Because You Asked

Because several of you asked for the cookie/pumpkin dip recipe and because you asked so nicely, how could I refuse?

The cookie recipe came to me from one of my Texas friends and they were called Gladewater Gingersnaps. Truth is that they are not supposed to be crisp cookies so gingersnap is a bit deceiving. I renamed them Molasses cookies but are also known as Almost Famous Cookies because I usually get a request for the recipe whenever I serve them. It is one of my favorite Fall cookies.

Almost Famous Cookies
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup Crisco
1 egg
4 TB molasses
2 cups flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream sugar and Crisco. Beat in egg and molasses.
Add dry ingredients and chill 30 minutes.
Roll into 1 inch balls and roll in granulated sugar.
Bake for 11 minutes at 350 degrees. Cookies will "erupt" on top but should not be crisp.

Pumpkin Dip
2 cups powdered sugar
1 8 oz. cream cheese
1 15 oz can of pure packed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Combine sugar and cream cheese. Beat until well blended.
Beat in remaining ingredients. Store in airtight container and refrigerate.
Serving idea:
Serve dip in a small hollowed out pumpkin. Cookies can be dipped or can be "iced" with pumpkin dip.
1 recipe of dip is usually plenty for a double batch of cookies.

Happy Fall Ya'll
Gina

It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

A co-worker presented me with 2 cans of pumpkin when I arrived at work today. She found them at the next store on my list to search. For .79 each they could be mine.

I am happy to report that no babies or brides were blackmailed in the process.

Let the cookie baking begin.

Pumpkin Update

I may have been exaggerating when I said I would not sleep until I found a can of pumpkin. Here's an update for all you who have expressed an interest in my mission...

2 stores searched, resulting in only cans of organic pumpkin, $3.29 each. Carving and gutting a real pumpkin is looking more appealing to me.

One of my duties at work is scheduling child dedications and weddings. In a church the size of ours sometimes desired openings for these two events are hard to come by. Perhaps I could show favor to those who bring a can of pumpkin with their request.

Ahhh, but again, I exaggerate.

Or not.

Gina

I'm On a Mission

Apparently we are having a pumpkin shortage. A wet growing season and a run on the product last holiday season has resulted in a shortage of canned pumpkin this year. This is not good news especially when I've been requested to prepare my nearly famous molasses cookies. They are wonderfully delicious on their own but even better when served with a pumpkin frosting/dip recipe that requires, of all things, pure packed pumpkin. I had hoped that I had a can in reserve but when I searched the black hole that is my pantry I came out empty handed.
News agencies and grocery store managers assure the public that there will be an ample supply available the first of October but that doesn't help me now. I'm not desperate enough to scrape out my own pumpkin but I will not sleep until I get my hands on a can.

See you on aisle 9.
Gina

What I Love about Fall, Ya'll

My in-laws have been here for a visit from Arkansas this past week. My friends said I started talking southern while they were here. Maybe so. After 10 years living in the Midwest, I am afraid I've lost my "ya'll". I haven't forgotten how to call the hogs though--too bad it wasn't enough to pull out a win on Saturday.


This is my 100th post!
One year ago I thought I'd try this new fangled thing called "blogging". It's been a creative outlet for me as well as proof positive that you can, indeed, teach an old dog a new trick. So for my 100th blog post, I wanted to share with you my favorite things of my favorite season of the year...Fall.

• Pumpkin Spiced Lattes from Starbucks

• Apple crisp, apples and caramel dip, apple cider, cream cheese stuffed apples, Fuji apple chicken salad at Panera Bread Company (it's actually offered year 'round--I was just on a roll with the apple thing)
  

• Mums- all colors. Decorated front porches. I'd like mine to look like this from the Pottery Barn catalog:
  

• Trees changing colors and falling leaves

• Fire pits and fireplaces

• Football games

• Yankee candle in Spiced Pumpkin (my standard fall fragrance; the new fall scents were great too)
  

• Candy corn and dry roasted peanuts

• Warm days and crisp nights

• Molasses cookies with Pumpkin dip

• Fall fabrics and colors

• Soup and chili recipes

• Start up of Women's Bible studies-- I'm doing these two:

We all have a time of year that we enjoy the most but I hope you can find wonder and beauty and joy in whatever season you are in.

So what do you love about this time of year?
Gina

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words?

Have you missed me?
I know, it's been sometime since my last post and I'm so close to post #100!Well I've been busy and I thought I'd let some pictures tell the story...

5 year anniversary. August marked my 5th year anniversary serving on staff at New Covenant Bible Church. I love my job and the people I work with. This plaque is what every staff member receives on their 5 year anniversary. I have looked forward to receiving my own print. The artist is Timothy Botts and I have admired his calligraphy for many years and have a couple of his books. I am blessed to work in a healthy environment and know that what I do helps make a kingdom difference!


Labor Day weekend in Chicago! This was the view from our hotel room. If ever I move to Chicago and live in an apartment downtown, I want to live here.More fun- delicious steak dinner at Gibson's, nighttime view of the city from the observation floor at the John Hancock building, late night stop at Starbucks, a stroll on the Magnificent Mile, lunch at California Pizza Kitchen then a train/subway ride to the baseball game between Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox.





Football season has begun. We are an SEC family living in Big 10 country. We don't have any strong allegiance to our state's college teams so we love watching high school football. Our local high school is known more for it's basketball championships than football but the year is starting out great. They are 4-0 even after facing their strongest opponents. It's been great fun to watch a winning team and there's a cheerleader on the sidelines that I could watch all day long.


Projects. I've had a few projects around the house that I've finally wrapped up.

Changing over my closet...I love Fall colors and fabrics!
Put husband's divot tool collection in a shadow box.
Wall stencil over kitchen door.



Senioritis. 4 years ago I had a great plan that we would scrapbook through The Princess's high school years as the events happened. We inherited supplies from my mom and bought a book to get us started. What we soon discovered is that neither The Princess nor I much liked scrapbooking. We only got a third of the way through her freshman year and then lapsed into just making a pile of programs and pictures and dried up corsages. Now that she's a senior and a graduation party will be here before I know it, I have tackled that pile and am resolute to get it into some form of display. It will be hard to stay motivated when the professionals are turning out great pictures like this one:
I think one picture is worth a thousand scrapbook pages, don't you?

Gina