Recipe Rehash (Couple-a-cakes)

Marion and I exchanged comments about her wonderful spice cake recipe on one of her blog entries recently. I think it’s probably the second best cake in the world.

MARION’S EXOTIC SPICE CAKE
1 Pkg. Yellow Cake Mix
1 cup oil
1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding
¼ tsp. allspice
½ tsp. cloves
1 cup of beer
4 eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ginger
½ tsp. cardamom
· Mix all well and blend for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer. Pour into greased & floured bundt cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 - 55 minutes. Cool in pan for about 20 minutes, then glaze.
GLAZE :
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
½ tsp. grated lemon peel
1 or 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
· Mix well and pour over cooled cake.

This is probably the best cake in the world!

VAN GOGH CAKE
4 eggs
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 pkg. instant lemon pudding
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Combine cake mix and pudding mix with the eggs. Blend in water and oil and mix thoroughly. Pour into greased tube or Bundt pan and bake 50 minutes at 325. Remove to rack and while hot ice with:

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbs. butter
1/3 cup concentrated orange juice

Combine and blend until smooth

Day After Night

Historical Fiction has always been my favorite book genre. Over the years I have lived vicariously through many periods in history thanks to some wonderful authors.

Some of the best books are those which are not just set in a certain era, but whose characters are woven into specific events of that time. A good example of this is the novel Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, which I reviewed in an earlier entry. I know a book is living up to my expectations when I periodically set it aside to research a person or place in order to know more.

I first learned of Anita Diamant from her novel The Red Tent. It’s a stunning novel of life during the biblical time of Jacob, told from the viewpoint of his only daughter, Dinah. I think Diamant’s newest novel, Day After Night, is even better. From the inside cover:

Just as she gave voice to the silent women of the Old Testament in The Red Tent, Anita Diamant creates a cast of breathtakingly vivid characters- young women who escaped to Israel from Nazi Europe- in this intensely dramatic novel.
Day After Night is based on the extraordinary true story of the October 1945 rescue of more than two hundred prisoners from the Atlit internment camp, a prison for “illegal” immigrants run by the British military near the Mediterranean coast north of Haifa. The story is told through the eyes of four young women at the camp with profoundly different stories. All of them survived the Holocaust: Shayndel, a Polish Zionist; Leonie, a Parisian beauty; Tedi, a hidden Dutch Jew; and Zorah, a concentration camp survivor. Haunted by unspeakable memories and losses, afraid to begin to hope, Shayndel, Leonie, Tedi, and Zorah find salvation in the bonds of friendship and shared experience even as they confront the challenge of re-creating themselves in a strange new country.
This is an unforgettable story of tragedy and redemption, a novel that reimagines a moment in history with such stunning eloquence that we are haunted and moved by every devastating detail. Day After Night is a triumphant work of fiction.

Day After Night deals with a time and place that I knew very little about and I’m glad for the education it gave me. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and highly recommend it to others.
(Thanks, Quid!)

Try-Change Eyewear

I first got glasses when I left for college. It wasn’t until my 30s that I discovered the joys of contact lenses. From that point on, I rarely ever wore glasses.

Then came my 40th birthday, when many of us start to notice subtle changes in our bodies. For some, that is the need for reading glasses (or longer arms!). I quickly learned the cheapest places to buy “readers” (at dollar stores) and stocked up on several pairs. Over the years the hassle of keeping track of them and only needing them for reading grew old. I tried the “mono-vision” idea of wearing one contact for reading and one for distance, but it gave me such headaches I couldn’t stick with it. My eye doctor didn’t think bi-focal contacts were very good at that point and wasn’t in favor of my trying them. So…. I plugged along with my regular contacts and the many pairs of readers I had stashed in every location.

More than a year ago I noticed something called Try-Change eyewear at our local optical dispensary. They are lightweight glasses with a wide selection of lens shapes and an even larger variety of interchangeable ear and nose pieces. They are a little pricey initially, but well worth the cost in the long run, especially if you’re buying disposable contacts. My purchase included one set of bi-focal lenses with three sets of ear/nose pieces. I’ve since added several more thanks to a gift certificate I got for Christmas. They are so light and comfortable I almost forget I have them on!

Who knew wearing glasses could be so much fun?!

Favorite Five - Comic Strips

Not everyone reads the comics, or as I called them while growing up… the “funnies”. My small, local newspaper only carries 12 comics, including the daily editorial cartoon. I have to get online (or grab the state-wide newspaper my husband takes) to read any others. I find that I still enjoy the same ones I read when I was little with the addition of a few that reflect some of the aspects of my adult life.

Picking my favorite five required dipping into the past for two that are no longer in circulation. If you’re joining in on this one, keep in mind they don’t have to be humorous strips or even a strip. Those single panel comics count, too.

My top five and a few runners up:

1. The Far Side (Gary Larson)

2. Calvin & Hobbes (Bill Watterson)

3. Andy Capp (Reg Smythe)

4. Zits (Jerry Scott, Jim Borgman)

5. Pearls Before Swine (Stephan Pastis)

Runners up: Pickles, Baby Blues, B.C., For Better or For Worse, Beetle Bailey.

Cheese-topped Lemon Chicken Breasts

I got inspired this week and decided to try another new recipe. Once again from Simple & Delicious, this one was submitted by Renee Mitchell of McChord AFB, WA. My husband seemed to like it well enough and I loved it! I will definitely make it again. I used chicken tenders rather than breast halves, “lite” butter & soy sauce and substituted 2% “Fiesta Blend” cheese (from WalMart).

Cheese-topped Lemon Chicken Breasts

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz. each)
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
3 Tbsp. butter
¼ cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
¾ cup shredded Colby cheese

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, brown chicken in butter on both sides over medium heat. Sitr in lemon juice and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 4-5 minutes or until meat juices run clear.

Remove from the heat. Sprinkle each chicken breast with cheese. Cover and let stand for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yield: 4 servings.

The Queen's Birthday!

Queen Esther, that is. She and her brother JJ were part of a large litter of Rottweiler puppies born on October 6, 1999 to “Lady Bug” and “Jack the Ripper”. I had to look back at her registration to remember who her sire and dam were, but I never forget when she was born! Many of you know we lost JJ to cancer when he was only five years old, but Esther is still going strong. In fact, she’s now a year older than our first rottie (Angus) was when he died (also of cancer).

I feel lucky to have snapped this nice photo of her today. She normally exits the room quickly when she sees a camera in my hand. Maybe it was the promise of extra treats that made her cooperate.


Happy 10th Birthday, Esther!!!

Vanilla Caramel Truffle Tea

I haven’t made many blog entries here about tea, but those of you who followed my now defunct 360 blog know I enjoy my “tea time”. It started out as an occasional comfort thing and has developed into a regular daily ritual.

Thanks to sites like Stash and Twinings and to gifts from friends and family, I’ve been able to try a wide variety of teas, both loose and bagged. I have my favorites that I always keep on hand, but it’s fun experimenting and seeing what else is out there.

I’ve always associated brands like Lipton and Luzianne with iced tea more than hot. Lipton has several varieties of flavored black tea and a friend suggested I try the Vanilla Caramel Truffle. It is wonderful!! Its sweet aroma and flavor almost puts it more in the category of a dessert tea, but I enjoy drinking it any time of the day.

If you are a tea drinker and can find this variety at your local store, give it a try!

Something old and something new

My daughter was asking for this recipe over the weekend (originally from Quick Cooking magazine), so I decided it was time to rehash it here. Always a favorite during my vegetarian years, I still love it and make it often. I never hesitated to use chicken broth during that time, but assume vegetable broth could be subbed for those who won’t use meat-based broths.

POTATO CHOWDER

8 cups diced peeled potatoes
1/3 cup chopped onion
3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup*
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
1/2 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled, optional
Snipped chives, optional

In a slow cooker, combine the first five ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until potatoes are tender. Add cream cheese; stir until blended. Garnish with bacon and chives if desired. Yield: 12 servings (3 quarts).

Nutritional Analysis: One 1-cup serving (prepared with reduced-fat cream of chicken soup and reduced-fat cream cheese; calculated without bacon) equals 148 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 13 mg cholesterol, 655 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 6 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch, 1/2 fat.

* I prefer to substitute cream of celery soup. Cream of mushroom could also be substituted.


This morning I tried a recipe from my last issue of Simple & Delicious. It was contributed by Amie Longstaff of Painesville Township, OH. I didn’t have enough of a couple of the ingredients (and had to make a substitution for one) so I cut the recipe in half. Also, my muffin pans are standard sized rather than mini, so it ended up making 12 muffins. I extended the baking time to 20 minutes and probably should have pulled them out after 18. They still tasted quite good.

MONKEY MUFFINS

½ cup butter, softened
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the bananas, peanut butter, milk and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in chips.

Fill greased or paper-lined miniature muffin cups three-fourths full. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 350ºF for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 6 dozen.

Favorite Five - Albums

Thanks to everyone who left a comment on the first “Favorite Five” entry. I enjoyed seeing the wide variety of movies everyone posted. This time I chose a topic I'm a little more passionate about: Albums. If I thought it was difficult narrowing down movies (looking back I can think of several I omitted), this was even harder!

I am of the vinyl record generation. I’ve progressed with the times and bought my share of CDs (never had many 8-tracks or cassettes) and now rarely buy anything other than singles from iTunes. Nothing compares, though, to the vinyl record album. Great cover art, more artwork or photos and often lyrics on the sleeve, the occasional poster, plus the warm, rich sound of vinyl. When purchasing an album, there was always a risk that the song you bought the album for might be the only song worth listening to. Then again, how often do kids today miss out on great songs because they only purchase the songs they know they like?

This time I want you to think about your favorite albums. I don’t mean the ones that have just a favorite song or two on them (favorite songs will be a whole different post), but the albums you put on so you can hear the entire thing.

My list, in no particular order, followed by a few runners up…

1. Close to the Edge (Yes) – I’ve blogged about this album before. It’s not only my favorite album, it contains my favorite song (title track) and Yes is my all-time favorite group.

2. Abbey Road (The Beatles) – I’ve always preferred late to early Beatles. Although there are a few of their songs that I might like better, this is my favorite overall… especially the songs from the medley on side two.

3. Tales of Mystery and Imagination: Edgar Allan Poe (The Alan Parsons Project) - I discovered this album purely by chance. It was recommended to me by an employee of a record store I visited while on a church trip in high school. I took a chance on it and it’s been a favorite ever since.

4. Journey to the Centre of the Earth (Rick Wakeman) – I love the combination of “Prog Rock” with story theme albums and this is a fine example. Actually, Rick Wakeman (keyboardist for Yes) released several great theme albums during the 70s.

5. Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd) – A masterpiece! It holds the record for spending the most weeks (741) on the Billboard album chart. Its popularity continues today.

Runners up: Selling England by the Pound (Genesis), The Wall (Pink Floyd), The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (Rick Wakeman), Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd), Catch Bull at Four (Cat Stevens), Back in Black (AC/DC), Duke (Genesis), Days of Future Passed (The Moody Blues), Tommy (The Who), Pyramid (The Alan Parsons Project), The Six Wives of Henry VIII (Rick Wakeman), and most any album by Yes.

Recipe Rehash

I prepared this dish for my husband’s supper last night and thought I’d rehash it on this blog. Despite the fact I’m no longer a vegetarian, I still don’t do game.

Dove in Mushroom Gravy

Soak 10-12 dove breasts in bottled italian dressing overnight (in the fridge, of course).

Put about a cup of flour in a ziplock bag and season it with salt, pepper, or whatever seasonings you like. Drop the dove breasts into the bag (directly from the dressing they've been soaking in) and shake them around a bit to give them a little coating. Melt a whole stick of butter (I use the real thing...not margarine) in a skillet. Place the dove breasts into the melted butter and brown them on all sides. Next add a jar of mushrooms (drained) and a 14 oz. can of chicken broth. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until done.

This makes a rich gravy and is good served over white or wild rice.