Ginger Tea Party

Good morning everyone!  It's turned quite cold here (-3C), and with high winds and snow flurries dancing outside my window, I thought it made the perfect setting for some baking.  Winter baking!

Years ago, shortly after I was married, I picked up this magazine to try some new Christmas cookies.

1990 Better Homes & Gardens Christmas Cookies

My mother always made her usual standbys for Christmas ... shortbreads, cherry snowballs, candy cane cookies & nutmeg logs ... and as much as I loved those cookies, I wanted to start some of my own traditions.  This magazine was the perfect thing.  Cookies that were quick to make (I hate fussy baking), quite traditional, and everyone loves them.  One of my favourites are the Big Ginger Cookies, a recipe from Winnifred Jardine.  I've been making these cookies for almost 25 years now, and they're part of our Christmas tradition.

The combination of ginger and molasses spells Christmas to me.  I love gingerbread cookies too, and have a great recipe for them that I will share another day.  But today I'd like to share these delicious crinkly, sugary topped ginger cookies.

If you'd like to give them a try, they're very simple, require no special ingredients (apart from the molasses & spices), and fill your house with a delicious aroma!

BIG GINGER COOKIES

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3/4 cup butter (or margarine or shortening)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 tbsp. sugar

Combine flour, ginger, soda, cinnamon, cloves and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds to soften.  Gradually add the 1 cup sugar; beat till fluffy.  Add egg and molasses; beat well. Stir dry ingredients into beaten mixture.

 

Shape into 1 1/2-inch balls (1 heaping tablespoon dough each).  Roll in 2 tablespoons sugar; place about 2 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake in a 350F oven for about 10 minutes or till light brown and still puffed.  Do not overbake.  Let stand 2 minutes; transfer to wire rack.  Cool.  Makes 24

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I often package these up for gifts in some of those nice little gift bags with front windows, and they get rave reviews.  Today they're just going into my beehive cookie jar.

  

 

Two dozen cookies fit perfectly!

 

Please help yourself!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Wendy

 

 

Linking up with Sarah at ...

 

 

 

 



A good honest cookie ;)

Remembrance Day / 11/11/13

 

A day for reflection & remembering those who gave their lives for us.

Just Add Water ... A Reveal!

With a lot of effort and time, my husband and I were finally able to get the niche at the top of our stairs ready for the fishtank.  I got the railings painted at the top of the stairs (railings going down the stairs will wait until next week!).  So now a few reveal photos!  This is the "before" photo ... I had just finished the sanding here:

 

And this is the railing all painted up!

 

 

My husband made a very nice cherry cabinet for the fish tank to sit on, and I love how he made a matching detail on the side of the fish cabinet with what he did on the bookshelf he made some years ago (which is right beside it):

 

 

The cabinet & tank were brought up from the basement last night, and the tank is now full of water and will run for the next couple of days before we can put the fish in.

 

 

The whole assembly is quite tall ... and hides my lovely painted railings :[  I put the black basket on the shelf for those ugly fishy necessities (fish food, net, etc), but think I'll get a couple of  wicker baskets instead (Ikea has a nice selection).

 

 

A nice comparison of what the railings used to look like & their improvement!

This is the view as you come in the front door.  I don't particularly like that black filter hanging off the back like that, but nothing can be done there.  I've always wanted to make a small wall hanging to hang off this banister so that it blocked the view straight into my kitchen.  The fish tank blocks the view very well now.  Still, it hasn't made me change my mind about the wall hanging ... maybe this winter I can work on that.  Can you see that tiny glimpse of yellow through that doorway on the kitchen walls?  Next project :\

 

 

 

And just because I'd like to brag about my husband's craftsmanship a bit more, here is the beautiful low bookshelf he made several years ago:

 

 

All cherry.  The best thing about cherry is that it darkens with age.  Our grandfather clock is also cherry so these three pieces will all darken away as the years roll by.  This is a good example of the furniture clutter in my house ... tucked wherever we find room for it! 

 

 

 I couldn't give up the green brocade chair from my mom's house.  As kids we used to call it the "Queen's Chair".  I have this photo of my grandmother sitting in it too.  The fabric was different then ... a beige brocade, but you can't really see that from this old scanned slide.

 

 

Anyway ... back to the present ... we just need to add the fish to the tank, and it's getting cold again out there and was even snowing a bit this morning!  The fish are waiting patiently out there under the leaves & debris falling all over their pond.

 

 

One more day little guys ... hang in there!

 

 Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you all have a great weekend.  My daughter is coming home and we're going on our annual mother-daughter trip to the Royal Winter Fair Horse Show tomorrow!!  Ball gowns are optional :)  seriously.

 

Wendy