Juicy cucumbers are one of my favorite summer vegetables, and I like to slice one up and eat it with a bit of salt for an afternoon snack, but using them as a base for salads is my favorite way to eat them. We’ve been on a cucumber salad binge lately, trying different vegetable combinations and vinaigrettes, and this is by far our favorite to date. The Thai vinaigrette gets a little kick from crushed red peppers (pepper flakes), which you can adjust to your taste. Make sure you use an unseasoned rice vinegar because the seasoned kind has added sugar and salt.

(Print this recipe)

CUCUMBER SALAD WITH TOMATO, BELL PEPPER, AND SPICY THAI LIME VINAIGRETTE

Serves 6 to 8.

Equipment

cruet or small jar with lid

Ingredients

2 cucumbers, peeled and julienned
12 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red bell pepper seeded and cut into thin strips
1/2 cup shredded or julienned carrot
cilantro sprigs for garnish

VINAIGRETTE
1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lime juice
1/4 cup (60 ml) rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Preparation

1. Add the lime juice, rice vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, minced garlic, pepper flakes, and sea salt in a cruet or small jar with a lid. Cover and shake well.

2. Toss the cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper strips, and carrots in a serving bowl and drizzle with some of the dressing. Top with cilantro sprigs for garnish and serve with the remaining vinaigrette on the side.

More Summer Salads

More Thai Salad Recipes From Around the Blogs

What We’re Eating – Spicy Thai Jicama Salad

Apple Pie, Patis, and Pâté – Thai Wild Mushroom Salad

The Perfect Pantry – Thai Beef Salad

Rasa Malaysia – Thai Pomelo Salad

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Whenever we make a trip to Costco, I always stop to browse the books aisle, and every once in a while I come across some finds that make their way into the cart. Earlier this summer I found a big paperback book simply called Thai & Asian by Deh-Ta Hsiung (previously published as Thai and South-East Asian Food and Cooking). With a plethora of gorgeous dishes from Thailand, China, Vietnam, Japan, and Korea, as well as over 100 pages of information on ingredients and proper Asian cooking gear, this book was a no-brainer and a bargain at US$9.99. My memories of the food I enjoyed on a trip to Koh Samui and Phuket in the mid 90s are imprinted in my head, and I’ve enjoyed introducing my family to the wonders of Thai flavors over the years. Perhaps someday I’ll get a chance to go back to Thailand; I would so enjoy a trip to Chiang Mai, but until then I’ll have to keep cooking Thai at home.

Lemongrass is a frequently used ingredient in Thai and southeast Asian cooking, and for years I tried growing it in pots so I could bring it indoors for the winter, but the plants would never last more than a month indoors, and I finally decided to just stick one in the ground to see what would happen. After a very cold snowy winter it might not seem like a good idea, but those kinds of winters are not typical for our area so there’s a slight chance the lemongrass might survive. Fortunately it’s flourishing and adds wonderful flavor to our Thai dishes.

This grilled chicken has a flavorful marinade that’s easy to make, and we were able to use our homegrown lemongrass and garlic in it. The cilantro bolted in the heat, so we’ve reseeded and hope to have more in a couple weeks.

And speaking of growing herbs, don’t forget the Grow Your Own deadline is this Friday. Be sure to visit the Kitchen Gadget Girl blog for more information about submitting your post. If you are new to the event, you can read more about the rules for participating at the Grow Your Own page.

(Print this recipe)

THAI GRILLED CHICKEN WITH COCONUT MILK MARINADE

Adapted from Thai & Asian, by Deh-Ta Hsiung, Becky Johnson, and Sallie Morris.

Serves 6 to 8.

Equipment

food processor
gallon plastic bag or glass dish for marinating
grill

Ingredients

6 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

MARINADE
2 lemongrass stalks, roots trimmed
1.5 inch ginger, peeled and sliced
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
4 shallots, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (20 g) cilantro roots, chopped (or stems and leaves)
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1/2 cup (120 ml) coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce

GARNISH
lime wedges
fresh red chiles
cilantro sprigs

Preparation

1. Remove the lower 2 inches of the lemongrass and the leaves, and chop the stems coarsely. Add lemongrass, ginger, garlic, shallots, cilantro, sugar, coconut milk, fish sauce, and soy sauce to the food processor bowl. Process until smooth.

2. Trim the chicken breast and put them in the gallon plastic bag (or marinating dish). Pour the marinade over the chicken, making sure the marinade coats the chicken completely. Leave in the refrigerator for 4 to 12 hours.

3. Preheat the gas grill or barbecue to a temperature of 400° F/200° C. Drain the chicken and reserve the marinade. Rub the hot grill with vegetable oil to keep the chicken from sticking.

4. Grill until the chicken is done, about 5 to 6 minutes per side. Brush with the reserved marinade while cooking.

5. Transfer cooked chicken to a serving platter, garnish with lime, cilantro, and chiles, and serve.

Variations

If you can’t find lemongrass, use the zest of 1 lemon.

If you can’t find palm sugar, use light brown sugar.

Other Thai Recipes

More Thai Chicken Recipes From Around the Blogs

Rasa Malaysia – Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup)

Chez Pim – Thai-Marinated Fried Chicken

Closet Cooking – Thai Chicken Mole

Ezra Pound Cake – Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

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The tomatoes are going gangbusters this year, a pleasant change from last year, and we’re convinced that our composting efforts have paid big dividends in the tomato bed. We began harvesting tomatoes this week and have brought in about 7 pounds so far, a mixed bag of Early Girl, Roma, cherry, sungold, and grape tomatoes. The Early Girl plants are almost bursting with tomatoes, a sign of good things to come. I’m eager to pull a pile of those green tomatoes off and fry them up!

The peppers are looking very good, also an improvement over last year. The sweet peppers are all heavy with fruit and the hot peppers are coming along nicely. My new favorite is a container chile, the spicy Numex Twilight, which starts green and then turns purple, orange, and finally ripens a deep red. It’s quite a showy plant and perfect for containers.

The lemongrass is a wonderful surprise this year. I’ve tried to grow it in pots over the years, hoping to bring it indoors in the winter so we can have lemongrass year round, but I’ve not had success with transitioning indoors, so this year I decided to just stick it in the ground and see what would happen, and it’s doing very well. We made a Thai grilled chicken today using some of our lemongrass in the marinade, and I can’t wait to share that recipe with you this week.

The blueberries are done for the season and the dill and lettuces bolted, so it’s time to reseed those, which I can do now since we tackled the weeding this weekend. The weeds in our area seem to thrive in the heat, and it took a couple solid hours of work in miserable heat to clean out the squash and lettuce beds on Saturday morning. There’s a few stray weeds still in there, tucked under and between the squash, but we managed to clean out a lot. As we prepare for fall planting—yes, August is nearly here—we’ve decided to experiment with seeding plants much closer together to hopefully crowd out the weeds and provide a better home for the beneficial insects.

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Current Wine Club Selections

Wine notes from WineTasting.com.

Bell 2006 Sierra Foothills Rose
CleverGirls Wine Club Price: $14.29 (regularly $15) Plus FREE SHIPPING on 3 or more bottles
About The Wine: The rich fruit flavors in particular make the wine an excellent accompaniment to Pan-Asian cuisine and spicy eastern dishes. The wine has a delightful salmon pink color, with gorgeous floral aromas, bright fruit flavors on the palate and a crisp, refreshing finish.

Forefathers 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
CleverGirls Wine Club Price: $12.14 (regularly $17) Plus FREE SHIPPING on 3 or more bottles
About The Wine: Forefathers Sauvignon Blanc is a single vineyard wine produced from the 19 acre Wax-Eye Vineyard on Hawksbury Road in Marlborough.  The glacial soils offer the vines good water retentivity and this glacial minerality often shows itself in the finished wine.  Ripe melon and fig form the center of this refreshing, medium-bodied Sauvignon Blanc.  On the palate Forefathers Sauvignon Blanc is firm, creamy, and viscous with a bright finish of lemon.

Esser Vineyards 2006 California Merlot
CleverGirls Wine Club Price: $8.21 (regularly $12) Plus FREE SHIPPING on 3 or more bottles
About the wine: “The aromatic profile of the wine reveals a striking combination of ripe plum and black cherry fruit, along with savory complements of cola, sweet tobacco, anise, and some vanilla and toffee notes of oak.  It has a remarkably smooth texture for a young wine; flavors are of baked stone fruits, spice cake, and espresso.  At the table, a great match for grilled red meats, game, and full-flavored pastas.” – Paul Moser, Winemaker

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There’s a few things that you’ll always find in our refrigerator, things that fall into our Can’t Live Without category: salsa, lemons, limes, Greek yogurt, milk, half & half, cottage cheese, pickles, hot sauce, baby carrots, beer, and pomegranate juice. Actually I think the list is probably longer based on the amount of stuff that’s regularly in our frig, but those are the very first things that come to mind.

Yes, we fell under the spell of the POM Wonderful pomegranate juice last year and now regularly have a bottle in the frig for all sorts of purposes. My favorite is of course mixing drinks, but it also makes delicious icy desserts such as this cherry pomegranate sorbet. There’s just something about that gorgeous red color that grabs your attention and draws you to it, and though it’s simple to make it is a stunning treat for guests, just serve in cocktail glasses. The flavors meld together, neither overpowering the other, and a touch of lemon zest brightens it up and makes a very refreshing dessert to beat the heat.

When I make sorbet with cherries, I like to use the blended cherries without straining because I think it gives more flavor, plus we like to munch on the small cherry bits, but you can strain if you prefer.

[Disclosure: The POM Wonderful juice was provided by POM Wonderful.]

(Print this recipe)

CHERRY POMEGRANATE SORBET

Makes about 1 quart/liter.

Equipment

blender
small saucepan
2 quart glass or plastic bowl
ice cream maker (review)
plastic freezer container with lid

Ingredients

1/2 cup (175 g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120 ml) water
16 ounces (454 g)  black cherries, fresh or thawed from frozen, pits removed
16 ounces (240 ml) POM Wonderful pomegranate juice
1  lemon, finely zested

Preparation

1. In the saucepan combine the sugar and water. Cook over medium heat until completely dissolved. Let cool for 15 minutes.

2. In the blender, purée the cherries, pomegranate juice, and lemon zest with the syrup until very smooth. Pour into the bowl. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

3. Churn in an ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer’s directions. Transfer the churned sorbet to the plastic container. Press a layer of plastic wrap against the sorbet and seal the lid on top. Freeze until fully hardened.

More Frozen Dessert Recipes

More Sorbet Recipes From Around the Blogs

Simply Recipes – Plum Sorbet

The Perfect Pantry – Espresso Sorbet

Cafe Lynnylu – Blackberry Lemon Verbena Sorbet

Ms. Adventures in Italy – Fresh Fig Sorbet

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This gelato has been months in the making, literally. I first thought of it during Mardi Gras season, then it came to me again several times during the spring, then again when the temperatures cranked up in June. I couldn’t get it out of my mind, and unbidden thoughts of sweet, rummy bananas swirled into a French vanilla gelato would come when I passed the bananas display in the grocery store. It was time to do something about this little obsession of mine, and oh it was worth it.

When making gelato at home with a standard ice cream freezer, it helps to prefreeze the gelato base about 30 minutes before churning. You don’t want it frozen, just really really cold so the churning time is reduced and less air gets whipped in, which will help render a rich, creamy gelato texture.

(Print this recipe)

BANANAS FOSTER GELATO

Adapted from Making Artisan Gelato, by Torrance Kopfer and Remembering Bill Neal, by Moreton Neal.

Makes about 1 quart/liter.

Equipment

medium saucepan with lid
instant-read thermometer
whisk
2 nonreactive 3-quart bowls
4 or 5–quart bowl
stick or immersion blender (optional, though helpful)
fine-mesh strainer
small sauté pan
ice cream maker (review)

Ingredients

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
3/4 cup (131 g) granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
1 banana, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
2 tablespoons brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
dash cinnamon
1 tablespoon banana liqueur (optional)
2 tablespoons dark rum

Preparation

1. GELATO BASE: Put the split vanilla bean and its seeds in the saucepan, then add the milk and 1/2 cup (100 g) of the sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the thermometer registers 170° F/77° C. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to steep for 30 minutes.

2. Remove the vanilla bean pod and return the pot to the burner. Warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, until the thermometer registers 170° F/77° C.

3. In the other 3-quart bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar until the mixture is foamy and slightly thickened.

4. Temper the egg yolks by adding about half of the hot milk mixture one ladle at a time, whisking continuously. Whisk the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan and return to the burner. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula until the thermometer registers 185° F/85° C. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Remove from heat and insert the immersion blender into the hot liquid. Blend until smooth. (Note: You can also use a whisk and vigorously whip the mixture, or use a blender.)

5. Make an ice bath in the large bowl and set the bowl with the heavy cream mixture on top. Place a fine-mesh strainer on the rim of the bowl and carefully pour the custard through the strainer. Stir the custard about every 5 minutes until the mixture is cooled, about 30 minutes. Remove the bowl from the ice bath, dry the bottom, and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight.

6. BANANAS FOSTER: Melt the butter with the brown sugar and cinnamon in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the banana pieces and sauté until the banana is thoroughly heated, about 3 minutes. Pour in the liqueur and the dark rum and carefully light with a match. Baste the banana with the flaming liquid until the flame burns out and cook for about 2 more minutes to reduce the liquid. Allow to cool thoroughly.

7. CHURN: About 30 minutes before churning, set the bowl in the freezer to get the mixture as cold as possible without starting to freeze. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s directions for processing. Add the bananas foster during the final 2 minutes of churning.

8. Transfer the churned gelato to the plastic container. Press a layer of plastic wrap against the gelato and seal the lid on top. Freeze until fully hardened.

More Frozen Dessert Recipes

More Gelato Recipes From Around the Blogs

Seriously Good – Orange Gelato

Bell’alimento – Strawberry Balsamic and Basil Gelato

From Argentina with Love – Dulce de Leche Gelato

Food & Style – Rhubarb Gelato

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We are very fortunate to live near DeBaggio’s, a truly wonderful herb farm and nursery that’s been growing beautiful healthy plants since 1975. One of the ladies in the neighborhood told me about them the first year we lived here, specifically mentioning their wonderful tomatoes, so I made a point to check it out and was amazed at the incredible variety of plants they grow onsite. With only a handful of dedicated workers, they manage to grow nearly 1,000 varieties of vegetables, herbs, perennials, and annuals. The quality of their plants is always top notch because they are knowledgeable and care for the plants so well. In the last few years I’ve been fortunate to have a few casual discussions with Francesco DeBaggio, son of the founder Thomas DeBaggio, about growing rhubarb, rosemary, basil, and bay laurel trees, and our garden always benefits from those discussions.

Thomas DeBaggio has written some excellent books on herbs as well as his experiences with Alzheimer’s, and I keep copies of both the Encyclopedia of Herbs and Basil: An Herb Lover’s Guide in the kitchen for handy reference. The cheese torta recipe (photo above) from Basil is delicious and easy and elegant, a perfect party appetizer, plus it’s a wonderful way to showcase garden fresh basil. Because of my fondness for DeBaggio’s books and their herb farm, I’m giving away two of Thomas DeBaggio’s books on herbs to one lucky reader. The winner will receive one copy of each of the following:

• Basil: An Herb Lover’s Guide
• The Encyclopedia of Herbs: A Comprehensive Reference to Herbs of Flavor and Fragrance

Visit the DeBaggio’s website to see descriptions of the books.

To enter the giveaway, tell us about your favorite dish with basil, and please feel free to share links to recipes so everyone can find new ways to cook with basil. Please make sure to put your correct email address in the email address field so I can contact you if you are the lucky winner. You don’t need to put your email address in your comment, just in the email address field. Apologies to my international readers, but the books can only be shipped to U.S. and Canadian addresses. The contest closes at 8 P.M. EST on July 23, and Random.org will select the winner. I will contact the winner via email, and the winner must respond within 72 hours, otherwise another winner will be selected. Look for the announcement of the winner in this post soon after.

[Disclosure: This giveaway is not sponsored by DeBaggio’s Herb Farm & Nursery. I am paying for the prizes myself.]

Recipe Notes

Since we have some gorgeous purple basil this year, I wanted to use the deep purple leaves for the top of the torta, but of course you can use green Genovese, too. I had a limited bowl selection to choose from and found that a deep narrow domed bowl works better than a wide top bowl. If your bowl is very wide and not deep, you may need to increase the ingredients so they will fill up each layer. If served as the only appetizer, then this torta will probably feed about 12 people, but if served on a buffet with other things you can probably estimate up to 24 servings. You can make the torta one day ahead and keep it refrigerated.

(Print this recipe)

CHEESE TORTA WITH BASIL, OLIVES, AND SUNDRIED TOMATOES

Adapted from Basil: An Herb Lover’s Guide, by Thomas DeBaggio and Susan Belsinger.

Serves 12 to 24.

Equipment

stand mixer with paddle attachment, or hand mixer and large bowl
1-quart domed bowl (narrow and deep is better than wide)
small bowl
cheesecloth

Ingredients

16 large whole basil leaves
10 ounces (280 g) goat cheese, softened
8 ounces (225 g) cream cheese, softened
1/4 to 1/2 cup (60 to 120 ml) milk
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt, to taste
black pepper freshly ground, to taste
1/2 cup (120 ml) finely chopped basil leaves
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
1/2  cup finely chopped Kalamata olives

Preparation

1. In the bowl of the stand mixer, mix the goat cheese and cream cheese, adding enough milk so the mixture is smooth and spreadable. Add 1 clove of the minced garlic, season with salt and pepper, and mix well.

2. In the other bowl, combine the chopped basil with the remaining garlic and all the olive oil to make a thick paste.

3. Line the 1-quart bowl with wet cheesecloth. Arrange 4 large basil leaves face down on the cheesecloth.

4. Carefully spread one-fourth of the cheese mixture over the basil leaves on the cheesecloth. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, evenly distributing and spreading them to the edge of the cheese. Press down gently. Spread one-fourth of the cheese over the tomato layer. Spread the basil and garlic mixture over this cheese layer, pressing lightly.

5. Add another one-fourth of the cheese, then cover it with the chopped olives, spreading to the edge and pressing gently. Add the final layer of cheese then finish with a layer of whole, large basil leaves and press gently.

6. Fold the cheesecloth in to cover the torta and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

7. To serve, fold back the cheesecloth and invert it onto a serving plate. Carefully remove the cheesecloth from the top of the torta. Let the torta stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

More Basil Recipes

More Basil Recipes From Around the Blogs

Ms. Adventures in Italy – Basilcello, Basil Liqueur

FatFree Vegan Kitchen – Creamy Zucchini and Basil Soup

FarmGirl Fare – Fresh Tomato & Basil Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

No Recipes – Basil Watermelon Caipirinha

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Once or twice a month, the club selections will change and new wines will be available at a reduced price. Shipping is free if you purchase 3 or more bottles, which in itself is a good value. Each time the selections change I will post information about the new wines available and you can check them out by clicking on the link to the special page especially for the wine club.

The current selections will change on July 17, so you still have a few days to take advantage of these special prices.

Current Wine Club Selections

Wine notes from WineTasting.com.

X Winery 2006 X Carneros Chardonnay
CleverGirls Wine Club Price: $12.37 (regularly $18) Plus FREE SHIPPING on 3 or more bottles
About The Wine: Offering crisp, mineral notes on the front palate rounded out with rich, tropical, buttery flavors on the finish.
Noteworthy: “The most obvious question with respect to X Winery and proprietor Reed Renaudin is how can these wines be this good at these prices? Everyone is looking for good values today, and here are some e(X)ceptional bargains.” – Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

Bonneau 2005 Amador Zinfandel
CleverGirls Wine Club Price: $15.71 (regularly $22) Plus FREE SHIPPING on 3 or more bottles
About The Wine: Fragrant suggestions of blackberries, dark plums, raspberries and cassis with supporting notes of black pepper, clove, and nutmeg. On the palate, the wine is smooth, juicy and plump with great integration of fruit and spice, with full body and great purity. The finish is long and refined.

Speedy Creek 2006 Knights Valley Sangiovese
CleverGirls Wine Club Price: $18 Plus FREE SHIPPING on 3 or more bottles
About the wine: The color is dark cherry red, ruby-hued. Nutmeg, potpourri and sweet strawberry on the nose, black cherry and plum palate, and a black pepper spice finish. The wine has a firm tannin structure that relaxes over about 20 minutes.
Noteworthy: This Sangiovese won a silver medal at the 2009 Sonoma Harvest Fair after getting a bronze in 2008.

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Michael’s mom always has a cookie tray ready when we come to visit, and it’s a special treat the boys look forward to. When she said she had some Joe Froggers for the tray, I thought, “What?” I’d never heard of them and didn’t have a clue what they were. After a few bites I was hooked and of course had to learn the family story behind them.

Both of Michael’s parents grew up with these cookies when food and materials were rationed during World War II, and the recipes their families used didn’t require many of those rationed ingredients. Unfortunately no one in the family has the original recipe, so with the help of one of Michael’s brothers, they began searching for a recipe that would come close to the cookies they remember. The ingredients that varied the most were the rum and molasses, mostly in quantity, though the molasses varied between blackstrap and dark unsulphured. After testing many, many Joe Froggers recipes, they decided this is the closest to the cookies of their childhood.

The story behind Joe Froggers is the subject of some debate as a few towns in New England claim ownership of the originals, but one thing is certain: the original cookies were huge, about 6 inches in diameter, and were made for sailors to take on ships and thus lasted a long time. You make large cookies by cutting with a coffee can, or use 2-inch cookie cutters for smaller treats.

(Print this recipe)

JOE FROGGERS (NEW ENGLAND MOLASSES COOKIES)

Adapted from Yankee Magazine.

Makes up to 96 small cookies or 60 large cookies, depending on size.

Equipment

stand mixer with paddle attachment
1 small bowl
1 medium bowl
1 large bowl
rolling pin
baking sheets, greased or lined with parchment
round cookie cutter, 2-inch for smaller cookies, 4-inch for larger cookies (or a coffee can)

Ingredients

3/4 cup (180 ml) hot water
5 tablespoons dark rum
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups (480 ml) molasses, dark unsulphured
6 cups (720 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375° F/190° C.

2. Combine the hot water and dark rum in a small bowl.

3. In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar.

4. In a medium bowl, combine the baking soda and molasses.

5. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, ginger, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg.

6. Add the rum mixture to the butter mixture and mix well. Add 1/3 of the molasses and 1/2 the dry ingredients and mix well. Add another 1/3 of the molasses and the rest of the dry ingredients and mix well. Finally add the remaining molasses and mix until well blended. The dough should be stiff but not hard. If the dough is too stiff, add a little water; if not stiff enough, add more flour.

7. Divide the dough into three balls, cover with plastic wrap, and chill thoroughly.

8. Lightly sprinkle flour on a cutting board. Roll out each ball of dough to about 1/4-inch (1.25 mm) thick and cut with cookie cutter.

9. Bake on prepared cookie sheets for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 1 to 2 minutes on the sheet, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

More Family Cookie Recipes

More Molasses Cookie Recipes From Around the Blogs

Use Real Butter – Molasses Cookies

La Fuji Mama – Soft Molasses Cookies

Always Order Dessert – Salted Ginger Molasses Cookies

Kitchen Parade – Molasses Cookies

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Last fall Michael decided we needed to cover our fruit trees with netting to protect the harvest from the local wildlife, and after seeing similar techniques on fruit trees while on a trip to Okinawa, our collection of net bags grew. Now that the apples and plums are starting to ripen and the squirrels have begun showing an interest, Michael took some of the net bags and tied them around clusters of fruit.

The netting may not keep the insects out, but hopefully it will deter the squirrels and birds.

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