Recipes and Other Fun Ideas to Share!

[Mar ProudSailorMom]

If you have a special recipe, decorating tip or craft idea that you want to share with us...PLEASE POST THEM HERE!  They can be something so send to our Sailors...or just to share with those we love here. 

This should be fun to see all the creative and wonderful ideas we can give each other!!!

[Ang..]

I like this Idea, I am going to text Mo now to have him buy me one from every where he ports...ty

[Blondie]

Ginger Sandwich Cookies with Lemon or Cinnamon Cream
adapted from Fine Cooking

For the cookies:
* 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
* 4 t ground ginger
* 2 t ground cinnamon
* 1 t ground cardamom
* 1/2 t baking soda
* 1/2 t kosher salt
* 3/4 c unsalted butter, softened
* 1/2 c packed dark brown sugar
* 1/2 c granulated sugar; more for rolling
* 1/4 c unsulphured molasses
* 1 large egg, at room temperature
* 2 t pure vanilla extract

For sandwich cream:
* 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
* 3 c powdered sugar
* zest of 2 – 3 lemons
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 teaspoons cinnamon

1. Pre-heat oven to 350. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
2. Whisk the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.
3. Beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.
4. Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla. Beat until incorporated.
5. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture and mix until incorporated.
6. Turn the dough out, shape it into a disk and put it in the fridge for an hour.
7. Put some sugar in a bowl.
8. Roll small amounts of dough (depending on how big a cookie you want) into balls and roll in sugar to coat.
9. Arrange the balls on the baking sheets about 2" apart. Flatten the cookies with the bottom of a glass.
10. Bake until the cookies feel dry to the touch and begin to firm up, about 13 minutes. (I usually bake them 12-13 minutes, they will seem dry and crunchy but they will soften once they are assembled into sandwiches.)
11. Cool completely on racks.
12. While the cookies cool, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.
13. Divide the cream cheese mixture in half.
14. For lemon cream, add zest to one half of the cream cheese mixture and stir until combined.
14. For cinnamon cream, add vanilla extract and cinnamon to other half of the cream cheese mixture and stir until combined.

Assemble cookie sandwiches

[Mar ProudSailorMom]

these sound AMAZING!! YUM! Thanks for adding this and I look forward to you adding more! :o)

[Blondie]

easy "buckeye" brownie cookies

1 fudge brownie mix
1/4 cup butter, melted
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup Peanut Butter
1/2 can frosting, or make your own

beat the first 4 ingredients 50 strokes, will be sticky
drop on ungreased sheet (makes 24)
mix powdered sugar and PB, roll into 24 balls, lightly press into center of cookies
bake at 350 for 10-14 mins. until edges are set.
cool on sheet 30 mins.
frost

[Mar ProudSailorMom]

I am adding the Christmas Story I shared last week. I got "permission" from my son to post it on here!!

** CHRISTMAS STORY*** TOTALLY TRUE!!

When J was about 7 years old or so (and still believed in Santa) we had a very dear friend who was like a grandpa to my kids – the kids called him “Stinky Jim” (Not because he had a bad odor – but because my youngest misunderstood when his wife called Jim a “stinker” and the name stuck – and still does today!) We lived about 350 miles from my parents and didn’t have any other family nearby. Since I was a single mom…and trying to be careful with my budget, “Stinky Jim” offered to call the kids posing as Santa to ask them what they wanted most in the whole world. Using his best deep Santa voice he asked each of the kids to tell him their wish…the older two kids knew “who” Santa was –but my younger two were buying into this magical moment! :) Each child told Jim what they wanted (with me standing nearby to take notes!) When he got to J – he told him that he really didn’t want anything. That what he wanted was for Santa to take all his gifts and give them to the “poor children”. Now…here is the part that’s hard for ME to share. WE WERE THE POOR PEOPLE at this point. I still don’t know HOW I kept the bills paid and the lights on. Seriously. I made total of about $1200 a month with 4 kids, a house payment, food (one of the kids was a teenage boy!) child care, bills and all the rest. We were blessed – REALLY blessed to have gotten through that time. I always say it was a total GOD THING – as there is no other explanation. So Christmas as the only time that I saved up to buy the kids clothes for the rest of the school year and whatever other needs they had…then I wrapped them up and called them gifts! :) This was J’s chance to say he wanted something special for himself…and he wanted to give it all away! I still think it’s beautiful that he didn’t know he was poor! ANYWAY….after I teared up and hugged him I let it go.

When Christmas day got there….I had enough money saved to buy him a cheap bike and I had it waiting for him with his name on it when he got up. He looked at the bike. He looked at me. He looked back at the bike. Then he looked at me again with the most worried and concerned look on his face. He said “Mom – this isn’t supposed to be here! I told Santa to give it to the poor kids and he forgot!” He was HONESTLY upset and perplexed! I REALLY started crying at that point! He hadn’t just said he didn’t want anything – he had honestly and truly believed he was going to get up that morning and be totally fine with not opening anything. Through my smiles and many tears I explained that Santa must have found an extra one and that it was ok for him to take it and enjoy it!

So there is my “J” Christmas story!!!

[SueS (ABF Mom)]

It's Feb 12th and I just read this.. crying! Such an incredibly sweet story!!  Thank you for sharing!

[Ang..]

That is a sweet story, thank you for sharing.

[Kim]

Blondies   (or blond brownies)

Bars:

1 cup sugar                                 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla                      1/2 cup butter or margarine softened

2 eggs                                         1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder         1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Frosting:

2 tablespoons butter or margarine                   2 cups icing sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla                                         2-4 tablespoons milk

Note: icing sugar is also called powdered sugar or confectioners sugar

 

Heat oven 350.  Grease 13X9 inch pan.  Beat sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and eggs; blend well.  Stir in flour, baking powder and salt; mix well.  Stir in pecans.  Spread in backing pan and bake 23-33 minutes.  (toothpick rule).  Cool completely.

Melt butter in microwave or saucepan.  If using saucepan you can lightly brown.  Stir in icing sugar, vanilla and enough milk for desired spreading consistency; blend until smooth.  Spread over cooled bars.  Cut into bars.  36 bars.

[Kim]

Fudge  This travels well.  I never measure anything.

12oz semi sweet chocolate chips, a couple tablespoons oil, 1 can sweetened condensed milk and a lot of icing sugar.

In microwave bowl melt chocolate chips, oil, condensed milk.  Mix in icing sugar until desired consistency.  Using a blender will remove any white clumps but it will get too thick for a hand mixer.  Best to use your hands after that.  If it gets to thick, add more oil.

It will thicken in time or when left out.   When shipping to Japan, I make it very moist and seal it. 

 

[Kim]

Christmas Jam  (or Cranberry Jam)

1 box of Sure-Jell

12 oz cranberries

2 cups liquid, water and orange juice ( I used 1 3/4 water, 1/4 orange juice).  Total will be 5 cups liquid.

4 1/2 cups sugar

cinnamon (that's the Christmas flavor)

1/2 teaspoon margarine or butter.

Place cranberries and liquid in a large saucepan.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low;  cover and simmer 10 minutes.  Pour mixture into 6-8 quart saucepot.

Follow the instructions in the certo box. 

Optional,  Add 1/4 cup walnuts, after boiling cranberries.

 

Cosmopolitan Jam  Do not add cinnamon, orange juice or water.  Your two cups of liquid will be 1 cup vodka, 1/2 cup triple sec and 1/2 cup lime juice. 

You can reduce the alcohol by substituting:  water for some of the vodka and orange juice for some of the Triple sec (Triple sec is a liqueur made from dried peels of bitter orange from the Caribbean, so orange juice won't have enough flavor)

Cosmopolitans are  1 oz vodka, 1/2 triple sec, 1/2 lime juice and 1/2 oz cranberry.

 

I make these jams up.  Last year was Cosmos.  The previous two years where Margarita and Mimosa.

 

 

[Mar ProudSailorMom]

THIS IS SO MUCH FUN...I'm going to have to try it!

[T-Lynn]

Hi

Finally - recipes to share.  Looking forward to making the other recipes I have seen .  Hubby's mouth was watering as I read to him.

 

This recipe my mother's :) 

 I know you will know other reciipes for cake, but she didn't have box recipes in her day - she said.  Her name is Esther Barnes

PineApple Upside - Down Cake

1.  Melt in one large Cast Iron Skillet - size #8

3 Tbsp of Butter and 1 Cup of Brown Sugar

 

When this is nicely brown, remove from the stove top.  Place in 7 drained Pineapple rings.  Set aside. 

 Making the Sponge Cake mixture to pour over the pineapples and brown sugar glaze.

Into large mixing bowl:

1 1/2 cups of Sugar

1  1/2 tsp. of Baking Powder

1/8 tsp. of Salt

1 tsp. of Vanilla

3 beaten Eggs Yolks ( note - save egg whites to beat stiff and add later)

Stir with spoon to mix

Add - alternaately :

1/2 cup of water

1 1/2 cups of pastry flour

Beat with mixer all of this until smooth

Now beat eggwhites stiff and fold into batter.  Pour the batter over the Brown Sugar - Pineapple Rings Galze.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until no crumbs can be seen on a toothpick when inserted.

 

Have your cake plate ready when the cake comes out.  You will need to run a knife around the edge of the edge of the cake in the hot  skillet.  Carefully - using hot pads - flip the cake out of the skillet onto the plate.  Personally, I place the plate on top of the cake and flip.  Cake should come out perfectly onto the plate.  Enjoy :)