Molasses Cookies

I will never be able to make these cookies as good as my Grandmother. She had been making these since the depression years, so she had a lot of practice. Her cookies were always soft and always perfectly cracked. They looked like a picture from a bakery. She made dozens at a time and kept about 4 dozen constantly on hand for visitors. Remember that they were always soft. I know very few people who even like Molasses, but after eating these cookies, many people changed their mind. I wish you luck and hope yours will turn out that perfect. Here is that special recipe.

Ingredients
3/4 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 egg
4 tbsp. molasses
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda

In a bowl, creme shortening and sugar. Add in egg, molasses, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Finally, add flour. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Roll into 1" balls. Roll balls in sugar and place on a cookie sheet. Flatten with fingers and bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and place cookies on a cooling rack or counter until cool.

Multi-layer Salad!

I was in charge of salad this year. I rarely bring salads, so we wanted to find something unusual to bring. We found a few ideas in a book and blended them with what we personally liked. Here is what we came up with.

Ingredients
1 Head of Romaine Lettuce
Grape Tomatoes
Bacon cooked and crumbled
Feta Cheese
Avocado (cubed and sprinkled with lime juice to prevent browning)
3 eggs
Sliced Mushrooms
Italian Seasoning

We cut up the Romaine and added all the other ingredients. Let is sit in the fridge for an hour before serving. Make sure you sprinkle the avocado with lime juice to prevent it from browning. I could barely taste the juice in the salad or the avocado. Add a little pepper for flavor. Yum!

The salad was a hit. I can't say I eat avocado, ever. But, I loved it in this salad. We were suppose to add diced chicken, but we figured it was not the main course and we already had turkey with our meal. Like all salads, you can omit whatever you don't like, but I recommend trying everything. You can always pick out what you don't like.

November Blog Carnival

Welcome to the November 21, 2007 edition of carnival of party food. A lot of great submissions from everyone this month. Check out the links below for great recipes and holiday food ideas.

Bart Van Honsté presents WinePhabet - A of Amarone posted at Fylloxera, saying, "Learn something more about an astonishing party wine from la bella Italia: Amarone."

Mama Duck presents 13 outdoor birthday food ideas posted at Lil Duck Duck.

Israel Cruz presents Frijoles Charros posted at Authentic Southern Mexican Food.

Trent presents Ten Frugal Tips For A Great Grilling Experience posted at The Simple Dollar, saying, "Ten great money saving tips for tasty, easy barbecuing for your next party."

Meredith Mathews presents Happy Birthday Ice Cream Cone Cupcake Treats! posted at Lemonade Stand.

presents Its all about the amount of wine posted at The best wine blog - new wine posts daily.

James D. Brausch presents Why I'm Not A Vegetarian posted at Weight Loss Dude.

Frugal Fanny presents Thanksgiving on a Budget posted at Frugal Fanny's Everyday Money Saving Tips.

Host Bee presents Turducken posted at Busy Bee Lifestyle.

Tiffany Washko presents Peanut Butter Carob Balls Recipe posted at Natural Family Living Blog.

Appetizers

Katy presents Butternut Squash Toasts posted at sugarlaw, saying, "Delicious, super easy, and requires only a few ingredients. Every time I make it, someone asks me for the recipe!"

Chris presents Snack Idea: Apples and Cinnamon posted at The Healthy Snacks Blog.

Phil B. presents Spicy Hot versus Temperature Hot « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "When someone tells you that the food is "hot", do you assume temperature hot or spicy hot?"

Cookies

TherapyDoc presents Hoo-du ya love, Substances, and The Bake Sale posted at Everyone needs therapy, saying, "Here's a warning for the label of your cookie jar."

Desserts

Stephanie presents Elementary Chef » Blog Archive » Pecan Pie posted at Elementary Chef. I always wanted to know how to make this dish, but haven't tried it yet. I hope to soon.

Summer presents Yummy Pumpkin Pie! posted at Mom Is Teaching. Today is Thanksgiving and I can hardly wait for the Pumpkin Pie.

Drinks

Heather Juma presents Throw A Fast, Fabulous and Fun Cocktail Party! posted at Girls Who Network Diary.

Main dishes

Annette Berlin presents Easy Pizza Dough posted at Frugal Journey, saying, "Pizza is always a favorite main course at casual parties. Unfortunately, if you have a lot of big eaters, it can get expensive to order take-out. Here's a simple recipe for a do-it-yourself version of pizza dough."

That is the end of this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
carnival of party food using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

carnival of party food, blog carnival.

Potica...A Long Lost Tradition.

I was watching TV the other day and a bakery was making Potica. I grew up with this dessert in my family and at every party all my life. Unfortunately for me, I never gave it a try until I was in college. Now I love it and I don't have the opportunity to eat it anymore.

This is a sweet bread roll, kinda a cross between a cinnamon roll and a bread, with lots and lots of walnuts. There are not a lot of desserts that people will pay $40 for a loaf of it. My Uncle use to sell dozens every year. As I get older, I hope to one day make this dessert myself, but I have a lot to learn before I am ready for that.

A bakery in Minnesota sells them on-line. They are the Italian Bakery. I can't imagine it being the same, but maybe I should give it a try. One patron remarked that, "Once you try it, everyone loves Potica." That is very true. At one social event outsiders huddled around the beer and everyone who knew what we were eating, sat down and begged for a piece. Growing up I thought it looked horrible, but I was so wrong.

As the holidays grow near, I long for those traditions of years past. Hope everyone has a great holiday.

Clam Linguine

This is definitely a dish for fish lovers. My husband was the first to make this dish and it has been a family favorite ever since. I can even get my children to eat clams in it. In my house, that means something.

Ingredients
Linguine noodles
fresh garlic
can of clams ( I prefer minced clams )
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
oregano
salt
pepper
basil

In a large stock pan, boil water and add Linguine noodles. I make enough noodles for 6 servings. In a small sauce pan melt butter and olive oil, until combined. Add one finely chopped garlic clove on medium heat, but do not allow garlic to brown. Add juice from clams, oregano, salt, pepper, and basil. Continue heating on medium for 2 minutes. Add clams, and cook until clams are heated through. Usually take another 2 minutes. Plate the pasta and top with clam mixture.

Carnival of Party Food

Welcome to the June 17, 2007 edition of carnival of party food.

Bart presents One thing I learned in Champagne today posted at Fylloxera. If you thought you knew about champagne, here is something you may not have known.

Party Plans

Thad Guy presents Finding Allergies posted at Thad Guy, saying, "There are lots of things that can go wrong when one is planning a party. One of the least funny calamities is if one serves food that one's guests are allergic to. With that in mind, here is a joke about just that. I hope you like it."

Rickey Henderson presents It’s Friday wenches, is everyone ready for the upc... posted at Riding with Rickey, saying, "A humorous look at how to prepare for a weekend BBQ party."

Recipes

Sepehr Moghadam presents Health Recipes archive at Minus The Fat posted at Minus The Fat, saying, "A delicious summer salad."

Danielle presents Rosemary Crostini with Roasted Garlic and Marinated Tomatoes. Yummm by Ms. Danielle posted at MsDanielle.com, saying, "Simple and Easy! :)" These are deffintely a great appetizer, but one I know I will try making myself after reading this article.

Amanda presents Chips n' Dip: Salsa and Guacamoli posted at Eat... and Be MerryAmanda gives two easy recipes for these great dips. I love her idea to keep her salsa a little chunky. That is how I like it too!

Caley Walsh presents Recipe4Living- Ultimate BBQ Contest posted at Recipe4LivingIf you think you are the ultimate BBQ master, then submit your entry to this contest. Definitely not a contest for my husband!!

Mama Duck presents Food ideas for a Luau Party posted at Lil Duck DuckA Luau Party is always a great idea, but if you are like me, you never know what to serve. Here are a few simple ideas.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
carnival of party food
using our
carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

carnival of party food, blog carnival.

Puppy Chow, Chex Chocolate Snack Mix.

Muddy Puppies in Black & White
Originally uploaded by ivy.chiu

One of my favorite snacks from my childhood has to be "Puppy Chow". The first time someone brought it to a party was about 20 years ago. I and everyone in the class was hooked on this amazing little creation. Who would have thought that chocolate and peanut butter would go so well with Chex cereal.

Ingredients

1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter (or chunky if you want extra nuts in your mix)

6 c. Chex cereal

1 c. powdered sugar

Melt chocolate in a pan on the stove, stirring constantly. Stir in peanut butter. Pour mixture over cereal and stir gently until well coated. Place powdered sugar in a 2-gallon storage bag. Gently shake until well coated. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Originally uploaded by Deep Fried Kudzu

Summer cookouts are a lot of fun, but finding a good dessert than can hold up to the heat can be tough. This Strawberry Pretzel Dessert holds up pretty well, even on the 4th of July as long as it is not directly in the sun.

2 1/2 c. crushed pretzels

3tsp. sugar

1 stick margarine, melted

Combine ingredients and press into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

1 pkg cream cheese

1 c. sugar

1 lg pkg coolwhip

Cream all ingredients together. Spread over pretzel crust.

2 c. boiling water

2 pkg. strawberry jello

2 pkg. frozen strawberries

Combine water and jello. Fold in strawberries until thawed. Pour over cheese layer and refrigerate for several hours.

Apple Crisp

dessert. apple crisp. my favorite
Originally uploaded by ginthefer

For many of us, there is no time to cook in the summer. Better yet, no one wants to spend extra time inside cooking in a hot kitchen when they could be outside enjoying the nice weather. Apple Crisp is a quick dessert to make for your family that everyone will love.

If you are fortunate to have an apple tree in your yard, this is a nice way to eat your harvest.

Ingredients8 c. sliced apples
1 1/2 c. flour
2 c. instant oatmeal
Cinamon
1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt

Places apples in a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Mix remaining ingredients together and crumble over apples. Bake at 350 degrees until light brown and apples are done (40 to 50 minutes).

Allow to cool slightly before serving. Great served with a scoop of ice cream.

No Time to Cook

We are finishing up our new home, so we can move in two weeks from now. Over the weekend, we painted 1100 square foot of the house including a huge vaulted ceiling, laid hard wood floor in the kitchen and set all the base cabinets so we could order the countertop this morning. Needless to say, we are exhausted. Most of the time we had 3 kids, 8 and younger, with us. They were great!

The hardest thing for us to do is eat when we are working on the house. We don't have a kitchen and our only fridge is from college, which is 2 small shelves. I've had to be very creative in our cooking. We brought our grill over and have made many sandwiches. We prefer not to use any silverware, so sandwiches are the best.

Saturday we ate Country Style Pork Rib sandwiches, and hotdogs for the kids. On Sunday we had Brats. I have brought over my chicken breasts, hamburger (but what a mess that will be when you don't have a sink to wash your hands), and more hotdogs for the kids. My husband is a condiment king, but I gave him quite the look when he first asked where the ketch-up was. He has since gotten over it and decided nourishment was more important.

I have begun bringing dry rubs over, instead of messy barbeque sauces. I have disposable plates, forks, and napkins. We will make it, but it's going to take some creativity, and lot's of LOVE!!

My posts will be less frequent over the next 2 weeks, but I'll be popping in at least a few times a weeks.