Nothing says it’s the Holidays Like Gingerbread

Around this time of year, you’re bound to run into something gingerbread. You know it’s the holidays when your mom is baking a gingerbread loaf, gingerbread scented candles can be bought just about anywhere,  even with your at the nearest coffee shop people in line are ordering The Gingerbread Latte. This deliciously warm spice has become a tradition that goes back to the eleventh century in Europe. Even back then it was almost always cut into shapes of people, stars or animals. Does your family have any gingerbread traditions during the holidays? Please enjoy this recipe from Food.com and have a happy holiday! 
 

The Most Wonderful Gingerbread Cookies

Total Time: 2 hrs 23 mins

Prep Time: 2 hrs 15 mins

Cook Time: 8 mins

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 deg. Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until well blended.

3. In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium speed until well blended.
4. Add molasses, vanilla, and lemon zest and continue to mix until well blended.
5. Gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth.
6. Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
7. (Dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, but in this case it should be refrigerated. Return to room temp before using.) Preheat oven to 375°.
8. Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
9. Place 1 portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface.
10. Sprinkle flour over dough and rolling pin.
11. Roll dough to a scant 1/4-inch thick.
12. Use additional flour to avoid sticking.
13. Cut out cookies with desired cutter-- the ginger bread man is our favorite of course.
14. Space cookies 1 1/2-inches apart.
15. Bake 1 sheet at a time for 7-10 minutes (the lower time will give you softer cookies-- very good!).
16. Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to stand until the cookies are firm enough to move to a wire rack.
17. After cookies are cool you may decorate them any way you like.
18. I usually brush them with a powdered sugar glaze when I am in a hurry, but they look wonderful decorated with Royal icing.

Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

It’s the age old debate: Real or Fake Christmas tree?  We want to know where your allegiance lies!

Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

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Fake

Poll Maker

Time for Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is less than a week away, which can only one thing... FOOD! And lots of it!

Thanksgiving is the time of year where families get together to give thanks and to show appreciation for the wonderful things in our lives.

It is also the time time of year where families spoil themselves with more food then one can eat. From turkeys and hams to stuffing and mashed potatoes to delicious pumpkin and pecan pies, it leaves everyone in a state of awe with a giant food baby for a few days. But it's all worth it, after hours of preparation and getting the family together, turkey day is definitely a day to be thankful for.

Preparing for the Thanksgiving can definitely be a challenge, especially to the families celebrating on their own for the first time or to the families looking for new recipes to try out versus the recipes that has been passed along from their grandmas, grandmas, grandma. Even though it was bad, you just might want to try something different.

So for the people in need of wanting to try something new, we have decided to pass along some ideas for you to try out to give our thanks for your support!

Simple Roast Turkey

Time

3 1/2 hours, plus 1 to 3 days’ standing

Yield

10 to 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 turkey
  (10 to 12 pounds)
• Coarse kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 lemon, zested and quartered
• 1 bunch fresh thyme or rosemary
• 1 bunch fresh sage
• 12 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 1 bottle hard apple cider (12 ounces)
• Dry white wine, as needed
• 2 onions, peeled and quartered
• 3 bay leaves
• Olive oil or melted butter, as needed

Preparation

1. Remove any giblets from the cavity and reserve for stock or gravy. Pat turkey and turkey neck dry with paper towel; rub turkey all over with 1/2 teaspoon salt per pound of turkey, the pepper and the lemon zest, including the neck. Transfer to a 2-gallon (or larger) resealable plastic bag. Tuck herbs and 6 garlic cloves inside bag. Seal and refrigerate on a small rimmed baking sheet (or wrapped in another bag) for at least 1 day and up to 3 days, turning the bird over every day (or after 12 hours if brining for only 1 day).
2. Remove turkey from bag and pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey, uncovered, back on the baking sheet. Return to the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours to dry out the skin (this helps crisp it).
3. When you are ready to cook the turkey, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature for one hour.
4. Heat oven to 450 degrees. In the bottom of a large roasting pan, add the cider and enough wine to fill the pan to a 1/4-inch depth. Add half the onions, the remaining 6 garlic cloves and the bay leaves. Stuff remaining onions and the lemon quarters into the turkey cavity. Brush turkey skin generously with oil or melted butter.
5. Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack set inside the roasting pan. Transfer pan to oven and roast 30 minutes. Cover breast with aluminum foil. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh reaches 165 degrees, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours more. Transfer turkey to a cutting board to rest for 30 minutes before carving.

GRAVY

Time

20 minutes, with premade stock

Yield

5 to 6 cups

Ingredients   

• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup flour
• Salt and pepper
• 4 to 5 cups rich stock, warmed
• Turkey drippings and giblets, optional

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on the onions, stirring constantly, and cook until flour is golden to brown. Adjust heat so mixture does not burn.
2. Gradually whisk in 4 cups stock until mixture thickens and is smooth. If it is too thick, add liquid. Cool, cover and chill.
3. When ready to serve, reheat mixture over low heat, stirring. Scrape bottom of turkey pan and add drippings or giblets to gravy. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve.

For more ingredients, go to Essential Thanksgiving!

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Car Care Tip of the Week!

 Don't you wish you could have your own Pikachu to help charge your battery when it is low on juice? All the money we could save for years to come. Now that winter is here getting your battery to perform can even be more of a challenge!

Batteries can have problems in cold weather. A battery is a can full of chemicals that produce electrons. The chemical reactions inside of batteries take place more slowly when the battery is cold, so the battery produces fewer electrons. The starter motor therefore has less energy to work with when it tries to start the engine, and this causes the engine to crank slowly.

Schedule your next service appointment at Polar Chevrolet to see if your battery is charged and ready for winter!

Veterans Day!

Veterans Day is Monday November 11th! Be sure to honor and give support to all the Veterans that served as well as the families of those who served that gave their lives fighting to protect our freedom!

Here is a little History about Veterans Day:

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as "the Great War." Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.

 Thanks to all those who have served! Your services are forever appreciated and will never be forgotten! 

Stop Texting while Driving!

The popularity of mobile devices has had some unintended and even dangerous consequences. We now know that mobile communications are linked to a significant increase in distracted driving, resulting in injury and even loss of life.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that in 2010 driver distraction was the cause of 18 percent of all fatal crashes – with 3,092 people killed – and crashes resulting in an injury – with 416,000 people wounded.

Eleven percent of drivers aged 18 to 20 who were involved in an automobile accident and survived admitted they were sending or receiving texts when they crashed. Research suggests that texting slows driver reaction times more than being drunk and the act is a constant risk nowadays as everyone carries phones.

How do you like to watch the game!?

Do you like watching the game from home? Benefits from being at home would include: saving money on tickets and food. Sitting on your own comfy couch, and using your own personal toilet for when you got to go. Not having to deal with ridiculous amounts of traffic before and after.

Would you rather watch the game from the stands? Benefits from watching in the stands may include: Yelling as loud as you want without upsetting the spouse or kids, getting the great feeling of a roaring stadium after a touchdown or goal. Delicious hot dogs and ice cold beverages, no boring commercials to take away from whats going on in the game.