Fall Into Flavor Finale: Fruit Cocktail Cake

I spent my last two years of high school in Okinawa, Japan. Six months after graduation, I married my dear husband. One of the gifts my mother gave me for my new house (ok, my teeny--tiny--itty--bitty apartment - the stove/oven was just 24 inches wide and not much taller) was a cookbook put together by the ladies of our church.

The front page says:

KOZA BAPTIST CHURCH
OKINAWA, JAPAN
PRESENTS OUR FAVORITE RECIPES
KOZA COOKERY 1981

In honor of the season and in celebration of the 27th anniversary (November 16, 1981) of my legal binding*[see note below]* marriage to my soul-mate, I give you the only fruit cake I really like, from Koza Cookery. (And Linda.... it's quick-easy-and yep, has butter!)

Fruit Cocktail Cake

Mix together:
1-1/2 cup sugar
2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Then add:
1 medium-sized can fruit cocktail, juice too

Mix until well-blended. Put in an oblong pan and,

Sprinkle over top:
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup brown sugar

Bake at 350F for 40-50 minutes.

Topping:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3/4 cup canned milk

Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add 1 cup shredded coconut. Spread over warm cake and put under broiler until bubbly and brown.

This cake is delicious served warm or cold. You can even heat it up in the microwave (I sneak and eat it for a quick breakfast---if there is any leftover the next day!)


*[Note: In Okinawa, American pastors are not licensed to marry. We had to go through the US consulate and the mayor of Naha City to get legally married. Because of the time it took to get the paperwork done and my husband's status changed from single to married, for pay and other purposes, we did the legal part a month and a half before our church wedding on January 2, 1982. We celebrate both dates because they are both so special to us. During the waiting time from married in the eyes of the government to married in the eyes of God, we got my identification paperwork changed, my husband moved out of the dormitory and into an apartment-December 16, bought a set of dishes, and many other little tasks. It was great fun being secretly married---only my parents and our pastor knew about it.]*

Fall Into Flavor Finale: Fruit Cocktail Cake

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Fall Into Flavor: Warm Desserts

Since the last thing I was thinking about last Monday was food, I missed Fall into Flavor. Today I'm going to share a couple of my favorite chocolate and/or buttery desserts to make up.


First is my favorite quickie and warm chocolate dessert. It's simplicity and flavor is just what I need on a cool night. My family loves it. It's great with a cup of coffee or a tall icy glass of milk. I like that I can mix it all up in one bowl (without even rinsing between the two parts).



Brownie Pudding

Brownie layer:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp. butter or butter-flavored shortening, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Pudding layer:
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, white sugar, and 1 tbsp. cocoa. Stir in butter or shortening, vanilla, and milk until smooth. Fold in nuts. Spread mixture in a 1-quart baking dish.
3. Stir together brown sugar, 1 tbsp. cocoa, and boiling water. Pour carefully over pudding mixture in the baking dish.
4. Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes, until set.

The brownie ends up on top of the creamy pudding. Scoop into dessert bowl and top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if you like. Makes 6 servings.

The next dessert is one of my favorite for taking to fall and winter gatherings. One year I even made it into cupcakes so everyone could take some home. Very buttery and gooey and sweet!

Kentucky Butter Cake

Make the cake:
1 cup butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
2 cups of sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla flavoring (real, not artificial--it's crucial to get a full flavor!)
3 cups unsifted flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk (low-fat is fine, but why bother? The whole point is flavor not weight control with this cake!)

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
   
2. Cream butter and sugar.
3. Beat in eggs one at a time, until mixture is light and fluffy.
4. Add vanilla.
   
5. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
6. Add dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk, mixing until blended.
7. Pour into a buttered bundt pan. Tap pan lightly on the counter to evenly distribute batter.
8. Bake at 325F for 60-65 minutes.
   

Make butter topping:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 tsp. vanilla (again real, not artificial; you can substitute 2 tbsp. rum or brandy here for a more sophisticated flavor)

1. Combine the ingredients, except vanilla (or rum) in a small saucepan over medium low heat.
2. Cook, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and add vanilla (or rum) until well blended.
   

Complete the cake:

1. Remove the cake from the oven.
2. Prick the cake with a long skewer.
3. Gently pour a small amount of the sauce over the cake (still in the pan).
4. Wait a minute for the sauce to be absorbed by the cake and repeat pouring the sauce over the cake until you've used half of the sauce.
5. Let the cake cool and then turn it out onto a cake plate.
6. Gently pour a small amount of the sauce over the top and sides of the cake.
7. Wait a minute for the sauce to be absorbed by the cake and repeat pouring the sauce over the cake until you've used the rest of the sauce.
   

Fall Into Flavor: Warm Desserts

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Fall Into Flavor: Friendship Tea

The original recipe for this came to me from my friend Meg when we both lived in North Carolina.

She would make it and bring it to county soccer league games in a large thermos and pass it out to those of us shivering in the stands during the never-ending soccer season of 1995.

It rained so much that the season went all the way to the weekend before Thanksgiving.

The tea has morphed into the recipe below, because I kept adding things and shifting ingredients; then I lost the original recipe somewhere among our many Air Force moves.

Friendship Tea
4 cups boiling water
2 family-sized tea bags (I favor Luzianne brand)
1 bottle cranberry juice
2 cups sugar (or to taste, I start with a 1/2 cup and add as I think it's needed)
1 can frozen pineapple juice concentrate
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves

Steep the tea bags in the boiling water for about 15 minutes. Remove the tea bags and place the tea in a Dutch oven or large saucepan. Add cranberry juice, sugar, pineapple, and lemonade concentrates ; bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn heat to a simmer and let simmer about 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cinnamon and cloves. Taste the tea. If it seems too strong, add water, one cup at a time until it suits you. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Note: I tie my spices in a square of cheesecloth for easy removal. You can vary the spices and their amounts according to your taste, just use whole spices. Caution, adding to many cloves overpowers the other flavors.

You can prepare the steeped tea and then add it and the other items to a crockpot. Cook on high for an hour, then remove the spices and turn to low. You can easily serve the Friendship Tea at parties and gatherings this way.

Fall Into Flavor: Friendship Tea

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Fall Into Flavor: Wanda's Drunken Chili

I asked my sister what meal said fall to her family and she gave this one to me. We had to discuss it quite a while to get the measurements close, as she is one of those "dash of this" kind of cooks. ;->

Wanda's Drunken Chili

1 lb. ground beef
1/2-1 clove garlic, minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
up to 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, optional
1 tbsp. chili powder, or to taste
1 tsp. cumin
2-3 cans tomato sauce
1 cup (or 1/2 a can) beer
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans -OR- dark red kidney beans
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Angel hair pasta
shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (or your choice of cheddar)
sour cream

Brown ground beef with garlic, add onion, cook till onions are translucent. Add rest of ingredients except pasta, cheese, and sour cream. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Near the end of chili cooking time, cook the angel hair pasta. Serve the chili over the pasta and top with cheese and sour cream.

Wanda's Note: For an interesting change of flavor, do not add cinnamon. Instead, add 1/4 cup very strong coffee. Her friend adds coffee to everything and she leaves out the cinnamon and the beer and just adds the strong coffee. Wanda prefers to leave in the beer for the yeasty flavor it adds to the chili.

Patty's Note: This is my sis and my good friend...ain't she grand!?!

Fall Into Flavor: Wanda's Drunken Chili

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Fall Into Flavor: Pumpkin Muffins

First of all: Happy Birthday to my sister, Wanda!!!!!




My mother and I had a little get-away about 13 years ago to the old Moravian village of Old Salem, North Carolina.

We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast inn called the Zevely Inn. Part of the stay included a tour of the Winkler Bakery, where they still use a brick oven to make wonderful treats.

I bought several recipe cards from the Winkler Bakery. These are authentic recipes from the time period (early 19th century). This recipe has become part of our fall breakfasts ever since the trip.

Pumpkin Muffins

2 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup soft butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 beaten eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Add raisins and stir to coat. Cream sugar, butter, and molasses; add milk eggs, and pumpkin, and blend well. Stir in dry ingredients blending only until flour disappears.

Fill greased muffin pans full. Bake at 375 degrees for 16-18 minutes. Makes 12-15 large muffins.

Notes:
**I like to make mini-muffins and freeze the ones we don't immediately eat. They can be thawed and reheated as needed.
**I play around with the additions: sometimes I use 1/2 raisins and 1/2 chopped nuts; sometimes I use shredded carrots and chopped nuts.
**These muffins are great with stews and chili, in the place of cornbread.
**To make this recipe similar to the Panera Bread pumpkin muffin: mix 1 teaspoon cinnamon with 2 tablespoons sugar and sprinkle on top of muffins before you bake.


Go visit Linda @ 2nd Cup of Coffee for more recipes and/or to join in. ;->

Fall Into Flavor: Pumpkin Muffins

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Fall Into Flavor: Chili & Cornbread

I love this meme! Collecting seasonal recipes is one of my favorite things to do. Mr. Amazing loves simple, homestyle meals.

I asked him what meal I make that tastes like fall to him. He said my Chili & Cornbread. So here are the recipes. BTW, when I made them last week, I followed the meal with Lori's Pumpkin Cobbler. Oh my! It is wonderful!!

The chili recipe can be doubled for more guests or to freeze for a quick serve meal.






Quick Chili
Serves 4

1 pound lean ground beef chuck
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked pinto or kidney beans (one 15-oz. can, rinsed and drained)
2 10-oz. cans RO*TEL diced tomatoes and chilies, drained
1-2 cups frozen corn (optional)
1-2 tablespoons chili powder (to your own taste)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons brown sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon salt

Combine the ground meat, onion, and bell pepper in a medium saucepan. Stirring constantly, cook over medium-high heat until the meat is crumbly and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Continue to cook and stir until the chili is bubbly, about 4 minutes.

Notes:
>>You can use the equivalent of fresh chopped garden tomatoes and chilies for the RO*TEL--just make sure you peel and seed the tomatoes and let the sit on paper towels to absorb some of the moisture. Otherwise, you will have to cooked down the liquid in the pot of chili, which adds cooking time.
>>If you are serving the chili to kids who don't like beans and chopped veggies use this trick: take a portion of the veggies you will serve to them and grind them in your blender or food processor. Take a portion of the meat and put it in another pot then add the ground veggies. This works with getting kids to eat all kinds of things. I put a ketchup happy face on the chili in the kids' bowls-which makes it seem like fun to eat and tones down the spicy taste. The meal is so fast to put together that cooking separate pots isn't too much work.
>>Serve with sour cream to top and brown rice underneath to make a very hearty meal.

Whole Grain Cornbread
Serves about 9

1 cup yellow cornmeal (fresh ground if you have it)
1 cup whole wheat flour (also fresh ground)
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. (I grease an iron skillet and put it in the oven at this time.) In a large bowl, combine the corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add milk, egg, and oil. Beat until fairly smooth, about one minute. Bake in greased or sprayed 8-inch square baking pan (or hot iron skillet) 20 to 23 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. (I check it at 17 minutes when using the iron skillet.)

Note:
This cornbread is great as a side with beans, fresh corn, and sliced cucumbers. Just put a slice of fresh tomato in the center of the cornbread wedge. Ummmm! Now that's good southern eatin'!


****To join this meme, post your recipes then go to Linda's blog, 2nd Cup of Coffee, and link up on Mr. Linky.***

Fall Into Flavor: Chili & Cornbread

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