Get the latest recipes from Jo_jo_ba http://www.grouprecipes.com/people/jo_jo_ba Whole grain cereal, sunflower seeds and dried fruit get a tad tipsy on Grand Marnier before being kneaded into a whole wheat and rye sourdough and baked to crispy perfection! Raisin bread just won't seem the same anymore. I was inspired by a Wild Yeast recipe I saw http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2 009/12/06/fruit-and-nut/ for a fruit and nut studded sourdough loaf taken from the book "Bread Matters". Since I had a ton of random ingredients to use up and a starter to refresh anyway, I modified Susan's ingredients but kept her basic method to create this delicious, hearty loaf. http://www.grouprecipes.com/107950/slightly-soused-seeded-sourdough.html I made my dad one of his favourite Christmas confections - fruitcake - out of another one of his favourites - home made mincemeat! This sucker took up a whole 10" springform with barely any room to spare, and clocked in at just over 6 lbs. It's a combination of two recipes from historic Toronto Star clipouts! Mizz R, if you're wondering by the way, is me! The mincemeat recipe is also on this site: http://www.grouprecipes.com/107940/mizz-rs-big-bad-mincemeat.html http://www.grouprecipes.com/107941/mizz-rs-big-bad-christmas-cake.html This vegan mincemeat mixture was originally made for my Big Bad Christmas Cake this year, but it can also be used for several pies, it makes about 5 cups but you'll only need 3 cups for the cake (if you choose to make it) and the remainders keep very well. http://www.grouprecipes.com/107940/mizz-rs-big-bad-mincemeat.html Adapted from http://delightfullysweet.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/espresso-crinkle-cookies/ http://www.grouprecipes.com/107826/lumps-of-coal.html There’s no getting around the sugar attack with these cookies – between the Nutella and the three kinds of baking chips you might need an extra large glass of milk for these! Adapted from http://www.canadianliving.com/food/chocolate_chip_hazelnut_cookies.php http://www.grouprecipes.com/107825/triple-chip-nutella-cookies.html Inspired by a post on Baking Bites for an equally delicious sounding oatmeal streusel cookie (http://bakingbites.com/2009/0 1/oatmeal-streusel-cookies/), I made these gingery, chewy cookies for a teacher of mine with morning sickness. http://www.grouprecipes.com/107673/double-ginger-oatmeal-cookies.html What do you make for a chocolate freak who's allergic to dairy, nuts and soy? Any chcolate except unsweetened is out because of the lethicin, and butter, coconut oil and most shortening is off the books too! Well, I got creative, and busted out the black beans! My initial batch had mixed reviews because of the banana flavour, so I used a rather interesting blend of ingredients in this batch - flaxseed, apple butter and an egg as well. Add rich, dark-roast coffee and bitter chocolate too and you've got a winner! http://www.grouprecipes.com/107672/jr-jrs-brownie-bars.html Adapted from Cookie Madness to eliminate the egg and dairy, and include chocolate covered espresso beans! Talk about a double dose of antioxidants in a cookie! http://www.grouprecipes.com/107671/red-wine-and-espresso-bean-cookies.html A couple interesting ingredients make these cookies unique – Kamut flour for a delicious buttery note and texture, cream cheese for tenderness, a touch of nutmeg for that “bakery” aroma and a combination of three sugars and corn syrup for an out-of-this-world chewy / crispy bite! These are best if the dough is wrapped and chilled overnight (or up to 3 days - but you can freeze it too!) in the fridge, but works for immediate baking also. http://www.grouprecipes.com/107670/deliciously-chewy-double-chip-cookies.html A basic, standard tofu pudding recipe I whipped up for myself when I had my wisdom teeth out at Christmastime! Use regular sugar if you prefer. Makes about 3 cups, 1 cup per serving (and 2 points for WWers). http://www.grouprecipes.com/107669/unwised-chocolate-pudding.html