Jewish Apple Cake

I have been meaning to write this recipe out for Mel for the last six months (sorry!). It is one of my absolute favorite cakes. Cheers.

4 or 5 apples, cut in 1/4" slices
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
4 eggs
3 cups of flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
5 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of salad oil
1/4 cup orange juice

Combine apples, 5 T of sugar, and cinnamon. Beat together eggs and 2 cups sugar. Add dry ingredients, salad oil, orange juice, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Pour 1/2 of batter into greased and floured tube pan. Stand up apples in the batter. Pour remaining sugar and cinnamon over apples. Pour rest of batter over top. Bake 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.

Marshmallow Brownies

I took thisfor dessert fro Sunday dinner, everyone asked for the recipie to be posted, so here it is!


Cream together
1 c softened butter
2 c sugar
1/3 c cocoa
add 4 eggs one at a time
then add 1 1/4 c flour
2 tsp vanilla

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Cook at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes.
Remove from oven cover top with a layer of mini marshmallows, put in oven under broiler watch till marshmallows turn light brown and remove from oven. Let cool.

Frosting
1/4 c butter softened
1/3 c cocoa
1/3 c evaporated milk
1 2/3 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all together shouldn't be too thick since you will need to pour ( spread) over the marshmallows.
Can refrigerate to help cool and set up frosting.

Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Sauce

This recipie is originally from Mel , and then I discovered this sauce to pour onto it. Yummy!

1 Pkg devils Food cake mix
1 small box of devils food instant pudding
8 oz sour cream
4 eggs
1/2 c oil
1/2 c hot water
1 to 2 c chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients. Pour in a well greased bundt pan. Nake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. While still warm dump on plate. Slice to serve and pour sauce on each piece.

Chocolate Sauce

2 c sugar
1/2 c cocoa
1 c butter
1 can evaporated milk

Melt butter on low heat, add rest of ingredients, boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat add 1 tsp vanilla. ***this makes a lot of sauce, too much for the cake, I have halved the recipie and it is perfect, or you can use the extra sauce on icecream.

Eclairs

I was always afraid to attempt this sort of pasty. But it is really pretty simple so give it a try!

1/2 C margarine or butter
1 C flour
4 eggs
1 pkg vanilla or chocolate instant pudding ( I prefer them with vanilla)
1 cup whipping cream ( optional)
Chocolate Glaze ( recipie below)

In a medium saucepan combine margarine or butter, 1 C water ad 1/8 tsp salt. Bring to
boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir till mixture forms a ball that
doesnt seperate. Remove from heat. Cool 10 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating wit wooden spoon after each additional egg till smooth.

Drop by heaping tablespoons 3 inches apart, onto a greased cookie sheet. ( makes about 10)
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown. Cool , then split puffs and remove any soft dough from the inside, leaving room to scoop in pudding. Replace tops. Spread chocolate glaze over top. Can add a dallop of cream to top and even in the middle if you wish,

Chocolate Glaze

4 oz of chocolate ( i use chocolate chips)
3 TB butter
1 1/2 C powdered sugar.

In a small saucepan melt chocalate and butter over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat stir in sugar and 3 TB hot water, stir in additional water if neccesary. Pour over each eclair.

Southwest Corn

Mandy, here's another side dish that is pretty tasty!

3 1/3 cups fresh or frozen corn -- thawed
1 medium green pepper
1 Tbsp finely chopped onion (I use a red onion because I like the extra color)
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 - 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin (depending on you individual tastes)

Saute corn, green pepper and onion in butter in a large skillet until tender. Stir in cilantro and cumin; saute 1-2 minutes longer or until heated through.

Grilled Corn with Fresh Dill Butter

Easy, easy, easy!!! We also use the fresh dill butter to grill halibut!

6 ears of corn
1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter (don't skimp!)
1/2 cup fresh dill chopped

Peel back husks of corn (don't take them off!). Remove silks. Soak corn with husks in cold water for 20 minutes. Combine butter and chopped fresh dill in a food processor. Remove corn from cold water. Slather corn with dill butter, replace husks and tie with kitchen twine. Place on BBQ over High heat for 20 minutes. Turn once while grilling. Remove from grill and serve with any leftover dill butter. Delicious!!!!

Frog Eye Salad

Sorry it's taken so long Mandy -- here's mom's recipe!

Sauce:
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cup pineapple juice (reserved from canned pinapple)
2 eggs beaten
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Cook over medium heat until thickened. Let sauce cool.

3 quarts water
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp oil
1 16 oz package of Acini de pepe pasta
Cook pasta 11 minutes. Rinse with cold water.

Combine Sauce with pasta and fold in the following:
3 cans mandarin oranges
2 cans (20 oz) pineapple chunks drained
2 9 oz cool whip tubs
2 cups marshmallows
1 cup coconut (optional)

Best if combined and refrigerated overnight!

Triple Berry Spinach Salad

Here's a really pretty salad that I think is pretty tasty!

1 package (6 oz) fresh baby spinach
Fresh Strawberries
Fresh Raspberries
Fresh Blueberries
Sliced Red Onion

Dressing:
1/4 cup oil (I used olive)
3 Tbsp Raspberry lemonade concentrate
2 Tbsp White Vinegar
1-2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp Sugar

Combine salad ingredients and drizzle dressing over the top! Tastes like summer!

Chicken Pot Pie

Really easy. Really good.

8 oz. chicken breast; cut into bite-sized pieces
3 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 can (10.75 oz.) cream of celery soup
3 servings Pillsbury crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute chicken pieces for several minutes in a pan spritzed with nonstick cooking spray, until chicken is light brown/cooked but still tender; set aside. Heat frozen veggies in microwave according to package. Mix chicken, vegetables and soup together and put in a 9" round baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place dish in oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly (stir about halfway through). While dish is cooking, unroll 3 crescent rolls. Combine pieces together with hands to make one large ball of dough. With a rolling pin, roll dough out into a circle to cover top of dish. Add dough to the top of the dish and cook for an additional 15 - 20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Serves 4.

Hearty Multigrain Biscuits

Good flavor, I love the mixture of all the different fibers.

¾ c. whole wheat flour
½ c. all-purpose flour
½ c. cornmeal
3 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
¼ c. shortening
½ c. quick-cooking or old fashioned oats
About ¾ c. fat-free (skim) milk

1. Heat oven to 450. Mix flours, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in oats. Stir in just enough milk so dough leaves side of bowl and forms a ball.

2. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead lightly 10 times. Roll or part ½ inch thick. Cut with floured 2 ½ inch round cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart for crusty sides, touching for soft sides. Brush with milk and sprinkle with oats if desired.

3. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve Warm.

Betty Crocker’s
Diabetes Cookbook

Black Bean Chilaquile (Vegetarian Meal As Requested!)

1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped tomato
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups rinsed, stemmed, and chopped fresh spinach
2 cups crushed baked tortilla chips
8 oz. shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
2 cups prepared salsa

Saute onion in olive oil for about 5-8 minutes, until translucent. Stir in tomato, corn, black beans, lime juice, salt, and pepper and continue to saute for another 5-10 minutes until heated through. In another saucepan, blanch the greens in boiling water to cover for 1 to 3 minutes, until just wilted but still bright green. Drain immediately and set aside. Coat an 8"x8" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread half of crushed tortilla chips on the bottom. Top with all of the sauteed vegetables and about 2/3 of the cheese. Spread greens evenly on top of cheese; top with half of the salsa. Finish layering with the rest of the tortilla chips, salsa, and cheese. Bake for 35-40 mins at 350F until cheese bubbles and begins to brown.

Bonus: According to the book this recipe came from, this has only 245 calories per 8-oz. serving! Loads of sodium, though.

Chocolate Trifle

I made this for our Stratton dinner yesterday. It is so, so good. {Sorry, Aimee, that you couldn't have any -- I know I'm a mean sister-in-law!}

INGREDIENTS
1 brownie mix
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup water
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
1 (12 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
2 Skor or Heath bars (crushed)

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and cool completely. Cut into 1 inch squares. In a large bowl, combine pudding mix, water and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until smooth, then fold in 8 ounces cool whip until no streaks remain.
In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, place half of the brownies, half of the pudding mixture and half of the 12 ounce container of whipped topping. Repeat layers. Sprinkle crushed candy bars on top. Refrigerate 8 hours before serving.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

In honor of January's birthday, here is her favorite cake that she is lucky to get once a year!

2 cups carrots, shredded
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
3/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

Combine carrots, pineapple, oil and sugar. Add eggs, cinnamon and nutmeg. Beat thoroughly. Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix well. Pour into a greased 9x13" pan and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.) You can also do two round cake pans, bake for about 20 minutes before checking. Let cool; frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup butter, softened
1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 t. vanilla
1/4 cup milk
2 lbs. powdered sugar

Beat butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes!) Add vanilla and milk until well combined. Add powdered sugar. If frosting is too stiff, add milk a few drops at a time until the right consistency. If frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar. This is the prefect amount of frosting for 1 cake in Stratton land, but many of you may find you have left overs. (This is great frosting for Homemade Oreos.....its on the blog)

Guilt-free (virgin) Pina Colada

My friend, Erin, made these last week for our mini pool party. They were heavenly.

1 oz. water
2 oz. Sugar Free Coconut Torani Syrup
1/4 cup Breyer's Cal Smart Vanilla Ice Cream
1 Tbsp. crushed pineapple in its own juice (She added more to make it juicier)
3/4 cup crushed ice
1 packet Splenda

Put all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high speed for 30 seconds.

These should come in somewhere around 60 calories, if you follow this recipe. Enjoy!!

Request: vegetarian

I've always known, but there are tons of articles out there touting going vegetarian as a great way to save money and be healthier. While I don't think I can go completely meatless, I would like to start cooking at least one or two vegetarian meals per week. This is where you come in. We have a handful of tasty meals on the blog, but I'd love to have a few more to choose from. Do you have more you can share?

Orange-Basil Chicken

1 1/2 lb. Chicken breasts
3 T. cornstarch, divided
1 (12 oz.) bag fresh broccoli florets
2 T. olive oil, divided
3/4 c. orange juice
5 T. lite soy sauce
1/4 c. honey
3 T. grated fresh ginger
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1 t. grated orange rind
Hot Cooked Rice

1. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Toss with 2 T. cornstarch, and set aside.
2. Saute broccoli in 1 T. hot oil in large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes; remove from skillet, and set aside.
3. Saute chicken pieces in remaining 1 T. oil in skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes or until done. Reduce heat to medium.
4. Whisk together orange juice, soy sauce, honey, ginger and remaining 1 T. cornstarch. Add orange juice mixture and broccoli to chicken, and cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Stir in basil and orange rind. Serve over hot cooked rice.

(also good adding 1/2 c. cashews to orange juice mixture)
From: Southern Living Cooking School-Summer 2006

Easy Marinara Sauce

2 cans (14.5 oz each) Italian stewed tomatoes
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4-5 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup water

Combine first seven ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Saute onion in olive oil for 2-3 minutes, until tender. Add tomato mixture and water; simmer for approximately 30 minutes.

Waffles

I love (and I do mean love) waffles. This is one of the variations on a basic recipe from The Joy of Cooking, and it's the best I've ever had. Just follow the recipe, pretend it's not unhealthy, and enjoy.

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 large eggs, well beaten
16 tablespoons (yes, 2 sticks) of unsalted butter, melted (do NOT use margarine)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (you can make sour milk using lemon juice and regular milk, but I think actual buttermilk works better)

Whisk all of the dry ingredients together; make a well in the center and set aside. Whisk eggs and melted butter until well combined. Add buttermilk and whisk well. Add wet ingredients to dry ones and mix until combined but not smooth. Bake in a waffle iron until there is no more steam (even if your waffle iron says it's done, wait until the steam stops completely.)

Note: if you combine all of the wet ingredients at once, the cold buttermilk will cause the melted butter to harden, making it much more difficult to combine. There's an enzyme in eggs that keeps the butter from re-hardening, so mix those together first. (And thank you, Alton Brown, for that amazing little tip.) I find these turn out best when done in a nonstick Belgian waffle iron sprayed with a little cooking spray. Also, the batter will be really, really thick, almost more like a dough than a batter. That's as it should be.

Parmesan Popovers

3 eggs
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence **
4 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 cups whole milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan (about 5 ounces)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

~In a blender, combine eggs, flour, salt, pepper, and herbs, milk, and cheese. Blend on medium speed.
~Spray a mini-muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling each cup 3/4 full.
~Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
~Remove popovers from muffin tin and cool on a wire rack.

From: Giada De Laurentiis

**Herbs de Provence contains thyme (mostly), rosemary, marjoram, basil, and bay leaf if you don’t have the actual mixture.

Tilapia Greek Pasta

This dish does have quite a bit of prep... but well worth it! It's so fresh and packed with taste! When you make the seasoning & dressing, you can make this dish a couple of times.

1 (12 oz.) package spiral pasta
1 lb. tilapia fillets (about 4 fillets)
2 tsp. Greek Seasoning, divided (see below)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. Olive oil
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 (6 oz.) package fresh baby spinach
½ c. Greek salad dressing (see below)
2 tsp. lemon juice
½ c. (2 oz.) crumbled feta cheese

1. Make Greek Seasoning
2. Make Greek Salad dressing
3. Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain and keep warm.
4. Sprinkle tilapia fillets evenly with 1 tsp. Greek seasoning. Cook fish in lightly greased, large skillet or grill skillet over medium-high heat 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes with a fork. Remove from skillet; flake fish with a fork into large pieces, and keep warm.
5. Sauté garlic in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and spinach, and cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Stir in cooked pasta, dressing, lemon juice, and remaining 1 tsp. Greek seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Add fish, and gently toss to combine.
6. Transfer pasta mixture to a serving dish; sprinkle evenly with feta cheese.

From: Southern Living Cooking School – Summer 2006. They didn't have recipes for the Greek Seasoning or the Greek Salad dressing. I found these both online after I looked a few times in the store for the seasoning. They do have a greek salad dressing... but this recipe is really easy and a lot better I've found.

Greek Seasoning Blend

2 teaspoons salt ~ 2 teaspoons dried oregano ~ 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder ~ 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder ~ 1 teaspoon cornstarch ~ 1 teaspoon pepper ~ 1 teaspoon beef-flavored bouillon granules ~ 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes ~ 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon ~ 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Pizzalinni Greek Salad Dressing

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard ~ 2 tablespoons lemon juice ~ 1/2 t. salt ~ 6 ea cloves garlic, finely minced (I use half) ~ 1 large egg ~ 1 t. dried oregano ~ 1 1/4 c. salad oil ~ 1/2 t. worcestershire sauce~ 1 T. white vinegar ~ 1 dash pepper (to taste)

In a small but deep bowl, mix mustard, salt, egg and vinegar. Add oil one drop at a time, beating constantly, until about one-third of the oil has been added. (Once the mixture begins to thicken, oil can be added several drops at a time). Slowly beat in remaining oil and lemon juice. Stir in minced garlic, oregano, Worcestershire sauce. Add pepper. Refrigerate mixture. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.