Prep time = 30 minutes
Total cooking time = 1 hour
125 g (4 oz) unsalted butter (I use margarine)
_ cup Molasses (I use Fancy)
_ cup golden syrup (I use water – less sweet)
2_ cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp Allspice
_ tsp ground cinnamon
_ cup firmly packed soft brown sugar
1 cup milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
_ jar candied Ginger, drained
1. Preheat oven to 350∞lightly grease 8 inch square cake pan.
2. Combine butter, molasses, and syrup or water in a saucepan and stir over low heat until the butter has melted. Remove from heat.
3. Stir the flour, b powder and soda, and spices in a large bowl, add the sugar and stir until well combined. Make a well in the centre. Add the butter mixture to the well, then pour in the combined milk, ginger, and eggs. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and well-combined. Pour into the baking pan and smooth the surface.
4. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the centre of the cake. Leave in the pan for 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
This cake will store well for up to a week in an airtight container, and improves if it stands for a day or two before being eaten.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Hot Mulled Apple Cider with Cranberry by Renate Giesbrecht
1 jug organic Santa Cruz apple cider
1 cup Just Cranberry juice (it is straight cranberry, no apple or grape in it, nor any sugar)
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 orange, cut in slices
Heat all in slow cooker till hot. Serve in hand pottered mugs. Lovely!
Optional: add your own mulling spices, squeeze in some fresh orange juice, add fresh apple slices
1 cup Just Cranberry juice (it is straight cranberry, no apple or grape in it, nor any sugar)
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 orange, cut in slices
Heat all in slow cooker till hot. Serve in hand pottered mugs. Lovely!
Optional: add your own mulling spices, squeeze in some fresh orange juice, add fresh apple slices
Lemon Poppyseed Shortbread by Kim McTaggart
1 cup butter
1 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp poppy seeds
2 tbsp grated lemon zest
2 cups flour
Beat butter with sugar until creamy. Stir in seeds and zest. Gradually add flour. Gather into a ball and chill for a while if sticky. Roll and cut as desired. Bake on ungreased sheets in 300F degree oven.
1 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp poppy seeds
2 tbsp grated lemon zest
2 cups flour
Beat butter with sugar until creamy. Stir in seeds and zest. Gradually add flour. Gather into a ball and chill for a while if sticky. Roll and cut as desired. Bake on ungreased sheets in 300F degree oven.
Easy Almond Wedges by Lauralee Life
1 egg - beat till fluffy
1 cup sugar
2 - 2 1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup melted margarine
1 cup flour
Pour into greased lined round pan with oiled brown paper/parachment
paper/waxed paper. Decorate with whole almonds centered where you expect to
cut lines for pieces. Bake 350F for 30 minutes or lightly brown. Turn out of pan,
take paper off. Cool completely, then slice. Very quick, easy to make and
delicious.
(Recipe can be doubled)
1 cup sugar
2 - 2 1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup melted margarine
1 cup flour
Pour into greased lined round pan with oiled brown paper/parachment
paper/waxed paper. Decorate with whole almonds centered where you expect to
cut lines for pieces. Bake 350F for 30 minutes or lightly brown. Turn out of pan,
take paper off. Cool completely, then slice. Very quick, easy to make and
delicious.
(Recipe can be doubled)
Cavishe (great h'or d'eurves)
2 8oz cans of shrimp
pimento
red pepper
green pepper
1 stick of celery
1 sweet onion
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 package of flour totillas
pepper and salt to taste
paprika
In a large skillet bring a tablespoon of oil to heat. Slice the flour tortillas into strips or wedges. Fry for two minutes on each side sprinkling paprika and salt and pepper as you go. When they start to brown remove and drain them on paper towel. Continue until all tortillas are used. When finished store in a cookie can or plastic container. This will be good for 24 hours at room temperature and several days in a refrigerator.
In a bowl place finely chopped pimento, red pepper, green pepper, celery, and sweet onion. (Olives can be chopped and added too.) Soak shrimp for a few minutes in very cold water. Drain shrimp and stir into vegetable mixture. Pour lemon juice over this mixture, and let stand for several hours. Before serving fold gently. Serve in a suitable dish so that it can be dipped up onto the the tortilla strips. Enjoy.
pimento
red pepper
green pepper
1 stick of celery
1 sweet onion
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 package of flour totillas
pepper and salt to taste
paprika
In a large skillet bring a tablespoon of oil to heat. Slice the flour tortillas into strips or wedges. Fry for two minutes on each side sprinkling paprika and salt and pepper as you go. When they start to brown remove and drain them on paper towel. Continue until all tortillas are used. When finished store in a cookie can or plastic container. This will be good for 24 hours at room temperature and several days in a refrigerator.
In a bowl place finely chopped pimento, red pepper, green pepper, celery, and sweet onion. (Olives can be chopped and added too.) Soak shrimp for a few minutes in very cold water. Drain shrimp and stir into vegetable mixture. Pour lemon juice over this mixture, and let stand for several hours. Before serving fold gently. Serve in a suitable dish so that it can be dipped up onto the the tortilla strips. Enjoy.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
How bad is that!
It is so bad that when I just read my last post I realized that I thought it was the 19th when it was only the 17th ..... my head is just not screwed on right..... that's what Christmas does to me.
The church pageant is tomorrow night and so we have been busy prepping for that. I spent the day shopping and so that is all finished... except I bought lots of paper towel instead of toilet paper.... so I have to go to the store Monday and do that. I'm pleased to say that there is no one else to shop for. I am still waiting for Hubby's gifts to come in the mail but at least I have a couple of things for him.
We are finished with the setting up of the furniture and painting the floor but we still need to decorate the house for Christmas.... we will be working on that tomorrow and Monday.
Hubby and I decided to have an open house on the 29th of December so I am going to have to start thinking about getting some cooking done for that. Tuesday will be my day for wrapping and cooking. I also have to get the Turkey for Christmas day... can't forget that or I'll be like Dave from the Vinyl Cafe.
I thought you might like to try some of my favorite recipes for the holiday season... I will post some here over the next few days.
I'm starting to feel more organized. As soon as the tree is up I will post picture of my little abode. At least I now know what day it is....
Meanwhile, watch over the next few days for yummy recipes that I will be working on.....
The church pageant is tomorrow night and so we have been busy prepping for that. I spent the day shopping and so that is all finished... except I bought lots of paper towel instead of toilet paper.... so I have to go to the store Monday and do that. I'm pleased to say that there is no one else to shop for. I am still waiting for Hubby's gifts to come in the mail but at least I have a couple of things for him.
We are finished with the setting up of the furniture and painting the floor but we still need to decorate the house for Christmas.... we will be working on that tomorrow and Monday.
Hubby and I decided to have an open house on the 29th of December so I am going to have to start thinking about getting some cooking done for that. Tuesday will be my day for wrapping and cooking. I also have to get the Turkey for Christmas day... can't forget that or I'll be like Dave from the Vinyl Cafe.
I thought you might like to try some of my favorite recipes for the holiday season... I will post some here over the next few days.
I'm starting to feel more organized. As soon as the tree is up I will post picture of my little abode. At least I now know what day it is....
Meanwhile, watch over the next few days for yummy recipes that I will be working on.....
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Insanity
It's the 19th.... aaaaahhhhh! When I last wrote here I was not sure the red would be ok. It is growing on me. I am slowly getting used to it and it is better now that the whole floor is finished. I just finished the floor today. I am waiting patiently for the floor to dry so that I can get the furniture back into place. That is my job for tomorrow. The new furniture looks great so far. It fits well in the house and we all appreciate the couch-like qualities of the corner dining set. I sometimes wonder if my head is screwed on right when I take on these insane ideas, like painting your floor a week before Christmas. But here I am proving to the world, my insanity by blogging about one of my dumber ideas. Hubby must love me to put up with all of my insanity. Speaking of Hubby, I am hoping that Hubby will cut the shelves for our Christmas villiage. I am hoping that then I will feel like I am starting to get things done.
I love my Christmas villiage. I made it when I was first married. I ordered the pieces from Mary Maxim. They were unpainted pre-cast ceramics which I painted.... of course I had to paint them in my own way and ignored the instructions...... there was lots of room for creativity. I would mix the paints up and create new colours, I would dab the paint on instead of making smooth strokes. I enjoyed every minute of making them. They have always been a source of pride. When we moved into our very small house we had no clue as to where we would put my Christmas villiage but it was a must.... and so it went up regardless of having room for it. Over the years it has been moved from one corner and set of shelves to another more appropriate spot as our house morphs. This year he villiage has grown to an impossible size and so we are puting shelves in the windows so that it can be both indoor and outdoor decoration.
We always deck the rails of the steps with garland and ornaments. Over the years we have collected so many ornaments and many of them have a lot of nostalgia attached to them and so, even though we say every year that we will alternate them year after year, when the time comes to actually choose we end up breaking down and using them all. Our house ends up looking like a Christmas bomb has hit. We don't put up our Christmas stuff until late but we are late taking it down too.
When we moved to the mainland we were surprised that people didn't know what old Christmas day was. Old Christmas day has as much meaning for us as does the 25th. We celebrate all over again.... but instead of celebrating by decorating, we do the opposite... we celebrate by taking down. We hang old stockings and give gift just like on the real Christmas. Some people know it as Ukranian Christmas but for us it is old Christmas day. Our tradition of celebrating old Christmas day started when the girls stopped believing in Santa a few years back.... I had alway celebrated it but not with gifts. The girls were so upset that Santa was Dad and me, that we felt something needed to be done to end Christmas on a better note.
Christmas has been odd this year. Normally I'm further ahead with this than I am this year. But somehow I've managed to let things get away from me. I panic whenever I look at the gifts that are coming in in the mail.... gifts from people that I have gifts for too. Only the gifts that I have for them are not in the mail, gifts that are not even wrapped yet. I've reached the point in the calendar year where I just don't care about dates any more. I've passed panic! It's all about us now. If I don't get all my away gifts in the mail till the 24th, so be it. I'm late. Big deal. It's the 19th and I am resigned to the fact that I will once again be the person that everyone shakes their head at because I just can't meet deadlines. But that is ok. because on Christmas morning I won't have any of those people to listen to.... now it is just about us. Once I get to this point I throw my hands up in the air and say "come what may!" Christmas starts to be fun. My family is so laid back it will be alright I think. Nine days left. Woo Hoo!!!!! Soon it will be all over..... Our family away will just have to enjoy their gifts on Olde Christmas Day instead. Maybe I can start a new tradition. How cool is that? Maybe I'm not so insane after all.
I love my Christmas villiage. I made it when I was first married. I ordered the pieces from Mary Maxim. They were unpainted pre-cast ceramics which I painted.... of course I had to paint them in my own way and ignored the instructions...... there was lots of room for creativity. I would mix the paints up and create new colours, I would dab the paint on instead of making smooth strokes. I enjoyed every minute of making them. They have always been a source of pride. When we moved into our very small house we had no clue as to where we would put my Christmas villiage but it was a must.... and so it went up regardless of having room for it. Over the years it has been moved from one corner and set of shelves to another more appropriate spot as our house morphs. This year he villiage has grown to an impossible size and so we are puting shelves in the windows so that it can be both indoor and outdoor decoration.
We always deck the rails of the steps with garland and ornaments. Over the years we have collected so many ornaments and many of them have a lot of nostalgia attached to them and so, even though we say every year that we will alternate them year after year, when the time comes to actually choose we end up breaking down and using them all. Our house ends up looking like a Christmas bomb has hit. We don't put up our Christmas stuff until late but we are late taking it down too.
When we moved to the mainland we were surprised that people didn't know what old Christmas day was. Old Christmas day has as much meaning for us as does the 25th. We celebrate all over again.... but instead of celebrating by decorating, we do the opposite... we celebrate by taking down. We hang old stockings and give gift just like on the real Christmas. Some people know it as Ukranian Christmas but for us it is old Christmas day. Our tradition of celebrating old Christmas day started when the girls stopped believing in Santa a few years back.... I had alway celebrated it but not with gifts. The girls were so upset that Santa was Dad and me, that we felt something needed to be done to end Christmas on a better note.
Christmas has been odd this year. Normally I'm further ahead with this than I am this year. But somehow I've managed to let things get away from me. I panic whenever I look at the gifts that are coming in in the mail.... gifts from people that I have gifts for too. Only the gifts that I have for them are not in the mail, gifts that are not even wrapped yet. I've reached the point in the calendar year where I just don't care about dates any more. I've passed panic! It's all about us now. If I don't get all my away gifts in the mail till the 24th, so be it. I'm late. Big deal. It's the 19th and I am resigned to the fact that I will once again be the person that everyone shakes their head at because I just can't meet deadlines. But that is ok. because on Christmas morning I won't have any of those people to listen to.... now it is just about us. Once I get to this point I throw my hands up in the air and say "come what may!" Christmas starts to be fun. My family is so laid back it will be alright I think. Nine days left. Woo Hoo!!!!! Soon it will be all over..... Our family away will just have to enjoy their gifts on Olde Christmas Day instead. Maybe I can start a new tradition. How cool is that? Maybe I'm not so insane after all.
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