Blogger ate my blog

I had a post all written out Friday when...*poof*...it disappeared. I got so frustrated that I shut the puter down.

Bet you're wondering what it was about, huh? Huh? HUH?!?

You'll have to wait. I'll get over it and try again one day. soon.
But not today. Today Kroger is having a 1-day sale. Gotta go shop!

Happy Birthday, sweet Daughter

Just a week after our second anniversary you were born into this world. You were beautiful then and you're beautiful now.

It's hard to believe you've grown this old. It's a good thing that I haven't aged along with you.

Your dad, OTOH, has gotten quite grey. But he's still a handsome old man.

Happy Anniversary to us!

This week I had the awesome privilege of sharing our 21st anniversary with my husband. This year we {gasp} got away from the kids--just the two of us--and enjoyed a couple of days in each other's company.
We love this time of year. It seems that every year on our anniversary it is dubbed the peak time for viewing the fall foliage. It is so very nice of the weather people to recognize the importance of that date.
Anyway, we went to prime Amish Country in Ohio. Not the normal, every day Amish country that we're in the thick of...but the commercialized, highly marketable Amish Country that, in truth, has little to do with the Amish people. Mennonites are who you usually see working at the stores. But that's another story for another day.
The leaves were beautiful. I tried to get some pictures with my camera phone, but somehow it reset itself back to the original settings and it takes small pics again. So...use your imagination.

tada! a tree!

And in this pic, if you squint and tilt your head just right, you'll see a humongous scarecrow sitting on the porch roof of this building. I think they sold furniture. We didn't stop. Not even to take the picture--which explains its off-kilt slant and the blurry car in the foreground.

In fact, we stopped for very few things. When I say "we" I, of course, mean my husband--since he did all the driving. For some reason we were in a hurry to get...nowhere. And we couldn't stop anywhere on the way. He's a funny man....even on a quick getaway retreat he still can't slow down and relax. I love him more than words can express.

Happy anniversary, wonderful man. We're growing old together!

Mom's Angel Food Cake Pan

I remember watching a sitcom one time where a newly wed woman was fixing a roast. She cut it in half and put it in the oven. Her new husband watched with wonder and finally asked her why she cut the roast in half. She rolled her eyes and stated that he obviously knew nothing about cooking.
Later, curiosity got the best of her and she called her mom to ask why she always cut the roast in half before putting it in the oven. Her mom told her that it was always the way they fixed it and it always turned out just right.
Later, the mother called *her* mom and asked why she always cut the roast in half before putting it in the oven. Her mom said, “Because it wouldn’t fit in the pan.”

Funny, but true--we do things out of tradition and we don't know the reason we do them.

When we go out I don’t get Carrot Cake because it always tastes like Spice Cake (which I’m never in the mood for) and it always has Cream Cheese frosting.
I remember when I was a child mom made the best Carrot Cake. It was made in an Angel Food pan, so it was tall with straight sides and a hole in the middle. It was sliced in wedges, not squares. She never put Cream Cheese Frosting on it…probably for no other reason than she likes cake without frosting. Besides, it never really needed it. The edges were wonderfully crispy—and who would want to ruin that with frosting?

Yesterday I decided to recreate that for my children. I made Carrot Cake from my mom’s recipe using her Angel Food pan. Everything was going well right up until it was in the oven for a couple of minutes. I looked in and the batter was leaking out the bottom of the two-piece Angel Food pan and dripping on the oven floor. I put a cookie sheet on the shelf under it and hurriedly called my mother to find out what I had done wrong and if I could salvage it.
“WHY is the batter leaking out? I used your recipe and your pan!”
“It’s because it’s a two-piece pan,” she said. Then she went on to explain that Angel Food cake doesn’t have any oil in it, therefore it doesn’t leak out of the pan. Carrot Cake has oil in it. “It would have been better in a Bundt pan.”

That’s when it hit me.
Mom didn’t have a Bundt pan until some time in the 80’s. She had always used the Angel Food pan because that’s the only pan she had. Matter of fact, I don’t remember her baking sheet cakes when I was younger, either. They were always two-tiered round cakes. I had no idea why I was using the Angel Food pan instead of a Bundt pan other than the fact that it’s the way my mom always did it.

She assured me that it would be fine if I set the pan on a cookie sheet—that it would soon stop leaking. She was right. It turned out well and is delicious.

Next time I’ll use a Bundt pan. But I still won’t put frosting on it.

So what about you--are you doing things out of tradition? At home? At work? At church? Are you afraid to do things in a different way just because "this is the way we've always done it"? Traditions aren't a bad thing, but if we get hung up on them, it's not healthy.

Blessings to you, my friends.

Brownies

In my last post I mentioned a brownie recipe, but I didn't share it. Well, I felt so bad about it that I just *had* to come here today and post it for you. So as soon as I put the carrot cake in the oven that I made from Mom's recipe, I dashed right over here to post this brownie recipe.

You love me for being me, right?

Hershey’s Best Brownies

½ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
½ cup unsifted all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Hershey’s cocoa
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped nuts, optional

Blend oil or melted butter, sugar and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Add eggs; beat well using spoon. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread into a greased 9-inch square pan. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan. Cool in pan. Frost with Creamy Brownie Frosting. Cut into squares.
Yield: about 16 brownies

Creamy Brownie Frosting
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
3 tablespoons Hershey’s cocoa
1 tablespoon light corn syrup or honey
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Cream butter or margarine, cocoa, corn syrup or honey and vanilla in small mixer bowl. Add confectioners’ sugar and milk, beat to spreading consistency.

Chocolate Syrup

Years ago I worked in the accounting office for a grocery store chain. One day a store employee walked into my office with a pamphlet in hand. She told me how her grandmother used to make the best brownies from the recipe was on the back of the Hershey's cocoa box. Only it was no longer there--so she wrote the company. They sent her this pamphlet that had not only the brownie recipe, but several other recipes. She asked if I would make some copies for her so she could share with her mom and sister. I told her I'd be glad to on one condition...I got to keep a copy for myself. :-) While I had to agree, the brownie recipe was good *AND* easy (I declared I'd never buy another boxed mix) the recipe that has stayed with me nearly 20 years later is the chocolate syrup recipe. I have several boxes of brownie mix in the cupboard, but I haven't bought a can of syrup since I began making this. Its quick to make and tastes a *lot* like the canned stuff. Give it a try:

Hershey's Cocoa Syrup

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
dash of salt
1 cup hot water

2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine sugar, cocoa and salt in saucepan.
Gradually stir in water.
Cook over medium heat. Boil 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Pumpkin Recipes, part 2

Here are more of our favorite pumpkin recipes:

Pumpkin Pie Fudge
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup mashed pumpkin
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 package (12 ounces) vanilla flavored baking chips
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/3 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation Directions:
Using butter or margarine, lightly grease the sides and bottom of a medium saucepan.
Place the sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin, butter, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in the saucepan.
Stir constantly over medium heat.
Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 12 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the baking chips and marshmallows until melted.
Stir in the nuts and vanilla.
Pour into an 8-inch square pan that has been lined with foil and greased.
Chill mixture until set.
Cut into small squares to serve.
Cover and store in refrigerator.

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Pumpkin Mousse
1 ½ cups milk
½ cup canned pumpkin
3-ounce package of instant vanilla pudding mix
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
7 teaspoon ground ginger
7 teaspoon ground cloves
1 ½ cups whipped topping

Stir together the milk and pumpkin in a mixing bowl.
Add the pudding and spices and whisk until thickened.
Fold in whipped topping and chill.

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Pumpkin Ice Cream Makes about 2 quarts.
1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin
1 cup packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup half-and-half
½ teaspoon grated orange peel
¼ cup orange juice
2 cups whipping cream
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into ice cream canister. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions.

Pumpkin Recipes

In honor of my color scheme, I've decided to share some of my favorite pumpkin recipes.

Making your own pumpkin puree is so easy, you'll flip when you realize how much you can save by doing it yourself. Simply cut a pumpkin in half (it doesn't matter which direction--but it doesn't roll if you cut it from the stem down while it's sitting upright). I've found that cleaning it out is made easier by a cheap, plastic ice cream scoop. I'm not a fan of the slimy innards, so I don't usually keep the seeds. Once clean, place the cut sides down on a baking sheet and bake it at 350 for an hour to 90 minutes...depending on its size. Once its soft, flip the pumpkin over and scoop out the tender flesh and puree in a food processor, discarding the outer shell. Put the puree in freezer bags (I measure 2 cups for each) and freeze.

Once you have all that lovely puree, you're gonna want to make something. My youngest son loves to make pumpkin butter and all three of my children love pumpkin muffins and pumpkin milkshakes (just make a vanilla milkshake, adding 2 TBS pumpkin puree and 1/4 teas. pumpkin pie spice).


Pumpkin Spice Makes 8 teaspoons
Ingredients:
4 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
2 Tsp Ground Ginger
1 Tsp Allspice
1 Tsp Nutmeg

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Pumpkin Butter Recipe Yield: 3 Cups
2 1/2 c Pumpkin; cooked, mashed
3/4 c Sugar
1/4 c Apple cider or orange juice
1/2 ts Cinnamon, ground
1/2 ts Cloves, ground
1/4 ts Allspice, ground
1/4 ts Nutmeg, ground
Combine all of the ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Cover and chill.

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Pumpkin Chip Muffins
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
16 ounce can pumpkin
1 cup applesauce
½ cup vegetable oil
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (a 12 ounce package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, applesauce and oil until smooth.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips.
Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups ¾ full.
Bake at 400° 16 to 20 minutes or until muffins test done.
Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.
Yields about 24 standard-size muffins.
*Can substitute carrots or zucchini for pumpkin or raisins for the chocolate chips.

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Tomorrow we'll tackle Pumpkin Fudge, Mousse and Ice Cream.