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Today was the perfect day to take the kids up to Mt. Shasta's outdoor ice rink. This trip turned out to be one of those family excursions when there are a few moments of questioning ones parental decisions. We were on the rink less than 10 minutes before Felex landed on his nose. Lots and lots of blood, many tears, and of course soaking wet clothes. Despite the rough start everyone had a memorable day, and the scars to prove it.
I thought that ringing in the New Year would be ideal with a tall and creamy cheesecake. Well, lucky for us Tuesdays with Dorie features a spectaclar recipe. This weeks TWD was chosen by Anne Strawberry. Ann not only has the perfect name for a baker, but a delightful blog to boot! Make sure you pay her blog a visit where you will be welcomed and find the recipe to this gem of a cheesecake.
A cruiser in a skate park? You bet!
Felex received his first 'real' skateboard from Grandma this Christmas. Look at the concentration his face! I showed him some of my skateboarding skills yesterday. Felex said to me, "good thing Dad didn't see that!" Guess I did not look as talented as I thought.
Yes, I was schooled in skate park etiquette today by some young gents. While Westley and I sat on a very cold park bench watching our boys tackle the park for the first time, we found a cell phone. Being the nice responsible people that we are, we decided to take the said phone and return it to the Mobil company listed when I turned on the phone. I had the phone in my hand when a kid came over and taught me the obvious lesson I needed. See, when you see something at a skate park, anything, even a BOX, just leave it alone. It is not yours. So I resisted the urge to stack all of the random sweatshirt hoodies, hats, gloves, etc in a large pile with a 'LOST AND FOUND' sign in the center. That park really needs a good Mom to set it straight.
Remember when your kids were small and all they really wanted to play with after all the Christmas presents were opened were the boxes? Well, this morning, after all the amazing gifts that they received from Grandma, Santa, and their loving parents were opened, the kids were most fascinated with one last gift. A case of Mexican Coke. Next year we will pass on the Rock Band and just grab a few bags of skittles and a cheese log.
My Tuesdays with Dorie is slightly late because I really wanted to make this weeks treat for a Christmas Eve dinner. I am glad I waited. Old Fashioned Butterscotch pudding was the perfect ending to a beautiful meal. I first hesitated to take on butterscotch pudding a few years ago at the request of a friend. My only memory of the pudding was a can of Del Monte that I traded for lunch in grade school. Homemade butterscotch pudding is VASTLY different than the cloying chemical laden purchased pudding mixes. Certainly worth the efforts of all you talented chefs! This weeks Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by the clever Spatulas, Corkscrews, and Suitcases. Check out the blog for her amazing pictures and Dories recipe.
My cookie got off to a slow start today, and I am going to pass the buck to Mother Nature. The weather is to blame in a roundabout sort of way. My sister Kristy was stranded in San Francisco, trying to return home to Portland. All flights were canceled. Trains full, roads closed. After exploring all options, she decided to take a bus to us, in Redding. Once at the bus depot in Oakland she was informed that the bus was going only as far as Sacramento. Our resident hero, Westley, drove to Sacramento to pick her up. The plan was to meet her fiance Ben half way to Portland. Ben was pretty ambitious and arrived in Redding this afternoon. See, the weather did impede my baking today! Hope you all are warm and enjoying the last days of our holiday season.
Ginger Cookies
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger (add more if you like)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup dark molasses
Get Ready!
Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cardamom into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat shortening in large bowl until fluffy. Add sugar and beat to blend. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Add molasses and beat on high speed until well blended. Add dry ingredients in 4 additions, beating at low speed until dough forms. Flatten doughand wrap in plastic, refrigerate 2 hours or overnight to really let those flavors marry into the dough.
Roll out to desired shapes and sizes, or scoop into balls and roll in sugar.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake cookies for about 12 minutes.
Enjoy!
Todays Tuesdays With Dorie was brought to us by Heather at Randomsity and the girl. Heather has a fun blog, with plenty of food and love. Of course you can find the recipe for Dories Butter Jam cookies there. I liked this cookie a lot. The only change that I made was that I substituted the ground ginger for ground cardamom. I used a fantastic apricot jam, but I think that next time I bake these little gems I will use a cherry jam or perhaps even something with cranberries. I like the contrast of color that a cherry jam would provide, and the tartness would be fantastic with the buttery cookie. I would not hesitate for a moment to bake a batch of these and take them to a holiday cookie exchange or party. So make a batch for your friends to share! Enjoy!