients
6 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup dark molasses
1 Tbsp water

Make the Gingerbread Dough

1 Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, set aside.

2 Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed the butter and brown sugar until fluffy and well blended. Beat in the eggs, molasses and water until well combined.

3 Beat half of the flour mixture into the molasses mixture until well blended and smooth. Stir in the remaining flour. Knead (or use your mixer's dough hook) until well blended. If dough is too soft, add a little more flour.

4 Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours, preferably overnight. You can make it up to 3 days ahead of time. Let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before rolling out. We waited 3 days, I don't know if thats why it worked so well.
Roof 2 pcs 6 1/2 x 7
Side 2 pcs 3 x 5
Fr & BK 5 1/2 across side 3" high then to the 7" pt at center
full square should be 5 1/2 x 7
otherwise, here is the link GingerBread House

Make the Gingerbread House Pieces

1 Preheat oven to 350°F, with the oven rack in the middle. Have several flat cookie sheets ready, preferably ones that you know will not warp in the oven heat.

2 Divide the dough in two. Spread parchment paper or wax paper on a large flat surface for rolling. Dust the paper lightly with flour. Working with one portion of the dough at a time, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to an even thickness of 1/4-inch. Add a little flour to the surface of the dough, and check for sticking as you roll it out. If it sticks to either your rolling pin or the rolling surface, dust with more flour. If the rolled out dough is very soft, you may want to freeze it for an hour before cutting out the patterns.

3 Rub a little flour over the surface of the dough. Place the pattern pieces on the dough, as many pattern pieces as will fit on the dough. Use a small sharp knife to cut out the pattern pieces from the dough, wiping the knife surface clean frequently. Depending on how soft the dough is, you may need to use scissors to cut the wax paper or parchment paper. You can cut out the patterns through the dough and parchment paper, placing the dough pieces with the paper directly on the cookie sheets. If you are not using parchment paper or wax paper, you may need to use a large metal spatula to transfer the dough pieces to a greased cookie sheet. Space the pieces on the cookie sheet an inch apart from each other. If dough pieces stretch during the transfer process, push them back into shape.

You can cut out a door and window(s) at this point, or you can wait until after baking, soon after the pieces have come out of the oven while the cookies are still warm.

4 Bake in a 350°F oven until the edges are just beginning to darken, 11-15 minutes for the large pieces, 6-8 minutes for the small pieces. Rotate the cookie sheets half way through the baking for more even browning. Remove the sheets to racks to cool, about 15 minutes.

While the pieces are still slightly warm, lay the pattern pieces over them and use a large straight chef's knife to trim off any parts of the pieces that have through cooking spread beyond the pattern.

Remove pieces to cool directly on racks to cool completely

You can use any royal icing recipe to "glue" the house together, one trick is put icing on one part to be glued let it sit a few minutes then put the other piece on.
The icing should be thick not runny. My basic recipe is 1 box conf. sugar, 1/8 cup water 2 tablespoons meringue pwder. Beat at low speed 30 sec, then at very high speed about 8-10 minutes. Its ready when peaks form. You can play with the water msmt depending on the consistancy you want.
This gingerbread recipe was enough for 1 house and about 15 men!

Christmas Fun!

Our tree...
The jolliest Santa ever, I really felt like I could tell him my holiday wishes and he could make them come true.
These actually tasted so good, it must have been all those kiddie germs!House still under construction, my daughter did the beautiful ones, I did the crazy one that will be the back door!

A new friend is introduced to baking.


Baking Gingerbread, an artist at work!!

Recipe Monday

Well we didn't get to the cookies tonight, I was too crabby from sitting in a court room all day and I didn't want to spoil holiday cookie night. So instead we made fresh whipped cream which I have never done before. I let my daughter do it and she got rather creative. We used our Christmas cups and she ladled in the whipped cream, topped it with cinnamon and then added a straw which was a cinnamon stick. It looked so pretty and tasted so good. Unfortunately my camera died. So if you've never tried this, although it probably adds 10,000 calories to the hot chocolate, here's the simple recipe.

Fresh whipped cream
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons overflowing powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
Pour heavy cream in kitchen aid (or hand mix)
Beat about 20 seconds on low, add sugar and vanilla, keep mixing on HIGH until peaks form. (about 3 minutes) Do not overbeat.
For hot chocolate, top with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
Thank goodness for spell check, I have no idea how to spell cinamin!

Recipe Monday

Party Clam Dip

This is a great dip for parties. The first time I had it, as disgusting as this sounds, my mother and I ate the whole pan! I make this at every party I have and it's always a hit. This week's hint. Prepare this in the morning, cover with aluminum foil , store in fridge until time to bake. Also, most of my recipes are fattening, at the holidays, I like to eat and think food should taste good and to me that means lots of fresh ingredients, butter and sugar and garlic!

3 cans chopped clams with juice
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 stick butter
3 tablesppons fresh parsly
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or 1 lemon
1 medium onion (chopped fine)
1/4 cup grated cheese

Heat a little of the butter, add onion and saute a few minutes
Add other ingredients and mix. Cook over low heat about 7 minutes stirring frequently.
Grease 9" pan,bake at 325 for 30 minutes, serve hot with bread.

And remember to scroll down for my giveaway...

Recipe Monday

PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE
My daughter loves pumpkin pie, by November, I usually can't have another bite of pie! So, I decided to try this pumpkin Spice Cake. I made this for our halloween party. It was delicious, very moist and rich. This recipe's hints: Have all ingredients meaured and ready before you begin, it makes baking much simpler. I made this with the pumpkin creamcheese frosting but it would have been just as good and not so rich with plain cream cheese icing. Great cake for Thanksgiving! Every store I went to was out of Nutmeg, so I left it out. Cake tasted much better the following day. I would ice it and refrigerate uncovered 2 hours before serving. The uniced cake can be frozen for 2 months. I used two 9" pans instead of three 8". Also, very important, I went to 6 different stores looking for plain buttermilk, you can use 2%!
Enjoy!!
Recipe
3/4 cup(s) (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup(s) firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup(s) sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup(s) pumpkin purée
1/2 cup(s) buttermilk
1 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon(s) fresh-ground nutmeg
DIRECTIONS
Prepare cake pans: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat three 8-inch cake pans with softened butter. Cut three 8-inch circles out of parchment paper and fit them into the bottom of the cake pans. Lightly coat the paper circles with butter and set aside.
Make the batter: Cream butter until smooth in a large bowl with an electric mixer set on medium speed. Add the sugars and mix until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until the mixture is smooth and light. Set aside. Combine the pumpkin purée, buttermilk, and vanilla in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside. In thirds, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture, blending well after each addition until smooth.
Bake the cake: Pour batter into the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean -- 35 to 40 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pan on wire racks for 30 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and return to the wire racks until completely cool.
Assemble the cake: Place one layer on a cake plate and top with one-third recipe of Pumpkin Cream-Cheese Frosting. Repeat with the second and third layers. Serve or store refrigerated for up to four days.

Last minute rush, I had to put the guests to work!



Pumpkin Creamcheese Icing
1 package(s) (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup(s) pumpkin purée
1/4 cup(s) (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon(s) fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon(s) grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
4 cup(s) confectioners' sugar, sifted
DIRECTIONS
Blend the cream cheese, pumpkin purée, butter, orange juice, zest, and vanilla in a large bowl using an electric mixer set at medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and creamy -- about 5 more minutes

Recipe Monday

POPOVERS!
"Antique cast-iron baking pans not only are beautiful reminders of days gone by, but they also make the best muffins you've ever tasted." Beth Kidder, New England baker
Just like a lot of other blog writers, I LOVE colecting almost anything (old)! I started collecting these old griswold pans a few years back. As quoted, they are beautiful and useful. I think there is something special about having a pan that is just for a certain muffin. When we make popovers my daughter knows that this is the "Popover Pan". It's a great way to build traditions and memories.
There is a special upkeep of these that I will try and post about later. The following recipe is delicious. My hint this time is don't get creative with the flour, I tried using a whole wheat flour and the popovers never popped, the flour was to heavy. Am I the only one who doesn't know these things?! Another hint, the hotter the pan, the better the muffin. Heat the oven with the greased pan inside, the batter should sizzle when its poured in.
Grease the pan thouroughly including the top and place inside oven. Heat oven to 400
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
Sift flour and salt in bowl then add milk and eggs. Beat until well mixed which won'lt take very long. Ladle into pan, no more then 2/3 full.
Bake for 35 minutes or until popovers are very brown and puffed.
Remove from pan immediately and serve hot.
If your interested in starting a collection, they're available on Ebay.
Remeber to scroll down for my "Spreading the Spirit" give away!

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

Sorry this is being posted so late. I love the idea of recipe Monday. In an ideal world, I would be spending a relaxing Sunday afternoon, baking and trying out new recipes, playing cards and having friends over. I like to try out a recipe before I post it. I will try this sometime this week. I did find a nice whipped cream to go with it or on top of coffee. I'll add that in on the bottom.
A gingersnap crumb crust underlies this spicy cheesecake, and caramel-coated pecans adorn the top, for an irresistible alternative to traditional pumpkin pie. Cut this rich dessert into small wedges to serve.
Ingredients:
For the gingersnap crust:
1/4 lb. gingersnaps (about 20 small cookies)
1/3 cup pecan halves
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 lb. cream cheese, at room temperature
3 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
For the topping:
1/2 cup pecan halves
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan.
To make the crust, in a food processor, combine the gingersnaps and pecans and process until crumbly. Add the brown sugar and melted butter and pulse for a few seconds to blend. Transfer the crumb mixture to the prepared pan. Use your fingers to pat the mixture into the bottom and evenly all the way up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
To make the filling, in a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and cloves. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Using a rubber spatula, occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gradually add the brown sugar mixture, beating until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the pumpkin puree, beating until smooth. Using the rubber spatula, Scrape the batter into the chilled crust and smooth the top.
Bake the cheesecake until set or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To make the topping, set aside 10 pecan halves and coarsely chop the rest. In a small fry pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add all of the pecans, sprinkle with the granulated sugar and cook, stirring, until the sugar melts and the nuts are toasted and caramel coated. Transfer the nut mixture to a plate and let cool completely, then store in an airtight container.
Just before serving, sprinkle the chopped pecans over the cheesecake and arrange the halves evenly around the perimeter. Serves 10 to 12.
SPICED WHIPPED CREAM
1 Cup heavy Cream
1/4 Cup Confectionary Sugar
1/4-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Mix ingredients together and use on top of cake or coffee.

Recipe Monday

Well, it has been a busy 5 days! My dd's 12th birthday has been a 5 day celebration! There was a hiking trip upstate, a sleepover party at our house, Saturday's trip to 6 flags great adventure, Sunday's pumpkin picking out East and a party at my parents today. I AM EXAUSTED!! But, it was lots of fun with lots of good food! My daughter wanted pumkin pie for her birthday cake so thats what she got on Friday at our house. She loves my mothers cheesecake, so my mom surprised her with a delicious pumpkin cheescake today at their house. So anyway, now I have about 5 minutes to post this recipe before it is no longer Monday. Now 4 minutes! I think I am going to hit the publish post button and then come back and finish. Be right back! Well I hope that worked. So, this weeks recipe is a really delicious pumpkin bread. A lot of the things that make baking easier and more succesful to me is to share the answers to the questions I had to ask when I did the baking. So, here goes. Hint 1: It looks like a ton of dates, but its not, they shrink when they are baked. I thought the recipe was wrong and was going to dump half of them. Hint 2: Sift the flour before you measure it and Hint 3: This recipe calls for breadcrumbs, make sure they are unseasoned NOT Progresso seasoned Italian Breadcrumbs!

PUMPKIN BREAD

2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoons Cloves
2 Large Eggs
2 cups light brown sugar packed
1/2 cup canola oil
1 lb (2 cups) canned pumpkin
8 oz (1 cup) pitted whole dates, each date cut into 2-3 pcs (no smaller!)
4 oz (generous 1 cup) walnuts

Oven rack should be set 1/3 up from bottom. Set oven to 350. Butter a 10 x 5 x 3" loaf pan or 2 smaller pans. I used 2 smaller pans. Dust the pan with fine dry bread crumbs, then tap out excess.
Sift together flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Set aside. In a large bowl beat the eggs just to mix (I used my kitchen aid) Mix in the pumpkin and then the dates. Now add the sifted dry ingredients and stir or mix on low setting until they are smoothly incorporated. Stir in nuts by hand.
Turn into prepared pans and smooth the tops.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours in large pan or 70 minutes in the small pans. Bread is done when a tooth pick comes out of the middle JUST ABOUT clean.
Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove and let stand on a rack until cool.
Bread can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the fridge for 2 days or frozen for 3 months.
To serve immediatly, cut slices 3/4" thick with a serrated knife. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Enjoy!

Recipe Monday

I am trying to get myself on some kind of system here so Mondays will be favorite recipe day, please feel free to share yours. These are the best muffins I ever had,
the extra sugar added on top makes them crunchy. I also like to use old griswald baking pans which are fun to collect and make me feel like I am baking in 1940! This recipe goes back to the 1930's. They are sweet, but not to sweet and can be eaten right out of the oven or cooled. I had some mom friends over for coffee on Friday and baked these while they were there and served them warm. Delicious!



Adena's Blueberry Muffins

1 stick soft unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar (more for tops)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs (room temp)
2 cups bleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 pint blueberries or rasberries (fresh)

Line the pan with paper baking cups. Coat the top of the pan with butter to prevent overflow sticking. Preheat oven to 375 and set rack at the middle level.
Cream the butter with sugar and salt by hand or with an electric mixer. (I use my kitchenaid, which was a great investment) Mix until light. Beat in eggs one at a time until smooth. Mix the flour and baking powder together well and stir into the batter alternating with the buttermilk. Crush a quarter of the berries into the mix. Spoon the batter into the muffin pan 3/4 of the way. Drop the rest of the berries in each cup. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about 30 minutes until well risen and golden. cool about 10 minutes in pan.
Storage: Keep the muffins loosely covered at room temp. the day they are baked. After that, they can be individually wrapped in saran and frozen. Enjoy!