I have reworked the original recipe that called for 2 cups of sugar. Make these with the best quality ingredients. This recipe contains Peanut Butter.
In a heavy bottomed sauce pan combine and stir together:
1 cup sugar (Update – I am currently using less than 2/3 cup of sugar)
Pinch of salt
3 Tbls. butter
1/2 cup milk
Bring to a boil and cook a minute or so then add:
1 oz. chocolate
1/2 cup Peanut butter
Stir as the chocolate and peanut butter melts.
Bring back to a boil then turn off the heat and add:
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups Oatmeal flakes
Stir in quickly until the Oatmeal is fully coated. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and cool. Very hot! Think molten lava! Let them cool and set. Makes 2 dozen.
Posted 1 month, 1 week ago at 10:39 am. Add a comment
Butter. Sugar. Cream. Vanilla…How can it get any better? By using the freshest, best quality ingredients available. If you are going to all the effort to make a cake, then cover it with the best tasting frosting. Guests will be eyeing a second piece of cake before they have finished the first!
I get ingredients from King Arthur Flour. Glazing Sugar. Vanilla. Check them out!
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 pound (1 bag or 4 cups) Glazing sugar
1 Tbl. Vanilla extract
1 Tbl. Cream
Pinch of salt (preferably Fleur de Sel)
Beat all the ingredients on low in your mixer, slowly increasing the speed to medium. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl a couple of times. Do not over beat.
This is great on the Feathery Fudge Cake.
Posted 2 months, 1 week ago at 12:50 pm. Add a comment
Coleslaw is a side dish common here in the Northeast, but generally they aren’t very good. This is my go-to recipe that is quick and easy, and stands the test of time.
4 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrot
2 Tbls. minced onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbl. vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. celery seed (optional)
In a large bowl combine the cabbage, carrot and onion.
Prepare the dressing from the remaining ingredients, and mix well into the vegetables.
Cover and chill.
Posted 2 months, 1 week ago at 10:26 am. Add a comment
This recipe is from my go-to cookbook from 1981, Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. I haven’t changed the recipe but I do use a kitchen scale to weigh the batter in the cake pans to make sure they are equal.
Grease and flour two 8″ cake pans. I also use a round of parchment in the bottom of the pan, then grease and flour it again. This greatly reduces the chance of having the cake stick to the pan.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine and set aside:
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda ( sift to remove lumps)
1/2 tsp. salt.
Prepare 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate by melting and cooling (or 9 Tbls. unsweetened Cocoa plus 3 Tbls. water).
In a mixer bowl beat:
2/3 cup butter, softened. Beat for 30 seconds.
Add 1 3/4 cups sugar and
1 tsp. Vanilla.
Beat until well combined.
Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating one minute after each.
Add the chocolate and beat.
Add the flour mixture alternating with 1 1/4 cups cold water, beating after each addition.
Turn into the prepared pans. To weigh the batter, tare the scale with each prepared cake pan and add the batter in equal amounts to both pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick remains clean when poked in the center. Remove while the cake is still against the side of the pan. (The cake is overdone if it has shrunk from the side of the pan while still in the oven).
Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then turn the cakes out of the pans and cool on the wire racks.
Posted 2 months, 2 weeks ago at 4:41 pm. Add a comment
Making fresh rolls for dinner is easy, and they are so much better than any prepackaged type. For ‘brown and serve’ style, partially bake the rolls and freeze for later.
In your trusty bread machine bowl combine:
1 cup milk (or light cream)
2 eggs, mix with the milk with a fork to break up the yolks
1/3 cup butter, cut into chunks
Tare your scale and measure in 1 pound 2 oz. of all purpose flour – I recommend King Arthur All Purpose Flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp. SAF instant yeast
Set into your machine on dough setting.
When ready, slightly knead the dough into a ball and let rest 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut the ball in half and work with one half at a time.
By hand, roll the half into a log and cut into even pieces – I think 8 pieces make nice sized rolls. Roll each piece into a ball without working the dough too much.
With a bench knife or spatula, cut the dough almost in half at top center. (This is an easy way to make a Parker-style roll that splits in half for all the butter you’ll want to slather on each piece!)
Reshape slightly as you place them on an ungreased sheet. Cover with a damp tea towel to rise for 30 minutes.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
For ‘Brown and Serve’ style rolls make the rolls and bake in a 325 degree F. oven for 10 minutes – do not brown. Cool the rolls thoroughly on a wire rack and wrap and freeze or set aside for later in the day. These rolls are delicate and squish easily. Use a box and only one layer per bag. Just removing air from a freezer bag can crush these rolls.
When ready to serve, bake in a 400 degree F. oven for 10 minutes. If they have been frozen, allow them to thaw for 10 to 15 minutes before baking.
You will love how easy these are to make and the texture and taste is wonderful!
This recipe is my adaption of the dinner roll recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book 1981…my go-to guide.
Posted 2 months, 4 weeks ago at 1:24 pm. Add a comment
The wind in howling. The heavy, wet snow slaps against the clapboards and windows…
It is a perfect day for baking French bread…
Measure into a bread machine pan on a tared scale or using dry measuring cups and spoons-
1 pound of water (2 cups)
1 pound 6.5 oz. of King Arthur Organic All Purpose Flour or All Purpose Flour (5 cups)
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 1/4 teaspoons SAF Instant Yeast
Begin the dough setting and walk away. It’s about 1 1/2 hours to complete the dough setting.
When the bread machine is finished, remove the dough and shape into 2 to 4 baguettes. Set aside to rise under a damp tea towel. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, preferably with an oven stone. Allow the oven to heat and the dough to rise for one hour.
Slash the baguettes and bake for 25 minutes. You may use a water sprayer to add humidity to the oven in the first half of baking if you want a crispier crust.
Let the bread cool before tearing into it and slathering it with fresh butter.
This is my rendition of Julia Child’s recipe from Baking With Julia.
Olive Oil. 3 Onions, rough chop. 6 Tomatoes, seeded and grated or chopped.
Instructions
Cover the bottom of a saucepan with a goodly amount of Olive Oil. Slowly cook the Onions down until beginning to carmelize. Add the Tomatoes and cook down to a paste.
My rating: 5.0 stars
Posted 5 months, 1 week ago at 11:30 am. Add a comment
I was asked recently by a friend to make a list of the foods I am supposed to avoid to alleviate symptoms and pain of my Arthritis, Fibromyalgia and post-Endometriosis and post-Menopausal issues, plus, whatever else ails me and my digestive system. I have avoided making this no-no list for years, as you will understand when you read it…
Sugar
Salt
Corn Syrup
Citrus
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Peppers
Chili Peppers
Eggplant
Mushrooms
Beef
Milk
Cow Cheese
Nuts
Seeds
Corn
Coffee
Chocolate
Soy
Wild Rice
Wheat
Alcohol
I am reeling at the thought of cutting any of these items from my diet. I have had a love/hate relationship with food that has spanned Anorexia to high Cholesterol. Chocolate is my go-to addiction as I have Peanut butter-in-a-casing-of-chocolate habit. I make an unbelievably good loaf of French bread that is an art form that deserves to be done well and often. I find great joy in mixing butter and sugar with Vanilla and flour and making a form of culinary art that has no redeeming qualities other than mouth joy, a wonderful aroma, and a craving for more. A comfort food junkie, I can’t imagine life without a Garlic, Onion, Pepper and Tomato mixture with cheese and pasta. Or Potatoes in any form…
Where should I begin on this list? Definitely not at the top…I haven’t had Wild Rice in years…so I guess continuing that trend won’t hurt. Soy? Not really a fan, so I can do this. Eggplant isn’t a favorite of mine, so I guess I can forgo eating it. Seeds? Okay. I’ll start with seeds. That shouldn’t be too difficult. I’ll even add Citrus to my no-more plan. Guilt is already assailing me, as I won’t miss any of these food choices. I have to give up more to begin. Mushrooms. Ooo…that hurts already. Okay, I can do without Mushrooms. I will continue to remove these items from my diet over a period of time to see if there is an improvement in my health and well-being. Meanwhile I will have an opportunity to evaluate my food choices and where I can find hidden forms of these items that I should avoid.
Posted 5 months, 1 week ago at 7:35 pm. Add a comment
Summary: A favorite in my house that I serve with hot French Bread.
Ingredients
3 Tbls. canola oil 2 Tbls. Annatto Seeds 2 Shallots, minced 2 large Garlic Cloves, minced 1 lb. Stew Beef 2 Lemongrass, crushed and cut into 3″ pieces 1 Tbl. sugar 1 Tbl. Soy Sauce or Tamari 2 Tbls. Fish Sauce 1 Tbl. Curry Powder 3 Whole Star Anise, toasted until fragrant and milled into a powder 1 or 2 fresh Chili Peppers, seeded and minced 3 Cups Chicken Stock, hot 4 or 5 Carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick Handful of Asian Basil leaves 1/4 yellow Onion, sliced in thin rounds
Instructions
Heat the Canola Oil over low heat in a small pot. Add the Annatto Seeds and remove from the heat. Let set 10 minutes, then drain and discard the Annatto Seeds. Set the oil aside. Salt and Pepper the stew beef and set aside. Mix the sugar, fish sauce and soy sauce together and set aside. Over medium heat pour half the Annatto Oil into a pot and quickly stir in 1 minced Shallot and 1 minced Garlic Clove. Stir in the stew beef and saute to brown the beef. Pour in the sugar and sauce mixture, and cook a couple minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the Chicken Stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 45 minutes. (I like to cover the oven-proof pot and place in a 250 degree oven for 45 minutes). Meanwhile, pour boiling water over the Carrot slices and steep for 2 minutes, drain, and add the Carrot slices to the stew when there is 15 minutes remaining to cook. Heat the remaining Annatto oil in a small pan and add 1 minced Garlic clove and 1 minced Shallot. Stir quickly. Add the Curry powder, Star Anise Powder and Chilies and heat through. When serving, add thin Onion slices and fresh Basil leaves to each bowl. I like making a double batch because this goes fast!
My rating: 5.0 stars
Posted 5 months, 1 week ago at 3:29 pm. Add a comment
Summary: A quick and easy dessert or breakfast treat.
Ingredients
1 stick of butter, softened 1/3 cup powdered sugar, unsifted 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup all purpose flour, unsifted 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped I toast the walnuts in the oven as it preheats for 10 minutes before chopping in a nut grinder on the coarse setting.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a shortbread mold or pan. With a wooden spoon, cream the butter and powdered sugar together in a medium size bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat into the mixture. Add the flour, a 1/3 of a cup at a time, beating into the mixture thoroughly. Press the dough into the prepared pan. When using a mold with designs it is important to press the dough into the mold to get the best impression in the finished shortbread. Press the chopped walnuts into the dough gently to cover the surface. With a fork, pierce the shortbread at regular intervals all over the surface. This will disturb the walnuts, but they can be gently pressed down after piercing the shortbread. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes on the lowest rack in the oven. Let cool 10 minutes before turning out onto a board. Cut the sections or pieces while the shortbread is still very warm. Best served the same day as baked. I prefer when they have cooled to enhance the light, crisp shortbread qualities. Perfect with tea, chai, or a glass of cold milk. Any time of day, shortbread is a great treat.
My rating: 5.0 stars
Posted 5 months, 2 weeks ago at 11:28 am. Add a comment
