Celebration Cake

This is one of our favorite chocolate cake recipes that I got from my friend, Sue.  She made some changes to it and then I made some because I didn't have the req'd ingredients on hand. It's still a celebration though. (It is a dryer, denser cake than some, so if you eat it a day or two after baking, you will want milk or ice-cream available; or microwave your piece for 10-20 seconds and it'll taste fresh, warm, and moist.)

Stir together in a bowl:

2 1/4 c flour

1 pkg (4 oz) instant chocolate pudding

1 t salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 t baking powder (that's a change - so really don't need it)

Add:

1 1/2 c brown sugar

2/3 c veg oil

1 c sour milk (or 1 c milk with 3 T sour cream, or 1 c milk with 1 T white vinegar or lemon juice)

Beat 1 1/2 minutes on medium high speed.

Add:

3 unbeaten eggs

1 t vanilla

(sometimes I add 1 t mint flavoring as well)

Beat 1 1/2 minutes

Put batter into 3 greased 8" pans. Sprinkle 1 c chocolate chips over layers. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Frosting:

Melt: (I use the microwave)

 1 c chocolate chips

1/4 c butter

1/3 c milk

(again with the mint flavoring)

Remove from heat and stir in 1 lb XXX sugar. If necessary, thin with milk.

Pat's Blueberry Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (@ 1 1/2 lbs total)

1 T vegetable oil

1/2 cup apricot jam

3 T Dijon mustard

1/2 cup frozen unsweetened blueberries

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

(watercress sprigs)

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Heat oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken;cook, turning as needed, till browned on both sides (about 6 minutes).

In a small bowl, stir together jam and mustard. Spread jam mixture over tops of chicken pieces; sprinkle with blueberries.

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook till meat in thickest part is no longer pink. Cut to test (about 15 minutes). With a slotted spoon, lift chicken and blueberries to a platter. Keep warm.

Add vinegar to pan, increase heat to high and bring sauce to a boil. Then boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, till sauce is reduced by about a 1/3 (5-ish minutes). Pour sauce evenly over chicken; garnish with watercress sprigs. Makes 4 servings

340 calories - 30 g carbs.

Gammy's Strawberry Salad

1 bag spinach

1 pint strawberries (sliced)

1 medium red onion (sliced, too, I think, but I forgot to write it down, so you could present it anyway you were comfy)

Mix all that and dress with:

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 dash pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Alison's note: I am not a fan of sweet & sour, or of ketchup, but this salad is not only very pretty, but very tasty. Gammy said everyone always raved about it.

Mommy's Fresh Tomato Sauce Sicilian

Makes about 5 qts

1/4 c olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 med yellow onion, chopped

9 c. cored and chopped very ripe fresh tomatoes (Mommy used 9 tomatoes and this was 2 cups of    fresh tomatoes, and it tasted great without more - she recommends coring as the white cores      are tough and won't cook down.)

4 28 oz cans whole tomatoes, crushed with juice (Contandina or better)

1/4 c chopped parsley

1/2 c dry white wine

1 c chicken stock

1 t dried marjoram

1 t dried rosemary

6 T butter

salt and pepper to taste

Heat an 8-10 qt heavy bottom pot and add the oil, garlic and onion. Saute until the onion is clear. Add the remaining ingredients except the butter, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and gently cook, uncovered for 4 hours, stirring often. Stir in the butter , salt and pepper to taste.

Mommy's Bolognese Sauce

This is a very rich beef sauce that will turn a plate of pasta into a bit of glory. Or you can use this for fillings for cannelloni, frittata, or a quick little meat pie. Very good! Note that the beef is not ground but simply cooked till it falls apart. Such a sauce!

1 lb boneless beef chuck (pot roast)

salt and pepper to taste

1 T olive oil

3/4 c water

1/3 c dry red wine

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 1/2 c fresh tomato sauce Sicilian (see following recipe - "blog")

1 c chicken stock

1/3 c grated parmesan cheese 

1/2 c crea

Season the meat with salt and pepper. Brown well in a frying pan with the olive oil. Place the meat in a small heavy saucepan and add the water, wine and garlic. Bring to a boil and gently simmer, covered for 2 hours. If the pan begins to dry out, add more water. Allow to cool in the pot with the lid on till you can handle it. Shred the meat and place it in a 4 qt pot along with its cooking juices. Cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes, stirring often. Add cheese and cream and simmer 15 minutes more.

Turkey Meatballs - Easy!!

1/2 c part-skim ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/2 c dry bread crumbs

1/4 chopped fresh basil

1/4 t pepper

1/4 t salt

1 pound ground turkey

Mix, shape into meatballs. Coat a pan with cooking spray. Medium high heat. Brown the meatballs. Remove from skillet and transfer to a broiler pan coated with cooking spray, and bake at 375 for 15 minutes. 

You can freeze these since it makes a ton. And serve alone, with marinara or however you like.

Black Eyed Pea Stew

2 cups dried black-eyed peas

1 T peanut oil (or whatever oil you have...)

3/4 cup diced yellow onion

8 oz turkey kielbasa, 1/2ed and diced

4 cups vegetable broth

1 t salt

1/2 t crushed red pepper

1/2 t black pepper

2 bay leaves

1 T cider vinegar

28ish oz canned diced tomatoes

1 10 oz bag of prewashed mustard greens

Wash peas and set aside.

Heat oil, saute onion till tender, add turkey and brown lightly.

Stir in broth, bring to a simmer. Stir in peas, salt, peppers and bay leaves. Simmer covered 45 minutes. Uncover and cook 15 minutes or till liquid begins to thicken.

Stir in vinegar, tomatoes and mustard greens. Simmer 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves.

We serve it with asiago or parmesan sprinkled on top. Without that, it's 235 calories a cup.

Fruit & Walnut Stuffed Pork Loin

1/2 cup dry red wine

1/4 cup dried sour cherries (couldn't find sour, used sweetened)

1/4 cup dried apricots

1/4 cup chopped dried plums

2 tablespoons Triple Sec

1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons chopped shallots (I used scallions)

1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind (I used peel)

2 (1 ounce) slices French bread (I used 2 oz bread crumbs - sue me!)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (guess what - I used dried)

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (2 1/2 pound) boneless center-cut pork loin roast, trimmed

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400

Combine 1st 5 ingredients in a medium microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 2 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes or until fruit is plump. Drain through a sieve, reserving fruit mix. Combine mix, walnuts, shallots, 1/4 t salt and rind.

Combine 1/4 t salt, French bread, and next 3 ingredients (through garlic) in food processor; process till fine crumbs. 

Cut pork in half lengthwise - here's where I get confused. You're supposed to pound it thin and then roll up the fruit in the center. Then coat the outside of the rolled up pork with mustard and then the bread crumbs. 

Bake at 40 for 55 minutes or till middle registers 155 degrees. Let it stand for 10 minutes and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. 

(I couldn't get it to roll, so I made a stacked version. Worked well, but awkward, and was so, so tasty!!)