Date, Banana, Coconut Cake

After my last post where I lamented about all the sugar in the cake I made, I decided to make a cake without refined sugar. This cake is plenty sweet, as the sweetness comes from the natural sugar found in the dates, banana, and coconut.  I think sugar is sugar, regardless of the source, but I feel a little more righteous about its not being the refined stuff.

Sniff, I admit to missing the refined sugar, which gives baked goods tenderness and volume (which is why folks should be careful about tinkering with the amount of sugar called for in baking).  This cake, though tasty, was a bit toothy (read: rubbery).  I don't mind it, but for those who are acutely aware and particular of texture and tenderness, you might feel less forgiving and put off by it. 

I found this recipe in The Herb Companion, a magazine I greatly enjoy for its wholesome and healthy advice and articles on living better. 

Date, Banana, Coconut Cake

1/3 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups chopped dates

Topping
1/3 cup chopped dates
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Grease and flour a 9x12x2 inch baking pan.

Mash bananas and butter together until creamy.  Add eggs, vanilla and water; beat.  Add flour, baking soda and baking powder. Mix well. Stir in dates.  Spoon batter into prepared pan. 

Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over batter.  Bake 20-25 minutes  or until wooden toothpick inserted in center of cake tests clean.

Cool cake in pan on wire rack.

Sour Cream Streusel Cake with Cherries

I've been looking for something a little different for breakfast, a take-along for an early family Thanksgiving celebration, and I happened upon this recipe in one of our local grocery store sale flyers. What caught my eye was that this coffee cake not only had streusel, but it also had cherries, a fruit I tend to eat out of hand but rarely use in cooking.  The contrast of bright red cherries nestled in yellow cake, topped with a lovely white glaze looked enticing and delicious.  . 

My cake did not look anything the way it did in the flyer so I checked the store's website, and surprise, surprise the directions were slightly different in preparation.  If I were to make this again, I'd follow the directions in the link provided below in My Notes because I prefer the presentation.  However,  I'm not sure the cherries would really stay atop the cake; I think they may still have a tendency to sink in the batter.

Just two caveats about this cake.  It is very sweet.  A smallish slice of this was almost too much for me, and I love sweet. It was perfect with a cup of black tea, and when I reduced the sugar I normally add to my coffee, the sweetness balanced out the coffee.

 The other thing is this recipe calls for half a cup of cherry pie filling, but a can holds more than a cupful.  What to do with the rest?  If you happen to have some pie crust, you could make quick and easy handheld pies, topped with a little of the glaze from this coffee cake.  Or just eat the leftover cherries, which is what I did, smiles.

Sour Cream Streusel Cake with Cherries

Streusel Ingredients
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt**
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces**
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup cherry pie filling

Batter Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt**
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla**

Glaze Ingredients
1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon milk (or enough to achieve desired spreading consistency)

Preheat your oven to 350*F.  Grease a 9-inch springform pan.  Line the bottom of the pan with waxed paper; grease and flour the waxed paper. 

To make the streusel, combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt.  Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in nuts and cherry filling. ** Set aside. 

To make the batter, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in small bowl.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter  until smooth, about one minute.  Gradually add brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time.  Blend the sour cream and vanilla.  Stir in the flour mixture until just blended.

Spread half the batter into the prepared springform pan.  Sprinkle with half the streusel.  Carefully cover with remaining batter (as the batter is thick, I drop by spoonfuls and then  spread/"stretch" the batter over the streusel using a couple of forks or spoons, pulling the batter in opposite directions).  Sprinkle the remaining streusel over the top.

Bake about 50 minutes** or until cake is golden brown and pulls away from the side of the pan.  Set on a rack to cool.  Drizzle glaze on top.

To make the glaze, combine the glaze ingredients and stir until smooth. If glaze is too thick, add additional milk by drops stirring in between, until a desired consistency is achieved.  Drizzle over cake. 

Serves 12

**MY NOTES
I didn't use unsalted butter.  For the streusel I used salted butter and omitted the added salt entirely; for the batter I only used a pinch of salt.

The recipe calls for 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla.  I used one teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract.

The store's flyer says to mix the cherry pie filling with the streusel. The store's website recipe says to keep the two separated and to divide the streusel between the two halves of the cake batter and to sprinkle the remainder on the top of the batter and then add the cherries on top of that.
Please take the time to line the bottom of your springform pan with the waxed paper.  It makes a huge difference in getting it out of the pan and onto a cake plate.

No way did my cake cook in 50 minutes.  At the end of 50 minutes my cake's center was most definitely unbaked and I ended up covering with tin foil and baking another 20 minutes. 

Would I make this again?  I think the idea is good. I would definitely reduce the amount of glaze; in my opinion it's there for looks as the cake is plenty sweet enough.  This is a pretty coffee cake and a  different than what I normally make.  It's definitely good for a larger gathering.  I can say "definitely maybe."

Salisbury Steak


I have maybe a half dozen or so recipes that I fall back on with regularity when I want something tasty but relatively inexpensive, and one of those dishes for me is Salisbury steak.  This is not true steak, but dressed up ground beef, purportedly developed during leaner times when home cooks needed  one more delicious way to serve the less costlier hamburg.  Another source says this dish was created by a Dr. Salisbury as part of a low carbohydrate diet.  Whatever the history, we enjoy this flavorful, filling dish.  For us, it's kind of a special family meal, but I certainly wouldn't hesitate to serve this to friends who are like family. A pound and a half of hamburg easily serves and satisfies six people.

Salisbury Steak
(http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Salisbury-Steak/Detail.aspx)

1 10.5-ounce can of condensed French onion soup, divided
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef with 1/3 cup of condensed onion soup (reserving the remainder for the gravy), bread crumbs, egg, salt and pepper.  Shape into 6 oval patties.

Brown both sides of  the patties in a  skillet large enough that the patties are not crowded.  Remove from pan and drain off the excess fat.  Put browned patties back into the skillet.

In medium bowl, combine the remaining onion soup and flour and mix until smooth.  Mix in the remaining gravy ingredients and pour the mixture over the patties.  Cover and cook for 20 minutes, occasionally stirring the gravy, being careful not to break the patties.

My Notes:  For us, the recipe as written does not provide nearly enough gravy.  I didn't do it for the photograph, but waited until after the picture taking was done to add lots of gravy to my mashed potatoes, smiles. I buy two cans of condensed French onion soup, using the 1/3 cup required for the hamburg, and using the remainder, plus one entire can for the gravy, and doubling the rest of the ingredients.  You may or may not want to reduce the mustard (I use yellow prepared mustard, like the kind you'd use on hot dogs), ketchup, and Worcestershire, because, as I mentioned, the sauce is quite flavorful and could be deemed too piquant for those who like subtler tastes.

"Ultimate" Chocolate Brownies



As I've  previously mentioned, I am reluctant to use the words "best" or "ultimate" in connection with any recipe because we all have our own definition of what makes something the best or the ultimate. Brownies are no exception.  Do you like fudgey or cakey, made with melted chocolate squares or powdered chocolate, or maybe you like them blonde? Thick or thin? Frosted or unfrosted? With nuts or without?  See what I mean?  Lots of variables before one can apply the moniker "ultimate" but as this recipe was entitled "Ultimate Chocolate Brownies," I decided to leave the name alone and let you decide if they deserve the designation.

Personally, I like a thick cakey brownie with walnuts.  I'm not crazy about fudgey brownies, because if I wanted fudge, I'd make fudge, but sometimes with a cakey brownie, they can be, well, too cake-like.  Enter the "uultimate" brownie.  This brownie seems to have the best of both worlds.  The chocolate flavor shines through brilliantly, with just enough flour to hold it together and give it a  moist, cake-like texture without being too fudgey.  I love the sugary crust that formed on the top as it baked, a mark of an appealing brownie to my eyes.

The directions are easy-peasy, lemon squeezy, but you will  need a stand mixer or be able to stand and mix for what seems like forever in order for the brownies to develop the volume required. 

Ultimate Chocolate Brownies

(http://baking.about.com/od/brownies/r/ultimate.htm)

8 one-ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate

1 cup butter

5 eggs

3 cups sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts, lightly toasted

Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan.  Preheat oven to 350*F (or 325*F for glass or dark metal pan). 

Unwrap the chocolate squares.  In a small to medium sized saucepan, over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring constantly to prevent burning the chocolate.   Remove from heat and set aside.

While the chocolate is cooling, in a mixer beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla at high speed for ten minutes. 

Blend in the chocolate mixture, flour and salt until just mixed.  Stir in the nuts.  Pour into prepared pan.

Bake brownies for 35 to 40 minutes, taking care not to overbake.  Cool before cutting. 

Egg Custard Pie by Moody's Diner

Ever overbuy on a particular ingredient and then run out of time to use it?  I'm surprised at how many bunches of celery I have, or butter (I have at 8 pounds of butter most times), and eggs and milk.  It's like every time I go to the grocery store, these items jump into my cart and follow me home.

This week, I had two dozen eggs I had to use.  I get hinky when foods get close to their sell-by date, (I know that's not the same as expiration date, but nevertheless, for me it's use it or lose it) and that prompts me to pore through my cookbooks, which lead me to custard pie. 

I cannot tell you the last time I had a custard pie ~ probably when my own beloved grandmother made them decades ago.  When I asked Sweetie-Pi about custard pie, he had fond recollections of his grandmother's custard pies, so it must be a grandma thing, smiles. Regardless, if you have grandchildren or not, when you have plenty of eggs and milk you need to use up, and only pantry items to make dessert, you can't go wrong making this.  It goes together quickly and easily, with nothing fancy but plenty of delicious reward..

Grandmas aren't the only ones who have a reputation for their custard pies.  They seem to be a mainstay dessert of many roadside diners. I love the diner experience:  unpretentious food,  the booths with Formica topped tables and red vinyl bench seats, stools at long counter tops, chalkboard menus, and waitresses who seem to call everyone "Hon."   Here in New England, one of the better known diners is Moody's Diner, located in Waldoboro, Maine.  I haven't had the good fortune to eat there (though Sweetie-Pi claims he has when he lived in Maine, and says their deserve their renown) but I do have the good fortune of having their cookbook, What's Cooking at Moody's Diner.  When I saw their recipe, I knew it was the one I had to make.

Moody's Custard Pie

(from What's Cooking at Moody's Diner)

8 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 level tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups milk

In a large bowl, beat eggs with flour, salt, sugar and nutmeg. Stir in milk** and pour batter through strainer into deep 9-inch pie shell.  Bake 15 minutes at 400*F and reduce heat to 325*F and bake 25 to 30 minutes** or until pie is set.

My Notes:  This makes a lot of custard.  Even with my deep dish Pyrex pie plate, I still had probably a half a cup of custard that wouldn't fit into the pie plate. Would have made a nice single cup of custard if you wanted to take the time to cook it in a hot water bath, I think.

Do not skip straining the custard through a sieve.  It helps to smooth out the custard, removing any lumps of flour or strings of egg.

No way did this cook in the time allotted.  At the end of  30 minutes, my pie was very undercooked.  In total, I probably added another 15 minutes of cooking time.  Let me forewarn you, however.  My oven does not like to cook custard anything; I have the same issues with bread pudding.  Your best bet is to use a very thin knife at the end of 25 minutes and pierce the center of the pie.  If the knife comes out clean, the pie is done.  The center will still look wobbly, but that's fine as the pie will firm up once it's cooled completely.  Be careful not to overcook the pie as it will turn watery. 

Old Fashioned Butter Cake

How to start this post?  YUMMMM...we loved this cake...we couldn't stay away from it...we ate it for dessert and then we ate it for breakfast...  This beautiful cake recipe is a 100 year old treasure and a keeper!  Reeni of Cinnamon Girl discovered this recipe in an old McCall's cookbook published in 1910, and she too fell in love with this fluffy, moist, easy-to-prepare cake and was good enough to share it with the rest of us so that we could enjoy it as well.  Thank you, Reeni!  If you are not familiar with Reeni's blog, please take a few minutes to go and visit her.  Her food is fabulous, and her photography makes you want more!

At first I was skeptical that a cake recipe made with all-purpose flour could be be both fluffy and moist; in the past, I've only achieved that kind of result when using cake flour.  Also, I pretty consistently only have King Arthur Flour in the pantry, which tends to make a denser (but still delicious!) cake.  Imagine my surprise when my first bite revealed a cake that surpassed all expectations.  I don't know if it's the one tablespoon of baking powder or the four minutes total of beating, but whatever, the secret, this recipe works!
This will be a recipe that I will turn to again and again.

Old Fashioned Butter Cake
(from Reeni's Cinnamon Girl blog) 

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1  1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Grease and flour two 8 inch x 2 inch baking pans and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Add butter, milk, and vanilla.  With a hand mixer, beat for  2 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. 

Add eggs and beat for 2 minutes more.

Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing equally between the pans.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven.

Cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then turn cakes out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Frost with your favorite frosting.  I used my favorite chocolate frosting, the one on the back of the Hersey's cocoa can. 

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
2/3 cup Hershey's cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar)
1/3 cup milk  (plus an additional few drops to make a nice consistency)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter.  Stir in cocoa.  Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed to spreading consistency.  Add more milk if needed.  Stir in vanilla.  About 2 cups frosting

Tomato Juice

It's been a while since I've chatted with you, but it hasn't been for lack of desire.  It's been a crazy summer, one of sadness, misfortune, miscommunication, and just downright cosmic ornery-ness, it seems.  We all go through these cycles, and it was just my turn to endure and grow and learn from it all.

In the meantime, I haven't done a lot of new cooking, relying on the quick and familiar in an uncertain time. However, one of the goals I had set for myself this season was to have a small garden and learn how to do some canning.  I turned the plot over by hand (as I said, it was a small garden), fertilized and planted, and everything seemed to go along swimmingly. I was so happy to see my little garden flourishing!

Then the rains came.  Soft and gentle at first, and we were happy to see it water the garden,  And then it didn't stop, and then it rained so hard that my yard flooded, became a pond, and a lot of my back-breaking effort was washed away. I am not complaining; our sister state, Vermont, has suffered severe losses of homes and property, and businesses.  Some roads are still barely passable.  For us, it was more of an inconvenience so we were fortunate to be able to  salvage what we could, and a few gorgeous tomatoes were among them.

We drink a lot of tomato juice in this household, maybe a half a gallon every week and we never seem to tire of it.  We take the occasional break and try other juices but always return to tomato juice, so it was no big surprise that I decided to try homemade tomato juice.

Just let me assure you that there is no comparison!  Good golly, Miss Molly, this was good!  It took a little getting used to because everthing was fresh (and admittedly gave poor Ole Sweetie-Pi "bubbles in the belly" because he's not accustomed to consuming glasses and glasses of fresh veggies, smiles).

If you enjoy having fresh vegetables, no preservatives or chemical addivities, I believe you'll enjoy this.  It's like drinking liquid sunshine.

Tomato Juice
(Food.Com)

12 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into quarters
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Combine the first six ingredients in a Dutch oven and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Put the vegetables through a food mill or a sieve, squeezing out as much liquid as possible.  Discard cooked vegetables (or if you're clever and frugal, perhaps use in a soup?)

To the juice, add the spices. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your personal taste.   Chill the juice thoroughly before serving.