You know just how exciting my weekends are when I tell you that the highlight of the weekend was my son taking me to Sam's Club to "check it out!" and get lots of exciting stuff in large containers. Well, I did enjoy the 11 pound boxes of dishwasher detergent, the 5 pound tub of animal crackers (my favorite cookie - really) was thrilling, and they had big containers of the vitamins Thor takes. Woo Hoo! Thor's vitamins are set for 200 days! Yawn.
Today it's snowing outside, again.
It's snowing in the backyard, too. I checked. I was hoping summer would be out there.
But I did make a Plantation Cake this weekend. I don't know why it's a Plantation Cake, and I certainly don't believe I ever had ancestors who lived on a plantation, despite the fact that the only ancestors of mine who arrived after 1840 or so are the guy from Denmark, and the two from Nova Scotia. (Can you immigrate from Nova Scotia to New Hampshire? Isn't that rather like immigrating to Virginia from New York?). Again, I digress. Anyway, the moment you've all been waiting for....
PLANTATION CAKE2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
6 tbsp butter
3/4 cup hot water
3/4 cup molasses
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
Sift together the dry ingredients, and cut the butter in with a pastry cutter. Press half of this mix into the bottom of a greased 8"square pan. Mix the hot water and molasses, and stir in the baking soda. (Use a 4 cup measuring cup, so it won't fizz all over your counter. Consider yourself warned.) Pour 2/3 the molasses mix over the dry mix pressed into the pan, then sprinkle the remaining dry ingredients over it and drizzle the remaining wet mixture over the top. Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm, topped with....
Lemon Sauce
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch4 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sherry (optional)
Stir the cornstarch with the sugar, and stir in the water. Heat in the microwave until the sugar melts. Continue to heat, whisking periodically, until the mixture thickens, then whisk in the lemon juice and sherry.
This makes the cake really good, and is great over ice cream, too! Check out the lemon sherbet, with and without lemon sauce.
While mentally preparing for Superbowl Sunday this week, and doing all of the things normally required in life, my brain hit "Overload". So there was nothing particularly exciting to show you in the food for the past couple of days. Care to peruse desserts?
Brownie Sundae with caramel ice cream, bananas, praline powder and whipped cream. No, I did not partake, since I don't like brownies. It's better for my derriere this way.
Pound cake with orange sauce, bananas and whipped cream. About this day, my older son growled that he saw a pattern emerging here. I don't know whether he was pleased or not the next night, when banana cake appeared.
Yes, you've guessed it: I got another case of bananas this week. A half dozen loaves of banana bread will go into the freezer, a couple will leave with my son on Monday, when he returns to Carolina, and more than half of the case is already gone.
Well, despite the evidence last week that Thor's a great student of phonics, this is how he spent the last testing day we had.
Yesterday, the weather guru declared a snow day, or at least, part of the day was a snow day.
The snow mixed with freezing rain at times, and none of the boys, quadruped or biped, liked that too well. The neighbors didn't stay to sled for long. Well, maybe next time.
I know why the late, great James Beard was, in today's parlance, a "gentleman of size". The ingredients in this ice cream, as well as the previous one of his, tell me all I need to know. And yet, it's so sinfully delicious that one finds onesself willing to risk additional girth to eat food a la James Beard.
This doesn't taste like Brach's caramels, but it's very rich. My husband thought it was some kind of coffee ice cream, because it was a little bitter, but 2 of my sons liked it. For the record, my youngest child doesn't like anything. No, he likes brownies, orange juice, hot dogs and Nutella (although he hates sandwiches), so I disregard his opinions. If he says something's "not too bad", that's high praise indeed. (sigh) Thank goodness his brother is here to display enthusiasm!
JAMES BEARD'S CARAMEL ICE CREAM
1 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water
3 cups cream
1/3 cup sugar4 egg yolks
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
5/8 cup caramel syrup
In a saucepan or heavy skillet, melt the sugar, shaking the pan occasionally, but not stirring (the sugar will stick to everything!). When it's melted, stir in the boiling water. Warning: it will spit. Wear your cooking mittens. You'll be clumsy, but you'll be safe. Cook until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes, over medium heat (about 240F on a candy thermometer, which I don't have). This makes the caramel syrup.
While the caramel syrup cooks, heat 1-1/2 cups cream to boiling on the stove, or in the microwave. I used the microwave, as I do with all of my custard based ice cream. It works fine, and it's one less pan to clean. ( I really hate cleanup, and I really hate looking at dirty pans in my sink. I digress.) Add the 1/3 cup sugar to the cream, and heat to dissolve the sugar. Stir some of the hot mix into the lightly beaten egg yolks, then whisk them into the cream. Cook in the microwave for 4 to 6 minutes, whisking every 30 to 45 seconds, until the custard mix thickens. Don't let this mixture boil, or the eggs will curdle. When it coats the back of the spoon, it's done. Let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to cool, then add the salt, vanilla and the balance of the cream. Stir in 5/8 cup of the caramel syrup made in the previous step, and cool for 2 to 3 hours. Process according to your ice cream maker's directions. When you're ready to serve, the balance of the caramel syrup can be reheated in the microwave, and spooned over the individual helpings of ice cream (although I skipped this step). Warning: this ice cream is so rich that you'll be able to eat about half of what you normally eat from a store-bought container.
Since my dearly beloved didn't like this as much as some others, I'd probably add a bit more sugar to the custard mix, and a bit less caramel syrup, but I'm pretty sure this will make the list of "gotta have it" again. And, of course, since it was snowing last night, ice cream was a perfect dessert, don't you think?
I saw the title for this in my "new" Fannie Farmer cookbook and thought, "Well, that's what our yard looks like, so why not?"
I'd made a plain ol' yellow cake (my favorite), and found myself woefully lacking in confectioner's sugar. Remembering that there is such a thing as cooked frosting, although it's not often seen these days, I thought I'd give it a whirl. My sons thought it tasted like a cross between marshmallows and cotton candy, and it disappeared quickly enough to convince me that they liked it. I've learned through many years to disregard whatever men say, and pay attention to how fast they demolish something. Example: "These are the most delicious brussels sprouts ever," as they eat 2. "This cake is passable," as they eat 2 pieces. Case closed.
WHITE MOUNTAIN CREAM
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
pinch of salt
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Combine everything except the egg whites, and cook over medium heat "until it spins a 6 inch thread" (whatever that means) or reaches 240F on a candy thermometer. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites until very stiff. Drizzle in the hot sugar mix, and beat more, until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla and frost your cake. While I think I prefer buttercream frosting (truth be told, I am not that big a fan of frosting), this certainly looks beautiful.
Important note: Don't get impatient and stop cooking the sugar mixture too early, or it will never stiffen up properly. I threw out my first batch, so trust me, it's worth the wait. I also let my Kitchenaid mixer to the egg work while I cooked the sugar mixture. Having more to do made me less impatient!
Although it didn't match the -2 we suffered earlier last week, Saturday's 6.6 degrees was just too darn cold for me. And, when it's cold, what's better than warm grinders (a.k.a. hoagies, po' boys, subs) and nice hot soup? Precious little, in my book.
Probably 5 or 6 years ago, I was preparing to make a pot of cream of broccoli soup, and my husband growled at me that he couldn't be expected to eat that (expletive deleted). Since he'd eaten, and claimed to like, it before, I was rather stunned. I poured the contents of the pan down the drain, cooked up some eggs, and told him he'd never suffer cream soup at my hands again. Well, I lied. I wanted this soup on Saturday, and so it was dinner. My son, the flooring guru, when he smelled it starting to cook, made appreciative noises and commented that he hadn't had it in a very long time. He ate 3 big bowls full, so it was obvious he liked it. And even my dearly beloved claimed to enjoy it.
This really is good; try it!
CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP
1-1/2 cups broccoli, chopped small1 onion, chopped small
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup powdered milk2 cups heavy cream
copious amounts of freshly ground black pepper
Cook the onion and broccoli in the chicken broth about 15 minutes, or until done. Whisk in the powdered milk. Add the cream and pepper, heat through, and simmer for 15 minutes. There was one cup left over, and it was my breakfast/lunch on Sunday.
In case you'd like to make your own grinder rolls:
2 cups warm water
8 tsp yeast
6 cups flour
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil (optional)
Dissolve the yeast in the water. Stir in the sugar, then add the flour and salt. If desired, add oil; this will make your rolls softer. Knead or mix in the Kitchenaid (this recipe was too big for the bread machine) for 10 minutes, let rise for 10 minutes, form into long loaves and place on baking trays. Let them rise about 15 minutes, or until doubled in size. Bake at 375F for 16 to 18 minutes, until desired degree of brown is reached. Makes 4 foot-long rolls (14", in my case). If you don't want your grinder rolls in about an hour, then use half the yeast. Me, I don't like to wait too long. We filled our grinders with pork in BBQ sauce and turkey with gravy; I wish I'd had some meatballs.
Thank you all for your compliments on my new floor, and my china cabinet. Thor loves the new floor, because his feet don't slide out from under him when he's standing up, although I don't think he's thrilled that I've promised mayhem to rain upon anyone who drops food on this floor any time soon. He still sits expectantly between the boys, waiting for donations to the Hungry Dog Foundation.
My breakfast room set is a French Provincial dining room suite I bought in 1986, and they had discontinued that series. I especially love the cherry tops on the white furniture, because it's not something you see every day! My dearly beloved has become accustomed to the fact that his wife is a girly girl, and some of his furniture therefore must be girly. The things our men put up with for us!
Gaylen asked me for the recipe for yesterday's muffins, and I'm ashamed to say that I was so excited about my floor that I simply forgot to post it! These came about because I bought some Welch's dried tropical fruits. I thought they'd taste interesting, and instead they tasted like sugared stuff. So don't waste your money, unless you want really good little muffins! Again, these could be made in full sized muffin pans, but I love mini muffins, because then I can eat 2 or 3 without feeling guilty, and without gaining 10 pounds! So, stir these up in your little mixing bowl, and enjoy them without dieter's guilt!
TROPICAL FRUIT MUFFINS
1-3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp powdered milk
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 cups orange juice1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Welch's dried tropical fruits
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Stir everything together in a mixing bowl. Spoon into greased mini muffin pans. Optional: sprinkle sugar on top of each muffin, although they don't need it. Bake at 400F for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they are light golden and test done. Cool and glaze, if desired (I did this for the ones that lived until Friday morning). Makes 24 muffins.
OK, I probably shouldn't try to be so cutesy in my titles. Last night, around 9PM, the second coat on my floor was finally dry.
I had wanted to pickle it, to keep the floor light, but since we spring for the extra money for premium grade maple, my husband thought it was light enough, and we simply varnished it instead. So the china cabinet returned to the room.
Shortly thereafter, the table followed, along with some of the chairs. Dan's putting another coat on the floor, around the two large pieces of furniture, and this weekend my room will be back together.
I made 6 dozen mini muffins to celebrate. Happy weekend, everyone!
Paula asked me what we're doing for school with my kitchen and breakfast room disruptions. Well, we stuffed a small table in the corner of the dining room. Of course, Thor still goes to school every day.
And, while neither his speech nor his reading abilities seem to have improved, nonetheless, he still studies his phonics.
Happy Thursday, and Happy Dogs on Thursday!
In my shrunken kitchen, I'm trying to use as few dishes, bowls, pans, etc. as possible. This recipe from my Shortcut Cooking for the Smart Cook cookbook was perfect, since it required only the baking pan and a glass mixing cup for the microwave. Actually, I first made this last Thursday, and my dearly beloved asked for a rerun last night, so I'm guessing that means it was better than "not too awfully bad!"
APPLESAUCE SNACK CAKE
1-2/3 cups flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vinegar (I used cider vinegar)
Use an 8"x8" or 7"x10" baking pan, ungreased. In the pan, put all of the dry ingredients, and stir them together well. Add the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in the nuts. Bake at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Serve warm, topped with this sauce:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup orange juice or apple cider
2 tbsp whipping cream
Melt the butter in the microwave. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, then cook in the microwave for 1 to 3 minutes (depending upon your microwave oven), until the sauce thickens. Serve over the warm cake. Then cry because there will be no leftovers for tomorrow morning's breakfast. Grace, here's another winner for your cinnamon recipe collection!
My breakfast room table, which is 10 feet long, is still diagonally occupying most of my kitchen. I am restricted to cooking on one stove, with only 2 feet of counter available, and, at best, 4 feet of floor behind me. Obviously, I'm cooking as simply as I can, especially when you consider that Thor and his 2 footed companions will periodically just show up to see how things are going, and have to be chased from the room. There have been times when I wanted to take my older son up on his offer to just arm me with a length of maple flooring, explaining that it is 12% harder than redwood.
So, yesterday's dinner was a take off on a pot roast recipe, using a corned beef brisket which had been lurking in a corner of my freezer. 3 minutes from freezer to oven: how could anyone not love it?
DIRTY CORNED BEEF BRISKET
1 corned beef brisket
1/2 can pureed tomatoes
1 envelope onion soup mix1/2 cup water
Put the brisket in the smallest possible roasting pan. Pour the tomatoes over it, sprinkle the soup mix over the tomatoes, and carefully pour the water in the sides of the pan to keep it moist. Cover tightly with foil, and roast at 300F for about 3 hours. Serve with boiled potatoes stirred in with melted butter and chopped parsley, and your favorite green veggie. Expect no leftovers.
It was a little salty for my taste, but the guys simply devoured this, and whined that there was no more!
Saturday, a lot of progress was made on my hardwood floor. Sunday, not so much. After all, there was football to be watched!
To prevent me from being an overly attentive supervisor, I decided to sew on Saturday, and made two skirts from one of my favorite patterns. One is A-line, the other a full circle. Both are a black pattern, because I have a bad habit of starting something in one color, then going on to other things in the same color. I don't like to rethread my machines. The A-line skirt has a vivid floral pattern. I had bought this fabric for one of my daughters a few years back, but she never used it, so I snagged it. There wasn't enough fabric to make a waistband, so I faced it instead.
The circle skirt has a tiny embroidered pattern, reminiscent of eyelet, and is filmy and floaty.
At least they kept me occupied for a while. And, sheesh, those are some ugly blurry photos, aren't they?
The boys enjoyed the football games, and who wouldn't with my wonderful commentaries: "I'm voting for those guys in the red outfits, because they're very snappy." "Watch that long haired number 11 dude in red. He did stuff last week." "Can the Eagles wear the red outfits, so I can vote for the home team again?" "Where's the 800 number to cast my vote again?" For the Super Bowl, I'll have a real dilemma - do I vote for Longhair #11 or for Troy the Longhair (who also does stuff) and the dude named for an awesome clock - "Big Ben"? Yes, I know better than that. But it's a way to amuse myself while watching something I don't terribly like with a group of people I do terribly like. I also fed them LaBrea Tar Pit drumsticks, breadsticks, polynesian meatballs and orange ice cream. So they chuckle at my silly comments, and enjoy my food.
It was below 10 degrees here from Wednesday through Saturday, when it finally reached 14. Today, I've put the boys out in the yard to enjoy the balmy 27 degree weather, sled, and chase Thor around the yard. Until my breakfast room is reassembled, I'm afraid I'm a bit disorganized, and feel really stupid. Hope everyone else's life feels better today - Happy Monday!
This makes the cake really good, and is great over ice cream, too! Check out the lemon sherbet, with and without lemon sauce.
