Molasses Cookies for Christmas and Santa!

Molasses cookies (from Bon Appetit) remind me of ginger bread cookies - better tasting!
to keep them soft - cook them like you would a brownie -until the inside part is not wet -take them out immediately.  This way, they are soft!

• Place racks in lower and upper thirds of oven; preheat to 375°. Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk egg, butter, granulated sugar, molasses, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Mix in dry ingredients just to combine.  Place sanding sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop out dough by the tablespoonful and roll into balls (if dough is sticky, chill 20 minutes). Roll in sugar and place on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2” apart.  Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until cookies are puffed, cracked, and just set around edges (overbaked cookies won’t be chewy), 8–10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool.

  INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup mild-flavored (light) or robust-flavored (dark) molasses
  • ¼ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
  • Coarse sanding or raw sugar (for rolling)
    
    
    NOTES:  used powdered sugar for rolling
    ONLY 1/3 SUGAR/ NO BROWN SUGAR
    ONE TEASP BAKING SODA + ONE TEASP OF BAKING PWDER
    added walnuts

How long do seeds last?

No Tomatoes this Year!

a look back at what we issued this year....took a year off!

WINE

Enjoyed the following wineries in the North of California

Regions of Napa Vallet, Sonoma, Anderson Vallet
"Tres Sabores"

"Alexander Valley"

and

Pestoni Family

Chicory Greens : Grumolo

I can't say enough about these greens - cooked or raw - greens and beans, salads, sautéed like spinach - they are ever-loving good!

The bonus to these seeds - I purchase from seeds of italy - growitalian - or Baker Creek - rareseeds - is they are PERENNIAL!  all of the plants came back this spring.  Our frosty winters are -20 below so anything that comes back each year is HARDY...


If you dig below the surface you will find long taproots similar to dandelion - as chicory is the larger  plant category.  These greens are highly nutritious.  good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamins C and B9...

Brain Food: Nutrients to Preserve Brain

The following diet allows for the foods that will give a boost to preservation of the brain in various ways according to Paula Wolfert.

"Thus, the so-called bulletproof coffee (with grass fed butter mixed in), she makes every morning and the squares of dark chocolate she eats after lunch, in the belief they will bolster her brainpower. In between, she eats a carbohydrate-free diet built on salmon, berries and greens, along with extracts of turmeric, cinnamon and eggplant."
https://nyti.ms/2nxXEMO


Nasunin is a potent phytonutrient and antioxidant that is found in skin of eggplants. It may help fight aging and cancer...  nasunin has been found to protect the lipids (fats) in brain cell membranes. 

........we plant the Asian varieties which  have more skin per capital as they are thin.  Grown organically, do not peel.  Best sautéed with Asian spices.

...Coffee with butter  - stems from people in the Himalayas, Ethiopia, Nepal, Vietnam, and Singapore, while yak-butter tea drinks are consumed in Tibet.

I believe similar benefits hold for  coffee mixed with coconut oil.

dark chocolate

lavanols extracted from cocoa help tackle cholesterol levels and blood flow; But effective dose would be 400g of dark chocolate,

chocolates that I like!

https://www.tastefruition.com

https://www.tazachocolate.com

Patisson Strie Melange Squash

these have such a long shelf life as an ornamental!
but the real star of the show is how they taste - picked young - they are summer squash with a density great for frying or grilling - better than zucchini for tempera or antipasto!  Last year was the first year I grew these - seeds from Baker Creek - here is link
http://www.rareseeds.com/patisson-strie-melange-squash/

BRAIN FOOD: MAY SARTON, a favored writer of mine

May Sarton She knew a Phoenix from Belfast Community Media on Vimeo.

OKRA: HIBISCUS

Okra is completely edible from the flower, the leaves, and the pods.  Highly nutritious and loaded with benefits!!  Our first harvest last year has really inspired me to grow more of this plant, in the Hibiscus family, and get others in the Northeast to appreciate it, as well.  Known in the South for it's addition in gumbos, I really think the veggie has so much potential in stirfrys, curries, roasted and stuffed, etc.  The flower is stunning and would be an enriching addition to salads and decorative culinary arts and perhaps tea.

"Lectin is a type of protein found in okra, beans, peanuts, and grains."
high in Vit K to help with absorption of calcium.

Brain Food: Rebecca

a friend suggested this book to read...I told her it was good, I had read it from my library.  She said "You do not have this book in your library." I said, "Yes, I did."

My library is well stocked thanks to numerous book sales I've attended over the years.  Anyway, her suggestion had me reading it again...great writing from a woman of the year 1940.  Very impressive!  And you can watch the movie online or listen to the audiobook.  You gotta love the internet...and a well-stock library!

Exercise Bid

in a bid to exercise more ... we put up this Basketball net...to the left is a backboard to hit tennis balls ... this comes in handy during the cold winter months...rather than traveling to a gym ...this is much more convenient. Last year, i went to an indoor tennis facility which is great except for the commute... hit or miss with winter storms!  Both of these sports give a good amount of cardio.