Gingerbread House & Icing

Gingerbread House
don't bake when humid
longer you bake it, the harder it is
let stand for a week to dry out

2 3/4 Cups Flour
1/2 t. Salt
1 t. ginger
1 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. cloves
3 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
2/3 Cup molasses (light or dark) - do after oil in same cup for easy pouring
1/3 Cup vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients
Mold a piece of heavy duty foil to a 17x12 cookie pan.
Spray the foil with Pam or oil lightly
Evenly press and smooth out the dough onto the foil (cover dough with a large piece of plastic wrap to avoid sticking).
Roll and press dough into all corners evenly - can use a glass or rolling pin
Bake at 300 F. for 25-30 minutes.
Place pattern pieces on hot gingerbread right out of the oven. Cut immediately with knife
Let cool 5 minutes
Lift out and place on cooling racks
The gingerbread must be hard when cool.
House will collapse with soft pieces.
If necessary, pieces can be placed back on cookie sheet and baked for 5-10 more minutes.
Allow gingerbread to dry out.
Do not stack pieces, even when dry unless you put a soft dishtowel or paper towel between pieces.

Snowy Icing

1/3 rounded cup meringue powder and 3/4 cup water (or 6 egg whites or powdered egg whites and water)
1 t. cream of tartar
2 lbs powdered sugar +
damp kitchen towel

Beat ingredients thoroughly with electric mixer in a large bowl.
Beat about 5 min until frosting stands in stiff peaks.
Add more powdered sugar if icing does not stand in stiff peaks after 5 minutes
Keep bowl covered at all times with a damp cloth.
This icing dries very quickly and becomes very hard.
Cover ends of decorating tips with wet cloth or wet paper towels.
Candy must be set into icing immediately (upon application) or it will not stick.

Assembling the House
Use a cake decorating tube and desired tips (#16 and #18 star tips are useful).
Decorate sides, back and front pieces while they are laying flat
Roof is easiest to decorate after it is on the house.
To make candy windows crush hard candy of desired color (yellow for generic or colors for stain glass), Lay gingerbread piece with crushed candy in window on foil covered cookie sheet and place in oven at 400 F for 5 minutes (checking on it). It takes more crushed candy than you think. Let harden overnight.

1 - Make a large "L" with frosting on cardboard base, the approximate size of the BACK and SIDE of the house.
2 - Pipe frosting along back edge of SIDE. Place the two pieces at right angles along the "L". The will hold each other up nicely!
3 - Pipe an "L" on card board for the other side and the front of the house. Pipe frosting along all SIDE edges. Put SIDE and FRONT in place.
4 - use zig-zag piping movements to decorate corners of the house.
5 - Roof: pipe frosting along all roof lines of standing house. Place ROOF pieces on. Add more frosting along top where roof sections meet and under eves of the house to secure them in place. Glue on chimney and door with frosting. Now decorate the roof. Use zig-zag piping movements to finish off roof edges. Make icicles with decorating tip via a downward motion.

Candy Ideas
Icicles - heat blue hard candy and stretch it. It will harden quickly. It is thin and fragile.
Ice skating rink - melted blue mint candies
Large trees - use pointed ice cream cones, add green to your frosting or use green candies
Bushes - green gumdrops
Woodpile - pretzels
Door - part of a Hershy Bar
Stone wall or bricks - cut snickers bars, or nuts in icing
Siding - pretzels
Shingles - cut in half frosted mini-wheats, triscuts, golden grahams, licorice nibs, pecan halves or cut stick gum for the color you want.
Thatch roof - shredded wheat
Fence - pretzels icinged together.
Steeple - sugar cone rolled in icing and layered with almond slivers
Palm tree leaves - green fruit roll ups
Coconuts - whoppers
Vines - grape vines dipped in chocolate with wax

Rolled Gingerbread Cookies

Cream together: 1 cup shortening
                           1 cup granulated sugar

Blend in:             1 cup molasses
                            1 egg
                            2 TBLs vinegar

Stir together:       5 cups flour
                            1 1/2 tsp. salt
                            2-3 tsp ground ginger
                            1 tsp ground cinnamon
                            1 tsp ground cloves

Blend four mixture with other ingredients.
Chill for 3 hours
Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface
Cut out shapes
Place one inch apart on greased cookie sheet
Bake at 375 for 4-5 minutes
Cool slightly and remove to rack
Makes 8 dozen 2 inch cookies.

Whole Wheat Waffles

Makes 4 Belgian Waffles (large square)

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2 cups of whole wheat flour (can use regular flour)
1 3/4 cups of skim milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of sucanat or sugar
1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

1. Preheat waffle iron.
2. Beat eggs and milk with hand-mixer until fluffy.
3. Beat in remaining ingredients: flour, milk, oil, sugar, baking soda, salt & vanilla
4. Spray waffle iron with Pam
5. Cook - yum!

Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken

Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken via Nicole via Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Note: If you don’t have a food processor to make fresh bread crumbs, you can try using a blender and pulsing the crumbs or try using panko bread crumbs (usually found in the Asian foods aisle). If you are using a food processor, you can also add the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to the bread crumbs and pulse to combine to create an even finer crumb.

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced (see garlic tutorial here)
• 2 thick slices whole wheat bread (for about 2 cups fresh bread crumbs)
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Combine butter and garlic in an 8- or 10-inch skillet. Heat over medium heat until the butter has melted. Pour the butter/garlic mixture into a shallow pie plate or similar dish and cool to room temperature.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, tear the bread into large chunks, and pulse until the bread is ground into crumbs. Pour the bread crumbs into a shallow pie plate or shallow bowl and toss with the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
3. Dip each chicken breast in the melted, cooled garlic butter. Transfer to the bread crumb mixture and turn until coated on all sides. Arrange the chicken in one flat layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle any of the remaining melted butter over the chicken. Bake the chicken until it is lightly browned and just cooked through, 40-50 minutes. The baking time will depend on the thickness and size of the chicken you are using. Don’t overcook or the chicken will be dry.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/03/crispy-oven-baked-chicken.html

Japanese Peasant Stew

Japanese Peasant Stew 

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1 minced onion, then add:

3-5 stalks celery, diagonally cut

3-5 carrots, diagonally cut

1 medium-size head bok Choy, diagonally cut (romaine lettuce or kale would work, as well)

1 bundle brown rice sticks or Ming bean threads (noodles)

1 Tbsp each: salt, and garlic or onion powder

2 Tbsps sesame oil

4 Tbsps soy sauce (Bragg's Liquid Aminos is free of wheat, refined sugars and preservatives)  

​Chopped green onions (optional

8-12 hard-boiled eggs, peeled.

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In a large soup pot, sauté the first group of ingredients in a little oil.  Cover with water (about 3 quarts) and simmer until crisp-tender 10-15 minutes, then add remaining ingredients inc. the boiled eggs.  Simmer  5 minutes longer.  Serve with a dollop of "mock sour cream" (2

Cup healthy mayo with 3 Tbsps lemon juice).

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​Comments:

I'm usually generous with the carrots, celery and noodles and sometimes add in frozen peas.  I use 2 baby bok choys.  I usually half and half the garlic and onion powders.

Zuppa Toscana

What to do with Bountiful Basket Collard Greens and Kale

Ingredients:

1 bunch of collard greens (could use kale)

 - washed, dried, and cut into small pieces

4 potatoes

 - washed, leave skins on and cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 teaspoon of minced garlic

4 cups of water

2 chicken bullion cubes

1 yellow onion

 - cubed

1/2 - 1 cup of heavy cream (I use fat free 1/2 and 1/2)

6 slices of turkey bacon

5 large links of sausage (Johnsonville spicy Italian)

 - cooked at 350, then cut into small pieces

STEP ONE: cook sausage - on a cookie sheet with water covering the bottom of the pan

STEP TWO: cut onion and cook in deep skillet/pan with bacon until bacon is done and onions are clear

STEP THREE: remove bacon (once cooked) and tear into small pieces and set aside

STEP FOUR: add minced garlic, stir and cook for a couple of minutes

STEP FIVE: add water and bullion cubes

STEP SIX: add sliced potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes

STEP SEVEN: add sliced greens, crumbled bacon and sausage

STEP EIGHT: add cream and simmer (make sure greens are really soft - collard greens can take up to 45 minutes to soften whereas kale takes far less). I let it simmer a long time and I had to add some milk later on.

Maylene's Zucchini Casserole

So I have finally found a decent use for cream of something soup.  This is so yummy.  Of course I lightened it up - but you don't have to.

1 can cream of chicken
1 cup sour cream
1 box of stove topping stuffing chicken flavor
2 shredded zucchini's
1 chopped onion
1 shredded carrot
1/4 cup butter

Step one: shred zucchini, chop onion, shred carrot
Step two: steam zucchini and chopped onion lightly
Step three: mix sour cream and cream of chicken soup in veggies, including shredded carrot
Step four: toss stove top in melted butter
Step five: create layers: start with stove top, then veggie layer and end with stove top
Step six: bake at 350 for 30 minutes