Great holiday Gingerbread men
Ginger Bread Men INGREDIENTS 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 1/2 stick butter, softened 2 eggs 1/2 cup molasses 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 cups flour, plus more for dusting 2 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon all-spice 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt In a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and butter. Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated, and then add the molasses and vanilla extract. Sift together the dry ingredients in a bowl and slowly add to the egg mixture until evenly combined and a dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm. Divide the dough into halves and roll out each half at a time onto a floured work surface. Roll until the dough is -inch thick and cut out the gingerbread men. Lay them out on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Repeat steps with the dough scraps and the other half of dough. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, until the edges are browned. Decorate the cookies using icing, sprinkles, and other candies. Maple Gingerbread and Cranberry Brie Bites Sugared Cranberries 2 cups fresh cranberries 1 cup good maple syrup 1 cup granulated sugar Rinse cranberries and place in a medium bowl. Heat syrup in a small sauce pan just until warm. Pour over cranberries when syrup is warm, not hot, or cranberries may pop. Cool, cover, and let soak in the refrigerator overnight. Drain cranberries in a colander, reserving liquid for later use. Place sugar in a large bowl or baking dish. Add cranberries in 2 batches and roll around until lightly coated in sugar. Place on a baking sheet until dry, about 1 hour. Assembly 20 round gingerbread cookies, plain, undecorated 8 oz brie cheese sugar dusted cranberries maple cranberry syrup fresh mint for garnish Assemble gingerbread cookies with one slice of brie, a light layer of the reserved maple cranberry syrup, and 4 or 5 sugared cranberries. Garnish with fresh mint...
Mixing Shine at The Bootleg Bar
By Margo Williams Our region is one of the best areas for farm to table and enjoying local fare. Just in time for celebrating the season, how about farm to still to bottle? Locally grown black walnuts, corn, ginger, peaches, pumpkins, raspberries and even lemons are a few of the components to craft a perfect cocktail Rob and Linda Losey have the perfect product “moonshine” made exclusively in the hills of West Virginia. This isn’t like the hard liquor of yesteryear. Sweet shine is just that: sweet, smooth and mellow. It’s fabulous on its own as a cordial or mixed with regular liquor crafting an unforgettable cocktail. Bloomery Plantation’s Premiere Mixologist, Eric Bell, a self proclaimed “foodie” loves to handcraft cocktails based on seasonal favorite flavors. “I like to craft unique cocktails based on the customers’ favorite foods, says Bell. Eric was on hand to create some special holiday inspired, hand crafted cocktails at a favorite landmark in Charles Town, W.Va., the remixed Bootleg Bar, a sophisticated journey back to the vintage 1970s when cocktails were cool. The Bootleg Bar has become Charles Town’s Cocktail Playground. This new favorite hang out is retro and as vintage in design as it gets. With Ronnie and Duane Marcus, a dynamic forward thinking father-son team, the old Bootleg Bar is seeing a total redo exclusively handcrafting cocktails using products from Bloomery Plantation Distillery. “This is as good as it gets,” says Ronnie Marcus. “A sophisticated place to meet with friends and family to enjoy a premium cocktail, something unique. Linda Losey agrees: “This is the perfect venue for Baby Boomers and their adult children to be cool together, mix up and remix up long favored cocktails for today.” And it doesn’t get better than locally grown flavors, added spices, shaken, stirred or served straight up. The Bootleg is located inside The Turf Restaurant. The Turf was founded in the 1950s and has been a landmark ever since. It specializes in regional favorites including being voted for the “Best Prime Rib” in the area. The Turf Restaurant’s Executive Chef for over ten years, Sean Deblois, is excited about the new endeavor. He is currently working on a bar or tapas (small plate) menu to complement the flavors of the cocktails that can be changed seasonally to capture the true taste and essence of each season. The Bootleg will celebrate its grand reopening after many years on the weekend of December 7th — just in time for the holidays. The celebration also commemorates the December 5th, 1933 date when the Prohibition Era ended with the 21st Amendment. Take a break from holiday shopping, pull...
5 Quick Healthy Hors d oeuvres for the Holidays
Greek Salad Cucumber Cups Ingredients: 1 Hot House English Cucumber 1 Tbsp. Finely Diced Red Bell Pepper 1 Tbsp. Finely Diced Red Onion 1 Tbsp. of Finely Diced seedless Kalamata Olives 1 Tbsp. of Finely Diced Tomato 2 Tbsp. of Feta Cheese 3 Tbsp. of Greek Dressing Assembly: Cut Cucumber into 10 even round pieces about 1 inch thick. Square off each round and hollow out center with a melon ball scoop. Combine all chopped ingredients and fill each cucumber with mixture. Tomato Caprese Skewers Ingredients: 1 pint grape tomatoes (a mix of grape and zima tomatoes are nice if you can find them) 1 small ball of fresh mozzarella 1 small bunch of fresh basil Fresh bread Olive Oil Salt and Pepper Assembly: Slice Mozzarella into ½ inch thick slices. With a small round cutter, cut circles of mozzarella. If you do not have a small round cutter, you can cut the cheese and bread into small ½ inch squares. Drizzle some olive on the bread and toast in a pan. Skewer one piece of mozzarella that has been seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil. Next add the tomato, a small piece of fresh basil, another piece of mozzarella, a tomato and top with a fresh crouton. Makes about 25 skewers. Antipasto Salad Bites Ingredients: 2 Sweet Italian Sausage that has been roasted (you can use a flavored chicken sausage as well) 1 small jar of marinated artichoke hearts 1 small bag of sundried tomato 1 small jar of roasted red pepper 1 small bunch of basil Assembly: Cut Sausage Links into 15 slices per link, about ¼ inch thickness. Cut artichokes into 4 or 6 wedges, depending on the size. Cut 30 ½ inch square pieces each of the sundried tomato and roasted red pepper. To skewer, place one basil leaf on the skewer, add the roasted red pepper, the artichoke, sundried tomato and then the sausage. Makes about 30 Bites Beef Carpaccio in Shiitake Broth Ingredients: 1 small garlic clove 3 oz. fresh shiitakes, stems removed and sliced thin 6 oz. beef tenderloin 1 cup beef broth 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp. fried capers (regular capers in a jar that have been drained, and fried briefly in hot oil) 1 bunch of micro arugula (you can substitute a piece of baby arugula if not available) Assembly: Wrap beef in plastic and freeze for about 2 hours. In a sauté pan add some olive oil and sauté the garlic briefly. Add the mushrooms and sauté. Add the balsamic vinegar and beef broth and cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove beef...
Where Local Flavors ‘Shine in Handcrafted Cocktails
Bloomery Plantation’s Premiere Mixologist Eric Bell shares some of his favorite handcrafted cocktail recipes for the holiday season. The New Old Fashioned 1/2 SweetShine Ginger 1/2 Bourbon Splash of Black Walnut SweetShine Shake. Serve on the rocks in an old fashioned glass. Add a cherry. Enjoy. The Berry Merry ‘Tini 1/3 Gin 2/3 Raspberry Lemon SweetShine Dash of Grapefruit Bitters Shake with ice. Serve in a martini glass. Optional: Add fresh mint and rim the glass with colored sugar. Limoncello Martini 1/3 Vodka 1/3 Limoncello 1/3 Hard Lemonade Shake with ice. Strain into a martini glass. Or serve on the rocks. Optional: Serve with a sprig of cedar, rosemary or lime. Pumpkin Pie Cocktail 1/2 Pumpkin Spice SweetShine 1/2 Apple Cider or Hard Cider Splash of Spiced Rum to taste Splash of Ginger SweetShine to taste Shake with ice. Strain into a glass rimmed with cinnamon sugar. Garnish with cinnamon or nutmeg. Decadent Chocolate Dessert Martini 1/2 Double Espresso Vodka or Vanilla Vodka 1/2 Dark Chocolate Raspberry SweetShine Shake with ice. Strain into a cocoa rimmed martini glass. Garnish with shaved chocolate. Or shake without ice and serve warm in a coffee cup. Garnish with sweetened whipped cream. Mix it up to make it your own unique cocktail, says Bell. For the perfect party, set out several mixers from the SweetShine collection. A few staples are Limoncello, Raspberry Lemon, Pumpkin Spice, Chocolate Raspberry, Black Walnut, Hard Lemonade and Peach. Add bourbon, whiskey, flavored vodkas, sparkling wine (Prosecco), club soda, apple cider. Garnishes can include rosemary sprigs, lemons, limes, cherries, slices of clove studded oranges, whipped cream, peppermint sticks, shaved chocolate, spices such as cinnamon, ginger, anise, cardamom, colored or sparkling sugar. To find cocktail shakers, glasses, stirrers, ice buckets and decanters, visit flea markets, thrift shops and antique malls. Also pick up some cocktail napkins, quirky or elegant. Place olives, nuts, a selection of salami, cheese and crackers on trays. Let your guests be creative. Write up some recipe suggestions and place them on the server €“ then you can be a guest at your own unforgettable cocktail...
Conquer Stress
By Cathy Embrey CMT, LMEI Stress does not discriminate by sex, age, social standing or profession. Whether an overcommitted student, an employee fearful of losing his/her job, the employer concerned about payroll, or a family in need of rescue, €œstress kills. It paralyses the mind, stiffens the muscles, stirs-up the organs and increases pressure inside the body. Everyone knows someone who suffers from one or more of these medical conditions: depression, panic, brain fog, aches and pains, indigestion, acid reflux, heart burn, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, high blood pressure, heart condition, insomnia, overeating, rage, weakened immunity, increased inflammation or accelerated aging. More children are experiencing muscle spasms, migraine headaches, exhaustion and upset stomach. All of these symptoms could be attributed to stress. Reflecting on ways to conquer stress one realizes it is a positive and negative; when out of balance a negative effect ensues. Stress is also internal and external, something done to us as well as something we create ourselves. One secret is realizing that everything has stress. Getting fired or married could have equal stress. Because it is good or brings joy does not preclude the fact that one may experience overwhelming stress. Another secret to balance is massage. People receive a massage to feel more at ease. By releasing physical tension one experiences increased anatomical balance interpreted as relaxation. When living in balance, one may navigate challenges with more clarity and compassion. Life is like a teeter-totter. Children go up and down, others join in or drop out and with each change teams adjust. Change creates an imbalance at the center of the teeter-totter, playmates recalculate weight, adjust players, have friends take turns, etc. But when the teeter-totter itself it is out of balance and there is no center strength in its construction, disaster could befall the participants. The fascination with making the teeter-totter perfectly balanced for a friend to ride both sides while straddling the middle is crushed when one side attempts to get the other side to fall off. Yes, teeter-totter is a game for children, yet in many ways it reflects life. With a strong core adjustment are made, one may ask for help, take a break, or search for alternatives. Someone is always willing to help and someone else is looking for ways to take you down. Children spend countless hours going up and down, yet never look at the middle support, the very mechanism that makes it teeter and totter. This often is true in life, there is a centering core for stress relief but most have never been told what it is or how to begin. There are seven points...
Fall soup to warm your soul
Sausage, Bean & Pasta Soup with Spinach Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 55 mins Serves/Yield: 4-6 Ingredients Canola or olive oil 2 fresh Italian or chorizo sausage (hot or mild) 1 onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, crushed 2 cups water 1 cup dry fusilli or other small pasta 14 oz can tomato sauce or diced tomatoes 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock 1 tsp dried oregano or basil Salt and pepper (to taste) 2 cups fresh spinach, loosely packed, or 1 cup chopped kale 2 cups cooked white or red kidney beans, or a 19 oz can, rinsed and drained Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving Instructions In a large saucepan set over medium heat, heat a drizzle of oil and sauté the sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, until it is browned. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until soft. Add the water, pasta, tomato sauce, stock, oregano, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the spinach and beans and cook the soup for another 3 to 5 minutes. If it seems too thick, thin it with a little extra stock, tomato juice, or water. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with grated Parmesan while still...
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