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: Life is hard. God is good. We need each other. The Sparrow's Home is a place for gathering and sharing about all things 'home'.
Of all the smells that came out of my grandma’s kitchen…from sugar cookies, to dumpling soup, to raised doughnuts…these ginger snaps might just be my favorite.
There is some debate among the family as to whether in their ideal form they are chewy or crispy. I find them delicious either way, but my preference is chewy. Having said that, I am also forgetful, and so invariably, I end up with some crispy cookies as well!
People have opinions about scones.
Should they be dense, like a compact, sweeter version of a biscuit? Tall and cakey? Buttery and shortbread-like? Round? Triangular? Free-form?
Regardless of how one describes their perfect scone, one thing is agreed upon: scones must be enjoyed fresh from the oven. Scones are notorious for going stale, becoming heavy and doughy. Gone is the crisp, buttery exterior…the tender crumb.
We don’t have to stand for that! We can have perfect scones whenever we want!
These scones are equally delicious baked immediately, or flash-frozen to be individually baked up for a warm, fresh treat anytime.
Are you often caught like me at meal time trying to come up with quick sides to go with your dinner? I’m not what you would call a ‘meal planner’. I plot a general menu in my mind for the upcoming week before grocery shopping. Planning main dishes is one thing, but I usually end up just picking up a variety of what looks good in the produce section and figure it’ll work itself out.
After all, I’ve always got pasta and rice on hand, and my easy reference bread recipes hanging inside my spice cupboard. I’ll tell ya what…these quick chewy breadsticks have come to the rescue more than once.
How do you celebrate Mother’s Day? We used to go out to a brunch buffet after church. But as our families grew, it started getting pretty expensive. We also realized that we didn’t spend much time enjoying each other’s company in the busy restaurant. So several years ago we began having brunch back at our home. (My sisters and I decided that my parent’s house wasn’t an option, as my mom would stress about things getting done).
Caramel cake. Every year for his birthday. Caramel cake. Then one year my eldest determined he “didn’t like caramel”. So we had “brown sugar cake” for his birthday that year. Same recipe I’d used every other year.
Have I told you my kids are picky?
Sometimes I sneak things in. Like in my super healthy rich and delicious chocolate pancakes, and this chocolate mousse. Other times, I just call something by another name. For a time:
I even had a jar of pureed dates in the fridge that my kids ate for an entire summer because I called it “caramel”. Ahh the power of suggestion.
We’re back to calling caramel cake “caramel cake” again, and it’s still my son’s pick for his birthday cake every year. (He turns 18 this year! Yikes!) Sadly, my husband and I will be out of town at a conference on his birthday, so we’re celebrating early this year.
I haven’t shared a cookie recipe in awhile. We love cookies around here. (Like I really need to say that…is there anyone who doesn’t love cookies? BTW, we also love sunshine and puppies).
These cookies were a big hit when I started making them for study groups that we hosted. And they’re really easy..a slightly different method than most cookies, but easy!