Soft ginger cookies

   I found this recipe when a good friend of mine had to prepare something sweet for her Multicultural Christmas representing the UK and I got the "ginger cookies" recommended by an English friend. Oh, it couldn't have been a better idea! 

   I have to say from the get go that I'm not a huge cookie person because Romanians love the creamy cakes and we're not used to eating cookies with tea or something else so we don't make them at home either. I only started getting into them since my husband received a family recipe book for Christmas cookies and we're baking those every year. Mighty great cookies! 

   Therefore, the ginger cookies were something totally new and exotic for me, but I decided to see it as a challenge that my friend and I accomplished for sure! These cookies are so delicious you'd LOVE to have them on your Christmas table and you'd be munching on them after Christmas is done if you have leftovers. So, naturally, I had to share the recipe with you guys! It's pretty easy peasy, so let's get started! :)

Ingredients for 24 cookies:

- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

- 2 teaspoons ground ginger 

- 1 teaspoon baking powder 

- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1 cup white sugar

- 3/4 cup margarine, softened

- 1 egg

- 1 tablespoon water

- 1/4 cup molasses

- 2 tablespoons white sugar

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. 

2. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. 

4. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. 

5. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 5 cm apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly. The cookies are going to grow quite a bit so make sure you're respecting the distance rule! 

6. Bake for about 20 minutes in the preheated oven until they are turning slightly brown (uncooked dough will be rather white and VERY soft to the touch). 

7. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. 

8. Store in an airtight container.  

Bon appetit and Merry Christmas! :)

Oli's Meatball Pasta

Ingredients for 4 servings:
- 400g Fusilli pasta or your preferred pasta
- 800 g tomato pasta sauce (or home made tomato sauce)
- 450 g ground pork
-150 g ground beef
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 egg
- 100g bread ground up into bread crumbs
- a handful of fresh sage, finely chopped up
- a handful of fresh basil, finely sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
-100 ml water (when you cook the meatballs)
- grated parm cheese (to sprinkle on top)
OPTIONAL: garlic bread

Steps:
1. Place ground pork, ground beef, diced onion, egg (whole egg), breadcrumbs, chopped sage, salt and pepper all in a bowl and hand-mix thoroughly, until everything is evenly mixed.
2. Make meatballs that are slightly larger than a golf ball.
3. Put the Fusilli pasta to boil until it is al dente.
4. Place the meatballs in a hot frying pan with a bit of oil.
5. Cover the pan with a lid so that the interior of the meatballs also gets cooked.
6. Rotate the meatballs to a different side every few minutes, so that all sides get evenly seared.
7. Once all sides are evenly seared, add 100 ml of water into the pan and cover it again. This will allow the inside of the meatballs to cook without the outside getting burned.
8. Once the water has completely evaporated, add all the tomato sauce into the pan and cover it again. I used a combo of store bought and home made tomato sauce (Romanian bulion), but you don't have to complicate your life like that :P

9. After about 6-7 minutes, add the thinly sliced fresh basil and also check the interior of the biggest meatball to ensure it is completely cooked.
10. If it is cooked, take the pan off the heat.
11. Mix with the Fusilli pasta.
12. Add some pepper and grated parm cheese on top of each individual plate and bon appetit! :D