Gingerbread

Gingerbread Waffles

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, separated
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup molasses
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/3 cup chopped raisins
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar


In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, baking soda, mustard and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat brown sugar and egg yolk until fluffy. Add buttermilk, molasses and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until combined. Add raisins. In a small bowl, beat egg white and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gently fold into batter. Bake in a preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions until golden brown.

Gingerbread Milk Steamers

2 cups milk (skim, 2% or whole)
1 tsp. molasses
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 cinnamon sticks for garnish (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a microwave-safe container. Heat on high 1 to 2 minutes until milk is scalded, but not boiling.
Stir. Beat with an immersion blender, frother, or just in a regular blender for 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with cinnamon sticks. Serve immediately.

Gingerbread always makes me feel warm inside. And with the weather changing like it is, this is the perfect start for fall. Gingerbread Milk Steamers is good not only for adults but kids ask for seconds.

Do you have a fall favorite recipe? Or one that makes staying out of the cold that much nicer?

No Knead Bread!

Hello,
I went to a cooking class tonight and it was wonderful as usual. Melanie Clark is the talented cooking diva who teaches our class. I really enjoy going to cooking classes, because it not only exposes you to great new recipes but also different cooking styles. I am a semi-homemade cook because I am always on the go, but I need my family to think I spent hours cooking for them. Melanie is a make from scratch cook. It is so fun to watch and learn all of the knowledge she has to offer.
She also uses a bosch mixer, which I know I need. And a pressure cooker! My husband thinks cooking class is just somewhere I go to learn about new "Have to Haves". Melanie also uses a wheat grinder to grind her own flour! (I told you she is amazing) But being the semi-homemaker, I will just drive across town to but the freshly ground flour from the bosch store.
Tonight she made the most delious bread called "No Knead Bread". This bread is the best for all cooks. Even children!
She said there is a video online to watch how its made if we wanted to see how to do it again. And I found it it on Martha Stewart's website. It is at http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/no-knead-bread?video_id=0&autonomy_kw=no%20knead%20bread%20video
The recipe is right below the video and you can print it off. I really reccommend watching the video and making the bread. It is soo good! And it tasted really good with soup.

Easy Dutch Apple Pie

Easy Dutch Apple Pie
1 9" deep dish pie crust
1 can apple pie filling
3 apples, peeled, cored, & sliced 1/2 inch
1/2 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
Opt. Caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour apple pie filling into pie shell; add apples also. Pour cake mix on top of the apples and bake for 45-50 minutes until cake mix is brown and crisp.
Drizzle caramel topping on top when it cools. This easy pie tastes even more delious with ice cream!

Cooking with Kids

I love cooking with my grandkids and they love to eat everything we make. So cooking with them is a great way to get them to eat things they normally won't. I try to let them pick what they want to make. And loving cookbooks the way I do, looking for the recipe can be as fun as cooking.
But I have to say with all of the cookbooks I do have for kids, the new one by Paula Deen is the CUTEST! I saw it at wallmart and had to buy it. This cookbook not only has great information, wonderful recipes, but the illustrations are the cutest I have ever seen in a cookbook for kids. This is the book I will be picking up for christmas gifts this year.
I always try to do family gift baskets for Christmas for my neices and nephew's families. I think I will get everythig for one of the recipes, Paula Deen's kids cookbook, a large fun bowl to put it all in, a few dish towels, and wooden spoons and I will be the hit of the family party! You have got to check out this book and add it to your collection. You won't be sorry.

Winter Squash

Hello,
Have you been to the farmers market lately? There are so many squash out there....and who knows how to cook them?
Well I do have an ebook called"Fron the Garden" on my site but I do think I saw a few I have never heard of. I alway wonder who saw that weird shaped thing and said "Boy I bet that would taste good with a little butter". Maybe it was "Paula Deen"!

I do have to say I haven't met a squash I didn't like especially with Butter! LOL. And you can cook them so many different ways. I take a cooking classes every other thursday and in the one we hade last night they cooked squash in a presser cooker. Wow now you know I need a presser cooker! It was delious! And they also did apple sauce. I am so sold!

Better close since I am on my way out to buy a presser cooker!

Aprons

How many of you love aprons?

I have to say I am hooked on them! I even buy patterns for ones I will probably never sew just because I love them. There are so many cute one out there just to buy. I even have a few that I wear when I know I won't spill because the apron is way to cute to get dirty. My favorites have pockets....I always put the recipe card in the pocket for reference. And I know my recipes alway taste better if I am wearing an apron. Some of my fondest memories are my Grandmother tieing her apron on me before we could cook. I never want to get her apron dirty because they were so fun to wear. I wore them even after we were done cooking.