Gingerbread, in its simplest terms, is a cake flavored with ginger and often molasses. In the Middle Ages the cake was ornately decorated and even designed with gold leaf. That helps to explain why gingerbread also means elaborate and gaudy decoration. Today we think of gingerbread as either a thick dense cake flavored with ground ginger and molasses or a cookie shaped like a gingerbread man with royal icing.

It’s always a challenge to try and find a modern version of wonderful classic recipes like gingerbread cake. I have made many gingerbread recipes and always felt they were just too heavy. I came up with this simple home-style ginger cake that includes applesauce that lightens the cake as well as give it a deliciously moist texture. Brown sugar takes the place of the dark, distinctive molasses allowing the peppery-sweet crystallized and ground ginger flavor to come through.

You’ll find this cake doubles as a treat for your kid’s afternoon snack as well as a satisfying adult dessert. You can omit the walnuts, if you prefer. If you want to gild the lily, serve it with some sweetened whipped cream flavored with a touch of cinnamon. Otherwise, a big dollop of applesauce served alongside is the next best thing.

Ginger Applesauce Cake

Serves 8

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Powdered sugar, for garnishing

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Oil a 8 1/2- inch spring form.
3. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and blend well. In a medium bowl the dry ingredients together and add to the butter mixture, alternating with the applesauce to create a thick batter. Add the raisins and walnuts and mix just to combine.
4. Transfer into the spring form and bake about 55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool. Unmold onto a round platter and dust with powdered sugar. Serve in wedges with a dollop of applesauce on the side or cinnamon-sweetened whipped cream.

Super Bowl Sunday at my house always means a big day of football and hearty bowls of chili. This vegetarian version is very satisfying. For a heartier version add 1 ½ pounds of sautéed and lightly browned chili ground turkey and or beef.  If you plan to add meat or turkey, stir it into the bean chili with cilantro at the end.

I like this delectable combination of spices that you can measure up ahead and then have ready to add just before cooking. You can adjust the heat of this dish by adding just a touch of chipotle chili to the mixture and then add more ,if desired, after the beans are cooked. You can also substitute a jalapeno chile pepper for the chipotle if you like that flavor better.

I also like the surprising touch of balsamic vinegar that adds a hint of something you can’t really recognize but balances out all of the flavors. Make sure to have individual bowls of grated sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream and fresh tomato salsa on the table for guests to help themselves. The crushed tortilla chips with their sweet corn crispness are a nice counterpoint to the smooth chili. If you are an avocado lover, peel and cut up an avocado and serve it alongside the other condiments. Nothing goes better with a bowl of this spicy American tradition as an ice-cold beer.

Here’s to a relaxing day with good food, friends and lots of football.

Help is on the Way:

· Use chopotle flavored Tabasco sauce instead of chipotles.

· Subsitute black beans for the pinto beans.

· This can be made 2 days ahead, covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature and reheat slowly. Add a bit more water if dry.

· Serve with warm corn tortillas or chunks of cornbread instead of the tortilla chips.

Pinto Bean Vegetarian Chili

Serves 6-8

2 cups (1 pound) pinto beans

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 medium onions, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon+1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 tablespoon+1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup good quality ground chile powder

1 1/2 cups diced canned tomatoes with juice

1/2-1 canned chipotle chile, minced

5 cups vegetable stock or water

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Garnish

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup crumbled tortilla chips

Extra cilantro sprigs

1. Place the beans in a bowl and cover with water overnight. Drain the beans and reserve.

2. In a Dutch oven heat the oil on medium heat and saute the onions for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne and chile powder and stir to combine. Cook about 3 minutes, stirring to evenly cook the mixture. This will release all of the herbs and chile powders flavor.

3. Add the tomatoes, chile, broth or water and reserved beans and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature to low and cook about 1-1 1/2 hours more or until the beans are cooked and soft. Partially cover the beans for the first hour and then remove the cover. If the mixture is too thick add a bit more water. When the beans are tender add the vinegar and cook another minute. Add the cilantro and mix to combine. Add salt to taste.

4. To serve: Place some chili in a deep chili bowl, and garnish with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, crumbled chips and a sprig of cilantro. Serve immediately.

Before I forget I will be the Author of the Day for Cookstr. com on Monday November 9. Take a look at their site:

Check out these scrumptious moist muffins I make and keep on hand for holiday breakfasts.

What’s a muffin? I have heard people call them cup cakes since they resemble one another, but they are entirely different. A muffin is usually based on a quick bread recipe that is often baked in a loaf pan. Quick breads by definition use baking powder, soda or cream of tartar to leaven the breads rather than yeast. They also are made quickly and with little stirring so that the ingredients have the ability to rise. They may have a streusel or glaze topping but you won’t see a muffin topped with a butter cream frosting.

Muffins are a breakfast time treat but frankly I like them any time of day or evening. Slightly moist and crumbly, muffins are my kind of comfort food. These spiced pumpkin muffins are rich, golden nuggets of pumpkin goodness. Flavorings like nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and allspice are especially welcome this time of year. When my daughter was young I would have a platter of these waiting after school for her and her friends. As the holidays arrive, I’ll serve these with a mug of hot spiced apple cider when friends drop by for a visit.

I love these spiced muffins. To enhance them further I add orange juice and zest and plump golden raisins. I use a good quality unsalted butter that gives them a wonderful buttery mouthfeel. If you want to make sure that you have muffins that rise and have a pleasing consistency, here are a few tips:

• Measure out the dry ingredients in a bowl or on a large sheet of wax paper.
• Cream the butter and sugar and then add the remaining wet ingredients until nicely blended.
• Whatever you do, DO NOT overmix or you will have dense, short, heavy muffins.
• Make sure to spray the muffin tins carefully and evenly with baking spray.
• Freeze any remaining muffins in plastic lock-top bags. Defrost and warm slightly before serving.
• Serve these warm with warm honey butter or honey and mascarpone blended together.

Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 12 large muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 cup unsalted butter, (1/2 stick) softened

1/2 cup +2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon finely chopped orange zest

1/2 cup orange juice

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/2 cup golden raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 350^oF. Prepare a 12 muffin tin by greasing each muffin tin cup well with baking spray.

2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl or on a sheet of wax papper and reserve.

3. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and both of the sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add the eggs, orange zest, orange juice and pumpkin and blend on low speed until just blended.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the mixture on low speed, mixing until just blended. DO NOT OVER MIX. Add the raisins and mix just enough to combine.

5. Divide the mixture evenly into the muffin cups and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan at for least 15 minutes and then turn the muffins out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

For those of you who are fascinated by culinary history, this is the story of beef Stroganoff. According to John Ayto of An A to Z of Food and Drink, Oxford University Press, “Beef stroganoff is a dish consisting of strips of lean beef sauteed and served in a sour-cream sauce with onions and mushrooms. The recipe, which is of Russian origin, has been known since the eighteenth century, but its name appears to come from County Paul Stroganoff, a nineteeth-century Russian diplomat. Legend has it that when he was stationed in deepest Siberia, his chef discovered that the beef was frozen so solid that it could only be coped with by cutting it into very thin strips. The first English cookery book to include it seems to have been Ambrose Heath’s Good Food (1932).”

I never knew all those facts when I decided to try making this dish as a freshman in college. It sounded yummy and pretty easy to make. I prepared it from my first cookbook Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I didn’t know that adding sour cream and heating it can sometimes have unpleasant consequences. It can curdle but if you add flour and don’t boil the sauce, you will have a deliciously creamy sauce. I made that dish for years and then of course, it feel out of fashion. Creamy sauces were out. Recently I prepared this for a group of friends and realized that this dish belongs on the table again. It is as delicious as ever. The key to enjoying dishes like this is smaller portions and using less cream. This recipe uses a scant 1/3 cup of crème fraiche for 6 people.

Today many of us prefer dishes grilled with light sauces and marinades but there are times when the weather and the situation are the perfect time for a dish like Beef Stroganoff. I have made a few changes in this dish that reflect my love for leeks and the brown cremini mushroom. Slightly browned and caramelized leeks and mushrooms are the flavoring for the tender strips of beef.

Tomato paste, Dijon mustard and a big squirt of lemon juice balances out the beef broth and crème fraiche. I prefer using crème fraiche for this because it has a mild, sweet yet slightly nutty flavor and has less of a chance of curdling when heated. Sour cream is of course an option. Serve this on a bed of wide egg noodles in a shallow soup bowl for a pretty presentation.

I like to begin this menu with a butter lettuce salad with shavings of Parmesan cheese and thinly sliced pears in a lemon vinaigrette. Serve sliced French bread on the side. If you want a green vegetable a side of braised spinach leaves would be lovely. Accompany this with a Rhone red wine like a Syrah or try a Cabernet Sauvignon.

Help is on the Way:

• For an even lighter version try this with strips of chicken or turkey instead of the beef.
• Use wild mushrooms, if available.
• Serve the stroganoff on a bed of couscous.
• This should be prepared just before serving.

Beef Stroganoff

Serves 6

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 pounds top sirloin, cut into 2 x 1×1/8-ich strips

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 leeks, light green and white part only, cleaned and finely chopped

1 pound brown (cremini) mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 1/4 cups beef broth

1/3 cup crème fraiche or sour cream

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, for garnish

1. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet on high heat. Dry the beef off with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Saute the beef in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan, about 1 minute on a side or until nicely browned on both sides and still pinkish. Remove to a side bowl and reserve. Repeat with another 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and the remaining meat. Reserve

2. Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining tablespoon of oil and the butter to the skillet. Saute the leeks until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté until nicely browned, about 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Stir in the tomato paste and cook a minute or until lightly browned. Sprinkle over the flour and cook another minute. Add the broth, turn up the heat to high and scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Let boil a minute and then reduce the heat to medium. Add the cream, mustard and lemon juice and cook another minute until nicely blended. Taste for seasoning. Return the meat and any juices to the sauce and cook no more than 2 minutes or until just hot. Serve immediately over noodles and garnish with parsley.

What a crazy summer. It’s almost over and I feel like I barely hit the swimming pool since Hawaii. Maybe that’s because I have been traveling so much. One of my most favorite trips was to San Francisco. I chose the relatively new Fairmont Heritage Place Ghirardelli Square because each room is an apartment with a full-on kitchen. HIgh end appliances and even a wine refrigerator make it a perfect place to put on a cocktail doo. And an extra bonus is they have a driver in a Lamborghini who took us shopping. Such fun. 

I have lots of friends in the bay area and so the cocktail party was the perfect way to entertain. My generous friends brought along some wonderful wine. I had always had a wish to be able to market at the Ferry Building and then cook up a meal. I decided to make it easy on myself so I put together a fabulous tapas platter from Cow Girl Creamery, breads from Acme Bakery and made up a platter of ceviche along with some yummy figs wrapped in proscuitto and drizzled with home made Meyer Lemon Balsamic glaze. 

In addition to shopping at The Ferry Building I visited one of the oldest Italian delis in San Francisco called Lucca on nearby Chestnut street where I filled in the menu with some of their homemade goodies.

Watching the sunset over the San Francisco bay with a glass of wine in my hand and friends chatting away was truly the highlight of my weekend trip. And to top it off we all went for hot fudge sundaes next door at the Ghirardelli ice cream shop for dessert. Consider staying at this more modern cousin of the original Fairmont hotel. You can be a local for the weekend and find out what it’s like to live in this “foodie” destination.