Image courtesy of google images

These candies are seen everywhere, in bowls and bags, from club parties to art galleries. These quintessential chocolates have a long lasting legacy, which is culminated with M&Ms World in Times Square, New York City. I recently had a chance to go there over thanksgiving break, and boy was I amazed! Their New York location (The brand also has mega-stores in London, England; Orlando, Florida; and Las Vegas, Nevada in addition to an online store at www.mymms.com) boasts two floors of M&M heaven! Far from the original 5 colors (Red, Brown, Blue, Green, and Yellow) the store has floor to ceiling dispensers of 21 separate colors, with varieties of original milk chocolate and peanut in each shade, as well as specialized mixes including one called NYC Taxi Cab, with grey, black, pale yellow, and white M&Ms.

Besides candy, M&Ms World carries various related merchandise including clothing, candy dispensers, toys, and souvenir items. My favorite: pants that look like an M&Ms avalanche. I even bought a pair. I was accompanying a family friend visiting the city from her school on Long Island. Entering the store, we were overwhelmed by rainbow explosions of M&M patterned and themed toys, key chains, shirts, boxers, pants, and bedding. We had some trouble navigating crowded escalators to the second floor to choose our M&Ms. There, we were confronted by floor to ceiling M&Ms dispensers with millions of M&Ms in each of over forty containers. Racks and displays of multi-colored individual candy dispensers and individually proportioned boxes of candies crowded the floor.

One of the more unusual containers for candy was a display of wine bottles filled with mixes of M&Ms with labels announcing “Congratulations!” or “Happy Birthday!” Souvenir mugs crowded one wall, stuffed “spokescandies” on another. Throughout, there were the joyful exclamations of children running wild, dragging their parents this way and that, thrilled with wonder at this chocolate wonderland. This rainbow explosion is the pinnacle of childhood.

An interesting fact is that red M&Ms were cut for nearly a decade because of fears of carcinogenic red dye, even though M&Ms did not use that red dye. This was when orange M&Ms were added. When Mars added the red M&Ms back, they decided to keep the orange ones.

Artwork by Kiera Classen

Twists, bars, bear claws, jelly-filled, regulars, and classics are only a few of all the choices at The Donut. Customers are able to choose from five different types of coffee, as well as juices and milks to go with their doughnuts. Most people only come for the doughnuts, but delicious gyros completed with fries and a soda are also available for lunch Monday through Friday.

The Donut, owned by Eddie and Mira Ermoyan, is a business of almost 21 years, with a very interesting legacy to boot. Lebanon is the country of origin for both Eddie and Mira; however they did not meet until they both came to America. “We left [Lebanon] because of the civil war.” Mira said.

Eddie’s family already owned doughnut shops in Colorado when he came to the U.S., so he started working right away. “We already had the shops, when we met in California,” Eddie said. Eddie came to Colorado by plane in 1973, and Mira arrived in California in 1975. Eddie came to Colorado because he already had family members here, and Mira went to California because it was easily accessible. The civil war that caused them to leave their homeland was due to religious turmoil. Muslims and Christians battled in Lebanon for more religious power in the country. Wh en Eddie decided to go on a trip to California, he met Mira. They fell in love, came back to Colorado, and eventually got married.

The couple didn’t open their own shop in Denver until 1990, but today it has been a business that has lasted almost 21 years. “It’s been a very successful business, but it’s had its ups and downs, and in the end every business just tries to survive,” said Mira. The family owned and operated shop has even been featured in The Denver Post. (http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_13883459?source=pkg)

Eddie Ermoyan and Mira Ermoyan (Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post )

The Donut usually gets far more business on the weekends than the weekdays, largely based on the many kids who come with their families on Saturdays and Sundays. Because of school, kids can’t come to the shop during the week, so they provide much of the weekend business. Eddie and Mira have to bake many more doughnuts for their weekend sales, and with many doughnuts come many leftovers.  “We usually have a church pick them up to help feed the homeless,” said Mira of the surplus they encounter.

Eddie and Mira have also have given birth to two children. “We have two [kids], both are college grads, and now only help us on weekends,” said Mira.

Eddie and Mira’s daughter, Ani Ermoyan, has an architectural degree from CU Boulder and a job at a Children’s Hospital. “I always loved drawing and houses as a kid.” said Ani.

Ani has worked at The Donut with her parents since she was a child, and continues to do so. “I have grown up here, and it has been like a second home. It has impacted who I am today,” said Ani. “We wanted to remodel and change the interior décor. We kind of went for a Colorado theme, with nature pictures,” said Ani, who helped decorate the shop.

The Donut is, in fact, a great doughnut shop, with an intriguing history. Coming up on its 21^st anniversary, the shop has lasted through thick and thin, and has come out very successful in the process. Eddie and Mira came from a civil war-torn environment to create a family-owned and operated business in America. The doughnuts are tasty, varied, and affordable to anybody who would like them. The Donut’s location is 5270 E. Arapahoe Road Centennial, and the phone number is (303) 220-1744. Anyone looking for a sweet, affordable breakfast should visit The Donut.

Artwork by Ed Gloor

I had to ask my mom several times to repeat the name of this dish, pronounced chi-pee-no, but she also heard many exclamations of “This is so good,” “Yum,” and the like from my father, brother, and self. This is a spicy seafood soup with plenty of tomato and garlic flavor. Just don’t forget bread to sop up the delicious broth!

Cioppino was likely created in San Francisco. Many Genoan fishermen lived in the area during the early decades of the 20th century, and they probably came up with the recipe while limited to the seafood they could catch, as well as the limited food stores they could keep onboard in the days before refrigeration on boats, such as vegetables, canned foods (like tomatoes), and bread.

Cioppino:

This is for 2 servings – adjust accordingly for larger numbers
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
¼ onion, minced (optional)
1 to 2 pinches chili flakes
3 (4-ounce) fillets rock codfish
4 shrimp
5 to 7 mussels
4 to 5 clams
2 ounces white wine
5 to 6 pieces calamari
3 to 4 Dungeness crab legs

Optional:

Crabmeat, shredded
Grated Parmesan, for garnish
Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish
Bread, for serving

Note: you can also just use a bag of frozen mixed seafood and calamari as a substitute for the seafood.

Directions:

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and chili flakes and onion if desired and stir to combine, but do not brown the garlic.

Raise the heat to high and add the fish fillets, shrimp, mussels, and clams and cook until the mussel and clam shells open. Pour in the marinara sauce and the white wine. Stir in the calamari and crab legs and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Make sure the sauce is not too thick or thin.

Transfer the cioppino to a large bowl and garnish with shredded crabmeat, parmesan, and parsley. Serve with bread.

With chilly fall snows arriving, try out this hot soup with a spicy kick that’s sure to warm you up!

Artwork by Ed Gloor

Whether inside or out, potted or grown in the ground, there is nothing more satisfying than eating something totally homemade. It all starts with a baby plant, grown in a nursery. Because Colorado’s clay soil is difficult for some seeds to take root in, buying nursery plants and tilling a plot with potting soil makes the best environment.  Get a gardener’s advice and tips for how to transfer potted plants without shock, set up a sprinkler system and set up a barrier from squirrels, and you just might have a garden. One of my favorite plants to grow, because of its large harvest and long season, is zucchini.

Zucchini is a bountiful summer squash, popular in Colorado gardens, including my own. The variety of modern zucchini commonly grown was developed in Italy in the 16^th century, after its cultivation in the Americas. Zucchini has a mild, vaguely sweet vegetable taste, and a firm, slightly spongy texture in the mouth. It is an excellent substitute for other green vegetables in summer meals.

Grilled Zucchini

Ingredients:

• 1 large Zucchini
• Approx. 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Seasoning (I prefer garlic and Italian seasoning, but this can be done with any flavor you like.)

Directions:

Slice the zucchini lengthwise in ½ inch slices. Lightly brush olive oil and sprinkle seasoning on both sides. Grill lightly, just enough to get clear grill marks. Be very wary of overcooking, or you’ll end up with soggy mush. Serve as a side dish.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon orange zest

Photo courtesy of Aviva Getschel

Directions:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-by-5 inch loaf pans.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and baking soda.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, pecans, chocolate chips, and orange zest. Stir in sifted ingredients. Pour into prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove loaves from pans and cool. Chill before slicing.

Artwork by Mateo Rocha

I had never experienced a grass-roots business before in my life, up until the day I entered the four-month-old coffee shop in my neighborhood, Spark’s Coffee House.

This coffee house invited me in with a homey feel and its traditionalist approach to serving a cup of joe. I couldn’t help but walk in through the double doors and see what was on the menu.

Upon entering I noticed that the layout was similar to that of a Starbucks Coffee House, with comfortable furniture set out in a family room fashion, and the serving counter towards the back of the shop. On my immediate left there is a comical statue of a Native American chief holding Spark business cards in one hand, and coffee beans in the other. I found this was pretty amusing.

I made my way back to the menu on the hanging chalkboard and began to read the interesting names of the coffee blends, but decided on ordering the CARML Spark, an iced black coffee with caramel syrup to add a sweet twist to the beverage. My friend Luisa Baquero ordered an Iced Java, a sweet, creamy coffee blend with chocolate, topped of with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. Both of these were great tasting menu items.

Other goods include an Italian Soda, a Red Eye, and a Traditional Turkish coffee. I was informed that the Turkish was a high-end item on the menu because of the way it is prepared: Arabic coffee beans are ground and brewed in small pots. The brew is then poured into a cup and additional grains are dropped into the mix to make for a great, and strong, tasting blend. This process is time consuming, but Spark’s takes pride in the quality products they provide for their customers. You have to be careful when drinking this beverage, if you sip too much at once or swallow some of the coffee grains you may feel queasy because of the concentration of coffee going to your stomach.

To accompany my coffee, I received a free sample of a freshly made lemon bar cake. One unique practice that I see in Spark’s is the fact that all their pastries and baked goods are hand-made daily in the back of the shop. “I love how everything is made fresh. I’m the kind of person that enjoys natural products, and Spark’s made me feel at home with their fresh pastries,” said Luisa. From lemon bar cake to a Sevillian treat called Torta de Aceite (Light, crisp, sweet and flaky tortilla), and even a German treat called Walnut Kata (Flaky bread crust rolled in walnut), Spark’s provides a multicultural cuisine for all its customers to enjoy.

Luisa and I sat down sipping on our drinks to observe what else the coffee house had to offer. Apart from the similarities that Spark’s shares in appearance with Starbuck’s, the decorations seemed to be less flamboyant; subtlety is at work. Soft shades of green, yellow, and beige cover the four walls, as well as several frames displaying artistic renderings of scenic views, such as a country side or a farm house in a field of wheat. Every minute I spent sitting down I felt more comfortable than the last.

“We want to create an accommodating environment that comforts all kinds of people,” said Erin Grant, a Spark’s employee. “There are a lot of diverse components blended in to our shop to host people from all cultures. The baked goods we make come from many different places, so this tends to comfort those people that see the baked goods as a ‘traditional treat’ from their homeland,” she said. Erin is an inviting kind of person, which overall adds to the calm and homey atmosphere inside the shop since even the employees are welcoming.

Unlike Starbucks, Spark’s seemed to only serve the customers and their needs; no marketing scheme is at work trying to take more money out of the customers’ pockets. The shop is welcoming customers come by with their friends, computers, and books to create their own atmosphere.

“One thing that I find unique about our shop is that anyone is welcome. You don’t need to buy anything to come inside and enjoy the space we provide; you can gather here and really kick back. It’s a very nice quality,” said Erin. For more information about Spark’s Coffee House you can visit them on their web site, or stop by the location on 6660 E. Hampden Ave, Denver, CO 80224.

Artwork by Ed Gloor

Welcome to my first in a series of “Home Cooking” articles, each featuring a specific ingredient and a recipe with a tasty way to stimulate your senses. This week we will explore two of the main myths about soy meat, and I’ll tell you the truth about how to make it taste delicious.

Soy meat or meat analogue (analogue means something the same as or similar to) is commonly made of soy protein concentrate, wheat gluten, and water, with various flavorings and additional ingredients varying by brand and product. The type of soy meat I use in the following recipe is Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles (available at all localKingSoopersand Safeways, $4.99 for a 12oz package). This week, I’ve included a recipe I used for vegetarian soy sloppy joes.

MYTH NUMBER ONE:

A vegetarian can’t get enough protein from soy meat and vegetarian foods to sustain a healthy lifestyle.

This is false. Although vegetable-based products don’t have much protein by themselves, there are several other ways to get enough protein. Dairy products such as low-fat milk, yoghurt, and cottage cheese are chock-full of protein, not to mention Vitamins C and D, plus plenty of calcium. Nuts and legumes (beans) are also excellent vegetarian sources of protein, essential fatty oils, and fiber.

MYTH NUMBER TWO:

Soy meat is gross. It tastes weird and feels funny.

False, again. Soy meat, when cooked and seasoned properly, can be indistinguishable from ground beef or turkey in any recipe. Its texture is rather like meatloaf: soft, like ground meat, and it takes on the flavor of the sauce and spices used to cook it. Add vegetables for nutrients and crunch, and you can have a great meal over pasta or rice, or even on buns, like the following recipe.

Photo by Aviva Getschel

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
1 small red pepper, trimmed, seeded and diced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried marjoram (I used Italian seasoning, which includes marjoram)
2 pounds ground beef (chuck preferred) – I used soy crumble
3 eight ounce cans tomato sauce (I substituted 1 of the cans for 1 cup ketchup)
3 tablespoons sugar (I would use 2)
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (add more if too sweet)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 to 3/4 cup water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 hamburger buns, toasted

Directions:

In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-low heat, add the onions, sauté for five minutes. Add the peppers and cook for five minutes more. Stir in the garlic and marjoram, continue to cook for two minutes more. Transfer vegetables to a bowl with a slotted spoon and reserve. Add the meat to the pan, increase the heat to medium, and cook the meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it just loses its color, about five minutes.  Or, heat thawed soy meat thoroughly, about five minutes. Pour excess fat from the pan and discard. Combine the meat and vegetables in the pan along with the tomato sauce, sugar, Worcestershire, vinegar, mustard, and 1/2 cup of the water. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. (If the mixture appears to be too dry add the additional water.) Season with the salt and pepper to taste. When ready to serve divide the mixture evenly between the buns. Serve.

Now that you’ve been initiated into the world of soy meat, I hope you continue to use and enjoy this mouthwatering vegetarian substitute. Next week, check in for two new ways to enjoy that summer squash, zucchini.

Photo by Ed Gloor

Slices is the brand new Pizza shop that opened on Hampden and Poplar by Qdoba, supporting drive-thru service and delicious pizza at a great price.

Pizza is a particularly favorite food of mine, and it dates back to the beginnings of mankind. The first evidence of a pizza has been historically dated to the Neolithic age, although it was not the pizza that we know now; it was simply leavened bread that had other ingredients on it to add more taste.

Before the 18th century, the leavened bread had white cheese on it, and was generally made by the poor people across the Mediterranean Sea coast and Middle East.

After the 18th century, Italy began to put tomato sauce and cheese on its flat bread, and the pizza was officially born in Naples. America first saw the pizza when Italian immigrants came to this country in the 19th century. Pizza was sold as it was in Naples, with a vendor roaming the streets with inexpensive pizzas on his head, selling them to the poor in Manhattan. The first pizzeria is believed to have been opened in the 1920’s, in Little Italy, Manhattan, New York. Now pizza shops and ovens are open to the public almost everywhere across the United States, with there being an estimated over 60,000 pizza parlors across the country.

Slices is just one of those many pizza shops that are open to the public. The pizza company opened up in the Denver Metro area in late 2010. It brings a brand new idea to pizza, and that is the drive through. This is the first pizza shop in Denver to have a drive through service, where customers treat it like a fast-food restaurant or café.

The interior of the shop is very homey. There are some immediate circular tables placed in front of a large HD TV screen, which usually has ESPN running. On the right side there are multiple booths and tables, with another TV playing. It is usually very quiet, with only the sounds of people’s voices and amiable ambient sounds of employees making pizza with the delicious circular dough.

The pizza at Slices is made fresh and there are a plethora of ready-made options from which to choose. On any given day there can be sausage, Hawaiian, pepperoni, mushroom, and cheese all behind the glass counter on large pizza trays. If there is a special request on the kind of pizza, one must simply ask, and in about 5-10 minutes, voila, a fresh pizza is prepared.
The oven is in the back of the store behind a large wall, and completely out of view. I find this quite nice, because it suggests a mysterious wonder as to how the pizza is made; it also makes the shop look cleaner. There are many drinks to choose from as well, with a multitude of pop, ginger ale, and lemonade. There are also water bottles, vitamin water, sobe life water, and bottled root beer, all of which are visible and in a cooled fridge. After paying a student-friendly price of around five dollars for two slices and a drink, I looked into another cooler, which has frozen pizza slices priced at one dollar each. This is quite the deal, and one day I will take up this offer.

The pizza is delicious; it has just the right amount of sauce, cheese, and garlic spread upon the warm dough. Unlike the Denver Pizza Company – which uses a lot of garlic on their pizza – Slices uses the right amount. On some days it can be a little dry, depending on how long the pizza has been sitting on the tray, but that does not bother me too much, because it fills my stomach and keeps my wallet full, as well. And that is just a perfect combination for any restaurant to have.

TJ Journal Food Critic Sean Gonzalez loves his job. Photo by Hanna Kazlouskaya.

I first heard of the new Pasquini’s in the Denver Tech Center over the summer of 2010 when my mom was opening the mail. Coupons for the new restaurant were sent to us because we live in the surrounding area. We had never actually been to a Pasquini’s before, so we tried it out.

Pasquini’s is a pizzeria that was started in Denver by Antonio Pasquini in 1977. They advertise and make delicious fresh American Italian food. The first restaurant was opened on Broadway and Louisiana, and since then the franchise has sprouted four more locations around the Denver area. The Denver Tech Center restaurant is the newest one to open up, located on Belleview and Ulster.

I entered Pasquini’s for the first time over the recent summer, and I was not quite sure of what to expect. I knew it was an Italian style restaurant, and that was about it. The menu sported a wide variety of tasty sounding foods in which a typical Italian pizzeria would specialize. There were salads, sandwiches, pasta, and of course, pizza. The pizzas were specialty pizzas, offering the ability to choose a pre-designed pizza or make your own with any topping. The same went with the calzones, pre-made or a custom calzone. The menu had my stomach growling as I waited to taste the food.

The menu has many different options to offer.  The big thing Pasquini’s Pizzeria is about is the Pizza. Five different sizes of pizzas are present with 37 toppings to choose from. The smallest pizza is 10” and it is $10 while the biggest is 18” and is $22. Along with the pizzas, the calzones offer the same amount of toppings, and are as equally delicious as the pizza, with $12 being the most expensive.

There are twelve different types of salads, with the smalls usually running about $6 and the larges anywhere from $8-$9. Italian and classic subs are offered for the same prices as the salads, while the Panini’s run $9.50. The pasta’s are quite delicious, and are full entrées that come with a house salad and garlic bread. If someone does not feel like eating the pizza, the pasta is a great option.

My family decided to have an appetizer of Garlic Bread, and upon asking the waitress if they were good, she replied, “Of course.” When the steamy bread came to us, I instantly grabbed one, dipped it in the marinara sauce, and took a large bite. Here comes the downfall. I am not a gigantic fan of bread with too much garlic, and to me, I thought there was a little too much butter and garlic on the bread. After that disappointment, I wondered if the food I ordered would be the same way.

I decided to go with the club sandwich, afraid the pizza and calzones would be too garlic-ridden. The sandwich was delicious; the bread was the best part. It tasted as bread would fresh out of the oven: delicious, soft, and luxurious. My sister ordered a personal pizza, and I decided to have a small section. The pizza was better than I expected. The garlic balance on the pizza was not at the same heart-attack level as the bread. The cheese was gooey but not at the point of dripping off the pizza entirely. There was however, a little too much sauce, and it was very messy to handle.

The best part of my meal was the Italian soda. This drink is made from carbonated soda and certain syrups, which can be anything from fruity, such as cherry or grape to desert, like chocolate or tiramisu flavored. It is rare to see these drinks in restaurants because – as the name implies – only certain Italian restaurants seem to carry them. I was happy to see these luscious drinks on the menu, and was very pleased at the taste of my blackberry Italian soda.

The second time around I had a calzone, and that was the best calzone I have ever had. It was the meatiest and grandest sausage calzone I had ever put in my stomach. The dough was soft as sheep’s wool, except it did not taste like wool, more like wondrous dough that had a plethora of sauce and sausage and cheese to fill my stomach.

The atmosphere of the restaurant does not seem overwhelming. The times when the small pizzeria gets noisy are at night. During the days, a person can enjoy the easy-going classical music and silence inside the restaurant. Many families will end up eating out at Pasquini’s, either on the patio or inside the restaurant depending on the weather. The restaurant has billiard tables, where brave players can test their skills against a random foe, or engage in a friendly game with a family member or acquaintance.

Overall, Pasquini’s is a restaurant with decent Italian food and pizza at a semi reasonable cost. It is not just a place for pizza or Italian food, but for enjoying time with friends or family. Enjoy a game of pool while at the restaurant to have a great experience at Pasquini’s Pizzeria.

Photo by Marina Miller

Custom cakes are becoming more and more popular due to the dawn of many new shows such as Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes but most of the cakes concocted on those shows are not easily created in the average home kitchen.

While some settle for an ordinary birthday cake, there are many simple, fun ways to make a cake more meaningful to the person and the occasion.  My nephew had his third birthday recently and I was put in charge of the cake.  If there is one food I know for sure that this picky eater likes, it’s Oreos.  It only seemed natural that I would customize the cake with this cream-filled American cookie delight.  I decided to make an Oreo flavored cake and make it look like an Oreo.

The simple recipe is as follows:
One boxed White Cake mix
1 ½ cups of crushed Oreo cookies.
Follow the recipe on the box to make the cake batter.  Then mix in one cup of the crushed cookies and bake according to directions in two round cake pans. Cool completely before frosting

The decorating is the hardest part of this cake-making process.  After the cakes have completely cooled outside of the pan, set them side by side.  Frost one side of the cake with vanilla icing. Then place the unfrosted cake on top of the vanilla frosted cake.  Frost the whole “cookie,” sides included, with chocolate frosting.  Using either a frosting bag and tip or a dull, flat knife, make a line of vanilla frosting go all the way around the cakes in the middle so that it looks like a big Oreo cookie.  I used the other ½ cup of crushed Oreos around the top and the base of the cake and put halved Oreos around the cake for decoration.  If desired, write “Happy Birthday” or other sentiments in frosting on top.

This cake was the highlight of the three-year-old’s entire party.  He didn’t even want to eat dinner all he could say was, “Great big Oreo cake!” with a huge grin.  That in itself was worth the time and effort.

Photo by Marina Miller

Molasses cookies are soft and sweet and full of sugar.  These delicious, chewy treats are great with a cup of hot tea, cocoa or, Santa’s favorite, milk.  My mother has made these every year around Christmas and they are always a favorite at holiday parties and at home for munching.  The smell alone causes a smile to spread across my face. That first bite into a warm molasses cookie is my indicator that the Holiday season is upon us.  Enjoy this recipe and make sure to share the love.

Molasses Cookies

¾ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
¼ cup molasses
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix shortening, sugar, then egg and molasses together.  Set aside.
Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add to molasses mixture a little at a time.
Roll in balls about the size of a walnut.  Coat balls in sugar.
Bake at 375° for about 8 minutes or until the first cookie flattens.

The winter season brings about many different sights, scents and sensations.  One of my favorite sights is snow-blanketed scenery.  My second pick for best holiday cookies remind me of that exact vision.  These powdered sugar covered crescent shaped cookies melt in my mouth from the very first bite.  This recipe takes patience but the result is worth all the hard work.

Crescent Cookies
Combine:
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup butter (softened)
¾ cup sugar
2 ½ cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Knead mixture to a smooth dough and shape into crescents about one teaspoon at a time.
Bake on ungreased cookie sheet until slightly browned; about 15-17 minutes at 350°.
Cool for one minute.
While still warm, roll cookies in powdered sugar.
Cool completely and roll again.

Gingerbread men and women, a holiday classic, should be a part of every plate of cookies.  Not only are they a scrumptious snack, they are also fun to decorate.  I invited a couple of friends over and we broke out all the decorating materials and had some fun.  Frostings, candies, and sprinkles adorned the table and quickly brought these little people to life.  This recipe is full of spices and the most important ingredient of all, love.

Gingerbread Cookies

3 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup corn starch
1 ½ Tablespoon ground ginger
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons molasses
1 Tablespoon water
1 egg
1 cup cold butter (cut into one inch pieces)
Icings and decorations

Mix flour, sugar, corn starch, orange peel, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Whisk molasses, water and egg in small bowl; set aside.
Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Pour molasses mixture over flour; beat with mixer until dough forms a ball. Knead 2-3 times until smooth.  Divide in half, wrap both halves in plastic wrap.  Cool for a minimum of 2 hours.
Roll dough on lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thickness.  Cut with cookie cutters.  Place on baking sheets. Bake for 11-13 minutes at 350°.  Cool on wire rack.  Decorate with icings, candy, sprinkles, sugar, etc.