Helvetica Gingersnap

Family dinner was tonight and this week it was my turn to host. The menu was Spicy Cilantro Peanut Slaw, and Stir-Fried Tofu with Scallions, Garlic and Ginger. Both recipes were adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen which is a great and healthy food blog. The slaw turned out perfectly. I followed the recipe almost exactly but added several more tablespoons of Sriracha (one of my favorite hot sauces, also known as rooster sauce.) The stir fry was good and very flavorful although the tofu stuck to the wok and didn’t brown as we all would have liked. A good tip I found out for cooking tofu is you want to strain and dry the tofu before you put it in the pan so as much of the water is removed as possible. You also want to use peanut oil in the pan this will give you a nice browned surface, like you would find in a restaurant. I plan on trying more recipes with tofu in the future. Below are some shots from the meal, and links to the  slaw recipe and the stir fry recipe.

I am really starting to enjoy hosting dinner parties. Although there are always mini disasters, the stress of deciding on a menu, bickering on plate presentation with my boyfriend. (Being that we are both in creative fields and have an extreme opinion on aesthetics this is always the most challenge part). This time we decided on turkey and beef meatballs with homemade marinara sauce on top of a “nest” of linguine. We also did an Italian style salad and our friend brought some amazing tiramisu. (Seriously amazing!)

Completely forgot to take a picture of the finished dish, but as you can tell it was very tasty.

So part of the reason the name Helvetica Gingersnap came to be is because my favorite cookies are gingersnaps. My love for gingersnaps started when I was a little girl and my grandma (dad’s side) would come to visit us in Colorado and bring a tin of cookies. This tin was filled with many kinds of cookies, she was quite the baker. My favorite were always the gingersnap, so to this day I have a soft spot for anything ginger especially gingersnaps. This recipe was adapted from my grandmother’s recipe and merged with a food network recipe equaling the perfect hybrid. Enjoy.

One small disclaimer, on this batch I added a tad too much cayenne pepper, these are extra spicy and a tad too little sugar and they could have bakes about 2 minutes longer, so not the most perfect batch I have made but nonetheless very tasty. thanks Clara.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cool unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
• 1/4 cup egg whites (from about 2 eggs)

Directions

Combine the flour, baking soda, and spices in a mixing bowl and set aside. Cream the butter until smooth and fluffy in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer, which is what I do). Add the sugars and mix. Add the molasses and mix. Add the egg whites in 2 batches, mixing to combine after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing to combine after each addition.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread a few tablespoons of granulated sugar on a small plate.

Roll the dough into 3/4-inch balls, then roll each ball in the sugar until lightly coated. Transfer to parchment lined cookie sheets, leaving 1-inch of space between the cookies. Bake until browned, 8 to 10 minutes (I think it should be about 12 minutes). Let cool on wire racks and store in an airtight container.

Still rainy and cold here, and what better to warm you up when its dreary outside…soup. I have been far too busy and well unmotivated to cook lately, so I was looking for some inspiration to try some new recipes, these are the top ones that made the list.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Spiced Carmelized Apple
This looks absolutely amazing and good for you

French Onion Soup,
not quite as healthy but one of my absolute favorites.

Pho Ga,
a Vietnamese noodle soup with chicken. This hands down is my favorite soup ever.

Chicken Soup for Body and Soul Recipe,
this looks absolutely delicious filled with tons of veggies and is gluten free.

Back to Basics Chicken Soup,
a simple classic and brings back memories for everyone I think.

Italian Wedding Soup
a meatball and spinach soup that has a wonderful flavor and great with a lemon squeezed in it.

Caldo Verde (Portuguese Kale Soup),
this is absolutely on my list of soups to make. Very healthy and completely vegetarian.

Lasagna Soup
this is very exciting I am a huge Italian food fan and this is said to be  low-calorie which makes it even more intriguing to try.

It is rainy and dreary outside, which I absolutely love. About 90% of the time it’s sunny here, which is much of the appeal but I have to say I love when the weather turns and you can stay inside and bundle up in a blanket snuggle with a kitty and watch a good movie. Which I plan to do all of today. Here are some gloomy but beautiful photos that coordinates with the weather perfectly.

My Dad took this photo on the lake in Florida

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Growing up my mom always made sure we ate as a family almost every night. Some of the best memories growing up are  from sitting at the dinner table and this carries through to today, there is something special about sitting with your family and friends and sharing a meal together. These are some photos of some lovely dining rooms that makes me wish I were with my family sitting around ours.

Some great beverage packaging that is fun bold and smart. All of these are simple in design and show a great deal of restraint which I believe shows the talent and expertise the designers have.

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A series of posters from Will Staehle, an amazing artist, art director, typographer, illustrator, and designer. He epit­o­mizes the mod­ern day Renaissance man and his work is very clever and inspiring. This series is from his collection Silhouette Masterpiece.