Recipe: Big Soft Ginger Cookies

My Aunt Cindy won second place in the California State Fair with this recipe.  I have made them every year for Christmas for the past 15 years and counting. She's no longer with us, but I think of her every Christmas when I dig this recipe out of my file box. And my family and friends ask me when I'll be be baking these for the cookie trays every year.  I even use them as bribery material for my brother-in-law when I need him to do me a favor ;)

Note: This recipe has been adjusted for baking at 3500 feet in elevation. If you live above or below that, you may need to adjust the baking time, temperature and/or molasses amount to get the soft texture that makes these so great.

Big Soft Ginger Cookies
1/4 cup molasses*
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, butter, or shortening**
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar

*We use a mild molasses

**This is the only cookie recipe where I use butter flavored shortening instead of butter. For some reason, at my altitude, it works better here.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Combine flour, ginger, soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt; set aside
3. In large mixing bowl, beat shortening for 30 seconds on low speed to soften. Gradually add 1 cup of sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg and molasses; beat well.
4. Stir dry ingredients into beaten mixture.
5. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll in the 2 tablespoons sugar (placed in shallow bowl or rimmed plate) and place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 1/2 inches apart.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes or until light brown and still puffed. Do Not Overbake!
7. Let stand 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack. Cool.

Makes 24 3-inch cookies.

2011 Reading Challenge: Outdo Yourself

 

This is the very first reading challenge I've done since I started my blog. I have no idea how many books I've read this year (guess I better count them) but I know I'll be reading more next year. I've asked Santa for a Kindle, which means all of those ebooks that take me forever to read on my Ipod should be much quicker to read ;)

For my level, I'm going to go with Out of Breath (6-10 books more)

Details:

• Runs January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011 (books read prior to 1/1/11 do not count towards the challenge). You can join at anytime. You can sign up on The Book Vixen’s blog.
• The goal is to outdo yourself by reading more books in 2011 than you did in 2010. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. Nothing is set in stone; you can change levels at any time during the challenge.
• Books can be any format (bound, eBook, audio).
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are fine.
• You can list your books in advance or list them as you read them. It is not required that you review the books you read for this challenge but feel free to do so.
• Post this reading challenge on your blog so you can keep a list of the books you’ve read for this challenge. Please include a link back to this post so readers can join the challenge too.
• You do not have to be a book blogger to participate. You can keep tabs on books you’ve read for this challenge on Goodreads or LibraryThing if you’d like (maybe make a shelf for “Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge”). If you are not on either of those sites then you can list the books you read for this challenge in the comments on my wrap-up post, which will be up at the end of 2011.

Levels:
     Getting my heart rate up – Read 1–5 more books      
     Out of breath – Read 6–10 more books      
     Breaking a sweat – Read 11–15 more books
     I’m on fire! – Read 16+ more books

Cookbook Review: Desserts 4 Today by Abigail Johnson Dodge

Format: Oversized paperback
Publisher: Taunton
Pub Date: September 2010
FTC: Digital galley received through Netgalley

The Blurb:

Today's home cooks want simplicity in the kitchen, especially when it comes to desserts. For this book, consummate cook and teacher Abigail Johnson Dodge has developed an extraordinary collection of sophisticated, yet easy-to-make sweets-using just four ingredients-that offer a depth of flavor that belie their simplicity. There are no difficult-to-master techniques here, no hours of prep work required; each of the 125 flavorful desserts uses mostly simple pantry ingredients and is ready from start to finish in about 30 minutes. Each recipe includes flavor variations and substitutions, as well as dress-up options. Cooks of all skill levels will delight in everything sweet-from cookies to mouthwatering creamy, frozen, and pastry desserts. 

Lately it seems I've lost my baking mojo. I just can't summon the interest to make *anything*. Part of the problem is likely that I live in high altitude country and need to have plenty of patience when trying new recipes. Because, thanks to living at 3500 feet, half of them don't turn out. A friend of mine has it even worse. She lives at 7000 feet. Which means certain types of baking (cookies, breads) are pretty much out the question.

So with those limitations in mind, I was happy to see so many desserts in Desserts 4 Today: Flavorful Desserts with Just Four Ingredients that aren't baked or that start with partially prepared ingredients. Most of the recipes are still from scratch, but (and here's the awesome part of this cookbook's concept) the recipes here have only 4 ingredients. 4! There are ways to enhance (or "gussy up") some of the plainer recipes by adding additional ingredients, but the base recipes still only have 4 ingredients.  Yea!

The chapter on fruit desserts is terrific, as is the Creamy Desserts chapter. 

Another thing to love? The price is very reasonable for the slender paperback. Full list price is $17.95, and you can find it for much less at most online bookstores. There are plenty of photos (a must!) and the number of mix-ins or variation ideas adds to the value.

I think this will be the book that breaks my dessert-making slump. And it will also make a great gift for the aforementioned friend stuck in the no-bake zone.

My Grade: A

Holiday Traditions: It's Treelighting Time!

Tonight is our annual Holiday Sparkle here in my little town in the mountains. Downtown merchants stay open late (and by late, I mean they don't lock their doors at the usual 5 pm), and hand out snacks to the men, women and children who brave the cold. Carolers and musicians perform for the crowds on the courthouse steps. Santa listens to Christmas wishes of little boys and girls in a special chair set up for him on the courthouse plaza. The courthouse itself is festooned with lighted reindeer and single Menorah. And one of the large trees on the front lawn is strung with lights waiting for the countdown to the official tree lighting while those of us who can remember grumble about how the "old" tree was bigger and better.

The best part for me, though, (besides the free! fudge they always hand out at the Drug Store), is seeing old friends from high school and college. Former teachers and professors, too. It seems like everyone comes home for Sparkle. No matter how far away they live. The sidewalks are nearly shoulder to shoulder—which is saying something for a town that has only about 5000 people in it. And you can't walk more than a few feet without seeing someone you know or someone you used to know.

For the kids, I can say without question that the best part is the truck light parade. Firetrucks, logging trucks, ambulances, cement mixers and tow trucks all make a loop around downtown covered in Christmas lights and the occasional holiday inflatable lawn ornament. The tackier the better.



I sometimes worry whether I did the right thing by moving back home to raise my children. But when I see the people, truly merry and filled to the brim with cheer, and I feel the strong sense of community, I'm positive I made the right decision. My kids may hate this place when they become teens. They may want to leave and never look back. But considering the number of people who DO come back every year, even just to visit, I'm not too worried.

What kinds of holiday celebrations do you have where you live? Are they big city spectaculars or something similar to what we do here?

Review: Rebel by Zoe Archer (Blades of the Rose #3)

Format: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Zebra/Kensington
Pub Date: November 2010
FTC: Purchased myself

I loved the first two installments of Zoe Archer's Blades of the Rose series. But this one was...boring. I hate to say it so baldly, but I just wasn't engaged at all with  Rebel.  I liked the characters, but I wasn't pulled into the story as I was with the other two books. And the worst part? I can't pinpoint exactly WHY I didn't like it. I definitely expected to. Wanted to like it...

I think part of it is the mythology aspect. I'm not a huge Native American mythology fan. It tends to bore me. I know...very un-PC of me, but it's the truth. I know quite a few creation myths from various cultures in the US (although no Canadian ones). Know a bit more about Southwestern Pueblo myths. Still don't find it engaging in the same way I find nearly every other religion or mythology. It just doesn't "click" with me. I don't really know how else to explain it. And since so much of this story uses those myths and those traditions, I think it created a bit of distance between me and the narrative.

My other problem, I think, is with our heroine: Astrid. I loved that she was a bit older. I thought she was an interesting choice, given how emotionally scarred she was. How closed off from friends and family. And how horribly alone. But given how intense her pain was, it seemed a bit unbelievable that she would fall for someone so quickly after beginning to come alive again. I just didn't buy it. At all. Maybe it's the pace of that recovery I objected to. Maybe, given how badly she must have hurt to close herself off from all of her friends, it's because I didn't think she *could* recover from her loss. Either way, I didn't find it believable OR compelling.

As for pacing, I liked the beginning. The middle 100-150 pages were so slow. I didn't truly enjoy the book until we got more Catullus Graves in it. Because he rocks! I honestly kept reading for the scenes where he appeared.  I can't wait to read his story, Stranger, which was just published.

Of the three Blades of the Rose I have read so far, this is by far my least favorite. It may work well for those not bugged by the mythology or the pace. For me, it was just...dull.

My Grade: C

Rebel is available at The Book Depository as well as other book retailers.

I've been suspended!

I have no idea what happened since the promised email from Twitter has never arrived, but my account has been suspended with Twitter. I am appealing, of course, but until then...if you don't hear from me...that is why.

Update: Twitter responded that they thought I had been hacked. Couldn't find any of those weird posts people get when they are hacked, though, so Twitter either deleted them or thought I was too spammy. LOL. 

I'm back, tweeting about irrelevant things.

Hump Day Classic Movie: Santa Claus is Coming to Town (1970)

Everyone has their favorite holiday movies. For me, it's the old fashioned, stop motion animated classics originally shown on TV. Last night, our family watched Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

Featuring the voices of Fred Astaire and Mickey Rooney, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town takes us from Kris Kringle's infancy to his current state of gray-whiskered, jelly bellied joviality.

The only thing I *don't* like is that I get a major earworm from the songs. Because this is, in typical animated fashion, a musical of sorts. And I'll catch myself humming (off-key because I can't even hum well) throughout the day.

What holiday movies do you love to watch?

Review: The Dickens with Love by Josh Lanyon

Format: ebook
Publisher: Samhain
FTC: purchased myself
Pub Date: December 2009

The Blurb:

A quirky holiday romance about Faith, Hope, and…er…glow-in-the-dark condoms!
Three years ago, a scandal cost antiquarian “book hunter” James Winter everything that mattered to him: his job, his lover and his self-respect. But now the rich and unscrupulous Mr. Stephanopoulos has a proposition. A previously unpublished Christmas book by Charles Dickens has turned up in the hands of an English chemistry professor by the name of Sedgwick Crisparkle. Mr. S. wants that book at any price, and he needs James to get it for him. There’s just one catch. James can’t tell the nutty professor who the buyer is.

Actually, two catches. The nutty Professor Crisparkle turns out to be totally gorgeous—and on the prowl. Faster than you can say, “Old Saint Nick,” James is mixing business with pleasure…and in real danger of forgetting that this is just a holiday romance.

Just as they’re well on the way to having their peppermint sticks and eating them too, Sedgwick discovers the truth. James has been a very bad boy. And any chance Santa will bring him what he wants most is disappearing quicker than the Jolly Old Elf’s sleigh.

Josh Lanyon's books never cease to surprise me with their terrific characters and complexity. But I will admit...I didn't look forward to reading this one. Because I really (and I mean really) hate Charles Dickens. Yes, I know it makes me sound like a Scrooge.

I hate his cutesy little names that are generally tied to character traits. And I think the man was too wordy. Serialized novels in the Victorian era were often wordy, and I'm no stranger to 19th century literature, but I just can't stand his style of writing. Just a personal preference, and not the fault of Mr. Lanyon.

So it was with great reluctance that I started reading The Dickens With Love. And, despite Lanyon's tongue-in-cheek use of Dickensian names as well (James Winter?), I found myself blasting through it in a single sitting. As usual for anything written by this author.

Hump Day Classic Movie: Star Wars

Some people watch Christmas movies on Thanksgiving. Some people watch football. Our family? We do a Star Wars marathon. And by Star Wars, I am, of course, referring to the original trilogy.

Star Wars (Episode IV: A New Hope) may not seem like a classic movie, but it was filmed in 1976 and released in 1977. Which is 33 years ago! Myself, I missed the Star Wars mania. I was a newborn in 1977. But Star Wars defined my husband's childhood. And I've seen all of the movies so many times now, that I can recite them by heart.

The number of Star Wars references found in popular culture, television, and movies is mind-boggling.  The first movie is even referenced in Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth, explaining how  world culture and religion is distilled into a pop culture phenomenon.

But the best part about Star Wars Episodes IV-VI is that they are just plain fun to watch. Adventure, romance, strange creatures, humor, and lots of space battles.

Are there any holiday movie traditions in your family?

Winter is here. Boo!

I'm a big winter storm whiner. Even though I live in the mountains. The reason? I grew up in the valleys of Northern California. Where our big winter was when the mud puddles iced over. Even though I've now spent more time in the mountains than I ever did in the valleys, snow is still something I'm not fond of.

You have to shovel it. Because I get so much mail, and send so much mail, I'm out there shoveling off the deck, shoveling out the mailbox. I hate it.

You have to drive in it. School doesn't shut down here for snow. Ever. So I don't have the option of not driving in the snow. And since California doesn't use salt on the roads (they use a chemical de-icer which IMO doesn't work), the roads are slick.

But it does have its compensations. It is so pretty.

Review: The Rules of an Engagement by Suzanne Enoch

Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pub Date: October 2010
Publisher: Avon
FTC: Purchased myself

The Blurb:

For proper young ladies, good behavior has always been the rule…
Captain Bradshaw Carroway loves the seafaring life—though he’d rather be battling brigands than his current assignment of ferrying a boatload of spoiled aristocrats. One passenger, however, has caught his eye: a bewitching young minx who definitely distracts him from the rules of shipboard decorum . . .
Some rules, of course, are meant to be broken.
Miss Zephyr Ponsley has traveled the world, but she’s completely innocent in the ways of love. She’s never learned to dance or flirt. But scientific observation has taught her that the laws of attraction have no rules, and that no adventure, on land or sea, is more dangerous—or delicious—than passion!

I loved Enoch's Lessons in Love trilogy. Every book was very different, but the Rake and England's Perfect Hero are my favorites. Partly because they are about the Carroway family, which I adore. So when I saw that Rules of an Engagement was about Bradshaw Carroway, I was doing a Snoopy dance in the aisles of the grocery store.

It's been six years since the last Carroway book. Six years. But I have to say it was worth the wait.  (Okay, technically, this is part of the Adventurer's Club series, but in my heart, it's a Carroway story).

Hump Day Classic Movie: The Untouchables

I usually make fun of Kevin Costner movies. After all, he's our modern John Wayne. Meaning he plays himself in every movie he's in. But in this movie, it works.

I am normally a happy movie person. But The Untouchables made an impact on me. Part of it is the result of the cast. Sean Conner, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro... Part of it is the fact that this is a bloody movie that really doesn't attempt to gloss over the fact that the subject matter is violent. It's not glamorized. The violence during prohibition was real, but too many movies make it look noble.

I think this is one of those movies everyone should see at least once.

Review: I'll Be Yours For Christmas by Samantha Hunter

Format: Mass Market Paperback (also available as an ebook)
Pub Date: December 2010 (available now)
Publisher: Harlequin
FTC: Received copy for review from author

The Blurb:

From the time they were kids and neighbors, Reece Winston tugged Abby Harper's pigtails and tormented her. But when Abby—now the sole owner of her parents' vineyard—sees Reece Winston again after years apart, she's unexpectedly struck by the need to play a much more adult kind of game....
Then a freak accident forces her to stay with Reece, and Abby decides that what she really wants for Christmas is Reece—perhaps wrapped with a red bow. But as Abby and Reece explore their naughty lists, they begin to realize that nothing is quite as easy as it seems!

I love holiday stories. I especially love holiday romances. Add in a neighbors-to-lovers plot, and I'm a happy little bookworm.

I admit, I normally shy away from most of the category Harlequin books. Not because I have anything against them, but because they are often too short to make me believe in the characters the way I'd like. That wasn't the case with I'll Be Yours for Christmas. The characters were very well done, even the secondary ones, and the plot was interesting and focused.

As someone from the west coast, it was a nice change to see something set in an east coast vineyard. It was unusual and refreshing not to have that Napa Valley feel to a story like this one. And I really loved all of the Christmas elements incorporated into the story. Over a dozen Christmas trees, wine themed ornaments. Small touches, but it kept the holiday feel consistent throughout the book.

The heat between Abby and Reece is scorching! I liked that Abby had a few minor kinks and Reece was very aware of them. The slow build, with a few interruptions thrown in to amp up the frustration, was nice. It felt realistic, especially given their brief "almost" encounter back in high school.

I also appreciated how the author resolved the career conflict while keeping the relationship balanced. The changes were not done in a self-sacrificing way that felt unequal, but instead felt like a move forward for both characters.

My only complaint, and it's a very minor one, was that I felt like the "arson investigation" to hold up insurance payments wasn't really needed. It didn't add anything to the story; there was enough conflict without it.

Grab a cup of eggnog and curl up in front of the fire with this one. You'll be in the holiday mood in no time.

My Grade: A-/B+

Cookbook Review: Perfect One Dish Dinners: All You Need for Easy Get Togethers by Pam Anderson

Format: Hardcover
Pub Date: September 2010
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
FTC: Digital galley received from the publisher via Netgalley

Despite the title, this cookbook is not for the cheap, easy casserole-minded cook. These dishes do go together in (mostly) one dish, but most involve long lists of ingredients and plenty of time.

We made the Frogmore Stew which is essentially a seafood boil. The proportions and cooking instructions were clear and easy to follow. And it was a one dish meal.

I really liked the appetizers and dessert recipes that go with each one dish dinner. The book is really more One Dish Main Course than One Dish Dinner, but that's okay with me. I loved the way some recipes have alternative substitutions that take far less time than the "star" recipe. It adds to the value of the book that these recipes are kind of snuck in rather than set out on their own pages to pad the recipe count.

There are some clever almost Semi-Homemade ideas, too, such as the recipe for Miniature Lemon-Raspberry Cakes that you can find on Amazon here.

The mostly one dish dinners is because many of these require second recipes to make them work. So while there are fewer dishes to dirty (and clean) titling the book "One Dish" is not really accurate.

Also, these recipes are geared towards entertaining, so they are more calorie-laden and involved than your average dinner. At least at my house. ;)

I like the recipes, I like the presentation, but this is more of a Simple Ideas for Entertaining than One Dish or Easy.

My Grade: B

Hump Day Classic Movie: El Dorado

I admit, I'm not  a big John Wayne fan. John Wayne played John Wayne in just about every movie he ever made. Even in the Conqueror (which is my own personal pick for worst movie ever made). But the few movies of his that I do watch nearly all have some interesting co-stars or supporting actors.

In the case of El Dorado, there's Robert Mitchum. And there's a very young, very handsome, James Caan.

I was watching a DVR'd episode of the new Hawaii Five-O starring James Caan's son Scott when I realized it had been a long time since I watched El Dorado. So I dug it out. Sure, it's pretty standard fare for a John Wayne western, but it's one of the few I actually enjoy. Because James Caan was a definite cutie in this role.

Review: Undeniably Yours by Shannon Stacey

Format: ebook
Publisher: Carina
Pub Date: November 2010
FTC: Review copy received from Netgalley

The Blurb:

One-night stand + two percent condom failure rate = happily ever after?
 
Bar owner Kevin Kowalski is used to women throwing their phone numbers at him, but lately he's more interested in finding a woman to settle down with. A woman like Beth Hansen. If only their first meeting hadn't gone so badly... 

Beth's tending bar at a wedding when she comes face-to-face with a tuxedo-clad man she never thought she'd see again. She tries to keep her distance from Kevin but, by last call, she can't say no to his too-blue eyes or the invitation back to his room. Then she slips out before breakfast without leaving a note and, despite their precautions, pregnant. 

Kevin quickly warms to the idea of being a dad and to seeing where things go with Beth. After all, he's not the player she thinks he is. But she's not ready for a relationship and, given his reputation, it's going to take a lot to convince her to go on a second date with the father of her child..

I'm not a huge fan of the unplanned pregnancy trope, but Shannon Stacey was able to sneak past my preferences and make me change my mind—at least for this book.

Shannon Stacey writes wonderful contemporary romance with warm, genuine characters and a subtle sense of humor.  I love the Kowalksi family, warts and all. The Kowalksis, and their family dynamics, remind me very much of Nora's classic Silhouettes (MacGregors, Stanislaskis) because there's something so appealing about the group as a whole.

My Amelia Peabody Favorites List

**Caution: Dozens of spoilers ahead**

A few of us were discussing the lovely Amelia Peabody series on Twitter, focused mainly around The Last Camel Died at Noon (book #6). That book is an important one in the overall story, but most of us found it quite slow. The Last Camel Died at Noon ranked quite low for many of us in a list of our favorite Peabody stories.

And because I've been sitting here, languishing on the couch unable to even type, I've been mentally compiling my favorites list. And here are the 19 Amelia books ranked in order of my preference. To find the order of publication, visit AmeliaPeabody.com. In the book list, you can also find the chronological order (archaeological season), as some of the later books were published as "lost journal" books and are published out of order.

If you haven't read any of the books, definitely start with the first one. I think they appeal to both mystery and romance readers. If you've started with a book other than the first one, go back! Although most of these stand alone, part of the charm is watching the characters evolve from one book to the next.

 **Spoiler Alert**

I'm back!

Sorry I've been MIA for the last week, but I got wiped by a bad reaction to the Flumist Vaccine. Being an idiot, I didn't realize that the mist was the live vaccine. Which ended up giving me every symptom of the flu (magnified) except the coughing and congestion. Ugh.

Anyway, I'm back, feeling mostly human, and have a few reviews to post this week including the newest by Shannon Stacey, Undeniably Yours.

Jill Shalvis Giveaway Winner!

The winner of a brand new copy of Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis (as chosen at random by my little guy) is:

tori aka ggs_closet

Congrats!

Please email me your mailing address at buriedbybooks@gmail.com, and I'll get your copy in the mail.