Gingersnaps

My favorite kind of gingersnaps are the soft kind. I do like the old fashioned hard ones with my tea because I like to dip them in the tea and then drink some of the spices.

3 sticks of butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
extra sugar for rolling

In a bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add egg one at a time. Blend thoroughly in between each egg. Add molasses and blend. In a separate bowl, combine, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and cinnamon. Add dry mixture in small amounts and blend in between each addition.

Place dough in fridge until it is easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place about a 1/3 of a cup of sugar in a bowl. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in sugar and place them on an ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 8-12 minutes or until puffy and cracks form. Dough spreads out a great deal while baking. Cool about 1 minute before transferring.

Soothe Your Throat

This is great for a sore throat or when you lose your voice.

Slice a lemon in quarters and place two of the slices in a mug.  Add a 1-2 teaspoons to a tablespoon of your favorite honey. One to two teaspoons is sufficient for this, but some prefer it to be sweeter. I always use local, raw honey.  Pour boiling water over top and stir to dissolve honey.  Let steep and discard solids if you want.

Some studies also state that honey is also a great cough suppressant when taken right before bed time.

Jenny and Billy's Wedding

Such a fun time!

Cranberry Pork/Chicken

4 pork chops or chicken breasts
16 oz can whole cranberry sauce (I use Ocean Spray)
1/2 cup french onion dressing
1/2 packet onion soup mix (I use Lipton's)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place pork or chicken in a glass baking dish.

In a saucepan combine everything else.  Heat to melt the jellied part of the cranberry sauce. Stir to combine. Pour over pork or chicken. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

My mom gave me this recipe. I never knew what was in it and when she told me I said, "Ewww really?"  I wouldn't have thought these go together so well! My mother has always made it with chicken.  She sometimes make this for Christmas dinner.  I tried it with pork one day and it was really yummy. I grow bored with chicken if we have it too much.

Richmond Zombie Walk 2011

We had a lot of fun dressing up!

Two Happy Years of Marriage

"the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"

This is so true when entering into a marriage. We have traveled several miles so far and it has been a wonderful adventure. I am truly excited to see what comes next.

Happy anniversary to my wonderful husband!

Potato/Onion Bin

My amazing friend, Christy, bought this potato and onion bin for me. We have had numerous conversations about how we each wanted one. Her grandmother had one and gave it to her back in July. Christy found one at the Goodwill and brought it to my work as a surprise! It was a nice gift and she is such a great friend!