Gingerbread Babies

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

½ cup shortening

½ cup [that's1 stick] butter

2 eggs [room temperature] [Put them in a little bowl of warm water if they're too cold. It does make a difference.]

½ C. dark molasses [I use Grandma's Molasses in the yellow jar.]

4 C. flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. soda

¼ tsp. salt

In electric mixer, cream sugar and shortening until light and fluffy. Your Grandma Snider was very serious about getting it very light and fluffy. Stir in eggs, one at a time, blending well. Stir in molasses. Sift together dry ingredients (I just measure the flour and the spices into a sieve over a large bowl and use a spoon to rub them through); stir into sugar and egg mixture. Roll into ball; wrap in waxed paper. Chill at least three hours. Cut off about a quarter at a time and re-refrigerate the rest so it'll stay cold and workable.) Roll out to thickness of about ¼" (could be thicker, depending on how chewy you like your cookies.) Cut into shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheet in 325 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Store in covered jar.

I used the little gingerbread boy and girl cutters. I get red drops for belly buttons -- in the baking section where you'll find the flour and stuff. I use one of those corn holders to poke both eyes at once and the "arm" of the cutter to make the mouth.

Your Dad's Corn Bread

Now you have the required skillet, this should be easy.

1 egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups regular, cornmeal (unsifted). You can use regular cornmeal. But I bet you could also score some stone ground cornmeal at that fancy Whole Foods across the street. Either way, it'll be good.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Gather flour, soda, baking powder, sugar and cornmeal in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat egg with fork ; stir in the buttermilk and butter. Stir in remaining ingredients until well-blended. Don't beat 'em to death. Pour immediately into a hot pan. See Note. Bake 20-25 minutes. Serve piping hot. (You could probably also get some very passable apple butter at Whole Foods, too. )

NOTE: One of the secrets of good crusty corn bread is to melt some butter -- I'd say a couple of tablespoons -- (until it sizzles) in the pan in which the corn bread is to be baked. This also greases the pan. Your dad always sticks the pan into the hot oven while he does the mixing. Then when you bring it back out and throw the butter in it melts right away. Be careful. Duh. Pan will be super hot. Duh Duh.