Throwback Thursday Recipe Mom's Eggless Cake

This is one of my all time favorite cakes and one my Mom made for me every year for my birthday. Brings back memories and is a great Throwback Thursday recipe

 

Monday, April 26, 2010

Mom's eggless cake recipe

 Mom's Eggless Cake Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 cups buttermilk
3 cups flour
2 tsps soda
3-4 tsps cinammon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla

In mixer mix all the above ingredients together alternating the milk and flour
Pour into a greased and floured 13"x9" cake pan
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 min or until done in the middle. Test by inserting knife in middle and if comes out clean done

Icing
Combine 1 cup brown sugar
2 tbls milk
2 tbls coconut (add more to your taste)
Mix and sprinkle on top of cake while cake is still hot
Put under broiler till bubbles

Now I know this recipe is not gluten and corn free but I am going to replace with gluten free all purpose flour and try it. Will post how it comes out then Until then try this recipe because it is a delicious cake.

Be Glad When Over This Cold

 I am so glad that it is the weekend. I have been sick with a cold for two weeks but this week I have really been sick. Sleeping a lot and just feeling bad. Today is somewhat better but so glad it is the weekend and can rest all weekend. I know they say this is a bad year for the flu so glad we got the flu shot. Hope everyone is doing okay and avoiding this flue and cold that is going around.
     I have not been doing any crafts but have worked a couple of rows on a baby afghan. When I feel better I need to get it done and will share photos.
  
  I haven't been feeling like doing anything at all so this is the first day I have felt like posting. Hoping to get back in the swing next week. Until then Stay Warm, drink lots of Orange Juice and stay well.

 

This Week in Review and Sloppy Joe Casserole Recipe

     Hope everyone's week was good.  I have finished a couple of books and posted the reviews on my other blogs, started crocheting a baby blanket, started 3 more books, tried some new recipes for dinner and did some genealogy. Good week.

     I made homemade hamburger soup that we all love on Tuesday night and decided to try a recipe from Bisquick for gluten free bread sticks. I wasn't sure if this was going to work but they really turned out good. I got the recipe from http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/biscuit-sticks/5d670e15-a7da-4091-b59d-e8d3f1766acb. I just added about 1/4 tsp to the Bisquick whisked them together and then followed the recipe. They turned out really good, sorry I didn't think to take a picture of them. Try these with regular Bisquick or like I did use the gluten free Bisquick.

   Thursday night I wanted to use up the russet potatoes that I was afraid would go bad and the hamburger I had left.  The same old thing of hamburgers and fried potatoes didn't sound good to me, I wanted something different so I decided to make a Sloppy Joe Casserole instead.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef I used 85% for less fat
1 can Manwhich ( you can use any sauce you want that you normally use for sloppy joes. I usually make my own but had this can and decided to make it easy on myself)
5 potatoes
shredded cheddar cheese
Ketchup
olive oil

Directions

Pre heat your oven to 400 degrees.
Brown your ground beef. Drain the fat and then add your can of Manwhich or sauce you use. Simmer.
While you are simmering the sloppy joe cut up your potatoes into thin slices. Put olive oil in to your skillet and heat. Put potato slices into oil and cook till tender like you would for fried potatoes.

Take a pan and put the sloppy joe hamburger mix in the bottom. Top with the potatoes. Now cover with aluminum foil and put in oven for 10 minutes covered. Take out and drizzle ketchup over the top of the potatoes and then put the cheddar cheese on top to cover the potatoes. Put back in oven for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted completely. Serve with a nice salad and the breadsticks from the above recipe and you have a delicious meal.

I would have used hash browns or tator tots instead of the russet potatoes but I needed to use up the potatoes. I think if you used either one of these it would be really good.
It was a hit at our house.

Throw Back Thursday My Grandma's Hot Pad Pattern

Thought this would be a good pattern to share again on throw back Thursday. I can remember my grandmother making these for everyone and when she taught me to crochet this is one of the patterns she taught me to make. I still make them for family and friends. Hope you will give it a try. If you do leave a comment and a picture of what you make. If you have any questions leave them in the comment section and I will try to answer them. If you like this blog please follow me.

 

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Crocheted Hot Pad Pattern

This pattern is my own. My grandmother taught me how to do this by using a washcloth and folding it then crocheting around but I changed to make the cloth too because it is a thicker hot pad then. Hope it isn’t confusing they way I explain it.


With 100% cotton and a G hook
Row 1 with cotton and G hook ch 47. hdc in 3rd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn
Row 2 ch1 hdc in each hdc across turn
Row 3 – 40 repeat row 2 At end of last row fasten off
You may have more or fewer rows depending on how tight you crochet. What you want is a rectangle

Now comes the folding. Take the cloth just made and fold in half. Pin to help hold in place to keep it from slipping when you start to crochet the border.
Starting at the top left corner
attach 100% cotton ch 3 do 2 dc in same space ch 2 skip one space dc in next sp ch 2 skip one space 3dc in next space ch 2 skip a space and in next space dc. Continue around in this pattern.
Go down the left side across the bottom and up the right side


Shown in this picture

Now take and fold to meet the top left corner to the meet with top right corner in the middle pictured below.


Pin to hold and then slip stitch right corner to left.
Now pin the sides and they will be squares on each side like the picture below


This will be square on both sides when you pin them.
Ch 2 and continue pattern where you left off across one side and top opening, down the side and across the bottom up the other side and across the top opening. Now all sides should be worked and you are back to the top. Slip stitch to the stitch on the other side across from last stitch made. Ch 10 sl st to form a ring and this is your hanger.

If you have any questions or would rather buy one from me contact me at lhxpmdj@aol.com

Thinking Planning and Starting Crochet Christmas

I know it is only the first of August but did you realize there are only 145 days left till Christmas. Now don't panic there is still plenty of time to stop and think about who you want to crochet something for. Then plan what you want to make  for that special person and get patterns or make a pattern for what you plan to make and lastly get those hooks a going and start now on your Crochet Christmas.

Do not, like me, wait till October and panic crochet, staying up late nights trying to get everything done. Make a list of the people you want to make something for. Then in a column next to their name put down what it is you want to make them. Next to that put down the time you approximate it will take to make it and then last decide which one you will start first. I usually start with the ones that will take the longest to do and then to the ones that are the fastest.  This year I have 2 afghans to do and I will start with them. Then I will do toys for all the kids. I am thinking Amigurumi  monsters, friendly of course. Next jewelry and wristers with scarfs and hats. There my planning is done now to get started.

Here are some other ideas of gift baskets :

Hot pads and dishcloths are a stand by gift that I make for housewarming, Christmas, birthdays or a thank you gift. They go well in gift baskets with gifts in a jar, which I plan on making this year also.

For the reader in the family how about bookmarks, book jackets, nook or kindle covers and books or book cards in a basket.

For the coffee or tea lover you can do a set of coasters, cup snuggie, and cup and their favorite coffee or tea.

For kids why not put together several of the crocheted toys into a bucket or container of your choosing along with a few books that might go along with the theme of the toys. Like monsters you might put in Monsters, Inc. Little Golden Book (Disney/Pixar Monsters, Inc.) you might also include the DVD of Monsters, Inc. and the crocheted Amigurumi monsters

These are just some of my planning tips and gift ideas. As I start putting these together I will post how it is going and what they are looking like.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN IS ON 145 DAYS AND COUNTING

Need to Get Busy on Christmas Gifts and Stew Casserole or Stewcarole Recipe

   I know you all probably think I have lost it but I said last year I would not wait to start crocheting and making Christmas presents till October. This year I am starting in July so that I hope to eliminate those late night hurry to finish projects this year. I am at the planning stage right now but ideas are in short supply. I don't want to do the usual afghans but probably will be doing a couple for my oldest grand kids since they have outgrown theirs. I don't know why they have since I made them when they were in grade school and they are both adults now 18 and 20. It is long overdue and they have been asking so guess that is what I will start on now. I am trying different stitches hoping to come up with a suitable pattern that is unique to each one of them.

  I am also thinking about trying some recipes now to get them just right to have for those get togethers and as gifts from the kitchen. I love gifts in a jar so I think the next couple of weeks will be fun trying to find some and adding my spin on them.

For today though, here is another recipe that was one of those, don't want the same old thing for dinner, recipes but on a limited budget and made with just what I had in the refrigerator and pantry. We call it Stew Casserole or as my Grandson says Stewcarole. There is no picture because the family ate it so fast I didn't have a chance, it was a big hit.


Stew Casserole or Stewcarole

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
3 lg baking potatoes
1/2 pkg frozen mixed vegetables
olive oil
butter
1/2 cup BBQ Sauce
1 cup Ketchup
2 Tbl taco seasoning
2 Tbl chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
6-8 slice American cheese or cheese of your choice

Directions:
In skillet drizzle the bottom with olive oil and heat. Add 1/4 of a stick of butter to skillet and melt. When the oil and butter are heated you can add the peeled and thinly sliced potatoes to the skillet. Potatoes should be thin like you would have them for fried potatoes. Heat the potatoes till they just start to heat through and are starting to get tender. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees while you are cooking the potatoes in the skillet. When potatoes are ready put them with the oil and butter from the skillet on to a sheet pan in a single layer. Salt and pepper to taste. Put in oven for 20 minutes or until they start to crisp and brown turning once half way through cooking time. Now while the potatoes are in the oven brown the hamburger. Drain. Also in a pan cook the vegetables like it says on the package. Add chili powder and taco seasoning to the ground beef give it a stir till it is mixed well into the hamburger. Add the BBQ and Ketchup to create the sauce on the meat ( if you need to you can add more BBQ sauce and ketchup) Add the cooked drained vegetables to the hamburger mix well. let simmer till potatoes are ready.
When the potatoes are done remove them from the oven. Pour the hamburger vegetable mixture evenly in a 9X13 pan. Layer the potatoes on top in a single layer covering the hamburger mixture completely. Top with the sliced cheese on top of the potatoes. Put in oven for 5 minutes or till cheese is melted. Serves 4-6 depending on size of serving or how hungry they are. Add a nice side salad and garlic bread and you have a nice dinner in no time at all.

This is a very easy meal to make and at our house it was a big hit. You can make it with gluten free BBQ sauce and Ketchup and spices like I did.  To make your own garlic butter and bread  you can   melt a 1/4 stick of butter. To the butter add gluten free garlic powder and mixed them together. Then I used my gluten free bread for myself and regular bread for the family. I didn't have a baguette so I used sandwich bread. I put on a cookie sheet the bread and  spread it with the garlic butter and placed under the broiler till toasted. It works in a pinch when you don't have French bread or baguettes. Since I made this meal I see that Udi's brand has a gluten free baguette that I will try next time.

Hope you will give this recipe a try and let me know what you think.

2 Crocheted Bookmark Patterns

I collect bookmarks and so I have recently been coming up with crochet patterns for bookmarks. Here are two simple patterns of mine.

Delicate Flower Bookmark

Materials

#10 crochet thread multi color
D hook

Directions

Ch 55 join with slip stitch in 6 ch from hook
Ch 1 turn 
Now do 5 dc in circle, sc in circle 4 times ending with sc slip stitch to beginning dc and fasten off. Weave in ends  and block


Friendship Chain Bookmark

Materials

D hook
Size 10 thread I used multi color
Directions

First circle motif
Ch 20 join to form a circle with sl st in first ch
Ch 3 (1stdc) dc in same st, 2 dc in ea ch around join to top of beg ch 3 fasten off weave in end

Second circle motif
Do same as first but when you join to form circle go through center of first circle then do your dc in ea ch

Third circle motif
Same as second go through center of 2nd circle to join
Fasten off

Fourth circle motif same as 2nd and 3rd

For  band if you want one
Ch.60 dc in 4th ch from hook and ea ch across at end fasten off weave in ends weave through circles tack to first and last circle

Hope you give these patterns a try and as always let me know how you like them and show me pictures of yours if you try them.

Keep Crocheting!