Candied Ginger Sables

These turned out to be so easy and delicious, we were surprised! Don't be deterred by the amount of ginger included and DON'T overmix the dough. Just go long enough to ensure the flour is incorporated.

Candied Ginger Sables

1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the ground ginger and salt. Add these to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until the ingredients are just combined.

Add the candied ginger and beat for a few more seconds to incorporate. Divide the dough in half and gently roll into two slim cylinders of about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the cylinders tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F. At this point, if the cylinders have slumped or flattened at all, re-roll them a bit to make them perfectly round. Cut the dough into 1/4-inch slices and arrange them an inch apart on baking sheets (use parchment paper if your baking sheets are dark).

Bake the cookies until they are light golden around the edges, about 15 minutes. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets and then transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar.

Yield: 60 cookies

Bangkok Style Barbecue Chicken

Haven't had much time to cook lately, but we made a wonderful dinner by combining this chicken with rice noodles (SO easy - soak in hot water to cook) and steamed bok choy and carrots. We also made some amazing ginger sables for dessert.

Bangkok Style Barbecue Chicken

Servings: 4

2 each chickens, whole, split in half (we used 1 value/large package of chicken thighs)

1 can coconut milk, unsweetened, 14 ounce

2 Tablespoons yellow curry paste

2 Tablespoons Thai fish sauce

6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/3 cup cilantro, loosely packed and chopped with stems

2 1/2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 Tablespoon white pepper

Place the chicken halves, skin side up, in shallow roasting pan. Lightly score to allow the marinade to penetrate. Set aside

Combine the coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, garlic, cilantro, sugar, and pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Pour marinade over the chicken halves, then turn them skin side down. Spoon into cavities. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, up to 24, turning occasionally.

Grill or roast until done. We did not marinate and browned the thighs, poured sauce on them, and finished them in the oven because of time constraints.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 1064 Calories; 81g Fat (69.6% calories from fat); 71g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 283mg

Cholesterol; 291mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 10 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 9 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

My morning cup in a cake

When I quit drinking coffee I searched for a replacement that still satisfied my morning taste. Today I treat myself occasionally to a latte when out, but everyday I make chai with french vanilla creamer. It's simple, flavorful, and warm. This cake turned out to satisfy those same qualities.

Spiced Chai Bundt Cake
by Donna Hay

1 tablespoon chai tea leaves
2 tablespoons boiling water
2 1/2 cups self-rising flour*
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar*
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the chai and water in a small bowl and mix to combine. Place the flour, sugar, pumpkin pie
spice, eggs, milk, butter, vanilla and tea mixture in a large bowl and whisk until smooth.
Pour into a well-greased Bundt pan and cook for 30–35 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Invert onto a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Gently lift off the pan and allow to cool completely before serving.

We added a glaze made from french vanilla creamer, powdered sugar and tea. Delicious!

* So many recipe notes:
1) self-rising flour can sometimes be found now in US markets. You can make your own though: Mix 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt (for this recipe use: 2 1/2 cups flour, 3 3/4 teaspoons baking powder, 5/8 teaspoon salt)
2) superfine sugar is usually called for if they want a quicker melt and incorporation. You can process regular sugar for a few moments or purchase the superfine
3) pumpkin pie spice: you can purchase, but why? Mix 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg, 1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice and 1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves

published by Epicurious
Internet address: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/spiced-chai-bundt-cake-56390089
Reprinted from Donna Hay Magazine. Published by News Life Media. All rights reserved.
Yield: 8 –10 servings
Copyright: Oct 2015

So Many Steps, Let's Cheat!

This recipe was a compilation of several others, which we adapted for easy cooking! It will feed 4 easily and 6 without too much trouble. Don't be put off with the length of it, our cheats are included!

Spinach Salad with Sweet Corn Polenta and Asparagus Bundles

Polenta Part
6 ears corn
2 1/4 cups water
3 tablespoons butter, diced
**7 ounces feta, crumbled
**1/4 teaspoon salt
**Black pepper
    Cheat: While I loved the idea of fresh corn polenta (!) we used ground polenta with milk and added frozen corn kernels with the feta.

Salad Part
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons chopped marjoram or oregano
1 eggplant (1 1/4-pounds) trimmed and cut into 8 (1-inch-thick) rounds
1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds
10 ounces baby spinach
1/4 cup pine nuts (1 ounce), lightly toasted

Asparagus Bundles
8 slices bacon
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 pound asparagus
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Polenta
Cheat: Use package directions with milk as liquid, then skip everything to ***
Remove the leaves and "silk" from each ear of corn, then chop off the pointed top and stalk. Use a sharp knife to shave off the kernels -- either stand each ear upright on its base and shave downward, or lay each ear on its side on a cutting board to slice off the kernels. You want to have 1 1/4 pounds kernels.
Place the kernels in a medium saucepan and barely cover them with the water. Cook for 12 minutes on a low simmer. Use a slotted spoon to lift the kernels from the water and into a food processor; reserve the cooking liquid.
Process them for quite a few minutes, to break as much of the kernel case as possible. Add some of the cooking liquid if the mixture becomes too dry to process. 
Now return the corn paste to the pan with the cooking liquid and cook, while stirring, on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the mixture thickens to mashed potato consistency. (Be aware that if you have a lot of liquid left in the pan, it can take a while to cook down the polenta, and it will sputter. Consider holding back some or all of the liquid. Alternately, if you like the consistency after processing, you can skip to step 5.)
***Fold in the butter, the feta, salt and some pepper and optionally cook for a further 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Salad
Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking.
Whisk together oil, lemon juice, garlic, marjoram, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper
in a small bowl.
Brush both sides of vegetable slices with some of dressing. Season with 1/4 teaspoon each of
salt and pepper. Oil grill rack, then grill vegetables, covered only if using a gas grill, turning
occasionally, until tender, 12 to 15 minutes total. Cut into pieces.
Toss spinach with enough dressing to coat and season with salt and pepper. Add eggplant and zucchini and toss again. ***Cheat: use the broiler to speed the vegetable roasting. Don't worry about tossing it all- arrange spinach as the base, top with vegetables and sprinkle the dressing.

Bacon/Asparagus
Place the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon until it begins to shrink up
and gets just a little crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the heat, sprinkle on the
brown sugar, and stir until well coated. Allow the bacon to cool until it is no longer too hot to
handle.
Place the asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzle with the vegetable oil. Season with salt and
pepper, then toss to combine. Divide the asparagus into 4 bundles and wrap each with a slice
of brown sugar covered bacon. **We had 3 spears for each slice of bacon
Place the bundles on the baking sheet and bake in the oven, or grill on the grill, until the bacon

becomes crispy on the ends, about 10-12 minutes. Allow the bundles to cool for about 5 minutes, then garnish with cracked pepper.

Putting it All Together
Simple! Spinach first. You could stretch extra plates by adding extra of this. Next, the Salad; be sure that some vegetables show. Next, the polenta, then top with the asparagus bundle. We scattered cherry tomato quarters and pumpkin seeds around for garnish.

Beautiful!

Pulled Pork. Make it Thursday for an easy start to your weekend

It looks like a lot- almost 20 ingredients just for the pork, more for coleslaw, but it goes together quickly, cooks on its own the next day and needs only a quick final prep when you get home from work.

Serves 8

	DRY RUB:
1 1/2	teaspoons  whole coriander seed
1 1/2	teaspoons  whole cumin seed
1 1/2	teaspoons  black peppercorns
2 1/4	teaspoons  coarse kosher salt
1 1/2	teaspoons  dry mustard powder
1 1/2	teaspoons  chile powder
3	Tablespoons  dark brown sugar
	PORK:
3 1/2	pounds  boneless pork shoulder
	Hamburger or brioche buns, for serving
	SAUCE:
1 1/2	cups  ketchup
1/4	cup  packed dark brown sugar
2	Tablespoons  molasses
2	garlic cloves, minced or grated
1/4	cup  cider vinegar
2	Tablespoons  Worcestershire sauce
2	teaspoons  sweet or hot paprika
1	teaspoon  black pepper
1	teaspoon  dry mustard powder
1	Pinch  cayenne
1	Dash  hot sauce, more to taste
	COLESLAW:
1	small head  green cabbage, outer leaves removed, shredded (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2	small  red onion, thinly sliced
1	large  jalapeno, seeded if desired, thinly sliced
3/4	cup  mayonnaise
2	tablespoons  cider vinegar
2	tablespoons  extra virgin olive oil
1	teaspoon  coarse kosher salt
	Black pepper

Yes, that's a lot of ingredients! But worth it, I promise.

Thursday night: Assemble the spice rub for the pork: In a dry, small skillet over medium-low heat, toast coriander, cumin and peppercorns until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind toasted spices into a fine powder. Transfer to a bowl and mix with salt, mustard

powder, chile powder and sugar.

If your roast is tied up, untie it. Massage meat generously with spice rub. If you have time, let meat rest for an hour or two at room temperature, or refrigerate for several hours or OVERNIGHT. I put mine fat side up in the crockpot insert and refrigerate in that.

Prepare the barbecue sauce: Combine ingredients in a medium pot. Simmer over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce has deepened in color. Season with more hot sauce if you like. Add two-thirds of the sauce to meat and toss to coat, adding more sauce as

needed. (Any leftover sauce will keep for at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator.)

Friday: Start the crockpot before you leave for work. Put on low, close it up, and head out. Cook until meat is pull-apart tender and internal temperature reads 200 degrees on a meat thermometer. Let meat cool for at least 30 minutes before pulling it apart and shredding with your hands or two forks. (This

works best when the meat is warm but not hot.)

Make the slaw: Combine cabbage, onion and jalapeño in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add dressing to cabbage and toss well.

Serve pulled pork with slaw, buns and hot sauce on the side, letting people assemble their own sandwiches.

From the NY Times

Asparagus and Mushroom Tarts

Recipe by Betty Rosbottom
Serves 8 with side salad for lunch

 1  package frozen puff pastry -- 17.13 ounces
   1/4 cup  unsalted butter
 12 oz  mushrooms -- stemmed, caps cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
 1 tsp  kosher salt -- divided
    1/2 tsp  black pepper -- divided
 1 lb  asparagus spears -- slender - trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
 1 1/2 teaspoons  fresh thyme -- chopped
 1 1/2 tsp  lemon zest
    1/2 cup  crème fraîche
    1/2 cup  Gruyère cheese -- (packed) coarsely grated
           Fresh thyme sprigs (for garnish)

Roll out each pastry sheet on work surface to 10-inch square. Cut each
into 4 squares. Using small knife, score 1/2-inch border (do not cut
through pastry) around inside edges of each square. Arrange squares on 2
rimmed baking sheets. **DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and
chill.**

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms;
sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sauté
until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to
large bowl; cool 15 minutes. Add asparagus, chopped thyme, lemon peel, 3/4
teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to mushrooms. Mix in crème
fraîche and cheese. **DO AHEAD Filling can be made 1 day ahead. Cover;
chill.**

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mound filling atop pastry squares, leaving 1/2-inch
plain border.

Bake tarts 12 minutes. Reverse sheets. Continue to bake tarts until crusts
are puffed and golden and filling is cooked through, about 10 minutes
longer. Transfer to plates; garnish with thyme sprigs.

Source: Epicurious.com

DOWNTON ABBEY EARL GREY SHORTBREAD COOKIES

MAKES: 2 DOZEN

INGREDIENTS

·         1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter

·         ½ cup Confectioners Sugar

·         2 cups All-Purpose Flour

·         ½ tsp Salt

·         1 bag Earl Grey Tea Leaves, 2 bags can be used for a stronger flavor

INSTRUCTIONS

1.      Preheat oven to 350­°.

2.      Cream butter and confectioners sugar in a large bowl or stand mixer.

3.      Add in flour, salt, and tea leaves. continue to mix until a soft dough forms. The mix will be dry and crumbly at first but will come together.

4.      Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface until it's ¼ inch thick.

5.      Cut out cookies using a 2 in round cookie cutter.

6.      Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 20-22 minutes or until edges are a golden brown.

NOTES

For a stronger initial flavor, mix the butter and tea leaves together about 6 hours ahead of time to infuse.
Slightly Adapted from Dine & Dish.
1 cookie is 3 WW PointsPlus.

RACHEL’S NOTES

I used 2 tea bags and sprinkled the tops with powdered sugar. Reports were that they were not “too sweet” and “melt in your mouth addictive”.

direct FROM SUGAR AND SOUL

HTTPS://WWW.SUGARANDSOUL.CO/DOWNTON-ABBEY-EARL-GREY-COOKIES/