Goddess Ceremonial Tea Vessels

GODDESS CEREMONIAL TEA VESSELS

Goddess Ceremonial Tea Vessel

While I was in Morocco in the spring, I kept noticing an abundance of almond trees all along the roadways. I was lucky enough to be served some at one of the hotels and found those cookies to be the best I have ever tasted. I keep experimenting to see if I can duplicate and I have come close but not hit it at 100% yet. The recipe I am including today is one I tweaked and so far my favorite. If anyone has another favorite almond cookie recipe, I'd love to hear from you. These are easy to make as well. Recipe is at the bottom of this post. I think it is the flavor of the almonds there in Morocco that made them delicious. Of course I'm having tea. In Morocco the tea is almost always mint.

Tea Vessel With Moroccan Almond Cookies (My Version)

Enchantment found it’s way to the table where the Goddess Ceremonial Tea Vessel was placed. Three friends gathered to help initiate a healing. The pungent herbal aroma from the mysterious vessel containing the special roots and herbs chosen fresh from the garden permeated the air. The elixir was steeped to perfection and the cups were filed. Each Goddess inhaled the scent of the tisanes which opened their sensory perception as they gazed at the fascinating original clay Goddess face that was sculpted into the vessel. All were oblivious to their surroundings and time was lost to antiquity as they partook of this special potion, all the while awaiting for the magic to unfold. The tea vessel I am showing today will allow for only a party of one. But that can be a joy as well. Time alone to cherish with a cup of mint tea.

Close-Up of Lid

My tea vessels are each an original. I hand sculpt them using stoneware clay. The Goddess faces are sculpted in the bas-relief method. I used a lead free glaze on each vessel.

The best way to brew tea for vessel is to place cold water in another microwavable container. Heat water and then pour into vessel in which either tea bags or a tea strainer or tea ball has been placed. Place lid back on and allow to steep for 5 minutes or so. Serve. The lids are an integral part of the vessel. Be sure to hold the lid as you pour the tea.

Because of the various embellishments placed into the vessel, it is best not to place in dishwasher or microwave but instead use the tea vessel to steep and serve. I have used lead free glaze on the interior of each pot so that it is safe to drink the tea and after finishing, running hot water inside the pot releasing any tea having lodged there is all that is needed to keep sanitary.

My tea vessel is priced at $76.00 She is small, holds 1 cup, approx. 6" w x 4 1/2 " high x 4" deep. If you would like to purchase, please e-mail me and we can go from there. I like to use Paypal but checks are ok too.

Moroccan Almond Cookies

Ingredients:

½ lb butter ( 2 sticks)

2 ½ cups flour

½ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

1 C. sugar

3 eggs

3 t. almond extract

½ cup blanched ground almonds

50 blanched or whole almonds for top of cookies

Method:

Cut butter into dry ingredients, add egg and extract. Shape into small balls-about 1 1/2-2 “ on ungreased cookie sheet about 2” apart. Flatten out and press 1 almond into the center and bake at 350 for about 17 minutes. Keep checking to be sure bottoms are not browning too fast.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with tea,coffee or cold milk. Yum.

BLACK GARLIC!

BLACK GARLIC!

Black Garlic Sesame Dressing Over Seared Tuna

John, from the co-op across the sidewalk from me on the Farmer's Market, came over to my booth last Saturday and told me that a family member from China served the most luscious dish made with black garlic. Of course, since I have been hearing a lot about it lately, I was anxious to know more. John told me exactly the way it is made in China these days. You won't believe it but it is steamed in a rice cooker for, get this, 9 DAYS! I had my doubts about trying it because I was afraid the rice cooker would quit after a day or so, given that appliances these days have very short life spans. But, I was curious so decided to give it a whirl. I placed as many large garlic bulbs into the cooker as it would allow. I did not peel them but plopped them in whole, as I was instructed to do. Today, the 9 days are up and it is time to open the rice cooker. (it is supposed to stay on warm cycle but mine kept reverting to cook and then back to warm the entire time.

Rice Cooker Filled With Garlic Heads

I was a bit nervous about opening the lid and then slicing the garlic. Would it really be black and would I like the taste? I figured I would since it seems to be all the rage on the food channels and you-tube.

There They Are All Ready to Peel Open

Sure enough, after opening the pot I find that it is dark brown, lighter than I've seen pictures of but still very good. I know I want to add it to a sauce. I am wondering if I need to ferment longer as some sites have claimed that it takes a month. I don't think I could wait that long. Also, the entire house has a curious odor while it is fermenting..John says he puts his in the garage for the 9 days.

Not Jet Black But Dark Brown

Something else that is important for me to mention. Black Garlic has been touted as a powerful anti- cancer preventative. If you want to read more about that added incentive to make your own black garlic, just google 'black garlic and cancer' Different sites claim that it is a powerful antioxident and can heal psoriasis, Increase energy level, fight cancer, can be used as an anti-aging product, and help with sleep.

I am experimenting with many recipes but the one I like the best so far is made by smashing a whole head of the black garlic and adding it to a sesame dressing-then pouring over seared tuna or salmon served cold or warm. I used raddiccio lettuce as a base. It is delicious! I used the dressing I sell at the Farmer's Market here in Roanoke and at the Roanoke market and Greenbriar Farm Market. You can probably use any sesame dressing though. I'm not sure If I will be selling the black garlic because I will have to experiment with storage and longivity first. But, it is simple enough to make yourself and you might just want to drag out the rice cooker in the back of your pantry or purchase a new one. They are very inexpensive. I used a small 12 cup rice cooker but if you get serious about it, you can find the larger ones as well. Have fun!

PS: I heard that the Trader Joe's food store (my favorite) is carrying them but I was not able to find it at the ones in D.C.

STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS

PIGS IN THE BLANKET

Pigs in the Blanket

When I spotted a huge cabbage Saturday at our Farmer's Market here is Roanoke, Virginia, I knew I had to have it to recreate my mother's recipe for “Pigs in the Blanket.” The cabbage came from Floyd, Virginia, where they are known for their immense vegetables, especially their cabbage.

There are many different names for this remarkable dish. It is called Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, by the Yugoslavians, Golabki by the Polish and many nationalities call it Stuffed Cabbage. I always heard it referred to as Pigs in the Blanket, which is a far cry from the southern version of hot dogs wrapped in a bun.

Can You Believe the Size of This Cabbage!

Recipes for this dish can be found in Germany and France and all around the Baltic. They vary in the amounts and types of meat used and some versions do not add saurkaraut. My mother never wrote her recipe down. I often watched her make it as a child and then started my own version when I took up housekeeping. I combine my mother’s recipe, which was given to her by Pauline Gulakowski, with my own particular twist.

Yum. It Tastes Very Similar to My Mother's "Pig in the Blanket"

Here is my recipe.

1- large head of green cabbage, cored and steamed in hot water till soft

Sauce:

¼ cup butter

1 T. sour cream

1 C. heavy cream

1 C. chopped yellow onions

1 t. garlic

1 T. apple cider vinegar

1 T. sugar

1-28 oz. can chopped tomatoes (or crushed) and juices

1 large can tomato soup

2 teaspoons paprika

1 LB sauerkraut

Filling:

2 large yellow onions, chopped fine

2 clove garlic, chopped

1 lb gr beef

1 lb gr pork

2 cups cooked long grain white rice

2 eggs

1 t. gr pepper or more to taste

1 t. salt or more to taste

4 t. butter

A good shake of my Magic Garlic Sprinkles (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place head of cabbage in a large pot and fill with water, bring to boil then remove from heat, separate the leaves and remove the hard leaves. Lay on work surface, with rib side down.

Make sauce:

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, cream, sour cream , vinegar, tomatoes and tomato soup and paprika.

Fill each of the cabbage rolls with a handful of the filling. Wrap the cabbage around the filling and shape into a neat bundle. Do this with remaining cabbages.

Make filling:

Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands.

Place a layer of all the sauerkraut on the bottom of a large baking dish. Layer the sauce over, saving half for the top. Lay the cabbages into the dish and cover with remaining sauce. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for about 2 ½ hours or longer if needed.

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STILTON CHEESE SOUP

STILTON CHEESE SOUP

Finished Soup. Irrestible.

As the summer wanes and autumn peeks it's head around the corner, a lot of us seem to be in the mood for soups. I think you will find this rich celery and cheese based soup will hit the spot. It is not difficult except for the chopping, which is never my favorite thing to do. One spoonful and you will be glad you made the effort!

Sofritto, Which Consists of Celery, Onion and Carrot. You Will Notice I Used Goggles and I Did Not Chop Evenly Because I Hate to Chop! Also, Take Note of My Magic Garlic Sprinkles.

Recipe:

2 T butter

1 onion, finely chopped

4 large stalks celery, peeled and finely chopped

2 large carrot, finely chopped

4 C. chicken broth

4 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

1/2 C heavy cream

6 oz. Stilton Cheese, crumbled

nutmeg, salt and pepper

Garlic Queen's magic sprinkles(if you have any but optional) (sprinkle to taste when finished.)

This might make 6 servings and I usually double recipe.

CREME BRULEE FRENCH TOAST

CREME BRULEE FRENCH TOAST

Creme Brulee French Toast

My friend, Louise, had a special treat on Mother's Day. Her son made her a lovely breakfast including Creme Brulee French Toast. After she told me how delicious and easy it is to make, I knew I wanted to try it. As usual, I had to improvise on one of the ingredients but it did turn out delectable. I think it would make a wonderful dish for overnight guests since the toast is made the night before and simply baked in the morning. Hope you try it. (Recipe original from Allrecipes.com)

CREME BRULEE FRENCH TOAST

½ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 T. Maple Syrup

6 slices 1 “ thick French or Italian Bread

5 eggs

1 ½ Cups half and half-and-half

1 t. vanilla

1 t. Grand Marnier

¼ t. salt

Zest of 1 orange

METHOD

Melt butter in pan. Add brown sugar and maple syrup. Stir till dissolved and pour into a 9x13 inch dish. Remove crusts from bread and arrange in dish. In another bowl, whisk eggs, half and half, vanilla, Grand Marnier, salt and orange peel. Pour over bread and chill overnight. Bake in a 350 oven for 35-40 minutes till puffed and lightly browned.

KRISPY KREME BACON DOGS

KRISPY KREME BACON DOGS

KRISPY KREME BACON DOGS

Being a fan of “Chopped” cooking television show, (the show where contestants have to come up with a meal given the strange ingredients in their baskets) when I heard what my friends, Stephanie and Chuck were bringing to our themed dinner club (this theme being street foods) I couldn't imagine ever even tasting anything that sounded so greasy, rich, bad for you, etc. You get the point. But, I found that after I tried one, I couldn't stop eating them. They were my absolute favorite of all the interesting and delicious foods served last Sunday. Members brought falafals, curry chicken salad to go, chicken wraps, chicken develed eggs with ginger, tiramisu-just to name a few of the delicious offerings.

Stephanie Arrives With Foxy Road Kill

Chicken Curry To Go Cups

Stephanie arrived with a fox that her father had hunted and stuffed. She proclaimed that her contribution was 'road kill.' Then, she and Chuck gave everyone a Krispy Kreme hat and we all were aghast when we saw what was inside the box. Those Krispy Kreme Bacon Dogs looked a bit strange. Strange that is until you take one bite! Wow. The sugar, salt and the combination of ingredients were certainly a winner.

Falafals

Stephanie said she got the idea online somewhere and then she concocted her own brands and method for making. Below are a few pictures of the other great foods presented and the recipe for the Krispy Kreme Dogs.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Close-Up

Recipe:

KRISPY KREME BACON DOGS

Nathan Hot Dogs

Bacon (best brand you can find)

Raspberry Preserves

And of course, hot Krispy Kreme DOUGHNUTS.

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Wrap hot dogs in bacon, roast on grill or in oven, place in sliced crispy cream doughnut and dollop with raspberry preserves. You may need a tooth pick to hold together.

CLOTHESPIN COOKIES

Cookies Ready to Serve

No, you are not seeing things. My caption does say 'clothespin cookies.' Those of you who are familiar with my recipe blog posts already know that I like to make recipes that hold tradition with my family and my heritage. In the neck of the woods where I grew up, the Warren, Youngstown and Niles area of Ohio, these cookies were and still are all the rage. My mother made them for years and since she was so good at it, I never even tried making them. I finally decided to finally give them a whirl.

Rolling Out the Yeast Dough

The first problem I had was to actually find the old fashioned, doll head wooden clothespins that every woman of the 40's and 50's era used to hang clothes out on the line. The new ones are either plastic or are spring loaded. After searching all the clothes/laundry places in town and doing a web search, I found out that they are used for craft items today and I was going in completely the wrong direction. Finally, I found them at Joan Fabrics in the wood section.

Cutting the Dough

When my parents would come to visit for Christmas, they always had a huge box of them which were promptly placed in the refrigerator. They definitely need to be kept cool. It's amazing how delicious they are with the yeasty cookie and yummy filling. They melt in your mouth.

Cookies Wrapped and Ready for the Oven

Here is the recipe. I'm a bit late in the season posting it but if you don't have time to make before Christmas, they are still scrumptuous any time of the year.

CLOTHESPIN RECIPE:

Dough:

½ Package yeast (1 ¼ teaspoon)

¼ Cup Warm Milk

¾ Cup butter or margarine

2 Cups flour

2 Beaten Eggs

2 T. Sugar

½ teaspoon salt

Powdered Sugar

Soften yeast in warm milk. Set Aside. In a large bowl, cut 3/4c butter into 2 cups flour til mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add yeast, beaten eggs, sugar and salt. Mix well. Form into a ball and cover tightly. Refrigerate overnight or about 6 hours. Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, roll each half into 10 “ strips. About 1/8th inch thick. Cut each long strip into approximately 3 strips of about 3” Wrap each strip around a buttered old fashioned clothespin, overlapping edges slightly. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet in 300 oven for about 30 minutes. Watch that they don't start getting brown, if so, turn over and continue baking. Remove from clothespins immediately when out of oven. Fill with filling. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and chill in fridge.

Filling:

1 c sugar

1 t. vanilla

1 cup butter

5 T. flour

1 cup milk

Whisk flour and milk together and heat on medium burner, stirring constantly. Remove from heat when it thickens. Cool to room temperature. Cream butter and sugar together til fluffy. Make sure there are no sugar grains left-beat for a long time. Add the cooled milk mixture and beat even longer till the mixture looks very light and whipped.

THE BEST FROSTING I HAVE EVER TASTED

THE BEST FROSTING I'VE EVER TASTED

Vanilla Frosting With Chocolate Cake

Long ago, when I was a young girl, my best friend's mother would make an amazing cake every Friday. I did everything imaginable to get an invitation to spend the night with Karen so that I could taste a piece of that scrumptous cake. I especially loved the frosting. It was rich but not overly sweet. Years later when Pauline passed away, Karen and I were sorry that we had not thought enough to obtain the recipe from her. I don't think she even wrote it down. Just recently, with the help of google search, I finally found several recipes that were very similar to Pauline's. So, after much experimentation, I finally was able to duplicate it! To me, it brings back the days of my childhood and everyone who tastes this frosting, begs me for the recipe and tells me it is the best ever!

Fluffy, Rich and Decadent!

Here it is:

PAULINE'S FAMOUS FROSTING

Ingredients:

1 Cup sugar

1 t. vanilla

1 Cup butter

5 or 6 T. flour

1 Cup milk or a bit more

Method:

Whisk flour and milk together and heat on medium burner, stirring constantly. Remove from heat when it thickens. Cool to room temperature. Cream butter and sugar together till fluffy. Make sure there are no sugar grains left-in other words, beat for a long time. Add the cooled milk mixture and beat even longer. Beat til the mixture looks very light and whipped. I sometimes add chocolate syrup or other melted chocolate to create a chocolate frosting. It is delicious over chocolate cake.

Hope you agree with me!

CREAM PUFF CAKE

CREAM PUFF CAKE!

Eclair Cake

It's recipe time again. Found another one I had to share. I had a little swimming party last Saturday night and my friend, Anna, brought a delicious, unusual cake. It looks and tastes like a delectable cream puff. Honest. I am not sure where she got the recipe but we all loved it and I thought you might like it too. The name of it is 'Eclair Cake' but I renamed it because to me, it tastes exactly like a cream puff. After all, a cream puff by any other name is still a cream puff. LOL. It is every bit as good if not better after being refrigerated. Enjoy!

Here is what Anna said about it:

“The eclair cake is from the Atchafalaya Legacy cookbook a friend from New Orleans gave me. I'm almost embarrassed to give you the recipe. You won't BELIEVE how easy it is to make!!!! It will totally ruin my reputation. But here goes.

Ingredients:

1 box graham crackers in squares

2 small boxes vanilla instant pudding mix

3 cups milk (I used Homestead creamery regular)

1 (8 oz) Cool whip

1 can chocolate frosting (I used Duncan Hines dark chocolate fudge)

Method:

Do not grease pan. I used a 9x13" pan for this. Mix together the pudding, milk and Cool Whip. Layer a pan with graham cracker squares. Layer of pudding mixture. Another layer of graham crackers and another layer of pudding mix. Top with another layer of graham crackers. Put chocolate frosting in the microwave to soften (30 sec then another 30 sec worked for me) Pour over the top of the layer of graham crackers. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Enjoy!!!!

This is so easy, you can make any time you need an easy dessert. Just be sure to leave enough time to chill in the frig.

DECADENT GARLIC SOUP

DECADENT GARLIC SOUP

Garlic Soup With Garlic Keepers

I tried to come up with an appropriate name for the garlic soup that was served to me last week by a chef friend of mine. Chef Stratton hosts small dinner gatherings about every 2 months in his home for all of us who are fortunate enough to attend. The adjectives I considered were, scrumptious, delectable, luscious, delicious, yummy, pungent, extravagant, luxurious and the list goes on and on. I finally decided that the soup is richly decadent. Perfect name for it; Decadent Garlic Soup. I've printed the recipe below, with permission from Stratton. He says he doesn't remember how he came up with it but if I know him, it was from plenty of experimentation.

I have 2 of my garlic keepers for sale. Number 1 is very ornate. She looks sort of like a mosaic with her green trade beads. I have price her at $28. She is 3”wide by 3” deep by 4 1/2” high and has a green oxide glaze.

Sold. Thank you Mary and Doug

Garlic Keeper number 1

Garlic Keeper number 1

Number 2 is smaller with a dark green glaze with hints of blue and purple. Her beads are a deep purple shade. I have priced her at $22. She is 3” wide by 3” deep by 3” high.

Garlic Keeper number 2

Garlic Keeper number 2

You can e-mail me if you are interested in purchasing either or both of my latest Garlic Keepers. I accept Paypal or personal checks.

Here is the recipe for the soup. Hope you love it as much as I do. You might want to double this recipe because everyone who has a bowl, usually asks for more. It tastes great the first time around and every bit as wonderful the second or third day if left in the fridge.

DECADENT GARLIC SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

4 Whole garlic heads

1 Quart plus 2 cups chicken stock

6 egg yolks

1 Cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 T. Extra virgin olive oil

6 Fresh sage leaves

3 Sprigs of thyme

2 Whole bay leafs

S and P to taste

METHOD:

1. Peel and grate the garlic. I used my food processor.

2. Heat olive oil in large sauce pan. Large enough to hold 3 quarts

3. Add garlic and saute til it becomes golden.

4. Add whole herbs and saute briefly.

5. Add the chicken stock.

6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 30 minutes.

7. Remove whole herbs

8. Whisk together the egg yolks and parmesan cheese until thoroughly mixed.

9. While whisking, slowly drizzle 3 ladles of stock into the egg yolks and cheese.

10. Then, while whisking the stock, slowly stir back in the eggs, cheese and stock. This is called tempering. Must be done slowly so the eggs do not curdle.

11. Continue whisking until it comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and using an emersion blender, puree til smooth.

12. Taste and adjust seasoning with s and p if needed.

13. Garnish with fresh sage leaf in each bowl and a very small drizzle of olive oil. Now..sit back and enjoy the soup and the compliments!

GARLIC CHEESE ROUND AND VIDEO

GARLIC CHEESE ROUND

AND

VIDEO

Garlic Keeper and Scapes

How exciting it was to harvest my first crop of garlic! The yield was not as plentiful as I had hoped for but definitely enough for me and mine to share for several months.

I have available 2 more of my garlic keepers. You can contact me via e-mail if you are interested in purchasing. They are $28. each. I prefer to use Paypal or I take checks. I prepared a little video below of me making the garlic round and sculpting the bas-relief face that adorns the top of each garlic keeper. They are all individually sculpted originals made with stoneware clay and non toxic glazes. Each are 5"high x 3 1/2" wide and deep.

Textured Blue Garlic Keeper

Sold. Thank you Angie!

Another Picture of Blue Garlic Keeper

Purple Garlic Keeper

Another Picture of Purple Garlic Keeper

I made this wonderful Garlic Cheese Round recipe with the scapes and fresh garlic. Hope you like it.

Garlic Cheese Round

2 8-oz. package cream cheese-softened

2 t. dried whole basil

2 t. caraway seeds

2 t. chopped fresh chives

2. t. dillseeds

1 whole garlic bulb, crushed

Sprinkled Lemon Pepper seasoning

A garlic scape if you are lucky enough to have one

Chop garlic in food processor. Add cream cheese and then all the other herbs except the lemon pepper seasoning. Mix till blended. Place in serving bowl and sprinkle with the lemon pepper. Keeps in the refrigerator for many days.

GODDESS TEA VESSEL AND 3-SEED BISCUITS

TEA AND 3-SEED BISCUITS

“She Who Knows Her Own Sacred Sound” Tea Vessel and 3-Seed Biscuit

Sold. Thank you Beth!

While browsing through my recipes, I came across one that I had completely forgotten about. There it sat in an old recipe file that I had relegated to the back of my pantry. Since I'm completely addicted to creating my new tea vessels, I thought it might be a good idea to test the biscuits and then do a posting of them to go along with a luxurious cup of tea.

Close up of Lid. I've been told the lid is an antique spigot for a beer barrel. Perhaps I should have made a beer biscuit.

It's interesting that my father painted the tea pot on the board in background many years ago. I never suspected way back then that I would be making tea vessels similar to the one in painting.

Close-Up of tea biscuit

Here is the recipe:

THREE SEED BISCUITS

3.C. flour

½ C. sugar

1 ½ t. baking powder

¾ t. baking soda

1 ½ C sour cream

1 egg (beaten)

1 t. salt

2 T. poppy seed

1 egg white

2 T. caraway seed

2 t. anise seed

1 egg white

Method: Preheat oven to 450. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Stir in 1 t. each of caraway, poppy, anise seeds. Blend in sour cream and 1 egg. Knead mixture til smooth and elastic. Roll out on floured surface to 1/2” thickness. Cut with a 2 12 “ biscuit cutter. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 450 for 15 minutes. Cool Garnish by brushing top with egg white and a sprinkling of remaining seeds. Dot with confectioners sugar if desired.

What I like about this recipe is that it is unusual in that the 3 different seeds are not ones that you might think work together. The sweetness of the poppy when paired with the caraway are enough to cause your taste buds to go into a dance step. Then add the small amount of anise and you are off to a tango!

Now for the latest vessel. She is x by x and features a I fell in love with the glaze on this one. It's funny, with glazing, you can plan all you want but you never quite know what to expect until you open the kiln. I used a glaze I had many times before but this time, same kiln cone, same firing and it came out a completely different color. It has to do with oxidation. I have learned to live with and love opening the kiln to surprises. Just like opening a birthday gift.

Close-Up of Face

My tea vessels are each an original. I hand sculpt them using stoneware clay. The Goddess faces are sculpted in the bas-relief method. I used a lead free glaze on each vessel. She who knows... is 9” wide x 5” deep x 6” high and also includes a antique lid. Also featured is an old watch part. I used Textured Brown for the glaze.

If you would like to purchase “She Who Knows Her Own Sacred Sound” tea vessel, she is priced at $89. You can e-mail me and we can go from there. I like to use Paypal or a check.

Back of Vessel

ROLO PRETZEL DELIGHTS

ROLO PRETZEL DELIGHTS

EASY, EASY, EASY

Oooey Gooey Caramel Chocolate!

When I saw this recipe in our own Bella Magazine, which is published in Roanoke, Virginia, I knew I had to make them. They take only minutes and taste heavenly. The gooey caramel and chocolate drizzling through the salt covered pretzel and pecan send them over the top. Perfect for Christmas or anytime.

Different Toppings

Recipe:

Small pretzels

Rolo chewy caramels in milk chocolate (I used the mini)

Pecan halves (I used almonds as well)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil. Place one pretzel for each cookie. Top each pretzel with one Rolo. Bake three to five minutes (my oven took 3 minutes) or until caramel piece begins to soften but not melt. Remove from oven; top with pecan halves and let cool completely. Yumm..

Ready for the Oven

APPLE UPSIDE- DOWN CAKE

APPLE UPSIDE- DOWN CAKE

Close-up

About once a week, I try a new recipe. Sometimes I create one of my own by experimentation and other times I try one I find online or in one of my hundreds of cookbooks. My recipes don’t always turn out but every once in awhile I find a “keeper.” Apple Upside-Down Cake is just such a recipe. I found it on the King Arthur Flour website.

Wonder What Happened To The Rest Of The Cake?

A few years back, the King Arthur crew came to Roanoke and taught a bread making session. My daughter Kirsten and I were able to attend. We were quite impressed.

What I like about this cake is that it uses only one cake pan and the finished product looks like you have been slaving in the kitchen for hours. It is very impressive looking. Unfortunately, my friend Leslie and I had already dived into it before I remembered to take a picture, which is the reason you see the half cake. Another good thing about the cake is that the sauce can be heated and served over the cake at any time, making it seem as if it just came out of the oven. Perfect for a Thanksgiving gathering.

King Arthur’s site featuring the cake is : http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/apple-upside-down-cake-recipe

I’ve copied it below as well with a few minor revisions I made.

APPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Topping

2 medium apples

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4 tablespoons butter

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3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

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2 tablespoons boiled cider or thawed apple juice concentrate-I used the apple concentrade.

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1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

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1/2 cup light corn syrup

Cake

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3/4 cup vegetable oil-I didn’t have any so used Olive oil-expecting the worse and got really good results. I’ll try the vegetable oil next time.

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1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

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2 tablespoons boiled cider or thawed apple juice concentrate

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2 large eggs

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1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

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1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

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1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

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1/2 teaspoon salt

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1 teaspoon baking soda

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1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

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1 large apple, peeled and finely chopped

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3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" round cake pan at least 2" deep. Line the bottom with parchment, and grease the parchment.

2) Slice the top, including the stem, off one of the apples and set it aside before peeling and slicing the rest of the apples into 1/4" thick wedges.

3) Place the apple top, stem side down, in the middle of the pan, and overlap the rest of the apple wedges in a ring around it.(Be sure the apple is sliced to lay flat with the top of pan)

4) Prepare the topping by heating the butter, sugar, boiled cider, cinnamon, and corn syrup together over low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

5) Pour 1/2 cup of the syrup mixture into the prepared pan, and set the rest aside.

6) To make the cake: Beat the oil, brown sugar, boiled cider, eggs, spices, and salt together for 2 minutes at medium speed

7) Mix the flour with the baking soda, and stir it into the batter.

8) Add the chopped apple and nuts, and mix until just blended.

9) Drop scoops of the batter atop the apples in the pan, gently spreading to cover.

10) Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean.

11) Remove the cake from the oven, and run a thin spatula around the edge to loosen.

12) Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a serving plate, bottom side up. Scrape out any sauce that remains in the pan, and spread it over the cake.

13) Reheat the reserved topping. If butter starts to separate as you reheat, add water by the teaspoon and stir until the butter rejoins the rest of the sauce.

14) Pour the sauce over the cake. Serve cake warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream if desired. I used ice cream..delicious!

Yield: 8 to 10 servings.