Wonderful Gingerbread Muffins

Baked goods made with ginger have been sounding really good to me lately! I remembered I had one of my sweet mother's Sue Gregg cookbooks and in this particular one was an all time favorite moist ginger molasses muffin that my sister often made into little muffins and served for lunch! Best served warm and slathered with butter! I guarantee you want be able to eat just one!

Makes 12-15 muffins

Bake at 325° for 20-25 minutes

Blend together thoroughly:

1/4 cup softened butter

1 egg

1/2 cup blackstrap molasses

1/2 cup honey
1 cup water

Fold in dry ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 baking soda
1 1/2 baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Fill greased muffin pan cups almost full and bake at 325° for 20-25 minutes.
Cool 2-3 minutes before removing from pan.

Enjoy!

Fresh Cucumber Salad

Cucumbers can vary in their level of bitterness. Usually the older the more bitter, and the seeds are often more bitter than the flesh. Once you cut into a cucumber, taste it. If bitter, scrape or cut away the seeds. You might also want to soak the chopped cucumber in salt water to help offset the bitterness. The cucumbers we get are usually fine as is, but I have had some bitter ones. With regards to peeling, we almost always peel our cucumbers, but there are some varieties with thin, mild peels that you don't need to peel. Taste first if there is a question.


Ingredients:

* 1-2 large cucumbers (or 4-5 lemon cucumbers), peeled, quartered lengthwise, then sliced crosswise
* 1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill, basil, or Thai basil*
* 2-3 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
* Salt and pepper to taste
*I would add chives or sweet or purple onions

*To chop the basil, chiffonade it by stacking the leaves on top of each other, rolling them up like a cigar, and taking thin slices from one end to the other.
Method

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, toss to coat. Serve immediately, or make ahead (up to a couple of hours) and chill.

Serves 2-4