Creamy Corn Soup minus the cream

Ha, Ha, Ha, emergency warnings of freezing temperatures.  Beware of the arctic chill announced all of the "weather people".  We covered our garden plants anticipating the worst and typical to our area rich blue sunny skies with a slight cool breeze.  Blast those "weather anti-predictors" my youngest had high hopes of snow falling.  So, we celebrated with a mini fiesta.

Creamy Corn Soup minus the cream

from The Moosewood Collection

Sunday's at Moosewood Restaurant

adapted

1 cup chopped sweet onion
1 minced garlic clove
2T safflower oil
1t ground coriander seeds
1t ground cumin seeds
1 minced jalpeno chili seeded
1 1/2 cup chopped fresh organic tomatoes
2 cups diced organic potatoes
1 organic chopped green bell pepper
2 cups of organic  vegetable stock
2 1/2 cup cut organic corn (fresh or frozen - Trader Joe's frozen is perfect)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

~ heat soup pot over low heat and add oil
~ saute onions and garlic for about 10 minutes - until onions are very soft
~ add coriander, cumin and chiles
~ saute 2 minutes
~ add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they are juicy
~ add potato and bell pepper
~ add stock and cover and simmer until potatoes are tender - 10 minutes
~ puree half of the soup with an immersion blender
~ add corn and heat thoroughly
~ season with salt and pepper to taste

Quinoa Black Bean Salad

Side dishes plague me.  Main courses are a breeze.  Fun and easy to throw together.  What to serve with them, ugh!  The other day I served chicken cutlets and needed more.  A salad I thought and pulled open one of my many Moosewood cookbooks.  I found this recipe and it is spectacular and takes only 30 minutes from start to finish.  Make extra since it tastes great the next day.

Quinoa Black Bean Salad

from Moosewood Collection

Moosewood Restaurant Low-fat Favorites

adapted

1/3 cup red quinoa
1 cup water
1t extra virgin olive oil
4t or more fresh lime juice
1/4t ground cumin
1/4t ground coriander
2T finely chopped fresh cilantro
4T minced chives
15 oz black beans (can drained) or 1 1/2 cooked black beans
2 cups organic diced tomatoes
1 organic bell pepper diced
1 jalapeno chile minced
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

~ rinse quinoa well in a sieve under cool running water
~ bring water to a boil in pot
~ add quinoa, cover and simmer on low heat until all the water is absorbed and quinoa is tender 10-20 minutes
~ cool 15 minutes
~ in a large bowl combine the oil, lime juice, cumin, coriander, cilantro and chives
~ stir in the beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, and chile
~ add the cooled quinoa
~ season with salt and pepper to taste
~ combined thoroughly
~ refrigerate until ready to serve

from our garden: cilantro, chives and jalapeno

Italian Meatballs and Sweet Tomato Sauce

We finished dinner a couple of hours ago and I still have the most wonderful favor in my mouth.  The kids have already claimed the leftovers for lunch.  I am looking forward to making this dish again.  All you need is about 20 minutes prep and 7 minutes cooking in pressure cooker.  Natural depressurize a little over an hour, just enough time for me to attend a meeting and pick up kids.

Sweet Tomato Sauce

from Viana La Place & Evan Kleiman

Pasta Fresca

adapted

4T extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 medium sweet onion peeled and minced
2 organic celery stalks minced
1 1/2 organic carrots minced
3 14 oz cans of organic chopped tomatoes
1 10" sprig of fresh oregano
salt and freshly ground pepper
basil
garlic
agave

~ heat oil in warmed pressure cooker
~ add garlic, onion, celery and carrots
~ cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes
~ remove from cooker and add oil then meatballs
~ cook for 8 minutes
~ pour canned tomatoes over meat balls
~ put garlic mixture on top of that
~ add fresh oregano, salt and pepper
~ squirt agave in - I used about 1/16 cup
~ cover pressure cooker and cook on high pressure 7 minutes
~ allow pressure to release naturally
~ open cooker and add 3t chopped basil and 1t finely chopped garlic (I used Trader Joe's frozen garlic cube)
~ remove meatballs
~ using an immersion blender puree tomato sauce
~ mix meatballs back in sauce
~ prepare pasta

Meatballs

from Marion Cunningham

The Fannie Farmer Cookbook

adapted

1 cup dried bread crumbs
3 garlic cloves minced
3t fresh basil minced
5t freeze dried parsley
2 eggs lightly beaten
1t kosher salt
1/2t freshly ground pepper
2 pounds organic ground beef
2T olive oil

~ combined first 7 ingredients and then combine meat
~ mix thoroughly and shape into balls

English Toffee Cookies

President's Day vacation, sleeping in and cookies - what could be more perfect?  I scoured my shelf for a book and decided on Sweets for Saints & Sinners, an ominous title for a cookbook.

 

I decided on a cookie and my assistances nodded with approval.  One element we found missing from the original recipe, chocolate.  Really is there such a thing as English Toffee without chocolate?

We sprinkled chocolate chips on the cookie base and in two little birds mouths, payment for work well done.

English Toffee Cookies

from Janice Feuer & Veronica di Rosa's

Sweets for Saints & Sinners- Desserts & Other Delectable Recipes

 adapted

1/2 lb unsalted butter room temperture
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 egg separated at room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
1t ground cinnamon
1/3 cup or more toasted almonds sliced or cut
1/3 cup or more semi sweet chocolate chips

~ preheat oven 350
~ line a baking sheet (11" x 16") with parchment paper and butter with bits from butter wrapper
~ cream butter and sugars until smooth
~ add yolk and mix thoughtly
~ mix in cinnamon and flour until just incorperated
~ dump dough onto prepared sheet
~ press dough into shape, apply light sprinkling of granulated sugar to hands if too sticky
~ lightly beat the egg white
~ brush some of the egg white to cover surface of dough
~ sprinkle dough with almonds and chocolate chips
~ place in oven 15 - 20 minutes until browned on top
~ after 5 minutes of baking open oven and spread melted chips across dough, if you would like
~ remove from oven and cut while hot into diamond shapes while hot (ha ha that is what the recipe says - We used a pizza cutter and it got all mucked up so ours were a variety of shapes and sizes)

 

Fabulous with a tall glass of milk

Spritz Cookies

 

I was feeling rather delusional the other day when I spotted this recipe for spritz cookies.  Oh yeah, I thought, a breeze with my salton electric cookie press that has been sitting in my cupboard unused since I purchased it 4 or more years ago.  I misplaced the instruction book, no problem.  How difficult could it be?

love my egg separator makes being lazy easy

What got me to this place was a cookbook I just picked up at our library's used book sale,  The Old Fashioned Cookbook by Jan McBride Carlton.  I popped it open and noted comments made by the previous owner.  Each one was more negative then the last.  Did I buy a dud?  Quickly I googled the book and to my delight ever other owner loved the book and was disappointed that it had never been reprinted. (ha, someone is selling it on amazon for $100, mine 99 cents!)  While reading the reviews one noted their love of the sour cream cookies and I decide to give it a go, that was until I saw the spritz cookie and thought I could best the LA bakeries on Fairfax.  My kids love those cookies with the sprinkles and dollops of chocolate.

light and fluffy

The cookies were great not quite the same as the bakeries and the cookie press only took me 2 hours to some what master.  The first disk I used gave me a doo-doo looking cookie.  Finally, I realized I need to take one part out and press 3 seconds for the first cookie and 2 seconds for those that followed.  I still have some funky bits on each cookie, but hey it all tastes the same.

ha ha see all of the funky bits!

Spritz Cookies

from Jan McBride Carlton

The Old Fashioned Cookbook

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2t baking powder

1/2t salt

1 cup unsalted butter softened 

2/3 cup sugar

2 egg yolks (save egg whites for wash)

2t vanilla

sprinkles

~ preheat oven 375 and line cookie sheets with parchment paper

~ sift or whisk together first 3 ingredients

~ cream the butter

~ add the sugar gradually and continue creaming until light and fluffy

~ beat in egg yolks and vanilla

~ add dry ingredients low setting until fully incorporated

~ put in cookie press and press away 

~  brush cookies with egg whites and sprinkle with sprinkles (I missed this hence the lack of sprinkle hold on mine)

~ bake 7 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned

 

Chicken Chow Mein

Continuing with our Asian cuisine, presenting my favorite dish - Chicken Chow Mein.  The noodles drew in the kids or I should say sucked them in.  It is now there favorite dish too next to sweet and sour. 

Dishes and lots of dishes since everything is prepared separately but worth every sud.  The recipe calls for chicken pieces cut 1/8" x 1/8" x 2".  Kitchen shears make this task a breeze.  I like an assortment of vegetables in this dish so I added mushrooms, carrots and next time bok choy.

Chicken Chow Mein

from Dorothy Huang's

Chinese Cooking

adapted

1lb boneless chicken breast

marinade for chicken:

4t cornstarch
2t low sodium soy sauce
2t dry sherry
4t water

10oz Chinese noodles

seasoning for noodles:

1/2t sea salt
2T low sodium soy sauce
2t sesame oil

6 stalks celery
1/2 lb fresh mung bean sprouts
8oz mushrooms
4 carrots

sauce:

2T cornstarch
2T low sodium soy sauce
2 cups low sodium chicken broth

6T safflower oil
1t sea salt
2 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
8 green onions cut into 1/2" pieces

~ slice/cut chicken across grain 1/8" thick and 2" long strips
~ mix marinade for chicken and toss to coat chicken
~ let stand 30 minutes or longer
~ in a large pot bring water to boil over high heat and add noodles (cook according  package) 3 to 5 minutes
~ drain and rinse under cold water and drain again
~ transfer noodles to bowl and add noodle seasoning mix thoroughly
~ slice celery, mushrooms and carrots
~ mix sauce ingredients in a bowl

cook:

~ heat 2T oil in a large cast iron skillet over high heat
~ add noodles and stir occasionally for 3 minutes
~ remove noodles
~ add  2T oil to skillet when hot add vegetables and 1t salt stir fry 2 minutes
~ remove vegetables
~ add 2T oil to skillet when hot add garlic and green onions
~ after 5 seconds add chicken and stir fry until chicken turns white and firm
~ discard the garlic
~ add sauce stirring until thickened
~ return vegetables to the skillet
~ pour mixture over the noodles and serve

Sushi Vegetable Rolls

I taught them and put them to work.  I have three little sushi makers.  We just have to work on rice quantities and a tighter roll.  Sushi making is a fun family activity

 

asparagus from our garden

 

cut avocado and put in lemon water and it won't brown

carrots for crunch

 cucumber great alone

step one

step two

Vegetable Sushi

from Us

sushi rice just google how to make easy ~ rice, water, rice vinegar, sugar and salt

1 avocado

5 asparagus 

1 orgainic cucumber

2 organic carrots

5T toasted sesame seeds

10 or more toasted seaweed sushi nori

wasbi 

low sodium soy sauce

equipment 

this is a must have - bamboo sushi mat

~ cover the mat with plastic wrap

~ place nori on mat

~ cover nori with rice

~ sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds

~ place vegetables in a line

~ tuck and roll tightly

~ cut with sharp knife

from our garden: asparagus

Kung Pao Chicken

 

My oldest has a severe peanut allergy, so we live peanut free.  My youngest has a sympathy peanut allergy and won't touch peanut anything yet my middle gobbles up everything with a peanut.  My husband's favorite Chinese dish just happens to be Kung Pao Chicken, ugh.  What to do?  Pine nuts on the side Kung Pao Chicken and it worked.

marinated chicken

sun dried chili from my garden

Kung Pao Chicken

from Mark Bittman

The Best Recipes in the World

adapted

1/2t cornstarch
1T shaoxing wine (what I used) or dry sherry
2lbs boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1/2 chunks
3T safflower oil
5 dried chilies
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 piece of fresh ginger peeled and minced
1t sugar
3T soy sauce
1t dark sesame oil
4 scallion, trimmed and chopped
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

~ whisk cornstarch into the wine until it dissolves
~ coat the chicken pieces with the mixture
~ heat large cast iron skillet over medium high heat
~ add the chiles and cook stirring occasionally until slightly blackened about 5 minutes
~ add garlic and ginger and cook about 10 seconds
~ stir in the chicken and stir constantly until it loses it's pinkness about 5 minutes
~ turn the heat down to low
~ sprinkle some sugar over the chicken
~ stir in the soy sauce and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
~ remove from the heat and then stir in sesame oil and scallions
~ serve pine nuts on the side

from my garden: scallions and chilies

Pizza

Today in our wanderings we happened upon an all you can eat Asian buffet.  First section had tired sushi.  The next few had typical sweet and sour and so on.  Lastly, we came to the salad bar and to our utter delight featured next to the lettuce an over flowing bowl of marshmallows and not those little ones but full size pillows of happiness.  This has nothing to do with pizza, but really iceberg and marshmallows, a new culinary trend or an episode of Chopped?

We have a new favorite pizza recipe from Epicurious.com, Overnight Pizza Dough.  Simply the best, you must give this a try.

Overnight Pizza Dough

from Epicurious.com

Sponge:
1 cup lukewarm water (110°F to 115°F)
1 envelope active dry yeast, divided
1 cup all purpose flour, divided

Dough:
1 1/2 cups lukewarm (110°F to 115°F) water
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 envelope active dry yeast
6 cups (or more) all purpose flour
Olive oil
Yellow cornmeal

For sponge:

~ place 1 cup lukewarm water in large bowl of heavy-duty mixer

~ sprinkle 1 teaspoon yeast (reserve remaining yeast for dough) and 1/4 teaspoon flour over water

~ let stand until yeast dissolves and mixture looks spongy, about 4 minutes

~ add remaining flour and whisk until smooth; scrape down sides of bowl

~ cover bowl with plastic wrap

~ let sponge rest at room temperature in draft-free area overnight (about 12 hours; sponge will look bubbly)

For dough:

~ add 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 envelope yeast, and reserved remaining yeast to sponge, then add 6 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, beating with dough hook to blend after each addition

~ continue to beat until dough is smooth, comes cleanly away from sides of bowl, and is only slightly sticky to touch, scraping down bowl occasionally, about 5 minutes

~ if dough is very sticky, beat in more flour, 1/4 cupful at a time. Scrape dough onto floured surface; knead into smooth ball

~ brush inside of large bowl with oil. Add dough; turn to coat with oil

~ cover bowl with plastic wrap; chill 6 hours, kneading dough down when doubled (after 2 hours)

~ about 1 1/2 hours before baking, dust 2 baking sheets with flour

~ turn dough out onto floured surface

~ knead gently; shape into 16-inch log

~ cut into 8 equal pieces

~ knead each piece into smooth ball

~ arrange 4 balls of dough on each sheet

~ cover loosely with kitchen towels and let rise until almost doubled, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

~ if using pizza stone, place in oven

~ preheat oven to 500F for 45 minutes

~ working with 1 dough ball at a time, dust dough with flour

~ press into 5-inch round, then gently stretch and roll out to 9-inch round

~ if using pizza stone, sprinkle pizza peel or rimless baking sheet with cornmeal

~ if not using pizza stone, sprinkle large baking sheet with cornmeal

~ place dough round on cornmeal; brush lightly with oil

~ top as desired (see below)

~ slide pizza onto stone or place pizza on baking sheet into oven (or bbq in my case)

~ bake pizza until sauce is bubbling and crust is crisp and brown, lifting edge of pizza to check underside, about 14 minutes

recipe on Epicurious

Sauce

1 can of organic tomatoes (chunks or puree what ever you prefer)
1/2t sugar, honey or agava
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
fresh herbs oregano, basil...

~ combined all and season to taste
~ spread on prepared dough
~ I do not cook the sauce since it will cook as the pizza is baking.  Twice cooked sauce tends to be bitter.

cheese

fontina cheese

Buttermilk Coffee Crumb Cake

Weekend was upon us and I decided to turn back the hands of time.  I plunged into The Grass Roots Cookbook again.  This time Mrs. Mary Rohrer of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania provided the recipe.  Yum, scrumptious, old fashion, down home are a few words to describe this cake loaded with butter, flour and brown sugar.

 

 creamed butter and brown sugar

 oops, I forgot to blend before adding butter

 ready for baking

Buttermilk Coffee Crumb Cake

from Jean Anderson's

The Grass Roots Cookbook

adapted

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3t cinnamon

1t baking soda

1t sea salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 cup buttermilk (I used 1 1/2 non-fat milk and 1 1/2T lemon juice)

~ preheat oven 350

~ cream butter until light

~ gradually add sugar to butter continue to cream until light

~ beat in egg

~ sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl

~ alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to creamed mixture beginning and ending with dry  ingredients

Crumb Topping

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3 1/2T unsalted butter

~ mix flour and sugar in medium bowl

~ cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumb

~ pour batter into a greased backing dish 13x9x2

~ scatter the crumbs evenly on top 

~ bake 45 minutes or until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan and top springs back
~ cool 15-20 minutes and serve

!!!!!!! do not over mix when adding the flour mixture

Italian White Bean Soup

Brrrr, frosty weather calls for soup.  Too cold and too lazy to go to the store.  I feel like Old Mother Hubbard sans the dog.

The Grass Roots Cookbook - a unique collection of 301 of America's best back home hand me down recipes by Jean Anderson was my book pick.  Really what a fabulous title.  This particular recipe hails from Mrs. Charles A Volpi of Napa County, California.  No broth or stock needed just be sure to save the bean cooking liquid.  This starchy goodness becomes the base for the soup.

Hearty soup perfect for our blast of freezing nights.  We all gave it thumbs up and look forward to warmer times.

Italian White Bean Soup

from Jean Andersen's

The Grass Roots Cookbook - A Unique Collection of 301 of America's Best Back-Home Hand-Me-Down Recipes

adapted

2 cups of great northern beans washed and picked through

7 cups of water

1T safflower oil

~ put all in pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes

~ slow release steam

~ drain the beans and reserve the liquid

1T olive oil

1T unsalted butter

1 large branch of fresh sage or 1 1/2t crumbled leaf sage

2 large garlic cloves peeled and bruised

1 medium yellow sweet onion chopped

36 sweet pear tomatoes

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup any small pasta (Mrs. Volpi used ditalini)
reggiano parmesan

~ heat oil and butter in a large kettle over medium heat

~ add sage, garlic and onion

~ saute slowly stirring about 10 minutes or until the onion is limp and golden ( do not allow to brown)

~ remove sage branch

~ add tomatoes and turn heat to lowest setting and cook until tomatoes pop

~ add 2 heaping ladlefuls of beans and bean cooking liquid into the tomato mixture

~ bring to a boil and add salt and pepper 

~ mash additional beans with potato masher and add to soup

~ cook pasta and serve along side of soup
~ top with grated reggiano parmesan

from our garden: sage

Sticky Drumsticks -- Super Bowl

I receive weekly emails from America's Test Kitchen.  Each email contains links to video's, product reviews, helpful hints and recipes.  The slow-Cooker Sticky Wings recipe jumped out at me in a recent email. However, I hate wings.  Too much effort and too little meat just so unsatisfying.  Slow cookers are OK, but I prefer my pressure cooker.  I morphed this recipe to our taste.

At dinner I was told I should have doubled the recipe that there was not enough and next time make additional sauce for dipping.  The chicken was perfectly moist, love that pressure cooker!

Sticky Drumsticks

from Me and America's Test Kitchen

1T olive oil
12 chicken legs
1 three inch piece of ginger peeled and micro-planed
4 garlic cloves peeled
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2t cayenne pepper
1 1/4 cup water
1/4 cup organic tomato paste
4T honey
1t corn starch

~ heat pressure cooker pan medium heat and add oil
~ add legs and lightly brown about 5 minutes
~ add 1 cup water, ginger, garlic, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1T soy sauce
~ lock on top and cook at high pressure for 8 minutes
~ slow release the steam
~ remove chicken and toss out liquid
~ allow chicken to cool (10-15 minutes) and remove skin
~ whisk remaining sugar, soy sauce and water with cayenne pepper, tomato paste, honey and corn starch
~ put chicken in a large bowl and add half of the sauce, turn to coat
~ heat broiler and place rack 5 inches from broiler
~ cover rimmed baking sheet with foil
~ place legs on sheet, pour any sauce collected in bowl on legs and put in oven 8 to 10 minutes
~ remove baking sheet and turn legs
~ pour remaining sauce on legs, return to oven and broil another 5 minutes

Guacamole - - Super Bowl

Perfect football food - guacamole & chips, yum!  Little thing I learned after eating at Chipotle's. Lime on the chips makes for a tasty addition.  I like to squeeze some lime and a bit of sour salt on them.  I think it best to taste and adjust to your preference for the perfect guacamole recipe.

Guacamole

from Me

4 Hass Avocado's
1/2 white onion chopped
1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
25 organic sweet 100 tomato cut in thirds
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
lemon juice
kosher salt

~ cut avocado's in half and scoop out meat and the seed (seed helps prevent browning)
~ mash avocado
~ mix in onion, jalapeno, tomatoes, garlic and cilantro
~ add about 1/2t of lemon juice and some salt to taste

from our garden: jalapeno and cilantro 

Chicken Teriyaki

We recently went out to a Japanese restaurant.  "Mom, you need to make this for us", my choir sang.  Challenge accepted, off to the kitchen in search of my Japanese cookbooks.  Recipes needed include - chicken teriyaki, tempura and vegetable rolls.

Well I messed up this recipe but the results were spectacular.  A make again with thumbs up  given after the first bite as well as fighting for the left overs before dinner was over.

Chicken Teriyaki Tori no teriyaki

from a first book of Japanese cooking

by Masako Yamaoka

adapted

1 1/2 pound boneless chicken breast
2T safflower oil
1T sugar
2T mirin
3T soy sauce
1t grated fresh ginger

~ mix oil, sugar, mirin, soy sauce and ginger  in a rectangular glass dish
~ add the chicken flip to cover
~ pierce both sides of chicken
~ marinate 40 minutes
~ add a bit of oil to a cast iron skillet and heat medium
~ add chicken and reserve marinade
~ cook chicken on both sides about 4 minutes each
~ add reserve marinade and continue to cook with some beans
~ remove and serve

Ginger-Lemon Pinwheel Cookies

The December issue of Cooking Light Magazine arrived at my door.  While flipping through it I spotted cookies, hmmm cookies light?  Really?  Butter, brown and white sugar makes for a light cookie?  Not so light but ginger lemon sounded divine and the pinwheel looks so awesome!  It took me three days from start to finish because 9pm is not an ideal time for cookie baking.  

Mixed reviews, I liked the doughy molasses flavor.  Other comments, too doughy, spicy start but taste good once you swallow it, mmm lemon.

my perfect imperfect roll

ready to go in the oven

Ginger-Lemon Pinwheel Cookies 

from Cooking Light Magazine

Ginger dough

1/4  cup  unsalted butter, softened
1/3  cup  packed dark brown sugar
1/4  cup  molasses
1  large egg yolk
6  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 1/3 cups)
3/4  teaspoon  ground ginger
3/4  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
1/4  teaspoon  salt
1/8  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
Dash of ground allspice

Lemon dough:

5  tablespoons  unsalted butter, softened

2/3  cup  granulated sugar

1  large egg white

2  teaspoons  grated lemon rind

3/4  teaspoon  vanilla extract

6  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 1/3 cups)

1/4  teaspoon  salt

~ to prepare ginger dough

~ place 1/4 cup butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined (about 3 minutes)

~ add molasses and egg yolk; beat until well blended

~ weigh or lightly spoon 6 ounces (about 1 1/3 cups) flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife

~ combine 6 ounces flour, ginger, and next 4 ingredients (through allspice)

~ stir with a whisk

~ add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat at low speed just until combined

~ wrap dough in plastic wrap; chill 30 minutes.

~ to prepare lemon dough
~ place 5 tablespoons butter and granulated sugar in a medium bowl
~ beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended (about 3 minutes)
~ add egg white; beat until blended
~ beat in rind and vanilla
~ weigh or lightly spoon 6 ounces (about 1 1/3 cups) flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife
~ combine 6 ounces flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt
~ add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat at low speed just until combined
~ wrap dough in plastic wrap; chill 30 minutes
~ unwrap ginger dough
~ roll ginger dough between sheets of plastic wrap into a 13 x 8 1/2–inch rectangle (3/16 inch thick)
~ chill 10 minutes
~ unwrap lemon dough. Roll lemon dough between sheets of plastic wrap into a 13 x 9–inch rectangle (3/16 inch thick)
~ chill 10 minutes
~ carefully stack ginger dough on top of lemon dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border along one long edge
~starting with the long side without a border, roll up dough, jelly-roll fashion
~ seal edges (do not seal ends of roll)
~ cover with plastic wrap; freeze 30 minutes.
~ preheat oven to 350°.
~ unwrap dough. Cut with a sharp knife into 40 slices (about 1/4 inch thick). Reshape rounds, if necessary
~ arrange slices 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper
~ bake, 1 batch at a time, at 350° for 8 to 9 minutes or until set and lightly browned
~ cool on wire racks