Autumn Surprise Cake

As the seasons change so does the fare on a homestead table. We have eaten a steady diet of cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe, and tomatoes  for weeks knowing that it will soon be gone. As we welcome in Fall we welcome in a new group of foods. Pears, apples, pumpkins, sweet potatoes and winter squash.  

For us here in the Holler the first of the apples are ripening and the first dish I made was this cake. I love these kinds of cakes. Most people call them snack cakes. Made in an 8 inch square pan or even a skillet this cakes is small enough to give everyone a taste for a day or two without having huge amounts of cake leftover. 

Great with morning coffee, or with a glass of milk as an afternoon snack and equally as good as a small dessert.  Versatile, moist and delicious this  old recipe has been a keeper for a long time in my family. 

Autumn Surprise Cake

2 cups chopped, unpeeled apples                      1/2 cup cooking oil
1 cup white sugar                                                1 egg beaten
1 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour                      1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt                                                           1/2 cup chopped nuts       
1 tsp baking soda                                                1/2 cup flaked coconut
2 tsp cinnamon

Mix apples and sugar in mixing bowl.

Let stand for 20 minutes until a juice starts to form.

Sift flour, soda and salt together

Add to Apples!

Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Pour into greased and floured 8 inch square baking pan

Bake in 350 degree oven approximately 50 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool

I frost mine with about 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp milk mixed together and then drizzled over cool cake. You can also just sprinkle powdered sugar over top. 

Tips** this dough will be very stiff and thick. I substituted 1/2 cup raisins for the nuts**

On a personal note today is my birthday and I am so glad you are all sharing it with me!

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Cinnamon Flop

(By request this is a repost of a Feb. 2011 entry. DFW I hope you enjoy!)

We all know those times when you want something just a little sweet but don't want to spend the day in the kitchen. Or maybe just want something small for a quick after school snack for the grandkids. My go to recipe is Cinnamon Flop. Quick to mix up from everyday kitchen staples then baked in my skillet sometimes drizzled with a little powdered sugar icing or just dusted with powdered sugar this is the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea or coffee. But not so large that so much is left over that we can't eat it all.

CINNAMON FLOP

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 Tablespoon melted butter

1 cup milk

brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter cubed for top

Preheat oven to 350

Sift together flour, sugar and baking powder.

 Add melted butter and milk and stir until well blended.

Grease or spray 2 9" inch cake pans. Divide mixture between the 2 cake pans. 

Sprinkle top of batter with flour then brown sugar and then cinnamon.  

Then push small chunks of butter into the dough. This makes holes and later gets gooey as it bakes. 

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

(As an after school snack I half this and cook in a 9 inch skillet then sprinkle with powdered sugar. I serve it to the grandkids warm with a glass of cold milk.)

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Sweet Potato Snack Cake

With lots of stored sweet potatoes in my pantry from the last gardening season we are eating lots of sweet potatoes these days. Besides sweet potato pie one of our favorites is this sweet potato snack cake.

I like that the sweet potatoes in this snack cake are simply shredded raw as opposed to cooked and mashed. It is a great way to use so many of my home grown foods though. This dish is overflowing with not only our fresh sweet potatoes but yard fresh eggs, walnuts from our own trees, and even applesauce canned from the apples from our own orchard. Why even the vanilla flavoring is homemade.

Sweet Potato Snack Cake

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla flavoring

1 1/2 cups grated sweet potatoes

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup soaked raisins

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 13 X 9 inch baking pan. Soak raisins in boiling water to soften.

Sift together flour, baking soda and all spices in a large mixing bowl. Set aside

In another large bowl cream together brown sugar and eggs. Add apple sauce, softened butter, buttermilk and vanilla and mix well.

Combine liquids with the flour mixture and stir well. Add grated sweet potatoes, nuts and drained raisins. Mix well

Pour mixture into greased 9 X 13 pan and bake for approximately 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Cool completely and cake can be served sprinkled with powdered sugar or spread with simple cream cheese icing below.  

Simple Cream Cheese Icing

1/4 cup or half stick margarine softened to room temperature

1/2 block creamed cheese softened to room temperature

Powdered sugar

I simply let both my butter and cream cheese come to room temperature and soften until very soft. I take my hand beater but you can use a mixer and beat the two together until well incorporated. Then add powdered sugar slowly and beat until you get the consistency of icing. If you add too much powdered sugar you can add just a little cold milk or cream to thin it. If too thin add a little more powdered sugar. Simply beat until smooth and creamy and frost top of completely cooled cake. 

This makes a moist and spicy cake that is great as a snack with a glass of cold milk or equally great in the morning with coffee.

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

A Homemade Halloween

Here's a repost of past Halloweens with some great recipe links for those of you like me that bake treats ....CQ  

I fondly remember the days of trick or treating when every house gave you apples, oranges, homemade popcorn balls, caramel apples and even homemade taffy. Back then you didn't even have to take your treats to be xrayed for razor blades or pins. There were haunted houses and apple bobbing, hayrides and bonfires. I continue to make homemade goodies for the kids. We don't get a lot of kids this far out in the country but we do get grandchildren and a few neighbor kids. They get so excited over homemade goodies. 

Looking for something to pass out for trick or treating fresh from the farm. Well look no further....

How about bags of caramel corn straight from your kitchen?

Here's a Caramel Corn Tutorial link

How about some bags of crunchy apple chips sprinkled with sugar and brown Sugar!

Here's how I make Apple Chips

Need a treat for that Sunday School class or school class room?

Try these pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Anyone out there have a great Halloween treat recipe? Please feel free to share a link.

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

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Snacks At Hand

Now that I am home schooling with a teenager at home full time I have had to rethink some things and one of those is snacks.  For those of you who haven't had teenagers yet they tend to be bottomless pits : ) As my daughter laughingly points out all those raging teenage hormones require sustenance. So I have started making what I call a snack box. It is actually a dishpan that is on the pantry shelf with optional snacks in it. I do this to try to guide her towards healthier snacks that are already prepared in single servings.  Things like cereal chex mixes, dried fruit and homemade granola bars. My daughter loves Chex mix so I try to sneak in a few healthy things that she might not ordinarily try on her own. Toasted walnuts right off our farm and high in Omega 3. Dried apples bits again off of our own farm. Sunflower seeds, toasted flax seed. Just a few thrown in with the mix.

This is the original Chex Mix recipe found on the box. 

  Ingredients

3	cups Corn Chex® cereal
3	cups Rice Chex® cereal
3	cups Wheat Chex® cereal
1	cup mixed nuts
1	cup bite-size pretzels
1	cup garlic-flavor bite-size bagel chips or regular-size bagel chips, broken into 1-inch pieces
6	tablespoons butter or margarine
2	tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2	teaspoons seasoned salt
3/4	teaspoon garlic powder
1/2	teaspoon onion powder

1.	In large microwavable bowl, mix cereals, nuts, pretzels and bagel chips; set aside. In small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High about 40 seconds or until melted. Stir in seasonings. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated.
2.	Microwave uncovered on High 5 to 6 minutes, thoroughly stirring every 2 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.
Oven Directions Heat oven to 250°F. In large bowl, mix cereals, nuts, pretzels and bagel chips; set aside. In ungreased large roasting pan, melt butter in oven. Stir in seasonings. Gradually stir in cereal mixture until evenly coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool, about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container.

  

After baking I added 2 cups of cheese crackers. You can add goldfish crackers or even a small bag of cheese puffs. Dried fruit such as raisins and even a small bag of M and M's after it has cooled.  Try adding popcorn seasoning to it for a variety of flavors. Once cooled I bag in small off brand ziploc sandwich bags and throw in our snack dishpan in the pantry. Waiting for a hungry teenager or grandkids. 

Anyone out there have any great recipe additions for your Chex Mix.

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Granola Bars

Chewy Coconut Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

2 cups quick oats

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups Cheerios

1/2 stick real butter

4 cups mini marshmallows

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 250 and spread oatmeal on a baking sheet. Sprinkle oatmeal with cinnamon. Bake stirring every 15 minutes until oatmeal is lightly toasted and barely browned (mine took about 45 minutes). 

Mix dark chocolate chips, toasted oats and cheerios in a large bowl.  

In another large microwavable safe bowl melt 1/2 stick real butter then add 4 cups mini marshmallows and stir. Continue to microwave until marshmallows are melted. Stir often as it will burn easily!

Add marshmallow mix into cereal mix and stir until chocolate chips are pretty well melted. 

Allow to stand for a couple minutes to cool.

Now stir in raisins, white chocolate chips and coconut flakes. Stir well to combine.

Pour mixture into parchment lined baking dish. Put a piece of waxed paper over the top and smooth top with measuring cup compressing firmly.

Allow to completely cool then cut and wrap individually with wax paper or cling wrap.

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Cookies and Bread !

The cookie jar was empty. Oh my......

You can find my recipe HERE

Everyone is happy again and all is right with our world : ) Gotta have your priorities straight !

The loaf was made into croutons and the french bread into small slices for garlic bread. Then they went into the freezer ! Lots of salad these days so we had to have croutons. Who buys garlic bread or croutons when they can be made so cheap and frozen ?

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

My Jar Runneth Over !

 

It started snowing yeasterday afternoon. We still had snow on the ground from the last 6 inches of snow. The prediction was 4 to 8 inches. We have gotten as of  this morning about 4 inches. No Baby Hank today as his mother is unable to get to us until the snow plow goes through. We are so far back in the woods I assure you we are the last gravel road on the plow list. No school today for Baby O. O Wise One is taking care of the chickens and assorted other animals and birds and I shall have to find him something to do in the house so he doesn't drive me crazy. He is not a sit around kind of man. I am sure I can find some chore or another. AS for Baby O and I we are in heaven. The cookie jar is full to running over. We have 3 Netflix DVD's sitting in the entertainment center and our instant viewing queue is full in Netflix as well. 

It's a party with cookies and movies........

 You're all invited......

 We have lots of cookies. I can crochet on my throw I am making while watching movies so I atleast look busy.

In the meantime I am going to share my Cookie recipe with you. Nothing fancy mind you. I cut this recipe off the side of a flour bag over 30 years ago. In the last 30 years this recipe has been baked hundreds of times. These cookies have went to many Boy Scout meetings, Girl Scout meetings, bake sales, Sunday School snacks and just filling the cookie jar for 5 hungry kids. Now the grandkids check that cookie jar regularly. Same cookie jar for 30 years. It is an old hound dog cookie jar my sisiter in law made in ceramics class and gave me for Christmas. Fred wants my cookie jar. I'm not finished with it yet!  

I warn you this recipe makes a big batch so if you don't have alot to feed you might want to half it.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES



1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

1 tbsp vanilla

2 eggs

4 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 package 24oz semisweet chocolate chips(the big one)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl until creamy. Combine in a separate bowl flour, baking soda and salt. Combine flour mixture with butter mixture gradually stirring well until you get a smooth dough. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough by rounded tablespoon about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown. Cool slightly and remove to wire racks to continue cooling. Makes approximately 5 dozen large cookies or 8 dozen smaller ones. 

Enjoy!

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Granola For Breakfast

I rarely buy sugary breakfast cereals anymore. We have started eating homemade granola in the mornings. I buy large boxes of oats and use raisins, my homegrown dehydrated apples, honey from the Amish, pecans or walnuts off the farm and sometimes throw in coconut. We eat this with milk for breakfast, over yogurt and sometimes just straight out of the canister as a quick snack during the day. Heart healthy and delicious and much more economical that those little boxes of cereal.    

Granola

12 cups uncooked oats
2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup flour ( I use whole wheat)
1/2 cup powdered milk
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup light olive oil 1 1/3 cup honey
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 cups raisins
2 cups nuts chopped
In a very large mixing bowl combine oats, coconut, flour, powdered milk, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt and mix well. In a sauce pan heat oil, honey and vanilla just until warm. Pour this over the oats and stir very well until everything is evenly mixed. Spread this in thin layer on several large cooking sheets and bake in oven at 3oo degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour stirring every fifteen minutes. Every fifteen minutes when I stir I rotate the pans from top to bottom so they all brown evenly. When done pour onto wax paper or aluminum foil and allow to cool. When completely cool add in dried fruit such as raisins and nuts.  Store in airtight containers or Ziploc bags. This recipe will make approximately 20 cups.
( I have substituted maple syrup for honey, used dried cranberries and even dried apples in place of the raisins. Get creative)

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Caramel Corn

  My what a busy Saturday this has been!

It started out at 6:00 am with Baby O getting up and getting dressed to go and volunteer at the 5 K run for charity. It was a benefit for the Kids for Kids organization which helps kids who have been through disasters or lost parents to illness or accidents. Baby O can definitely identify after watching her mother struggle with cancer. She and 2 of her friends ran a booth for the children present carving and painting pumpkins. She decided to go in costume.  Everyone had fun raising money for a good cause...

Then we came home and tackled Halloween treats. Caramel corn was in order. It is a family tradition that I make every year for the kids. We don't get a lot of trick or treaters but the few I do get expect their caramel corn. Here is the recipe for anyone who would also like to try it. I used to take this to Baby O's class party every year for Halloween.

Caramel Corn

1 cup margarine

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 quarts popped corn

Preheat oven to 250

                         

Pop Corn and place in a very large bowl. ( I used microwave popcorn. 5 quarts was about 2 and 1/2 bags. Make sure and pick out any unpopped kernels)

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

 

Stir in baking soda and vanilla. (mixture will foam up with the addition of soda and vanilla)

Pour a thin stream over popcorn in large bowl stirring to coat.

 Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven , stirring every 15 minutes, for one hour.  Remove from oven and while hot transfer to waxed paper. Let cool completely on waxed paper before breaking into pieces. 

Tomorrow I will place some in treat bags for my trick or treaters.

HAPPY HAUNTING

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter