Grandma Sweets

Years ago, my Grandma gave me a wonderful cookbook of old time recipes. Some of the War Years entrees are not my thing, but the desserts are lovely.

1928 Award Winning Gold Cake (from Forgotten Recipes)

2 C sifted cake powder
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 C butter, softened
1 C sugar
3 egg yolks, beaten til thick and lemon colored
1/4 C milk
1 tsp vanilla or 1/2 tsp orange extract

This recipe calls for all measurements to be level. So sift your flour, then measure and then add your baking powder and sift the flour and powder together three times. Cream your butter well; slowly add your sugar and cream until the mixture is light and fluffy. Now, add your beaten egg yolks, mixing well. Alternate adding your flour mixture with your milk, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. When the batter is smooth, add the flavoring and beat well. Pour the finished batter into a well greased 8-inch square pan. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.

This is very yummy cake. I do not sift anything. I use cake flour and whisk it together with the baking powder. I used the vanilla one round and the orange extract on the second round. The orange is very tasty and a little unexpected. I frosted it with basic white icing:

White Icing (from Forgotten Recipes)

1/2 tsp butter
2 TBSP hot milk
1 1/2 C confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (when I added orange extract to the cake, I used orange extract in the icing)

This is an easy frosting. Just add your butter to the hot milk, and add your sugar to it slowly until it is spreadable. Then add your vanilla at the last. Spread on the top and sides of the cake.


Sponge Cake (from Forgotten Recipes)

2 TBSP lemon juice
3 eggs, separated
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
a capful of vanilla or lemon flavoring

Beat your lemon juice and egg yolks together until they are very thick and light in color. Whip your egg whites until they are nice and stiff and then whip your sugar into them. Fold egg yolks into this mixture. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt and then add them to your egg mixture. Flavor with whatever extract or flavoring you've chosen. Pour batter into a 10-inch tube pan. Bale in a slow oven at 325, for one hour. Check at 45 minutes, and then at one hour for doneness.
Note: You can sprinkle confectioners sugar on the finished cake.

This is just like the sponge cake you used to get from your Grandma. It is delicious with vanilla ice cream.

Shrimp and Orzo

I tried out a new recipe tonight and it was a hit with 2/3's of the household. One of the best parts is that it all cooks in one pot.

Shrimp Orzo Skillet (from 29 minutes to dinner by Pampered Chef)

8 oz large uncooked shrimp
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/8 tsp sugar
8 oz orzo pasta
1 garlic clove, minced
2 C chicken broth
1 C clam juice
1 lemon
1 Tbsp thinly sliced (chiffonade) fresh mint
1 C frozen peas
1 TBSP butter

1. For shrimp, peel and devein shrimp. Add oil to skillet and heat over medium high heat. As pan heats, combine salt, pepper and sugar in a small bowl; add shrimp and toss to coat.

2. Arrange shrimp in a single layer over bottom of pan. and cook about one minute or until one side is browned and edges are pink. Remove pan from heat and flip shrimp. Allow to stand until shrimp are opaque throughout. Remove shrimp from skillet and set aside.

3. In the same skillet, add the orzo, garlic, broth and clam juice. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook 10-12 minutes or until orzo is cooked through.

4. As orzo cooks, zest lemon for 1 TBSP of zest and squeeze 1 TBSP of juice. Thinly slice the mint.

5. Remove skillet from heat and stir in peas, butter and lemon juice. Arrange shrimp over orzo; cover and let stand 3-5 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with lemon zest and mint before serving.

My son and I loved this. My husband ate the shrimp and a few forkfuls of orzo and left the rest because he hates peas. I did not realize how many peas would be in 1 cup. The recipe suggests that you can substitute blanched asparagus spears, but I'm the only one in the house who likes those. Next time I might try to find a different substitute or I may take the husband's portion out before adding the peas. This was very quick to make and tasty. The sugar gives the shrimp a very nice caramelized flavor. I might grate a little Parmesan cheese in it next time too.

Quick and Easy Cookies

I love cookies. Who doesn't, really? These remind me of how Peanut Butter Crunch cereal tasted when we were kids. I also love a four-ingredient recipe.

Mom-Mom Fritch's Peanut Butter Cookies (from Bon Appetit)

1 C sugar
1 C peanut butter (Real, full fat stuff, like Skippy or Jif. The natural stuff doesn't work)
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease cookie sheets.
2. With an electric mixer, mix peanut butter and sugar until well combined. Add slightly beaten egg. Add baking soda. Mix well. Will become crumbly.
3. Roll into 1 tsp balls and place on cookie sheet. With a fork, press down in two directions to make a grid on top.
4. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool on sheets for 2 minutes and then move to cooling rack.

This makes about 2 dozen cookies. The best part is, you probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry right now. Someday, I'm going to try these with chocolate chip in them.

Chili Weather

I don't know how your weather is, but ours has turned suddenly and bitterly cold. Like, wind-chill-of-17-at-the-bus-stop-this-morning cold. So it was a perfect day to make some of my signature chili. I created this recipe last year when one of my husband's work mates gave us some deer meat. It was outstanding with the deer meat, but it's just as good with plain old beef.

Annie's Signature Chili (mine, all mine!)

1 lb. chopped meat (beef or venison)
1 lb. smoked sausage (beef or deer sausage), sliced into rounds
1 lg onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 Anaheim chili, chopped
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 can (28 oz.) chopped tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) great northern beans, drained and rinsed
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in a large slow cooker and stir. Heat on low for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

I serve this over rice with corn bread on the side. It's nice with some grated cheese or sour cream on top. You can top with jalapenos for more kick. This is flavorful, but not so spicy that my son can't eat it. Tonight, he had a whole bowl. This would be great for a large group.

A Taste of the Mediterranean

I've had this recipe a year and am finally trying it out.

Roasted Shrimp and Orzo (from Good Housekeeping magazine)

1 pt grape tomatoes
3 tsp olive oil
8 oz (1 1/4 C) orzo
1 can (15 to 19 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
12 oz medium, peeled and deveined shrimp
1 bag (6 oz) spinach
2 oz feta
1/4 C packed fresh dill, chopped, plus additional for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 450. Line a 15 1/2" by 10 1/2" jelly roll pan with foil. In prepared pan, combine tomatoes, 2 tsp oil salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes or until tomatoes begin to collapse.

2. Meanwhile, heat covered 4-quart saucepan of water to boiling on high. Cook orzo according to label directions. Drain and return to pot.

3. In a medium bowl, toss beans, shrimp and oil with salt and pepper. Add to tomato mixture; stir to combine. Spread in a single layer and roast 5 minutes longer or until shrimp are opaque throughout.

4. Add spinach to orzo in pot; toss to wilt. Stir in shrimp mixture, feta and dill. Transfer to shallow bowls; garnish with dill sprigs.

I really liked this dish. My husband said it was just okay. I think he thought it was bland. It is fairly mild. He's not a big tomato fan. I thought it was nicely balanced. I might try to jazz it up a little another time by adding calamata olives and some red peppers. It was easy to make and a complete meal in one bowl.

Tastier Tomatoes

I love a simple pasta dish. Roasting the tomatoes makes even the simplest dish taste better.

Oven-Roasted Tomatoes (from EveryDay Food Magazine)

2 cans (28 oz each) whole peeled tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
3 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Put tomatoes and juices into a large roasting pan. With your hands, roughly tear each tomato into 1-inch strips. Add garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Roast until mixture thickens and holds a trail, 70 to 80 minutes. Use immediately, or let cool, the refrigerate in an airtight container, up to a week.

I served these over penne pasta with just a little Parmesan cheese. Delicious. These would be awesome on crusty bread or added to soup. A great make-ahead for a busy weeknight.

Open Sesame

I am always anxious to try recipes that claim they can be done in 15 minutes. Or with 5 ingredients. This one cooks in 15 and only requires minimal prep time.

Sesame Beef (from EveryDay Food magazine)

2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP dry sherry
1 TBSP sugar
2 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes
1/2 tsp corn starch
1 TBSP plus 1 tsp vegetable oil
3/4 lb. boneless New York strip steak, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP sesame seeds, toasted

cooked rice for serving
thinly sliced scallion greens (optional) for serving

1. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sherry, sugar, vinegar, red pepper flakes and corn starch.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1 TBSP oil over medium-high heat. In two batches, cook meat, undisturbed, until brown on one side, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate. Add 1 tsp oil and bell peppers to skillet and cook, stirring, until peppers are crisp-tender, two minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk soy sauce mixture into skillet, along with steak. Cook, stirring, until sauce thickens. Stir in sesame seeds.

3. Serve over rice with scallions.

This one was a hit. Both my guys ate it. It was a lovely, quick, easy meal. It is not spicy, so it was good for my little guy. Also good for lunch the next day.