Comfort Food and Comfortable People~

Growing up we often had hamburger steak for dinner.  I don't recall ever having a regular steak at home. We had this dish with mashed potatoes and gravy made from the drippings from the frying of the hamburger steaks. Delicious.  I have to say I have never made this dish in all the years I have been married and I don't know why. I saw this picture from South in your Mouth and vow to take this on  one day soon.  I do also recall as a child the best hamburger I have ever put in my mouth was fresh beef  in hamburger form straight from the butchering.  It has an entirely different taste and one that is remembered all these years.

Then there is pizza.  Ahhh. I was a senior in high school on a date.  We went to this little place in Parkersburg, West Virginia and my date ordered this beautiful pie.  Had never seen one.  Had never heard of it.  When I tasted it it was cast in the 'memory taste' that stayed with me and it is a fond thought. I remember the pizza but forget the boy who bought it. The next year I attended Otterbein and had pizza on a regular basis.  In fact I walked eight miles for pizza with my sorority sisters on a walk for some cause--forgot the cause remember the pizza AND the eight mile walk.

It started when we were newly married in one of the very first apartment building areas in Columbus off of Olentangy Road.  Our new friends kept wanting us to come for coffee and I wondered why?  I was not a coffee drinker and my parents never had time to 'go for coffee' or 'come for coffee', so it took me a long time to get it.  Now,it is a comfort that I enjoy every day.

 

We are looking forward to today and Joe's family reunion. I don't have to cook and that is a lovely thing. I'll have pictures, I'm sure.  Even though I am not cooking we are not going empty handed: we have Joe's gift Maker's Mark and a new whiskey (to us)called Knob Creek named after Lincoln's birth place in Kentucky.  I've not seen Joe drink that, so it should be a nice treat for him.  Stuart Woods, the author of around forty novels and ones that I am really in to at the moment, wrote of Knob Creek Bourbon in many of his books. Then our niece Kathy loves brussel sprouts and eats them like popcorn.   I am taken a dish of those for her. Her husband gets Mr. and Mrs. T, a spicy bloody Mary mix that I find to my liking and I wanted him to try that.   Tom and Chee enjoy my homemade granola, so we have some bags of that for them.  Pam gets wine and George gets granola too. We five will be there with bells on in just a few hours, with pleasure.

We had a great family reunion today in Cincinnati.  Here are some pictures. Click on the pictures to make them larger.

Week end celebrations~

May is full of celebrations and we are hitting them all;  starting Saturday with Joe Lechler's 80th birthday family reunion in Cincinnati. Being the oldest, he is now the patriarch of the Lechler family and they are traveling from far and wide to honor him.. Then his grand daughter, Alex,  graduated magna cum laude with a BA in Chemistry. 
  We will celebrate this and the return, for good, of Andrew Isfort, Joe's  grandson, having served his country with honor.

 Beth's children, Brooks and Alyssa, both sported a 4.0 this year as well. This is a month of family bragging and joy and congratulations.  Then there is Memorial Day itself....The wish I have is that our veterans and wounded warriors are well taken care of by our government and thanked by the people they protected through these egregious wars.

Have a lovely month of May.

Ode to Mother's Day

                                                     

I am cooking this year for Mother's Day.  I can't stand the crowds, the lines, and the so so food that is offered in restaurants any more.  The prices for a dish of pasta makes me gag.  It's a big change.  I always wanted to go out for special occasions or no occasion at all, and now I don't.  Now when we travel to Florida in January, I don't mind breakfast at Cracker Barrel, but I do want a nice restaurant for dinner and I don't mean McDonald's dollar menu.  I don't often eat out, so I want something decent in the evenings while on a trip or at the beach house. It is only fair after cooking all year and even cooking on vacation.  I don't mind it, I actually like it, but I don't want to fight to get to go out some times while away from home.

So Sunday is prime rib day with a leek and potato gratin.  Andy has some nice lettuce growing already and a bit of broccoli, the start of a cauliflower head, some green onions and the herbs are growing wild this year.  The kale has popped up much to many family member's delight, so kale it is for the salad.  I am on a cake baking jag and just finished a Margarita cake that is delicious.  You'll want this recipe.  Brooks, the 4.0 cadet and Alyssa the 4.0  lass who took a year off and is back now focused and ready to take on her last year at Tulane will be here.  We are proud of the job Beth has done with these two and she  did it alone and should be celebrated on Sunday as a special mother. Mothers are rarely properly thanked through out the year so they should be really celebrated on Sunday. I must admit I was not always present on Mother's Day for my mother and I regret it.  I never thanked her properly or often enough for all of her sacrifices, kindnesses and love until the end, but she would have appreciated it more when she was healthy.  True, it's a regret one cannot fix now. But I miss her every day. So to all you mothers near and far, much happiness to you starting Sunday and lasting for a life time.  It is a difficult job and we don't always do it well.

           
 To Elizabeth Anderson with love and respect.

Memories

There are a lot of changes going on here at Many Branches.  With that comes unearthing pictures of special events of the past and in one case here, the future. Joe, Andy's brother, turned 80 years old a few days ago and his daughters are planning a big family reunion.  Their invitations for the event were clever and memorable.  Here is the one for Joe's party.

As we are redoing the guest apartment Matt found this picture of his father, Mike, at a basketball camp run by the then Ohio State basketball coach Fred Taylor.  Mike is adorable (as usual) and I think the family will enjoy these pictures. (Mike is now 54 years old.)

Speaking of sports:

Andy is in his glory.  His summer class at the Ohio State is filled with athletes.  Something about how to enjoy spectator sports. He could not talk fast enough when he got home.  He is paired with a guy who speaks five languages, none of which include English.  There will be debates, discussions, book reports and fun of the kind Andy so enjoys.  Many OSU football players.

How is this for a look at summer?

Blueberry Blitz~

                                            

 Blueberry cornbread~

There is some sort of blueberry craze going on and it makes me happy.  This, I think, is a little daring, however.  Even so blueberry cornbread appeals to me and I am going to try it.  But, not today.  I have already baked two cakes to take to Joe and Glenda.  We are going down for the week end to play cards and have some fun.  I am happy to escape the hub-bub that will ensue this week end and this coming week here at home.  I have been under the weather for a day or two and there is catching up to do all over the place.  I haven't cooked or eaten for two days, so I need to get cracking (on the cooking, not eating). The Cincinnati Lechlers like to eat and if I come to visit empty handed, well, there is no telling what will happen to me.

I must put a new note in here.  These poke cake recipes are fantastic.  I took the coconut all white cake to Cincinnati.  It was good the first day but the second and third day after the ingredient married, it was simply delicious.  Today I make the chocolate Oreo poke cake and it is really good on day one and I am not sure there will be a day two since I made it for the guys who are redoing the guest apartment. You cannot ruin these poke cakes,  They are error proof...so far.

As I have stated on this blog many times Cuisine at home magazine is my favorite.  There are NO ADS.  There are stick in cards for ordering the magazine, but that is it.  What a relief to be able to go through a magazine from start to finish without running into thirty ads at the beginning of the issue and then another one hundred through out the worthless piece  ...well, you get the meaning. 

I will try this recipe before I write it up.   Have a fun week end.

 

Blueberry slab pie--could do this with any berry.

 

 

 

 

 

Andy and I enjoyed a long week end in Cincinnati with the Lechlers.  When we got home the house and grounds were at their best.  Lots of  family workers surprised us with a clean house and much yard work accomplished, with much more to do. We will  have to go away more often.

Lemon Custard Cake

While surfing the net I find so many delicious looking recipes to try.  They don't all turn out like the pictures I am finding.  So I am having to go back through some of my old posts and make comments about this or that recipe. The  Mennonite Girls Can Cook (blog) usually has good recipes that are tried and true and their pictures are pretty good too. Here is one I found appealing because anything with custard paired with lemon cake is a winner in my book.

This week end Andy and I are going to Cincinnati to see Glenda and Joe again.  They are not doing too well and we hope to cheer them up and play some cards.  I am taking a coconut all white poke cake, for one thing. I have lots of ideas and have been cooking quite a bit, but things do get eaten quickly around here...so, I am sure there will be other goodies to make before Friday.  I am taking Glenda a puzzle and some magazines too. We need to escape for a while.  We are having the guest apartment redone with hardwood floors and its bathroom refurbished as well as other things.  I also had a guy here today to look at my beloved kitchen floor for a bit of care.  I am having a time with 'workers' and companies  they are all definitely getting on my last nerve. They don't seem to care if they get a job or not and I, on the other hand, don't care to give it to them.

So here is what caught my eye this evening. It cheers me up.
Lemon Magic Custard Cake

With photos of 'magic cakes' showing up all over the blogs and pinterest lately...I decided to try a lemon version over here.  What's so magic about it?  You pour in one batter and once it is baked you have distinct layers...a custard beneath a cake.  Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and top with a dollop of whipped cream and some blueberries.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk (lukewarm)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
• icing sugar, whipped cream, berries (optional toppings)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Grease 8" square pan or a 9" pie plate (or spring form pan*).
3. Separate the eggs. 
4. Beat egg whites with 1 teaspoon lemon juice until stiff. (The lemon juice stabilizes and adds volume to the egg whites.) Set aside.
5. In a separate bowl, beat the yolks with the sugar until light and fluffy. 
6. Add the melted butter, lemon zest and lemon juice, and beat until combined.
7. Slowly add flour, mixing well.
8. Add the milk slowly and combine thoroughly.
9. Gently fold in the egg whites, 1/3 of them at a time. Make sure there are no lumps.
10. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. This is a very runny batter.
11. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden.It should still be slightly jiggly in the center.
12. Cool completely before serving. 
13. Dust the top with powdered sugar. Serve with berries and whipped cream, if desired.

*Unless your spring form pan has a very tight seal, the batter may leak through into the oven at the start of the baking period.   Though the spring form pan makes it easy to serve the cake...you might want to consider that! (from Judy)

Delicious~ But not really !

I traveled over one hundred times to London and Paris and I always made sure I had a good source of reading material and, at the end, videos (Sex and the City set was one ) for the computer to keep me grounded.  One might think there is always something to do in these great and interesting cities, but one needs down time as well to gear up for the grueling days of hunting for antique treasures to bring home to the ever hunger American market. Ruth Reichl got me through an especially frustrating trip to Paris. Never mind who caused it, her books carried me along until I was finally finished with Paris for that month and could come home to another form, that of peace (after the first week home) and pleasure from then on. On this particular trip I carried over Comfort Me With Apples, Garlic and Sapphires, Tender to the Bone and Not Becoming My Mother.  Ruth has had a fascinating journey through the food world and I traveled with her through her books.  She later became a very successful editor of Gourmet magazine hence the book Endless Feasts: Sixty years of Gourmet Magazine. I was delighted to read that her next book is coming out in May and it is titled Delicious.  I have pre ordered it and cannot wait, but must.

NOTE:  Gag Me would be a better title for this insipid book. Skip it. I can't even finish it.

We are having a very quiet Easter this year.  The steaks are marinating, the mushrooms prepped and at the ready, the chicken wings have been worried to death with treatments of all kinds and the recipe for pesto and Parmesan mashed potatoes is at the ready. Beth is bringing salad and dessert though the table is strewn with delectable chocolates and jelly beans as I write. The wine is chilling and the shovels and spades are propped by the back door.  A hint that spring clean up has not been done.  I had hired a man who had many promises on the lip but none were fulfilled.  When he finally decided to grace me with his presence (at $60. an hour which I never made in my entire life)  he had still not arrived at 11:15 in the morning.  Now I don't know about you but had I arrived to teach the fifth graders at 11:15 in the morning, there would have been trouble a foot and I would have been looking for a new position in a far away land. This has happened with at least five domestics ( I don't know what to call anyone any more and I don't care...grow up) in just this year.  I want them there when they say they will be there and I want them to stay until their job is done.  I am on a rant this week and am fed up with people who say they need work but who would rather not , if you don't mind, work for it! 

More Pokes (cake)

Pina Colada Poke Cake

Ingredients

For the Cake:
• 1 box butter cake mix, plus ingredients to make cake
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 15-ounce can cream of coconut (NOT coconut milk) - this can usually be found in the drinks/mixers aisle of your local grocery store
• 1 15.25-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained and juice reserved
For the Topping:
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 to 4 tablespoons powdered sugar (sweeten to your preference)
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• shredded coconut and maraschino cherries, to garnish if desired

Instructions

1. Prepare and bake cake in a 9x13 pan according to package directions. While your cake is baking, mix together the reserved pineapple juice, sweetened condensed milk and cream of coconut until smooth.
2. Immediately after removing your cake from the oven, use the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the top of the cake. Pour the milk mixture over the top of the warm cake, making sure to get it down into the holes. The cake will appear very saturated, but that's okay. Evenly spread the reserved crushed pineapple all over the top. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
To make the topping:
3. Beat cream vigorously by hand with a whisk or using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer. When the cream starts to thicken, add in the powdered sugar and coconut extract. Continue beating until soft peaks form. You may also use Cool Whip if you wish. Garnish cake with shredded coconut and maraschino cherries.
4. Keep cake covered in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

adapted from The Country Cook

Banana Caramel Poke Cake

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 6 hours

Cook Time: 28 minutes

Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients

For the Cake:
• 1 box (16.5oz) yellow cake mix (with ingredients to prepare, according to box)
• 1 box (3.4oz) banana cream JELL-O pudding mix
• I can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 jar (12oz) caramel ice cream topping sauce
For the Topping:
• 1 box (3.4oz) Banana cream JELL-O pudding mix
• 1 cup milk
• 16oz Cool Whip, thawed
• 1 cup Nilla Wafer cookies, crushed
• 1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping sauce

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl add cake mix and ingredients to make a 13x9 cake (according to package). Mix in box of pudding mix. Pour batter into a greased and floured 13x9 baking dish. Bake according to package directions.
2. Remove from oven and poke holes all over the top of the cake. I used a meat thermometer to make all my holes. In a small bowl, mix sweetened condensed milk with caramel sauce. Pour over warm cake, being sure to pour over the holes. Some sauce will remain on top of the cake. That's okay!! Cover cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
3. To make the topping, beat pudding mix with milk until no lumps. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over cake. Top with crushed cookies and drizzled caramel sauce. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Use within 3-4 days. ENJOY!

Better than Anything S'more Cake

By Chef in Training October 15, 2012

• Course: Dessert
• Skill Level: Easy

This cake is super easy and is the perfect way to enjoy a hint of summer year round!

Ingredients

 Print This Recipe

• 1 box chocolate cake mix and any ingredients it requires
• 1 (12.25 oz.) jar Smucker's Marshmallow Topping
• 1 (16 oz) jar caramel topping
• 1 (8 oz) container cool whip thawed to room temperature
• 1 cup crushed graham crackers

Instructions

1. Bake cake according to directions in a 9x13 pan.
2. Let cake cool for about 5 minutes.
3. Poke holes in cake with the handle end of a wooden spoon.
4. While cake is still warm, slowly pour over marshmallow topping over the top making sure some gets in all the holes of the cake.
5. Next drizzle the caramel topping evenly over the cake slowly, making sure some gets in all the holes as well.
6. Spread cool whip over the top evenly.
7. Sprinkle top of cake with crushed graham crackers
8. Store in fridge until ready to eat. Store any leftovers in fridge.

This cake is so easy to make and a fun spin on the traditional "Better than Anything Cake". This cake is a definite crowd pleaser!

Ingredients

 Print This Recipe

• 1 box yellow cake mix and all ingredients it calls for
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (16 oz) jar caramel topping
• 1 (8 oz) tub cool whip thawed to room temp
• 3-4 regular size Butterfinger candy bars

Instructions

1. Bake cake according to directions in a 9x13 pan.
2. Let cake cool for about 5-10 minutes.
3. Poke holes in cake with the handle end of a wooden spoon.
4. While cake is still warm, slowly pour over sweetened condensed milk over the top making sure some gets in all the holes of the cake.
5. Next drizzle the caramel topping evenly over the cake slowly, making sure some gets in all the holes as well.
6. Spread cool whip over the top evenly.
7. Sprinkle with crushed Butterfinger candy bar pieces.
8. Store in fridge until ready to eat. Store any leftovers in fridge.

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake

Recipe from: Created by Cathy Pollak for NoblePig.com | Serves: Serves 12-16

Ingredients

Orange Curd (can be made up to a week ahead)

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup 100% Florida orange juice
• 9 large egg yolks (save some of the egg whites for the cake)
• 1/4 cup orange zest
• 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
• 1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cubed

Cake

• 1 (16.25 ounce) white cake mix
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1-1/2 cups cream of coconut (usually found with drink mixers)
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 cup sweetened coconut

Directions

• For the curd, in a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over the fresh lemon juice. Set aside for 20 minutes. In a large saucepan, whisk together sugar, orange juice, egg yolks, orange and lemon zest. Place over medium heat and add butter. Continue to whisk until the curd begins to thicken. Small bubbles will begin to appear on the sides of the pan; about 8-10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in gelatin until dissolved. Pour curd into a bowl and place plastic wrap right on top of curd. This will prevent curd from developing a skin. Cool completely and place in the fridge overnight (this can be made up to a week ahead).
• Make cake in a 9 x 13 pan according to package directions. When cake is removed from the oven and is still hot, poke holes in the top with a skewer. In a medium bowl combine sweetened condensed milk and creme of coconut and pour over the warm cake. Let cool completely.
• With a mixer, combine orange curd and cream cheese until the mixture is spreadable. Spread all over the top of the cake. Spread whipped topping over the orange curd mixture and sprinkle with coconut. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

This isn't a poke cake but fantastic nonetheless.

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake (THIS IS A BEAUTY, BUT MINE DID NOT TURN OUT LOOKING LIKE THIS.) Mine also did not have this lovely texture. Disappointing really.

 March 19th, 2014  admin

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake. This cake keeps well. Store at room temperature tightly wrapped for up to 5 days, or freeze (unglazed) for up to 1 month.

Ingredients

Cake
1 3/4 cups (195g) plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 (60ml) cup sour cream (I used greek yogurt)
1 1/2 tbsp Meyer lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp Meyer lemon zest
1 cup (225g) granulated sugar plus 2 additional tablespoons (I cut down to 180g)
1 cup (2 sticks or 226g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
Syrup 
1/4 cup (55g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (60ml) Meyer lemon juice
Glaze
1/2 cup (60g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted (I used only 40g, which probably explains why I didn’t get that white crust … but it didn’t affect the overall taste)
1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease or line a 9×5-inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk the sour cream (or yogurt) and lemon juice together in a small measuring cup.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the lemon zest and sugar. Rub together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter to the bowl and beat the butter/sugar mixture on medium speed until very pale and fluffy, about 3-4 mins. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Mix in the eggs in 3 additions, beating well after each addition until the mixture is smooth (stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary). With the mixer on low, alternately add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the sour cream mixture in 2 additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.

Once all the ingredients have been added, scrape down the bowl then beat on low for another 30 seconds to fully combine. Use a rubber spatula to make sure the batter in the very bottom of the bowl is uniform.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Smooth the top then tap the pan on your work surface to release air bubbles. Bake the cake for 55-65 mins, or until a thin knife inserted near the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 10 mins, then turn it out.

While the cake is in the oven, make the syrup. Combine the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to simmer for 2 mins, then remove from the heat and set aside.

8. Once you’ve turned the cake out of the pan (the cake should still be warm), brush the top and sides with the lemon syrup. It’ll seem like a lot, but use all of the syrup. Let the cake cool completely, about 2 hours.

Note: I skipped steps 7 and 8, and went directly to step 9. Make sure your cake is completely cool before covering it with glaze.

To make the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Pour over the top of the cake, covering completely. Let the glaze set for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Lemon meringue pie bars and Virginia's Mac and Cheese

 Since I can't turn out a decent pie, I am going to try the Country Cooks lemon meringue pie bars.

                                                 

Lemon Meringue Pie Bars

Lemon Meringue Pie Bars

Recipe adapted from Cofessions of a Cookbook Queen

• Crust:
  1 cup flour
  1/4 cup powdered sugar
  1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, cut into cubes
  
  
  Filling:
  6 large eggs
  2 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  3/4 cup lemon juice
  zest of 2 lemons
  
  
  Meringue:
  3 large egg whites
  1/4 cup granulated sugar
  ¼ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
  ½ teaspoon vanilla
  
  
  Preheat oven to 350.
  In a medium bowl, mix together flour and powdered sugar for crust. Cut in butter in until the mixture forms a dough.  Pat it into a 9 x 13 pan. The crust will be thin. Bake crust for about 10 minutes, until golden around the edges.
  Prepare filling -- in the bowl of your mixer, beat eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and zest on medium speed for about a minute and a half. Pour over crust and bake for about 20 minutes or until filling is set and no longer runny on top. Remove from oven, let cool, and chill bars until cold and firm.
  Beat egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Beat in sugar, one tablespoon at a time until stiff peaks form.  Spoon the meringue over the lemon filling, sealing the edges. Place in the oven under the broiler. Careful to make sure the meringue does not get too brown.  Cut bars into squares. Enjoy!

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese:

If you have a chance, and it would be slim to none, to get the Junior League cookbook titled Virginia Hospitality, you should buy it.  In the early seventies Marcia Richards and I took an antiquing trip east to cover all the shops and flea markets that we could find.  Along the way we bought local cookbooks and this one is so used and abused that I am holding it together as I write.  I have made so many of the dishes listed here and very few are marked don't bother with this one.  Most are marked excellent.  This creamy Mac and Cheese is one I have made over and over through the years.  Stouffers is very good if you need a quick fix, but this one is just as fast if you have a few supplies in the frig.   I made it again today for Matt while he puts together the new pool side equipment and starts the spring clean up. This is my number one cookbook and here is the recipe.

7 ounces of elbow or any other sturdy pasta (cook it just to the bite because you are going to put it in the oven)

2 cups cottage cheese

 1 cup sour cream

1 beaten egg

salt and pepper to taste

8 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese (or as much as you like)

Put it in a buttered baking dish in a slow oven until it gets bubbled through out or to the consistency  that you enjoy.  Broil the top to create a brown crusty topping.

Another recipe from Virginia Hospitality (which you can buy on vintage cookbook sites) is milk punch.  It was the second biggest hit of a holiday party we had.  Once you see the ingredients, you'll know why. 

Virginia Hospitality punch:

1/2 gallon milk
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
1 fifth Bourbon
1/2 fifth rum
1/2 cup creme de cacao
1 quart vanilla ice cream for the end (on the day you serve)

Mix first 5 ingredients together on the day before the party. Chill.  At serving time place 1 quart ice cream in punch bowl.  Pour the mix over the ice cream and sprinkle with grated nutmeg. SOOO good!

Don't look back, you're not going that way~

                                               

 

Today, April 4th, at 11:00 marks the happiest day of my life so far.  Andy and I got married that day fifty-five years ago.  It has been a wonderful journey and I wish for many more years with this wonderful man.

 

 

And tulips to celebrate.

 

Sunday: blueberry buckle with limoncello and blueberry sauce.

 

 

                                                             

No matter how you dress it, salad isn't cake~

Which would you prefer when you come to visit: coffee baba au rhum baked in my new Nordic pan or kale salad? 

Pinterest sent me the salad section today and they looked amazing, but they are salads,  I like them very much and crave them at times, but they are simply salads no matter how you dress them up.  This is the season, however, and Andy's spring onions are almost ready to be enjoyed.  Mike planted 74 kale plants in the rain the other day and ...please, what am I to do with all of that kale?  I have never used a scrap of it in any dish in my life.  Read about how kale is the new in thing, passed on recipes to kale eaters (kale chips), but have never actually tasted the dish myself.  So this is the year, prepare yourselves. lol

Nate has planted his tenth fruit tree in our ever growing orchard.  I hope I live long enough to see those trees  in their full glory. Coupled with the new fruit trees we now have  fifteen fine specimens. Speaking of living a long time, on Friday Andy and I will have been married fifty-five years. It's been special.  And, again with age, Andy's brother, Joe, is 80 and his girls are planning a big family party for him in May. Should I contribute kale or cake, Tom?

A slice of life is illustrated with a very interesting and cozy web site with the most delicious recipes and pictures. Take a look.

Slice of Life ~Irish Apple Cake with Custard Sauce

http://thekitchenmccabe.com/2014/03/07/irish-apple-cake-with-custard-sauce/

  I am finding incredible things today. Must try this with Lechler home made crackola.

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup walnut pieces
• 1 cup raspberries {any berries work}
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
• 2 cups milk
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 ripe banana, peeled, 1/2-inch slices

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and generously spray the inside of a 10-1/2 by 7 inch baking dish with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, half the walnuts, half the strawberries and half the chocolate. (Save the other half of strawberries, walnuts and chocolate for the top of the oatmeal).
3. In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter and vanilla extract.
4. Add the oat mixture to prepared baking dish. Arrange the remaining strawberries, walnuts and chocolate on top. Add the banana slices to the top then pour the milk mixture over everything. Gently shake the baking dish to help the milk mixture go throughout the oats.
5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown and the milk mixture has set. For an extra tasty top, sprinkle a tablespoon or so of extra brown sugar. Enjoy!