The perfect little black dress of chcolates cakes

I told the girls we could make cake the next time I had to bake something. Of course I knew it would be Crazy Cake. My food philosophies have changed some since I first posted this recipe. So I use all whole wheat flour (my fresh ground mix of grains still turns out very light, can't vouch for the store bought stuff) and just because of a habit I have formed I cut the sugar in half. I automatically cut the sugar in any modern recipe in half. I've found that a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream really goes a long way in this. The cake turns out moist and delish every time I've made it over the years. I've decided I like to keep it simple and the sugar in-take low by just eating a square of it all by it's self, no frosting. It makes for a nice quick and light treat. I can imagine the girls mixing this up all on their own in a few years. I have grandiose goals of making them even more useful in the kitchen, which is why it's so good to bake this up together now.

There are scads of easy ways to dress this little cake up. Try any of these in the cake batter. Mint Extract. Chocolate Chips. Coconut Flakes. Mix up as easy cream cheese frosting (cream cream cheese, honey or maple syrup, butter, vanilla and keep tasting and adding until it tastes good) and drop spoonfuls of it into the batter, for Earthquake Cake, or go a step father and add peanut butter to the cream cheese frosting. I was very sceptical about that the first time I made it, and I must say it's been a HUGE winner at our house.  Cream butter and brown sugar and mix in coconut and chopped nuts. Put it on top of the cooled cake and back in the oven under the boiler. Don't leave it for heaven's sake! Stand right there the whole time, make the little ones watch through the window if they are nagging, and pull it out as soon as it's brown and bubbly. Whipped cream...I actually like it with no sugar. Ice cream. Double the recipe, make it in a 13x9 and take it to your next pot luck gathering. It's cheep and not any harder than a box mix in my book. Or double it and bake it in round cake pans and top with a lovely chocolate butter cream, and fill the between layers with strawberry jam...for those really special times when 'how-much sugar' doesn't matter.  I think I'm out of ideas. Let me know if you think of something else. What ever you do with it, even it 's plain jane like ours right now, it probably won't last long.

Enjoy!c

Mama-made-easy: Lentil Salad

I have simple white wedding china, that we use everyday, because the food never clashes with the dishes, and the bright white back drop always makes the dish pop and look even more appetizing. In other words, how food looks is important to me as a cook. It's part of the enjoyment. Well this dish, whose colors resemble a bad 70's polyester, is no looker, but it does have several redeeming factors: every time I describe it my mouth waters, it's main ingredients are very inexpensive, there are lots of way to substitute items for whatever you have on hand, it's packed with protein even though it's meat free, it is perfect to make ahead, and great for large crowds or potlucks, and would be great for picnics. Have I warmed you up to the idea yet?

Lentil Salad with Oranges and Cranberries (or lots of Other Things)

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup long-grain rice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups lentils
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 orange, or grapefruit, or can of mandarin oranges (more than one is good too)
• 1/3 cup dried or fresh cherries, or dried cranberries, or raisins
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• optional: 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, or mixed salad greens, or spinach or 1 grated carrot

Boil water, rice, and salt in a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, uncovered and undisturbed, until steam holes appear and surface looks dry. Reduce heat to very low and cook, covered and undisturbed, 15 minutes or more. (The length of time it takes to cook will depend on the type of rice you have. You can always cook it according to the directions on the package instead. I found I liked this method though because it gives you a nice dry, chewy rice which gives the salad a lovely texture. I would highly recommend brown rice, and making two cups instead of one. Use the extra covered in milk and cinnamon sugar for breakfast the next morning, and put it in fritatta the for lunch, or make stir fried rice for dinner, or...well you get the idea. It will save you work tomorrow.)

While rice cooks, simmer lentils in water to cover by 2 inches 18 to 20 minutes, or until just tender, then drain.

Finely grate zest from orange (I skip this part unless I happen to have organic oranges and time, which I don't) and cut away remaining peel and pith. Cut sections free from membranes and cut sections into 1/2-inch pieces (or if you are a mama in a hurry, open a can of mandarin oranges, drain and dump it in). Toss warm rice with lentils, vinegar, lemon juice, orange, zest, cranberries (etc), oil, and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature, or cold the next day.

Mama Made Easy: Sponge cake with Lemon curd filling

This is my new favorite cheep, easy, healthy, yummy dessert. Well to be honest I don't think I had an old favorite, lol. Our neighbor came over the other day and said that her duck had laid eggs, but something had eaten two of them one night and now the mother wouldn't touch them, did we want duck eggs? Sure! Just in case you are worried I broke them before using to make sure they were good. I remembered that my Forgotten Skills of Cooking (a fabulous thing to have on your shelf if your trying embrace the whole foods homestead life style) book had some duck egg recipies so I pulled it out. I'm hosting my first large family gathering for Easter (tomorrow) and I figured I would try this out. I have to say I am completely blow away by the results. I plan on making this cake a LOT. The best part is it would be so easy to do on a nap time. I changed the recipe a little, using honey instead of sugar and fresh ground white winter wheat (which is VERY light) instead of white flour. When I don't have duck eggs anymore, which will be very soon, I plan on using 3 large chicken eggs, or 4 very small ones. I've know of Lemon Curd for a long time, but just never tried it. Oh, man have I been missing out! I could sit down and just eat a whole batch of it. It's basically an easy lemon custard. You could also fill the cake with jam or fruit preserves, or flavored whipped cream, pudding, fresh berries or anything else you could think of. For those of us who have an over abundance of spring eggs (our neighbor had 24 dozen last time I checked, and that was after giving them away to everyone he can think of), this is a perfect dish. The lemon curd would be a perfect topping for cottage cheese for a pregnant or nursing mommy trying to get in lots of protein. It would also be nice on toast, scones, or meringues. I would even whip up a quick batch to put on crackers and serve with tea for a last minute drop in guest. Just image how special they would feel *smile*

  *Picture coming after I put the cake together tomorrow*

Duck-Egg Sponge Cake with Lemon Curd Filling
Sponge Cake
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole white winter wheat)
3 duck eggs
6 tablespoons superfine sugar or honey

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two cake pans with parchement paper, grease and dust with flour. Separate the white and yolks. Put the whites and sugar (or honey) into and bowl and beat until the whites are stiff. Whisk in the yolks one by one. Then fold in the flour. Divide the mixture between the two baking pans. Bake for 15 minutes (it was 15 in my stove, but the book calls for 20 to 25 minutes). Turn out carefully and let cool on a wire rack.

Lemon Curd
4 table spoons of butter (I just realized I miss-read this and used two, and it's very nice still)
juice of two lemons (and zest if you want it)
1/4 cup honey (that's a guess I just poured and tasted to make sure it wasn't too sour)
2 eggs and one egg yolk
Melt the butter on very low heat. Add the honey and lemon juice and zest. Stir carefully over low heat with a wooden spoon until the mixture covers the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl or jar (or just eat it right out of the pot). Cover when cool and refrigerate. Best eaten within two weeks.

Simplifying Breakfast

I try to read through the book "Created to be His Helpmeet" every once in a while. Two copies were given to me by different people as wedding presents,  and now I give out copies to women I think might "enjoy" it. I say "enjoy", because though it is not a difficult read, the book really stands up in your face and challenges you quite a bit. And I like that, though I don't agree with the author in all things. And every time I read the book I seem to walk away with so new challenge or discovery. One part that struck me this time through was, "Always offer your children only once choice for breakfast...Providing the same simple food every morning (except maybe Saturday) causes a child to look forward to getting cereal on that one special morning." And the author went on to describe how to do a weeks worth of simple cooking by morphing one crock pot meal into the next. "It is not a grouchy old husband or bad days that cause the problems of cooking and cleaning for young wives. It is the lack of simple planning."

 I've also been reading the Reformation Acres blog and have been enjoying the inspiration and encouragement in the areas of laundry, cooking and cleaning. And I got to thinking about how much of my energy is directed into making these little decisions like, "What's for Breakfast!!??" while crabby hungry children cling to my legs wailing each and every day. So I started to think and pray about streamlining much of our life in these little areas, and leaving me with more time to enjoy my family. One issue was hampering me though; I'm an epicurean...a foody. I really do love to cook. I love to imaging it up. I love to see it come together. I love all the senses involved. The sizzle of onion in the pan, and watching it turn translucent, and then golden brown. I love to look in the fridge and find inspiration where many would find nothing. I would have been hard pressed not to fall among the leeks and onions crowd of Israelites leaving Egypt...oh and the melons. Don't forget the melons. So I had to come up with something simple...yet interesting. And this is what I have landed on for right now. Oatmeal. Doesn't sound like foodie food to you? Well here's how I'm approaching it. Oatmeal is basically a blank slate, like rice, and I can really dress it up in any way I please. While the blackberries were in I would pick some out of the hedge row and add it to our morning breakfast. I can simply continue through the year dressing up the oatmeal with what ever is in season, moving from berries, to peaches, to pears, to apples, to bananas and almond butter, or dried fruit in the winter. You could even go crazy and add chocolate chips. There are also spices to add, and nuts, or coconut or coconut oil, butter and cream or milk, and nut butters. (I have my first batch of homemade almond butter in the fridge right now. It was very easy, and since I never let it sit at room temperature the oil never separated. You can check out the directions here.) You can also dress up oatmeal with savory additions, like cheese, thyme, chives, bacon, onion, garlic, or even scrambled eggs. It's an interesting combinations, since oatmeal is kind of a sweet grain...I've only tried it once, and I can't decide if I like it or not. Basically what I'm saying is your imagination is the limit to your options, but what you do each morning basically stays the same. Muesli is also a good cold oatmeal breakfast dish if the heat is getting to you.

But I've gone an additional step in simplifying our routine. When I cook the oatmeal I make a double batch. Then the next day I take it out of the fridge and mash it well with a fork (you know how cold oat meal turns into a giant glob) add in any extras for flavoring (like the ideas above) and beat an egg into it all. If I have a lot and the oatmeal doesn't look completely coated then I add another egg. Then I plop down spoonfuls of this mixture into a well heated pan with lots of grease and fry them until they are golden brown on both sides. We eat them with syrup. And if there were ever any left I would save them as finger food snacks for the girls...but it doesn't seem to mater how much I make...there are never any left. They taste like a cross between oatmeal and french toast. It's a great way to reinvent any left over oatmeal, or any sort of left over starchy foods, like bread, mashed potatoes, or rice- but a word of caution, I don't think I would try this with instant oatmeal. I've been working this system for about three weeks now and breakfast is the ONLY meal I've not had any trouble getting the girls to eat, and I haven't gotten tried of it yet either. It really feels like you are eating something completely different the second day, and I guess really you are. So I just wanted to share, in case you might find it helpful too. Now if The Man gets tired of this at some point I will have to come up with a couple of systems to rotate through. We'll see how it goes. I'm saving muffins, pancakes, fresh donuts, waffles, coffee cake and all the other lovely breakfast things out there for Saturdays that I have enough gumption. Now I'm trying to turn my attention to simplifying and organizing my chores and lunch and dinner. Well see how it goes. Blessings!c

Mama Made Easy: Frittata

I love frittata for a couple of reasons. It's easy. I works for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's great for reinventing little bits of leftovers, and left over frittata is easy to reinvent. It has a fancy name, but basically it's an omelet.
You start by sauteing whatever you have on hand to put in it. My favorite things to add are breakfast meat, diced onion & potato, mushroom, spinach, yellow squash (I'm not a huge yellow squash fan, but I REALLY like it in frittata), beans (especially seasoned beans left over from beans and rice are really good adding a creaminess and flavor to the dish). I always dig through the fridge looking for leftovers when I make it. All kinds of left overs can make it in, be willing to just throw it in there and try if you think it might be good. Left over pasta, rice, green beans, just whatever you have. I will saute any uncooked meat and any uncooked veggies first. I always add any frozen veggies towards the end if I don't want them droopy and pathetic, and anything that is already cooked very last. I don't like to buy tomatoes out of season, but I love to use sun dried tomatoes with egg dishes. Since I'm cooking for the girls I take the time to rehydrate them in some hot water before I start chopping potatoes, but if it's just me I don't bother. Their sweet acidity adds a great punch to the eggs and tastes so much better than the styrofoam tomatoes at the store. While you are sauteing, beat your eggs with about a tablespoon of milk or water per egg. I would add more if I was stretching it to feed a lot of people, but I never measure. I make the frittata as big as I can so I will have leftovers, but you probably want to do about two eggs per person. If you are inclined you might want to pop it all in the blender or whip them a while to make it more fluffy. I don't go to the trouble, but I'm sure it's good. Add in any spices. Fresh herbs are especially good, if you have them. I usually go with a either an Italian (thyme, basil, oregano, etc) or Mexican (cumin, cilantro, chili powder, etc) flavor theme. Lower the heat on your pan to medium low, and take the pan off the heat. Make sure your sauteed veggies are spread evenly in the pan, and the pour the eggs over, making sure it covers the whole bottom of the pan, and put it back on the heat (this is to let the pan cool down a bit, you want the eggs to cook a little slower so they don't get rubbery). Then grate cheese over the top. Let it cook until the bottom seems to be set, and the edges are cooked, but the middle is runny. Then pop it into the oven under the broiler. It's done when it's puffed up and brown. Serve it in wedges like quiche, and add a salad for dinner, or toast for breakfast. The leftovers are some of my favorite part. Just put some mayo and mustard on bread and pop a wedge of frittata between them and you have a fabulous sandwich. I'll make this a lot when I have a busy day, because cooking once gets me two meals, and I also make it for unexpected dinner guests, as we almost always have eggs and leftovers in the fridge. The girls and I love it. Hope you will too! c

Mama-made-easy: Banana Pancakes

A friend of mine wanted my pancake recipe, so instead of taking the time to just e-mail her, I thought I would post it for you all too. These have been a great hit at our house. I love them because the girls can feed themselves, they freeze great, don't take up a lot of room, and are easy to reheat in the toaster. I haven't tried yet, but I'd be willing to bet you could try sweet potato instead of banana (might need to add a little more milk if it's too thick). Nuts or chocolate chips would be a nice addition, and you could smear the pancakes with nut butter and honey for a more protein packed meal. If you're feeding babies these pancakes, don't substitute something else for the butter. Our brains are made out of fat, and growing children need it in their diet. You can read more on the issue here. If you don't have any butter milk, just add a few table spoons of white vinegar to your measuring cup before you add the milk. I recommend you use King Arthur Premium 100% whole wheat flour, or something equally high quality and find ground. The pancakes come out so light and fluffy with this, that you family probably won't even know they are whole wheat (if you have issues with such a thing). This recipe should make around 30 something pancakes, and of course you can cut it in half, but if your a mama and going to all the trouble...just make a big old batch. So without further ado...

4 cups of whole wheat flour
8 tsp of baking powder
4 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
2 2/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup mashed banana (ripe is better)
4 tablespoons melted butter
4 eggs
Combine the first five ingredients. Stir well, and add the rest. Heat your pan or griddle until a drop of water dances and evaporates when it hits the surface. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the skillet cook until brown, and then flip and cook on the other side (but you know all that already, right?) and don't forget them while you do something else...like right a blog post. Cause they will burn.
To improve flavor eat them with your pinkies sticking out. LOVEc

Mama-made-easy: Chicken Broth

Making my own chicken stock is a passion with me. Seriously. Don't know how I could get so worked up over chicken broth? Well in case you haven't noticed I'm passionate about a lot of things, lol! So you are fully warned, I'm going to do my best to persuade you to be passionate about chicken broth too. First of all, if it's made right it has all sorts of wonderful health benefits, and from the food scraps you would have thrown away you can make a food that is almost as nutritious as the meat originally was. The healthier and better quality your chicken is to start with the better it will be for you...you know the old adage "you are what you eat". The second thing that really gets me worked up about chicken broth is that you can make it from food scraps you would have thrown away. Are you hearing me here? You can take trash and turn it into this amazing golden broth. Which brings me to the next reason I'm so crazy about this stuff: it tastes soo much better than the average stuff at the store. In fact in good enough that you could just pop it in a mug and curl up on the couch sipping it, especially if you have a cold. And last of all it adds delicious flavor to anything you cook. You can add it to the water you cook your rice in, to soups, and sauces. I'm constantly finding new ways to use it. Oh wait! I've thought of one more reason to love it. It helps you save money on the grocery bills. Take some of this broth, add some diced garlic, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes. Bring to to a boil and slowly stir in a beaten egg and you have a filling egg drop soup for lunch. How cheep is that? Or add any veggies chopped up with dried beans and just a little bit of meat even. You get the idea? It really helps you provide nutritious meals on a little money.So now hopefully I have converted you to the idea of broth making and your just dying to know how I do it :) You can make broth from fresh chicken (uncooked) or from the bones left over from cooked chicken (though you probably wouldn't want to use chicken that was cook with sauce). If you are using the left over chicken bones it will taste richer if you either use more than one chicken (you can keep the bones in the freezer until you have another one or are ready to make it) or use less water. Brown the bones in the pan before you cover them in broth to bring out more flavor. There are also All you have to do is cover it with water and either put it on the stove on the very lowest setting or in your crock-pot. Then add some veggies and or spices to it. I don't like to spice or salt by broth much so I am free to add flavorings to anything I am cooking with it, and make sure I'm not over salting. I save all my carrot peels, onion and garlic ends and papers, the tops of tomatoes, the stems from fresh herbs, and the hand centers of lettus in a container in the freezer (the only things you WON'T want to use is anything in the cabbage family-broccoli etc- or anything in the potato family). Celery is especially a wonderful addition. I'm not crazy about it fresh, but it lends a truly lovely flavor to broths. Add about a table spoon of vinegar or white wine and that will help break down some of the bone marrow and minerals in the bones and add to the broth's nutritional value, and if you have the time break a few of the bones too. I saw at a leg bone with a pair of kitchen scissors until I can snap it. Don't let the broth come to a boil, and let it simmer as long as you can. I usually leave mine for eight hours. Then let it cool and remove all the "stuff", veggies and bones, and thrown them away. -Funny story, once The Man was helping me in the kitchen and misunderstood my directions and poured the broth down the drain after meticulously picking everything out of it. It didn't help that I was pregnant, nauseous, and really in the mood for chicken soup, lol. I've learned to speed up this process by setting a colander in a larger bowl and poring the broth in and then throwing away everything left in the colander.I take some of the broth and freeze it in large containers (old yogurt containers seem to be a good size for me) and take the rest and freeze it in ice cube trays, which is typically about two tablespoons, so it is easy to add to a little to cooking rice and other dishes. That's it. I hope I've talked you into giving it a try. And with all the roasted turkeys out there after Thanksgiving might just be the perfect time to try your hand at some turkey broth. Blessings!c

Mama-made-easy: Muesli

I've been wanting to share a yummy easy breakfast dish that has served us so well in our busy, hot, summer days.Muesli is basically a soaked oatmeal, which is great since it doesn't heat up my kitchen first thing in the morning. I measure out my oatmeal according to the serving size on the box and add in coconut, cinnamon and dates (I'm not a huge dates fan, but both The Man I really enjoy them in this dish) and then pour about half as much water [correction: I thought that looked funny when I first typed it up...I typically used a little less than the same amount of water] into the bowl as there is oatmeal. You'll have to play with the amount of water you use, and change it to fit your taste. I like mine dryer, where the flakes are kind of individual and not mushy. Then cover it with a towel and leave it out to soak overnight (that's the other trick, remembering to do it before you go to bed). Then in the morning I dish it up into bowls and top it with fresh fruit (berries, peaches, and bananas are all wonderful) give it a squirt of local honey and pour milk over it just like you would box cereal. You can also try topping it with yogurt. It's a great alternative to boxed cereals as it's cheaper, healthier, and more filling. Just a little idea from my busy world to yours. Blessings!c
P.S. Click here for a link to another muesli recipe you might try.

Mama-made-easy Crazy cake

I found "The Everything Book" at our local library when I was a babysitting teenager. I loved the book so much and never forgot it, always wishing I had my own copy. So with some money I was given for the girls (and yes that was an ok way to spend the gift money, if you have clicked on the link, its a book full of things to do with kids) I bought a used copy from Amazon (since it's out of print) and this is a little recipe from the book. It is perfect for those days when I know The Man has worked extra hard and I want to have a little something special for his dinner, just so he knows how much he's appreciated. I've made it several times in the last few months. And a couple of those times I even whipped it up while breast feeding one of the girls. There are a couple of things to love about this cake.

• No preservatives or ingredients who's names you can't pronounce like a box mix might have
• EASY clean up
• Your kids can help...would be a great way to start teaching them to bake
• You probably already have all the ingredients
• Uses no egg or milk for those with food allergies, which also makes it less expensive
• VERY yummy

The recipe doubles well for a larger crowd, in a 13x9 pan. You want to make sure you don't over bake it though. Every oven is different so keep an eye on it. You'll know it's done when you touch the top with your finger and and firm. You know you've timed it right if its still a little fudgy on the bottom.

Directly into an 8-inch square cake pan measure and stir together
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Then measure the following ingredients directly into the pan:
1 teaspoon of vanilla
6 tablespoons of cooking oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup of cold water
Make sure you stir it well and catch the corners of the pan so you don't leave any dry powder there. You'll know it's well mixed when all the batter is the same consistency. When that's done tap the pan on the bottom and sides a few times to let some of the air bubbles come up and wipe down the sides so it looks pretty and clean after it's baked.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 mins

As good as this cake is, it's REALLY over the top with this Browned Butter frosting. Sounds a little odd I know, but that just makes it better to serve company, since they probably have never had it before. It tastes almost like the toffee in a Heath Bar. These portions are just barely enough to coat the 8 inch square cake, so if you like it thick, increase the quantity. If you make it a couple of times you'll be able to tell the proportions without even measuring, just by how it looks and feels.

Browned Butter Frosting
3 Tablespoons of butter
1 1/2 Cups of confectioners sugar
1 to 2 table spoons of milk, half and half, or evaporated milk
Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat until it foams, bubbles and turns golden brown (if you do it too long and it gets little brown flecks, don't worry it will still taste good). Cool to room temperature. Combine butter sugar and vanilla. Beat to blend. Add 1 tablespoon of milk and beat till smooth. Add more milk a little at a time until the consistency is spreadable.
Enjoy!c

Mama-made-easy

What's Mama-made-easy? It's meals that are easy for a mom with two small little girls to whip up. It's meals that I feel proud to serve my husband and enjoy to eat myself. They are recipes that have a lot of flavor but don't take a lot of time, and most of them are pretty frugal. These are some of my goals as a homemaker for my cooking: nourishing, pleasing to the eye and pallet, easy on the budget. I'm mainly posting these recipes for myself, as reminders of things to cook on days I just can't think, or when I need inspiration for meal planning. But I hope you'll find them inspiring too. Blessings!c