I thought it might be fun to have a thread where we all share our favorite holiday recipes. I've been cooking up some delicious treats and they make my house smell so nice!
So here are a couple of mine:
Math Book Gingerbread - The story behind this recipe is that we first found it in one of our elementary school math books. It was meant to teach fractions!
DRY:
1 ¾ c flour
½ t salt
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
WET:
1/3 c butter
¾ c hot water
¾ c molasses
¾ c brown sugar
1 T grated ginger root
2 eggs
Mix together wet ingredients, starting with butter and hot water (butter should melt). Mix together dry ingredients. Fold together wet and dry. Pour into a 9x9 inch pan and bake for 30-45’ at 325F until a toothpick comes out clean.
White Wine Poached Pears (adapted from Martha Stewart)
original recipe here: http://www.marthastewart.com/3.....ched-pears
1 bottle fruity white wine - I used a cheap vinho verde from Trader Joe's
~6 cups water
1.5 cups sugar
juice and zest (peeled in big strips) of 1 large lemon
spices if you want (I did not use any, but you could add cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, etc.)
8 pears, peeled, with stems left on
Mix together everything but the pears in a big pot. Make sure there is room for the pears. Bring the liquid to a boil, then add the pears and lower to a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes or until pears are tender. If the pears float too much, either turn them occasionally or press them down with a smaller pot lid. Let the pears cool in the liquid. If you wish, you can reduce the syrup down more after removing the cooled pears.
You can eat as is, serve over ice cream, or make a tart out of them. And don't forget to save the syrup. It is amazing in cocktails or just mixed with seltzer water.
