Saturday, July 6, 2013

Aunt Faye's Sour Cream Cake

Here's another vintage cake recipe from Aunt Faye, made in the Classic 9 1/2" fluted cake pan.

16 TBS Butter, room temperature
( apparently it's important to use both)
3 C sugar
6  large eggs
2 TBS vanilla

3 C flour, sifted
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 C sour cream

In a bowl, cream together margarine, butter and sugar.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beat well to completely combine before adding another egg
Add vanilla

Sift together, in another bowl:
flour
baking soda
baking powder
salt

Add the dry ingredients and sour cream alternately to the wet ingredients until all are combined well and the batter is smooth.
Pour the batter into the pan that has been greased and floured ( or use my Pan Release Recipe).
Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour . Test with a toothpick that comes out clean.
Cool about 15 minutes and invert onto a serving platter

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!



Amaretto Pecan Cake

This cake is baked in a Classic 9 1/2" fluted cake pan that had been buttered/floured or greased with my Pan Release Recipe ( found on the blog under Tips, Hints and More) it's the only mixture I use for greasing anything I bake.
This cake has an Amaretto Sauce.

1/2 C chopped pecans
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 (3.5 oz.) package of vanilla pudding and pie mix
4 eggs
1 stick of butter, melted
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/2 C water
1/2 C amaretto

Pour the pecans in the bottom of the cake pan

In a bowl, combine:
cake mix
pudding mix
whisk together
Add :
eggs
butter
oil
water
amaretto
Mix together until very well combined ( at least 2 minutes)

Pour batter into the pan
Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted come out clean

Make the following sauce:

In a sauce pan, slowly heat 1 stick of butter and 1 cup of sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in 1/4 cup of Amaretto.
Continuing whisking until well combined

While the cake is still hot, in the pan,poke it with a lot of tiny holes using a toothpick or fork
Pour half of the sauce over the cake and let it sit awhile to soak up the sauce.

Invert the cake onto a serving platter and pour the rest of the sauce over the cake and serve.

This cake can also be made with Rum, Brandy or Kirschwasser, instead of Amaretto

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!




Summer Squash Casserole

There are so many variations of Summer Squash and Zucchini Casseroles. I happen to have quite a selection of recipes. Every time I find one, I consider it to be my favorite. Consequently, I have amassed a collection of favorites! Here's another one:

Summer Squash Casserole:

This one is baked in a 2 quart enamel cast iron casserole. We have a collection of vintage casserole pans from Belgium.

3 C un peeled and diced yellow summer squash
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
1/2 C grated cheddar cheese
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 C Bisquick Mix ( home made Bisquick recipe at the end for those that don't have access to Bisquick Mix;
4 eggs, beaten
4 TBS minced fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and coat the squash well.
Spray the pan with a vegetable cooking spray and add the squash
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes until golden brown



Home Made Bisquick Mix:

6 C flour, unbleached
3 TBS Baking Powder
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 TBS salt
3 TBS sugar
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

In a large bowl that will accommodate more than 5 cups of flour, whisk together everything except the butter.
Use a pastry blender or two forks and cut in the butter until it becomes a coarse meal without any big pieces of butter. Store the mixture in a jar in the refrigerator.


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!


We bought the Summer Squash from a farmer at our local market. They told us the Summer Squash and Zucchini were planted adjacent to each other. They actually cross pollinated and produced the yellow squash with green designs on them. Some of them had much more green and a more intricate design.






I feel lazy today!

I need to get it together and figure out what I'm going to post today....
More to come.......

I'm still tired from the 4th of July festivities.
We had some great food.

I made my All American Macaroni Salad and a Frozen Margarita Pie.
My wife made a Roasted Corn Salad. I need to see if I posted that recipe on the blog.

We had all of the traditional dishes for a great celebration with neighbors.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Vegetarian Shrimp Burgers

1 lb. of Sophie's Kitchen Vegan Shrimp
1/3 C chopped onion
1/4 C mayonnaise
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1 egg , beaten
2 tsp freshly chopped tarragon leaves
1/4 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1 TBS vegetable oil
1 TBS butter
Burger Rolls, Tartar Sauce and Lettuce

Place shrimp in a food processor and pulse , just until ground, not over pulsed

Place in a bowl and add:
onion
mayonnaise
1/4 tsp lemon juice
egg
tarragon
paprika
salt and pepper to taste
Combine well
Form Patties

Heat oil in a skillet
Fry the patties until golden brown , about 4 minutes on each side

Serve on rolls with tartar sauce and lettuce

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!
Fry

Grilled Vegetarian Prawns

Thanks to Sophie's Kitchen , Vegetarians and Vegans can enjoy great recipes using Vegetarian based Seafood.
The choices are many.

Here's my recipe for Grilled Prawns:

2 lbs. of Prawns
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS dry white wine
1 1/2 TBS minced garlic
1/4 tsp paprika
a pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley, divided
lemon wedges

In a large bowl, combine:
oil
wine
garlic
paprika
red pepper flakes
salt
pepper
1 TBS chopped parsley
Add prawns and toss well
Refrigerate for 1 hour

Get the grill hot!

Thread the prawns on skewers
Grill them for 3 - 4 minutes on each side, brushing them with remaining marinade
Don't over cook them

Serve, sprinkled with remaining parsley and fresh squeezed lemon juice

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!








Smoked Gouda Cheese Grits Soufflé

Previously I posted two recipes for Grits. This is a Soufflé using Smoked Gouda Cheese.
I've just recently become a fan of smoked cheeses. Smoked Gouda may be my favorite.


6 C Water
1 tsp Salt
1 1/2 C Stone Ground Grits
2 Eggs
1 1/2 C (6 oz.) grated Smoked Gouda Cheese
2 TBS Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste

Butter a 2 quart Casserole Dish

In a Saucepan, bring Water and Salt to a boil
Gradually Whisk in Grits
Reduce to Low, cover and continue cooking and stirring for 20 minutes or until thick
Remove from heat

In a bowl, whisk the Eggs
Add 1 C of Grits to the Eggs
Stir Egg mixture into remaining Grits, stir in Butter and Cheese
Season to taste with Salt and Pepper
Continue stirring until the Butter and Cheese have melted

Pour in the Dish and Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until Golden Brown

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!