Old Fashioned Gingerbread

I absolutely love spice cakes, especially during the holidays. I haven't made gingerbread in a few years, but woke up this morning with a very strong craving for something spicy. Expect more holiday ginger-recipes to come!

I opted for an old fashioned gingerbread, found here.

Ingredients:

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c butter, at room temperature

1 egg, at room temperature

1 c molasses, the darker the better

2 1/2 c flour

1 1/2 t baking soda

1 t ground cinnamon

1 t ground ginger, or 1 T fresh

1/2 t ground cloves

1/2 t salt

1 c hot water

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Sift the dry ingredients and spices together in a small bowl, and boil the water. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, then beat in the egg. Add the molasses and mix until combined. Mix in the water and dry ingredients, alternating between the two until everything is mixed together. Pour into a greased and floured 9''x9'' pan and bake for 1 hour, until a knife comes out clean.

Let sit ~5 minutes and then run a knife along the edge of the pan and flip the gingerbread out onto a wire rack to cool. Wait at least 30 minutes before serving.

This was fun to make, and as others had suggested in the reviews, I doubled the spices. If you aren't so crazy about spices, as I am, stick to the original quantity. The flavors were spot on, the cake was moist yet fluffy, and not too sweet overall. It will taste great served with a dollop of whipped cream of vanilla ice cream.

Grinding the spices

Butter and sugar, before creaming

Dry ingredients and spices

Creamed butter and sugar 

Butter, sugar, and egg

Adding the molasses

Ready to bake

Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sage Sauce

Gnocchi has been a longstanding family tradition. This particular combination of butternut squash, sage, and nutmeg, will leave your taste buds craving more!

Squash, after roasting.

Ingredients for the Gnocchi:
1 Small-Medium butternut squash
1 Large Russet potato
1 Egg
1/2 t Salt
Nutmeg, as desired
Flour

Ingredients for the Sauce:
2-3 Sprigs fresh sage
2 T Butter
2 T Olive oil
Nutmeg, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and place face down on a baking dish in 1-1 1/2'' water. Place the squash in the oven and roast for 20-30 minutes, until the skin is browned and a fork easily slides into the flesh. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Meanwhile, wash the potato and boil it whole in a small pot of salted water. Do not cut the potato, otherwise it become water-logged and the gnocchi will not be light and fluffy. It is done when a fork goes in easily.

Drain the potato and peel after it is cooled and is easy to handle. Do the same for the squash, making sure to discard all skin. Push the potato and squash through a ricer into a large bowl. If you don't have a ricer, you can also use a regular potato masher, but the dough won't hvae the same amount of lightness. Cover the vegetables with a towel and set aside to cool.

Once the vegetables are no longer steaming, and add the egg to the bowl. Sprinkle in the 1/2 t salt, and add a sprinkle of nutmeg. With a fork, mix everything together, being careful not to over-mix. This is not making mashed potatoes; It should have the consistency of a light dough.

Once the ingredients are evenly distributed, begin sprinkling flour into the bowl, while still mixing with the fork. As you add flour, the dough will get harder to stir. Stop adding flour when the mixture has formed a dough and it is only slightly sticky to the touch. (If in doubt, err on the side of adding too little flour, than adding too much.)

Gather the dough into a ball, and pour it onto a floured working surface. Knead gently until the stickiness is gone and the dough is workable, adding flour as needed. This only takes about a minute. Roll into a log, then cut into thick 1'' slices. Sprinkle more flour on the work surface, then roll each slice into a long snake, about 3/4'' in diameter. Cut each snake into 1'' angled pieces and roll in extra flour, before placing on a floured baking pan. Do this until all of the dough is cut into gnocchi, floured, and on the pan. Refrigerate if not using immediately, but make sure to serve the same day.

When cooking, use a wide-brimmed pot. The gnocchi will cook in about 1-2 minutes. Stir them around, as they might stick to the bottom. As soon as they float to the top of the water, fish them out using a large strainer or slotted spoon.

The sauce is very simple to make and can be heated while you are cooking the gnocchi. In a saucepan, melt the butter and oil together on M heat. Add the sage leaves and cook about 1-2 minutes. The sauce should be bubbling. Set aside. When ready to serve, pour the mixture over the gnocchi and toss to coat. Sprinkle with just a touch of nutmeg and enjoy!

Slowly adding flour to the vegetables.

A detail to show the airiness of the dough.

Making the gnocchi:

Russian Borscht (With beef or vegetarian)

My sister-in-law is Russian and it is always a treat when she decides to make Borscht (the 't' is silent). This time I took photos and documented the process so I could share the recipe on here. All credit to my sister-in-law, Tanya, and her book "Please To The Table: The Russian Cookbook" by Anya von Bremzen and John Welchman.

This time she made it using a pressure cooker, so it took less than half the time to cook. If you don't have a pressure cooker, follow the recipe but make everything in a large pot.

Veggies cooking.

Ingredients:

6 T (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch dice
3 1/2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 medium-sized beet, peeled and grated
1 small rib celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 tart apple, cored and cut into 1-inch dice
2 medium-size boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 quarts vegetable stock, canned broth, or water
Bouquet garni (1 bay leaf and 8 peppercorns tied in a cheesecloth bag)
1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon sugar, or more, to taste

Liquid removed after cooking the beef.

On the side, for garnish:

Sour cream, or greek yogurt
Fresh dill, finely chopped
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Sliced bread
Salt and Pepper
Cloves of garlic, crushed

First, cook the beef (if using) with 1 c water in the pressure cooker. When done, separate out the liquid stock (~2c) and save the meat. Set aside.

Melt the butter in the pressure cooker pot (or large soup pot) over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and bell pepper and saute until slightly softened, ~5 minutes.

Stir in the cabbage, beet and celery and continue to cook, stirring and tossing occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes.


When all the veggies are soft, stir in the apple, potatoes, tomato paste, and garlic, then add the stock and bouquet garni. At this point you will close the pressure cooker and let it do it's thing (follow the direcitons for your specific model). If using a regular pot, bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Finally, add the paprika, salt and pepper, sugar, and lemon juice to taste. Let stand at least 2 to 3 hours, or overnight. Before serving, remove the bouquet garni. Serve with salt and pepper, fresh sour cream, chopped dill and parsley, bread, and crushed garlic. As Tanya says, it's the final toppings that separate good borscht from GREAT borscht, so add liberally!