Lately…

In the houses where teenage boys reside, fart jokes are funny
a sith lord lives among us, apparently
morning coffee with the new Kinfolk magazine Got these vintage-y blue Ball jars at Target. A new drink recipe may be in the works! from the B’more farmers market

at the one year anniversary celebration of the Food Market in Hampden
back to work this week at the farm!

back to square one best breakfast sandwich 

duck pizza and Resurrection ale on the rooftop at Cacao Lane 

Iphone panoramas just look weird
out of this AMAZING, DELICIOUS creamed honey given to me by a coworker.  Must.  Get.  More.

Lately…

Mother’s Day gift:  Pear and star anise jam from Atwater’s

The melt-in-your mouth pork nachos from this truck might cause me to become a stalker!

Remnant of an interesting old doorway in Clipper Mill
Abandoned building.  Wondering what this used to be.
gathering at Union Craft Brewing
This is what the garage looks like when you get off work at 11:30 pm Twice a year:  out with the old season and in with the newweekly Friday afternoon happy hour date  Late night tapas and Lazy Susan cocktails (in honor of Preakness) at the Rumor Mill Leading in the category of “beautiful shoes that I have no business buying because I’ll never wear them”Watched this fascinating documentary.  I have three print reproductions hanging in my hallway and new visitors to the house sometimes ask “Did you take those?” One of these times I’m just going to say yes (as if!).The weekly reads

Lately…

“This is not a goodbye, but a See You Soon.”

Candles made from wine bottles

Got a juicer.  Yes, I’m one of THOSE people, now.

Chaperoning county band assessments.  Can’t ever seem to get a glimpse of my favorite flute player.

Juicing everything that growsBuilding my own burger at Abbey Burger (black angus/medium,guinness cheddar,caramelized onions,Makers Mark barbecue sauce on a classic bun)

On a rooftop somewhere in BaltimoreAn early birthday celebration with some favorite people at a favorite wine bar

Kitchen safety is no joke

triple ginger cookies

These cookies are not for the faint of heart…they are heady, complex, and spicy with three different kinds of ginger-fresh, ground, and candied-so if you don’t like ginger, it’s probably not for you.  However, if you love ginger like I do, then these cookies won’t disappoint.

They are labor intensive, and if they weren’t my favorite winter cookie, I probably wouldn’t bother.  At a time of year when gingerbread and ginger cookie recipes abound, these are a different sort.  The bite of the cookie is complemented by the lemony frosting.

triple ginger cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softenend

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup candied ginger, minced

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

turbinado, or raw, sugar

icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbsp powdered egg whites

1 Tbsp milk

zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Whisk flour spices, soda, salt, and pepper together in a bowl, set aside.  Cream butter and both sugars with a mixer until smooth.  Add egg, beat until incorporated into butter and sugars.  Add molasses, candied ginger, and fresh ginger.  Gradually add flour mixture, mixing until just combined.  Chill dough until slightly firm, about an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Scoop or roll dough into large balls, approximately 2 1/2 inches. Coat with turbinado sugar and place on cookie sheet, spacing  about 3 inches apart.

Flatten the balls with the bottom of a measuring cup.  Keep some water in a slightly larger measuring cup or a shallow dish.  Dip the cup you are using to flatten the balls in the water  every 3-4 cookies or you will want to kill me the cup will stick to the dough.

Bake 15-18 minutes, or until set.  Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

Whisk all ingredients for the icing together until smooth, then spread approximately a Tbsp of icing on each cookie.