My mother-in-law, Kay, passed away in September. She and I used to laugh at everything and anything!  I sat down today with my recipe box (yes, I still have one, filled to the brim with recipes I treasure), thinking about what dessert to make for the holidays. This will be our first Christmas without Kay, so I decided to make one of the desserts she shared with me.

Cake Ingredients:

1 cup of uncooked oatmeal
1 1/4 cups of boiling water
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of white, granulated sugar
1/2 cup of margarine or unsalted butter
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Topping ingredients:

1/4 cup of melted margarine or unsalted butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar
3 tablespoons of light cream or milk
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
3/4 cup shredded coconut

Cake Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with Pam, or line with parchment paper (do not spray). Set it aside.

Put the uncooked oatmeal in a large mixing bowl. Pour the boiling water over the oatmeal, cover, and set it aside to soften (about 15-20 minutes).

Sift the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.

Cream the margarine (or butter) with the white and brown sugar. Add the eggs and the vanilla. Add this creamed mixture to the softened oatmeal and stir to blend. Add the sifted flour mixture to this and stir until well blended.

Pour the cake batter into your prepared 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Leave the cake in the pan. While it cools, prepare the topping. 

Melt the margarine (or butter) in a small saucepan. Add the brown sugar, the light cream (or milk), the chopped pecans and the shredded coconut. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Spread the topping over the top of the cake. Put the cake back in the oven and broil the topping, on low, for 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on the cake so it doesn't burn! 

​Remove the cake from the oven. Cool and Enjoy!

I love these cookies! They’re not overly sweet with a delicious ginger taste. The dough is easy to use and can be rolled out repeatedly. Makes 7 to 8 dozen cookies, depending on your cookie cutter size. A great recipe to encourage the kids to help in the kitchen!



​Ingredients:

1 cup of unsalted butter
1 ¼ cup of molasses
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground, minced, or freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground cloves

Directions: 

Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan. Add molasses and brown sugar. Heat until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool.

Mix remaining ingredients together. Add to the cooled sugar, molasses and butter mixture. Stir until blended. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the cookie dough is easy to handle, using additional flour as needed.

Wrap the cookie dough in wax paper, cling wrap, or in a container with a lid – anything that is moisture-proof. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 days. This allows the cookie dough to “ripen” so the ginger flavor is stronger.

On a floured surface, roll out one-fourth of the dough at a time, to about ¼ thick. Cut with your favourite cookie cutters. Place on ungreased cookie sheets that are lined with parchment paper or foil.

Bake for 10-13 minutes in a pre-heated oven of 350 F degrees.

You can decorate the cookies once they have cooled, but they are just as delicious as is!