Triple Ginger Cookies Epicurious Two hours ago I was about to crawl back into bed, since Christmas hugs and kisses always seem to lead to New Year's colds and flu. But then I made my second batch of Alice Medrich's amazing triple-ginger cookies and a miracle happened: I'm well (almost). This recipe, in her enticing new "Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies," calls for no less than three-quarters of a cup of diced crystallized ginger plus two tablespoons of minced fresh ginger plus two teaspoons of ground ginger. Talk about a decongestant. I thought I was imagining things, but I see in the late Maggie Waldron's great "Cold Spaghetti at Midnight" that ginger is good for nearly anything that ails you. It's famous as a stomach soother (my in-law equivalent hates the crystallized kind because she remembers it as a seasickness antidote on whale-watching trips), but apparently it will also "curb flatulence." And it does help with colds and flu, Waldron says, prescribing a tablespoon grated into a warm cup of water to beat a cough and a few slices to be chewed to sweat off a fever. I was fine with raw cookie dough. (The best detail Waldron offers is that pharmacists in the 16th century (presumably in Europe) were "given a monopoly on gingerbread after it was decided that it was actually a drug made from ginger. Angry grocers fought back and eventually won the right to sell it, but the memory of the furious battle can be found today in fairy tales where the wicked witch almost always lives in a gingerbread house.") ALICE MEDRICH'S TRIPLE-GINGER COOKIES 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1 stick still-warm melted butter 1 large egg 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup for rolling 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup dark molasses 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger 3/4 cup crystallized ginger cut into 1/4-inch dice Arrange racks on upper and bottom third of oven. Heat to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and spices and whisk to blend well. In a larger bowl, blend butter, egg, sugars, molasses and fresh ginger. Blend in dry ingredients and crystallized ginger. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the second half-cup of sugar. Arrange 2 inches apart on non-stick or parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake about 10 minutes, until the cookies puff and deflate, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through for even baking. Cool on racks. Store in an airtight container (they seem to get stronger over time).

This looks good, and I love Brussels Sprouts! Spicy Asian Chicken with Brussels Sprouts (Real Simple) 1 cup long-grain white rice 1 large egg 1/2 cup cornstarch 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced (2 large) 3 tablespooons canola oil, plus more, if necessary 1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 3 tablespoons rice vinegar 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar 1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 2 scallions, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts Cook the rice according to the package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the egg. Place the cornstarch in another large bowl. Add the chicken to the egg and toss to coat. A few pieces at a time, lift the chicken out of the egg and coat in the cornstarch, tapping off the excess; transfer to a plate. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. In 2 batches, cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes (add more oil for the second batch, if necessary); transfer to a plate. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the Brussels sprouts, ginger, and garlic and cook, tossing occasionally, until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and 3/4 cup water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the Brussels sprouts are crisp-tender and the liquid begins to thicken, 2 to 3 minutes more. Return the chicken to the skillet, along with the chili, and cook, tossing, until heated through, about 1 minute. Add the sesame oil and scallions. Serve over the rice and sprinkle with the peanuts.

Daddy's Savory Tomato Biscuits Prep Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 25 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Servings: 18 "When you use vegetable juice cocktail in a simple, fast biscuit instead of milk, you'll get a rosy, tender, savory treat." Ingredients: 3 cups self-rising flour 1/8 teaspoon baking soda 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon white sugar 1/2 cup shortening 1 cup tomato-vegetable juice cocktail Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet. 2. Stir the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar together in a bowl, and cut in the shortening with a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like crumbs. Mix in the vegetable juice cocktail just until moist, and turn out onto a well-floured work surface. Gently knead several times just until dough holds together, roll out to 1/2-inch thick, and cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet. 3. Bake in the preheated oven until risen and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. This is another recipe from All Recipes. I would think you could use your favorite biscuit recipe and use the V-8 juice instead of milk in it too pluse the white sugar. I want to try this recipe. Sue

Grandma's Cake 2 cups crushed vanilla wafers 1 cup chopped pecans 3/4 cup butter, softened 2 cups sugar 1 16-ounce can pumpkin 1 cup vegetable oil 4 eggs 1 1/2 cups cake flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp ground cinnamon Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three round 8-inch cake pans. (I used a 9x13 glass baking dish). In large bowl, combine wafer crumbs, chopped pecans and butter. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until crumbly. Press mixture evenly on bottom of pans. In same bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil and eggs. Beat 1 minute at medium speed. Combine cake flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Add to pumpkin mixture. Beat at medium speed 3 minutes. Spread batter over crumb mixture in pans. Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Invert onto wire rack and cool completely. Caramel-Pecan Filling 3 cups powdered sugar 2/3 cup butter 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 2 tsp vanilla 1/4 cup caramel topping 1 cup pecan halves In small bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until light and fluffy. On serving plate, layer three cakes, nut side down, with 1/2 cup filling spread between the layers. With remaining filling, frost sides and top of cake. Spread caramel topping over top of cake, drizzling some over the frosted sides. Sue