Nova Scotia Ginger Snaps

This is my great-grandmother’s recipe, which I obtained by watching my grandmother (who turned 90 this year!) make them. Her version is more quaint than my own, being baked in a wood-heated oven and full of measurements such as “a pinch“, “enough to keep if from being sticky, but not enough to make it dry”, and other such specifics. 😉

It took a fair amount of experimentation to get the oven temp and timing right — my grandmother varied this based on her best guess at the wood oven’s temperature on any given baking day — but it’s well worth the effort. This makes a fairly large batch and they keep very well for a long period in an air-tight container.

Basmati with Whole Garam Masala

This is another recipe out of Madhur Jaffrey’s, “From Curries To Kebabs”. It’s a great way to change up the usual “rice with curry” equation and creates a fragrant accompaniment to the beef curry I also made tonight.

The spices required are easily found in a Chinese or Indian grocery — I found all of mine without any trouble in Ottawa’s Chinatown.

Beef Bhuna

This recipe is from Madhur Jaffrey’s book, “From Curries To Kebabs”, and is very easy to make. It’s simmering away on the stove right now and smells delish! As with any Indian recipe, it’s best to have your ingredients measured and prepared ahead of time to keep things moving along.

Sweet Potato and Squash Custard

This is a variation on my traditional squash pie, made for Thanksgiving and Christmas — my oldest likes the filling so much, that I thought doing it as simply a custard and adding in the sweet potato would give it a bit more of a nutitional punch without the extra fat that the pastry can bring.

I will tweak this a little the next time I make it and substitute honey for the brown and white sugars.

Sometimes It Really *Is* All About The Condiments..

I am in love with condiments — it’s an illness, really. My fridge is at least 1/3 full of nothing but “stuff to go with other stuff”, and this doesn’t really bother me. The best condiments, however, are those that one makes oneself and here is a recipe for one of my favorites — Green Coconut Chutney: