Tomato Spice Cake

It is amazing what you can use in a cake and still get rave reviews from your family. The trick is to serve it, first, and tell them afterwards! This is such a cake and my brood loved it and went back for seconds . . . even after finding out the 'secret' ingredient. Tomato Spice Cake 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 3 eggs 1 cup vegetable oil 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar 2 cups pureed fresh tomatoes 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 cup ground walnuts Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat the eggs with the vanilla, sugar, oil, and spices. Add the flour mixtures and the pureed tomatoes. Mix well and then fold in the walnuts. Pour batter into a 9x13 baking pan or two smaller ones. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35-45 minutes depending on your oven. Cool and drizzle with a lemon icing.

Homemade Pickles . . .

This is an easy way to use up extra produce and provide a treat for the family. This is not one of those recipes that are canned and last 'forever' on the shelf. These have a life span of about two weeks in the refrigerator. After sampling my efforts, yesterday, I don't think they will even last two weeks! Fast Refrigerator Pickles 12 half pint canning jars 6-8 regular cucumbers, very thinly sliced 3 carrots, very thinly sliced 2 cups of onion, very thinly sliced 3 cups cider vinegar 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 teaspoon celery seeds 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Place all the sliced vegetables in a large, glass bowl. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a pot, stir to dissolve, and bring to a boil. Boil for a couple of minutes and then pour over the sliced vegetables and mix well so all the vegetables gets a soaking. Fill each jar 3/4th full with the prepared vegetables. After that, add the brine to just cover. Seal and refrigerate. I found they tasted good later the same day but 24 hours is a good time to let the pickles really get tasty. If you can find it, grocery stores sometimes sell packets of pickling spices and you can use that instead of buying the individual seeds mentioned in the recipe. You don't need to but I did give all the jars the water bath to seal the jars more firmly but still consider them refrigerated items. If you want to find a really great pickling spice (which I used), search on-line for Penzy Spices. They offer that along with a huge variety of spices and herbs at reasonable prices. Just passing on a hint!

Poppy Seed Bread

A fast and easy loaf to get into the oven and have ready for a change-of-pace breakfast. It also freezes well so think about slicing up a cooled loaf and freezing slices in individual sandwich bags. Great for pulling out of the freezer and dropping into a school lunch bag. It will be defrosted by lunch time! Poppy Seed Bread 3 eggs 2/3 cup vegetable oil 1 1/2 cup evaporated milk 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/2 cup poppy seeds 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Vegetable oil spray and dust with flour, 2 bread loaf pans. Beat togetehr the eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat to combine. The batter should be smooth. Bake for approximately 40-50 minutes. To test: insert a toothpick towards the middle top of the bread. Toothpick should come clean with no damp batter. Ideas . . . You can go with sesame seeds instead! Shelled sunflower seeds are interesting and toasted slices are good. Use 1/2 cup of your favorite ground nuts instead of the poppy seeds. While still warm in the pan, drizzle loaves with either a lemon or orange icing.

Cauliflower Side Dish . . .

Cauliflower is either a love it or hate it type of vegetable. Personally, I like it raw and crispy, steamed, or braised in a little olive oil and butter. This is a favorite way my family likes to see this vegetable show up at the dinner table. Front and Center Cauliflower 1 head of fresh cauliflower 1/4 cup butter 1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon thyme 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. They don't have to be too small, just manageable on the dinner plate! Steam the cauliflower over water with 1/4 cup of cider vinegar added. This infuses a bit of a tang to the cauliflower. Steam until just done. Remove from heat and cool a bit. Place the butter and olive oil in a large frying pan. Combine the flour and dry ingredients in a large, plastic bag and shake to mix well. Add the cooked cauliflower and shake to dust all the pieces with the seasoned flour. Now turn the heat on under the oil and butter. When it is bubbling, add the cauliflower and gently stir around until it is warmed through and getting tinges of brown. Make sure all the flour is 'baked' in and no white patches are evident. You might need to add a bit more butter/oil. Serves four to six people as a side dish. Remember, if you have favorite herbs or spices, you can create your own version of the flour mixture. If you have some croutons in the cupboard, crush a few and scatter the crumbs over the hot cauliflower just before serving.

Pancakes for a Crowd

Although you can half this recipe, once the scent permeates the house, you might not have too many left. I've also found that you can freeze the leftovers and just warm them in the microwave on another day. Pancakes for a Crowd 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 eggs 4 cups buttermilk 4 tablespoons olive oil (regular vegetable oil works, too!) Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix to just combine. Don't overmix! If the batter is too thick, add drops of buttermilk. Too wet? Add tablespoons of flour. Vegetable oil spray either a large frying pan or griddle and pour about a quarter cup of batter keeping some distance from each to allow for spreading. When the surface forms bubbles, flip over and finish cooking until golden on both sides. Serve hot with butter, syrup, fresh berries, jam/jelly, or just powdered sugar with a sprinkle of fresh lemon. Ideas . . . No whole wheat on hand? Use just all-purpose flour. Blueberry pancakes sound good? Add a cup after the batter is mixed. Cinnamon, sugar, and butter is a good option.

Fruit Cake in a Flash

This sounds like an easy solution when you need a fast dessert and don't have time to fuss. And, it certainly lends itself to lots of creativity. Fruit Cake in a Flash 1 15-22-ounce can of fruit (peaches, apricots, plums, pineapple - your choice!) 1 box yellow cake mix 1 cup melted butter - not margarine 3/4 cup chopped nuts - your choice Vegetable oil spray the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the fruit (don't drain it!) over the bottom of the baking pan. Sprinkle half of the cake mix over the fruit. (You can either save the other half of the cake mix for another time or make two, different fruit desserts!) Sprinkle the chopped nuts over the top of the cake mix. Drizzle the melted butter over the whole thing. Bake for approximately 30-45 minutes. Eat warm or cold. Whipped cream or ice cream would certainly not go amiss when serving this! Ideas . . . Use chocolate cake mix which goes particularly well with crushed pineapple for the fruit layer. A spice cake mix with canned apples is a treat. Using peanuts with an apple fruit layer and yellow cake mix is sort of a caramel apple taste.

Beat the summer heat - no-bake cookies!

With the temperatures topping out at 111 this week, the last thing I wanted to do was turn on the oven even if it meant no cookies! This is a recipe that has been around for years in many variations. I'll give you the plain and simple and then it's up to your imagination on how to adjust it to suit your needs! No-Bake Candy Bar Cookies 3 sticks of butter (Margarine just want do for this one!) 4 cups graham cracker crumbs 2 cups chunky peanut butter 1/2 cup chopped, salted peanuts 2 cups powdered sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 cup semisweet or milk chocolate chips 1 cup white chocolate chips Soften the butter and combine with graham cracker crumbs, peanut butter, peanuts, powdered sugar, vanilla, and combine. Press the mixture into a jelly roll pan. Freeze for approximately 10-15 minutes while you prepare the chocolate layer. Slowly melt the semisweet or milk chocolate chips (I like to use a combination) either in the microwave or over a double boiler. Pour the melted chocolate over the now cold graham cracker layer. Now, melt the white chocolate chips and drizzle it over the chocolate layer. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into bars and serve. Store between layers of waxed paper in the refrigerator. Ideas . . . Before the chocolate layer sets, sprinkle some colorful sugar or decorations over it. More chopped nuts is always a plus on the chocolate layer.

Sticky Buns the Easy Way . . .

Making your own yeast-raised bread products can be daunting until you find out how easy it really is, however, you can attain a tasty glimpse of what you can do and avoid some of the kitchen trauma! Once you get a feel for working with yeast dough, it might bring you to the 'made from scratch' stage in your baking. Fast and Easy Sticky Buns 2 loaves of unbaked frozen bread dough, thawed 2 cups brown sugar Grated zest of one lemon 2 small packages of vanilla pudding 1 stick butter, softened 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon cloves 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg Mix together the pudding mix, sugar, zest, butter, and spices. Vegetable oil spray an approximately 9x13-inch baking pan. Tear off chunks of one loaf of the bread dough and place in prepared pan. Sprinkle half the sugar mixture over it. Tear up the second loaf of bread dough and place on top of the first. Sprinkle with the rest of the sugar mixture. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top, spray with vegetable oil spray and then flip it over so the greased side is against the dough. Cover the whole thing with a clean dish towel and let rise until almost doubled. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. When the Sticky Buns are baked, turn it upside down immediatel onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Cool, slice, and serve.

Macaroni Salad

When I was growing up, a favorite salad for potlucks and hot summer evenings was Macaroni Salad. It could be as simple or as complicated as you felt like making it and it always tasted fresh and tangy. As with most of my recipes, creativity is an option so let your imagination and cupboard help you make some changes! Macaroni Salad 16 ounces your favorite pasta (not spaghetti) 3/4 cup olive oil 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1/4 cup sugar 1 small can of sliced, black olives 1/2 cup cubed Provolone cheese 1/2 cup diced fresh mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese 2 cups fresh, chopped tomatoes 1 cup chopped, red onion 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup crumbled bacon Cook pasta until it is just done, rinse, and drain. In a bowl, mix together the oild, vinegar, sugar, and seasonings. In a large bowl, combine pasta, the remaining ingredients, and the dressing. Refrigerate two to six hours to marinate the flavors into the ingredients. Serve!

Easy Pickle Relish!

Don't have time to fuss yet want to put something unique and homemade on your holiday table? Not enough time to run to the store for what you actually want for you hamburgers and hot dogs? Most of us probably already have these items in the cupboard so with some slicing and dicing, it is possible to have fun in the kitchen and impress! Really Easy Pickle Relish 1 cup diced dill pickles 1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper 1/4 cup sweet mustard or Dijon 3 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoon cider vinegar Combine all the ingredients in the morning, place in a serving dish or jar and serve that evening. This is an item that needs to be kept refrigerated and will stay fresh for approximately a month . . . if it lasts that long!

Fast Chicken Noodle Dinner

The hour is late and dinner needs to be on the table sooner than you have time to plan the meal. This is a time-saver tht always tastes good  . . . and is fast!

Fast Chicken Noodle Dinner
1 chicken, cut up into serving pieces
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon Granulated onion
1 teaspoon Granulated garlic
Salt & pepper to taste
1 small can of mushrooms
1 can of cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
Pasta of your choice.

In a large skillet, brown the chicken thoroughly. Remove the chicken to a plate, remove most of the fat (you want to retain some for flavor), and add the onion, garlic, soup, and mushrooms to the skillet, bring to a simmer. Return the chicken to the skillet, salt and pepper to taste, cover and simmer on low until chicken is tender and done. Serve over hot, cooked pasta - your choice.

The recipe is easy to adjust for servings - more chicken, two cans of soup and extra on the rest of the seasoning.