Molasses Cookies

Another childhood recipe, this one is off the Brer Rabbit Molasses bottle, one my awesome mom made every so often. We would make these cookies small because then we could eat more of them. One time Mom and I were having one of our famous mother-daughter talks while drinking tea and eating cookies and looked down to find that we had eaten a couple of dozen!!! Call them molasses cookies or ginger cookies, just make these.

Mix together these ingredients:
3/4 Cup shortening (melted, cooled a bit) /
OR butter, softened
1 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup molasses
1 egg

Sift or whisk together in separate bowl:
2 t baking soda
2 Cups flour
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t ground ginger (or 1 t)
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt

• Add dry ingredients to wet mixture, a bit at a time.
• Chill for an hour or so (metal bowl helps).
• Roll into small balls and roll balls in sugar.
• Bake on greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees 8 to 10 minutes.
• Leave on sheet a minute or so then remove to wire rack to cool.

Made with shortening, the cookies may harden to ginger snaps after a few days but the butter version stays pretty moist unless you bake them longer. Storing in cookie tins works well.

I made these to give to folks stopping at our Kiwanis table at the Richmond Hill Park Fair.

Short Bread Cookies

My late great mother-in-law would make these for Christmas, but whenever you want a nice simple tasty cookie, make these.

Mix together these ingredients:
1 pound butter
1 Cup light brown sugar
4 Cups white flour

• Roll into 4 rolls and roll them in red or green sugar (for Christmas).
• Chill overnight.
• Slice off cookies and bake at 350 degrees 15 to 20 minutes until golden.

Hey, use organic ingredients and you'll feel better about the pound of butter, but each cookie is small. FYI, my ex said don't use whole wheat flour. He tried it and "blech".

Francis's Crowd Pleasing German Potato Salad

(When my dad gave this recipe to me years ago he neglected to put the amount of potatoes but he was making it for a family gathering so I think it was probably a five pound bag of potatoes, perhaps more, leave me a msg if you figure it out.)

Cook potatoes with skins in salted cold water. Cool-peel-cube.

1 quart of water
6 T cornstarch
1 C vinegar
6 t sugar or to pleasant sweetness

Onion larger than a golf ball, chopped very fine
Salt & pepper to taste

3/4 # of bacon chopped 1/2 " across, sauteed to pleasing brown, stirring occasionally till done. Remove bacon and set aside. To bacon fat add water mixed with corn starch, vinegar, etc. Heat for thickening. Add onions to cubed potatoes. Then add thickened sauce to potato mixture and stir lightly till well mixed. Heat slightly before serving. Add bacon and serve.

My dad would make the above and place it in a yellow insulated covered serving container and take it to family picnics and get raves. I no longer eat meat and I miss this salad. The memories, though, I still have. I give the recipe as promised to my bacon eating kids and friends.

"My" GUACAMOLE*

1 Ripe Avocado
2 teaspoons Chopped onions
½ teaspoon + Minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon +/- chopped jalapeno (pickled slices fine)
¼ cup (skant) chopped fresh cilantro
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Mash these together (vary amounts according to taste). Then stir in about ½ cup chopped fresh tasty tomato (winter suggestion: Holland or Israeli or those sold on the vine). Best to make just before use though will hold for several hours.

*This recipe is based on that made at the much missed Casa Mexico on Hudson Street, New York City, back in the early 90s. My brother David and I would go there for their great guac and their terrific garlic soup. The guac was made table-side and I asked them questions as to what they were using and caught the hang of it. At the request of a work colleague I created this more standard measurement version but I have never tasted a guacamole any better. Enjoy!