Ginger

Creative ways to use ginger...

1. Make gingerbread...

1/4 lb butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs
3/4 c boiling water
3/4 c molasses
2 1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger or 3Tb of fresh grated ginger

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and lightly flour a 9-inch cake pan. Cream butter, add the sugar, and beat till light. Add eggs and blend well. Add the boiling water and molasses and blend. Mix together all dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix thoroughly. Pour into cake pan and bake for 45min. (Fannie Farmer Cookbook 1979)

This is sooooooo incredibly good! Use fresh grated ginger for a real flavor. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream to make the flavors pop. You'll have a food orgasm the rest of the day! :)


2. Make gingersnaps...

3/4 c veg shortening
1 c sugar
1 egg
3/4 c molasses
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tb ground ginger or 4 Tb of fresh grated ginger
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F and grease some cookie sheets. Beat together shortening and sugar. Add egg and beat until light, then add molasses. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to wet. Gather bits of dough and roll into 1 inch balls. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 min. Remove and cool on rack. (Fannie Farmer Cookbook 1979)

These are soooo good too! Use fresh ginger for the extra bite! Bake for 9 min to make a little more chewy ;)

3. Ease a sore throat...

Cut up fresh raw ginger. Place in a cup with honey and lemon. Pour hot water over it and drink to soothe a sore throat.

Twinkies

Three things I learned about Twinkies today...

1. Twinkies were invented during WWII to provide a cheap sweet for people to enjoy. You could get two for a nickle!

2. The orignial cream filling was banana flavored. During the war, the surplus on bananas was low so they changed the filling to vanilla flavored.

3. The Twinkie company is based in Chicago, Ill. It is one of the few companies that does not offer tours to the public.

I watch waaaaay too much tv these days!

My Favorite Things

1. Favorite Amusement Park Food---Strawberry Funnel Cakes, Caramel Apples, Pink Popcorn

2. Favorite Tv Shows---Law and Order, Family Guy, Food Network

3. Favorite Places---Santa Cruz, Japan, Washington DC

Good times, Food, Sleep

1. A beer and a good friend is all you need in life sometimes.

2. I had Japanese curry tonight for dinner. It was so comforting to eat that it brought back all my cherished memories of Japan again.

3. Sleep is good for not only your health but an escape from reality sometimes.

Yoga, Friends, Traveling

1. I finally woke up this morning and wasn't sore from doing my yoga routine. People think that yoga is nothing. Who ever thinks that has never tried yoga themselves. It really works you out! I guess I'm finally getting into some decent shape.

2. I had a friend the other day tell me that they miss me and that they contacted me to check up and see how I was doing. It made me feel so good!

3. I'm looking forward to this weekend. Finally getting out of the apartment and doing some traveling!

Dinner, Pics, Off Duty

1. After a week of eating grits, I finally made a great dinner. Orange chicken drummettes, asian noodle salad, and egg rolls. Yum!

2. The pictures of me walking across the stage finally arrived. I plan to frame the big one!

3. House sitting for the week has been nice but it's even better now that my friend is back.

Alone, Colors, Cool

1. Having the place all to yourself

2. Watching a beautiful lightening storm

3. Staying cool in the heat