Grandma Moses' Molasses Cookies

Yes indeed I did have a Grandma Moses!

Molasses was on everyone's kitchen table, ready for bread and molasses after dinner with a cup of tea.
Gram's house was no different.  I have very fond memories of the smells from her oven, fresh bread, baked beans and of course molasses cookies.  After a recent Texas trip and an unscheduled stop in a one horse town and $18 worth of home baked molasses cookies later, I knew I had to resurrect the recipe.


1 cup molasses
1 cup sugar
1 cup melted shortening
4 tsp baking soda
4 Tbls hot water
2 tsp cream tarter
2 tsp cinamon
1 tsp allspice
1 heaping tsp ginger
1/2 tsp  salt
2 eggs
4 cups flour

Mix shortening, sugar, molasses, eggs to creamy batter.  Dislove soda in hot water and add to batter.  Mix flour, cream of tarter, cinamon, allspice, and ginger.  Add dry ingredients to batter to make thick dough.  Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness.  Form cookies with 6"cutter.  Bake on greased cookie sheet at 375 for approximately 10-12 minutes.  Best warm out of the oven

Tomato Pie

Some of the neighbors tomatoes made it through our last frost and needed to be "used up"

1 pie crust
4-5 large tomatoes cut in half, seeds and water squeezed out and sliced
4 slice bacon cooked and crumbled
4 green onions sliced
1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
2 cups grated cheese, your choice I like a sharp cheddar
1/4 cup mayonaise
plenty of ground pepper
head of roasted garlic or clove garlic minced

Have tomatoes as dry as possible by either laying slices on paper towel or salting in a colander
Line 9" pie pan with crust
Layer tomato, onion bacon basil and pepper and repeat
Mix cheese mayonaise and garlic.  Spread on top of pir

tent with foil sprayed with non stick spray
Bake at 375 x 30 mins, uncover and bake 30 mins longer

Apple Pie

Pie Crust for 9" pie
see Peach Pie Recipe

6 Large Apples Mcintosh or Granny Smith work well)
2 Tbs Lemon Juice
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbs flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1-2 Tbs butter

Preheat oven to 450
Peel and slice apples thinly and coat in lemon juice
Mix sugar flour and spices and add apples mixing to coat well
Line Pie plate with crust. Pile apples onto crust. Dot with butter.
Top pie with crust, crimping edge and venting center
Bake pie 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 40 minutes until crust browned

Peach Pie

Aunt Elaines Pie Crust

5 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 lb shortening

1 egg beaten + water to make one cup

1 tbs white vingar

Blend first four ingreiants with pastry blender. Add egg water and vinegar mix lightly. Form into ball, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour in fridge

Makes 5 crusts

Roll enough dough for a double crust pie

Peal 6 large peaches then slice and pit

add 1 cup sugar

5 tbs flour

1 tbs lemon juice

mix well

pour fruit into crust
add top crust with vents

Bake at 425 x 10 minutes, turn down temp to 350 bake an additional 35-40 minutes

Betty's Spaghetti (and Meat Balls)

On top of Spaghetti

All covered with Cheese

I lost my poor Meatball

When somebody sneezed

My brother taught me this song, and we joyfully sang it with every plate of meatballs whether it was at home or out at my Dad's favourate the Baltimore Restaurant in Bangor.

The Meatballs and the Baltimore eventually disappeared without much notice, replaced by an easier and quicker to assemble meat sauce.

My nextdoor neighbor Regina has treated me to her Spaghetti and Meatballs several times recently. The song was back in my head, my meat ball rolled off the table, and onto the floor and then I came across Aunt Betty's Spaghetti and Meatballs in Moms hand written recipe book.

I have update and adapted this recipe and made it a little easier!

Marinara Sauce

2 28oz cans San Marzano Plum Tomatoes

1 lg onion finely chopped

4 cloves garlic minced

1/2 cup red wine like chianti

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp kosher salt or to taste

1 tsp pepper

2 Bay Leaf

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

In bottom large pot saute onions in olive oil 5 minutes over medium heat. Add Garlic and stir fry an additional 1 minute. Add winr and bring to boil. Crush the tomatoes with hands or masher and add to pot. Add pepper flakes, salt, pepper and Bay leaf. Return to boil then simmer for 1 1/2- 2 hours. Last twntey minutes add the meat balls, basil and parsley.

Meat Balls

1 med yellow onion minced

4 cloves garlic minced

1 cup bread crumbs (fresh if possible)

1/2 cup milk

1 egg beaten

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp kosher salt
1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork

preheat oven to 400

saute onion in saute pan medium heat x 5 minutes, add garlic and continue to cook one minute.

take off heat to cool

add bread crumbs to milk and set aside

combine egg spices and onion mixture in large bowl

squeeze milk from breadcrumbs and add crumbs to egg mixture

combine meats to mixture until just mixed

I used a small meat baller which yielded 50 meat balls but you can roll them by hand and increase cooking time

placed 50 meat balls on foil lined baking sheet. Cook for 25-30 minutes unless you made larger meatballs.

Add to Marinara, simmer 20 minutes and serve

Also great baked in oven with cooked penne or ziti covered with Mozerella and provolone.

Citrus Dijon Vinaigrette

zest from lemon

juice from lemon

3 Tbs cider vinegar

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 Tbs Brown sugar

1/2 cup EV Olive oil

whisk together first five ingrediants

add oil slowly whisking unti smooth which each addition

Serve over salad of choice

Chicken Tikka Masala

A quick Hot version of an Indian classic supposedly originating in Britain. Serves 4

1 1/2 lb chicken breast cubed

2 Tbs Peanut oil

1 medium onion chopped

Juice lemon

2 garlic cloves chopped

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp garam masala (an Indian mixture of spices in the spice section)

14 oz can diced tomato

1/2 cup heavy cream

Fry chicken in oil and when partially cooked add garlic, onions and lemon juice, continu cooking until no longer pink. Add paprika, cumin, red pepper and garam masala. Stir fry one minute coating chicken with spices.

Add tomatoes and cook until boiling. Slowly add cream stiring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes

Garnish with chopped cilantro, serve with Jasmine rice, Naan bread.