Spicy Ginger "Labor Inducing" Cookies

Wow, it has been awhile! Things have been crazy for me the past couple weeks. I was due with my baby girl on March 28th, but she decided to wait until better weather to join the world. For days I thought I was going into labor, and each day I thought "today is the day." But then it never happened. I had to be induced at 130 AM on Monday April 7th. I gave birth to Wendy Olivia at 7:20 PM that evening. She is perfect and wonderful! Greg and I came home with her on Wednesday April 9th, and then on Friday I ended up having to go back to the hospital. I kept noticing that my swelling was getting worse, not better, and on Friday I got worried. My blood pressure had skyrocketed, and I was treated for post partum pre-eclampsia (which I had no idea you could get after birth). I was in the hospital for a few days and now I'm back home, trying to adjust to the meds and get used to being a new mom! Luckily Wendy is making things pretty easy (although she has quite the pair of lungs on her and she does like to pee when the diaper is off)!

Anyways, before I was induced I was trying natural ways at home to induce labor. I came across a recipe for these cookies. They are called "Labor Inducing"cookies because of the ginger in them, which apparently has been known to induce labor.  Obviously, it didn't work for me, but the cookies were dang good! They are probably the best ginger cookies I have ever had, and Greg definitely agrees. Once I have a little more energy they are the first thing I am going to bake! They have just the right balance of sweet, gingery, and spicy and they are totally a comfort treat. Enjoy!

Recipe for Spicy Ginger "Labor Inducing" Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. of baking soda
1 tsp. of ground cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp. of ground ginger
1/2 tsp. of ground cloves
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper
8 Tbsp. of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup of light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup of blackstrap molasses
1/2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
For rolling:
Granulated Sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground ginger

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
Put the butter in a large bowl. Add in the granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Beat with an electric hand mixer set on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy. Add in the molasses, vanilla extract, and eggs and beat well. Add the flour mixture and beat again until well-incorporated.
In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and ginger.
Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the sugar mixture and then place on a cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes on baking sheet then transfer to a cooling rack, although these cookies do taste best when they are still nice and warm!

Recipe Adapted from: Just Mommies

Here is a picture of my sweet Wendy Olivia, which was taken shortly after she was born.

Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

So, I was due to have my baby on March 28th. And guess what? I'm still pregnant! Someone suggested that maybe I have been feeding baby Wendy too well, and I guess that is a possibility - I mean, she'll have to go from eating yummy things like pineapple upside down cupcakes and chocolate to MILK. No fun. I took my maternity leave over a week ago, thinking that I'd be having baby soon. The relaxing has been nice, but there are several days where I've thought "today is going to be the day," and then nothing happens. One friend from work emailed me a recipe for pineapple upside down mini cakes (or cupcakes) and I decided to bake them a few days ago. Distractions, such as baking, have been great! Pineapple is also known to induce labor. Well, it didn't happen...but the cupcakes were REALLY good. Greg, my non-sweets loving husband, ate at least half of them - my parents and I split the rest. Well tonight I'm supposed to go in for my induction (well actually tomorrow, but it's at 12:45 AM tomorrow so basically tonight)! I'm hoping I can still go into labor naturally, so I cooked some "labor inducing" cookies earlier.

Anyways, I loved these cupcakes because they were easy to make and less filling than a big huge piece of cake. I will definitely be making them again. Enjoy!

Recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup of all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
4 Tbsp. of pineapple juice (from the canned pineapple)
4 Tbsp. of unsalted butter
2/3 cup of light brown sugar, packed
1 can of pineapple rings
Maraschino cherries

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottoms and sides of a muffin tin.

In a small mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a largish mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer set on medium-low speed to beat together the eggs, sugar, and pineapple juice. Then add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat on medium speed for 1 - 2 minutes. Set aside.

Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a small saucepan. Once it is melted, adjust heat to low, add in the brown sugar and stir for about a minute.

Put a spoonful of the brown sugar mixture into the bottom of each muffin tin. Put a pineapple ring on top (you might have to cut a piece out of the pineapple ring to make it fit). Then place a maraschino cherry in the middle of the pineapple ring. Top each one with the batter, filling a little over 3/4 full.

Put in the oven and bake for 22 - 25 minutes. You might want to put a baking sheet underneath the muffin tin to prevent anything from spilling into the oven. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Then carefully loosen each one with the edge of a knife and then flip onto a baking sheet, reassemble any if necessary, and place on a cooling rack to cool.

Recipe makes about 10 cupcakes.

Recipe adapted from: Big Mama's Home Kitchen 

Pasta with Green Veggies and Cheese Sauce

This pasta dish is kind of like a grown-up mac and cheese. The cheese sauce on it reminds me of cheese fondue, which I absolutely love. It is made with white wine, roasted garlic, and sharp cheddar cheese. This recipe was super easy to make and it took less than 50 minutes from start to finish. It is yet another pasta dish that can be filed away under "quick and easy." You can choose what green vegetable you want to add to the pasta. The first time I made it, I used a combination of asparagus and green beans. Then I just used asparagus the second time around. Snap peas would also probably be a good choice! Greg loved this meal and was impressed that I could still cook something tasty in my FORTIETH week of pregnancy. My dad helped himself to three or so servings for lunch the other day. It was definitely a hit. Even though it taste good leftover too, it is best straight from the pot. The cheese sauce gets a little thinned out after being in the fridge and reheated. But the leftovers are still tasty and that's what I'll be eating for dinner tonight. Enjoy!

Recipe for Pasta with Green Veggies and Cheese Sauce 
INGREDIENTS: 
1 clove of garlic
1 - 2 tsp. of Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1 bunch of chopped asparagus or another green vegetable, steamed
16 ounces of dried pasta, such as Farfalle (bowtie) or Penne
4 Tbsp. of unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of dry white wine or cooking wine
2 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 3/4 cups of grated sharp white cheddar cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Panko bread crumbs (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Roast the garlic first. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the garlic on a baking sheet and drizzle with about a teaspoon or so of olive oil. Place in middle rack of oven and cook for 25 - 30 minutes. Remove from oven to cool slightly. *I took the shortcut way on roasting garlic. If you want to do it the longer way, check out the roasted garlic recipe here.

While the garlic is roasting, steam your veggies and then set aside.

After your garlic is roasted and veggies are steamed, bring a large pot of water to a boil and sprinkle with a couple teaspoons of salt. Then add in the pasta and cook just 30 seconds past al dente, according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, make the cheese sauce. Carefully squeeze the insides of each clove of garlic into a small bowl, making sure to discard of any of the papery bulb. Sprinkle the garlic with some kosher salt, mash it with a fork, and make it into a paste. Set aside.

Put the butter into a very large skillet and melt over medium heat. Once it is melted, add in the garlic paste and cook for one minute. Then add in the flour and stir until the flour is lightly browned, about 1 1/2 minutes. Then pour in the white wine and the chicken broth. Stir constantly until the sauce is a little bit thickened, about 3 minutes. Add in the grated cheese and stir until it is completely melted. Turn off the heat. Add in the steamed veggies.

Drain the pasta with a colander. Then add the pasta into the skillet with the cheese sauce and veggies. Toss to coat well and turn the heat back on low and cook for one minute or until warmed through. Serve immediately. Top each serving with some panko bread crumbs and black pepper, if desired.

Makes approximately 6 - 8 servings.

Recipe Adapted from: Annie's Eats