Spiced Applesauce Cake
This is a favorite recipe of mine. The cake is moist, lightly spiced and very easy to make. I shared it with a friend and he really enjoyed it. The applesauce adds moisture and flavor.
I used olive oil in the recipe, which makes this cake vegan. You can make this recipe with butter instead. The spices work so well together. Sometimes simple is the best. Before someone asks, it is not a misprint, there are no eggs in the recipe. The cake rises just fine without them.
I wish I remembered where this recipe came from. I have a piece of flowered stationery, a little crinkled around the edges, creased from being folded many times, with the recipe written on it. It is not my handwriting. I would love to credit the source of this wonderful recipe.
Spiced Applesauce Cake
2 c. unsweetened applesauce
½ c. butter, coconut oil, olive oil or avocado oil
2 c. sugar
3 c. flour
1 T. baking soda
½ t. salt
1 t. each cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and ginger
¼ t. cloves
1 c. raisins or chopped nuts, I used walnuts
Heat together applesauce and butter until butter melts. Cool down a bit. If using coconut oil, also heat up the applesauce. For other oils, just use room temperature applesauce and mix with the oil. Preheat oven 375 and grease 9×13-inch pan. Stir all ingredients together bake 30-35 minutes. Cool in pan.
Peanut Soup
This is one of the easiest soups I make. It is also one of my favorites. It’s a rich soup with a creamy texture and just a hint of heat. You could make it spicier, of course. The recipe is very versatile. As written, the soup is vegan, but you could make it with a meat-based stock, if you prefer.
If your only experience with eating peanut butter is on a sandwich or in cookies, you might be surprised at just how good this soup tastes. I have made it with almond butter. If you don’t have peanut butter, the almond butter works fine. Other nut butters would also work. but I still prefer it made with peanut butter. It freezes well, too.
Peanut Soup
2 c. chopped onions
1 T. oil
cayenne pepper to taste
1 t. grated fresh ginger
1 c. chopped carrots
1 c. chopped sweet potatoes
1 c. chopped white potatoes
5 c. vegetable stock or water
1 c. tomato sauce
1 c. smooth peanut butter
1 T. sugar, optional
1 c. chopped green onions
Sauté onions in oil until tender. Add seasonings and carrots and sauté 3 minutes more. Add potatoes and stock and simmer until vegetables are tender. Puree soup in blender in batches until smooth. Return to pot and add tomato sauce and peanut butter. Add sugar if soup is not sweet enough. I never add the sugar, but some people do. Warm gently and serve with green onions on top. You could also top with chopped peanuts, for a little crunch. Serves 6-8.
Pear Coffee Cake
This may be one of my favorite pear desserts. I combined ripe pears with pecans and cinnamon sugar to create this moist and flavorful cake. I had Bartlett pears, but use whatever pears you have on hand. They should be ripe, but still firm. In the recipe directions I say to have the pears peeled and sliced, and ready to go in the cake. I actually made the batter first, then prepped the fruit. Mostly because I was distracted and forgot. It worked out just fine. The upside was that the pears did not have a chance to discolor, and I didn’t have to put them in lemon water until ready to use.
The cake is wonderful served all on its own, but I also enjoy topping it with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.
Pear Coffee Cake
1 c. oil- I like to use olive oil or avocado oil
4 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1/3 c. orange or lemon juice
3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
3 t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
3-4 pears, peeled, cored and sliced
½ c. sugar
1 T. cinnamon
¾ c. toasted pecan halves or pieces, optional
Grease a 9×13 inch pan. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Combine oil with eggs, vanilla and juice until well blended. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients and add to egg mixture. Beat together until batter is smooth. Batter will be thick. Combine the ½ cup sugar with the cinnamon. Set aside. Place ½ of batter in prepared pan. Arrange pear slices on batter and sprinkle on ½ of the cinnamon mixture. Pour on remaining batter and top with the pecans, if using. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Bake 50- 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool before slicing. Serves 10-12.
Mom’s Cornbread
I have made a lot of versions of cornbread in my life, but this one might just be my favorite. Perhaps because it is my Mother’s recipe.
Her secret? She put a layer of shredded cheese between layers of batter. She also added cream style corn to some of the batter.
You end up with a cornbread that is full of flavor. It is also very tender and crumbly, but not dry. I bake mine in a cake pan, but there is no reason you could not bake this recipe in cast iron, if you prefer.
Mom’s Cornbread
1 c. cornmeal
1 c. flour
2 T. sugar, optional
4 t. baking powder
¾ t. salt
2 eggs
1 c. half and half
¼ c. oil- or melted butter or bacon fat
4 oz. pepper Jack cheese, shredded
1 c. cream style corn
Grease a 9-inch square pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl, and set aside. In small bowl, combine eggs, half and half and oil and beat until smooth. Stir egg mixture into dry ingredients, stirring until combined. Don’t over-mix. Pour half of the batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the batter in the pan. Combine remaining batter with the cream style corn. Pour this mixture over the cheese in the pan. Bake 20-25 minutes. Serves 8-9.
Peach Tartlets – Vegan
I had friends visiting from out of town and wanted to make them a special dessert. They are vegan. I decided to make these tarts. Making them vegan wasn’t hard at all. I just used coconut oil in the crust recipe instead of butter. The crust worked out fine, although it is very crumbly. The texture after baking is amazingly tender, but I found the dough a little harder to handle than when made with butter. I would make this crust again, even if I didn’t need a vegan version.
I used homemade peach pie filling made with peaches I had. You can use store bought pie filling, but I include the recipe at the bottom of the post. The recipe makes just over 2 cups of filling. I had crust left over.
I made 24 and used a little over half of the dough recipe. Had I rolled them out a little thinner, half a recipe would be enough.
Peach Tartlets
dough for 1 pie crust- recipe follows
About 2 cups peach pie filling, room temp or chilled – recipe follows
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick. Use a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut out circles of dough. Place dough circles in mini muffin or tart pans. Press them in gently being careful not to tear them. Repeat with remaining dough and re-roll scraps. You’ll end up with about 24 dozen in all. If you don’t have enough pans, keep the extra dough circles under a towel or plastic wrap so they don’t dry out until you are ready to use them. Place a rounded teaspoonful of peach pie filling into each of the tartlet shells in the prepared pans. Don’t over fill. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on top. Can be served hot, warm or at room temperature. Makes about 2 dozen.
Note: If I rolled the dough thinner I could have made more like 3 dozen.
Can be frozen. To reheat take straight from the freezer and place on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven and bake for about 20 minutes, but check after 15 minutes.
Flaky Pie Crust
2 c. flour
1 t. salt
3/4 c. coconut oil, chilled – you could use butter, lard or shortening
1 T. cider vinegar
4-5 T. cold water
Combine flour and salt in food processor and add coconut oil. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Toss in vinegar and water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing as you add, until dough just holds together. Remove from processor and press dough together to form a ball. Chill at least 30 minutes before using. Makes enough for 2 pie crusts or up to 48 tarts.
Peach Pie Filling
3 cups diced peaches
3/4 c. sugar
3 T. water
3 T. cornstarch
2 t. cinnamon
Heat peaches and sugar in a saucepan until bubbly. Stir to prevent sticking. Combine water and cornstarch and add to the peach mixture. Heat until thickened and bubbly. Add the cinnamon, too. If the mixture is too thin, add a little more cornstarch and water. Sometimes the peaches are extra juicy.
Strawberry Waffles
These waffles would make a great breakfast or brunch dish. I have even served them for dessert. That’s the thing about waffles. They can be eaten any time of the day.
This waffle recipe came about because I needed a dessert for dinner with a friend. It was a last minute dinner, so I didn’t have a lot of time. Waffles seemed like a great idea. They don’t take a lot of time to make, and they highlighted the berries. My friend really liked them. I did, too.
I made the waffles with fresh strawberries in the batter. Then, the waffles are served topped with more fresh berries and a dusting of powdered sugar.
They were a perfect dessert. I could see topping them with ice cream or whipped cream, too. Any leftover waffles can be frozen.
For the fresh strawberry topping, you just combine fresh, sliced berries with some sugar. If you can make it ahead of time, the sugar draws juice out of the strawberries, kind of making its own sauce. I made the topping first, then popped in the fridge.
So here is my recipe. Enjoy!!
Strawberry Waffles
1 1/3 c. flour
2 T. sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
½ t. salt
2 eggs, separated
½ c. butter, melted
1¾ c. milk
2 t. vanilla
1 c. chopped fresh strawberries
Powdered sugar for topping waffles
Strawberry topping- recipe follows
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients. Set aside. Separate the eggs. Set aside the yolks. Place the whites in a small mixing bowl. Beat whites until moderately stiff; set aside. Combine milk, melted butter, egg yolks and vanilla in small bowl. Add to dry ingredient mixture and blend. Stir in berries. Fold stiff egg whites into mixture. Ladle mixture into hot waffle iron and bake. To serve, top with powdered sugar and strawberry topping. Makes 10-12 (4-inch) waffles.
Topping
1 qt. strawberries
½ c. sugar- or to taste
Wash and stem berries. Slice berries. Place in bowl and sprinkle on the sugar. Stir to combine and place in fridge until ready to use. Try to do this at least 30 minutes before using. That will give the mixture time for juice to be released from the berries.
Corn and Black Bean Salad
This salad was inspired by ingredients I had on hand. I had picked up some beautiful sweet corn the other day. I also had some sweet peppers and home canned black beans. I knew the trio would work well together.
I used fresh corn in this dish. You could use frozen corn, if that was all you had. Fresh corn season is too short around here. I always buy extra corn for freezing. I just blanch the shucked corn for a few minutes in boiling water, then drop into ice water. Once the corn is cool enough to handle, I cut the corn off the ears. Then I package up the corn and freeze it.
You could also grill corn and cut it off the cob to freeze.
I like to boil the cobs after the corn is cut off, for a corn stock, which I also freeze. The cobs have a lot of flavor.
If using the frozen corn in a salad, you’ll want to drain it after thawing.
So here is the recipe. Pretty simple. You could add some sweet onion, if you like, too.
Corn and Black Bean Salad
4 c. cooked corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
¼ c. olive oil
3 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. Balsamic vinegar
2 t. Italian seasoning- I used my Tuscan blend
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste, optional
Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Stir to combine well. Chill before serving. Serves 6-8.
Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
This recipe is a variation on a classic scone recipe that I bake often. The addition of poppy seeds and lemon add a nice flavor and texture to the scones. They rose beautifully and were crisp on the outside and tender in the middle. The secret to a good scone is not to over mix the dough. Handle the dough as little as possible once the dough comes together.
Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
2 c. flour
2 T. sugar
1 T. poppy seeds
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
½ -1 t. Lemon zest
½ t. salt
¼ c. butter, cut up
2/3 c. buttermilk
1 egg
Topping
2 T. sugar
1 T. lemon juice
Mix together sugar and lemon juice and brush on hot scones.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet or line with silicone baking mat. Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl and cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Beat together milk and egg and add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until just coming together. Turn onto floured surface and knead 5-6 strokes or until ball of dough holds together. Transfer dough to prepared sheet and with floured hands, press dough into an eight-inch circle. To get a perfect circle, dust an 8-inch round cake pan with flour. Press dough into the pan, then quickly turn the pan over onto the prepared baking sheet. Remove cake pan. With a sharp, floured knife cut dough into 8 wedges. Bake 14-16 minutes. Makes 8.
Dough can also be patted out on work surface and cut into circles or pressed into a square and cut into smaller squares.
Hot Cross Buns Bread Pudding
The first time I made this dish, it was sort of an accident. It was right after Easter, a few years ago. I was having dinner with friends, and I was in charge of making dessert. I had leftover hot cross buns, so I decided to re-purpose them into bread pudding. It is a great way to re-purpose something into a whole new dish.
The end result was really good. So good, that my friend Amy said it was one of the best desserts I had ever made. I now bake extra hot cross buns, just so I can make bread pudding from them.
You could use home made or store bought buns for this recipe. My recipe for hot cross buns is at the bottom of this post.
Hot Cross Buns Bread Pudding
12 c. torn up hot cross buns- I used 8 buns
2 c. half and half or milk
1 c. sugar- or less if you are using frosted buns
5 eggs
1 T. vanilla
1 T. cinnamon
Frosting:
1 c. powdered sugar
4 t. milk
In large mixing bowl place the torn up buns. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over the buns. Stir to moisten evenly. Spoon mixture into a buttered 9×13-inch pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until bread pudding is set and a little golden on top. While the bread pudding is baking combine powdered sugar with milk to make a frosting thin enough to drizzle. Let bread pudding cool 10 minutes and drizzle with frosting. Serves 8-10.
Hot Cross Buns
Lemon Curd Ice Cream
This is one of the easiest ice creams to make. You don’t need an ice cream machine to make it and there are only three ingredients, if you count the lemon curd as one ingredient. I did make my own lemon curd- recipe follows, but you can just use a jar of store bought. It has the nicest flavor and texture.
This ice cream came about because I had made lemon curd for a party and had some left over. I also had whipping cream that needed to be used up. I combined the two and it was even better than I thought. Two friends have tried it so far and both really liked it.
Here is the recipe.
Lemon Curd Ice Cream
1-1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups lemon curd
1/2 c. powdered sugar
In a medium mixing bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Beat in the lemon curd and sugar and place in a freezer container and freeze until ready to eat. Makes about a quart. I told you it was simple!!!
Lemon Curd
1/2 c. lemon juice
zest from one good sized lemon- you should have 2-3 teaspoons
1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
6 T. unsalted butter- cut into little cubes
In medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Whisk the mixture until the eggs are well blended. Cook over medium low heat, whisking often, until the mixture thickens. This will take 5-7 minutes. Whisk more often as mixtures warms and starts to thicken. Better to heat over lower heat and take longer than cook over too high a heat. You don’t want the eggs to scramble. Once the mixture is thickened , transfer to a bowl or jar. Cover the surface with a piece of plastic wrap to keep the surface from developing a skin- like any pudding will do. Chill until ready to use. Makes about 2 cups. Will keep in fridge a week or two.
