GINGERBREAD COOKIES

--Glenda Bingham

½ cup shortening
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup molasses
1 egg
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

In a mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Beat till combined, scraping bowl. Beat in molasses, egg, and vinegar till combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill for 3 hours or till easy to handle. Grease a cookie sheet; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time to 1/8-inch thick. Using a 2 ½ inch cookie cutter, cut into desired shapes. Place 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degree over for 5 to 6 minutes or till edges are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. If desired, decorate cookies with icing and candies. Makes 36 to 48 cookies.

MOUSSAKA

2 eggplants, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
4 zucchini sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 pound lean ground beef
One 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
3/4 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 pint low-fat cottage cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the eggplant and zucchini in two large bowls and season with salt; let stand for 40 minutes. Rinse the vegetables and pat dry. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared pans and toss with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Roast until golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a 9-by-11 baking dish. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the scallions and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes; add the ground beef and cook , breaking up the meat, for about 4 minutes Add the tomatoes, sauce, mushrooms and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Spoon the meat sauce over the eggplant and zucchini. Top with half of the mozzarella. Spread cottage cheese next and finish with remaining mozzarella. Bake for 17 minutes. Transfer to broiler and cook for 3 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing.

SPICY MEXICAN MEATBALLS

1 lb ground pork
1/2 cup pimento-stuffed olives, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients and form into meatballs. Bake on a foil-lined baking sheet for 20 minutes.

DIPPING SAUCE
1 avocado
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cilantro
1 clove garlica
Salt

In a food processor, puree all ingredients. Serve with meatballs.

CAULIFLOWER FRITTERS

1 large head cauliflower, trimmed and chopped
1/2 cup flour
1 large egg, beaten

Steam the cauliflower until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, mash and let cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and egg, season with salt and pepper and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Roll 1/4 cupfuls into balls, then flatten into patties, to make a total of 12 to 14. In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the patties until golden-brown, about 4 minutes on each side.

OLIVE CHEESE BREAD

1 loaf French bread
1 6 oz can black olives, roughly chopped
1 6 oz jar green olives, roughly chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 stick butter
1/2 cup mayonnaise,
1/4 pound Monterey Jack Cheese

Combine olives, green onions, butter, mayonnaise and cheese. Slice French bread lengthwise. Spread the mixture evenly onto both halves of the bread. Place the loaves on a cookie sheet and bake 325 degrees for 25 minutes, or until cheese is totally melted and the top is beginning to turn light brown. Slice to serve. Tastes great with tomato soup.

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

From Brenda Funderburk

2 jalapenos
1 whole chicken (you can go the easy route and use a rotisserie chicken)
1 diced onion
1 diced green bell pepper
2 packets of mild taco seasoning
2 teaspoons cumin
½ minced garlic clove
2 cans of Rotell™ tomatoes
1 large can of stewed tomatoes
1 bunch cilantro (some for garnish)
5 limes (some for garnish)
Sour cream (for garnish)
Grated Cheese (for garnish)
Tortilla Chips (for garnish)

Prepare chicken, place in large pot. Cover with water, add 2 whole jalapenos and boil for 1 hour. Remove chicken and jalapeno, set aside. Strain with a colander twice, reserve. Once chicken has cooled to handle, de-bone and de-skin the chicken, place bite-size pieces into broth. Place broth and chicken into the refrigerator until chicken fat comes to top and skim. Sauté onion, bell pepper, and one boiled jalapenos (remove seeds). Add sautéed vegetables, cumin, garlic, tomatoes, some cilantro and 1 lime. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with garnishes.

EGGLPANT PARMESAN

1 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 roasted red peppers, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves
1 tablespoon oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Honey, to taste

Breadcrumbs (we used Panko)
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons water
1 eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch-thick round slices
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Vegetable oil, for frying
Mozzarella, thinly sliced
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the red peppers and cook for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until smooth. Return the mixture back to the pot, add the parsley, basil and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes longer and season with honey, if needed.
Place the bread crumbs into a large shallow bowl. Add the herbs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. In another medium shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and 2 tablespoons of water together.
Season each eggplant slice on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour, tapping off excess, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the bread crumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the egg plant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
Heat 1/2-inch of oil in a large straight-sided saute pans over medium heat. Working in small batches, fry a few of the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
Stack eggplant slices and top with red sauce and fresh mozzarella.

ANOTHER VERSION

1 eggplant, sliced with skin on

2 eggs, beaten

¾ cup parmesan cheese

¾ cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Combine parmesan, flour, salt, and pepper in small bowl.  Place beaten eggs in another small bowl.  Coat each eggplant with egg and then dip into flour mixture.  In a lightly greased frying pan, grill and turn until golden brown.  Serve as an appetizer and dip into marinara or as a main dish with pasta and marinara sauce.