Revisiting my youth – from cane to cookie…

Several years ago, I started thinking about a cookie my Grandma made when I was a child – a moist chewy molasses cookie… soft, dark golden brown and covered with the slightest dusting of flour (which I never fully understood until I made them for the first time myself). This thought of those molasses cookies was so strong, in fact, that I searched the 'Net – surely someone would have a recipe for such a fond memory from my youth? After nigh a week of searching in vain only to find recipes for gingerbread cookies or molasses and oatmeal cookies, I resorted to the obvious – call my then 90 year old Grandma and ask her for the recipe!


Needless to say she was thrilled that I'd even remembered, much less thought so fondly of them that I would consider making them myself! Lesson learned in all this? Get those recipes from your older cherished loved ones. …especially those that aren't written down! Write them down and pass them on to those in your life that you hold dear – you'll never know the fond memories the simplest of recipes may have in a loved one's life 30 or 40 or 50 years from now…


The preparation of these delectable morsels, while simple in terms of the ingredients, can put even the most seasoned kitchen cook through their paces. The results, when properly done, are reminiscent of a simpler time – years gone by for this author. The dough for these cookies is very sticky and can be a bit difficult to manage. Resist the urge to overwork the dough as doing so will toughen the cookie to the point that you'll have to call the neighborhood dogs in for afternoon tea!


To prepare, combine the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl:

3/4 C Sugar

1 C Molasses

1 C Boiling Water

2 t baking soda

1 C all purpose flour

Stir with a wooden smooth until just mixed through, cover with plastic wrap and let stand on the counter overnight.


The next morning, to this room temperature mixture, incorporate

2 Eggs

A pinch of salt

Enough all purpose flour to make the dough manageable.

The dough will be rather sticky and can test your patience at this point. My Grandma would, at this point, roll the dough out on a well floured surface using a floured rolling pin until she had a sheet a healthy 1/8" in thickness (1/4" is too thick – 1/8" isn't thick enough). If you've worked the dough minimally and used adequate flour while rolling the dough out, you'll have an abundance of flour, much as if you'd prepared biscuits from scratch. Using a coffee mug or 3 1/2" round cutter, cut your cookies out of the sheeted dough, pat or brush off excess flour and place on a Silpat® or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake in preheated 350° F oven for 10 minutes. (NOTE: A thicker cookie will require additional baking time – 11-13 minutes and perhaps as much as 15 minutes.) Remove from oven and let rest at least 2-3 minutes on cookie sheet before removing from Silpat® or parchment paper. Allow to cool completely on wire rack before storing in a tightly covered container.


<Subliminal suggestion>
Make an ice cream sandwich by cradling a scoop or two of your favorite ice cream between two molasses cookies
</Subliminal suggestion>


As a child, part of the mystique of these cookies was the light coating of flour that adhered to them throughout the baking process and later as they were stored. Little did I know, at the time, that flour "was a tell" to Grandma – she knew if I'd been in the Molasses cookies! Lucky for me, they were made with love – she hardly cared…

Eat your veggies -- Oven roasting makes 'em great!

As the Father of two small children, I often found it difficult to entice them to eat their vegetables during those early childhood years.  Even as adults, each of us have our likes and dislikes when it comes to vegetables.

Oven roasting vegetables at moderately high heat caramelizes the sugars which naturally occur in vegetables and increases their appeal and palatability to the sweet tooth we all have.  Not all vegetables are good candidates for oven roasting however.  Below I've outlined the basic preparation method and provided my personal recommendations on good oven roasting veggies as those which are ill suited for oven roasting.

Basic preparation method:

• Cut vegetables in large bite sized pieces
• Place all vegetables in large bowl
• Add 2-3 T with olive oil and toss to coat
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Place vegetables in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Do not crowd vegetables -- it's better to use two cookie sheets if necessary.  We're roasting them so ample room is important to your success.
• Place in 375° F oven and roast for 45-60 minutes until golden brown and tender stirring and redistributing every 20 minutes.
• Enjoy hot or at room temperature

Good candidate Veggies:

• Carrots -- by far the best as they have a high sugar content.  When cutting, make carrot sticks to increase surface area
• Onions -- another high sugar content vegetable.  Cutting these into wedges or thick rings works best
• Cauliflower -- one of my favorite veggies to add.  Size is important here -- too big and they won't cook through; too small and they'll scorch.
• Fresh green beans --  resist the likelihood of scorching these... toss in oil to coat lightly and add half way through the cook time
• Turnips --  unique to say the least...  Not everyone enjoys turnip be it the standard purple top white or the yellow rutabaga but these have a high sugar content which contribute greatly the resulting mix
• Beets -- roasted peeled beets are classic!  To make serving easier, peel raw beets before adding to the mix
• Whole garlic cloves -- chop very coarsely, perhaps in half, toss in olive oil and add half way through cook time
• Fresh asparagus -- when in season, these add a welcome and diverse change to the mix.  Toss in olive oil and add half way through the cook time to avoid burning.
• Fresh mushrooms -- although they have a high moisture content, can be good but must be coarsely chopped.  Do not toss these in olive oil prior to cooking as they act like a sponge!  Add these half way through the cook time.

Vegetables to avoid:

• Summer squash -- high moisture content results in stewed vegetables and not roasted ones
• Zucchini squash -- again, high moisture content will lead to less than ideal results
• Eggplant -- tends to get soft and mushy when roasted.  Save these for baba ganoush
• Green / red / yellow bell peppers -- again these have a high moisture content and should be avoided

A few changes to the basic preparation outlined above can further enhance your results and prevent your family from getting burned out on the same old vegetable side dish: 

• The addition of fresh chopped herbs such as thyme, rosemary, basil and oregano upon pulling your roasted vegetables from the oven perks up the flavor.  Toss the fresh chopped herbs and let the heat of the roasted vegetables release those "essential oils"
• Consider the addition of your favorite vinaigrette -- again right after removing from the oven.  The retained heat in the roasted vegetables will result in the quick absorption of the vinaigrette and impart flavor through the mix.

And finally, the rule to live by...  DO NOT CROWD your vegetables!  The intent here is to roast and not to simmer or steam them.  Crowding will produce an inferior result.

Let me know if your family acquires an appreciation for vegetables that have been, to date, off limits or "out of consideration".