Weekend Soapbox

Soapbox
 

archive

Saturday, November 14, 2009

After last week's installment of "Calling All Chefs" -- Weekend Edition's recurring recipe contest -- many of you wrote in asking for more information about a recipe for ginger snaps, which we mentioned only in passing on the air.

You can now find Patty Morgan's recipe for chewy ginger snaps below, along with the recipes for all four finalists here on our site. Morgan notes that she tried for years to recreate her parents' cookies. But her mother never told her the last secret until she was "literally on her deathbed."

And so, by popular demand, here is Patty Morgan's recipe:

Winnie & Jerry's Chewy Ginger Snaps

Ingredients:
-- 0.75 cup shortening
-- 0.5 cup brown sugar
-- 0.5 cup sugar
-- 0.25 cup molasses (plus a little extra)
-- 1 egg
-- 2.25 cups sifted all-purpose flour
-- 2 teaspoons baking soda
-- 0.5 teaspoon salt
-- 1 teaspoon ground ginger*
-- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-- 0.5 teaspoon ground cloves

*For more ginger flavor, you can add crystallized ginger.

Directions:

-- Cream shortening, sugar, molasses and egg until fluffy
-- Sift together flour, soda, salt, and spices
-- Stir into molasses mixture
-- Form into balls and roll in bowl of sugar
-- Place on greased cookie sheet
-- Bake in 375 degree oven and remove before they look done

Again, thanks to all who submitted recipes. We've picked our winners, but there were so many excellent entries. If you'd like to keep sharing your ginger recipes, please do! Post your recipes below.

11:15 - November 14, 2009

 
Friday, November 13, 2009

Davar Ardalan, Danyell Irby, Tony Marcano, NPR News

On Weekend Edition Saturday, this month's Impact of War series continues with Scott Simon interviewing Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, director of the U.S. Army's new Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program, whose mission, according to its website, "is to develop and institute a holistic fitness program for soldiers, families, and Army civilians in order to enhance performance and build resilience." The interview takes place next week and will air on Saturday November 21. Do you have any questions for her?

Also for Impact of War, Bellamy Pailthorp of member station KPLU reports that even committed military families rethink their allegiance when bureaucracy ignores their needs. She tells the story on an Army wife who fought her husband's transfer from Fort Lewis, Washington, to a small town in Louisiana so that her two young children could get the medical and mental health care they need -- but staying near the family's current care providers meant seeing her husband deployed to Iraq for a third time.

Our series will be produced in cooperation with NPR's Impact of War Project. The collaboration is an outreach effort to NPR member station reporters around the country to aid in increasing their local coverage of the experiences and sacrifices of US troops and their communities. Links to many of these stories examining how community attitudes, public policy, military strategy, medicine and technology are altered by the wars can be found on npr.org.

Feel free to tell us your story -- how have the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq affected your family?

8:22 - November 13, 2009

 
Saturday, November 7, 2009

Julia Holmes Bailey, Weekend Edition

As you start making your Thanksgiving dinner plans, you might enjoy Weekend Edition host Scott Simon's interview with Evan Kleiman, the host of member station KCRW's program "Good Food." They talked about her obsession with pie, the season's essential dish. Yet the roots of this obsession started over the summer when -- despite not having a regular oven of her own -- she made a pie a day and blogged about it:

In the process, she learned all sorts of tips and tweaks to make the perfect pie, which she passed on. Her listeners, in return, submitted their own pie creations, including "Squirrel Pie" -- "pie pops" cut into the shape of squirrels -- and a Savory Tomato Pie with onions, garlic and a cheese crust.

Now, her program is hosting a pie contest and you can find out more about it, including how to submit your pie.

8:35 - November 7, 2009

 

Davar Ardalan, Danyell Irby, Tony Marcano, NPR News

Coming up next week on our Impact of War series - Five years ago psychiatrist Judith Broder created The Soldiers Project which provides free confidential treatment to military service members and their families for as long as needed. Supporters say these volunteer services fill a crucial gap in VA services for the military. Last month, Broder received the Purpose prize for successful social entrepreneurs.

Our series will be produced in cooperation with NPR's Impact of War Project. The collaboration is an outreach effort to NPR member station reporters around the country to aid in increasing their local coverage of the experiences and sacrifices of US troops and their communities. Links to many of these stories examining how community attitudes, public policy, military strategy, medicine and technology are altered by the wars can be found on npr.org.

Feel free to tell us your story -- how have the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq affected your family?

6:52 - November 7, 2009

 
Friday, November 6, 2009

Gemma Watters, Production Assistant.

This week, on Weekend Edition Saturday, you can hear a highly entertaining conversation with Host Scott Simon and British actor Philip Glenister about his role as Detective Gene Hunt on the hit television show Life on Mars - the UK version. Detective Hunt works without a rulebook, and also seems to have a problem with women in the workplace. Check out the clip below, and before you go be sure to leave your memories of 1973.

4:08 - November 6, 2009

 

This week, most of the Weekend Edition team gathered at the home of NPR's food essayist Bonny Wolf to taste three -- er, four -- of the recipes you submitted for our latest Calling All Chefs contest. We asked for your best ginger recipes, and we received more than 200 entries. Bonny scoured through them all and picked a few that she thought Liane might enjoy. Since using ginger was Liane's idea, she got to pick a winner. But everyone there got to taste the dishes. Check out the video below for staff reactions:

1:42 - November 6, 2009

 

@nprweekend On Twitter

    Follow us on Twitter   

    contributors

    Scott Simon

    Scott Simon

    Host, WESAT

    Liane Hansen

    Liane Hansen

    Host, WESUN

    Staff Bloggers

    Davar Iran Ardalan

    Supervising Senior Producer

    Charla Bear

    Assistant Producer

    Jenni Bergal

    Supervising Senior Editor

    Sarah Beyer Kelly

    Senior Producer

    Peter Breslow

    Senior Producer

    Elaine Heinzman

    Assistant Producer

    Justine Kenin

    Associate Producer

    Tony Marcano

    Senior Editor

    Ned Wharton

    Senior Producer

    About 'Soapbox'

    This is the official blog of NPR's Weekend Edition.

    To learn more about this blog, please read our show's Frequently Asked Questions and the discussion rules.

    Contact Us

    Please use our contact form if you have private comments or messages you'd like to share with the Soapbox team.

    search Weekend Soapbox