Grandma Tillie's Gingerbread

So simple, so easy. It's not fancy, but it is spicy delicious, great in the Fall and Winter.

GRANDMA TILLIE'S GINGERBREAD

• preheat oven to 350 degrees

• butter well a 9 x 9 baking pan
  

In a large bowl, whisk together:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (note: reduce this amount by half if you use salted butter in the next step)
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking SODA
Set aside for now.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat:
1 stick unsalted butter (if you use salted butter, reduce the salt in the flour mixture above by half)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar

Beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy.

Add:
1 egg
Blend well.

Then, slowly add in:
1/2 cup molasses (I highly recommend Brer Rabbit Molasses -- nothing else is quite the same)
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
Mix until well blended.

Scrape the bowl down.

Add the flour mixture on low speed until smooth, then add:
1/2 cup hot water
Beat for 1 minute. (mixture may look curdled, but that's ok.) 

Scrape the bowl and mix a little longer if there are unincorporated bits.

Spread in the well buttered 9 x 9 pan, then bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack.

Cover tightly with foil when cool. Cut into large squares and serve with a dollop or so of whipped cream.

Cold Weather Comfort: Bean Soup

My Mother always made bean soup with the hambone and leftover ham from New Year's Day dinner, and I've made it plenty of times with holiday ham leftovers in January, then frozen it in meal-sized containers to pull out when the weather is it's coldest and the wind it's blusteriest.  But we've had a weird winter this year, and also had a ham at Easter. It's April, yet tomorrow it's supposed to snow ... again. May this be the last time that happens until the next winter!

Bean Soup

2 lbs dried beans (great northern, a bean mix, or navy beans are the best ones to use)

soak the beans per the package up to 8 hours, then drain and proceed with the recipe

3 tablespoons butter

2 large onions, roughly chopped

3 ribs of celery, washed and roughly chopped
a large ham bone, most meat removed and reserved for later in the recipe
1 carrot, grated

2 chicken bullion cubes (OR Herb Ox Sodium Free Bullion packets)

2 bay leaves

salt

pepper

In a large stockpot, melt the butter and add the onions and celery, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot and ham bone and saute a few more minutes. Add the prepared beans, and cover with water 2" above the solids, and add the 2 chicken bullion cubes. Add the bay leaves, additional ham meat, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, stir, and lower the heat to simmer slowly for at least 2 hours. Be a little scant on the salt -- about an hour into simmering the soup, taste it and adjust the seasoning to taste. 

This recipe, like many soup recipes, tastes so much better if made a day ahead and then reheated when you want it; the flavors marry with some chilling, and the flavor is much more complex and rich.

Makes about 6 quarts or so.

Simple Chicken Supper: Clara's Chicken

My knitting group had a lovely, lovely holiday-themed gathering last night at the beautiful home of Beedle Hinely (of biscotti fame!). As my contribution to the goodies, I made my favorite chicken dish that's super easy. If you have a houseful of guests or family,or need something to take to a potluck,  this recipe can be doubled or tripled without any problem ... or time!
It's delectable, super-simple, and has the taste of something you've slaved over all day to make. My kind of recipe!

CLARA'S CHICKEN
this recipe was given to me by my mother's late lifelong best friend and partner in decades of crime, Clara Albrecht. She was a treasure!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 slices Swiss cheese


Place boneless breasts in a well buttered 7 X 11 baking pan/casserole and top with the Swiss cheese slices.

1 cup sour cream
1/2 to 3/4 cup sherry wine
1 can cream of chicken soup

Whisk together the sour cream, wine and soup and pour over the breasts.

1 1/2 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing crumbs
6 tblsp. butter, melted

Blend crumbs and butter well and sprinkle densely over the soup mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for an hour.

That's it. Honest. This takes all of 10 minutes to prepare! You have plenty of time to whip up an impressive dessert, or make an elaborate salad and veggie dish.

Doubled, make in a 9 X 13 pan.