Fresh Apple Nut Cake

After seeing all the Fall inspired recipes around, I thought apples! I pulled out a recipe I havent made in 30 years! I remember the person who gave it to me and have no idea what they're doing today, but I have that recipe! Friends were coming over tonight for dessert and coffee so off to the grocery store I ran to get some fresh Gala apples. Right now I'm really bonkers for Braeburn (did I spell that right?!?) apples, but can't seem to get my hands on them at the grocery store lately, so Gala would have to do because personally, the McIntosh and others don't have much of a flavor these days.
There are so many apples in this cake, plus the sauce you pour over top soaks into the cake it is super-moist...and heavy! Ok, on to the recipe, right?

FRESH APPLE NUT CAKE
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups chopped apples
1 tsp salt
3 cups plain flour
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups Wesson oil
1 tsp soda
1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for one hour in ungreased 9 x 13 pan.

ICING
1/2 cup butter (one stick)
1 cup PET Milk (has to be Pet. Trust me, I've tried Carnation and others, has to be Pet!)
1 cup brown sugar

Bring to a boil and boil 3-4 minutes. Pour over WARM cake.

I try to time the icing part to when I take the cake out of the oven. With it fresh from the oven, the liquid soaks into the cake better.

Sorry, there are no pictures.

Dressing up a compassion meal

I had to make a chicken pot pie for a couple in our Life Groups class who just had a baby, so I made enough for three (yes, 3!) 9 x 13 pans. One for them, one for us (hubby's comfort food), and one to freeze. I'll be giving this one to another friend to keep in her freezer until she wants it.

See, if you compliment my cooking, you reap the rewards! LOL.

(Chicken pot pie is my usual meal I take whenever someone's sick, or otherwise needs a meal).

Ever see the old Reba show, perhaps re-runs, where Barbara Jean comes over with a pie for Reba. She called it "pitty pie". I'm thinking of changing the name from compassion meal, to pitty pie. LOL! maybe not.

I don't have a set recipe for this so I can't give you specifics, but this is more of a "did you know you could do this to dress it up" kind of post anyway. I'm sure you either have, or can find a good recipe for the "guts" of the pot pie.

Did you get those little "chicken footprints" I cut out of the crust? LOL

I use a chicken cookie cutter - to let them know what they're getting in case they've never received a meal from me before - LOL Ok, it's a rooster, but you get the idea. But don't discard those cut-outs! I bake them and then use them as the topper, for the cut-out on the crust. Who doesn't like pie crust to nibble on?

Well, there you have it. Maybe you've gotten some ideas on dressing it up? I hope so. Gee, I hope you don't think this post was lame.... sigh

Tonight's Dinner

Tonight’s dinner got me a standing ovation from my husband! No kidding. It really was good! I got down the “Pastor’s Wives Cookbook” (no, I’m not a pastor’s wife) from the shelf and made the green vegetable casserole.

Did you notice I write in my cookbooks? LOL

I really like this recipe and have made it from this book for years. Now, if you’re a true southerner (or from the “old south”), you know that no southern girl worth her salt would cook vegetables without some pork seasoning. This doesn’t have it, and it’s still good! LOL. I’ll share my recipe with you and you tell me what you think, ok?

Green Vegetable Casserole

1 1/2 cups water, salted, boiling

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pkg frozen baby lima beans

1 pkg frozen green peas

1 can French green beans, drained

Add chopped onion to boiling salted water. Cook 5 minutes or longer.

Add lima beans. Cook 12 minutes. Next, add green peas and cook 3-5 minutes.

Drain the green beans, stir in vegetable mixture.

TOPPING

3 hard boiled eggs, mashed fine

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp prepared mustard

Several dashes hot sauce or Tobasco

Mix ingredients together. Spread on top of casserole. Bake 30 minutes in a 350-375 degree oven. Brown lightly on top.

Next, I made the “outback” style chicken. I snagged this recipe from Kara’s Kitchen. I found her blog one evening and this looked too good to let it go. I was right! It is delicious!!! Go check out her blog and snag the recipe for yourself. You won’t be disappointed! She has a recipe for Pear Zuchini Bread that sounds like something I’ll need to try when the zucchini are in again! I do believe I’ll be visiting her site more! (smile).

Well that was the meal that got me a standing ovation (with a little help from Kara!)

Enjoy!

FOOD CHALLENGE "Comfort Foods"

I cannot believe how fast August is slipping away! Here it is and I haven't even announced the theme for this food challenge! This time it's Comfort Foods, and it will be going on during August AND September! Same deal...you e-mail me your recipe (aunt.nette@gmail.com) and I'll post it on my website and at the end a winner is picked! What is your comfort food? It doesn't matter what it is, sweet, savory, out of a bag, whatever... Keep checking back at the website to see the new recipes posted. I try to post the recipes the same day I get 'em.
http://sites.google.com/site/auntnette/comfort-foods-food-challenge