Ginger crinkles recipe

My grandma recently told me that she paid a visit to her 95-year-old sister in an assisted living home. “To brighten Aunt Frances’s day,” she said, “I brought her some ginger crinkles.”

Ginger crinkles? I had never heard her mention before this treat so I asked what they were.

She told me that that they’re a cookie that has been made spicy with ginger, cinnamon and molasses. They’re chewy with a bit of a crunch from being rolled in sugar. And they’re called crinkles since cracks and fissures form on the cookie’s surface. As a ginger snap tends towards elegance with its smooth surface and crisp texture, a ginger crinkle is more roughhewn and homey—but it’s no less delicious.



My grandma also mentioned that she had taken a batch to of the cookies to a church function. And wouldn’t you know it, the ginger crinkles were so popular the plate was empty before she even had a chance to grab one for herself. Well, if they’re a hit with the church ladies, I knew they had to be good!

“I was going to send you some crinkles but got lazy,” said Grandma. “But there will be some at Thanksgiving.”

Now, as is my wont whenever I return to Texas, I eat more meals in a day than is healthy to make up for all those tastes of home that just can’t be found anywhere else. And last Saturday was no exception. In one afternoon I feasted on cheese enchiladas dripping in chile gravy, endless baskets of warm salty chips served with bowls of peppery hot sauce, a Whataburger with cheese and jalapenos, tender carne guisada nestled in a fresh flour tortilla, and a heaping plate of brisket, sausage, pickles and black-eyed peas.



I was stuffed and cookies were definitely not on my mind.

But as my grandma and I were watching “Book Talk,” she reminded me that she had baked some ginger crinkles for me.

My belly was full, but I knew it would be disrespectful not to try them. So I grabbed one from the freezer (where she keeps everything). It was cold, but it still had a nice chew to it. But what really excited me was the burst of ginger and dark sweetness of the molasses. For such a rustic cookie, there was a real sophistication to its flavor.



Holiday baking season has begun and these warm, spicy cookies are a simple way to bring joy into people’s lives. Of course, be sure and save yourself a few as they will go fast.

Aunt Frances’s ginger crinkles
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 cup sugar for dipping

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the oil, sugar, egg and molasses. Mix together the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger and add to the liquid ingredients.

Roll dough into walnut size balls (about 1/2 a tablespoon) and dip into sugar.

Bake at 350 until slightly brown for about 15 min.

Note from Aunt Frances: Do not overcook!

Note from me: I was out of regular sugar so I used turbinado sugar, which was very tasty.

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Pimento cheese, hold the pimentos

I’m heading home in a couple of days, and since I won’t arrive to the farm until late Thursday morning, I’ve been trying to figure out dishes I can contribute to the Thanksgiving feast that won’t take a lot of time and effort. As I was going through my list of recipes, I came across that old favorite—pimento cheese.

Truth be told, I hadn’t eaten any since my grandfather’s funeral back in 2008. A woman that goes to my grandparent’s church had read my earlier blog post where I remarked that pimento cheese makes for fine funeral food. And so she made my recipe and brought it to the farm.

It was a hit—so much of a hit that my uncle Richard and I got in a huge fight over who would get to eat the last couple of spoonfuls. (Now lest you think my family and I don’t get along—we were all a bit stressed because of the funeral and were behaving like five year olds. This is not to say, however, that it wasn’t indeed a fine batch of pimento cheese.) That day was over a year ago, and that’s just too long to go without eating pimento cheese. So I decided to whip up a batch.



Pimento cheese is simple, really. At its most basic it’s just shredded cheddar cheese, some mayonnaise and chopped pimentos. But when I opened my refrigerator, I realized that I didn’t have any pimentos on hand. So I improvised.

I enjoy the tangy sweetness of the little red pimentos, but I also like the splash of color the peppers give to the spread. I had some Ro-Tel tomatoes on hand, so I threw them into my bowl. And to keep with the Tex-Mex theme, I decided to mix some lime juice, cilantro and cumin into my mayonnaise and tossed in a chopped Serrano chile as well.

There are many ways to eat pimento cheese, but my favorite way has always been simply as a dip. And the Tex-Mex profile of this spread definitely makes it perfect for tortilla chips. But it would also be terrific on a biscuit, folded into an omelet, or even scooped on top of a burger.



What do you call pimento cheese when it doesn’t have pimentos? Pepper cheese? Tomato cheese? Pimento-not cheese? Tex-Mex cheese? I have no idea, but no matter what you call this pimento cheese, it’s still pretty darn good.

Tex-Mex pimento cheese, hold the pimentos
1 pound of shredded cheddar cheese (four cups)
1 can of Ro-Tel, drained
1/3 cup of mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon of lime juice
1/4 cup of cilantro chopped
1 clove of garlic, mined
2 Serrano chiles, finely diced
Salt, black pepper and Cayenne to taste

Method:
Mix all ingredients together and chill for a few hours.

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Chipotle sweet potato soup

Tonight I made one of my favorite soups, a thick sweet potato soup made fiery and smoky with chipotles. I make this soup often in the cold-weather months, but for some reason I’ve never shared it with you. Well that’s about to change.

I’ll be going home next week and with my clothes a bit snug and my complexion splotchy, I decided to do a quick, two-day detox before the holidays. Over the weekend I drank furry apple juice spiked with cayenne, sipped dandelion tea mixed with lots of lemon and ginger, and downed the occasional glass of almond milk for a bit of protein.

I didn’t have much energy, so I just lay on the couch reading my friend’s new book. The weather was mild with high temperatures and gentle breezes, so in the afternoons I’d go for walks by the river. I made up this regime, so I don’t know if I was following proper detox form, but after a couple of days I was less puffy and possessed a sense of peace and restfulness I hadn’t had for quite a while.



But enough about my detox—you want to know about the chipotle sweet potato soup! It’s recommended when you conclude a detox that you shouldn’t overburden your system. So smoked brisket and a big bowl of queso—no matter how much I was craving them—were out of the question.

In my refrigerator, however, were some sweet potatoes. And I knew that this quick soup would be a fine, fine way to re-enter the land of the eating. There’s not much to it, you just throw together your aromatics, the chopped sweet potatoes, some chipotles and spices, pour in some chicken broth and let it cook. After about half an hour, let it cool a bit and then puree it. Ladle it into bowls and serve.

I like to top it with sour cream and some chipotle-cinnamon roasted pecans, for a bit of cream and crunch. But honestly, this soup is equally fine on its own.



After Thanksgiving, if you have leftover sweet potatoes, this is a wonderful way to use them. Or this soup would also make for a stunning starter. Though you don’t really need a special occasion to eat it. I find that I love it best on those cool, quiet evenings when I’m seeking something simple and satisfying. And this chipotle sweet potato soup always does the trick.

Chipotle sweet potato soup
Ingredients:
2 pounds of sweet potatoes (about two large or three skinny ones), peeled and cubed
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
2-4 chipotles in adobo (depending on your heat tolerance) chopped
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Juice of one lime
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Sour cream
Cinnamon-chipotle pecans (recipe to follow)

Method:
Heat the olive oil on medium low in a large soup pot, and cook the onions, celery and carrot for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.

Add the sweet potatoes, broth, chipotles, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.

Let the soup cool, and then in batches, puree it in the blender. If you prefer, you can use an immersion blender in the pot instead.

Once the soup has been pureed, stir in the lime juice and add salt and black pepper to taste.

Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream and some of the chopped cinnamon-chipotle pecans.

Serves 8

Cinnamon chipotle pecans
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of butter
1 cup of chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of chipotle powder
Salt to taste

Method:
Melt the butter in a skillet on low heat. Add the pecans and stir them until they are covered in the butter. Add the cinnamon and chipotle powder and stir to coat. Cook the pecans, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes. Salt to taste.

Notes: If you have cooked sweet potatoes leftover, you can add them instead and lessen the cooking time to about five minutes, which should be enough time for the flavors to come together.

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