Burgers and Whole Wheat Buns

Since we have discovered that making your own burgers not only tastes better, but is less expensive and more fun than buying frozen ones, we haven't ever bought a "store" burger. Most people's complaints about homemade burgers is that they are too thick, or that they end up turning into baseball-shaped hunks of meat on the grill. I will tell you how to avoid that!

I am also including a recipe for whole wheat burger buns. They are delicious! Make sure you make these buns a few hours in advance; they need at least 1.5 hours to rise. Bun recipe adapted from Canadian Living.

These two recipes will make enough burgers and buns to feed a crowd, and they're also easy to freeze. Separate hamburger patties with waxed paper and throw them in a Ziplock baggie, and freeze. Put cooled buns in an old bread bag or a Ziplock bag and freeze them as well.

Hamburgers:
2.5 - 3 lb. lean ground beef
3 eggs
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 tsp. dried sage
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. onion powder
4 - 5 large cloves garlic, minced
Optional: 1 small onion, pureed
2 - 3 portobello caps, pureed

In a very large bowl, mix all of these ingredients together extremely well. Use your hands - it's more thorough. This recipe is very cohesive, yielding a burger patty consistency that you can really flatten out. The idea is to use lots of eggs and bread crumbs, and to make any additions very finely minced or pureed. Large chunks of diced onion or mushroom will literally act as "separators" and prevent the patty from sticking together. So grab a handful of your mixture, and make it as flat and as round as you prefer. Yields about 12 - 15 patties.

Cook on a griddle or skillet over medium heat until desired doneness. Or, flame-grill on your barbeque on medium heat. Everyone has a way of cooking their burgers - I prefer them flipped once only, done medium-rare.

Buns:
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 c. warm water (slightly warmer than room temp)
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (one envelope)
1 c. milk
2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. whole wheat bread flour
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (approx)
Sesame seeds

In a large bowl, dissolve 1 tsp. of the sugar in the water. Sprinkle the yeast over top and let sit until frothy, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining sugar, milk, salt and butter in a saucepan just until the butter is melted. Remove from heat and let it stand until lukewarm. Add this to the yeast mixture.

Using an electric mixer, add the whole wheat flour, one cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth. Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the all-purpose flour until you have a stiff dough. Turn this out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place the dough ball in a greased bowl, turning the dough once to coat completely with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm, draught-free area until doubled in size, about 60 - 90 minutes.

Punch down the dough, turn onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a log and cut into 16 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, pinching the bottoms and smoothing the tops until you have a bun-shaped ball. Place on a greased baking sheet and flatten slightly. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover and let them rise in a warm, draught-free place for 30 - 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Bake in a 400 F oven for 20 - 25 minutes, on the centre rack or higher, until golden brown and buns sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. My last batch turned out crunchy on the bottom because I placed them on a lower rack level. Let buns cool on a rack, and enjoy them with your homemade hamburgers! Yields 16 buns.

Leftover Pie Crust Tarts

I got a great idea as I was making an apple pie, and was wondering what to do with the large amounts of crust that I inevitably had to cut off the sides of the pie. I puzzle-pieced the leftover scraps together in the cups of a muffin tin, and filled each mini-shell with a mixture of frozen fruit, sugar, and cornstarch.

Pictured is raspberry - fill the shell full with frozen raspberries, and add a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of cornstarch per shell. Bake at 425 F for about 15 minutes, stirring each tart at the 10 minute mark (or when the fruit is no longer frozen) to mix in the sugar and cornstarch.

Vanaema's Sauerkraut

My grandmother (vanaema in Estonian) told me, verbally, how she makes her sauerkraut. I'm not sure if I remembered it in its entirety, and I just kind of made what I thought she said. It turned out great and I make it this way all the time. It's a hard one to screw up, though. *Edit: I talked to her the other day and she told me that I had it all wrong! Oops. I'm still not going to change it because this is how I make it!*

This sauerkraut is rather sweet. It's certainly not the kind of 'kraut you get from the jar! Try different ways of sweetening this recipe - brown sugar, white sugar, maple syrup, or apples.

1 head of green cabbage, shredded or julienned
1 jar of naturally fermented sauerkraut (not wine-fermented!)
1 large vidalia or sweet onion, chopped
2 - 3 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
Optional: 1/2 lb. bacon, ham, or pork, chopped

Mix all ingredients together in a large pot with a lid. Place in the oven at about 300 F for 4 - 5 hours, stirring occasionally. The sauerkraut will turn golden brown, smell a little sour and a little sweet, and you'll get awesome chewy bits where the mixture has been baking up against the side of the pot. It will have caramelised nicely because of the sugar and apples, and the cabbage will be oh-so-tender.

You can also make this in your slow cooker, on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 10 hours. Enjoy!

Perfect Pancakes

This is my own recipe. It is better than Bisquick, I promise! Plus it's very easy, never chewy, always fluffy - the perfect pancake! The purpose of the spelt or buckwheat flour is to prevent the pancakes from going chewy if you happen to stir the batter too much. Spelt and buckwheat have very little gluten, and gluten is what is responsible for the chewiness of bread. You can use any gluten-free flour in place of the spelt or buckwheat in this recipe.

Preheat a non-stick griddle to medium heat. Make sure your griddle is completely heated before you pour your pancakes.

Combine in a large bowl:
1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. spelt or buckwheat flour
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder

Combine in a large measuring glass:
2 eggs, whisked
2 c. milk + 2 tsp. vinegar (or just use buttermilk)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. oil

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix with a fork until just combined (but not if there are still large lumps of dry flour throughout the batter - stir the batter till the bigger lumps have broken up). Spray the griddle with oil, and pour 1/4 cup portions of pancake batter onto the hot griddle. Fry them until you see lots of bubbles surfacing on top and are a deep golden brown, and then flip them over. Cook the other side until it is also a deep golden brown. Serve the pancakes immediately with butter, syrup, jam, or whatever tickles your fancy. They can also be kept warm on a stoneware plate in the oven set on the coolest temperature.

I like to make large batches of pancakes. This recipe yields about 20 - 25 pancakes. Halve the recipe if you desire. I like to eat the morning's cold pancakes for lunch with cheese and lunchmeat on them, popped in the microwave for a few seconds. Not sure why. I just like them that way.

Whole Wheat Yogourt Bread

This is a bread machine recipe. It is straight out of the little book that came with my bread machine (West Bend brand)! And it is wonderful. The proportion of whole wheat to regular bread flour is greater than half-and-half, so you must use a "Whole Wheat" setting on your bread machine, if it exists. If you don't have that setting, feel free to reduce the amount of whole wheat flour and increase the amount of bread flour till you get a 1:1 ratio.

Please remember that bread-making is a science, even when you leave all of the work to the machine. Always remember to measure your ingredients perfectly, and don't leave anything out. Be exact. Don't add less sugar, the yeast feeds on it. Don't add less salt, it prevents the yeast from going out of control. Don't add more yeast, or your loaf might fall. Just stick to the recipe, folks, and you'll have a perfect loaf of bread!

Yields a 1.5 pound loaf.

1 c. water, 80 degrees F (a little warmer than room-temperature)
1/2 c. plain non-fat yogourt (also warm)
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 1/3 c. bread flour
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. dry milk (I leave this ingredient out completely, because it is very hard to find, and the bread still turns out perfectly)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. active dry yeast OR 1 1/2 tsp. quick rise yeast

Add all of the ingredients into your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Set it, forget it, and enjoy it when the machine beeps! Yum!

Tuna Melt Pasta

I'm not a tuna fan. At all. But J sure is, and he loves my tuna melts! So, I adapted my typical tuna melt on toast recipe into a quick and easy pasta dish.

1/2 bag of your favourite pasta
2 c. fresh or frozen raw vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus, peppers ... the sky is the limit)

3 Tbsp. butter or cooking oil
2 - 3 cloves of fresh grated or minced garlic
1/2 lb. peeled shrimp, tails off
1 tsp. each garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, sea salt, fresh black pepper
3 Tbsp. flour
1 c. milk
1/4 c. white wine
1/2 c. beef broth
Dash of worcestershire sauce
1 - 2 tins flaked tuna, drained (go by how tuna-y you want your sauce)
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese


You will need a large pot for your pasta, and a large non-stick skillet for your sauce. Boil the pasta water with some salt and olive oil. The salt gives flavour, and the olive oil prevents the pastas from sticking together when you pour it outinto your colander. When the water starts to boil, is also when you should begin making your sauce. It is very quick.

Throw your pasta and your vegetables into the boiling pot. When pasta is al dente, drain.

While pasta is boiling, heat up/melt your butter or oil in the skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic for a few seconds, then throw in the shrimp and cook them (if they are already cooked, and not frozen, add them with the tuna later on). Coat the sauteing shrimp in the powders, salt and pepper, then whisk in the flour until it is completely incorporated into the fat.

Whisk in milk, wine, worcestershire, and broth. Bring to a simmer, stirring often, and whisk until it is thick. Taste it at this point and make sure your sauce is tasty enough - add more spices if you like. Stir in your can(s) of tuna (and shrimp if they are cooked and room-temperature), and simmer until it is heated through. Whisk in the cheeses (feel free to use different types of cheese than those listed) until they are melted, and sauce is nice and gooey!

Serve this creamy sauce over the pasta and vegetables, nice and hot. There you have it: quick, easy, and cheap comfort food!

Blog: It's Been Awhile!

Yikes! I haven't posted since December! Happy New Year everyone! I had a lovely Christmas and a quiet New Years. I did end up making a batch of chocolate chip cookies for our five year old niece, but J ate them all before she could have any. The best gift I received was a bread machine from my parents! And you can bet the money you got in that Christmas card from your Auntie that I've been using it. A lot.

I have also been very busy doing non-culinary things, the main one being painting J's brother's new house. And a big house it is - I've been at it for nine days total, and I'm still not done the first two levels. I've also been refinishing furniture. No, I won't refinish that harvest table you've had for ages. It's not a fun task - the only reason why I'm refinishing my furniture is a pride-of-ownership thing. And a sense of "Hey, I bought it for 85 bucks, may as well sand it down a little." It's a lovely little solid knotty pine dry sink; not an antique or anything, but it looks awesome in my living room.

Without further ado, I'll post a couple more heart-warming recipes to share with all of you!

Trina's Leftover Turkey Casserole (and Carcass Broth)

The extended family went home, the kids got all the things they ever wanted for Christmas, everyone's had a busy (but fun) holiday. The only thing is, you've got half a turkey still kicking around in the fridge. Carve it up, save all of the meat you possibly can, and make some stock out of the carcass. Here's how:

- Put the carcass in the biggest pot you own. Cover it with water, add salt and pepper to taste, slice up half an onion into fat rings, and find some raw carrots, and throw those in the pot, too.
- Bring contents of your pot to the boil, and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for a couple of hours. No need to stir, or even monitor it, really. Go watch a movie and your stock will be done cooking.
- Get some 2L pop bottles or glass mason jars or juice bottles washed and ready. Grab a funnel.
- Strain the stock from the pot through a sieve into another (very large) bowl. Get a cup with a spout and handle, and pour the strained stock into your cleaned bottles.
- You will have a lot of meat "bits" leftover in your sieve. Feed those bits to the cat - he'll love you for it!
- Freeze the plastic bottles, glass doesn't do too well in the freezer. Use the stock in soups, gravies, or anywhere that plain water seems a little, well, boring. For example, boil your rice in broth instead of water!

Why do we make stock out of the carcass? Because the bones, more specifically the marrow in the bones, hold a tonne of flavour. When boiled for a long time, the flavour is imparted into the water, and you have a delicious, savoury broth!

Now that you've made the most of your old turkey bones, it's time to make a delicious casserole out of all that meat. Casserole dishes come in all shapes and sizes, and so do families, and let's face it - how much turkey meat you have leftover can greatly vary as well. So I won't put measurements in. Just eyeball everything. It's only a casserole!

Layer bottom-to-top:
- Turkey, cut into pieces - choose your favourite type of meat, light or dark, or both.
- Pour enough leftover gravy over the turkey to make the bottom layer very moist.
- Splash this bottom layer with Worcestershire sauce for some zip.
- Sprinkle a bit of red or white wine here for more flavour!
- Sprinkle mushrooms, sliced, over the turkey.
- Then add diced carrots, celery, green beans, broccoli (hey - anything that needs to be used up)!
- At this point, you may choose to stir the veggies, gravy, and turkey together. Or not. It's up to you!
- Leftover mashed potatoes, turnips, or yams make a good addition here. They should be pre-cooked.
- Top all of this with leftover dressing/stuffing.**
- Now, the piece de resistance, smother the top of the casserole in cheese! I like a mixture of Gruyere (for its strong taste), Mozzarella (for the gooiness), and more Parmesan (for crunch).

** Now, I don't like stuffing, so I make a bread-topping that's just as tasty. Cut a few slices of bread into cubes, place in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar (just enough to lightly coat the bread cubes). Whisk an egg with a tablespoon of water and coat the bread cubes with it. Sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese, dried sage, rosemary, freshly ground pepper, onion and garlic powders, mustard powder, sea salt, and mix all together. Place this mixture evenly over the top of the casserole.

Place your casserole in the oven, covered with its lid if it has one, or covered loosely with tin foil at 375 F until everything is bubbling and hot. Remove the lid or tin foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes to brown the top. Remove from oven and let the dish sit out for about 15 minutes to make it easier to cut and lift out of your dish. Serve hot, with a crisp Caesar salad on the side.

I hope my casual style of writing here has given you the feeling that the recipe itself is extremely casual. It is not baking, so the measurements need not be precise. Just season everything to taste, and don't forget the cheese on top! It's the best part.

Glögg

The Swedes have devised a delicious drink reminiscient of the Holidays. It is called Glögg. Truly all it is, is mulled wine; but there are some extra ingredients that make this a real treat. Cassis (or blackcurrant) syrup is one of them.

Find a bottle of non-alcoholic Glögg (the "ö" is pronounced like "oo" in the word "good," but with your tongue kinda curled) at your local IKEA store. Dilute it down with some red wine when you get home, and I like to dilute it even further with some water, to taste. It is very sweet and rich if you drink it as-is. Then I put my mug in the microwave for a couple minutes to make it hot. Feel free to heat up larger quantities of this wonderful stuff in a saucepan until it is simmering.

The Swedes serve it in a clear mug with a stick or two of cinnamon, some sliced almonds, and a few golden raisins. Yes, they plop the nuts and raisins right into the drink. Enjoy this heart-warmer with some gingersnaps on the side on a cold winter night.

Blog: The Nutcracker

Today we went to go see the Nutcracker Ballet in Toronto at the new Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. It was, in one word, magnificent. I had never seen it before - I've always wanted to go ever since I was small. There are so may performances of the Nutcracker around, and we made the right choice to go see the one by the National Ballet of Canada. The sets were spectacular, the costumes were stunning, and the dancers were divine.

There was a full 60-member orchestra, and even though we were in the "nosebleed" section, the music was perfect. My favourite dances were those of the lamb and wolf, and the dance of the flowers. And the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy was good too, but I think I like those ones with more dancers, rather than solos. J's favourite was "the dance with all those soldiers." The well-known dancing bears, the rat king, four roly-poly little chefs, and one heck of a horse all danced with such enthusiasm - you could hear the tittering of the crowd.

I have an immense appreciation for beauty, or what I consider "beautiful." I adore classical music pieces, mostly for the way they always manage to evoke such a wide range of emotion from you. Team that up with: The graceful lines of the dancers, the perfect pointe of a ballerina's toe, the wispy tutus and billowing skirts, and the energetic leaps of a man brave enough to wear a leotard. Add some excellent lighting, sets and props that mysteriously move without any tracks or cables, a lot of talent from choreographers and producers, and a story with a comforting feeling of the magic of winter, and you have one great ballet.

If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend going to see it with your entire family. What a privilege to see such a magnificent performance!

Ribeye Steak with Garlic-Mushroom Sauce

My Aunt sent me this recipe via email, and I finally made it last night. According to J, it was "excellent!" and he is never so enthusiastic about food! The ribeye steaks are extremely tender - don't skimp out on your cut of steak. Go ribeye or go home. My Aunt's recommendation: "From someone who's made the recipe many times - take the sauce off the heat as soon as it turns syrupy.  If you don't, it will disappear!" Source of recipe: Unknown.

Among beef-eaters in South Louisiana, rib-eye reigns as the “king of steaks”. Well-marbled beef is cut into slabs 1½ to 2-inches thick. Grill, broil or pan-grill to individual perfection. Pan-grilling is a favored method of cooking meats in Cajun-Creole country. This is probably due, in part, to the fact that we do wonderful things with the browned bits of meat glaze left in the bottom of the pan. Here two Cajun-Creole favorites, mushrooms and garlic, are added. The whole garlic cloves acquire a mild, nut-like taste during cooking that gives a delightful flavor bonus. Serve steaks with a green salad and potatoes for a sample of Cajun-Creole Saturday-night supper fare.

4 x 15-oz beef rib-eye steaks, cut about 1 inch thick

Salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Garlic-Mushroom Sauce, see below

Garlic-Mushroom Sauce:

1 lb. small button mushrooms

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter

½ c. Burgundy wine

16 medium garlic cloves, peeled

2 c. brown veal stock or beef broth

Salt to taste

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

Pat steaks dry on paper towels; season both sides with salt and pepper. In a heavy 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, heat butter and vegetable oil. When oil mixture is very hot, add 2 steaks; cook to desired degree of doneness. Using tongs, turn steaks every minute during cooking. For rare steaks, cook a total of 5 to 6 minutes. For medium steaks, cook 7 to 8 minutes. For well-done steaks, cook 9 to 10 minutes. Repeat with 2 remaining steaks; keep warm. Prepare sauce. Spoon sauce over steaks. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

To prepare Garlic-Mushroom Sauce, using a damp paper towel, wipe mushrooms; set aside. Working quickly, place skillet over medium-high heat and melt butter in skillet. Add mushrooms, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce; stir to blend. Sauté, tossing mushrooms and garlic constantly, until well browned, about 4 minutes. Add wine; swirl pan. Scrape up browned bits from bottom. Cook, stirring quickly, until wine is reduced to a glaze, about 5 minutes. Stir in stock; reduce to a glaze, about 10 minutes.

Easy Peanut Butter Balls

This recipe is from my friend Teresa: "Here's one for your blog, love it and it's so easy ... can't remember where we got the recipe from, but my mom and I have been making them for years!"

1 can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 c. peanut butter
2 c. graham wafer crumbs
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. flaked coconut

Mix condensed milk and peanut butter. Stir in chocolate chips and graham wafer crumbs and mix well. Shape into one inch balls, roll in coconut flakes, and store in the fridge. Remove from fridge 15 minutes before serving.

Super Duper Zucchini Muffins

Somehow, these muffins were ridiculously fluffy. That's a good thing. I just didn't understand how, because I put two cups of sopping wet zucchini into these! Vegan alternative in (brackets). Adapted from allrecipes.com

2 1/4 c. flour
1 c. white sugar (Redpath sugar)
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. each cinnamon and nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. vegetable shortening, margarine, or unsalted butter
1/4 c. buttermilk or yogourt (or vinegar + soy milk)
2 eggs (or 2 portions egg substitute)
2 c. shredded zucchini - I left the skin on, and seeds in, and I used a cheese grater to shred it all
Optional: 1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease or spray-oil a muffin tin. Combine the sugar and dry ingredients. Cut the shortening into the dry ingredients, or use a food processor to combine shortening and dry ingredients. This step is important, as it is responsible for the fluffiness of these muffins!

Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, and mix them into the shortening-flour mixture until just combined. Fold in the nuts. Distribute evenly to each muffin cup and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a centre muffin comes out clean.

Serve warm and fresh, on their own or spread with butter.

Stuffed Zucchini

Tim's bugging me to "get going" on putting up veg recipes. Here is a vegetarian delight! Even J loved it, and he's Mr. Meat! I'm posting this completely out of season, so save this one for a gorgeous summer evening when the zucchinis are ready to be picked.

Here's the story: My friend Justin brought over an enormous zucchini from his organic farm. I hadn't the faintest idea what to do with it. He suggested stuffing it. I used half of the zucchini to make muffins, and the other half on this.

Stuffing:
Optional: 1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled, cooked, chopped
3 - 6 cloves chopped garlic
12 fresh grape tomatoes (yellow and red), quartered
Handful of fresh basil, chopped
1/4 of a kolrabi, julienned
10 green beans, chopped
1/4 c. bread crumbs
3 - 4 Tbsp. cream cheese

Mix all of these ingredients in a bowl until very well combined. Stuff this mixture into a zucchini, prepared thusly:

Half the zucchini lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, but leave lots of flesh remaining. On the skin side, slice just a bit off the bottom so the zucchini sits flat. They should look like boats. You can do this with smaller zucchinis, as well. Place the unstuffed zucchinis skin side up, on a cookie sheet and broil at 500 F for about 5 - 10 minutes, or until they are sweating. Remove from oven, turn flesh side up, brush with oil, and sprinkle on salt and pepper.

Now, stuff your zucchinis with the veggie mixture, and sprinkle them generously with freshly grated parmesan and some more breadcrumbs. Bake at 425 F until stuffing is bubbling, parmesan is melted, and top is nice and crunchy, about 40 minutes!

Serves two, with one-half of a very large zucchini.

Gingersnaps

I grabbed this recipe from a friend's cookie book. This is a pretty standard gingersnap recipe. These cookies turn out moist and flavourful - very ginger-y! And this recipe yields an awful lot of cookies. Hope you're hungry! This dough is very thick - we used a big KitchenAid mixer that was capable of mixing this dense concoction.

Ground ginger and freshly grated ginger are not interchangeable in this recipe. Use the ginger powder that you can find in any bulk or grocery store. The nutmeg and cloves are what I added to make these cookies extra spicy. If you don't like either, leave them out.


3/4 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c. granualted sugar + 1/4 c. extra for rolling
1 egg
1/2 c. fancy molasses
2 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground ginger (I make these "heaping" teaspoonfuls!)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. each nutmeg and ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare two large cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. You will need to make these cookies in batches in the oven - only put one cookie sheet at a time in your oven, on the middle rack, or your cookies will burn. This dough, unlike cake batters and more time-sensitive cookies, can sit and wait for each batch to be done in the oven. There is no rush.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and beat well. Add molasses and beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in two additions, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Roll into 1-inch balls, and roll the ball completely in granulated sugar. Place the balls on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for exactly 10 minutes.

The book said it yields 90 cookies! But we made ours twice the size, appx. 2-inch balls, so we got about half that. As a result, our cookies were less crispy, more chewy!