Grasmere Apple Cake

When Grandma was visiting a few weeks ago, she reminded me about her favorite cake recipe. She's been making it as long as I've been around. It originally was published in our home town newsletter and then reprinted as my contribution to Mrs. Ferraro's third grade class' Mother's Day cookbook circa 1979. Oh, the things I have to look forward to when the girls are in school, like receiving my own recipes in a kid-decorated leaflet as a gift.

We had just gone apple picking and had 25-ish pounds of fresh McIntosh, Cortlands, Empires, Galas and Honeycrisps sitting on the kitchen counter. Mom got right to work cutting the apples and removing the cores in preparation for grating them into the cake. We used Empires, McIntosh and Cortland but you can use your favorites. When I made the cake again a few weeks ago, I was lazy and didn't cut and core the apples first. It was actually easier to hang onto them when they are whole and you end up with a tidy little core at the end. Sorry about that, Mom!

I gathered the rest of the ingredients and started putting the dough together. As always, I used the recipe as written but substituted my favorite gluten-free flour.

It is delicious when still warm, and (according to my husband) even better when chilled. I left off the glaze because I didn't have any lemons and didn't miss it, though it is apparently my mother's favorite part. It's a crumb cake and the gluten-free version is excellent even after several days in the refrigerator.

Grasmere Apple Cake

4 c. flour (I substituted the Gluten-Free Pantry All Purpose Flour)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. sugar

3/4 lb. butter

2 eggs, beaten

6-9 apples, washed

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter until mealy texture achieved. Add beaten eggs and blend with your fingertips. Divide dough in half, pat into bottom of a 9x13 inch pan (I lined mine with parchment paper). Grate apples over bottom layer. Spring with the sugar and spice mixture and pat remaining dough on top. Bake 325 degrees Farenheit for ~55 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cool, then glaze if desired with the following:

1 c. icing sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon

Coconut Cupcakes

Yeah, so I actually made this cupcakes back in July. But it snowed last night and when we woke up to a world covered in lovely fluffy white stuff, I remembered that I had promised to send the recipe to a friend many months ago (sorry, Kelly).

I started from this recipe, but made a few modifications that I think are essential to giving these just the right density. I made them gluten-free and they stayed moist and crumble-free for several days.

Cupcakes:

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs + 1 egg white

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

1-1/2 cups gf flour*

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons buttermilk powder

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a standard-size muffin pan with paper liners.

Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand-held mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer running on low, add the eggs and egg white, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the gf flour, buttermilk powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until just incorporated. Stir in the apple sauce.

Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full with the batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a baking rack and cool completely.

*I used the Gluten-Free Pantry French Bread & Pizza Mix, but you could substitute any all-purpose GF flour mix you have on hand, although I would recommend staying away from one based on garbanzo beans as these cupcakes have a rather delicate flavor that would likely get lost. I'm sure you could use regular wheat flour as well if you didn't need them to be gluten-free.

The original frosting recipe called for cream cheese, but my husband considers the addition of cream cheese to any dessert an "abomination" so I decided to try my hand at seven minute frosting instead. It was a snap to make and held up extremely well to the July heat and humidity. I will warn those of you unfamiliar with this stuff that it is very, very sweet (and delicious) but sweet. Ok, enough said.

I covered each cooled cupcake with approximately 2 tablespoons of the frosting which was plenty. The recipe made enough for at least two batches of cupcakes.

I then dipped the frosted cupcake into a bowl of shredded unsweetened coconut and, voila, a pretty and delicious cupcake emerged.

Food for thought

I'm supposed to be studying for my mid-term on Thursday but I had to take a break and share my new recipe for beef stew. It might seem like a lot, but adding the entire can of tomato paste plus lots of minced onion results in a wonderfully rich and flavorful dish. If you are in the part of the country that is being hit with a winter storm today like we are, you might want to fire up your crock pot and give this a try.

Elise's Beef Stew

Marinade:
1 small can tomato paste
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup shallots, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 Tbsp Montreal Grill Seasoning
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp ground black pepper

1 pound flank steak, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
2 cups baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
4 carrots, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
2 parsnips, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
1 cup mushrooms, halved
1/2 cup red wine or beef stock
1 cup hot water

Combine ingredients for marinade in your crock pot and toss with beef until the pieces of meat are evenly coated. Add vegetables and toss briefly, then add liquids. With cover on, cook for 3-4 hours on the highest setting or until vegetables are tender, stirring every hour (I've never done it with this recipe, but I'm sure it would be fine to start it in on high for an hour or so then turn it down to low for 6-7 hours). Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Enjoy, and stay warm today.

Christmas 2008 recap

I woke my house full of sleepy heads with the scent of baking waffles, and then we ate them with creme fraiche and cherry butter. For this batch I used the Really Great Food Company gluten-free pancake mix with an extra splash of vanilla. The cherry butter was a new find, I also mixed it with a little chocolate ganache and used it as the filling for a chocolate cake and it was spectacular.

Of course, there were presents. They were all opened for us by my mother-in-law who took child-like delight in ripping into the packaging. Ahem. She did hand over the gifts to the intended recipients and none of the rest of us had to risk a paper cut or broken nail.

I received this fabulous handbag from my loving husband who even let me go to the store with him to pick it out.

Also for me, a long-coveted cake stand which was put to use immediately for the birthday cake for my husband that is part of our Christmas tradition. You'd think that having a Christmas birthday would have been a burden on him as a child, but to the contrary, he grew up thinking that Christmas was all about him, tree, presents and all. Typical only-child syndrome, I suspect.

Then we all put on our assorted new finery and went out. First to feed a friend's chinchillas and then on to Coolidge Corner hoping to find somewhere to have coffee. I was surprised that the only businesses open seemed to be the Starbucks, JP Licks, a couple of falafel places and, of course, the theatre. Maybe everyone was in Florida? We did find our coffee and a warm place to sit so it all worked out.

After we got home I baked Apricot Dream Bars to fulfill my husband's annual birthday wish to have the house smell like cookies all day long.

Once they were out of the oven I put Baka to work stirring the wild mushroom risotto and sent the birthday boy outside to grill filet mignon for our Christmas/birthday lunch. We ate a lot, rested, and then had cake. It was a very good day. 

Good company

This year, actually for the first time ever, we have company for the holidays. My husband's mother & grandmother arrived ten days ago and are staying until the middle of January. I will admit that I was a little apprehensive before their arrival, wondering how we would all amuse each other while cooped up inside our tiny house for so long.

It turns out there was no need to worry. I arrived home from work on Friday in advance of the massive blizzard to find that they had already cleaned the house from top to bottom and done laundry so that we would have a weekend free from household chores. And the two feet of snow that has steadily accumulated was no match for my shovel-wielding mother-in-law who "needed some exercise". Grandma does get a little restless in the afternoons, but it just so happens that she loves to iron and since we do not, our ironing basket did runneth over. Not anymore; even the linens are now neatly pressed and folded.

We have fully converted to the Balkan custom of eating our main meal at midday and then having something light in the evenings. And the food, the food has been amazing. So far my mother-in-law has made sarma, dolma (using collard greens), my favorite eggplant and roasted pepper salad, spinach and eggs, bean soup with smoked pork ribs and fresh mushroom soup. So very, very good. Today was my turn to cook and I prepared mussels steamed with garlic, shallots, white wine and tarragon, a salad of mesclun greens, red onion, Granny Smith apples, blue cheese and fresh garlic bread. Because I mentioned last night that I had a craving for them, Grandma also made pommes frites, which we so didn't need but were all gone in the blink of an eye. The best part is that as soon as the dishes are done from the last meal, we start planning the next one.

So far, best Christmas ever.

Soup season

This is by far my favorite time of the year, especially here in New England. I love how the intensity and heat of summer gradually morph into the intense colors and crisp air of autumn which then slowly fades into winter. And there is that day every year, usually in late September, when I realize with great joy that soup season is upon us once again. Along with soup season comes the cozy goodness of sweaters, long pants, wearing shoes with socks and putting the flannel sheets and feather duvet back on the bed.

Since opening day this year I've managed to produce the following soups: two varieties featuring beans (one with salt pork and one with dried beef), curried split pea, turkey curry meatball, a hearty beef stew and several batches of my standby favorite, chicken vegetable. I'm convinced that what makes this vegetable soup special is that it stars crunchy celery. For most of my life I refused to eat celery; I didn't like the strong taste and stringiness of it raw or the limp flavor and sogginess of it cooked. One day I was reading a recipe and realized that I could put chopped celery directly into the soup stock (as opposed to sauteing them first) and they would stay crisp but mellow in flavor. I'm sure everyone in the world knew this fact except me, but trust me that it rocked my world in a very good way.

Easy Vegetable Soup

3 carrots, peeled & diced
2 large potatoes, peeled & diced
3-4 stalks celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled & bruised (smack them with the side of a knife)
1/4 cup powdered chicken broth (I use Vegeta)
1 chicken breast

In a large stock pot, add the vegetables and fill with water until they are submerged ~2 inches. Bring to a boil on high heat, add the chicken breast, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Once chicken breast is cooked through, remove and cut into bite-size cubes and return to pot. Continue to simmer with the cover on until vegetables are tender. Season with salt & pepper to taste and enjoy with some fresh corn bread.

I hope you like it.

Birthday Bugs

We celebrated birthdays for my nephew (4) and my niece (2) while we were on vacation. My sister-in-law had planned a bug themed event (she teaches elementary school and has the best ideas) and she let me make the cake. I used a butterfly cake mold and my favorite chocolate cake mix. It was a hot day so I added vegetable shortening to frosting so that it wouldn't melt. The frosted cake held up perfectly and was delicious (I managed to eat two pieces).
There were make-your-own-ladybug-cupcakes for the kids. We iced the cupcakes with red frosting and provided bowls of licorice sticks and M&M's so they could add antennae and spots at will.

Those under 4 feet tall also got to make bookmarks using bug-shaped foam stickers. It was amazing to me that even the 1 year-old knew how to peel the backing off a sticker. Seriously, kids these days are so advanced. It was especially fun to see them working on a table that was made for me by my dad.
A rousing game of "Pin the Spider on the Web" kept everyone captivated for at least 15 minutes. The door to the patio is metal, so my sister-in-law stuck magnets to the backs of homemade paper spiders.

Of course, there were presents: lots of Hot Wheels, art supplies, dolls and books. My brother enjoyed playing with them as much as the little ones under the guise of "showing them how." Some things never change, thank goodness.

Saturday

Summer cherries, consumed with much lip-smacking and head nodding by our youngest guest.

My favorite thrifted table cloth.

Apricot Dream Bars (gluten-free, of course) on my favorite vintage cake stand.

Homemade lemonade, sweetened just enough.

Add friends you haven't seen in a while, charming antics of a one year-old, some homemade ice cream and plenty of conversation and you have the recipe for a perfect summer afternoon.

How did you spend your Saturday?

Women who aren't Mothers Day

On this day before Mother's Day I invite you to celebrate those wonderful women in your life who weren't mothers. Women like my great great grand aunts Jenny & Mabel, affectionately known as "the aunts" by my mom's generation. Jenny was widowed fairly young and Mabel never married; neither of them had children. But they were still important family members who provided much nurturing and care to their nieces and nephews. They certainly took good care of my mom in her university days, providing her with healthy meals and a sense of home-away-from-home.
Aunt Mabel made the lightest, crispest chocolate chip cookies I've ever tasted. I asked her for the recipe when I was about 13 and she sent me a little bundle of index cards with several handwritten recipes and a note.
I debated whether or not to share the recipe (they are that good), but ultimately decided that since it originally came from the back of the Chipits package it wasn't really a family secret.
The key ingredients that make these cookies different from the multitude of other chocolate chip cookies are shredded coconut, dried sour cherries and almond extract. I buy coconut from the local Indian grocer because it's very fresh and inexpensive and dried cherries from Trader Joe's. To make gluten-free cookies I simply substituted the Gluten-Free Pantry french bread and pizza mix for the flour called for in the recipe. Easy-peasy.
My recipe made 45 cookies.
I use a mini ice-cream scoop to make drop cookies. It's much faster and a lot less messy than using a teaspoon.
I've started using parchment paper when I bake cookies, mainly so I don't have to wash the baking sheet afterwards.
It's important to let the cookies sit for a few minutes after they come out of the oven or they will disintegrate when you move them to the cooling rack.
When I went to visit, Aunt Mabel always served me tea in a fancy tea cup that I was allowed to choose from her china cabinet. It always made me feel very important and special. I have some of her tea cups packed away somewhere, I should really get them out.

Seriously, this is a good recipe. Don't lose it.

A girl has to eat

Is it just me, or is time moving at warp speed these days? I was in Chicago for work earlier this month and actually managed to take my embroidery with me, work on it and take a photo for a blog post and then never managed to post it. I even had a great anecdote about how my scissors were nearly confiscated during the security check, but now that it's two weeks later it's not as interesting. It was pretty exciting there for a few minutes when I had to go into the little cubicle to have my bag searched, trust me.

The Stitchettes continue to keep me busy and I might even end up with enough to make a quilt. Have you seen the tulip fairy? Love her. I have a couple of sewing projects in the works but I've got a final exam in three weeks so I've had to push things to the back burner. Except for the gift I have planned for a baby shower that I'm attending in two weeks, I have to get that done in time. Actually, I have to start it and then get it done. Yeah, I shouldn't really be blogging right now.

As usual, having too much on my plate makes me think about what should be on my plate. Food, that is. I recently bought Bill's Open Kitchen and am finding it very inspiring. Everything is so fresh and simple. Tonight I made the chickpea stew and it is now my new favorite. So, so good and it only took 30 minutes from start to finish, including putting some rice in the rice cooker and a piece of salmon in the oven. I also made a quick marinade using parsley, garlic, olive oil, salt and black pepper in my mini food processor. I slathered some on the fish before cooking and used the rest as a sauce. Yum!

February blues

Only five more days until we start marching our way towards spring. I'm a little sick of winter at the moment (well, at least of dealing with the winter) but have decided to make the best of it. Here's my recipe for beating the mid-winter blues:


A delicious chocolate cupcake or two with almond-peppermint frosting. I prescribe one for breakfast and one before bed plus as many in between as necessary. Accompany with plenty of hot tea (try the Blue Flower Earl Grey).


There's nothing like working towards a nice achievable goal to lift the spirits. How about an easy lap quilt from my favorite sewing book. I have to use up all that fabric before Joel's new line is released.


And plenty of cozy time on the sofa with a quiet project and some more tea. I'd skip the cupcake though, the crumbs get everywhere.

chocolate & pink

Birthdays: a great excuse for eating cupcakes for breakfast. These were made from my favorite Dowd & Rogers gluten-free cake mix and liberally iced with peppermint buttercream frosting. Delicious. There was a minor incident during their preparation. I put them in the oven Wednesday night and then left them on the counter to cool while I headed to the basement to start my Project Runway sew-along project. Apparently the cats like them as much as I do because there were only eleven left when I returned. Little rats.

After last week's outcome I thought some redemption sewing was in order. In spite of my un-hip fabric choice, the wide leg lounge pants were actually quite flattering and incredibly comfortable, so I tackled the pattern again. This time I paired one of my favorite Heather Ross prints with yummy Denyse Schmidt chocolate dots. I didn't have quite enough yardage so I pieced together the two fabrics, using the chocolate dots for a wide cuff and waist band.

All that pink and brown is making my mouth water. I think it's time for another cupcake.

Change of pace

No sewing for me this weekend - I have an assignment due tomorrow for one of my classes so I've been click-clacking away. Thank heavens for my laptop which allowed me to work outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. My skin even has that tight "you got too much sun" feeling. Since when do we need sunblock in New England in October? One plus about spending so much quality time with the computer was that it reminded me of an easy project I whipped up a few weeks ago. I needed a wrist rest but I couldn't bear the thought of bringing one of those gel-filled plastic ones into my house. Too new plastic smelling, not eco-friendly and, frankly, not pretty enough. So I made one. I used one of my favorite Heather Bailey fabrics paired with a cream colored ultra suede for the bottom (the ultra suede provides a little more friction than cotton and prevents it from sliding around). Three seams on the sewing machine, about a pound of flax seeds mixed with a little dried lavender, slip-stitched the open end closed, and voila, a lovely and functional way to ward off carpal tunnel syndrome. My favorite thing about it? The occasional soothing whiff of lavender that accompanies particularly vigorous typing.



I did take a break long enough to make a pot of soup so that we won't starve for the next few days. It's one of my favorite recipes and one that I made up myself. So simple and so satisfying, we eat this at least twice a month through the fall and winter.

Turkey Curry Meatball Soup

In a large stock pot, add the following:

3-4 carrots, peeled & diced
2 large potatoes, peeled & diced
3-4 stalks celery, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled & bruised (smack them with the side of a knife)
1/4 cup powdered chicken broth (I use Vegeta)
1 tablespoon curry powder

Fill pot with water until vegetables are submerged ~2 inches. Bring to a boil on high heat. While soup is heating, prepare meatballs:

1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 small onion, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 egg
1 handful dry bread crumbs (I use gluten-free)

Work ingredients together with your hands until you have a homogeneous mixture. Form into ~24 meatballs. When soup has come to a boil, drop meatballs in one by one to prevent them from sticking together. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender and meatballs rise to the surface (indicating they are cooked through). Add a generous grinding of fresh black pepper and serve. It keeps in the fridge for about a week, but it will be long gone before then.

Enjoy!