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In , on September 29, 2015 with No Comments

Fresh Apple Cake

Our little apple orchard really produced this year. We have four remaining apple trees left after a big wind storm a few years back: Red Delicious, Yellow Delicious, Jonared and Gala. I primarily like to make apple pie filling with them, and Kevin likes to dehydrate a bunch – good for snacking.

Today I decided to make a fresh apple cake. Mom used to make one that had a rum-flavored sauce, but I’ve long ago lost the recipe for the sauce. This cake is good as is or with a caramel sauce (either homemade or store bought), whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

 

Fresh Apple Cake

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter (not margarine), at room temperature
2 eggs
6 apples, cored, peeled and grated
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 cup chopped pecans

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar until well blended. Add the eggs, and mix well. Stir in the grated apple.

In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining dry ingredients. Add to the wet ingredients, and mix just until combined.

Pour mixture into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Serve warm with caramel sauce, whipped cream or ice cream.

Quick Caramel Sauce

6 tablespoons butter (not margarine)
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk

In a small saucepan, melt butter and sugar over medium-low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the evaporated milk, and stir constantly until the sauce is the desired consistency.

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In , on September 28, 2015 with No Comments

Peach Dump Cake

It was a beautiful evening yesterday to watch the supermoon lunar eclipse in eastern Iowa. It had been cloudy most of the day, but it cleared off, and the boys and I watched the amazing show. I’d never seen a full lunar eclipse before, and we had the perfect front yard to watch it – 7 miles outside city limits with no outdoor lighting. The sky was spectacular.

The boys wanted something sweet for dessert – okay, I wanted something sweet for dessert last night, but I wanted it to be quick to make so we could get outside for the eclipse. I’d made peach pie filling last week, so I thought about making a pie, but my pie crust skills leave a lot to be desired. I decided to make a peach dump cake instead. It’s easy, fast, and there usually aren’t any leftovers.

 

Peach Dump Cake

2 cans peach pie filling (I used 2 quarts of homemade filling)
1 box cake mix (any flavor you wish but white or yellow cake mix works best)
1 stick butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Place the peach pie filling in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the pie filling. Pour the melted butter evenly over the cake mix.

Bake the cake for approximately 50 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or until the top is browned and the filling is bubbly. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

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In , on August 27, 2015 with No Comments

Chocolate Pound Cake

I was in the mood for cake, and after searching through my recipes on Pinterest, I decided on pound cake. Thanks to making bread earlier, I had a few extra egg yolks, and I didn’t have enough unsweetened chocolate in the house, so I made a few modifications to the recipe I found to use what I had on hand.

I adore anything with chocolate, and I love pound cake, so this recipe was made for me 🙂

 

 

Chocolate Pound Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup butter, softened
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
4 ounces good bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled (I used Ghirardelli)
2 eggs plus 3 egg yolks
1-2 teaspoons good vanilla extract

Great and lightly flour a 10-inch tube pan. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add milk, butter and cooled chocolate. Carefully mix on low to medium speed until combined. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.

Add eggs and vanilla extract. Beat 2 minutes more.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove cake from the pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.

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In , , , , on April 5, 2015 with No Comments

Days of Casseroles: Day 2…Cheesy Ham and Hash Brown Casserole…Plus Easy Cherry Cheesecake

Kevin got in some garden today, as he planted kohlrabi, radishes, peas and some lettuce. He also got the rhubarb transplanted, so while I might be out a rhubarb crisp this year, next year I should have plenty of tasty stalks to pick 🙂

The chickens were moved to the coop this past week too. We lost another chick before that, so we’re down to 52 little peepers. The rest are looking great, so in a few weeks, we’ll be up to our necks butchering.

Today’s casserole is a great way to use up that leftover Easter ham, and it works well as a brunch or dinner main dish.

 

 

Cheesy Ham and Hash Brown Casserole

1 2-pound package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups chopped, cooked ham
1 10.75-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 8-ounce container sour cream
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups crushed cornflakes
1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, combine hash browns, 1/2 cup melted butter, cream of chicken soup, ham, sour cream, chopped onion, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well. Place mixture in a greased 3-quart casserole dish.

In a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup melted butter and crushed cornflakes until the cornflakes are coated. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the casserole.

Bake covered at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.

What’s an Easter dinner without dessert? While I generally make traditional cheesecakes, I was running short on time (as in the kids wanted to eat cheesecake today instead of letting it set overnight!). This is a good recipe when you’re in a hurry.

 

 

 

Easy Cherry Cheesecake

1 graham cracker pie crust
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 can cherry pie filling (or use your favorite flavor)

Beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add sweetened condensed milk, and blend thoroughly. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Pour into pie crust.

Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours, or until firm. Top with chilled pie filling before serving.

Yield: 8 servings

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In , on July 2, 2014 with 1 Comment

Sour Cream Black Raspberry Cheese Pie

While this blog was mainly the desire to chart the progress of our garden and canning adventures, it really hasn’t gotten to canning season for me yet. Most of our veggies and fruits have gone into the freezer so far, with a little jam made along the way.

So far this summer I’ve frozen spinach, kale (lots of kale!), broccoli, a few peas, and raspberries. I’ve been freezing the wild black raspberries until I have enough to make a few batches of jam, but today I was hungry for pie. I knew the raspberries were just about ready to be picked again, so I set off for the timber to see what I would find. Kevin and I picked enough black raspberries for another 2 freezer quart bags of berries, and I had enough leftover to make a Sour Cream Raspberry Cheese Pie.

I didn’t want to heat up the kitchen today, so this recipe fit the ticket. Creamy, cheesecake-like texture that was no-bake with fresh raspberries on top.

 

Sour Cream Black Raspberry Cheese Pie

1 graham cracker crust
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
Fresh black raspberries, about 3 cups

In a mixing bowl, whisk the softened cream cheese and sour cream together until smooth. Add in the sugar and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.

Pour into graham cracker crust and top with black raspberries. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving (overnight would be better….if you can wait that long!).

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In , on May 14, 2014 with No Comments

I Need Chocolate!

You know those days….you have a craving for something sweet, but not for just any old thing. You crave CHOCOLATE!! I had that kind of a day today. Work was tough and long. It was cold outside (although definitely warmer today than it’s been in a while). I needed comfort food, and when I say comfort food, I’m usually talking about dessert! 🙂

So I drag out my recipe box and thumb through it until I find my favorite go-to, stand-by, gotta-to-make-it-now brownie recipe. I’ve made these brownies for so long (since high school, and that’s been a while!) that I’ve forgotten where I even got the recipe. I’m sure it came from someone in my hometown of Lenox, IA…..so many wonderful cooks in that town! Heck, when I was in high school, we actually wanted the recipes that the high school cooks used…seriously! They actually cooked real food, not like the stuff the poor kids in school have to tolerate today. Oh to have that homemade pizza recipe….their chocolate chip cookies…and their chili and vegetable soups (both completely homemade) were used for many a fundraising event.

But…I digress. Today was about chocolate. Ooey, gooey chocolate brownies. So if you’re salivating like I was earlier today when thinking about these, here you go:

Super-Easy One-Bowl Brownies






2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs
2 cups flour
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla



Mix all together until completely combined. Pour into an 8 x 10-inch greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes, or until they test done. Frost with your favorite frosting/icing when cooled.

Don’t let the oil amount fool you…it’s correct. Really a delicious brownie…and if you can’t wait for them to cool long enough to frost, they’re just as delicious unfrosted, right out of the pan while still warm! Pass me the milk please 🙂

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