Grandma's Best Ever Gingerbread

Since yesterday featured decorating gingerbread, I thought I'd share a good recipe for making some.

Years ago I spent some time copying recipes from my great-grandmother's cookbooks, and she had a note beside this one that intrigued me:  "This makes a very thin batter but the best gingerbread you ever ate."  Who wouldn't want to try that?


So when My Little Man and I were studying gingerbread a few weeks ago, this is the recipe we pulled out.  We weren't sorry.

To make Grandma's Best Ever Gingerbread, you'll need:

• 1/2 c. butter
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 c. dark molasses (we used King's syrup)
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 2 t. ginger
• 1/4 t. cloves
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 c. white or white wheat flour
• 2 level t. baking soda
• 1 c. boiling water

This recipe is very easy to pull together.  Simply:

1. Mix the ingredients in the order given, except for the baking soda and water.  At the very last, when everything else is mixed, put the soda into the boiling water and add to the rest.
2. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

We topped ours with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, but whipped cream or some great vanilla ice cream would be good, too.  YUM!

GratiTuesday: Living Vicariously

My grandmother is a home ec teacher, and before she retired she taught grand gingerbread house-making units with her high school students.  

Sometimes she sent us pictures of these fabulous creations she had made, and I always thought, "Wow!  What fun that must be!"  I wanted to make one in the worst kind of way, but it never worked out.

A few weeks ago, while attempting to assemble one of those pre-made kit houses with my Big Helper - and failing miserably - I realized that Nana would be visiting in a few weeks, and that perhaps she could show us how to put one of these together.

My Big Helper loved that idea.

Fortunately for us, Nana didn't mind, and she arrived on Saturday, apron in hand, ready to create her own kind of magic with us. 

Without the time necessary to bake all of our own pieces - at least this time - we began with a premade kit. Nana and my Big Helper soon worked out a decorating plan, and after watching her great-grandmother pipe on some icing, ...

My Big Helper dove right in.

When he saw the mass quantities of candy that had been unearthed for this project, My Little Man came to help - and then left again when he realized we weren't eating it.

After working together throughout the morning and teaching us all sorts of tips and tricks, Nana made it 'snow' on their house, and they called it finished.

Here you can see their carefully-stacked chimney in the back and the snow scattered on the roof ...

And their front door, surrounded by bushes and framed with light pole and wreath.

This whole project looked like such fun.  The two of them worked in tandem, sharing ideas and suggestions and tips for how to make the imagined become reality.

Throughout their confectionery session, I sat glued to my chair just across the table, happy that my daughter could have this special time with her great-grandmother.  It made me remember times of learning from my great-grandmothers, times when I learned to roll out pie crust or bake special cookies.  It made me remember watching Nana create her own piping bag during the summer I took cake decorating in 4-H, and to wish that I still knew how to do that.

Most of all, though, I lived vicariously through my Big Helper Saturday morning.  Seeing her delight at Starburst chimneys and sugar icicles made me feel as if a tiny part of me was a part of the creation.  As if a dream twenty-five years in the making came true.

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

Multitudes on Monday - February 27, 2012

What a week!  It's been busy but wonderful.  Here are a few of our blessings:

- We got out first - and maybe our only - snow!  

- Not only was the snow fun, but it was beautiful, too.

- I loved watching the kids' excitement!

- Lenten fastnachts, our own version, shared with friends.

- An opportunity to learn with friends.

- A weekend visit with family.

- My Big Helper's first lost tooth.

There was also:

- I was served communion by My Big Helper for the very first time this weekend.  It was amazing.

- A run with my Little Man.

- Riding my antiquated scooter with the kids - until they decided that mine was better.  ;-)

What sorts of blessings did you receive this week?

Menu Plan Monday - February 27, 2012

Before us stretches a week with few commitments and warm weather - woo-hoo!  I'm looking forward to a slower pace and some serious playing time with the kids.  :-)  I also have a fridge full of leftovers from this weekend, so we'll be incorporating those things into our week.

So this week we'll be eating these things ...

Breakfasts:

- Perfectly Pumpkin Pancakes 
- Scrambled eggs and oranges
- Cereal and bananas

Lunches will be our usual assortment of leftovers or sandwiches with yogurt or cheese and sliced veggies or fruit.

Dinners:
- Baked BBQ chicken, crashed potatoes, steamed veggies

- Chicken quesadillas with black beans, cheese, and salsa; baked corn, applesauce

- Spaghetti with marinara sauce, salad, applesauce, chocolate chip pumpkin brownies
- Fish tacos, lima beans, sliced fruit
- Roast beef, baked potatoes, roasted carrots and onions
- Grab it and growl
- Dinner at church

What will you be eating this week?

For more Menu Plan Mondays, visit OrgJunkie.

Field Work Fridays: Russia

This week we vicariously traveled to Russia, via a fabulous native who is now a US citizen.  She shared many stories of life in Russia.

Daily life is very different; one needs only to hear about the commonality of caviar and the sheer numbers of apartment buildings to know that.  From school at night to a mile-deep lake, our guest's information was fascinating.

My Little Man was particularly excited about the pictures and souvenirs.  He liked looking at the writing in Russian inside her Russian passport, ...

and he loved the nesting dolls.  Known as a Russian item but coming originally from Japan, these dolls are hand-painted with special colors and flowers to indicate in which state they were created.

Aren't they beautiful?

February 23rd is a Russian holiday - Military Appreciation Day, when parents and teachers give all males gifts to show their appreciation for military service.  Even young boys who have not yet served receive presents for their future dedication to their country.

In honor of this holiday, our guest brought cupcakes decorated in the Russian national colors for the children to enjoy - and they did!  The vast amount of icing on his cupcake amazed My Little Man.  :-)

Have you met anyone from another country lately?

"Blue Moon Promise" by Colleen Coble

Laid off and about to be evicted, Lucy Marsh has nowhere to turn.  With her parents dead and her stepmother long gone, she is solely in charge of her twelve-year-old brother and three-year-old sister.  When a stranger claiming to be her father's old friend shows up and offers his son in marriage by proxy, Lucy has no choice but to accept.  While Nate, Lucy's new husband, is less than pleased with the new arrangement, that is not Lucy's only problem.  Grafted onto a ranch full of men, Lucy faces the monumental task of making this dusty land a home for her family, facing Indians, wild animals, and stampedes.  With mysterious strangers breaking into their little cabin and their father's murder still unresolved, who is behind the strange happenings that threaten their hope for a peaceful future - and a marriage based on love?

Colleen Coble has crafted a complete page-turner in Blue Moon Promise. The very best of historical fiction, this book has it all - romance, faith, personal struggle, real history, and lots of mystery.  Once started, I couldn't put this story down.

Lucy Marsh makes a fabulous main character.  Beautiful, talented, and with a big heart, she's like the cheerleader your high school self always longed to be, and yet she's real, too.  With a quick wit and a controlling nature, Lucy struggles with letting God direct her steps.  She doesn't get everything right the first time and faces the same control issues over and over before she learns from them, even when someone wiser calls her to the carpet. Her strong desire to be loved for herself only makes her a more lovable lead.

Not all books make it onto my bookshelf.  Many I thoroughly enjoy reading but when the story ends, the characters and I go our separate ways.  Not so with Blue Moon Promise.  It's the kind of book I like to read over and over - when the characters become much-loved friends and each read another visit with them.  With enough action to keep the story speeding along and enough emotion and drama to keep it real, this is not only a must-read - it's a must-keep.

If you'd like to add this book to your shelf, you can find it here.

This review is part of a blog tour by LitFuse Publicity.  If you'd like to read other reviews, you can find a complete listing here.

Kindle Giveaway and More! Save the Date - 3/13!

Blue Moon Promise is a story of hope, romance, and suspense . . . immersing the reader in a rich historical tale set under Texas stars.

To celebrate Colleen is teaming up with her publisher Thomas Nelson for a "Blue Moon Promise" Facebook Chat party where she will giveaway a KINDLE Fire and a Texas-sized gift basket (fabulous Texas treats and fun Lucy-inspired housekeeping products)!

Click the banner, RSVP today for the Facebook Party and mark the date on your calendar!

Invite your friends and don't miss Colleen's evening of chat, trivia, prizes, and more.

About author Colleen Coble ...

Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, ACFW Book of the Year, RWA’s RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has nearly 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana.

I received a copy of Blue Moon Promise from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

White Chocolate Popcorn

A friend told me about this treat a few weeks ago, and we made it for our Big Helper's school Valentine's Day party.  It came together in minutes!

This is super simple to make, keeps much longer than typical popcorn, and can be personalized with your favorite treats.  It's sweet but with a healthy base, so you can feel better about serving this than many other sweet treats.  We added M&Ms this time for a colorful pop, but next time we'll try some nuts and raisins.  Yum!

To make your own White Chocolate Popcorn, you'll need:

• 1 batch of popcorn
• 1/2 bag of white chocolate chips
• your choice of add-ins (we used a handful of M&Ms)

You'll have your own white chocolate popcorn ready in under 15 minutes.  

1. Prepare your popcorn and leave plain.  Put in a really big bowl.
2. Melt white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring every 30 seconds to prevent scorching.
3. Drizzle melted chocolate over popcorn.  Working quickly, stir the popcorn until completely coated with the chocolate.
4. Add mix-ins and spread out on dish towels to dry.  Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to several days.

What would you add to a chocolatey popcorn treat mix?

Free Family-friendly Lent Devotions

Each year we talk about how we're going to recognize Lent as a family.  Usually we each choose different things that we feel called to fast from for the duration of the Lenten season.

I didn't realize that this had such a big impact on My Big Helper until she started talking about Lent immediately after Christmas.

She talked about it so much, sharing all her ideas for things that she could give up, that finally My Little Man, who doesn't seem to remember much about this season yet, said, "What is Lent, anyway?"


As I got ready to answer him, he quickly added, "And will we have more special devotions like the Jesse Tree with Advent?"


He stumped me with that one, because while we try to have a family devotional time each night, we've always just continued with our regular devotional book right through Lent.

But he really liked the Jesse Tree format, and he seemed to get a lot out of the stories, so I decided to create our own Lenten devotions centered on the Jesse Tree format and the idea of Jesus' sacrifice for us.

Each devotion comes with a scripture reference, an objective, a simple lesson, a prayer, and the matching ornament.

We've printed ours off - cut out the eggs, glued them onto triangular banners, and we're going to attach one each night to a string over the mantel or a doorway after completing that devotion.  You could also just go with the square shape as is - it would certainly be easier to cut out - and hang them from a branch like the Jesse tree, or maybe just look at them and skip the crafty part altogether.

But for the next 46 days we're going to walk through Lent this way - each sacrificing something important to us, praying our way through the wanting-it times, remembering how very much more Jesus gave for us.


In case there are any other curious four-year-olds out there, I thought I'd share.    And if you choose to use any or all of these devotions, I hope they bless your family.

And that little four-year-old of mine?  He's almost five now - thinking deep thoughts, always inquisitive, wondering at God's creation, and I'm very, very grateful for him.


If you'd like to a copy of our Lenten Devotions, please email me and I'll send them right to you - or click here to download them yourself.


For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

Multitudes on Monday - February 20, 2012

Being busy always makes it harder to find peace, I think.  I love that God asks us to "be still" and know Him.  I've been bad about carving out those important pockets of time this week - I'm determined to do better in the days to come.

Still, despite my failings, He is always faithful.  This week has been no different:

My Little Man, excited to peel his own carrots, saying that "it's the best job ever!"

- Making valentines with My Big Helper.  She made each one individually and it took days, but it was fun to have some crafty time with her.

- Time hanging out and playing with friends at our Valentine's Party.

- My Big Helper is super excited about her new Bible and daily reading plan.  :-)

- I won a giveaway and a whole box of cakes in a jar showed up at my doorstep.  Yay for chocolate - delivered, even!

- Some beautiful, warm sunny days when we could play outside - more than usual.

- The neighbor's dogwoods are blooming!  They're so pretty and always remind me of my great-grandmother's tree outside the farmhouse.

- Violet-like flowers blooming all over the front yard.  They had my Big Helper quite excited this week!

- A playful, happy kitten.

- Our first Chinese food dinner as a family, and the kids loved it!

- While it was 69 a few days ago, today it snowed!  We've got much more than this now and school has been cancelled.  Snow day at home!  :-)

What blessings have you seen this week?

Menu Plan Monday - February 20, 2012

Whew, what a crazy week!  It was 69 only two days ago, but it's snowing now!  I don't think I'll every get used to Southern weather.

Being a SAHM keeps you quite busy.  Somehow My Little Man and I have plans away from home four days this week, with the Big Helper having one of those days off from school.  We're getting company for the weekend, too - yay! - so it's sure to be a big week.

Here are our meal plans so far:

Breakfasts:
- scrambled eggs, toast, oranges

- yogurt, bananas, and Cinnamon Almond Granola

- Perfectly Pumpkin Pancakes

Lunches:
Lunches will be our usual assortment of leftovers or sandwiches with cheese or yogurt and sliced fruits or veggies.

Dinners:
- Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches with oatmeal cookies for dessert

- Chili, cornbread muffins, applesauce
- Mexican baked potatoes (topped with black beans, cheese, corn, and salsa)

- Spaghetti with Bolognese sauce, salad, applesauce

- Pizza, carrot sticks
- Baked chicken, crashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, applesauce
- Grab it and growl

It's going to be a big food week, too.  Tuesday is Fastnacht Day, so we'll make our fastnachts on Monday and then share them with friends the next day.  I love that tradition!  Following that, it will be my last sweet for the duration of Lent, so I'm particularly looking forward to them this year.  I haven't found a fastnacht recipe that I like enough to use more than once, but this year we're going with this one.  It's not really a true fastnacht, but it will give the kids the right idea and be a smidge healthier than the real thing.

I'm excited to be sharing a special family-friendly Lenten project that I've been working on here tomorrow!  Come back and check it out.  


For more Menu Plan Monday, visit OrgJunkie.