Gingerbread Cookies

I love ginger. Ginger candy, Ginger cake, ginger as a secret ingredient (perfect in chicken soup) and gingerbread cookies! They are THE perfect holiday cookie. This recipe is adapted from Saveur magazine. It is originally from an old bakery in Stockholm, Sweden.

This article was first published in Saveur, Issue #125

3 3⁄4 cups flour

3 tsp. ground cloves

3 1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 1⁄2 tsp. ground ginger

1 1⁄4 tsp. baking soda
I also put in a 1/4 tsp. salt
11 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1⁄2 cup golden syrup or dark corn syrup (I used light corn syrup with a dash of molasses)

1⁄2 cup heavy cream (I used whole goat's milk.)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and salt, if using; set aside. In another large bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and golden syrup using a handheld mixer set to medium speed until the mixture is pale and fluffy, 1–2 minutes. Add the reserved spice mixture and the heavy cream in 3 alternating batches, beginning and ending with the spice mixture, until the dough just combines. Transfer dough to a work surface, divide in half, and shape each half into a flat disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 1 hour.







2. Heat oven to 350°. Unwrap 1 disk of dough and place on a floured work surface (preferably a cooler one). Using a rolling pin, roll dough to a 1⁄8" thickness. Cut out cookies using the cookie cutters of your choice and place cookies 2" apart on parchment paper–lined baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough, re-rolling scraps. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until browned and set, about 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Enjoy!




Now I just need to figure out a gluten free recipe.

TTFN!

Winter Solstice

Happy solstice!

It's the End of November Already?

November is almost gone, and with it, the daylight. I've lit candles a couple times to help counteract the dimmer light.
I love candles this time of the year. Fire makes me happy! I'd like to make candles out of our beeswax, and give them away as Christmas presents (or keep them all).

On a postitive note, the temperature is above zero for the first time in a few weeks. +16F!

First Cold Snap

It's been nasty cold. My brain has frozen. I'm questioning my sanity to live in a place like this, and do what I do. And I grew up here! Worst part is, it's only going to get worse. Sometime this winter, it will be -55F and I will still have to get up and milk goats. I will just keep telling myself that I am tough.

Happy 11/11/11 at 11:11! Make a wish!

Happy Halloween!

My younger siblings are going trick or treating for the first time this year! I only got to go once when I was four. Halloween was considered unabashedly demonic when I was growing up. We would go to the church's Hallelujah Day party, or the Harvest Festival, or whatever it was called that year.
This year I am again going to a friend's house to help pass out candy. Last year we had about 375 kids come.
Stay safe and warm!

Something Old, Something New

My favorite pair of brown corduroy pants were too worn out to be pants anymore. Holes were developing, and the wale had rubbed away in several places.
But it they weren't too worn out to be a skirt!

It took me a couple of tries to put the pieces together in a way that wasn't obvious that the now skirt was once a upon a time a pair of pants. However, I wasn't paying attention and cut off part of the back pockets.


I found a couple pairs of jeans at the dump, and I made this skirt for my sister:

The jeans came with purple marker stains, but I'm going to put an applique over them.

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without".
It astonishes me what people throw out!

Looks Like Winter's Here to Stay...

Though the sun is out with full force right now! It's about 40F, and the eves are dripping.
I took these photos yesterday. I'm not quite used to it being winter yet. But I already have my lobens (winter boots) and my parka out. My summer clothes and shoes are almost put away for the next six months or so. Winter up here lasts for about that long. I call the seasons winter and not winter.










I have gotten a few more things up on my Etsy shop. I hope to put more up soon! I have told myself that I must put all the items that I have photographs for up before I make any plans for bizaars.

First Snow

It snowed last night; first time this fall. It's strange waking up to a suddenly changed landscape. I think I want to move in with my friend who lives in Florida. I can't face summer being gone just yet.

No Snow Yet...

It still hasn't snowed. But I'm not complaining! These past few days have been gorgeous. It had rained and frozen on Friday night, but Saturday was clear and almost sixty degrees. It feels like September, though all the trees' leaves are gone.
The goats unfortunately have been wrecking my unprotected greens. They are also the only green things around anymore. But I harvested most of the rest of the garden on Saturday, except for some carrots. It will have to be snowing before I take those in. The plot and beds look lonesome. But this is their time to rest, and mine too.

First Frost

It froze last night for the first time this fall.

Fall Garden

No Granola

I am so crunchy,
that I know granola is
really bad for you.

Awesome Upcycled Apron

I made a kuspuk style apron last Friday, out of an old sheet. I didn't even need to hem the bottom. It came like that! I saw a lady wearing one at a park and was inspired. It was definitely a hack job, but it only took me about two and a half hours to make. Instead of doing a neck strap, which I can't stand, I crisscrossed the shoulder straps across the back. All it needs now is bright colored rick rack.
I've learned to appreciate aprons, as messes tend to follow me around. They're also very useful for transporting garden produce into the kitchen, particularly with the oversized pocket.
Hopefully, they'll be a great thing to sell. One of the issues with selling clothes at bizarres is that there is no place to try items on. Aprons are easy to try on!

TTFN

Gone Picken' (and eaten' pie!)

Blueberries, blueberries, BLUBERRIES!!!
If you haven't tried wild Alaskan blueberries, I'm truly sorry. You ought to put on your list of "One Hundred Things to do Before I Die". They don't taste anything like the nasty ones from America.




These are the kinds of woods where blueberries bushes normally grow. Due to permefrost, the land is boggy. The biggest blueberries grow in the middle of ponds, so if you want the very best, you will need a pair of tall Sitka sneakers (Alaskan for rain boots ;)

We have lots of rhubarb in our garden, and blubarb pie is a favorite.





Bluebarb and Goat Cheese Pie

filling:
3 cups blueberries
3 cups rhubarb
(heaping)1/4 cup minute tapioca
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
Pinch of cinnamon
Combine and let stand for 15 minutes.

streusel topping
1/2 cup goat cheese
1/2 cup oats
4 tablespoons brown rice flour
5 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pinch of ginger
Combine the oats, flour, sugar, and spices in a bowl. Rub in the butter until crumbly.

Preheat oven to 375F. Roll out favorite pie crust, and pour in filling. Pat streusel topping over pie. Bake 45-50 minutes. Cool to set.

TTFN!

Blog Feature

Thanks Robin for featuring AlaskAnna Clothing on your blog, Green Man's Grotto!

Trying to figure out how to blog from my iPhone!

Happy Summer Solstice!

It's been hard to go to sleep.

Mr. T

Rose kidded on May 31st. She was six years old, and had never been freshened before. This little guy was the only survivor of triplets.
Rose had seemed like she was going into labor on the night of the 30th. She lost her 'plug', and was very vocal. She was quiet most of the night. The next morning, she was having pushing contractions, but no water sack was appearing. So we called the vet out, and the she ended up inducing Rose. The vet also observed that Rose's cervix was not dilating, and she could only get two fingers in there.
The water sack finally appeared early in the afternoon, and she started pushing, but nothing happened. We waited an hour, and then called the vet again. Long story short, the vet pulled the triplets out with bailing twine, because Rose still wasn't dilated enough. The only alive one came first, and we named him Mr. T, for trouble and tenacity. If we register him, his official name will be Thistle.
Unfortunately, the only doeling and the other buckling were stillborn. It was very rough, seeing dead kids. I have wondered how I'd react if we had to deal with goat kids being stillborn or dying. even though, we were lucky that we got one kid (even if he was a buckling) and the mother survived.
Rose ended up rejecting her only remaining kid. I can't blame her. She was very out of it, and I don't think she would have been able to deal with him. So for now, he is living in the house and being hand raised. It is good that we have colostrum that a kind women donated.
We will never breed older first timers again, even if they come from champion lines.

And now for some very cute photos:


He also loves to sit on people's laps :)

Sold my first item on Etsy!

I had a camisole sell on Friday morning. This was my first sale!

Spring

When does spring come?
Each year, I try to pin down,
but it's elusive!

Sunshine

I've been understandably depressed lately. But it's been warm, and the sunshine is so beautiful. Sky blue is my very favorite color.
And I've been liking my new iPhone. Especially the camera :)
Best to look on the bright side.

Uno

Uno died on the 1st.
She had gotten so much better, and we had moved her back out to the barn. Her respiration was still a bit higher then it was supposed to be, but she was doing fine. A few weeks later, my mother was worried that Uno might be slipping into a relapse. We had the vet come out to do a check -up on her, and though the vet wasn't impressed, Uno's lung that had shut down was working again. She prescribed some antibiotics.
Apparently, there was nothing wrong at next morning's milking. When I went out to check on the goats during the day, Uno was doing the same strange breathing; her tongue was hanging out, she was foaming at the mouth and bleating. I brought her into the garage. A few hours later, it had gotten severe. So I went to prepare some apple-cider vinegar water, and when I came back downstairs, she was on the floor, on her side, convulsing.
It was frustrating putting a lot of time and effort into her care. But I had prayed several times that if she was going to die, that she would go quickly. I miss her, though. The goats are pets plus milking, so we loved them like pets. I've been sleeping with part of her beard under my pillow. Someday, I'd like to learn to make goat stuffed animals, and maybe I could start with Uno first, and incorporate her beard into the stuffie.

Snip

Wings being clipped for
so long; when they grew back, she
didn't know their use.

Tired

So exhausted from staying up most of the last three nights. Yesterday, I spent about 15 1/2 hours in the garage with Uno. I've mostly been watching movies, hanging out on the net and cat-napping. Uno seems to like the newest version of Pride and Prejudice. I popped it in the first night when I wanted something light and fluffy, and she came over to watch. I think she likes the music. We've had Chopin playing in the garage, and she seems to like that as well.

I've been up since 2:30 this morning

We got through our second night. Uno is still here, and still in the garage. She's eating hay, and drank some water on her own early this morning, and ate some brome pellets yesterday. Unfortunately she hasn't done that since. So we are squirting an apple cider vinegar/horehound leaf 'tea' down her throat every half an hour. It is a half gallon of warm water to a half cup of unpasturized apple cider vineger. The horehound leaves go into the mixture. This is from Pat Colby's book, Natural Goat Care. We are also giving as yogurt water mix about every two hours. The strange breathing episodes are coming and going, and they seem to come in droves. Uno won't have one for a several hours, and then she'll have several. She isn't foaming at the mouth as bad as when I found her on Wednesday afternoon, but she is drooling.

Uno

Uno has severe pneumonia. Not sure is she is going to make it. I checked on her on Wednesday afternoon, and she was breathing heavily, braying and foaming at the mouth. The vet made a house call on Wednesday evening, and said her left lung has shut down. She gave Uno some antibiotics and vitamin shots. We moved her to the garage. Stayed up most of the night with her.