Favorite Friday: Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce

Introducing Favorite Friday, the sweet new feature of the family recipe blog. Each Friday I will (try to) share a new favorite recipe. So if you make something really awesome that you'd like to share, send it and it could be our next featured recipe on Favorite Friday. I am now looking for recipes you really enjoyed while spending Christmas with your family these last couple of days.

I will kick things off by sharing my mom's recipe for Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce. We celebrated Christmas day at my house, but Mom made the dessert and while we all love it, Kara is the one who is most fond of this warm, gooey, wintery cake. The gingerbread (but not sauce) is actually from the green (oldest) Peach Tree cookbook, which many of us have I think.

By the way, this year I noticed stores selling cupcake-type pans that make little gingerbread men shaped cakes. Wouldn't that be cute to make this recipe into little gingerbread men and put them out for dessert at a Christmas party??

Old Fashioned Gingerbread
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup molasses
1 cup boiling water
4 large eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon allspice

1. Combine butter, brown sugar and molasses in a bowl. Add boiling water and stir until butter is melted. Add the eggs and beat well.
2. Combine the remaining dry ingredients and add to the egg mixture. Continue stirring until batter is smooth.
3. Pour batter into a buttered 9x13 pan. Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Lemon Sauce
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 cups boiling water
1 lemon, rind and juice
2 tablespoons butter

Mix the sugar and corn starch; add boiling water gradually, stirring constantly. Cook 8-10 minutes, add lemon juice, rind and butter, stirring until smooth. Serve hot or cold. (Best warmed, poured over a slice of gingerbread.)

Crock Potting It

I was inspired by Lori's gift to Grandma of a crock pot. I don't know about you, but not just any crock pot recipe does it for me. Sometimes they just taste kind of crock-pot-ish. For me, vegetarian or beef recipes are best, but if you have a good crockpot chicken recipe I would love to try it (although beef is the official meat of the McCoy family).

Anyway, I know Kristen has a yummy recipe for a crock pot roast that was very popular here at the Endsley home. My mom made a great venison stew one year for the hunt. Also Grandma tells me she has a great beef burgundy recipe for the slow cooker. I am going to share my crock pea soup recipe. I found it in a cookbook from my Remme-side cousin Alicia that is all about easy meals for moms. I set this in the crock pot before we headed down for the hayride/chapel service day and we had a yummy dinner when we got home. FYI, Grandma says it is a must to add barley to your pea soup, so I will try that next time. Also Phillip wants me to try pearl onions instead of the chopped onion. Please share if you have a crock pot recipe you love!

Crock Pea Soup
1 lb split peas, rinsed
1 ham bone, optional
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced (I double the carrots)
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 quarts water (use chicken broth if not using ham bone)
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients except the salt and pepper into a crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low 8-10 hours, or until peas are very soft. Before serving, remove bone and bay leaf. Salt and pepper to taste.

Not Progressive Dining 2008

There was lots of sharing of awesome recipes at this year's "progressive" dinner. We arrived late, so I was sad that I did not get to find out who made some of my faves. For example, who made the yummy meatball toasts?? And I think we all need the recipe for Myra's Poinsettia Punch and John and Kate's espresso martinis. Anyway, I'll kick things off by posting my apple dip recipe, courtesy of my friend and neighbor Kelley. Leave a comment if there was a dish you loved and would like to have the recipe, or if you want to share the recipe of the dish you brought.

Toffee Apple Dip
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
3/4 toffee chips
(Pineapple Juice)

Toss apple slices in pineapple juice to keep them from browning.
Soften the cream cheese, mix all the ingredients together (except toffee chips) until smooth.
Add toffee chips and stir. Dip can be made up to 12 hours ahead.