Perogies...now cookies. Leave it to little babuska's to come up this amazing recipe. Everyone proclaims these to be the best ginger snaps they have ever had.
1 cup white sugars
3/4 cup butter
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger
pinch of salt

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and molasses and beat until blended. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Form into balls and then dip them in white sugar. Bake for 10 minutes...don't overbake!!!. The tops will crack but they will be soft, chewy and delicious!!

One of my good friends endlessly teases me about being a redhead and a hippy (a claim that I deny and get teased on that too). For Christmas, I figured I would give him the most hippy thing possible. So here is the recipe for my hippy homemade granola...minus the hula hoops
5 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup sesame seeds
2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup blanched slivered almonds
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1 cup canola oil
1.5 cups honey or syrup (or combo it up)
1 cups raisins and 1 cups of cranberries
Heat oven to 325F. Melt oil and honey together over low heat and mix with other ingredients. Spread out evenly over 2 cookie sheets. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring a few times while baking. Remove granola from oven and stir in raisins and cranberries. Cool and store in an airtight container.

That's a pretty big claim, eh? These cookies deserve it! You can mix it up with chocolate chips, raisins, cranberries, nuts, coconut...be creative! When it came time to add one of these to the recipe, I discovered Theresa has Skor pieces in the cupboard and dumped a bunch into the batter. I am pretty sure it made for the best batch of these cookies I have made so far!
3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar plus 1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flower
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 cups quick oats
1.5 cups chocolate chips
Cream butter and sugar well. Add in egg, water and vanilla. Mix in the dry ingrediants, oats and chocolate chips. Drop by the spoonful on a baking sheet and bake at 350F for 12-14 minutes.

I am a pretty big sucker for most things made with chai (I think it's the hippy/yogi in me). This is a super simple recipe that will definitely impress the masses. I made a half recipe but you can make the full one below to serve 12-16 p
What you need for the cake:
1 and 1/3 cups milk
6 chai tea bags, without added sweetner
4 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 and 3/4 cups flour
2 cups while sugar
4.5 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter at room temp.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease the bottom and sides of the pans and line with parchment paper. Grease the paper as well. In a small saucepan bring the milk to a simmer over low med-low heat. Add the tea bags. Remove from heat and allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes. Remove the teabags and squeeze out the milk. Let the chai milk cool completely.

In a medium bowl mix the eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and 1/3 cup of the chai milk. Whisk together and set aside. In another bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Beat on low for 30 seconds. Add the butter and the remaining chai milk, on med-low speed. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg mixture in three additions scraping the between additions. Divide the batter evenly among the pans.

Bake the cakes for 26-28 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and peel off parchment paper. Cool completely.

To assemble the cake place one layer flat side down a serving plate and top with 2/3 cup of icing. Spread to the edge and repeat with second layer. Place third layer on top and spread the remaining ginger cream on top allowing it to drizzle down the sides of the cake like icicles or ice the whole thing like I did.

Honey-Ginger Cream:
2.5 cups icing sugar
9 oz cream cheese at room temp.
6 tbsp unsalted butter at room temp.
1/2 cup honey (any kind as long as liquid)
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger


From Sky High:Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne
Makes an 8-inch triple layer cake; serves 12-16

This is my "go-to" chocolate cake recipe - so easy!  It turns out a smooth, moist, even cake with a great chocolate-y flavour every time.

For the Christmas season and an event at work, I dressed it up with a peppermint glaze and crushed candy canes. 

Cake
2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour your baking pan(s) - you can use two nine inch round pans, one bundt pan, or a tall 9" pan.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pan(s).
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Glaze:
Icing Sugar
Hot Water
Peppermint Extract

Portions are up to you depending on how much of the glaze you want,  but you could start with 1 cup of icing sugar.  Put the icing sugar into a cup, and gradually add a couple drops of hot water, stirring each time, until you reach your desired consistency.  Hint: the thicker it is, the more it will show up as white on your cake.  Once you're happy with the glaze, add a couple drops of peppermint extract to your taste. 

Topping: I took three candy canes and crushed them, then sprinkled them onto the cake *while the glaze was still fresh - so they would stay in place.

Chocolate Cake recipe originally from All Recipes.com
Theresa