1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. sugar (brown or white)
1 egg
1/2 c. molasses
1 1/2 tsp. vinegar
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice
1/2 tsp. cloves

Cream shortening, sugar, and egg together beating really hard. Then dump in the sticky molasses and some vinegar. Mix all up together 3 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, salt and each ginger, cinnamon (my favorite) and allspice. 1/2 teaspoon cloves also!! You have to put all the dry stuff in the big bowl first and mix it all up until its smooth, I like to measure everything with Mom. it looks brown and smooth and put it in your refrigerator to get cold (about 1 hour).

When you get the brown dough out you have to work on the dough on the counter or a board with lots of flour. You can mash it and squeeze it (knead it) a little like you do play dough. You roll out the ginger bread with a rolling pin and cut the dough with men shapes and put on a cookie sheet and bake in your oven at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Its fun to put rasins or cinnamon candy for eys and sometimes we put icing on them.