What Cake??!!

Hello!
This is Gena's daughter, Baylee!
I just decided to tell you the reason why my mother has been slacking on blog-posting.
My mom cooks most nights and she has tons of drafts of posts but the pictures are missing. Our camera's memory card is a Lexar Pro Duo something and my moms laptop only takes SD cards. We bought the adapter so we could get pictures on her laptop but the adapter works with my laptop but not my moms. Therefore, the only way we can get her food pictures on her laptop is if we plug in the card to my computer and copy the pictures to a flashdrive and move them to her laptop. Which is a long and grueling process no one wants to do. Especially if we don't have a big enough flash drive. In the mean time, enjoy this draft my mom wrote a long time ago entitled "What Cake":
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One day when I was little, my aunt came over and there was a cake in the middle of the table. She called out to my mom in the kitchen and said, What kind of cake is this on the table?".  My mom called back, "What Cake".  My aunt said, "the cake in the middle of the table!" and again my mom said, "What Cake".  My aunt started to get a little frustrated and she said, "Damn it, the cake sitting here on the table!!!!".  Then my mom started laughing, she said, "That IS that name of the cake, it is called a What Cake!".

This story is from 35 years ago. I grew up in a family that did not have much money so one day when my dad came home with an Amana Radar Range we were excited. To this day I not sure how or where my Dad acquired that Radar Range but it changed the way we ate. My mom experimented with the recipes in the booklet that came with the oven. There was so much we could do with that little oven. I dug around on the Internet to see if there was a picture but I could not find the exact oven. This one was the closest one I could find. Very simple to use, put the food in and turn the dial to the number of minutes you need. If you opened the door, the oven stopped, close it and the oven would start back up if there was time on the dial.

My mom could make entire meals in that little oven. It actually continued to work for 20 years! A couple of years ago I came across two hand written recipes. One for What Cake and the other was for Fudge Cake. I was elated! These were the Amana Radar Range recipes my mom used to make and I loved them!

When I recently made this cake I did not have coconut or pecans so the topping ended up more like a syrup but it was still soooo good.  The cake is incredibly moist and the spice is just right.  Even after a couple of days the cake stayed moist.  If the coconut and pecans are in the topping it sets up into a topping that is like a praline.  This has be to my favorite cake!  I am dying to try these as cupcakes!
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The recipe wasn't in the draft but I flipped through my moms cookbook and found it.
(Note: This is the recipe my grandma wrote down from the Amana Radarrange cookbook. The recipe is originally for a microwave, but I wrote down how to cook it in the oven.)


What Cake
1/2 c boiling water
1 c quick cooking oats
1 stick of butter
1 1/2 c of flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 c of sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
Pour boiling water over oats and butter which has been broken into chunks. 
Stir until butter melts; set aside.
Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. 
Add to oat mixture; mix well. Add sugar, then eggs and mix thoroughly. Bake in a 2 qt utility dish 12 mins in radarrange. Turn dish often. (Modernized: Bake in a 9 x 13 baking pan at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes)
Frost with What Cake Topping.


What Cake Topping
3/4 c brown sugar
2 tblsp milk
6 tblsp butter
1/2 c chopped pecans
1 c coconut


Combine sugar, milk, and butter in a 1 qt glass casserole. Bring to boil and continue cooking one minute in radarrange. Blend in pecans and coconut. (Modern version: Melt butter in a sauce pan, add brown sugar and stir over medium heat until sugar is mostly dissolved. Next, add coconut, pecans, and milk.) Spread on cake.


Enjoy ;)

Trip to Chicago

Last weekend we spent a long weekend in Chicago visiting my daughter who moved there in January. The weather was really cold but the city was great!  We loved being with Chelsea and seeing how much she loved living in Chicago. 

Friday night we went for Chicago deep dish pizza at Giordano's.  It was worth the 40 minute wait for it to cook!  We had an appetizer of fried cheese, mushrooms and zucchini to tie us over.  The pizza was sooo good and really cheesy!

Every morning we went to the The Original Pancake House on Bellevue. They serve large portions and everything we tried was really good. If you go to Yelp.com you can see pics of the food. You have to go early or there is a long line out the door.

On Saturday we went to Willis Tower (Sears Tower).  In the past, we always has good intentions on going to the tower's observation deck but we never found the time.  This was first on our to do list for this visit! When we entered the building, the first thing they told us was that there is an hour and half wait AFTER we purchase our tickets.  We took the elevator to the next floor to buy tickets and the line was so long! We stood there for about 15 minutes and really contemplated leaving but we stayed and it was a good choice! From the time we walked in the door until the time we left it was about 3 hours.

After the Willis Tower we headed to Portillos for hot dogs.  Darn it, we did not take a picture of all of them.  We had chili dogs, Polish dogs, and below the dog with everything. They were yummy!!

The buildings were so cool.  We loved walking around and seeing all of the architecture! 

For dinner we went to Quartino's.  This place was delicious and the service was really impressive.  The table we were given was incredible!  It was a round corner table by the window.  There were six of us so it was out of the way and perfect!  It did not take us long to decide on what to order and the food came quick.  This restaurant is a Tapas Bar so we ordered 6-7 dishes.  I can only remember 6.  Pizza, gnocchi with pesto, short ribs, Alfredo with peas and prosciutto, veal meatballs and Penne (Pic below).  This is Chelsea's favorite restaurant so I am glad we got to experience the yummy food.  For dessert we stopped at the Ghirardelli Chocolate shop for ice cream! That was divine!!!

On Sunday we jumped on the train and went to Wrigleyville, Lincoln Park, and Old Town.  In Old Town we went to the Spice House and Old Town Oils. These were the neatest shops.  We tried quite a few Olive Oils before we decided on Tuscan Herb.  This week we have dipped bread in it and also added it to pasta.  It is soo good.  I will get more the next we go to Chicago! At the Spice House we bought spices for a rib rub. The ribs are marinating in the refrigerator as I type this!!

Sunday night we went to the Grand Lux Cafe on Michigan Ave.  We were lucky enough to get a window seat that faced Michigan Ave!!!  I got pasta, it was good but not great.  TJ got a Seafood salad (Pic below), it was huge and tasted really good. Chelsea got the avocado-chipotle cheeseburger that was delish. Baylee got the chicken burger sandwich.

New Orleans Style Roasted Spiced Shrimp

I don't normally find recipes in the newspaper that I want to try. My husband found the below recipe and stuck it on the refrigerator so I decided to give it a try. The shrimp were pretty spicy for me but he loved them. I have made them several times.

I entered these into Mommy's Kitchen Potluck Sunday. Check out all of the great entries.

New Orleans-Style Roasted Spiced Shrimp

2 lbs large shrimp

1 stick butter

3 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp pepper

1 tsp kosher sale

1 tsp dried thyme or Italian seasoning

1 tsp paprika, preferably smoked

1 tsp hot sauce

1. Arrange shrimp in a single layer in a shallow baking dish. Combine all remaining ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until butter melts.

2. Pour over shrimp and stir to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes (this can be refrigerated for up to 12 hours before roasting).

3. In a preheated 325 degree oven, roast shrimp until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Serve with pan juices.

Enjoy!

Breakfast Bake

Last month, my daughter came home for a visit and I looked on Food.com for a simple breakfast bake where I had the ingredients already on hand. This one caught my eye as it was made with Stove Top Stuffing, it did not have to sit overnight and the steps were very simple. I did change of the amount of the ingredients as I saw the concoction I was about to bake. It was so thick with meat it kind of scared me. I wanted to make sure it was not just bread and sausage so I increased the eggs.

The first time I made it (the first picture), I only added one extra egg. The second time I made it (second picture), I added two extra eggs and only about half of the sausage. The Stove Top adds a little extra flavor but it is not overpowering. I've got to tell you, I used a 13x9 pan the first time and a 11x7 pan the second time. I think I like the deeper version with more egg and less meat. I guess it depends on your preference; both tasted great and it disappeared quickly. As a side note, you can cut these into squares and freeze for a quick breakfast before work. It heats well in the microwave and it tastes like you made it fresh.

Breakfast Bake

Adapted from Easy Breakfast Casserole by Merlot on Food.com

1 box of Chicken Stove Top Stuffing

2 cups milk

1/2 pound of cooked sausage

8 eggs, beaten

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Grease a 11x7 baking dish.

3. Mix all ingredients together and pour into prepared baking dish.

4. Bake 45-50 minutes until set.

Enjoy!

Hash Brown Casserole - Light

This recipe shaves over 100 calories and 10 grams of fat from the original Cheesy Potato recipe that is a potluck staple. It also has a lower sodium content. It tastes really creamy and the kids love it.

Hash Brown Casserole - Light version

Cooking Light September 2007

3/4 c chopped onion

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp pepper

1 32 oz pkg of hash brown potatoes diced

2 Tbsp butter, melted and divided

1 10 3/4 oz can of condensed reduced fat, reduced sodium cream of chicken soup

8 oz light processed cheese (Velveeta Light)

1 8 oz carton light sour cream

Cooking spray

2 cups cornflakes, coarsely crushed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine onion, paprika, pepper, potatoes and 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a large bowl.

3. Combine soup and cheese in a medium microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 6 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring occasionally. Stir in sour cream. Pour cheese mixture over potatoes. Spread mixture into a 13x9 baking dish coated in cooking spray.

4. Combine cornflakes and remaining 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle evenly over top of potato mixture.

5. Bake for 1 hour.

Calories 181 (30% from fat); Fat 6g, Protein 7.1g, Carbs 25.5g, Fiber 1.5g, Chol 21mg, Iron 1.7mg, Sodium 494mg.

Enjoy!