Uncategorized – LILLIAN'S CUPBOARD

Remembering WW II Veterans

Today, on the first anniversary of my mother’s passing, I want to share her 2007 post about Veteran’s Day recalling her uncles who fought in World War II.

–Nancy Susanna Breen

LILLIAN'S CUPBOARD

Throughout my childhood, November 11 was called Armistice Day to commemorate the end of World War I at 11 o’clock on the 11th day of the 11th month – the war to end all wars. Then came World War II and somewhere along the line the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor the veterans of all wars.

There were many veterans in my family during World War II. Three of my uncles served for the entire duration of the war. The first uncle, Frank, was drafted before Pearl Harbor, just months after he had married a young girl who had to wait for 4 years before they could resume their married life. Frank sent great letters home to everyone, including me. My mother thought he made my letters especially history/geography related, assuming I’d be taking them to school and he was right. Almost every day, someone brought a…

View original post 755 more words

Sunday Dessert – German Chocolate Cake (Smaller Version)

Since my 86 years have started to catch up with me, I don’t cook as often, particularly experimenting with new recipes that I can share. I do still cook the family holiday meals, though, and every Sunday fix lunch for my two daughters which features a favorite recipe and is followed by 3 hours of various kinds of needlework and chatting. For these lunches, I always make something they especially like from my blogs of over 10 years and I thought it might be fun to share my Sunday desserts each week.

On the two Sundays before Thanksgiving, I try to make something that’s the exact opposite of food we might have on that holiday. This week I went with a sort of German theme with a smaller version of German Chocolate cake as dessert and for an entrée, Reuben sandwiches.

My younger daughter is the only one who loves coconut, so I don’t need a big cake. I adapted my recipe to make this smaller version which is plenty for a lunch serving for the three of us with some left over for my daughter to take home. From my 2012 post:

https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2012/03/18/german-chocolate-cake-a-smaller-version/

German Chocolate Cake (A Smaller Version)

Servings: 4-6
Print

2 oz. Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate*
¼ cup water
2 eggs, separated
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
Dash salt
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
½ cup buttermilk**
*To substitute for German’s Sweet Chocolate, add 2 Tblsp. granulated sugar for each ounce of unsweetened chocolate.

**To substitute for buttermilk, place 1 Tblsp. white vinegar in a measuring cup and add enough milk to reach one cup (8 oz.). Let stand 5 minutes before using.

Cover bottoms of three 7-1/2 inch loaf pans with waxed paper. Spray sides with cooking spray.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave chocolate and water on high for 1-½ to 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until chocolate is almost melted. Remove from microwave and continue stirring until the chocolate is completely melted.

Beat egg whites in mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.

In the large bowl of a mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the melted chocolate and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition – beginning and ending with flour mixture.

By hand, gently fold in egg whites.

Divide batter among the three loaf pans.

Bake @ 350 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean. Immediately loosen the sides of the cakes and allow to cool in pans for 15 minutes.

Remove from pans to wire racks. Remove waxed paper. Let cool completely.

To Make Coconut Pecan Filling/Frosting

COCONUT PECAN FILLING/FROSTING

2 egg yolks
¾ cup evaporated milk, undiluted
¾ tsp. vanilla
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup plus 2 Tblsp. butter
1-1/3 cups Baker’s Angel Flake Coconut
¾ cup chopped toasted pecans
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, milk and vanilla until well blended. Add sugar and butter and cook on medium heat for 12 minutes or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Add coconut and pecans; mix well. Cool to desired spreading consistency.

Spread 1/3 of the Coconut Pecan Filling/Frosting on top of one layer of the cooled cakes, top with a second layer and spread its top with 1/3 of the filling/frosting. Repeat with the final layer and 1/3 of frosting.

This is a wonderfully soft, delicious cake but I had a little of trouble handling the layers even in this smaller size. The cake isn’t picture-perfect-looking, but it sure tastes great.

Also served: Reuben sandwiches – corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut on homemade rye bread, from my post of 2008

https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2008/03/10/rye-bread-and-reubens/

Humiliating the Dog – Sugar in her Hat

For some reason, the picture of Sugar in her humiliating hat didn’t show up on my recent post.

Sunday Dessert – Old Fashioned Apple Pie

My younger son and his family are here from St. Louis for their annual visit and I’m hosting the reunion dinner with the Cincinnati area family. I always get a big Honey Baked Ham and serve a buffet along with our favorite apple pie for dessert. Some of the men of the family (older son, son-in-law and grandson) will eat no dessert except this apple pie and everyone else enjoys it, so it has become a tradition.

From my 2007post: https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2007/09/21/apple-pie-for-bill/

Bill's Apple Pie

Servings: 6-9
Print

5 cups peeled, cored, sliced apples – I prefer Golden Delicious

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 Tblsp. flour

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp salt

2 Tblsp. butter

Pastry for 9” 2-crust pie

1 T milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Mix and let set while making crust. Fill pastry lined pie pan, dot with butter. Place top crust, flute edges, brush with milk and cut vents. Place pie on a large flat pan to catch spills and bake 45 minutes @ 375 degrees F . Cool on rack.

Also served: Honey Baked Ham, Swiss cheese, rye bread, baked beans, assorted salads, potato chips

Sunday Dessert – Lemon Summer Squash Cake

Since my 85 years have started to catch up with me, I don’t cook as often, particularly experimenting with new recipes that I can share. I do still cook the family holiday meals, though, and every Sunday fix lunch for my two daughters which features a favorite recipe and is followed by 3 hours of various kinds of needlework and chatting. For these lunches, I always make something they especially like from my blogs of over 10 years and I thought it might be fun to share my Sunday desserts each week.

This week’s dessert is a lemon yellow squash cake which always came in handy when my husband used to bring in baskets full of zucchini and yellow squash from his garden at this time of year. Now, I have to buy the squash but it’s worth it to make this moist, tart, delicious cake, first posted in 2013.

https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2013/09/09/lemon-summer-squash-cake/

Lemon Summer Squash Cake

Servings: 10-12 servings
Print

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
¾ cup butter
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 cups grated yellow squash
2 tsp grated lemon peel
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup milk
Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl and set aside. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until well mixed. Stir in squash, lemon peel and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients, lemon juice and milk until dry ingredients are incorporated.

Pour into well greased 12-cup Bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees F until a tester inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Use a knife to loosen around the sides of pan and around tube, then invert cake onto a rack to continue cooling.

While cake is still warm, pour lemon glaze over cake.

Lemon Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
½ tsp. grated lemon peel
1-½ Tblsp. lemon juice
In a small bowl, mix sugar, lemon peel and lemon juice together until smooth.

Also served: Grilled potatoes, grilled tilapia and Peach, Pineapple and Tomato Salsa from my 2015 post:

https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2015/08/11/peach-pineapple-and-tomato-salsa/

Sunday Dinner Dessert – Cannoli Cones

Our Sunday dessert this week is a favorite summertime dessert – Cannoli Cones. These cannoli cones aren’t going to be as good as the cannolis from your favorite Italian restaurant but they’re really delicious, easy to make and fill the need for a quick cannoli fix. I combined several recipes, ideas and tips from online to make this fun dessert.

To hold the cones while coating them with chocolate and chilling them, you can cut an “x” for the number of portions in the top of the cardboard cone box covered with foil…

… or, my favorite, the bottom of a Styrofoam egg carton, inverted with an “x” cut for the portions.

At first, I thought it would be nice to serve the cones in a tall flute along with the filling and garnishes in separate bowls …

)

… but the cones are too hard to remove. I found it best to just let each person grab a cone and alternate layers of filling, chips, cherries and nuts. Here is the recipe from my 2015 post:

https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2015/08/26/easy-cannoli-cones/

Easy Cannoli Cones

Servings: 6
Print

6 sugar cones (the cake type with pointed ends)
½ cup chocolate chips, melted
¼ cup heavy cream
8 oz. ricotta cheese (one cup)
¼ cup powdered sugar
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup each of mini chocolate chips, chopped pistachios and chopped candied or maraschino cherries

Place a spoonful of melted chocolate into each cone, turning and swirling to coat the inside of the cone. Spread a little bit of chocolate over the rim of the cone. Place cones in a container and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes until set.

To make filling:
Beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Beat in ricotta, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Place in a covered bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

The chocolate coating on the cones and the filling can be done ahead of time, but wait until ready to serve before filling the cones so they will be nice and crisp.

Fill cones with alternating layers of filling, chips, cherries and nuts.

Also served: Sesame Pasta Chicken Salad from my 2008 post:

https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2008/08/10/a-good-sunday-lunch/

Sunday Dessert – Blackberry-Apple Pie

This Sunday’s dessert is a blackberry-apple pie that won a County Fair Best of Show ribbon for me 35 years ago (1983). The pie also won many more contests and became a favorite of the family – except for the ones who don’t like blackberry seeds. See this post from 2008 on the pie contest: https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/the-pie-contest/

BLACKBERRY-APPLE PIE

Servings: 9 inch pie - 6 to 8 servings
Print

Pastry for two-crust 9-inch pie (see link to my favorite recipe below)
3 cups blackberries
1 cup peeled & thinly sliced tart apple
3 Tblsp. quick-cooking tapioca
pinch of salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tblsp. butter
1 Tblsp. milk
1 Tblsp. sugar mixed with 1/8 tsp. cinnamon for topping
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

In large bowl combine berries, apples, tapioca, 1 cup sugar, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Mix well and allow to set for five minutes.

Turn berry mixture in a pastry-lined 9-inch pan. Dot with butter, adjust top crust, cut vents and flute edges. Brush top with milk and lightly sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Set pie pan on a larger flat pan to catch spills.

Bake @ 375 degrees F for 45-50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

My favorite pie crust recipe is here in a post from 2007: https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2007/11/15/my-sure-fire-pie-crust/

Also served: Corn-on-the-cob, grilled tilapia and a great salsa using summer produce – Peach-Pineapple-and-Tomato Salsa, found here from 2015: https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2015/08/11/peach-pineapple-and-tomato-salsa/

Sunday Dessert – Alabama Peanut Butter Pie

Since my 85 years have started to catch up with me, I don’t cook as often as I used to, particularly in experimenting with new recipes that I can share. I do still cook the family holiday meals, though, and every Sunday fix lunch for my two daughters which features a favorite recipe and is followed by 3 hours of various kinds of needlework and chatting. For these lunches, I always make a favorite dessert and I thought it might be fun to share my Sunday desserts each week.

This week’s dessert was an old favorite going back to the 1970s – Alabama Peanut Butter Pie. The original post is here: https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/alabama-peanut-butter-pie/

Whenever I give my daughters a choice of pie, it is either Lemon Meringue or Alabama Peanut Butter. So, this week I decided on Peanut Butter Pie, which is not difficult to make but a little time-consuming.

ALABAMA PEANUT BUTTER PIE

Servings: 6
Print

Baked 9 inch pie shell

Base and topping:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter

Filling:

1/4 cup cornstarch
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 egg yolks
1 cup cold milk
1 cup hot milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tblsp. butter

Meringue:

3 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
6 Tblsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

To Make the Base and Topping: Mix confectioners’ sugar with peanut butter to form crumbs. Spread half of the mixture in the bottom of the baked pie shell. Reserve the other half for the topping.

To Make the Filling: In a medium size saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch, sugar and salt. Add the egg yolks, mixing well, then add the cup of cold milk. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in hot milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to bubble. Reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking and whisking for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Let cool slightly while preparing the meringue.

To Make the Meringue: In a large mixer bowl with wire beater, beat egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat until whites begin to thicken. Add sugar one tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff and glossy. Stir in vanilla.

Spoon the hot filling on top of the crumb base in the baked shell.

Spread the meringue on top of the filling, extending the meringue to the crust to seal.

Set the pie on a flat sheet to catch crumbs, and sprinkle the reserved peanut butter mixture on top.

Bake @ 325 degrees for 10 minutes to brown meringue. Cool on wire rack.

Also served: Shannon’s Curry Chicken Salad: https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2008/06/27/shannons-curry-chicken-salad/
on toasted Spicy Honey Raisin Yeast Bread: https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2007/09/29/spicy-honey-raisin-yeast-bread/

A Perfect Day for Pumpkin Pie

I just realized my 10 year blog anniversary was on September 16 with this post about pumpkin pie. I started quilting when I was 70, started the blog when I was 75 and started knitting at age 83. Of course, I’ve been cooking for decades and the blog has been a good way to remember old favorites and to meet new people. Thank you to everyone who has read my posts. It’s been such fun.

LILLIAN'S CUPBOARD

A PERFECT DAY FOR PUMPKIN PIE

This September Sunday morning is cool, crisp and autumn-like with trees starting to show color and fall decorations beginning to appear on front doors. It’s a perfect day for pumpkin pie. My recipe is pretty much standard except for a few variations in spices. I heard Garrison Keillor quote one of his radio characters, saying, “The best pumpkin pie you ever tasted isn’t that much better than the worst,” but I don’t agree. Homemade pumpkin pies are really good and a super-easy pie to make. I prefer to make my pie crust but certainly frozen ones are available.

View original post

Norton’s Rum Cake

I decided to make this wonderful cake for Sunday dinner – the first time since I blogged about it in 2011. It’s always been a family favorite and I wonder why I don’t make it more often. It is easy to bake, makes a large cake and stays moist and delicious for several days if it lasts that long.

NORTON’S RUM CAKE

Servings: 10-12

Print

To make the cake:

18.25-18.5 oz. box of yellow cake mix (I use Betty Crocker Super Moist)

4 eggs

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 cup dark rum (Bacardi)

1/2 cup oil (canola)

1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 315 degrees F
Grease and flour a 10-cup tube or Bundt cake pan

Place all ingredients in the large bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour into greased and floured 10-cup tube or Bundt pan and bake @ 315 degrees F for approximately one hour until a tester inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean.

With cake still in pan, allow to cool on a rack for 5 minutes.

Run a knife around the edges and tube portion to loosen. Invert cake onto rack.

While cake is cooling, make the Rum Glaze:

RUM GLAZE

8 Tblsp. (1/4 lb.) butter

1/4 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark rum (Bacardi)

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Then stir in the water and sugar. Bring to a boil and let boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the rum.

While cake is warm, poke holes in the cake with a skewer and pour the sauce over the cake. It will take several minutes for the cake to absorb the glaze – just wait a few seconds and ladle on some more sauce until it is all used.

Let cake cool completely before cutting and serving.

LILLIAN'S CUPBOARD

After my father was gone in the 1970s, my sister (a die-hard round dancer) persuaded my mother to get out more and to take up round and square dancing. Mother fought the idea for awhile, but finally got up the nerve to venture out on her own and met the most wonderful man who became her dance partner and a friend of the family for many years to come. Norton was always the perfect gentleman, soft-spoken with a dry wit, a great dancer, and a good cook.

The dances were always the occasion for good food contributed by the club members and Norton’s favorite item to bring was his famous rum cake. Although alcohol was strictly forbidden at dances, everyone looked the other way when Norton walked in with his cake. Erma Bombeck wrote about the joy of being at a PTA meeting and having someone bring in anything with…

View original post 92 more words