Gingersnaps

This week Hailey and I made gingersnaps. I got this recipe from a neighbor when we lived on Fair Lane whose name was Elaine Russell. Her son, Sean played with my daughter when they were pre-schoolers. He would come over to our house (three houses away) but was afraid he might meet neighborhood dogs on the way. He resolved this by wearing his He-man (a super-hero at the time) shirt. If he saw a dog, he would solve the problem by ripping open his jacket and exposing the He-man shirt. It must have worked because there was never a dog incident.
I like this recipe for gingersnaps because they are soft and chewy instead of thin and crispy like the ones you can buy in the store. Hailey and I have a new project now. We still cook every Wednesday. Every Thursday we do an art project. Hailey was an art major in college and I have made it cear on a number of occasions that I am no artist. I do have some experience with kindergarten art and how to give children confidence and exposure in this area. Today we started by making line drawings of each animal in Bill Martin Jr.'s Brown Bear Brown Book. At first kindergarten age children tell me in a discouraged voice, "I can't draw!' These young children are proud of their recognizable pictures that they drew all by themselves and parents are impressed.
Following is the Gingersnap recipe:

1 1//2 c. shortening
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. molasses
2 eggs
4 c. flour
pinch of salt
4 tsp. soda
2 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. cloves

Make dough into 1-1 1/2" balls and dip into sugar on one side. Place sugar side up on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 min. Do not over-bake.