My Week and a Gingersnap Recipe

What's top of my mind:  The big guy.  The last few weeks, off and on, he's been a little short of breath and just didn't feel right.  He recently had his yearly blood work and physical and all was perfect. Saturday, he complained he had an upset stomach.  Nothing serious but felt nauseous.  Well, Sunday morning he woke up and was having a hard time breathing so we made a trip to the ER.  They immediately took him back and started on a series of tests.  His chest x-ray was good, heart good, blood work good but positive for Covid. He was given Paxlovid and an inhaler and has been home since.  Thankfully each day he seems to be a bit better.  If it was a true positive the only symptoms, he experienced were shortness of breath, slight fatigue and upset stomach.  I have had no symptoms but stayed home yesterday and today just to be safe and to reset my nerves after a scary Sunday. 

What I'm watching:  I haven't gotten into Christmas movies just yet but did watch Home for the Holidays which is always a fun movie.  We also caught up on the new season of Great British Bake Off. 

What I'm reading:  I finished A Cup of Silver Linings and The Secret Recipe of Ella Dove.  The Book Charmer is the first book of the series.  I have loved all three!!  It's a bit of a mix between Gilmore Girls and Practical Magic.  Yesterday I started reading Livingood Daily.  I'm about a third of the way through.  I am already familiar with a number of things he's written but a reminder is always good and I am a bit shocked by the statistics. 

What's new:  One of the doc's I work with goes to Poland every few months and usually brings me back really fun stuff.  She knocked it out of the park on this last trip.  I feel spoiled.  First is a soft, gorgeous black cat scarf.  It's a bit darker than it appears in this photo.

She also included a few kitchen towels.  These are large and I have to say that all of the fabrics that I've received from Poland are excellent quality.

And last but not least, is a beautifully painted wooden box and a small cross.  I didn't get a photo of them but trust me they are so pretty.  

What I'm eating:

BIG salad and a cheese roll up

Italian Chicken sausage, basil, cherry tomato pasta and garlic bread

Beef chili with jalapeno poppers

Chicken, mashed potatoes and salad

Lamb burger with zucchini fries.  The farmers market closed on Friday so this was the last zucchini.

Last week I also made a batch of Gingersnap Cookies which are a favorite here.

3/4 cup of butter, room temperature

1 cup of sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups of flour

2 teaspoons of baking soda

Cream the butter and sugar.

Add egg, salt and molasses and combine.

Slowly mix in cloves, ginger, cinnamon, flour and baking soda.

Shape into walnut sized balls and roll each in granulated sugar.

Place on baking sheet, greased or parchment paper and bake at 375F for 7-8 minutes.  

Let cool on the cookie sheet for a minute or two before cooling on rack. 

Such a good Fall cookie with tea or hot cocoa. 

What is making me smile:  Day to day life may not look like we have a large/strong support system but when something happens, we have a lot of people that are willing to help and be there.  That makes me smile!!

Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe!