Chocolate Decadence Cake

1 lb. sweet chocolate, melted

3 tbl. sugar

1 tbl. flour

8 oz. sweet butter

4 eggs, separated

Mix chocolate, sugar, flour, softened butter, and egg yolks. Beat well. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. 

Pour into 8" springform pan, lined with buttered waxed paper.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then cool in oven with door ajar. 

Serve with whipped cream, rasberries, and shaved chocolate. 

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeños Stuffed with Cheese

Fresh jalapeño peppers

Bacon slices, cut into thirds

Cream cheese, softened to room temperature

Wash and dry the jalapeños. Cut off stem ends, split in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds and membranes. 

Stuff each half with softened cream cheese. A spoon is ideal to scoop, stuff, and smooth the cheese. 

Wrap each stuffed half pepper with a bacon piece. Secure with toothpicks, if desired. 

Place stuffed and wrapped peppers on a rack over a pan. Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes. 

This recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman Cooks. You don't want to miss the original version, because of the wonderful text with step by step directions, all illustrated with beautiful photographs. In fact, you don't want to miss the home page of  The Pioneer Woman website, which has all sorts of interesting sections, and is beautifully done. 

Sour Cream Pound Cake

1/4 lb. butter

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cardamom

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter and sugar; add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients, add gradually, beating well after each addition. Bake in greased loaf pan at 350 for 50 to 60 minutes. 

Mazarin Cake (Sweden)

Pastry:

1/4 lb. butter

1 1/2 tbl. sugar

2 egg yolks

1 1/3 cup flour

Mix these ingredients, chill, then roll out to cover the bottom and sides of a 9" round cake pan. 

Filling:

1/4 lb. butter

1 cup almond paste

2 eggs

1 tsp. lemon rind

2 tbl. flour

Mix ingredients for filling and spread over the pastry dough. Decorate top with sliced almonds, if you wish.

Bake at 325 F. for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool and remove from pan. 

Grandma Elva's Doughnuts

These were a big treat when we were kids. Lucky for us, cholesterol hadn't been invented yet!

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

3 tbl. melted shortening

1 cup sour milk

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

pinch of ginger

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. mace

Beat eggs, sugar, shortening, and sour milk together. Mix in sifted dry ingredients. Knead dough for a bit, and roll it out to 1/2" thick. 

Deep fry in fat that has been preheated to 365 degrees. Gently drop doughnuts in, one at a time. Cook just a few at once without crowding. When doughnut raise to the top of the fat, turn them over with a long fork. Remove them when brown and drain on paper towels.  

German Chocolate Cake and Frosting

Cake

1 package sweet cooking chocolate

1/2 cup boiling water

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups sugar

1 cup shortening

4 egg yolks

1 cup buttermilk

2 1/2 cups sifted flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

4 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Melt chocolate in the boiling water, cool, add vanilla and set aside.

Cream shortening and sugar together, add egg yolks and beat. Add buttermilk alternately with the flour that has been sifted with the salt and baking soda. Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the batter and mix well. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Bake in two 8" or 9" greased layer pans at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes. 

Frosting/Filling

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

3 egg yolks

1/4 lb. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all together and cook over low heat for 12 minuted or until thick, stirring constantly. Add 1 cups of chopped pecans or almonds and 6 oz. flaked coconut. Cool well. 

Spread between and on top of cooled layers.

Naam Vegetable Butter

Naam was a vegetarian restaurant in Vancouver, British Columbia that I used to visit during the early 1970s. I am amazed and pleased to see that they are still in business after all these years. You can visit their website here.

They served this butter with little loaves of freshly baked whole wheat bread. 

To 1/4 lb. soft butter, add 

2 tbl. tomato paste and pinches of 

tarragon

marjoram

thyme

basil

chervil

garlic powder

salt

pepper

and some grated onion

Pork on a Skewer

On a recent visit to my favorite local Oriental grocery store, I was chatting with the owner as she threaded marinated pork onto sharp wooden skewers. The marinade smelled wonderful, and she was kind enough to share her recipe with me.  

Cut boneless pork into thin strips, about one inch wide and 1/4 inch thick. Make them as long as you want. Marinate several hours or overnight in a mixture of:

7-Up

Soy sauce

Finely chopped garlic

Freshly ground black pepper

Thread the pork strips onto wooden skewers and grill or broil until well done. 

Grandma Elva's Cheese and Olive Hors d'Oeuvres

2 cups finely grated cheddar cheese

1/2 cup soft butter

1 cup sifted flour

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. salt (optional)

1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce

36 stuffed green olives

Blend cheese and butter well; stir in flour, paprika, salt, and Tabasco. Drain olives and cover each with dough, forming round balls. Freeze until firm.

Place balls on baking sheet, well separated. Bake without defrosting in a hot oven (400) for 15 minutes. 

This recipe originally came from the San Francisco Symphony.

Auntie's Lemon Flan

4 oz. graham crackers, crushed

2 oz. melted butter

1 tbl. sugar

Mix together well, press into 8" pie plate, bake at 350 for 8 minutes, cool.

Filling: Mix together

1/2 pint cream, whipped

6 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Juice and rind of 2 large lemons

Chill pie several hours before serving.

Peanut Sauce (Gado Gado)

I. This sauce is perfect when used as a dipping sauce for Pork Sate. 

7 tbl. peanut oil

2 tbl. dried minced onion

Sprinkle of garlic powder

1 tsp. dried shrimp paste (trasi)--optional

Chile powder to taste

1 tbl. lemon juice

1 tbl. dark soy sauce (Ketjap manis)

12 oz. crunchy peanut butter

1 1/2 tbl. brown sugar

Heat oil in a small frying pan and fry the onion flakes carefully. Remove from oil. Fry the trasi, crushing it with the back of a spoon. Add lemon juice, garlic powder, chile powder, and soy sauce. Remove pan from heat, stir in peanut butter. Stir until well blended. Cool. Add fried onions and sugar. Mix thoroughly and put in a screw top jar to store in fridge.

Use as is, or mix in enough coconut milk or water to make sauce more liquid in consistency. 

The original version of this recipe comes from The Complete Asian Cookbook, by Charmaine Solomon. I've made a few changes to suit our family's taste. 

II.This is another peanut sauce that you can use with pork sate.

1 cup peanut butter

4 tbl. vinegar

4 tbl. cream

1 tsp. sambal oelek (or to taste)

Blend, and add the following:

Sugar, soya sauce, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and ginger. 

Pork Satay

3/4 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 3/4" pieces

Ketjap manis

Marinate the pork in the ketjap for several hours or overnight. Drain. Thread the pork pieces onto skewers and broil or grill until well done. Serve with steamed rice and peanut sauce for dipping.

Ketjap Manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)

Ketjap manis is used in Indonesian cooking. It can be hard to find, although these days can be ordered online--or you can make your own.

2 cups dark brown sugar 

2 cups water 

1 1/2 cups soy sauce 

3/4 cups molasses 

1/2 tsp ground laos or ginger

1/2 tsp ground coriander 

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

Combine the sugar and water in a large heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Turn heat up to high and cook briskly, uncovered, for 5 minutes, or until the syrup reaches 200F on a candy thermometer. Reduce heat to low, stir in remaining ingredients, and simmer for three minutes. Strain the sauce through a sieve. The ketjap will keep at room temperature for 2-3 months if tightly covered, although I prefer to refrigerate it. Yields approximately 1 quart.

Sourdough Pancakes

1 cup of sourdough starter

1 cup of plain yogurt

2 eggs

3 tbl. corn oil

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

Mix starter, yogurt, eggs, and corn oil. Sift flour, salt, and sugar. Mix dry ingredients with wet; beat until smooth. Let batter stand while you prepare the rest of your breakfast.

Just before cooking the pancakes on a hot griddle, add the baking soda and mix well.

Chicken Marsala

8 chicken breasts
Flour for dredging
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for frying
1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ cup dry white wine, Chablis type
½ cup sweet Marsala
Dredge the chicken with flour seasoned with salt and pepper.
Sauté onions, garlic in oil until clear. Remove the onions and garlic from the pan and deglaze the pan with Chablis. Pour over the onions and garlic.
Brown the chicken until it is cooked through, then remove it to a warm plate. Add onions and garlic and deglaze with Marsala and reduce it a bit.
Pour sauce over the chicken.
Serves 6 - 8
From The Frugal Gourmet Cooks with Wine

Eggplant Parmigiana

Most recipes for eggplant parmigiana will have you salt the eggplant slices, then drain and fry them before baking. The salting is to remove excess moisture from the eggplant so that it doesn't absorb so much oil in the frying. I've simplified the recipe and find that the results are perfectly good and far healthier.

1 medium eggplant, sliced 1/2 inch thick

1 can tomato sauce with the following added: Oregano, marjoram, red wine, ground pepper

Italian bread crumbs 

Parmesan cheese

Place the slices in a buttered casserole, top with the sauce, sprinkle with the crumbs and then the Parmesan. Bake covered for 45 minutes at 350, remove the cover and continue baking a few more minutes until the top crisps up. 

Chicken Tikka Kebabs

2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tbl fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain yogurt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds, toasted
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
Pinch of dried crushed red pepper
pinch of garam masala, if you have it
2 tablespoons vegetable oil.

- Combine all ingredients except chicken in the blender and puree until the spices are well ground. Combine yogurt mixture with chicken and stir until chicken is well coated. Refrigerate chicken (covered or in ziplock bags) at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Preheat broiler (or barbeque on medium-high heat). Discard excess marinade and thread chicken on skewers, dividing equally, and place on a greased baking sheet. Broil the kebabs, about 4 inches from heat, for about 9-12 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly browned in spots and just cooked through.

From Desert Candy

Hew's Apple Crisp

There are certainly more complicated apple crisp recipes, but this one from a friend in Canada is quite delicious.

9 apples

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1 cup sugar

Butter a 9" square pan. Peel and thinly slice the apples and put them in the pan. Mix the butter, flour, and sugar and spread on top of the apples. 

Bake at 350 for an hour. 

Ben’s Valentine’s Day Cookies

When Ben was 11 years old, he designed this recipe. It was so delicious, we wrote it down and have been making these cookies ever since.

¾ cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
Drop of lemon flavoring (or juice)
1 cup chocolate chips
¾ cup golden raisins
¾ cup granola
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
Shake of red sprinkles
Shake of chocolate sprinkles (we used Dutch chocolate hagel just because we had them)

Frosting
1/3 stick butter
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 ½ tsp. milk
2 drops red food coloring

Mix shortening, sugar, eggs, lemon flavoring, chocolate chips, raisins, and granola in bowl. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to other ingredients and mix well. Chill at least 1 hour.
Heat oven to 400 for 5 minutes. Roll dough, cut in heart shapes with cookie cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and put in oven for 7 minutes.

While cookies are baking, make the frosting:
Beat butter, add powdered sugar and mix.
Gradually add milk, mix, add coloring.

When cookies are removed from the oven (Ben originally wrote down when cookies get out) let them cool on paper towels for 2 minutes. Spread on icing. Sprinkle on sprinkles and hagel. Eat.

Makes about 45 cookies.

Quiche Lorraine

1 9-inch unbaked pie shell, chilled

2 tbl. butter

1 large onion, sliced

12 slices of bacon

4 eggs

2 cups of light cream

Salt to taste

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of cayenne

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 cup grated natural Swiss cheese (1/4 lb.)

Saute the onions in the butter until soft, but not brown. Fry bacon until crisp, drain and crumble. Combine eggs, cream, salt, nutmeg, cayenne, and pepper, beat until well mixed. 

Sprinkle the pie shell with the bacon, and spread onions over the bacon. Cover this mixture with grated Swiss cheese. Pour the egg mixture over all. 

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 300 and bake an additional 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve at once, cut into wedges. Makes 6 servings. 

Cheddar Cheese Pie

3/4 lb. natural sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 tsp. minced dried onion

1/2 tsp. each dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce

3 eggs

9-inch pie shell, baked

3 medium sliced tomatoes

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 - 2 tsp. finely chopped bell pepper

Put first 4 ingredients into a double boiler, heat and stir until the cheese melts. (Note: This is an old recipe--I'm sure you could do this step using your microwave). Beat eggs until frothy, gradually add cheese mixture, beat just until smooth. 

Pour into pie shell, bake 25 minutes at 325 F. Top with a wreath of tomato slices and garnish with green pepper. Return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes. 

Scrambled Eggs Coronado

9 eggs

1/2 cup light cream

1/4 tsp. salt (or to taste)

Ground pepper

1 avocado, peeled and cubed

1/4 lb. sliced bacon

Sliced tomatoes or cherry tomatoes

Cook beaten eggs mixed with salt, pepper, and cream. Crumble cooked bacon over the top and garnish with avocado and tomatoes. 

Seafood Cheese Fondue

1 clove of garlic, split in half

2 cans cream of shrimp soup

1 cup whole milk

1 lb. Swiss cheese, grated

Paprika

Steamed shrimp, scallops, crab, or lobster

French bread, cut into 1" cubes

Rub the fondue pot with the garlic. Heat soup on stove, stirring until smooth. Slowly add the milk and heat again. Add the grated cheese slowly, stirring as it melts. Sprinkle with pepper and paprika, and place in the fondue pot over a flame. Dunk the seafood chunks and the bread, using fondue forks. 

Grandma Elva says: "We used fresh prawns boiled, and broiled scallops and filet of sole [and] oysters cooked for 5 minutes."

Grandma Elva's Cheese Ball

4 oz. bleu cheese

6 oz. cheddar cheese

12 oz. cream cheese

1 tbl. grated onion

1 tsp. chopped parsley

1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup sherry

3/4 cup finely chopped nuts

Soften cheeses to room temperature. Combine with onion, parsley, worcestershire sauce, half of the nuts, and the sherry. If too soft to handle, chill for a while and then shape into two balls. Roll in the remaining nuts. Chill. 

Remove from refrigerator about 1/2 hours before serving. Serve with crackers. 

May be frozen. 

Oma's Persian Meatloaf

1 1/2 lbs. ground lamb

1 slice stale bread

1 large onion, chopped

1/4 cup green onions, chopped

1/4 cup parsley, chopped 

1/4 cup celery, chopped

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 eggs

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 tbl. lemon juice

Soak bread in some warm water for two minutes, squeeze out moisture. Break bread into small pieces, add to meat. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Form into a loaf and place in a greased 9" x 5" x 3" loaf pan. 

Bake for 70 minutes at 350. Drain loaf, cool, cover, and chill. Slice thin. Serves 6. 

Oma says: "Is nice warm too!"

Oma's Jachtschotel

Onions, chopped

Butter

Leftover cooked beef, chopped

Bay leaf

Pinch of ground cloves

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooked, diced potatoes

Milk

Bread crumbs

Chopped red cabbage (cooked with bay leaf, salt, cloves, and chopped apples)

Brown onions, add meat, salt, pepper, and herbs. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the cabbage.

Mash the potatoes with some milk. 

Place half of the potatoes in a greased casserole. Add all of the onion and meat mixture, and cover with remaining potatoes. Garnish with bread crumbs and butter. 

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until brown on top. 

Oma's Manzo Brasato; Beef in Red Wine (Italian)

4 lb. beef pot roast

4 tbl. olive oil

1 tbl. butter

2 cups dry red wine

1 1/2 cups onions, chopped

1/2 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. rosemary

1 bay leaf

Dash of ground cloves

1 1/2 cups tomatoes

Brown the roast in a large pot with the olive oil and butter. Pour over the remaining ingredients. Cook covered on top of stove until tender (approx. 4 hours). Discard bay leaf. Place beef in baking pan. Puree vegetables in pan juices, spread over meat. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. 

Porcupine Meat Balls

3/4 lb. ground beef

3/4 lb. ground pork

1 small onion, minced

1/3 cup raw rice

1/3 cup bread or cracker crumbs

1 egg

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Mix all together, shape into balls and brown slightly in a pan. Pile all into a greased casserole and pour over the meatballs:

1 can condensed tomato soup (or one can tomato sauce) diluted with 1/2 can of water. 

Bake at 350 for one hour.