Easy Gingerbread Cookies

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Ingredients:

• 1 6 ounce package butterscotch pudding mix or 1 6 ounce package Vegetarian butterscotch pudding mix
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed
• 1 egg
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Steps:

• Cream pudding and pie filling mix with butter and sugar; add egg and blend well
• Combine flour baking soda ginger and cinnamon; blend into pudding mixture
• Chill dough for 1 hour or until firm
• Roll dough on a floured board to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut with cookie cutter
• Place on greased baking sheets; use a straw to make a hole in the top of the cookie for hanging on the tree if desired
• Bake at 350F for 10 to 12 minutes
• Remove from oven and cool on wire rack
• Decorate if desired

Roasted Tomato Black amp; Tan Soup

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Ingredients:

• 10 tomatoes roasted and charred
• 2 white onions roasted and charred
• 2 carrots roasted and charred
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1/4 gallon water
• 2 teaspoons salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons pepper to taste
• 1/4 lb flour
• 1/4 lb butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 12 ounces dark beer see directions for brand recommendations
• 12 ounces beer light but NOT lite see directions for brand recommendations

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
• Season the vegetables
• Slice the bottom root off the onions Slice the stem end off the tomatoes and score the top cut an X so the tomato can expand
• Place on a roasting pan and roast until dark 35-40 minutes
• For a darker
• more flavorful soup
• let the vegetables begin to char
• Make a white roux melt the butter in a sautee pan on medium heat
• then add the flour
• mix and stir
• until the flour cooks but retains a light color about 5-7 minutes
• NOTE You may not need to use all the roux You can freeze it for use some other time
• In a large stock pot should be able to hold more than 15 gallons mix the heavy cream
• water
• brown sugar
• and beer Bring to simmer -- DO NOT allow the liquid to boil
• Add vegetables
• Puree the mix
• preferably with an immersion blender in the stock pot If you need to use a stand blender
• put in small batches no more than 1/3-1/2 the volume of the blender container
• so you dont send hot liquid all around and burn yourself
• Choose the consistency youd like for a puree
• leave as is; for a bisque
• strain through cheesecloth or use a chinois metal strainer
• With the soup back in the stockpot under heat
• add the roux gradually and stir
• watching for the soup to thicken
• Season with salt and pepper to taste
• Serve and enjoy
• Recommendations for beer DARK -- Guinness is preferred
• for authenticity and flavor
• but any really dark beer will do LIGHT -- Harp will give you authenticity
• but is expensive and sometimes hard to get; Yuengling Lager or Sam Adams Lager are good domestic alternatives