Gingerbread Cookies
Most associated with gingerbread men, these delicious cookies cry out to be shaped into handsome little people wearing button-down coats. If that’s not your style, simply shape into round circles.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups (375g) unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup (112g) Earth Balance® Natural Buttery Spread Original flavor in Tub form, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg replacer powder (equivalent of one egg)
• 2/3 cup (225g) unsulphured molasses

Baking Instructions:

IN A BOWL, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with an electric hand mixer) beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3- 4 minutes. Add the egg replacer powder and molasses and beat for another minute. Finally, add the flour mixture and beat
until you have a smooth dough. Add a little more water-1-2 tablespoons (13-30ml)- as needed to get the right consistency. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight. When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove one-half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of ¼ inch (6mm). Keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter. If the dough gets too warm (from handling it), making it hard for the cut out cookies to keep their shape, simply refrigerate it again for about 10 minutes. Cut out the cookies using cookie cutters and transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on size), or until they begin to brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Serving Suggestions and Variations:
*Frost with icing, if desired. Store frosted cookies between layers of parchment paper or waked paper.
Recipe provided by :Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Founder & Director of Compassionate Cooks

Cranberry Nut Bread
While this is the perfect fall/winter/holiday treat, it can be made any time of the year, particularly if you freeze fresh cranberries when they’re in season. Though you can certainly serve this bread right away, it’s even better a day or two later when the flavors have had time to mingle.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon (15g) ground flaxseed(equivalent of 1 egg)
  3 tablespoons (44 ml) water
• ¼ cup (55g) Earth Balance® Natural Buttery Spread Original flavor in Tub form (melted and cooled)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (235 ml) orange juice
• 1 cup (235 ml) nondairy milk
• 4 cups (500g) unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons orange or lemon zest
• 1 ½ cups (95g) whole cranberries, fresh or frozen
• ½ cup (40g) candied fruit or mixed peel, chopped
• 1 cup (125g) coarsely chopped toasted almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, or pecans

Baking Instructions:

PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 350°F (180°C or gas mark 4). Lightly grease an 8x4x2-inch (20x10x5-cm) or a 9x5x3-inch (23x13x7.5- cm) loaf pan. In the small bowl of your food processor or by hand, whip together the flaxseed and water until thoroughly combined and thick, about 1 minute. Add the melted butter, vanilla, orange juice and milk, and blend until combined. Set
aside. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and zest. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix in fruit and nuts. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a thin wooden skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Leave to cool in the loaf pan for 30 minutes before turning it over to cool on a wire rack. Yield: One standard-size loaf
Serving Suggestions and Variations
*You may also use dry cranberries, though the tartness of the fresh cranberries, which definitely mellows when they’re cooked, contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the dried fruit.
*This bread freezes really well. To serve after freezing, bring to room temp or heat in the microwave

Compassionate Cook Tips:
*To toast almonds, spread on a baking sheet and place in a 350°F (180°C or gas mark 4) oven for 5-10 minutes until lightly brown. Watch carefully to prevent burning. Cool before using.
*You may use your electric stand mixer to combine all the ingredients, but I recommend folding in your cranberries by hand lest you crush them with the mixer blade.
Recipe provided by : Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Founder & Director of Compassionate Cooks

Fig Date Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons (30g) ground flaxseed(Equivalent of 2 eggs)
• 6 tablespoons (90ml) water
• 1cup (175g) pitted dates, chopped
• 1cup (175g) dried figs (or ½ cup [140g] fresh), coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup (55g) Earth Balance® Natural Buttery Spread Original flavor in Tub form
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup (235ml) boiling water
• ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (175g) walnuts, chopped
• ¾ cup (94g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Baking Instructions:

PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Grease an 8x4x2-inch(20x10x5-cm) or a 9x5x3-inch (23x13x7.5-cm) loaf pan. In a food processor, or in a large bowl, combine the dates, figs, butter, and baking soda. Add the boiling water, stir well, and let it stand for 15 minutes to thicken up. After 15 minutes, stir in the sugar, walnuts, and flaxseed mixture.
In a medium-size bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, and salt. Add to the date mixture, and stir just until combined. Spread evenly in the prepared pan. Bake until a thin wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean (a toothpick may not be long enough), 55 to 60 minutes. Cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes, and then turn out onto a wire
rack to cool completely. Yield: 1 standard size loaf

Compassionate Cooks Tips:
*Fresh Figs are one of the most perishable fruits and should be eaten within a day or two of purchase. Look for figs that have a deep color and are plump and tender, but not mushy. They should have a mildly sweet fragrance and not smell sour. Keep ripe figs in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Under-ripe figs can be kept on a plate at room temperature, away from
direct sunlight. Well-wrapped dried figs will stay fresh for several months and can be either kept in a cool, dark place or stored in the refrigerator.
Recipe provided by : Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Founder & Director of Compassionate Cooks

Features:

• 3 loaf sizes – 3lb, 2.5 lb, or 2 lb loaves

• 3 crust settings – light, medium, dark

• Signal for additional ingredients like nuts, raisins and seeds.

• 14 pre-programmed settings with auto shutoff.

1. Basic White

2. French

3. Whole Wheat

4. Sweet

5. Express

6. Gluten free – GLUTEN FREE!!! The dough will still be sticky, so you need to scrape it down during kneading.

7. Salt Free

8. Rye Multi-grain

9. Baguette – 2 steps, it mixes the dough, then kneads and rises and you form into baguettes, put into the baguette pan and then it will bake into crusty baguettes.  Ours were good, but I need a little more practice forming baguettes, but it’s a cool feature.

10. Cake

11. Jam

12. Pasta – Kneading only

13. Dough – like pizza dough, or rolls, or if you are like my sister (not Deb, one of the other ones) – she makes dough in the machine and bakes in the oven, so she can make more in less time.

14. Warming – for reheating or additional baking time.

The  bread machine comes with :

• baking guide – with a recipe for each one of the cycles
• bread pan with paddles for mixing, kneading and baking the bread
• baguette rack and trays for baking baguettes
• a brush  and finishing blade for forming the baguettes
• a double spoon with teaspoon and tablespoon measure
• a graduated beaker
• a hook for pulling the blades out of the bread (sometimes they get stuck up in the bread)

The only feature I thought it was missing was a light so you can see what the dough or bread looks like.  I think I was spoiled with my last machine because I loved looking at the dough and bread while it was working. Also, sometimes the blades would get stuck in the bread, but the hook can be used to pull it out without hurting the loaf.

My son and I make these muffins throughout the summer as soon as the strawberries are ripe. These muffins work well with any type of berries, though we like it with strawberries best. It has a buttery, vanilla flavor so you can bake them without any berries at all…but we recommend you toss some in the bowl! They’re easy to make and the house smells incredible while they’re baking.

Make enough for a double batch. Trust me, they’ll go quick

6 tablespoons butter
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 quart fresh berries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin tin with non-stick spray or butter. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk and blend well. Stir in the strawberries and divide the batter evenly almond the twelve muffin tins. Sprinkle the tops with a bit of additionally sugar and bake for 30 minutes or until lightly golden brown and risen. Cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the pans.

Image via Stock Xchnge

Have you ever lived in or been to Buffalo?  If you have, then surely you have had a Beef on Weck sandwich – the delectable delight that John Madden erroneously calls Beef on Wicky.  And if you’ve been to Buffalo and you’ve never had a Beef on Weck WAYSA? Anyway…generally the only place you can get this is Buffalo because the Kummelweck [the weck’s full name] rolls are not made anywhere else on the planet outside of Buff’s kitchen.  And maybe his cousin’s.

Well with the posting of this here recipe, the planet is now going to change for the better.  Original recipe is from Charlie the Butcher and provided by my sister, Marge.

Ingredients

• Kaiser Rolls, the fresher and bigger the better

• Mix the next two items together in a sealable container

  • 1 cup rock salt [found in the Jewish food section] – coarse salt may be used as a substitute

  • 1 cup whole caraway seeds

• The next three items make the glue [melted butter may be substituted the glue]

  • ½ cup water – boiled

  • ¼ cup water – warmed

  • ½ TBSP corn starch

Method:

1. Combine the salt and caraway seeds in a clean dry sealable container.  Mix well.

2. Heat ½ cup of water to boil.  Dissolve the corn starch in ¼ cup warm water and add to boiled water.  Return to boil and thicken until it coats a spoon [this is pretty quick].  Cool and store in the refrigerator.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the rolls in half if they haven’t been cut already.  Brush the top of the rolls with the cornstarch glue and sprinkle with the salt/caraway seed mixture.  This is a messy process, so put the tolls on paper towels in order to clean up better.  Transfer the rolls to a baking sheet for about 4 minutes or until the glue is dry.

How you prepare your roast beef is up to you, but…I use the best cut of roast beef I can find, usually an eye round roast and slow cook to medium/medium rare with Vidalia onions and garlic.  Slice the roast as thin as you can and pile it on!  Add a bit of jus to the roll.

Serve with fresh horseradish and a real good dill pickles [Clausen’s works real well].  Add your favorite cole slaw, potato salad or French fries.

The best garnish for this sandwich is an ice cold Molson’s Golden.

If you ever find yourself in Buffalo, please be sure to go to Schwabl’s Restaurant on Seneca Street near Union in West Seneca or to Steve’s Bull Roast on Ridge Road in Lackawanna and sample the Beef on Weck.  You’ll be glad you did!