Best Homemade Pizza — EVER!

I’ve been searching Pinterest for easy bread machine pizza dough and I think I may have found it (click here for link). I’ve modified it a bit, adding 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1.25 cups bread flour, and 0.75 cups whole wheat flour. I leave it in my bread machine for the full amount of time during the ‘dough’ setting.

When the dough is done in the bread machine, divide in two equal parts. Roll out as thin as you can get it (aprox 0.25″ thick). Bake at 400 degrees on pizza stone for 10 mins.

Now you have your base crust for your pizza toppings!

This particular pizza-masterpiece has (in this order) Catelli pasta sauce, grated parmesan cheese, fried onions & mushrooms, pepperoni, jalapenos, dried cranberries, mozzerella and marble cheese. The fried onions with mushrooms gives an especially rich flavour. I never knew I liked fried mushrooms so much! Bake your piled high pizza for another 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

I have been making a few extra pizzas for my freezer, to pull out whenever I need a quick lunch or supper. Just freeze it after you pile it high with toppings (crust baked, but toppings unbaked). I think it’s even better after it’s been frozen… The flavours have time to blend and intensify!!

Bake frozen pizza at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, as soon as the cheese is melted and bubbly in the centre! Oh so good!

Pie Disaster

“Easy as pie.” Who said that? I’d like to shoot them!

Gas oven experiment #2 – we used “Easy Convect” feature which decreased time (-5 min) and temperature (-25˚). The top has a deceptively attractive color and crisp, but the bottom is so uncooked, the berries sank practically through the dough. I was tempted to throw it onto the stove top and let the gas flames burn the soggy ass bottom! Although we left it in for another 15 min, the berries were just barely bubbling – you could still see powdered flour through the slits – but the top was getting too dark by then.

I’ve now read online that some have tried to place the pie right on the floor of the oven. I find it ironic that my first pies with electric stove did not have these kinds of problems. Sigh, hubby ate it this morning for breakfast and said yum yum – he truly loves me.

Blueberry Sour Cream Cake

Always a crowd pleaser (they love the moist cake, I love how fast and easy it is), I thought this recipe deserved a photo – especially since it’s blueberry season. Thanks to Janie for showing it to me… um, when is the next one coming?

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter / margerine
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups blueberries

Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more depending on taste)

Steps
1) Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs. Add sour cream.
2) Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
3) Fold into above with vanilla. Fold blueberries in gently.
4) Pour into 9″x13″ tray. Sprinkle topping mix evenly on top of cake.
5) Bake at 350˚F for 40 minutes.

Peanut Butter Cups — Homemade

… Just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Sometimes I get a craving for those Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups. Now I figured out how to make them at home! At first, I wasn’t overly impressed, but after eating another one the next day, I was hooked. At least when I make these homemade ones, I know I’m not getting too many weird ingredients.

Ingredients
1 cup bulk melting milk chocolate bits (Save-on-Foods) (you could probably experiment w dark chocolate or white chocolate)
1 cup organic peanut butter (peanut butter only, no other addititives)
1/2 cup icing sugar (optional)
1 tbsp canola oil for greasing muffin tins

Directions
1. Put the milk chocolate bits into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals and keep checking until they are melted. I only had to nuke my chocolate for 45 seconds.

2. Use canola oil and grease muffin tins, just at the bottom and up sides about half way.

3. Use tablespoon to smear melted chocolate into greased muffin tin. I only needed one heaping tablespoon of melted chocolate. Use spoon to draw the melted chocolate up the sides about one third of the way.

4. Wait for chocolate to solidify. My apartment was cold so it only took 5 minutes to solidify.

5. Mix icing sugar with peanut butter. Put 1.5 tablespoons of peanut butter into the solidified base of chocolate muffin tin.

6. Spoon on enough melted chocolate on top of the peanut butter to completely cover. Spread the chocolate around, being careful not to mix into the peanut butter too much.

7. Put in fridge. Wait 2 hours to completely solidify.

8. After completely solidified, the peanut butter cups will easily pop out of the muffin tins!

Enjoy and try not to eat them all at once ;p

Can be stored in the fridge. Keep at room temperature until ready to eat — I couldn’t wait that long…

Matcha Muffin with White Chocolate Chip

Saw this easy recipe on public television and it was… easy as muffins? Well it was easy because hubby made it! Extremely airy texture, not mushy or dense – we dived in immediately, but as they cooled, the tops became crispier, which made for a great combo. Normally I can’t even finish one store bought muffin because it’s just too sweet for my liking – I had no problem finishing off two!

Just assemble two bowls of wet and dry ingredients, then combine. Bake  at 375˚ F for 20 minutes. Makes 7 to 8 muffins.

1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
2 tbsp Green Tea powder
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
2/3 cup whole milk (we used 1%)
1/3 cup canola oil

Biscotti 2010

Another successful bake-fest – this year’s new fave flave is coffee and milk choc chips. The way it’s mixed is key though. Marbling tastes better when the coffee flavor is mixed into half the dough, then marbled together with regular by hand. It results in a more defined marble and stronger taste. Someone suggested using coffee grounds – ah next year.

Bonnie’s McPenne & Cheese

Serious comfort food! Here’s the recipe with some modifications – bacon instead of ham, added green peas, mixed some bread crumbs with cheese and sprinkle on top to broil in the oven to give it a crunchy texture.  Oh and I didn’t add lemon juice.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/quick_macaroni_and_cheese/

Tony’s Ice Cream

This recipe is from “The Dessert Bible”, and with a few changes, resulted in the  green tea ice cream that everyone now wants to buy from Tony.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART

• 4-inch piece of vanilla bean or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 large egg plus 2 egg yolks

TONY’S MODIFICATIONS:

• 1.5 cups cream and 1.5 cups 2% milk (usually I use 1 cup cream and 2 cups 2% milk)
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract (I am not even sure if it’s needed)
• mix the green tea powder (Fujiya) with 1/3 cup of sugar until no lumps, then whisk with the eggs

1. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scraping both sides with a paring knife. Reserve both the pod and the scrapings. Combine milk, 1/3 cup of the sugar, the heavy cream, and the reserved vanilla pod and scrapings in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. (If using vanilla extract, do not add it now.) Bring mixture to 175 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, combine the whole egg and egg yolks with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer or whisk by hand until pale yellow and thick, about 2 minutes with a mixer or 4 minutes by hand.

3. Remove 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture from the saucepan and add slowly to the beaten egg yolks while whisking vigorously. Whisk this mixture back into the saucepan. Over low heat, cook mixture until it reaches t 80 degrees, stirring
constantly (about 5 minutes). The custard should be the thickness of heavy cream but
should not boil or bubble. If the mixture starts to give off a fair amount of steam, take it off the heat for a few moments and stir vigorously. This is a sign that the custard is about to boil.

4. Pour custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a nonreactive bowl. Remove vanilla pod (if using) from strainer and add to mixture. If using vanilla extract, stir it into the custard now. Place bowl into a large bowl filled halfway with ice water to cool. When mixture reaches room temperature, cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate. It is best to refrigerate the custard overnight or for at least 6 hours. (The temperature is less critical if you are using an expensive electric ice cream machine or the old-fashioned models such as White Mountain that depend on ice and rock salt for cooling. However, newer machines with removable liners that are chilled
in the freezer cannot successfully make ice cream with a warm custard base.)

5. When mixture is chilled, remove and discard vanilla pod (if using), stir, and place into ice cream machine. Follow manufacturer’s directions. When done, transfer ice cream to an airtight container. Freeze until firm, 1 to 2 hours. (The ice cream will still be soft after churning in the machine.)

WHAT CAN GO WRONG? The biggest problem is the use of ice cream machines with removable liners that must be frozen in your freezer. The freezer temperature must be 0 degrees Fahrenheit to make this work efficiently. (One of my freezers was 11 degrees and the machine never worked. Other neighbors tested their freezers and most were in the 5 – to 7 -degree range.) That’s why I recommend the White Mountain system, since it avoids this problem completely.

Cream Scones with Blueberries

This blog was started after I was hounded for Harumi’s Chicken Cabbage Salad. If it didn’t get started way back then, it would have been started due to the popularity of this recipe, found in the Food Network cookbook. Changed a couple items to make it less fattening and sweet, but other than that, this recipe now has demolished any cravings I have for the scones at the PNE.

Makes 8

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar, plus additional for sprinkling (we use natural sugar so it cuts down sweetness)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into1/2-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup dried blueberries
• 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup heavy cream, plus additional for brushing (we use 2% or whatever milk we have in house)

I. Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour with the 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Toss the butter with the flow mixture to coat and, using your fingers, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the blueberries and orange zest and toss.

2. Beat the egg with the 1/4 cup cream and stir into flour mixture to make a shaggy, loose dough. Tum dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a 6-inch round. Cut into 8 wedges and put on the baking sheet, leaving a few inches between each. Brush tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Tamako’s Savoury Muffin

Base Ingredients

• 2cups Flour
• 1 tbls Baking powder
• 4 Eggs
• 100cc Veg Oil
• 2 tbls Sugar
• 2 tbls Milk
• pinch Salt
• pinch Black Pepper

Savory Ingredients

• Onion, Cheese, Ham, Bacon, Red pepper, Parsley  etc
• You can mix anything you would like to about 1cup to 1.5 cup.
• Cut the ingredients small size like 1/4 inch to 1cm size.
• Toss that with little bit of flour.
• (Coating with flour prevent the ingredients to sink into the bottom and
• mix well with dough)

Steps

1. Mix Eggs with sugar and whisk lightly
2. Add salt, black pepper, oil, milk and mix
3. Add dry ingredients and mix with Spatula.
4. (After add dry ingredients, do not mix too much.
5. Use the motion like cutting dough to prevent dough become pasty)
6. Bake 10mi at 350F
7. Use wet knife to cut the top open little bit
8. Bake another 20 to 25mi at 320F

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is a grain-like crop. Not a true cereal grain, but closer to the family of beets, spinach or tumbleweed. It’s is cooked like rice (I use chicken stock with ratio of 1: 1.25 more water than quinoa). And boil until it absorbs all the water (aprox 15 min). It’s so good. Today I tossed it cold into my salad. Here’s the recipe:

Colombe’s Pizza

I must say this is the most unique topping on pizza I’ve ever used. The crust is quite good. Kinda fool proof. My friend Dave Colombe has a cookbook out and the dough recipe’s from in there. I don’t even follow the recipe perfectly and the dough is light, thin and crispy. I’m super impressed.

Topping: leftover prime rib, red onions, sliced tomatoes, orange peppers, oregano, marble cheese, sweet potatoes, and sliced green olives stuffed with provolone.

I can’t wait to eat the other pizza that I’m trying to save for tomorrow’s lunch (posted by Mar).

Go Canada Go!

Been seeing patriotic reds and whites everywhere, even as sprinkles for Alton Brown Chiffon Cupcakes – but I didn’t want to add food coloring and more unneeded sugar to my treat. So I cut out a leaf and made it snow cocoa powder instead.

Thai Green Curry Rub

Did you know that you can use Thai green curry paste as a chicken rub? I had no idea until a friend bought me a big tub of paste (Aroy-D) and told me about it!! It’s amazing! Just wash your chicken pieces, salt and pepper them. Rub the green curry paste all over on both sides and bake in a casserole dish at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. I also shut my oven off after 45 minutes, then left chicken in there for an additional 15 minutes and the chicken went super tender. Almost fall-off-the-bone tender!

Thai Green Curry paste as chicken rub on free run chicken thighs (bone in). Delish!!

Biscotti 2009

Sheer brilliance! Starbuck’s Via instant coffee is a perfect addition to these (oh god, can’t I make room in my cupboards?) beautifully ornate coffee mugs – this year’s vessel for biscotti batches.

This year, there are TWO new flavors! 1st: Café mocha (1 Via package / 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips for half batch of biscotti dough). As I worked the dough, the instant coffee started to melt and marble. Too bad it’s not as visible after baking.

2nd: Coconut Lime (3/4 cup coconut / zest of 1/2 lemon for half batch of biscotti dough). Sadly the festive lime color is muted, and next time I’ll use the zest of a whole lime for more punch.

If you look closely, there are brown freckles on the dough – it’s from using the Organic Cane Sugar rather than refined white. I find it less sweet and quite like that.

Waffle Cookies

OK, I tried it and now I can let it go. My first attempt at making a waffle cookie with a splotch of dough in the middle ended up falling apart into 4 mini sections. So rather than fight it, I decided to make 1 huge waffle cookie and let it fall apart on purpose because then I’d be done faster anyway. It certainly looks appealing but it’s kinda dry, and the waffle iron ends up quite messy. Overall, I’d rather stick with a cookie sheet.

Make Cookies in 90 Seconds with Your Waffle Iron

Martha‘s version:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chocolate-waffle-cookies?autonomy_kw=cookies%20waffle%20iron

Fine Cooking‘s version:

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/oatmeal-chocolate-chip-waffle.aspx

Sponge Pizza Dough

Book: Pizza Doughs and Crusts

This savory crust has an intriguing light texture that works with almost any topping.

Yields 4 large 8-inch pizzas.

Greek Garlic Pizza Dough

Book: Pizza Doughs and Crusts

Flavorful garlic and Greek Kasseri cheese lend a tantalizing taste and aroma to this matchless pizza dough. If Kasseri is not available, substitute it with freshly grated Kefalotiri, Bitto, Grana Padano, or Sardo.

Speedy Pizza Dough

Book: Pizza Doughs and Crusts

The fastest of my pizza doughs, Speedy Dough can be prepared from start to finish during the 30 minutes it takes for the oven to preheat. The recipe calls for rapid-rise yeast, and the dough is kneaded for leass than a minute and rises only briefly. The result, surprisingly is a wonderful crisp, light crust.

Roscan’s Pizza Baking Stone

You can now achieve at home the same great pizza you enjoy at your favorite pizzeria. The Roscan pizza baking stone is made of natural stoneware providing even heat distribution and moisture absorption to make lighter, crispier crust on your pizza.

Olive Oil Pizza Dough

Book: Pizza Doughs and Crusts

Adding olive oil to pizza dough, creates a thick, hard crust with a cake-like texture. This dough is ideal/or toppings that are very moist.

Simon’s Fruit Drink

2 cans Lychee, sliced (save 1 can of the juice)
1 can Jackfruit, sliced
1 can Palm’s Seed, sliced
1 can Arroy-D Coconut Milk
1/2 jar Buenas Sugar Palm Fruit, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
12 ice cubes

Mix all ingredients, add ice cubes, and enjoy cold.

Blueberry Pie

Tried the “Rita’s Simply Blueberry Pie” recipe and it worked very nicely. I was surprised by how wet the dough was, but it worked well. However, I’d double the salt to 1 tsp next time instead.

Tamako’s Tandoori Chicken

• Chicken Thigh         1lb (500g)
• Plain Yogurt            60cc
• Honey                     1tbsp
• Curry Powder            1tbsp
• Ketchup                  1tbsp
• Cooking Oil              1tbsp
• Soy Source               1/2 tbsp
• Garlic minced or grounded    1/2 tsp
• Salt                         1/4 tsp
• Black pepper              pinch
• Nutmeg                    pinch

Remove fat from chicken and cut into small size.

Mixed all the ingredients.

Marinate the chicken about 2 to 3 hours.

Bake in the oven (400˚F) or BBQ them.

Sprinkle salt over for the taste if you desire.

Simon’s Korean Beef Skewers

Requested by popular demand, Simon has finally measured his marinade for striploin beef skewers. Marinate 6 hours or overnight.

• 2 Costco striploin steaks, sliced against the grain, 4-5 strips, 1/8″ thick
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 2 stalks green onion, minced
• 1 pinch sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt

Edamame Dip by Alton Brown

Prep Time: 15 min
Level: Easy
Yield: about 2 cups

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Michele’s modifications: 1 packet Vanilla Sugar, 1 cup pecans, substitute with cane sugar (Panella), and extra large raisins (pre-soaked). Warning: they disappear in a day. Crispy yet chewy.

36 cookies

Memphis Blues Dry Rub

Well, the BBQ weather is here and time to fire up the grill!! I found this in Memphis Blues cookbook by George Siu and Park Heffelfinger. Lots of fantastic recipes in this book. You must pick one up for summertime cooking!

From the cookbook:

A dry rub is a mix of herbs and spices rubbed on a cut of meat before it’s barbecued. Some people rub the night before and refrigerate, while others rub just before they put the meat in the pit. The choice is yours.

Chocolate Caramel Crack(ers)

From SmittenKitchen.com

My friend made these and posted in her Facebook. They look so incredibly delicious, I’m scared to make them for fear I will eat them all…

Chocolate Caramel Crack(ers)
Adapted from David Lebovitz, who adapted it from Marcy Goldman who is the genius that first applied this to matzo.

Pumpkin Seed Cookies

Pumpkin seeds with a citrus twist – what a treat from my sister-in-law. She only uses 1/2 cup of sugar and didn’t bother grinding the tea leaves, since they’re so fine anyway.

Makes 30 cookies

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) Overwaitea Pure Ceylon Tea
1 3/4 cup (425 mL) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. (3 ml) baking soda
1/2 tsp. (3 ml) salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) shelled pumpkin seeds or almonds, toasted, roughly chopped
1/3 cup (75 ml) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup (150 ml) granulated sugar (use 1/2 cup if you prefer less sweet)
Finely grated peel of 1 lemon
Finely grated peel of 1 lime
1 egg
2 Tbsp. (30 ml) fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350′F (180′C). In a spice or coffee grinder, grind the tea leaves to a fine powder. In a bowl, combine the ground tea leaves, flour, baking soda, salt and chopped pumpkin seeds.or almonds. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and lemon and lime peel. Add the egg and lemon juice and mix well. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing after each addition until a dough forms. Roll about 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) of the cookie dough into a round ball. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and slightly flatten. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing cookies about 2″ (5 cm) apart. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheet to wire rack to cool.

Kale and Potato soup

This recipe is super easy and quick. I use store bought organic vegetable stock. If you have time, go ahead and make the stock with beef bone for extra flavor.

1 bunch kale (black tuscan or green variety), remove rib and chopped coarsely
1 medium leek, sliced white and light green parts only
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 medium potato, cut into chunks
1 lb. of sausage, I used farmer’s breakfast patties, you can try different types to your liking
1.5 liters of low sodium organic vegetable or beef stock
splash of Madeira or sweet wine such as sherry or port (optional)
1 carrot, diced (optional)
parmesan cheese, grated

Direction

1. In your soup pot, brown the sausages on both side.
2. Add in garlic and leeks. Cook until slightly soften. Add a splash of wine and scrape the browned pieces of meat from the pot.
3. Throw in the rest of the vegetables and stock. Bring to a boil and lower to simmer. Cook until potato is cooked, about 30 minutes.
4. Serve soup hot with some grated parmesan cheese

Turkey Meatballs

I got this off of Gweneth Paltrow’s blog (goop.com). It’s her friend Julia’s recipe. I just made it and it is awesome. I didn’t follow it exactly but it turned out great nonetheless. Marlene

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Donna Hay)

Can’t have enough chocolate chip cookie recipes! This one is nice, it has a touch of coconut in it, and it isn’t too sweet. (Makes aprox 20-30  cookies, not enough if you ask me…) Marlene

Braised Oxtail

If you like gnawing and sucking on bones this recipe is for you!

A very simple and rustic dish I love to make. Just so long as you have about 3 hours to spare, that is.

revisit! the best chocolate chip cookies, ever

http://www.shelterrific.com/2007/09/03/real-life-test-kitchen-chocolate-chip-perfection/

Vietnamese Subs (home-made)

Well, if you can’t make it out to buy Vietnamese subs (Au Petit Cafe has my fave chicken sub), then you could make your own at home. It’s not exactly the same, but it’s not bad.

Nuts and Bolts

This is a savoury mix of nuts and cereal. I give this out in little bags at Christmas time. My nephew and niece have nut allergies, so you can make it without the nuts, just use extra pretzels or cereal. Marlene

Ingredients

Poached Eggs with Bacon and Toasted Pecan Pancakes

I am always on the hunt for delicious and (somewhat) healthy breakfasts. These pancakes include whole wheat flour in the recipe, so there’s the health part… The rest is just goooooood. This recipe is from Martha Stewart website. Serves 2. Marlene

• Ingredients

Easy Guacamole

The key to good guacamole is the avocados. Start with ripe avocados. I always buy them a few days ahead (bcs my supermarket’s avocados are always too green) and let them ripen in my apartment.

Ingredients

Easy steak

I am so surprised how easy it is to make a good fried steak at home. Here’s my fool-proof recipe. I like beef Tenderloin steak, but its supremo-expensive, so often I’ll buy Rib-Eye. Some of my friends like the chewier Strip Loin. Marlene

Ingredients

Pommes Frites (French Fries)

The trick to crispy (not greasy) fries is to double fry the potatoes! I found this recipe on rouxbe.com and it was delish. Marlene

Lemon Coriander Prawns

I’ve recently been introduced to Costco’s frozen prawns, already deveined and shelled, but tails left on. I wanted to find more recipes for making prawns. Here’s one I found on rouxbe.com — enjoy! Marlene

Chinese Pot Stickers

I love pot stickers! They are so yummy when pan fried to a golden crisp, but still moist inside. This recipe is similar to Gyoza King’s prawn, pork and chive gyozas. I like the home-ey taste of the homemade skins, nice to work with, very fresh, moist and thick, but it was a lot of work compared to store bought. These freeze well — freeze in single layer tray, then transfer to a freezer bag when frozen. Marlene

Ingredients:

Chewy Ginger Snaps

I just found these and loooove Capers’ chewy ginger snaps and wanted to find a recipe that would make them. Although I have not tested this recipe yet, it looks good and I have compared with a few online. Marlene

Ingredients

Harvest Vegetable Soup

Some soups are definitely worth making from scratch. This one is a New Ultimate not only for its gorgeous color and mellow flavour but also for simple preparation and great nutrition.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Gingerbread Cake with Cranberries

From Food Network Canada

Yield: 1

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup molasses
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup boiling water
1 egg
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, diced
1 cup frozen cranberries

Directions:

Butter and line a 9 x 9-inch pan with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cream together butter and sugar. Separately combine baking soda and molasses.
In another bowl, sift flour with baking powder, spices, and salt. Stir molasses into butter mixture. Add flour mixture and boiling water alternately, mixing well after each addition. Beat in egg and stir in crystallized ginger.
Scrape batter into pan and spread gently to level. Place cranberries on top of cake batter and press in slightly. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 20 minutes.

Biscotti Recipes by Martha Stewart

Hazelnut Biscotti

Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti

Chocolate-Pistachio Biscotti

Pecan Cranberry Biscotti

Butter Holds the Secret to Cookies That Sing

I now have more respect for butter after reading this article.

Turducken

Three birds stuffed into one another and then stuffed into us.
Very moist and wonderful variety of meat when you’re just all turkeyed out.