Ginger Cookies

Ginger Cookies

I didnt have any cloves when I made the recipe so I used nutmeg instead. There is quite a bit of butter in these cookies, so experiment with using less butter or some sort of substitute. Also, when i cooked them for the 5-7 minutes they seemed to still be too soft so just try to gauge if it feels like they are underdone let them go for a few more minutes.


Ingredients:
3/4 cup of butter, softened
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup of unsulfured molasses
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl beat together the butter and the sugar until creamy. Add the egg and molasses; beat until combined.l Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well combined. Roll the dough into small balls about 1-inch and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes until starting to brown. Allow to cool for one minute on the baking sheet and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

The Beginnings of a Blog

Hi everyone! Its Nikki here starting her very own recipe blog. I plan to add new recipes every week. If people have questions about any of the recipes I add, I think anyone can leave a comment and I will respond as soon as I can. Also, I will happily add your recipes if anyone has one they would like put on the blog or just in general that they think I would enjoy. I understand that some people looking at this blog are relatives and friends from around the world so I am going to write a few conversions just so they can easily use the recipes.

32 degrees F = 0 degrees C
350 degrees F is used often and that = 180 degrees C

1 cup flour is 125 grams

Zucchini Hot Cakes

Zucchini Hot Cakes

- a quick and easy recipe that will serve 3-4 people. Makes a healthy savory pancake for breakfast or a light lunch or dinner. The only thing unhealthy is the amount of oil in the skillet which can be reduced just as long as the cakes are never sticking to the bottom of the skillet. In the picture above it is served with grated Parmesan cheese and baby tomatoes.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Flour
2 cup Shredded zucchini
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Pepper
2 Eggs, separated

Preparation:
In a small bowl, mix flour, zucchini, salt, pepper and egg yolks. In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Then fold into zucchini mixture. Drop by tablespoons into about 1/4 inch of hot oil in your skillet. Brown on both sides. Serve immediately.

Peach Galette

Peach Galette

I guess this isn't really a healthy dish like my blogs title, but not that many desserts are. At least there is fruit involved. Its also one of the hardest recipes I'll be putting on this blog. I guess I felt like contradicting myself with this recipe.

A galette consists of a flat crust of pastry or bread dough covered with a thin layer of fruit.. In this recipe I used peaches because they were in season at the time. If I were making the recipe now I would use apples or pears. Berries also make a good filling for the galette. The outcome will look nicer then the above photo if there is a uniform layer of fruit and more even edge.

Ingredients:

Pastry Dough

depending on the fruit choice 1 1/2 cups of berries or thinly sliced peaches or 2 apples that have been peeled and cut in thin slices.

3 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons butter

Preparation of dough:

Mix 1 1/4 cup of all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon white sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cut into 1/4 inch pieces 1 stick of butter. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and use a pastry blender or two knives to chop the butter into pea sized pieces. The recipe calls for the addition of 2 tablespoons of shortening which can be substituted for 2 more tablespoons of butter. mix/chop until the mixture looks like coarse bread crumbs. Don't let it clump it should be powdery. Drizzle over the mixture 3 tablespoons of ice water. mix until the mixture looks evenly moistened and begins to form small balls. Form the dough into a round flat disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 days. The dough can also be frozen for up to 6 months in an airtight container.

Galette Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Roll the dough into a round disk about 13 in. slide the dough onto a cookie sheet (its ok if the edges hang off the edge). sprinkle the dough with

with a tablespoon of sugar. Arrange the fruit around the center leaving some room to fold over the dough. if using apples sprinkle with an 1/8 teaspoon of Cinnamon. Sprinkle the rest of the sugar on top of the fruit and fold the border of dough over the fruit leaving fruit visible in the middle. lightly brush the dough with milk and bake until golden brown 25-35 minutes if using berries or peaches and 4o minutes for apples with half the apples time at 400 degrees and the other half at 350. Other fruit stays at 400 degrees.

Tuscan Chickpea Soup

Tuscan Chickpea Soup

This soup takes only 15 minutes to cook!!! It will most likely turn out a bit thick when completed,so you can add more water or broth for a thinner consistency.

Ingredients:

1/4 c. olive oil

8-10 crushed garlic cloves

2 cans chickpeas, one drained, one not

1 can water or vegetable stock

1/4 c. chopped fresh rosemary

salt & pepper

1/2 c. broken spaghetti

To prepare:

Saute garlic in olive oil until lightly browned. Add chickpeas, water or stock, 1/8 c. rosemary, salt & pepper. Bring to simmer and add spaghetti that has been snapped into inch long pieces and add remainder of rosemary. Simmer until spaghetti is cooked (8-10 minutes) and serve. Soup will thicken considerably and can be loosened by adding a little water when reheated.Note: To maintain the warm piney flavor of rosemary, add this herb at the final stage of cooking.