Cookie Dough Pie

Dessert is a pretty big deal in our house. The promise of dessert pretty much guarantees that Boo and Bubba will clear their plates. So when I spotted this dessert that only requires four ingredients, does not need to be baked, and is utterly, fantasticly delicious, I knew I had to try it. And I'm oh so glad that I did.

Head over to Big Red Kitchen for the FOUR ingredients and easy directions. And try not to laugh at my picture of the Cookie Dough Pie after viewing hers. It will be hard, I know.

Ginger Cookies

I'm a sucker for cookie exchanges. But after a particularly rough year where some participants packaged up store-bought cookies and saltines with jam (??), I haven't been as willing to participate. Instead, my mom and I exchange cookies - always a dozen of each cookie and the number of different cookies is always dependent on how productive we are (this year it was only six). I wanted to try a new cookie this year, and once I found this recipe on All Recipes, I knew I had to make it.

Unfortunately I had to make two batches because with the first batch I accidentally left the setting on "broil." Whoops. There were a few cookies that survived the big broil, and while I liked them (a lot), I wasn't over the moon. So for the second batch, I tweaked the recipe a bit based on some of the comments I read. The result: pure deliciousness.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. ground ginger
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. salt
3/4 c. margarine, softened
1 c. and 2 T. white sugar, separated
1 egg
1 T. water (**I substituted orange juice and this really enhanced the flavor of the cookie**)
1/4 c. molasses

Directions:
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 c. sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and then roll them in the remaining 2 T. of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 24 cookies.

My Recommendations:
After all of the ingredients were mixed together and prior to shaping them into balls, I put the bowl of dough in the fridge for 45 mins. I had a very hard time shaping the dough with the first batch, and this extra step really made the difference.

I opted not to roll the cookies in the extra 2 T. of white sugar for the second batch. I preferred to have the flavor of the cookie stand alone and really didn't like the added sweetness.

I opted for smaller cookies and made 36. My rationalization is the smaller the cookie, the more you can eat!

These cookies truly are delicious and you should make them ASAP if for no other reason than they will make your house smell wonderful.

Delicious Homemade Pizza Dough

We *heart* pizza and eat quite a lot of it. In an effort to be frugal, I started researching recipes for good pizza dough. It took a few tries, and lots of researching, but I crafted a recipe that we are pretty happy with. Even hubby likes it, and that counts for a lot since he is pretty picky about his pizza. The best thing about making pizza at home is that you can customize it the way you want. I like my pizza with lots of veggies, MJ and Bubba like it plain, and hubby likes it with lots of pepperoni. This way everyone is happy :)

Ingredients:
1 c. warm water
2 T. active yeast
2 T. honey
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 t. salt
3 1/2 c. flour
*Optional: I always substitute garlic salt for the salt, and add basil and parmasean cheese. You really can customize it the way you want.

Directions:
Add the ingredients to your bread machine in the order they are listed. I always give the yeast a few minutes to dissolve into the water before I proceed with the other ingredients. Program the bread machine to "dough," and you're ready to go! It takes 1 hour and 20 minutes for my machine. When the dough is done, take it out and put it in a greased bowl. Cover it with a damp towel and let it sit for an hour.

After it sits, I knead it lightly to get any air bubbles out. At this point you can either wrap it up and put it in the fridge for later use, or roll it out. This recipe makes enough dough for two pizzas although we usually make one pizza and one stromboli. We like our crust nice and crispy, so I always roll the dough out, bake it at 350 degrees for ten minutes, then put on our toppings. After the toppings are on just pop it back in the over for another ten minutes and it's ready!

I made this last night and the kids had demolished theirs in less than five minutes. That's a huge feat in our house considering they have inherited their dad's picky gene.

Gram's Peanut Butter Fudge

I can't think of a better place to start! My Gram made this quite often, and it's one of my favorite things to make around the holidays. It's very easy and incredibly delicious. I made this in less than half an hour last night, and packaged some up for hubby's coworkers this morning. My kids and I will happily eat the rest =)

Ingredients:
2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. milk
12 oz. creamy peanut butter
1 small jar of marshmallow creme

Directions:
Mix together sugar and milk in sauce pan
Cook over medium heat and bring to boil
Cook three minutes and stir constantly
Remove from heat and add peanut butter then marshmallow creme
Pour into greased pan
*I use a 9 x 12 pan but it depends on how thick you want your fudge

Enjoy!

Welcome

I'm a wannabe chef trapped in the body of an attorney turned SAHM to my two cuties, MJ and bubba. Although my most popular meals seem to be mac 'n cheese with cut-up hot dogs, I'm always trying new recipes - some are quite successful, others not so much. I won't promise perfection, but I can guarantee variety, some failures, fuzzy pictures, and lots of good food.

Why Kipful and Fudge? One of my favorite people, my Gram, was a wonderful cook. Two of the things she excelled at were Kipfl and Fudge. Why am I writing a blog? My recipe scrapbook is bursting at the seams and I wanted a place where I can store all of my favorite recipes without fear that they will get grease splatter or crayons on them.