Spicy Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Frosting

It's the weekend and that means I've got time for experimenting with recipes and making special dinners. I've been busy!

Look at these beauties! Isn't this just the prettiest little Leaning Tower of  Pisa pile of sandwich cookies?  I am thinking so. Lynne, over at milk n cookiezzz , made the most gorgeous little spicy star cookies back at the beginning of January and I have been waiting for a chance to try a little add-on. I love the flavors of ginger and spices with lemon and I have been fixated on finding a good rolled cookie recipe that incorporates those spices plus five-spice powder in a slightly crispy cookie that is rolled and cut so that two layers can be put together with a lemony cream cheese and butter icing.

Stromboli - A Warm Sammich!

It's not a pizza, but it has pepperoni!  It's not a grilled cheese, but cheeses are in there! It's not a Monte Cristo, but it's brushed with plenty of egg! It's not a Calzone, but it's got some folding goin' on. It's a Stromboli and it's a lovely, long, hot pocket of ham and red peppers and herbs and cheese and pepperoni and garlic and black olives and whatever else YOU think might be a good addition!

A Classic Recipe ... Warm Pear Crisp

Sometimes you just want a simple homey dessert for that evening cuppa. Sometimes one should listen to one's inner voice when it whispers. Go to the tried and true and work up a classic.

Ribs, Rice, and Roasties

Let's get this out of the way real fast. These are probably some of the BEST ribs I have ever had - spicy hot ... 'make your lips tingle' hot ! This barbeque sauce is a tangy sweet hot concoction that clings well and needs minimal basting. It stays shiny and caramelizes well in the hot oven (or grill!) that finishes the ribs.

Pasta Carbonara

Are there a kazillion ways to prepare a pasta carbonara or is there only one pure recipe that rests securely in every Italian grandmother's mental recipe file? That's a question I pondered today, as I opened my cupboard and went in search of something  'carbonara'.

Let's back up for a moment, though. When I rolled out of bed today, I knew there was a rack of ribs thawed in the fridge, just waiting for me to give them a good rub and cozy them up in a slow bake before applying a hot baby back  BBQ sauce ... but by the time I gave them their rub, I thought better of rushing that spicy transfer ... and as Scarlett always said, ' I'll think about that tomorrow because after all, tomorrow is another day ...'.

Instead, I turned my thoughts to a big warm bowl of pasta tucked into a carbonara sauce that would be like velvet. Some crunchy green and sweet bite mixed with an al dente fettucine. Some salty meaty prosciutto in little strips. Some walnuts toasted in a bit of walnut oil. Some firm and tangy Parmesan stirred in at the last minute to form cheesy strings. In other words, I went straight for the 'pasta fix'. 

Calvados Apple Upside Down Cake

I know! I promised myself to cut the sweets a bit in the New Year, but when I invite friends to dinner I must make dessert. Please pardon my expediency when I say that I have been meaning to figure out how to make a consistently good up-side down cake ... so ... I sat thinking about it the other afternoon, as I was planning the menu for last night's 'friends dinner'.  Yesterday afternoon, I plugged away at a recipe for a dense (almost bread-y) lemon flavored cake that has a double layer of tart apples and a Calvados-laced caramel syrup that soaks the top of the cake.

Warm Chicken and Andouille Soup

My day started with a peek out the window and a marvelling at the frost feathers that had formed over night on my bedroom window. So beautiful and everchanging!

Friends Helping Friends ...

"Whatever the hand may find to do, let the heart go forth in union."

Image - Oddfellows Heart In Hand staff circa 1920

Just very quickly, folks! I have a blogging friend named Trissa who blogs from Australia. With her permission, I'm passing this post on to you ...please read and do as your heart dictates.

Brisbane and a huge swath of Queensland have been devastated by mass flooding. If you've watched TV or listened to radio in the past two weeks, you've seen some of the heartbreaking stories surrounding this natural disaster. We, in cyberspace, can do much to pass info along and provide links for effectively helping where we can. I urge you to check out Trissa's post. Thanks, friends!