Chocolate & Cherries always go together! Here is a very easy recipe for Chocolate Cherry cake.
Just 3 ingredients:
Start by combining all ingredients in a bowl—mix by hand.
Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 baking dish.
Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes. (Test with a toothpick for doneness)
Do you know you can make your own marshmallows? It’s not that hard. Try it this weekend–they say the weather will be cold and not so nice, so it would be a great indoor project with the kids!
Combine the sugar, gelatin, and salt in a saucepan; stir in the water. Heat the mixture over low heat so that the sugar dissolves; bring the mixture just to the boiling point, but don’t let it boil. Remove the pan from the heat; let it cool for 8 minutes, then stir in the vanilla. Transfer the mixture into a large mixing bowl.
Using an electric mixer, beat at high speed until the mixture is fluffy and thickened and will stand in soft peaks (this will take 10-15 minutes of beating). Use butter to generously grease a 13×9 x 2 inch (or similar) pan. Pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan, spreading it evenly. Set the pan aside, uncovered until the mixture is cool. Lay a sheet of wax paper very loosely over the top of the pan and let it stand for 12 to 24 hours. Remove the marshmallow block from its pan. With scissors dipped in hot water, cut the marshmallow block into 1-inch squares; roll the squares in confectioner’s sugar. If you want to be fancy, use small cookie cutters in place of the scissors.
Store the marshmallows in an airtight container at room temperature.
Here’s a different twist on deviled eggs….You’ll get some raves about these next time you take them to a pot-luck dinner!
Peel the eggs and cut in half lengthwise. Take yolks out and mash them with a fork. Add relish, mayonnaise and mustard to the yolks and place this mixture back into the egg white halves. Sprinkle with paprika if you like.
You can find more egg recipes in Granny’s online Cook Book.
Try surprising your children with a healthier alternative to potato chips in their lunch boxes. Apple chips are easy to make and delicious to eat!
Bring water and sugar to a boil. Let cool. Thinly slice 2 small apples, and sprinkle them with lemon juice. Place slices in sugar water mixture for several hours or overnight. Preheat oven at 200 degrees. Pat apple slices dry. Place them on a baking sheet lines with parchment paper, and bake for 1 hour.
Check my website for more great ideas for using apples. The Apple Page is here.
Here’s a great recipe to make your own ketchup…I have found that regular ketchup is so full of sugar, salt, preservatives and all sorts of things… Low Sugar and Low Salt ketchups cost $3 for a small bottle. With this recipe you can make 12 ounces for less than a dollar. It tastes best after the seasonings have a chance to blend, but it can be used right away in a pinch. It tastes very good too, similar to regular ketchup only fresher tasting, and not oversweet.
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Blend well with a wire whisk. Scrape the mixture into a pint-sized, resealable container. Chill overnight, to blend the flavors. Use wherever ketchup is desired.
To reduce the sodium content simply omit the salt.
To reduce the sugar content replace the brown sugar with 1-teaspoon molasses and 1/4 cup granulated Splenda.
Makes 12 ounces.
Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a recipe, and suddenly missing a special ingredient? Here are some emergency substitutions that will work for you:
EMERGENCY SUBSTITUTIONS
For 1 Tbsp fresh herb use: 1/3 to ½ tsp dried herb (of the same kind)
For 1 clove garlic use: 1/8 tsp garlic powder
For 1 egg in baking use: 1 tsp cornstarch plus ¼ cup water
For 1 whole egg use: 2 egg yolks plus 1 Tbsp water
For 1 cup whole fresh milk use: 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus ½ cup water, or 1/3 cup dry milk plus 1 cup water
For 1 cup buttermilk use: 1 cup plain yogurt, or 1 cup sour milk (4 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice plus milk to make 1 cup — let sit for five minutes before using)
For 1 cup sour cream (in baking) use: 7/8 cup buttermilk or sour milk plus 3 Tbsp butter
For 1 cup sour cream (in salad dressings, casseroles) use: 1 cup plain yogurt or ¾ cup sour milk plus 1/3 cup butter
For 1 cup cream use: 1/3 cup butter plus 3/4 cup milk
For 1 cup corn syrup use: 2/3 cup granulated sugar plus 1/3 cup water
For 1 cup brown sugar use: 1 cup granulated sugar plus 2 Tbsp molasses
For 1 ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar use: 1 cup granulated sugar, packed
For 1 cup margarine or butter (in baking or cooking) use: 1 cup hard shortening or 7/8 cup vegetable oil
For 1 square unsweetened chocolate use: 3 Tbsp cocoa plus 1 Tbsp oil
For 3/4 cup cracker crumbs use: 1 cup bread crumbs
For 1 cup cake flour, sifted use: 7/8 cup all purpose flour, sifted (1 cup minus 2 Tbsp)
For 1 tsp baking powder use: 1/3 tsp baking soda plus ½ tsp cream of tarter, or 1/4 tsp baking soda plus 1/3 cup sour milk
For 1 Tbsp cornstarch for thickening use: 2Tbsp flour
For 1 Tbsp flour for thickening use: 1 1/2 tsp corn flour, arrowroot, potato flour, or rice flour; or 2 tsp tapioca
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 can tomato soup
Optional:
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dry mustard and/or celery seed
Mix all ingredients in a quart jar. Shake well (Start with ½ cup vinegar, add more to taste.)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon crushed dried basil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper, coarsely ground
Mix all ingredients and chill before serving. Makes one cup.
Our nation’s history is full of times when people learned to do more with less. My grandfather went away overseas to France to fight in World War I at age 18. This was around 1918. During the first World War there was a shortage of sugar, butter, and other baking items. Nonetheless, our Grandmothers found a way to make cake:
It was called War Cake, and doesn’t have milk, eggs, or butter! It’s a dark and delicious cake and the best part is that it can be mixed in one pan, making clean-up so easy!
World War I Cake
Mix two cups of brown sugar, two cups hot water, and two teaspoons of shortening in a medium size sauce pan. Add ½ to ¾ cup of raisins and one teaspoon each of salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Boil this mixture for 5 minutes after it first bubbles. Remove it from the stove to cool.
After cooling (be sure to cool completely—very important!) add 3 cups of flour and one teaspoon of baking soda that has been dissolved in a couple of teaspoons of hot water. Mix well.
Pour into a greased tube pan and bake for one hour at 350° to 375°. That’s it—a one hundred year old cake recipe! (well, almost….)
Another frugal time was the World War II era—the early 1940s. This is the time when my parents were first married. This recipe for making easy pickles is from my own mother’s recipe file:
Lazy Housewife Pickles
Fill a quart jar with cucumbers and place a small onion on top. Fill with above liquid (add water if necessary) and seal tight.
Sometimes it is good to look back at what was done before—our forefathers (and mothers!) were very talented at saving a penny. I would love to receive any of your old family recipes that we might put into a collection. What do you have?
Gramps likes coffee, and always makes his own. I am not a coffee drinker, so I really don’t know what makes it good or bad. You’d think I’d catch on after all these years, but I have not….
Lately with all the new coffee expresso specialty places around town, he has learned which has the tastiest brews. Still, when he wants a special drink, and doesn’t want to go out, he has learned to make his own. It’s not that hard:
He starts out with strong (about 3 times regular strength), fresh-brewed coffee.
He then mixes up a package of instant cocoa mix (we like Swiss Miss, although when the kids were younger I always had a batch of homemade mix ready for them to use). He uses milk with the cocoa mix instead of the water that it calls for.
He then takes equal parts of the strong coffee and the hot cocoa to make his own Café Mocha. Gramps suggests you can adjust the coffee or cocoa to suit your own tastes…experiment a little to come up with your own unique drink!
So now, what do you do with used coffee grounds? Ever give it a thought that you can still use them for other things around the house? I have a whole page of ideas on my website. Use them for ant repellent, deodorizer in the refrigerator, and even a garden mulch. Here’s where to go looking for ideas for using your old coffee grounds—just don’t throw them out!
First introduced in 1971, the Crock-Pot revolutionized the way we cook meals. The word Crock-Pot is actually trademarked by Rival Industries, but is used in every day conversations instead of the term slow cooker. Many recipes for the crock-pot require little preparation. The slow cooker can then safely be left to run unattended, making it a convenient cooking method.
Crock-pot meals can not only save you time in the kitchen, but they can also save you money as well by stretches your grocery dollars. When you put a whole chicken in the crock-pot to cook then cut it up for several meals, you can stretch your budget with the use your leftovers.
You can save money at the meat counter since the slow cooking process is especially useful to tenderize cheaper cuts of meat. It also saves on your energy bill. Instead of running a larger appliance like the stove you are running one small energy conservative appliance, the crock-pot, saving on your energy costs. I found the slow cooker only uses $0.02 power per hour.
Here’s an interesting (or should I say unique) idea for your crock pot—dessert made in your slow cooker!
Apple Enchilada Dessert
Apples rolled in flour tortillas: very delicious, easy and fast to make. Substitute apples with peaches or cherries if desired. Makes 6 servings.
Preheat oven to 350° Spoon fruit evenly onto all tortillas, sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down on lightly greased 8X8 baking pan. Bring margarine, sugars and water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Pour sauce evenly over tortillas; sprinkle with extra cinnamon on top if desired. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Makes 6 large tortillas; may be cut in half to serve.
I have more crock pot recipes on my web site: Chicken Alfredo, Vegetarian Chili, Taco Soup, Cherry & Pecan Wild Rice, Special Mashed Potatoes for Company, Crockpot Cherry Cobbler, and Hot Chocolate made in the Crockpot. You’ll also find other hints and tips for using this versatile appliance. Check it out at http://www.granny-green.com/Cookbook4.html
Granny's Old Fashioned Common Sense 