Fresh Ginger Cake with Caramelized Pears

This recipe looks pretty fancy, but the cake itself is a cinch--I made in at 10:00 the other night for a dinner on Friday, and I was still in bed by 11. The caramelized pears...well, Jason made those while I was getting dressed for dinner and the play. The recipe suggests that you serve the caramel sauce, etc., immediately, but we just brought the cooked pears and caramel over separately and then heated them up together in a skillet before we served the cake. As I'm typing this, there are two leftover pieces of cake on a plate downstairs, just waiting for me. Yum, yum, yum.

I got this from the book A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg. She says to be sure to use standard unsulfered molasses like Grandma's Original, not blackstrap molasses. I had a hard enough time finding the regular molasses, so you shouldn't have a problem.

For the cake:
1 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 c unsulfered molasses
1/4 c sour cream (not low fat or nonfat)
4 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 c firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 t finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 t grated lemon zest

For the caramelized pears:
2 medium firm-ripe pears
1 T fresh lemon juice
2 T unsalted butter
1/4 c sugar
3 T water
3 T heavy cream
1 1/2 t brandy or bourbon (not being brandy drinkers, we used vanilla)
Salt

Set an over rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch round baking pan with butter or cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, combine the molasses, sour cream, butter, brown sugar, egg, ginger, and lemon zest and whisk until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread it evenly with a rubber spatula.

Bake until a tester comes out clean, 15-20 minutes. Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto the rack. Cool to room temperature.

When you're ready to serve, prepare the caramelized pears. Carefully peel the pears and cut each lengthwise into 8 wedges, discarding the cores. Place them in a medium bowl, and toss them with the lemon juice.

In a heavy skillet just large enough to hold the pears in one layer--10-inches or so--melt the butter over medium heat. Add the pears and cook, shaking the skillet occasionally, for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar and continue to cook, shaking the skillet and gently turning the pears, until the sugar is melted and the pears are tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pears back to their bowl (together with any leftover lemon juice).

Still over medium heat, boil the sugar-butter mixture remaining in the skilled, stirring occasionally, until it begins to turn a deep shade of caramel. While the mixture cooks, combine the water and cream in a small bowl or cup. When the caramel is the right color, remove the skilled from the heat and carefully add the cream mixture. Then add the brandy (or vanilla) and a pinch of salt. Return the skillet to heat and simmer, stirring, until thickened slightly (If your caramel seized when you added the liquids, just whisk briskly until it is smooth again.)

Serve the cake in wedges with a few pieces of pear alongside and caramel drizzled over the top. And whipped cream. Mmm...

Pumpkin Roll

Jason's mom gave me this recipe, after I devoured seriously half a pumpkin roll all by myself. She got it out of the magazine American Profile. If you're into baking ahead of time, this is a perfect recipe--it needs to be frozen before it is served so that you can slice it without smashing the cake. Plus, you can always use the extra pumpkin for making Pumpkin Spice Lattes...

Pumpkin Roll
1 cup sugar
3 beaten eggs
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup flour
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t baking soda
3/4 cups chopped pecans
1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 t vanilla
2 T margarine
1 cup sifted powdered sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on the towel

* Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix sugar, eggs, and pumpkin in a bowl. Sift flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda in another bowl. Combine flour and pumpkin mixtures.

* Grease a rimmed baking sheet with oil and line with greased wax paper. Extend paper over sides of baking sheet (I used a medium sized pan and it was perfect.). Pour batter onto sheet and spread evening in pan on waxed paper. Sprinkle with pecans and bake for 15 minutes.

* For filling, beat softened cream cheese, vanilla, margarine, and 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.

* Sprinkle additional powdered sugar on a clean dish towel; flip cooked pumpkin cake face down on towel and remove waxed paper. Roll loosely and let set until cooled.

* When cool, unroll cake and spread with filling. Roll again (without the towel). Wrap in aluminum foil and freeze. Unwrap and slice while frozen.

Sugar and Spice Cookies

Strangely, I don't remember these cookies much from growing up, but I now make them EVERY Christmas...even if no other baking gets done! This is Grandma Bunn's recipe for molassesy goodness. The recipe makes 5-6 dozen cookies, so get out all your cookie sheets for these ones!

Mix together:
1 c. soft shortening
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. molasses

Sift and stir in:
4 c. flour
4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ginger
2 t. cloves
2 t. cinnamon

Roll into balls the size of walnuts and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Asparagus-Mushroom Quiche

This is another recipe I got from Shaant. It's absolutely delicious and I made it today! I pretty much ate half the quiche myself. :-)

Ingredients:
5 slices bacon (or bacon bit equivalent)
2 T. olive oil
1 small onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 c. chopped fresh asparagus
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
2 eggs
3/4 c. half and half
1 (8 in.) unbaked pie shell
1 egg white, beaten slightly
1 c. sharp cheddar cheese (any cheddar cheese will do)
1/4 c. feta cheese
1/2 t. salt
pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400*. Cook bacon till crisp, drain, crumble and set aside (skip this step if using bacon bits). Heat oil in skillet over med-high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Reduce heat to med and add mushrooms; cook until tender, set aside. Bring a saucepan of salted water to boil, cook asparagus until just tender (1-2 min). Immediately drain and run under cold water. Brush pie shell with egg white (I skipped this step today and the bottom of the pie crust was mush, so next time I will be using the egg white). Place onion/mushroom mixture, asparagus, and bacon in bottom. Sprinkle cheese on top. Whisk together half and half, egg, salt and petter and pour over top. Bake uncovered for 35-40 min or until firm and lightly browned on top. Let cool and serve.

Quick Clam Linguine

I don't know where she originally got this recipe, but I got it from Shaant. After having Troy, she and mom got together with me to give me new recipe and meal ideas for me to use for cooking. I was getting a bit overloaded and needed some help in that area. It really is very quick to cook and is quite tasty.

Ingredients:
1 (9 oz) pkg linguine noodles
2 (6.5 oz) cans minced clams, undrained
1/4 c. butter or margerine
5 cloves minced garlic
1/2 c. whipping cream
1 c. shredded monterey jack cheese
2 T. dried parsley flakes

Directions:
Cook pasta according to directions, drain and set aside. Drain clams, reserving 3/4 c. liquid, set aside. Melt butter in a large skillet over med-high heat; add garlic and cook, stirring constantly for 1 min. Add reserved clam sauce and cream. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 11 minutes. Add clams, cook over low heat, stirring constantly until heated. Pour over pasta, add

cheese and parsley and gently toss. Serve immediately.

Blueberry Applesauce Muffins

A classic Johnson family recipe that I believe originally came from our Aunt Jan. These are easy and so delicious! The whole family will love them:-)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix together:

1/2 c. applesauce

1/4 c. cooking oil

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

Add:

1 c. flour (great with whole wheat flour)

6 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. blueberries (or more if you want)

Place in paper baking cups or greased muffin tins. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Yummmmmmy!

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw

This recipe looks a bit weird (cabbage? feta? no meat?), but I promise it is amazing. And just so easy you will want to sing a tune. My pre-Christmas resolution is to spend less time in the kitchen during December, and I think I will be making these once a week--tonight they took no more than 15 minutes, combined with a quick-cook packet of Mexican rice. Yum.

I got this recipe from the blog www.ohsweetbasil.blogspot.com, and apparently she got it from Bon Appetit Magazine. Give 'er a try!

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 cups coleslaw mix
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 white or yellow corn tortillas
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Bottled chipotle hot sauce or other hot sauce (which I, not surprisingly, do without)

1. Place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash.

2. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer.

4. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side.

5. Fill tacos with feta and slaw and eat up!

Sonoma Chicken Pasta

I kinda just made this recipe up trying to sass up a pasta alfredo meal I made one time. It's really yummy, though. Here's how I make it:

Ingredients:
for alfredo sauce:
1 pint heavy cream
1 c. shredded parmesan cheese, plus a little for garnish
garlic salt, to taste

1/2 box twisty pasta (I use rotini)
1/4 c. sundried tomatos, diced
1 1/2 c. sliced mushrooms
1-2 chicken breasts, cubed and cooked
olive oil
garlic salt
dash of pepper

Directions:
Trim chicken and cut into bite-size pieces. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Cook in a skillet with olive oil until cooked through. Put on plate and set aside. In the meantime, cook pasta in a med-large pot according to directions, usually al dente. Cook alfredo sauce using alfredo recipe (see alfredo sauce recipe). Once sauce is cooked, keep warm and stir occasionally while everything else is cooking.
Saute' mushrooms in same pan as chicken was cooked in, add more olive oil if needed for sauteeing. When done, add chicken back to pan and add sundried tomatos; mix together. Drain pasta when done. Add chicken, mushrooms, and tomatoes to pasta; then add alfredo sauce. Mix well. Serve with shredded parmesan as garnish.

**As a side note, I do want to mention that I have never really measured the sundried tomatos or mushrooms. I just kinda add what looks good. I guestimated on the measurements, so add or subtract according to what looks good to you.

Alfredo Sauce

I don't have a picture, but I do have one of the simplest recipes I know; it's for an alfredo sauce that is so yummy I consider it comparable to Olive Garden alfredo sauce.

Ingredients:
1 (16oz) carton heavy whipping cream (emphasis on the heavy; not the same if its regular)
1 cup shredded parmesean cheese
garlic salt

Directions:
Heat heavy cream in small saucepan. When hot, add cheese and stir until melted and well mixed. Season to taste with garlic salt. Pour overtop cooked noodles of choice!

From personal experience, just remember that milk products heat FAST on the stove, so don't neglect and let it boil over. It will make you SO mad. I've told myself over and over again that I should never be allowed to heat milk on the stove for this reason. It happens to me about half the time! :-)

French Toast Souffle

I made this recipe for Christmas morning last year and it was delicious. I was pleasantly suprised. I'd been wanting to find a french toast recipe like this for a couple years, after I had one at our Royalty Womens retreat weekend up in McCall a few years ago.

Ingredients:

10 cups white bread cubes

1 (8oz) pkg lowfat cream cheese, softened

8 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

2/3 cup half-and-half

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Directions:

Place bread cubes in a lightly greased 9x13 in. baking pan. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in milk, half and half, maple syrup, and vanilla until mixture is smooth. Pour cream cheese mixture over the bread; cover and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, remove souffle from fridge and let stand at room temp for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat overn to 375*. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into center comes out clean. Spring with powdered sugar and serve warm. Add extra maple syrup on top if your taste buds are calling for it!

Chicken Tacos

I made chicken tacos the other day and they are just so yummy, and a nice change from beef tacos every once in a while. I use my crockpot to make them. I use 3 chicken breasts, trimmed (serves plenty for 2 plus left-overs), place them in crockpot with about 1/2 cup water, add chicken taco (or regular taco) seasoning and cook on high for a 2-3 hours. When the chicken is done, shred apart with a couple forks. The chicken literally falls apart. I usually mix it around in the crockpot with the juices and seasoning and let it marinate for a few minutes while I prepare the side items, which can include but not limited to:

black beans

shredded cheese

tomatos

lettuce

cilantro

green onions

avocado

olives

taco sauce

sour cream

...and I like to squeeze some fresh lime juice over it all to add the mexican zing!

Meat Lasagna

I got this recipe from Shelli. She made it once when we were in college and I fell in love. After eating this lasagna, I'm only slightly satisfied by the store bought stuff. It makes either 1 very large pan that feeds LOTS or 2 smaller pans. I like to make the 2 smaller pans and freeze one for later. It's always nice to be able to pull out a pan of homemade lasagna without the work and have a nice yummy meal without having to cook that night. Keep in mind that if you do freeze part of the lasagna, the cooking time will increase by 30-45 minutes. If you are able, it does help to take it out of the freezer a few hours before cooking to let thaw some. So here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 lbs hamburger

1 (26 oz) can Hunt's tomato sauce

1 (26oz) can chunky vegetable tomato sauce

1 onion

2 lbs cottage cheese

2 1/2 lbs grated mozzerella cheese

7 oz ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1 box oven-ready lasagna noodles

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*. Cook hamburger in a large skillet. Add chopped onions. When onions are soft, add spaghetti sauces. Season to taste. While sauces are heating through, mix cheeses (over 1/2 of mozzerella) and egg together. Spread a layer of meat sauce on the bottom of pan, then layer with 3 noodles. Top noodles with a layer of meat sauce, then cheese, then 3 more noodles. Repeat until sauce and noodles are gone. (I can usually get 3 layers in.) The last layer will be the cheeses, topped with the remaining mozzerella. Tent with foil, then bake @ 350* for 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Let stand to cool for a few minutes before serving. ENJOY!

Pasta e Fagioli

A friend turned me on to this recipe through a recipe blog - For the Love of Cooking. All I can say is sooooooo delicious! Great for a cold night and a loaf of crusty bread!

2 tsp. olive oil

2-3 turkey italian sausages, casing removed (I used sausage links, sliced and quartered)

1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes, blended

4 cups of chicken broth

2 15 oz. can of white beans, drained

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

pinch of crushed red pepper

sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

1 cup of tubed shaped pasta

1-2 cups fresh baby spinach

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Freshly grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large durch oven over med. heat. Add diced onion and sautee for 3-4 min. or until softened. Add the turkey sausage and cook until done and well crumbled. (Again, I just browned my sausage pieces) Add garlic and stir constatnly for 60 seconds then add the chicken broth. Pour the tomatoes and their juices into a blender and blend, then pour into dutch oven. Add drained beans and seasonings to the soup and simmer partly covered for 1-2 hours.

When you are ready to eat, turn the soup up to a slow boil then add the pasta and cook per instructions. Taste the soup and re-season if needed. Once the pasta is cooked, add the fresh spinach and parsley. Serve with a bit of freshly frated parmesan cheese on top. Yummy!

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

This is a delicous recipe that I got from a co-worker. It is great to throw everything in the crockpot early in the day and have a hearty meal in the evening. It's also a good recipe to use game meat in because it is very flavorful and can help cover up some of the gamey taste.

1-2 lbs. cubed beef stew meat (I usually use elk)
1-2 cans cream of mushroom soup (1 per lb. of meat)
1/2 - 1 packet onion soup mix (depending on how flavorful you like it)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 oz. cream cheese
4-6 oz. fresh mushrooms
dollop of sour cream
salt, pepper, and garlic to taste

Combine meat, soups, onion, water and Worcestershire sauce in a crockpot.

Optional: sprinkle meat with salt and pepper and about 1/2 tsp. crushed garlic (I don't do this because the onion soup mix has plenty of flavor)

Cook on low for about 8 hours or on high for about 5 hours.

About 30 min before serving: Saute mushrooms in oil and add them (I usually just put them in without sauteeing - saves time and dishes). Stir in cream cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

Serve over whole wheat egg noodles. Enjoy!!!

Introduction...

The Johnson girls: Missy, Shaanti, Jenny, and Kim. We decided to make a family cookbook, doing so through a blog, then when we felt we had enough recipes, pictures of the meals, and any extras that may accompany a cookbook, we would have it printed. So here's the beginning. Here's to the beginning of months of cooking, searching for new recipes, trying new things, and enjoying the "fruits of our labor". I look forward to adding new recipes and trying those that my sisters add. May the cooking begin!....Jenny