Eggless Spice Cake

Here's Aunt Lyn's recipe if your milk has gone sour. You could put a tablespoon of vinegar in the bottom of a measuring cup and fill it to one cup with fresh milk if you don't have sour.

Eggless Spice Cake

½ C. shortening (I use butter), pinch of salt
1 C. sugar, 1t. Baking soda
1 ½ C. flour, 1 C. sour milk
1 t. cinnamon, ½ C. raisins
½ t. nutmeg, ½ C. nuts (optional)
¼ t. cloves, Add 2 T. cocoa if desired

Aunt Lyn said to add a little more flour for cupcakes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and pour into a greased (remember to use the butter wrapper) 9 inch square pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes.

When cool, you can frost with cream cheese frosting, or keep it simple and just dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Simply,
Mary

Lazy Daisy Cake

Last week I found a gallon of whole milk in the garage frig that had already expired and I had forgotten I had it. It was organic milk and for some reason that seems to keep from going sour longer than non organic. If you know why this is, drop me a line. Since I don't waste anything, I headed to my recipe box along with encouraging everyone to drink this precious milk before it spoiled. I was planning on making my Aunt Lyn's Eggless Spice Cake which calls for 1 cup of sour milk, but since the milk wasn't sour and I had plenty of eggs I went with another all time favorite cake. This recipe from my mother-in-law calls for 4 eggs and 1 cup of non-sour milk. If you like coconut and want an easy summer cake with frosting broiled right on - this one is for you.

Lazy Daisy Cake (sometimes called Hot Milk Cake)

4 eggs, ½ t. salt
2 C. sugar, 1 C. hot milk
2C. flour, 2 t. butter
2 t. baking powder, 1 t. vanilla

Frosting – below (to be made while cake is baking)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat eggs until thick and lemon colored (5 min.). Add sugar gradually, beating constantly. Sift together flour, baking powder, & salt. Add to egg mix. Heat milk and butter to boiling point (I do this in a glass measuring cup in the microwave). Add all at once to flour & egg, beat well (batter is thin). Pour into greased 9 X 13 pan. Bake 35 min..

Frosting

1 stick butter, 1C. brown sugar
1/3 C. cream or milk, 1 ¼ C. coconut

Combine all ingredients. Put frosting on baked cake as soon as it is taken out of the oven and broil cake for 3-5 min, until golden brown.

This cake seems to get better and better as the days go by like carrot cake does. Tomorrow I've got to get busy and bake Aunt Lyn's cake as I am almost out of eggs and yes, the milk is definitely sour now!

Simply,
Mary

Simply Snappy Treats

I have run out of dog treats today so it's time to fire up the mixer! Here is a canine culinary delight that makes use of all the scraps of your chicken and beef (except the bones). I guess if you have been reading my blog, you have noticed by now that I don't like to waste anything! Remember to use those butter wrappers to grease your pans whenever you can. Sorry, just had to throw that in - there will be no butter wrappers in this recipe. Here's my old dog bone recipe and I will add some changes to make it quicker and easier.

For the 6 T. of drippings, I grind the gibblets or meat scraps and mix them with the chicken fat or meat drippings. Then, to make snappy treats instead of dog bones, when I form the dough, I just take portions of it and roll it into a long rope. I put it on a cookie sheet and score it with a knife so it will be easy to break into whatever size treat you want. So there you have it and now your dogs will even think you are the best cook on the block!

Simply,
Mary

"Ugly" Fire Starters

Here's a simple recycling project that uses things you would normally throw away to make something very useful. We love to camp and have campfires and I learned how to make these years ago on the Phil Donahue Show.

The supplies are: cardboard egg cartons, dryer lint, and old candle stubs (birthday candles, taper candles or that last inch of a pillar candle that you can't light anymore). All you do is stuff the lint into the bottom of the cartons, melt the wax in an old can or pot set in another pan of water (sort of a double boiler) and pour the wax over the lint, wicks and all. Work over newspaper and if you spill a little wax or it seeps through a bit, crumple that paper and use it as a fire starter too. Let the cartons cool and close them up. You can tear them apart, top and all, and they will burn for quite a while giving your campfire a good start. Even though they are ugly, they smell a lot better than lighter fluid and work better too.

Hint: If you have a used up votive candle and the wax is stuck in the glass container, just set it in the freezer for a while and it will come right out.

Simply,
Mary

Hummingbird "Juice"

Have you ever taken a good look of one of these tiny little creatures? It was so amazing for me to get an up-close look at them 25 years ago in Asheville when we hung our first hummingbird feeder. Since then it has been a yearly tradition to hang one or more of them. You can put them right up close to a window and the birds will feed inches away from you. Once I even hung one inside an open window and the birds came right in the house to eat. I quickly moved the feeder back outside as I was afraid the little thing would take a wrong turn and get lost in the house. It did prove that they are not shy about getting to a feeder!

I have heard two schools of thought on when to hang the feeders. One is to hang them from April 1st to August 1st. The end date is to encourage the birds to fly South before cold weather. I always hated taking the feeders down while thirsty little birds were still coming. Then I heard that you should keep them up until you no longer see the birds because they know when to leave all on their own and you don't want them to loose their food source until they are ready to go. Of course I now subscribe to the second method as I am a true believer that Mother Nature knows a lot better than me and these little birds know exactly what they are doing. Bird brains or not, who knows more about hummingbird behavior than a hummingbird!

I know in Asheville they always began coming in mid April, but it seems they arrive in Raleigh a little later than that. So get your feeders up and these little ruby throated gems will come year after year, remembering where they are located. Let me know when you have your first sighting.

As for the Hummingbird "Juice", the powdered stuff you can buy that makes a red liquid is not necessary and the red dye can even be harmful to the birds. If the feeder has a red plastic base that may be good because they are attracted to the color like a bright flower, but they will come without it. Here's a simple recipe:

Hummingbird Juice

In a glass measuring cup, put 1 or 2 cups of water (depending on how much water your feeder holds). Then add 1/4 cup of granulated white sugar for every cup of water. Heat the liquid to boiling in the microwave and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let the juice cool and fill those feeders. It takes a little while for the birds to find them, but when they do, they won't forget. You should put fresh juice out whenever the feeder is empty or at least every 2 weeks.

Good luck and happy tiny bird watching!
Simply,
Mary

Motherly Love

On the eve of Mother's Day I am contemplating the love I have for each of my children. You know how it feels when you hear someone come home - as soon as the dogs begin to bark at the approaching car or the door latch opens and your heart takes a little jump knowing it's a loved one walking through the door. I have always felt that, each time Dave comes home from work or one of the kids enter the house. A little joyous feeling that someone special is here. It is a love that will never fade and only becomes stronger with time.

Tomorrow I'll get to see three of my five children and we will be traveling to Asheville on Wednesday to see the other two. Thanks to them I have gotten to be a mom. They light up my life and hopefully when they enter the room they can feel the light shining back to light up theirs.

I love you kids,
Simply,
Mom

Inhale!

Did you ever have a vivid flashback when you caught a whiff of something that reminded you of it? Pleasant memories or not, it's amazing how a smell can take you speeding back to a moment in time. Sometimes I can even remember what I was wearing in that moment!

Aroma therapy sure works for me and it's another simple pleasure that doesn't cost a penny! Phoebe (my dog) and I enjoyed some great smells today on our walk. The magnolia blooms are beginning to open and there are fragrant flowers and bushes everywhere. At my favorite rose display I had Phoebe sit and stay on the sidewalk so I could lean over and smell them. In most cases I think the resident would be pleased that someone is enjoying the fruits of their labor. Once a woman came out to comment that she liked seeing me do it. Just don't stomp on anything precious in the flower bed and beware of dogs protecting their property.

So today, whether it means putting on another pot of coffee (better make it decaf at this time of day), sitting in a bath with some fragrant oil, stepping outside to sniff some spring flowers, or frying an onion, I hope that you can all breathe in some of your favorite aromas.

Simply,
Mary

Salmon & Rice

I am trying to serve seafood meals 3 times a week. I confess some nights it is fish sticks and macaroni and cheese, but at least it is seafood. This was supper last night and I know I have promised the rice recipe, so here goes...

I have been making rice this way for nearly 40 years. It is the way my Mom taught me and I love it. It produces a soft rice and is great when you microwave leftovers. I have a heavy waterless stainless steel pot with a well fitting lid that I always use for my rice.

Note: When I write recipes, a C. stands for cup, T. for tablespoon and t. for teaspoon.

Rice:
In the pot, you put:
1 C. long grain white rice
2 C. water
1 t. salt
1 t. oil (I use olive oil)
1 t. lemon or lime juice. I usually buy limes - they are more acidic I think and I love the taste and color.

Bring these 5 ingredients up to a boil and reduce heat, simmering on very low for 14 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit a few minutes until all the water is absorbed. Spoon into a serving bowl.

Now for the salmon. Wild caught salmon is supposed to be the best and I get mine at Aldi's. It is the Sea Queen brand and there are 4 individually wrapped frozen fillets in a 16 oz package. Aldi's is a fantastic grocery store with amazing fresh produce, great cereals, large eggs and all at really low prices. Their make -up is wonderful too.

While your rice is cooking, get busy with the salmon. This recipe came from a woman named Pearl in Seattle and we have used it for many years. Make sure you thaw your fillets first if you are using frozen ones. You can also broil the salmon in the oven using this sauce as I did last night. My thin fillets took 4 minutes on each side with the broiler on high.

Salmon:

1 stick butter, 2 t. dry mustard
1T. ketchup, garlic powder to taste
¼ C. soy sauce

Melt all together (I use a 1 C. measuring cup in the microwave).
Place salmon on wire rack flesh side down on charcoal fire 5 min. until flesh
is sealed. Flip from rack onto barbecue rack and
spread with sauce. Broil 10 to 15 min. longer.
Do not overcook.
Note: I usually make ½ recipe for a nice slab of salmon.

You can serve the extra sauce at the table for drizzling on the rice or salmon. Add a green vegetable and you are good to go.

I hope you enjoy this easy salmon meal.

Simply,
Mary

Things Are Looking Up

Did you ever need a break from looking at the clutter that you are planning on organizing? Sometimes it can give you a real brain cloud! The other day I came upon something that helped revive me.

I am trying to get back to aerobic exercising and doing some yoga and stretching too. I remembered how I used to like doing inverted postures, like shoulder stands and head stands. They get all the blood out of your legs and feet and really rejuvenate your brain. Try it - it really works. Well, while up in that shoulder stand, I of course was looking at the ceiling. It was so spacious and so much more uncluttered than the floor. Other than a light fixture, it was totally clear of stuff. I enjoyed the view and upon returning to upright position, was rejuvenated enough to tackle the next item on my list. So, when that brain cloud sets in, just take a minute to look up wherever you are. The sky works even better - whether it is painted with beautiful puffy clouds like today, overcast or rainy, it is a vast expanse of uncluttered space to give you some relief.

Oh, and an added tip about your list of things to do (referring back to yesterday's blog),......I find that listing them in a time-frame where you estimate how long it may take for each task, is very helpful. You will be amazed at how much longer (or shorter) it takes you to do a task than you thought - so make a note of that for next time. That will prevent you from trying to do too many tasks in one day. It's no fun to come to the end of the day having only accomplished 3 out of 20 things on your list.

So just remember to hold your head up high, keep your chin up and enjoy the view!

Simply,
Mary

The Power of the List

Did you ever think that simply writing something down could make it so much more likely to get done? I have found this to be so true for me and I am trying to be better about making notes for myself. Remember, you should never have to purchase notepads for this purpose. The mailman usually furnishes me with enough junk mail and packets of advertisements (many of them with a blank back side) so I can cut them into the perfect size for either a short note or a long grocery list. Also, save your botched computer printouts for this purpose.

You can stick a few grocery sized notes on the frig with a magnet and it will always be handy for anyone in the household to add to when they realize something is running out. Of course, I am lost if I forget to grab this list on my way out to grocery shop, only to walk aimlessly around the store knowing that when I get home I will kick myself for forgetting to buy the key ingredient I needed for supper.

We have one of those over-sized paper clips on a stand where we can leave messages for each other and we all know to look on the counter for a note when we come home or wake up and we wonder where everyone went.

My goal this summer is to do some serious organizing of my stuff to help simplify my life. So I am going to write lists of things to try to accomplish. Even the fact that I am writing this down in my blog makes me feel like it is more likely to happen. I have so many raw materials because I love to make gifts and things instead of buying them and my hobbies require fabrics and yarns. At any moment, with my stuff combined with Dave's workshop of his raw materials, we could fabricate a new part for or mend anything (even replacing piano keys or bridle straps). All our raw materials along with our camping gear makes me think we could survive for a long time here in our home, building furniture, making our clothes and cooking with home grown food. We would need to work on a better garden though - our herbs would only take us just so far!

I think I have rambled on in a few different directions, but I just wanted to get across the point that if you make a list (hopefully the night before) of what you want to accomplish in a day, then prioritize it, you will be much more likely to get it done. What you don't finish, starts the list for the next day. Just be sure to include some things on that list that use your talents, some that lift your spirits along with a few things that frighten you, but must be done.

Happy listing,
Simply,
Mary

Simply Fry an Onion

Before I begin, I must tell you that I use iron fry pans or an iron Dutch oven whenever I can. Iron is the original non-stick cookware when seasoned properly and it even puts iron into the food you are cooking. The other cookware I use often is a pressure cooker. It cuts cooking time to nothing and it leaves so many of the nutrients in the food! But that's a topic for another day.

Okay, about onions. Even thought I love to cook, there are some nights when I haven't planned a meal or I'm really not in the cooking mood. Supper time might be minutes away and soon there will be hungry folks home from their busy days. What to do?!!! Simply fry an onion! There is nothing better than the smell of an onion frying in butter when you walk in the door.

Now, slicing that onion is a trick in itself. I remember years ago, even before I was married, my husband Dave and I were visiting some friends of ours and when I volunteered to help the experienced wife with supper, she asked me to slice the onion. I had that thing slipping and sliding all over the counter! I'm not sure what my slices looked like, but I know I was embarrassed about them.

A few years later I was so happy to learn the secret from a cook on the Phil Donahue Show. If you look at the picture these directions will make sense to you. Just slice the onion in half lengthwise and see the end that looks like a little mustache? Well, leave that one on and slice a little bit off the other end so you can peel it easily. Don't ever cut the mustache off because it holds everything together and you can slice it as thin as you want into half rounds or you can put vertical cuts as thin as you want and spread it out like a fan to see it won't even fall apart then. If you now slice across these thinly cut strips, you have tiny little diced onions! Either way, you end up with that little moustache as the last thing left, having done a very good job.

Well, back to frying that onion..........I melt butter in an iron pan, but you could use oil if you want. While that is frying on low you can start some rice or pasta because you will need something to serve your fantastic stir fry dish over. I'll write about cooking rice another time. Okay, now, look in the frig and see if you have any sun dried tomatoes, green pepper or mushrooms that you can add to your onion. Put in some garlic, which you can slice almost exactly as the onion if you don't want to use a garlic press. Add whatever leftover veggies, shrimp or strips of meat you have, some pesto and a little chicken or beef broth (I use granulated bouillon and some water). You can even drizzle in some wine or cream and season as you like. I love it with shrimp, cream and creole seasoning served over fine egg noodles. Well, there you have it! Just don't tell your family that you didn't know what was for supper an hour ago!

Oh, and remember the jelly jars I mentioned yesterday. Try some Bonne Maman Preserves - I get them at Kroger. They are delicious, don't have any high fructose corn sweetener and the jar label soaks off easily. The little red and white checkered lid has a great seal so you can use it for nuts, dried fruit or even leftover fried onions! Enjoy!

Simply,
Mary

Easy Dessert

When cooking meals, I usually make a meat or fish, a vegetable, something starchy like bread, rice or potatoes AND a dessert. I know this is old fashioned, but I have always been very old fashioned. As a girl this felt a little awkward, but now that I am old enough to be a senior citizen, at least at some grocery stores, it suits me a little better. You will have to forgive me for not always being politically correct or "with it" because of this character trait.

I know desserts are not good for you, but I must confess I am addicted and I promise to count the points on my Weight Watcher Food Tracker list. Here is a great treat that I decided on for tonight - it doesn't need baking.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BARS

1/2 C. light corn syrup, 1 t. vanilla
1/4 C. brown sugar, 3 c. rice crispies
1/8 t. salt
1 C. peanut butter, 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips


Combine syrup, sugar and salt in large glass bowl. Bring to full boil in microwave, about 2-3 min. Remove from microwave, stir in peanut butter, vanilla, cereal and chocolate chips. Press into buttered 9 X 13” pan. Chill about 1 hour.
Cut into small bars. Yield: 1 1/2 Pounds.

I don't ever use plastic in the microwave even if it says you can. I also heard never to even store oily or greasy things in plastic because plastic will leach into the food. Use your own judgement there, but I love to store things in wide mouth glass canning jars or jelly jars. It's easy to see what's in them.

One last thing, when talking about simplicity; I have to mention that if you ever take up knitting - I suggest you learn the Continental method (it's so much easier). I will teach it to you someday complete with pictures or a video to follow. If you have learned the European method, I'm sorry I won't be able to help you with your project, but don't try to change because I think that would be very difficult (I could never switch).

Simply,
Mary

Simply Smile

I would venture to say that the one most important thing you can do for someone on a daily basis is to simply smile at them. It is a universal language, and after all, it's the merry merry month of May!

Everyone who knows me, knows that I adore babies - the littler the better. When I make eye contact with one of these little creatures, I have been known to make a fool of myself going for the big connection. When it happens, I just know it isn't faked - not by a baby, but it shines forth in a broad toothless grin that makes the whole world seem a little warmer and better! What a way to communicate with someone who doesn't speak our language yet.

Since most of us know that feeling of how it warms us when someone smiles at us, let's give that feeling away as much as we can. It doesn't cost us a thing and hey, maybe a pretend smile can change us from the outside in, so we will really feel better on the inside too and soon that smile will be genuine. Once I asked the elderly couple I know, why people always flocked around them. With all their wisdom they said, "We smile - nobody does that anymore".

So.........simply smile, in person or over the phone and who knows, maybe you'll even get better customer service!

Simply,
Mary