IN THE KITCHEN WITH: The Rini family

The Rini family love to have fun in the kitchen together. The Rini’s have lived on Siesta Key since June 2010 with their daughter, Lora, 7, and son Ray, who will be six on Wednesday.

Three years ago the family came home from a birthday party with a cookie-in-a-jar recipe for ginger snaps. Since then, Alison Rini, a teacher at Island Village Montessori, makes the cookies at the end of each year for her students and she said that they have always been a big hit. They are also a big hit with her husband and two children.

Along with nibbling on ginger snaps, Lora makes her favorite raspberry soda drink that she found in a book called Do It Now! Crafts.

Gingersnaps Mix in a Jar
Ingredients:
Layer the following in a 1-pint jar:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg

Directions
Empty contents of jar into a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Cut in 3/4 cup shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/4 cup molasses and 1 slightly beaten egg. Shape dough into 1-inch balls, and roll them in sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheets; bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove from baking sheets immediately. (Cookies will firm quickly as they cool.)

Makes about 4 dozen.

Note: As a gift, layer all the dry ingredients in a jar. Then, label the jar with baking directions.

Raspberry soda
Ingredients
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 cup fruit
Lemon juice to taste
Sparkling water

Directions
Combine 2 cups water, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup fruit in a small pot. Cook over low heat for 30-40 minutes until the sugar dissolves.

Strain and let cool.

Add lemon juice to taste.

Fill a glass with ice. Pour syrup one third of the way up, top off with sparkling water. Stir and enjoy!