I was going through my recipes a few months back and came upon a recipe I got from a friend many years ago, I'd say at least 20.  Anyway, I've been craving these cookies since I came upon the recipe, so when I went to go look for it again I couldn't find it.  I put a message out on facebook to my dear friend who I got it from and she came through.  I haven't made these yummy things in years and I made a couple of adjustments.  One purposely and one accidentally.  I purposely cut back on the sugar and accidentally used white sugar instead of brown sugar.  But you know what?  They still turned out great, I had to bake them just a minute longer than stated in the recipe.  I will make these again and next time I'll follow the recipe correctly.

Ginger Thins

3/4 c. Butter

1 c. Brown Sugar

1 beaten Egg

1/4 c. Molasses

1 1/2 c. Flour

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Cloves

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Ginger

Cream butter, sugar, egg and molasses.  Add dry ingredients and stir until smooth.  Put dots of 1/8 teaspoon of dough about an inch apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake 5-6 minutes at 325°

Cool on a rack, cookies snap off if you twist the cookie sheet slightly.

Note: These should have the diameter of a quarter when baked, or else they will be tough.

Note: If you use a non-stick cookie sheet (or a well-used one) you won't need to grease the cookie sheet.

A word of caution when making these, use an 1/8 measuring spoon for the dough the size will be perfect, and by making so little cookies it does take awhile to make these...but they're worth it.

Refrigerator Pickles

7 cups cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups white sugar

1 cup diced red onion

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup cider vinegar

1 teaspoon celery seed

Directions: Mix the cucumbers and salt and let stand for one hour.  Do not drain mixture and follow by adding the sugar, onions, bell pepper, cider vinegar and celery seed. 

Mix well, cover and refrigerate.

I made homemade pop tarts that are out of this world.  They are definitely not like the store bought kind.  I didn't have clear vanilla and the frosting looked a bit brown, so I added a bit of food coloring to the frosting.  I found the recipe over at Mennonite Girls Can Cook.  I'm not good at taking food pictures...sorry.

I also made stuffed peppers the other night and homemade oven fries.  Click on the light blue links to go to the recipes.

Stuffed Green Peppers

1-lb ground chuck

1/3 c. chopped onion

1 (14.5-oz) can stewed tomatoes

1/2 c. instant rice

1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

6 med. peppers

Cut tops of peppers and remove seeds.  Cook 5 minutes in boiling water.  Brown ground chuck, onion, salt and pepper, then drain.  Add remaining ingredients.  Cook until rice is tender.  Stuff peppers.  Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.

I told you it was a food post....YUM!

After finding out why we weren't able to get on the internet, our computer started giving us problems.  So, instead of going on line checking my favorite blogs, I found some unfinished projects.  I have needed some new dishcloths and had two already started, so I finished them up.  I also made a dishcloth with a maple leaf in the center of it.  It sure feels good to have some new ones to pull out of the drawer.

Before Lauren left, we went through all my cookbooks and recipes.  I sat down to look for a frosting recipe and found some long lost recipes that I haven't made in ever so long.  Here's one that I got years ago from one of my sister-in-laws.  I didn't have any walnuts so I used pecans and they tasted just as good.

Toll House Cupcakes

1/2 cup soft Butter

6 Tbsp. Sugar

6 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

1/2 Tsp. Vanilla

1 Egg

1 cup + 2 Tbsp Flour

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

Combine and beat until cream butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla.  Beat in 1 egg.  Sift together and stir in 1 cup plus 2 T. flour, 1/2 tsp. baking soda and 1/2 tsp. salt.

Spoon by rounded tablespoon into lined paper cups.

Bake 375 ° 10-12 min.

Topping:

1/2 cup packed Brown Sugar

1 Egg

1/8 tsp. Salt

Beat until very thick.  Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 1/2 chopped walnuts, 1/2 tsp. vanilla.

Spoon 1 tbsp into each cupcake.  Bake another 15 min.

I've got a few other projects that I've been working on this week and hope to show them to you when I'm done. 

It sure feels good to be back on-line again.

I've been cooking on the healthier side lately and have made some pretty tasty dishes.

Pecan-Crusted Chicken

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

1-1/2 teaspoon paprika

1-1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)

2 tablespoon canola oil

Place milk in a shallow bowl.  In another shallow bowl, combine the flour, pecans, paprika,, pepper and salt.  Dip chicken in milk, then coat in flour mixture.

In a large nonstick skillet, brown chicken in oil on both sides.  Transfer to a baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15-2- minutes or until no longer pink.

Yield: 8 servings.

Savory & Saucy Baked Beans

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 can (28 oz.) vegetarian baked beans

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

In a sauce pan coated with cooking spray, cook the onion, green pepper and celery for 3 minutes or until tender.  Stir in beans, tomatoes, pepper, salt and garlic powder.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 10-15 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings.

At our daughters home in Minnesota she made some really healthy and low cal recipes.  I made this last night for dinner and this is definitely turning into a favorite of mine.  It's easy and yummy!  It's from the Kraft Foods website.

Pasta Presto

1/2 (16 oz.) pkg. Penne Rigate Pasta (3 cups). uncooked

1/2 cup Pesto

1/2 cup chopped Roasted Red Peppers

1/2 cup crumbled Feta Cheese

Cook pasta, omitting salt.  Drain; return to pan.

Add pesto and peppers; cook and stir on low heat 3-5 min. or until heated through.

Stir in cheese.

Optional: Chicken

Servings: 4

I added 1 chicken breast and grated parmesan cheese.  I had no Feta cheese  in the house, and the parmesan cheese made a good substitute.  I also used whole wheat pasta...YUM!

I didn't do the math for the calories, but I did do the math for points if you do Weight Watchers.  With the parmesan cheese and a serving of 4, this came out if I did it right, to 6 points.

I plan my meals out for the week and today I planned to make a soup.  Since today was really a not so nice day with rain and fog, it was the perfect day to make it.  I made a wild rice soup and it was yummy!

Cheesy Wild Rice Soup

9 to 10 slices bacon, diced

1 onion, chopped

2 (10 3/4- oz.) cans cream of potato soup

1 1/2 c. cooked wild rice

2 pints. half and half

2 c. American cheese, shredded

In a skillet over medium heat, saute bacon and onion together until bacon is crisp and onion is tender.  Drain and set aside.  Combine soup and rice in a medium saucepan; stir in bacon mixture, half-and-half and cheese.  Cook over low heat until cheese melts, stirring occasionally.

Along with the soup I made a hot bacon dressing that we put over a plate of mixed greens...The dressing is served warm and it's another YUM!

Hot Bacon Dressing

1 lb. bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

2 c. water, divided

1/4 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 T. cornstarch

In a large skillet, saute bacon, onion and garlic until bacon is crisp.  Add brown sugar, vinegar, 1 1/2 cups water, salt and pepper; simmer until mixture cooks down by half.  In a bowl, mix together cornstarch and remaining water; add to pan and simmer until thick and bubbly.

Makes 2 cups.

The weekend was quiet.  I did manage to make a dent in my Christmas sewing.  I made another block for the block of the month quilt I'm making.  It seems like forever until this will be done.  I'm only on block 4 (sigh)

You all have a wonderful day!

Blessings,

Judy