By Request - The Recipe for Ginger Snap Cookies at the Walk for Joy

Awesome Ginger Snap Cookies

Read the recipe through before you start baking! It is important that you use exactly the ingredients specified. 

4 cups unbleached, all purpose flour, sifted

2 Tablespoons ground ginger (yes, tablespoons)

3 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup UNSALTED, REAL BUTTER, softened

3/4 cup Crisco solid shortening

1 cup sugar

1 cup LIGHT brown sugar (dark brown will make them too soft)

2 eggs

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 hour to 1 hour before baking (this will depend on how warm or cool it is in your home) ...Take the butter and eggs out of the refrigerator so they can come to room temperature.  DO NOT SOFTEN  BUTTER IN MICROWAVE!  This changes the composition of the butter.  Also, use real butter.  Margarine and spreads have a lot of water in them.

1.  In a medium size bowl (not the mixing bowl), whisk together flour, ginger, soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.  Set aside.

Submitted by Ted and Sandy Reynolds

2.  Cream butter, shortening, sugar and brown sugar in large mixing bowl just until well combined.

3.  Add eggs and molasses.  Beat until smooth.

4.  Set mixer at lowest speed (or you'll end up looking like a flour snowman!).  Add dry ingredients 1/2 cup at a time.  Mix well.  Dough will be stiff.

5.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 -3 hours.

Set  oven to 375 degrees and preheat for 20 minutes.  Oven rack should be in center of oven. Additional rack should be above that one.

6.Using a cookie scoop or two teaspoons, roll dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Try to make the balls about the same size,1 inch.  Airbake cookie sheets work well.  If you use regular baking sheets, be careful not to bake too long.

7.  Bake cookies 10-11 minutes. Keep a close eye on them! Check them at 10 minutes and add a minute if you need to.  Use a timer! They should be light brown and slightly soft in the center when they come out of the oven. Try not to let them get dark brown around the edges. 

Allow your cookie sheet to cool completely before putting more dough on it.

8. When cookies come out of the oven, wait  30 seconds and then place cookies on wire rack to cool.  When completely cool, put cookies in an airtight container and put a slice of bread on top of the cookies before putting on the lid.  Don't leave them out in the air too long or you will have crunchier cookies.

                                          Enjoy!!  Makes  at least 7 doz. (84) very fattening cookies!

Arriving Home and Staying In Touch

We hope everyone arrived home safely, and on their travels, carried with them fond memories, new friendships and warm wishes from Delaware.

We do have the benefit of technology to keep us connected. This blog and the Flickr photo gallery (with 900+ photos in place and more tour photos to come) act in concert with the printed address directory to facilitate all of us to remain in touch.

To that end, it would be helpful to put name to face. This brain of the blogmaster is not quite sharp enough, or attended enough forums to know all the names that go with the many images the Flickr site offers!

Therefore, if you would like to add a caption or can identify the people in a particular photo, please let Michele Walfred know and she will add it to the photo as soon as possible. Since many photos share the same generic photo number, it would be helpful to let us know the day the photo was taken or subject: e.g., Friday workshop, Saturday dinner, a brief description of the photo, e.g., man in the brown sweater and girl with the red hair looking at the pumpkin, and we will likely be able to find it from there.  It would also be helpful to know the Postal Code of the subjects.

Full names will not be published. To protect your privacy, we will list: Lisa B. from DE and Debbie P. from PA, etc.  You should be able to figure out the full name from your printed address directory. We will be happy to send anyone an e-copy of that address directory in Excel.That will help you with creating labels and mail merges for the future.

In most cases, we did collect email addresses at registration. If you request an email address of a 2010 NERVF attendee, we will gladly share it upon getting their permission first.

If you don't mind releasing your email to other attendees, just email Michele with the subject, "OK to share my email" and those emails will be added to a separate address book that will be shared with other NERVF attendees.

For the members of the 2010 4-H NERVF Planning Committee, the end of our weekend is bittersweet. We've been working hard...and now we get to return home and rest - we are thankful our lives are returning back to normal- but we already are missing you-our extended 4-H family-and like you, are thinking ahead to when we can see you again - learn and celebrate at your side, and enjoy your warm 4-H smiles. Until then, we wish you many blessings...go forth doing what you do best -  Making the Best Better!

Pictures are in for Friday night

Click here to see pictures posted soon after they are taken!!!

Remember! If you click on the plus sign inside the magnifying glass...then look to the top right to "select all sizes" and you can download the picture in its original size or a smaller one if you prefer - absolutely free!

Today's the day the excitement begins!

Delaware 4-H Extension staff and volunteers are rising early this morning, packing their bags and just like you, heading down to Rehoboth Beach's Atlantic Sands!

We have a shorter trip however, but we are getting up to get ready, setting up the welcome reception, organizing the registration desk, and finishing all the last minute details.

There are simply no words to tell you how excited we are-so just look for our big, genuine smiles as we say hello and know that we are so pleased to have you as our guests!

If there is anything we can do to make your stay with us more pleasant, please let our staff know! Look for the green "staff" ribbon.

It's raining in Delaware today, a part of a larger rain system that us sweeping up the East Coast.  Please drive safely! Don't speed! And be ready to party 4-H and First State style!!!

2010 NERVF Photos

Throughout the forum this weekend, we will have folks uploading pictures to our Flickr account - a photo sharing site. Last year we created a set to put some pictures of prior forums, so we thought that it would be best to continue in the same location!

So, please bookmark our 4-H NERVF Flicker page and check back often as the new 2010 pictures are loaded. It may take a week after the event for all the images to make their way for your viewing pleasure!

You do not need to sign in or create an account to view any of the pictures.Flickr is absolutely free! In fact, if you see a picture and you would like to have a copy of it, Flickr makes it easy. Simply click the magnifying glass icon with a + in the middle, and the picture will enlarge and you will have the option to download a thumbnail, small, medium, large or original size photo.

Flickr also enables you to view all the pictures in a slideshow, without having to download anything. These pictures will be left up indefinitely.

However, if there is a picture posted that you would like us to remove, please let us know immediately. You can also Google NERVF and Flickr and the link should come right up!

Weather Forecast for Rehoboth Beach 19971

Forecast as per the Weather Channel 11/1/2010

All loaded and ready to go!

T-shirts are in and bags are packed!

Members of our Registration Committee and friends from Kent and New Castle Counties spent Saturday morning stuffing the registration bags with goodies. We hope you like the quality bags, and what you find inside them!!

Members of the Registration Committee spent this Saturday stuffing bags!