Cookbook Sundays--Chocolate Drop Cookies

I think everyone has probably made, or tasted a version of Chocolate Drop Cookies in their life.  My Grandmother used to make them at Christmas time, but I had forgotten about them until this past holiday season when I tasted some at my daughter-in-law's aunt's house.
That was a mouthful to say...I should just say 'my friend's house'.
Any way you put it tho--I was reminded how good they are and decided to make some for Valentines Day.

My grandmother always put chocolate frosting on her's, but  my daughter-in-law's family frosts with a white frosting  (and their cookie was a bit more flat than mine. They were good.  I loved them.)
They're just a simple chocolate cake cookie with a frosting.  The Handyman LOVES them--I am trying to stay away from them.

I do not have my grandmother's original recipe, but I called my mom and got the facts.   YES my grandmother did make them. YES it was around the holiday time. NO my mom didn't have the recipe she used either.  But she did remind me of a  notebook that my aunt had given me for a  wedding shower gift 34 years ago..and in that notebook was the exact recipe for my grandmother's chocolate drop cookies.

The notebook was a collection of recipes from the Dorothy Dean Homemaker's Service, sponsored by the Spokesman Review Newspaper of Spokane, WA.
The newspaper launched its home economics department in 1935 with a test kitchen and cooking school for homemakers. Home economists also sent out recipe leaflets and hosted a phone line to answer questions before closing in 1983.


The Dorothy Dean Homemakers service distributed leaflets (three each month for 11 months, with an index to the recipes on the 12th month) which subscribers collected in a green binder.

As you can see, I have my green binder.
My aunt had given me a very small collection (considering.... that they began in 1935) of the leaflets, from the early 1970's.


Here is what  the pages look like (there were about 5 or 6 recipes on each page, front and back):

 I used this recipe as my very first potato salad recipe.  I've switched things up since then, but this really was  a "Patio Pleaser"

 The leaflets would be different colors sometimes--close to holidays.

I used to go thru the notebook and make notes to myself:  "good"  or "try this".
I think 34 years later, I still do that in cookbooks sometimes.
Icky splatters on an old recipe mean it's good, right?

I am really not sure how my aunt chose to give me what she did. Maybe it was her collection that she had been subscribing to.    I treasure it, because she is no longer with us, and I'm also interested in checking out  eBay to see if I can find any others from the series.
I have  all the leaflets from 1973, 74, 75, 76 and 77.

I found this article which says:

Born in the mid-1930s when housewifery was serious business for brides, the newspaper promised in a front page story that Miss Estelle Calkins, the first head of the Dorothy Dean service would, “teach Spokane housewives how to ‘housewife’ in the latest scientific manner.”


“Husbands should smile. Life should be pleasanter because of Miss Calkins – if wives will listen to Miss Calkins and do all the things she tells them to do.”


The recipes produced by the department span 45 years and were tested in the Dorothy Dean test kitchen. The recipes were updated year after year and new recipes added. The leaflets were always reflective of the popular dishes and trends of the day and the current science on food safety was always included.

But it's really difficult to find out  a whole lot of information about the Dorothy Dean Homemaker's service online. There are a couple of blogs out there that popped up, when I Googled, but they say the same thing.  I find it amusing....it's a mystery to most of us.  The biggest mystery of all is:  Was Dorothy Dean a real person?   Or was she just a  logo?  A Brand?  Who thought of using that name?
Her name is copyrighted, but it says that the Homemakers service was started by the Spokesman Review in 1935.   Hmmmm....???
These are the things I cannot find out.  Of course I could call the Spokesman Review, but I probably won't. 
Baking and Boys says:
I have a two sided sheet of paper with a bunch of no-bake cookie recipes on it, it looks older, like it was from years ago (70’s/80’s?) and says “Dorothy Dean’s No-Bake Cookies”, recipes from Dorothy Dean’s Taste Testing Kitchen, from The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington). I have no idea where I got this sheet of paper. I looked online for information about Dorothy Dean and found an obituary (just from this past April) for someone who was dubbed “Dorothy Dean” as she was the head of the Homemaker’s Services for the Spokesman-Review. The thing that sort of baffles me about this paper full of recipes is that I really have no idea where it came from and even why it just showed up here. Did my mother give it to me years ago? Hmmm. Whatever the case, it’s got a number of fun recipes on it and I do like that it is a good no-bake go-to page. Some of the recipes are Chinese Ting-a-lings, Skillet Date Cookies, No-bake Brownies, Porcupine Cookies and the Caramel Chews were among them and some others as well.

One day that could be the exact words of my daughter-in-laws or my granddaughters!   (that's kind of the reason I started researching today)
I will link this to Cookbook Sundays and also count it as Cookbook #51 in my own cookbook countdown.

Oh...and don't forget the whole point of this post--Chocolate Drop Cookies. 

Chocolate Drop Cookies
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine softened  (or shortening)
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1.  Heat oven to 400f.  Grease cookie sheet with butter.

2.  In large bowl, beat sugar, butter, buttermilk, vanilla, egg and melted chocolate with an electric mixer on medium speed. Stir in flour, soda and salt.

3.  On cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about  2 inches apart.

4.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched.  Immediately remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.  Cool completely-about 30 minutes.

 Chocolate Frosting
2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups powdered sugar
3+ tablespoons of hot water

In a 2-quart saucepan, melt chocolate with butter over low heat. Remove.  Stir in powdered sugar and hot water until smooth.
Spread over cookies.

Enjoy!

Beer Steamed Mussels with Chorizo (and my first attempt at French Bread)

I hope by the end of the semester, I can take better pictures than this:

I almost thought of not posting this recipe because of the photos, but this was so, SO good,  I just had to.    The broth is--and may I us a cliche`--to die for!!

To be honest I was apprehensive, I'm not a huge beer lover (I like it under the right circumstances tho)  and I didn't want the mussels to just have a beer taste (if you know what I mean), there is no stock other than the beer.  Given the fact that this recipe called for a 'dark' beer made me extra apprehensive, as dark beer is so strong!    But I followed the recipe to a tea  (except for making my own chorizo--I purchased it--as it is readily available here) and I would suggest you do the same.   It's so good, as I said--TO DIE FOR.  I can't wait to make it again.

I found the recipe in the Homesick Texan Cookbook by Lisa Fain.  There has been some buzz about it going around the blogging world over the past 6 months or so.  I think there was even a cook-along, which is what made my interest peak about this cookbook and I thought I'd check it out.  I'm so glad I did---as of right now it's my favorite cookbook.  That's saying a lot when it joins over  200 other cookbooks in my house.


I am a seafood lover as well as a Mexican food lover, so this recipe jumped right out at me when I was going thru the book.  I don't live anywhere near the sea, and fresh seafood is--questionable when you are land-locked, so I used frozen mussels.  A plus is that they had already been cleaned.
This recipe had a little bit of spice to it.  It's funny because the Handyman, is not a 'foodie'.  He loved the dish, but go a little tired of me saying "man, can you taste the chili?  Wow, this is SO GOOD.  The chorizo adds so much flavor, doesn't it?"   Anyway, I liked the spice that the chilies and the chorizo gave.  It
calls for  2 serrano chilies, but I used jalapenos instead. The heat factor scared me a little bit to tell you the truth. We like hot, but not so hot you can't eat it.  I already knew we loved the jalapeno flavor, so I went with that.  You can do want works for you of course.

If you like shellfish at all--you MUST try this!  I can't say enough about it--and--you must make your own bread to sop up the broth.  

I made French Bread from my friend Karen @ Karen Cooks.  Her bread is beautiful!  Mine is not.  BUT, it smelled heavenly while baking and it tasted great.   And it was my first attempt,so you have to forgive me it it doesn't look pretty.  I will be making it again with more finesse...after all, practice makes perfect, right?  (it was really, really good tho)  
 *bread recipe after the mussels*

Beer Steamed Mussels with Mexican Chorizo
from the Homesick Texan

2 lbs mussels
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound plum tomatoes, diced or 1 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained (I used the canned tomatoes)
2 serrano chilies, stems and seeds removed, diced  (I used jalapenos)
1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 pound Mexican Red Chorizo  (I used more), drained and crumbled
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon lime zest
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 12oz bottle of dark Mexican beer, such and Negro Modelo (which I used)
Bread for serving 

1. Clean mussels in cold water, removing the beard (the hairy patch that will be poking thru the shell's opening) by pulling on it if it hasn't already been removed.

2. In a large pot or Dutch oven heated on medium-low melt the butter and add the onions. Cooke while stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.  Add to the pot the tomatoes, serrano chilies, cilantro, cooked chorizo, lime juice, lime zest, salt, mussels and beer.

3.  Cover the pot and turn the heat up to high and cook until the shells open, about 10 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer steamed mussels into either a large bowl or individual bowls (discard any mussels that did not open)  Pour some of the broth over the mussels and serve with bread for sopping up the liquid and and extra bowl to collect the shells.

and now...

...the bread

Crusty French Bread -
from Karen Cooks (original recipe here)


2 ¼ tsp dry yeast
2 cups warm water
6 cups flour
2 T sugar
2 tsp salt
2 T olive oil
Cornmeal for dusting the pans
1 egg white
1 T cold water


Fit stand mixer with paddle attachment. Pour water into mixer bowl and add yeast. Stir to dissolve. Add sugar, oil and salt. Mix on low for 30 seconds.




Mix in 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix on medium until all flour has been incorporated. Add an additional 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix until all flour has been incorporated. Change to dough hook and knead on medium until dough is smooth and elastic, or about 8 minutes. Dough will be sticky.


Place dough in a large greased bowl and turn to coat. Cover and place in a warm place to rise until doubled, about an hour.


When dough has doubled, punch it down, cover and let rise again for 30 minutes.


Punch dough down again and knead for 1 minute on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 12x9 rectangle. Roll up jelly roll fashion and pinch the seam together. Tuck ends underneath.


Line baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle with cornmeal. Place bread on parchment, cover and rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.


Make evenly spaced diagonal cuts on top of each loaf. Beat egg white and water together and brush over each loaf of bread with a pastry brush.


Place a pan of hot water on bottom shelf of the oven. Place baking sheet with loaves on shelf above water.


Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from baking pans and cool on wire racks.


I am linking this to  Cookbook Sundays, My own Cookbook Countdown,  (where it just so happens to be cookbook  #50!!)  Weekend Cooking and  See You in the Gumbo.

Sunday Soup --Chicken Chipolte Chili

You all know that I love soup,  and a couple of weeks ago, I pulled out this cookbook of mine to glance thru and found some great soups that I want to try this winter.

(sigh) This post would be so much better if I could say that soup warms the soul or some such other winter reference, but.....its sunshiny and 60 degrees outside right now.  I'm not sure what happened to winter.

Nevertheless, this chili, found in Sunday Soup by  Betty Rosbottom, tasted great!  We loved it.

It was  spicy, but not too spicy, and full of flavor.  It is one I will definitely be making again.  And again.

I did write in the column of my cookbook  --- this was good! spicy tho.

so, perhaps it was spicier than I recall.  But it was that great smoky spice of the chipolte chili.  The sweetness of the corn cut the spice a bit, and the chicken was so tender, it almost melted in my mouth.  Mmmmm.... good.

Since Christmas, I've been happy to put a pot of soup on the stove on Sunday afternoons, and then we can eat whenever we want....early, later, whenever.

I've enjoyed the low-keyness of these Sundays, the laziness of winter days, the early afternoons of discarded coffee cups, scattered newspapers, the sound of football in the background, breakfast dishes found still in the kitchen sink.  I like the idleness of winter---gives me more time to read and cook.

It's been fun to look thru all my soup cookbooks too! 

Try this one--I bet you love it.

Chicken Chipolte Chili (with corn)

5 1/2 tablespoons of canola or, divided

1 1/2 pounds, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but into 1/2 inch cubes

2 cups chopped onions

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt, or more if you need it

4 cups chicken stock

1 280z can Italian style tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped

3 canned chipolte peppers in adobo sauce, coarsely chopped

3-4 cups fresh corn kernels or frozen corn kernels

2 190z cans dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Garnish:

sour cream

cilantro

lime

Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a large soup pot, set over medium high heat.  When hot add the chicken and saute until light golden-4 to 5 minutes.   Remove the chicken from the pan and drain on paper towels. Add remaining oil to the pan.  When oil is very hot, add onions and cook, stirring until limp, about 3-4 minutes.  Return sauteed chicken to the pot.

Stir together flour, chili  powder, cumin and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl.  Sprinkle the mixture over the onions and chicken, and cook, stirring, 1 minute more.  Add stock, tomatoes and chipoltes; bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover and cook until chicken is fork tender and mixture has thickened slightly, for 25 to 30 minutes.

Add corn and beans, and cook for  10 minutes more. Taste chili and season with salt, if needed.

Chile can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cool, cover and refrigerate.  Reheat, uncovered, over medium heat.

To serve, ladle chili into bowls.  Garnish each serving with a generous dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro, if desired.

Serve each bowl of chili with a lime wedge to squeeze over the chili before eating.

 

I am going to link this to  Cookbook Sundays as well as my own little Cookbook countdown.  I'm on cookbook #49!

I bought 1 new cookbook this past week, so I am way up over 225. 

I'll just keep plugging along.

Cookbook Sundays--Toppers Greek Salad

Continuing on with my cookbook countdown.... among other things.  (this could be one of those random posts, where I talk about everything under the sun)

Let me begin tho, with Cookbook Sundays.  Hosted by Sue at Couscous & Consciousness.
It's a blog hop, where you use a cookbook you own, either old or new and you post the name of the cookbook and the author.  You can use an old tried or true recipe, that you love, or like me, make one you've never made before.  I do that to force myself to use every single cookbook I own.  I used to own  219, but now...it's closer to 230.  I can't help it!  It's a glorious sickness.  

This is the cookbook I used for this week's hop:

Still Gold'n
Celebrating Spokane One Meal at a Time
by the Junior League of Spokane.

It was sent to my by my good friend Ruth, who is now living in Spokane.  (I grew up just 2 hours southwest of Spokane  (Washington), so it was fun to browse thru and see all the recipes with  "Washington" in the title or that had to do with apples or huckleberries, but the recipe I made didn't have anything to do with Washington State....  I made a Greek Salad.
I was having friends for dinner, and I had made lamb, so, it seemed to fit.  It was really good too.  
It's company worthy. 

It's called Toppers Greek Salad.  I have no idea who Topper is or was, but that's what it's called.

Toppers Greek Salad
by the Junior League of Spokane

Dill Chive Dressing
1 tablespoon chives
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh dill
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Salad
8 oz zucchini
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 small tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
Kalamata olives
green olives
2 hard cooked eggs, sliced
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled

For the dressing, combine the chives, olive oil, dill weed, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl or jar with a tight fitting lid. Whisk or shake to blend.

For the salad, slice the zucchini into rounds. Combine the zucchini, onion, tomatoes and bell pepper in a bowl or on a salad platter.  Drain the olives and arrange over the vegetables.  Top with the eggs.  Pour the dressing over the salad and crumble the cheese over the top.

****************************************************************************

Late yesterday afternoon, we got a call from the police dispatch informing us that someone ran into the front of our business.  Ran their car into it.   We were not open at the time, and no one was hurt.   (we own a dry-cleaners)
In the scheme of things,  it's big hassle.  It took time that the Handyman had to hang around on a Saturday afternoon, evening and night, until it was all boarded up, etc.  And it will take some time and money to fix it, till it's right,  BUT no one was hurt.    All it was was a hassle....and we'll take that.  It could have  been much worse.

I don't know how this segues, but you know how all the bloggers have posted their  "10 best recipes" or "10 most loved books" of 2011?
I didn't.
I was going to say how I look forward and not back  ( laughing here, because truly my blog is such a mix  of things, my most popular posts were a hodgepodge of books, my yard and cooking, so I couldn't find a title.  Maybe the   BEST junk  posts?)

Anyway, in light of really looking forward to 2012 and my blog....  let me just say, that I am excited about finding the perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie  (and anyone who makes a suggestion,  that recipe is bookmarked for me to try),  making more soups, reading more books,  gardening,  having more dinner parties, walking,  and---(believe me, I WILL   blog about this)  Cousin Camp!!  All my grandkids are coming for a week this summer WITHOUT their parents.  I'm so excited!  (something  only a Gramma could understand)

Here's to blogging!  (I am raising my wine glass)

Crackeroon Pie and Amaretto Cream Puffs

Conversation with the Handyman yesterday:

HM:  what are you making?
ME:  Crackeroon Pie.
HM:  What?
ME:  (laughing) Crackeroon Pie.
HM:  You always make the weirdest sh--.  (stuff, he said stuff)  (in the interest of full disclosure, he does like my cooking, but yep, sometimes I do make different stuff)
ME:  Well,  I had to make something for Cookbook Sundays and I picked this cookbook and I had all the stuff at home!  That's one more down....over 40 down in my 250 cookbooks!  (I was very excited)

The Handyman began to walk away.... I yelled after him,  "but I'm making Amaretto Cream Puffs for you!"   He walked back into the room with a calculator and said to me,  "that's only 16% of your cookbooks."
(he has no idea I just bought a new pizza cookbook yesterday)
"oh" I said. "Well."  "Hmmm."

At this rate....one cookbook a month...I'll never make it  to the cookbook finish line, so I am doing TWO cookbooks today. 

This one:

and This one:

I tired to do this one:

but I had a really bad frosting experience.    I wanted to make Boiled Frosting for some homemade chocolate cupcakes I had just made (bad experience there too...I filled them to full and they overflowed).  I've never made it and it sounded very tasty.  
I think it's similar to 7-minute frosting or Sea-Foam frosting, which is a frosting I love, more so than a butter cream frosting. 
I boiled what I needed to boil, whipped what I needed to whip and then it said to "cool" it, so I cooled it. 
I cooled it too long and it was hard.  Then I tried to soften it up in the on top of the stove over a double boiler....no go. I tried to spread it anyway.  I thought I could get one good picture of a cupcake with this frosting (it's not pipe-able, because it is too sticky, like a glossy marshmallow cream), but still a no go.  I probably should have frozen the cupcakes.  Maybe it would have worked better.

So, anyway..... the Handyman and I just had one for our lunch.  (we had a sandwich too)   They taste GREAT,  but look horrible.
I will try again later this week.

But for now...... 
Crackeroon Pie.  It's not like I'm  sharing  a much beloved recipe here.  Like I told the Handyman--I had the stuff, I needed to use a cookbook, so   WAH-LA!!  Crackeroon pie.  
(I just love saying it.  Crackeroon Pie.  Crackeroon Pie)
Making it? Yeah, I'd make it again.  I like everything in it.  It had the best texture.....chewy and sweet.  It kind of made it's own meringue crust which was crispy, and then the inside was soft and chewy at the same time.
It was like this big soft cookie, with a burst full of flavors inside.    Flavors that the Handyman doesn't care for, but I took the Crackeroon pie to our friends house for dessert last night and they liked it.  They liked it a lot.
While I wouldn't make it for my family, I would make it for a potluck.  It's kind of like that old funky dessert your grandma or great aunt used to make.  I'm sure some people are thinking  "oh Crackeroon Pie... I remember that".
It was good.

Crackeroon Pie
for Cookbook Sunday  from the Great American Bake Sale Cookbook.

3 egg whites room temperature
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cream of tarter
1 cup sugar
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup shredded or flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates

Preheat oven to 350 degrees ( 175 c)

Beat egg whites with baking powder and cream of tarter until stiff peaks form.  Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff and glossy. Gently fold in graham cracker  crumbs, pecans, coconut and dates.

Grease a 9-inch pie pan and dust with a spoon full of graham cracker crumbs.  Spread pie mixture in pan.
Bake for 35 minutes.
Let cook at least 2 hours before cutting.

And then.....  (segue into cookbook #2)
I knew the Handyman and his friend John would love these Amaretto Cream Puffs.   We have Friday night dinners with our friends the Miltons, every Friday Night  (that's why I call them Friday night dinners.)  (  Sorry--I couldn't help myself).
Unless one of us is busy, we will get together and have dinner.  It's extremely casual, but lots of fun.   The Handyman and John play cribbage every Friday night too.  It's either 2 out of 3 games or 3 out of 5 games, depending on how long we are making dinner.  They always play the winning hand/game with dessert and they always drink Amaretto with dessert.  (Beer before, wine with dinner and Amaretto afterwards).   I saw these cream puffs and thought of them.

Cream Puffs are the easiest thing in the world to make.  Apparently they must be since I can make them, and do make them all the time, but I can't make a decent cupcake!

Cream Puffs

this is my basic cream puff recipe.

1 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter  (but sometimes, I use salted and it's fine)
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs

Combine water and butter in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Turn off stove.  Combine flour, sugar and salt; stir well.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture all at once and stir vigorously until mixture leaves the side of the pan and forms a ball.  Remove from heat and let set for 2 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly  with a wooden spoon after each egg, until it is incorporated into the dough and is smooth.  (you think this won't happen, but it will)
Spoon cream puff mixture by 1/4 cup measures  (I use an ice-cream scoop) onto buttered baking sheets  (I use a silpat sheet)
Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40  minutes or until puffed and golden.
Let cool on a wire rack.
Cut off tops of cream puffs and fill with cream, pudding, or whatever your desire.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and a chocolate drizzle.
Yield:  10 cream puffs.

The Filling:
You could do anything for the filling. Even savory fillings.
Sometimes I use vanilla pudding if I am too lazy to make the filling from scratch.
But this day I went to the market and bought everything I needed.

Here is a recipe for the chocolate Amaretto filling:

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 T cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup Amaretto
2 T. butter
2 tsp vanilla

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan. Gradually add milk;  cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly.  Add chocolate chips; cook until melted.  Remove from  heat; add amaretto, butter and vanilla, stirring  until butter melts. Cover with plastic wrap, gently pressing wrap directly onto the surface of the cream filling.
Chill at least 8 hours.
Yield: 5 cups.

Yep, I went to the market and got all the ingredients to make the filling from scratch, but I didn't notice that I had to let it chill for  8 hours.....  so I resorted to vanilla pudding which I had in my cupboard.  It said to use 3 cups of cold milk.  I substituted 1/2 cup milk for 1/2 cup Amaretto.
It was good.  VERY GOOD.  

I am linking this up to Cookbook Sundays  hosted by Melynda at Mom's Sunday Cafe   as well as  Weekend Cooking at Beth Fish Reads.  And  Potluck Sundays at Mommy's Kitchen.

This is also cookbook #43 and #44 in my own cookbook countdown.

Cookbook Sundays and....a whole bunch of other stuff

I have not been posting any food posts lately, because we are in the process of  'fixing' up our kitchen.  I'm not sure what to call it exactly.  It's not a remodel, but it is a complete up do!  Renovation?  Oh yes!!  This must be what we are doing, because  the dictionary says this about renovating:

1. to restore to good condition; make new or as if new again; repair.

2. to reinvigorate; refresh; revive.



Yep.  That's what we are doing alright.
Here sits the Handyman  in his lonely job of taking up the old floor.

Old Floor: 

I will keep you updated on the progress, as it  'slowly' goes.  We are doing the work ourselves.  And we own our own business and we only get 1 1/5 days off a week.   So, last week, tear up the floor and put down plywood to make the dining room and kitchen level.  This weekend,  put down backer-board and go order our new appliances and buy paint.
Anyway---it could be a while before I do much food blogging.

BUT....a few weeks ago, I happened to make (and take some pictures of)  a coffee cake from one of my cookbooks, which I will post for Cookbook Sundays, which is now being hosted by Melynda at  Mom's Sunday Cafe. This is the 1st time I've been able to participate since Melynda began hosting, but I am excited about getting back into the swing of things!  (hello Melynda!)

About a year ago,  the bloggers that are following "Tuesdays with Dorie"  all made  "Swedish Visiting Cake."  I used to follow along and try to bake from Dori Greenspan's   Baking: From My Home to Yours, but I had to drop out. I followed for a about 5 months and I just couldn't keep up with baking and posting every Tuesday. It was becoming not fun for me, so kudos to those of you who have kept up!
As I was saying tho, about a month ago, I was looking thru Baking and came across this great coffee cake and decided to make it...it was everything it promised to be. 

You've seen it around the food blogging world many times,  (even my friend Brenda made it a few months ago, and she's never been a part of Tuesdays with Dorie ) but it is so good, and so easy, and it deserves it's place on a brunch table, believe me.  (and also....I made it and it counts towards my own personal cookbook countdown)

At the same time, I also made Baked Eggs, which I had never made before.  I had been talking to my friend Karen (at karencooks) and  she couldn't believe I'd never had or made a baked egg.  So included are a couple of photos of my baked eggs, which we had with our Swedish Visiting Cake.

Baked eggs are easy.  I just put a couple of eggs in a custard dish, with splash of half and half, salt, pepper,  slivered green onions and a sprinkle of cheese, then bake till set but the yolks are still runny--so you can dip your toast in it!


Mmmmmmm.....

Swedish Visiting Cake
by Dori Greenspan
Baking: From My Home to Yours

1 cup sugar, plus a little more for sprinkling

grated zest of one lemon
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
about 1/4 cup sliced almonds (blanched or not)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a seasoned 9-inch cast-iron skillet or other heavy ovenproof skillet, a 9-inch round cake pan or even a pie pan.


Pour the sugar into a medium bowl. Add the lemon zest and blend the zest into the sugar with your fingers until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until well blended. Whisk in the salt and the extracts, if you're using them. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in the flour. Finally, fold in the melted butter.


Scrape the batter into the skillet and smooth the top with the rubber spatula. Scatter the sliced almonds over the top and sprinkle with a little sugar. If you're using a cake or pie pan, place the pan on a baking sheet.


Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is golden and a little crisp on the outside; the inside will remain moist. Remove the skillet from the oven and let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then run a thin knife around the sides and bottom of the cake to loosen it. You can serve the cake, warm or cooled, directly from the skillet or turned out onto a serving plate.

I am also linking this to Weekend Cooking at  Beth Fish Reads.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs

********************************************************************************

Yesterday I walked in the March of Dimes walk with my son and his family.  He and his wife had twins 2 years ago, who were born at 32 weeks (that is 8 weeks early).  Our babies spent a month in the NICU.  Today they are healthy and happy and thriving.  That is not always the case for every baby born prematurely.

March for Babies is America's favorite walking event. When you walk, you give hope to the families of babies born too soon or sick. The money  raised supports programs in each community that help moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies. And it funds research to find answers to the serious problems that threaten our babies. 

 March of Dimes is the champion for all babies, those born healthy and those who struggle to survive.

I enjoyed the walk very much.  The weather was nice, the view was great and it was for a good cause.

It was fun.

Those little babies walked most of the 2 mile course.

While their dad was happy to have them walk and not be carried (we had a stroller too, but they wanted to walk the walk ) it made us one of the last who crossed the finish line. He had to grin and bear it tho, because he is really not the type who wants to be last.  He was just glad his kids were having a great day and that they are able to walk and run and dance and clap during the festivities.

Some premature babies are not so lucky.

And that is why we walked to raise awareness as well as money.