Ginger Snaps

Ginger Snaps

Your friends will be snapping these spicy cookies up for their great ginger bite, but you'll make them because they're done in a snap!

2 c flour (soft)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cin
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger

  ^v^v^

1/2 c butter, soft
3/4 c packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp molasses
2 tsp fresh ginger
1 egg

  ^v^v^

Optional:

3 Tbsp candied ginger
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Oven 350f. Parchment lined cookie sheets. Cream butter and brown sugar; drizzle in molasses while it goes. Whisk dry ingredients together. (Use microplane for nutmeg first, then fresh ginger) Mix fresh grated ginger and egg into butter and sugar, then add in flour mixture. Drop teaspoonfulls of batter onto parchment cookie sheets, and bake for 15 minutes. For snappier snaps, bake 3 min. longer and keep them away from humidity.

My Own Meatloaf

My Own Meatloaf

(One extra-saucy mini meatloaf for everybody)

4 slices bread- crumb in food processor
1 Tbsp seasoned salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika

1/2 large onion- mince in food processor after crumbs
2 cloves garlic- mince with onion

2 lb ground chuck or sirloin2 eggs1 Tbsp ketchup (plus 1/3 cup for sauce)2 tsp worcestershire (plus 1 Tbsp for sauce)1 tsp tamari soy sauce1 tsp sriracha

Preheat oven to 350f. Make breadcrumbs in food processor, season with spices above. Remove to large bowl. Don't bother to clean the processor, instead mince wedges of 1/2 onion and cloves of garlic in it. Remove these to same large bowl. Mix 1/3 cup ketchup with 1 Tbsp worcestershire in small bowl for topping sauce, and set aside. Add remaining ingredients to large bowl, and work into meat thoroughly with hands. When no chunks of meat or breadcrumbs are visible, work the meat a bit more. Line a two-part roasting pan with foil, and grease the grate. Form six little 6oz loaves, flattening them a bit to accommodate more sauce later, and place evenly spaced on grate of roasting pan. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven to spoon on sauce. Think 'icing cookies' not 'icing cake': carefully create a border and fill in with delicious sauce! Put loaves back in oven for 10 minutes, or until thermometer reads 160f. Serve these with homemade mashed potatoes, and a green vegetable, for homey goodness!

Rainbow Mini Scones

Rainbow Mini Scones

Prepare mix-ins ahead of time to keep your butter cold!

Dry ingredients:

2 cups flour (White Lily)
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Butter:

1/2 cup butter, cold, cubed

(use butter wrapper to grease pan)

Dairy:

1/3 cup cream
1/3 cup buttermilk

Also:

Extra flour for rolling out dough

Mix-ins

Colored sugar sprinkles

Preheat oven to 425f.

Measure dry ingredients into food processor (you can use pastry cutter or forks instead, but work over ice bath to keep butter cold) and mix. Cut butter into mixture until sandy, with no lumps of butter bigger than rice grains. Pour dairy over your crumb, working it in with hands, or just get it started with a few slight pulses of processor (do not overwork). Pour out onto flour and finish blending dairy in with hands, working the dough as little as possible. Divide dough into six, forming sortofa gondola of each, ready for the mix-ins:

Red: 2 Tbsp chopped dried cranberries
Orange: 1 Tbsp candied orange peel
Yellow: 1 Tbsp candied ginger
Green: 1 Tbsp scissor-sliced chives
Blue: 2 Tbsp dried wild blueberries
Purple: 1/8 tsp vanilla

Sprinkle mix-ins evenly, and fold in only a few times to distribute, but again, do not overwork dough. Form 4 inch squares, about 1/2 inch thick, working quickly and chilling as needed to keep butter cold. After all squares are uniform, use a large knife to cut into triangles with an 'X.' Cover in each correct color of sugar. Place carefully on lightly greased baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 13 minutes, until some edges or corners are golden brown. Enjoy fresh with friends the same day! Find out their favorites to make whole batches of later!

Quick Chili

Quick Chili 

(Iron-packed ground beef weeknight good food solution)

1 pkg ground chuck (1 to 1 1/2 lb)
2 cans kidney beans
2 small/1 large can (petite) diced tomatoes
1 can chili beans

Chili spice mix:

2 tsp seasoned salt
2 tsp chili powder (sweet, not hot/mexican)
2 tsp sweet hungarian paprika
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne

Optional kicks:

2 tsp worcestershire
1 Tbsp sherry
2 tsp sriracha
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 can seasoned black beans
1 small can drained corn

Garnishes:

Grated cheese
Sour cream
Perfect Cornbread

Simply brown ground beef in 4 quart pot, sprinkle with chili spice mix. Pour liquid off the top of cans, but don't drain them before pouring over cooked beef and spices. Add any extra kicks. Cook the chili until you just have to dive in, or until the cornbread is done.