Pat and Mary's Buttermilk Poppyseed Cake

We had our first taste of this cake at our first annual Easter Campfire Breakfast and hope that Pat and Mary bring it to all the future ones. Here is what Pat has to say about the recipe: 

A little back story - we cut it out originally from some women's magazine and made it for maybe the last 20+ years for holidays, when raising kids became a daunting task, we modified it using box mixes. Unfortunately it did not make the trip to New Mexico [when they moved here from Massachusetts] so we adapted a similar recipe from myrecipe.com. 

Ingredients

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• About 1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter or margarine, at room temperature
• About 2 1/2cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (about 2 1/2 oz.) poppy seed
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Preparation

1. 1. Butter and flour-dust a 10-inch decorative tube pan.
2. 2. In a small bowl, mix poppy seed, buttermilk, and almond extract.
3. 3. In a deep bowl, beat egg whites with a mixer on high until foamy. Continue beating and gradually add 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until whites hold stiff, shiny peaks.
4. 4. In another bowl, using unwashed beaters, beat 1 cup butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and beat until well blended. Stir in poppy seed mixture.
5. 5. Mix 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
6. 6. Add dry ingredients to batter; beat slowly to blend. Mix at medium speed.
7. 7. Fold in beaten whites until blended.
8. 8. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Pour half the batter into pan. Sprinkle with half the cinnamon mixture. Add remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture. Holding a knife vertically, draw blade through batter around tube.
9. 9. Bake in 350° oven just until cake springs back when lightly pressed in center, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
10. 10. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Invert cake onto a plate. Serve warm or cool.

Hunt Country Marinade

This has become a great favorite here. Beez found it on Epicurious.

3/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsulfured (light) molasses
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried
1 tablespoon crushed juniper berries or 2 tablespoons gin
3 large garlic cloves, minced
3 2x1-inch strips orange peel (orange part only)
3 2x1-inch strips lemon peel (yellow part only)
8 whole cloves
8 whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves, broken in half
3/4 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients in medium bowl. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill.)

Marinate poultry 2 to 4 hours and meat 6 to 12 hours in refrigerator. Drain marinade into saucepan. Boil 1 minute. Pat meat or poultry dry. Grill, basting occasionally with marinade.

Elva's Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients:
2 cups scalded milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbl. butter
1 tsp. salt

1 pkg. dry yeast (1 tbl.)
1/2 cup lukewarm water

1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
6 cups flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup cut-up raisins
1/2 cup currants

Lemon filling prepared from pie filling mix, cooled. You'll need about 2 cups, which is what one box makes.

Directions:
Add the sugar, butter, and salt to the milk, stir and cool to lukewarm. Add yeast that has been dissolved in the water, stir well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Knead 5 minutes. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Pinch off small balls, about half the size you want the buns to be. Slit tops with the sign of the cross. Let rise until light on a greased cookie sheet.

Brush tops with beaten egg yolk mixed with a bit of water. With two teaspoons, pull top of each bun apart and add a heaping tsp. of lemon filling. Bake in a preheated 350 F. oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

When cool, spoon a cross of white icing on each bun. (Icing: powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla).

Fresh Blueberry and Cranberry Relish

This recipe appeared in our local newspaper, The Las Cruces Sun-News, at Thanksgiving time.

1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh orange juice
8 ounces fresh cranberries
1 tbl. orange zest
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves and the berries soften, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and chill. Best made in advance to let flavors blend.

Makes twelve 1/4 cup servings.

Beef Enchiladas

Beez found this recipe on Allrecipes.com. It's always a great success when he makes it for potlucks with our friends.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound lean ground beef 1 small onion, chopped 1 (1.5 ounce) package dry enchilada sauce mix

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium skillet over medium high heat, cook the ground beef and onion until beef is evenly browned and onion is tender.
2.	Prepare the enchilada sauce according to package directions. Pour 1/4 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3.	On each flour tortilla, place an equal portion of the ground beef mixture and about 1 ounce of Cheddar cheese, reserving at least 1/2 cup of cheese. Then tightly roll the tortillas and place seam side down in the baking dish.
4.	Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and olives.
5.	Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and cheese is thoroughly melted.

Barbecued Pork (Cha Shiu)

I don't think that the name "barbecued pork" describes this dish very well. The little slices of meat are delicately flavored and roasted in the oven, then served with a variety of dipping sauces. My recipe is based on a Chinese version that I found in my old Complete Asian Cookbook, by Charmaine Solomon. I have given you a link to the latest edition; my tattered old copy was published in 1976.

1/2 pound pork loin, cut in 1/4 inch slices

3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. grated ginger
1 tbl. soy sauce
1 tbl. honey
1 tbl. sherry (I substituted white wine, and it worked just fine)
1/2 tsp. five spice powder

Grind up the garlic with the salt in a mortar and pestle. Add the ginger, soy sauce, honey, wine, and five spice powder. Mix well and pour over the pork slices, stirring the meat around until well coated. Marinate for at least 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Pour an inch or so of hot water into a flat pan and arrange the pork slices on a wire rack placed on top of the pan. (I used a round pizza pan with holes in it, sprayed with Pam, and placed over a broiler pan). Roast the meat for 15 minutes, turn the slices and baste with any remaining marinade and roast another 10 to 15 minutes until done.

Serve with steamed rice, stir-fried vegetables, and some dipping sauces. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce
Peanut Sauce

Plum Sauce: Mix 1/2 cup plum jam (raspberry works, too), 1 tbl. chili sauce, 1 tbl. soy sauce, pinch of grated ginger, and Chinese rice vinegar to taste.

Jeanne's Blueberry Coffee Cake

My knitting friend, Jeanne, brings this coffee cake to our winter knitting get-togethers. It's always such a hit that she brings along copies of the recipe to hand out.

2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

Topping:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups blueberries (if frozen, thaw and drain)

Sift flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder together.

In a large mixing bowl, cream sugars and oil, then add the eggs and beat well. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the sugar mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9" x 13" pan.

In another bowl, mix all the topping ingredients together and spoon on top of the batter.

Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Roast Chicken with Potatoes, Lemon, and Asparagus

My friend, Jean, tells me that this is her favorite chicken recipe ever. It comes from Martha Stewart, and this version (with photos) can be seen on Cooking San Francisco.

1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (about 3 pounds)
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
4 cloves garlic, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Toss potatoes with the olive oil in a roasting pan; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until potatoes are golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Place chicken, skin side up, on top of potatoes; season with salt and pepper. Roast until chicken begins to brown, about 20 minutes.

3. Scatter asparagus, lemon, and garlic around chicken. Drizzle with remaining olive oil. Roast until asparagus is tender and chicken is opaque throughout, 5 to 15 minutes. Serve chicken, vegetables, and lemon drizzled with pan juices.

Serves: 4

Kilian's Bread and Butter Pickles

Kilian is married to Maura, who is the daughter of my half-sister. We love his pickles, which are kind of a hobby for him, as he is a professional restaurant chef in Boston.

6 cups loosely packed pickling cukes, sliced
2 medium onions, sliced
1 red or green pepper, sliced
A few cauliflower florets
1/4 cup salt

Mix all together in a large pot. Let stand for three hours.

Combine in a sauce pan and boil for 5 minutes:
2 cups white sugar
1/2 tsp. turmeric
2 tbl. pickling spices
1 tsp. celery seed
2 cups apple cider or malt vinegar

Rinse the cucumber mixture thoroughly, with several changes of water. Let soak in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain and return to the large pot. Add the boiling syrup mixture.

Heat slowly to just below boiling point, stirring occasionally. Place in sterilized jars and cover immediately.

Note: If you increase the recipe, increase the salt just slightly.