Ginger and Spice and Everything Nice: Homemade Ginger Syrup

Lemon lime basil with raspberries

 Way back in the dead of winter we had the amazing opportunity to travel to Hawaii and I am still day dreaming about going back.  Now that the sunshine is here and the grass is green, I am dealing with life off the island a bit better than before.  One of the tasty things we tried at the Honolulu famers' Market was a homemade ginger ale concoction from Pacifikool that was absolutely fabulous.  Ginger syrup mixed with sparkling water (or club soda) and flavoured with lime, berries, basil....I believe the boy took his cup back to that booth for a refill!

Blackberry mango lime ginger ale

Not only is ginger tasty, it also has huge health benefits if consumed regularly. Ginger is beneficial for the gastrointestinal system, motion sickness, arthritis, and it also is an antioxidant and can help boost the immune system! Those are just a few of the benefits of this spicy little rhizome! Find out some more info at these helpful websites:

World's Healthiest Foods

Health benefits of ginger

I looked up a whack of different recipes online and found pretty much the same basics: make a simple syrup infused with ginger.  A simple syrup is basically equal parts sugar and water boiled until the sugar dissolves and cooled down.

Here's what I did:

Wash then chop up a big ole rhizome of ginger into smallish pieces and place in a pot. ( To peel, or not to peel? The first time I made this, I peeled the ginger but the second time, I washed it well and chopped it up. I didn't notice a difference. This is strictly a personal preference)
Add to this pot:

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water

Bring to a boil, slap a lid on it, reduce the heat to medium, and let it steep for about an hour.

Allow the syrup to cool before draining it and storing in the fridge. This syrup hasn't lasted more than 1 week, because we keep using it up so quickly! Every recipe seems to say something different. Some say 2 weeks, some say they've successfully kept ginger syrup for 6 weeks in the fridge.

I have been using about 3 to 4 tbsp of syrup and topping the glass up with club soda. (I also squeeze some lime into the bottom of the glass first.

Other tasty add ins we've used this week:

• fresh basil leaves
• raspberries
• backberries
• mango
• mint
• lime
• lemon

 When using the add ins, make sure to muddle everything at the bottom of the glass first, then add the ginger syrup, then add the club soda. (muddle is fancy talk for 'smash things up a bit')

You can test things out and use the amount of syrup you feel tastes the best. In general I have been using 4 tbsp to 1 cup of chilled club soda (1/4 cup syrup to 1 cup soda). I have made syrup twice in the past week now and have been making different concoctions ever since!

Mango lime basil

 I really love the hint of warmth left after drinking this. I find I prefer this to the prebottled brand names becaues I can really taste the ginger.  Mix it with all those add ins and the flavour possibilities are endless!  Now I just have to play with adding the liquor and my summer is all set!

Here is a few sites I looked at while deciding in what to do with the ginger.

Joy the Baker
Cocktailia
Martha Stewart

Until next time, stay warm and eat well!

Winna, Winna, Glazed Chicken Wing Dinna

Who doesn't love chicken wings? In the Little Kitchen, everyone loves wings.  Of course we don't make them as often as we would like but every now and then I come across a new recipe that we just have to try.  Today was one of those days.  Well, I actually got this recipe the other week when my latest edition of Everyday Food arrived in the mail.  We just didn't get to make the wings until today...they were will worth the wait.

R2D2 approves this recipe

Sriaracha Glazed Chicken Wings
From Martha Stewart, Everyday Food Magazine
January/Febuary 2011
Page 120

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp  grated and peeled fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 1/2 lbs chicken wings split

I love this because you measure everything into the dish you will be baking the wings in so there is minimal dish dirtying!!

Into your glass (or pyrex) baking dish, measure out all of your ingredients, except the wings.

Preheat the oven to 475F.

Stir or whisk it all together.

Add the wings, tossing to coat.

Let the wings marinate for about 1/2 an hour


While the wings are baking, give them a toss every now and then.

The original recipe says to bake the wings for about 30 minutes until the sauce is thickened and the wings are cooked through.

I cooked these ones for about 40 minutes.

The next time, there will be a next time, I will cook these even a bit longer and perhaps broil until crisp as the inhabitants of the Little Kitchen do enjoy a crispy chicken wing.  These were so unbelievably tasty and flavourful.  Although I will also up the amount of the sriracha suace the next time as well.  Needs a little more heat to suit the tastes of the Little Kitchen.

Ginger Spiced Crackle Cookies Make my Heart Happy!

I love these cookies!!!

Something about the smell of ginger cookies in the oven not only warms the heart but it brings about the inkling that Christmas is upon us!  One of the favourite cookies around here at christmas time are ginger cookies.  We have been baking, giving, and tasting for ourselves these sparkly little gems for years now. This makes a nice soft ginger spiced cookie, perfect for dipping into tea or coffee.  The original recipe is from "The Great Big Cookie Book".  It has, of course been doubled and still makes an amazing gem of gingery goodness! For a more crisp cookie, flatten the dough balls out with the palm of your hand or the bottom of a glass and bake a few minutes longer.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Ginger cookies
Printable recipe

Flour and spice and everything nice

• 5 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 3 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup molasses
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 more cup sugar to roll cookies in

In a bowl, sift or stir together with a fork:  the 5 cups of flour, the spices, and the 2 tsp of baking soda.  Set aside.

Butter and sugar: the start of yummy!

In another bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy.

Sweet as molasses

Beat in the 2 eggs, one at a time until combined.

Now add the ½ cup molasses and the 2 tsp of lemon juice.  Beat this together well. 

Getting yummier by the second!

Stir in the flour mixture.  This will make soft dough.

Shape the balls into ¾ inch balls (a tbsp scoop works well for portioning and getting nice even cookies). Many people would demand you hand roll these gingery balls of glorious cookie dough....why do all of that extra work when you can use a scoop and place the cookies flat side down on the cookie sheet?!

Scoop a doopa!

Roll the balls of dough in the extra cup of sugar to coat the ball all over.

Rolling in it....sugar that is!

Place 2 inches apart on lined cookie sheets.

Bake for about 12 minutes until cookies are just firm and crackled on top.

Remove from oven, cool on baking sheets for a few minutes then remove cookies to cooling racks.

Tonight I got  66 cookies with this recipe using a scoop just bigger than 1 tbsp.

Do I have to wait for them to cool?