#ladiesofthecon

There’s a joke that’s been perpetuated throughout the years with GeekChic’s CEO, Kris Simon. Once upon a time years ago, during a holiday potluck at work, Kris ran out of time and instead of making something from scratch, which she was known to do, she ran to Trader Joe’s and picked up their ready-to-bake molasses cookies...and people just assumed she made them from scratch. TBH, she went along with it, and confided her secret to a couple people. It became a long-running joke and guessing game between them, as over the years it was anyone’s guess what was store bought, and what was made from scratch! You had to be there. This recipe here is the real deal, and final proof that Kris’ cookies are indeed made from scratch (aside from one or two times):

1 cup shortening (Crisco butter flavored is the best)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup fine white baking sugar

1 cup brown sugar, tightly packed

1/2 cup molasses (can substitute honey if in a bind)

2 eggs

4 cups all purpose flour

4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground ginger 

1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together shortening and butter in large bowl. Add sugars, eggs, and molasses and beat well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and spices together and add to the large bowl. Mix well. If using a cookie cutter, chill dough 3 hours or overnight and roll out. If not, immediately form dough into walnut-sized balls and roll in granulated or decorative sugar. 

Place on greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

IMPORTANT: Check cookies at precisely 8 minutes f you want chewy cookies. If the edges are even slightly brown, they are done, even if they look under-cooked. They will flatten down and harden once taken out. If you prefer crispy, gingersnap-like cookies, leave in for the full 10 minutes.

Store in an airtight container to keep from getting hard. TIP: add in the heel of a loaf of bread to the container to keep the cookies soft and chewy. This can also help restore softness to cookies that have already hardened. 

Prepare yourself, for this soup *ahem*...bisque, is absolutely delicious for you pescatarians/peco-vegetarians! It does take a long time to prepare and is a bit labor-intensive with all the straining and shells, but it is so worth it! However, if you’re sensitive to dairy, make sure you take that Lactaid. This recipe serves 6, so it makes a delightful first course for a special occasion.

2 cups dry white wine

1 bay leaf

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped

1 clove garlic

2 stalks celery

1 lobster, 1.5-2 lbs.

12 medium shrimps, in shell

24 mussels, well scrubbed

12 sea scallops

4 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tbs fresh parsley, minced

1/4 tsp dried rosemary

1 cup fresh spinach, chopped

1/2 cup grated carrot

1/2 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Combine wine, bay leaf, onion, garlic and celery in a large stock pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Add lobster, cover and steam for 10 minutes. Remove lobster and set aside.

Add shrimp to broth, cover and steam for 5 minutes. Remove with tongs, set aside.

Add mussels, cover and steam until they open, about 5 minutes. Remove with tongs, extract meat and discard shells.

Add 2 cups of water to the broth. Bring to a boil, and add scallops. Cover and steam for 3 minutes. Remove with tongs and set aside.

Extract lobster meat, reserving shells. Peel and de-vein shrimp, reserving shells. Chop meat into bite-sized pieces.

Return lobster and shrimps to broth with shells, and add 2 more cups of water. Boil and then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and return to pot. Discard shells.

Bring broth to a simmer over low heat. Add cream, milk and herbs and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened. Add seafood, and simmer for 2 minutes.  Stir in spinach and carrot, and simmer for 2 more minutes. Season with lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.