Cookies - Chocolate Filled Yum-Yums

Normally, I'd save the verdict on a recipe until the end of a post, but not this time.  I am going to say right now that you should probably make Chocolate Filled Yum-Yums (CFYYs).  It is possible that this recipe is the best thing I have yet made out of the Cook Book.  There have been some recipes that were decent (Fancy Chocolate Refrigerator Cookies, Mock Apple Pie,  Powdered Sugar Cookies, Marshmallow Pie, Raisin Rolls), but they were all lacking in one way or another.  As a side note, it's curious that the recipes that have fared the best out of the Cook Book have generally come from the chapters on sweets.  I don't know if that is a reflection on my personal sweet tooth or the nature of the recipes and how perhaps cookies haven't changed all that much over the years.  A delicious cookie is a delicious cookie, no?

Preach!

Now before I jump into the preparation of these CFYYs, there is something I need to address.  Chinese Chews.  Here's the recipe page with the CFYYs as well as the Chinese Chews and Tasty Dainties:

So confused

What makes them Chinese?  Coco(a?)nut, huh?  Granted, my knowledge of the flora native to greater China isn’t vast, but I don’t think I’ve ever associated coco(a?)nuts with anywhere but tropical beaches.  Maybe Mao had a thing for them, and that was well known among Lutherans from northern Minnesota.  OR, maybe the cocoanut is native to China, while the coconut is more tropical.  I bet that’s it.  Mystery solved.  But then, if ½ cup of cocoanut is used in Chinese Chews, why doesn’t the 1 cup of cocoanut in the Tasty Dainties make them twice as Chinese?  Beats the heckoutta me.  Maybe Mao knows.

Betcha didn't know that Mao's little red book was actually a cook book featuring the versatile cocoanut.

Cakes - Pineapple Butterscotch Cake

Disclaimer:  I am writing this at two in the morning while at work (yes, as long as my patient is stable and I'm caught up on everything that needs to be done, I can use my computer).  So my usual lame humor is likely further impaired due to mush brain.

I've talked about cakes before and my thoughts about why they were likely considered so special.  It is my impression though, that not all cakes were of the same status.  I think quick breads/cakes were generally not as prized as they tend to be more dense and heavy, like the previously made scripture cake and sour milk orange cake.  These are unlike devils food cake, which should be much more light and delicate.  As I was making this edition's cake, I was thinking about what circumstances a housewife from 1951 might make pineapple butterscotch cake.  As you will see later, it's light-ish, but not to the degree of a devils food cake.  It's also not as dense as quick breads/cakes are.  But the addition of pineapple rings and cherries are added touches that definitely add to the flavor and appearance of the cake.  Ultimately, I have come to the conclusion that this cake may have been made for casual social gatherings, rather than for some fancy to-do.  And that is what I made this cake for, a VERY casual social gathering.

 Preparation

Here's our recipe.

Why didn't I make prune whip cake???  Oh yeah, 'cause I'm not a masochist.

I prepared to go do some grocery shopping so I could make the cake when I got a text message from Sarah, "I am worried about the unusual ingredients on the grocery list."  Come now, Sarah, just because shortening is kind of gross and can be used to make gross things, doesn't mean grossness is predestined.

Now, if you ask me, this looks an awful lot like a pineapple upside-down cake.  I recall my grandmother making them now and then and thinking they were pretty great.  So though Sarah doesn't have very high hopes, I was cautiously optimistic.  But I couldn't help but wonder why it wasn't called an upside-down cake.  Was this supposed to somehow be served with pineapples on the bottom?  Furthermore, what makes it butterscotch?  Maybe the brown sugar on the bottom caramelizes a bit while baking, but to call this butterscotch seems a bit like a stretch.  Nevermind all that though.  There's cake, and booze comin' down the road!

A story of two unlikely friends on an trip they'll never forget. Cakey and Boozy's  Big Adventure, coming to a theater near you.

Here we go.

I had a rather wiggly assistant this day too.  Thomas has been my helper for plenty of other recipes, so it was time for James to get in on the game.  Here's hoping he won't get too scared off.

When you're 7, all the world's a jungle gym.

Aaron and Sarah's 7th Annual Pie-Off is Coming!

Seven years.  Next Saturday, the 23rd of September is going the our 7th Annual Pie-Off.  I can't believe it.  What is the Pie-Off, you ask?  Come with me Sherman into the WABAC Machine.

Where are we going, Mr. Peabody?  To a time of wondrous inspiration, Sherman.

It was a simpler time.  A time you could dupe your friends into bringing you a lot of pie, and they wouldn't think twice about it.  Errr... well, yeah, that's about right.  Sarah and I were talking and came to the conclusion that there wasn't enough pie in our life.  So we invited people to make pie for a friendly, not really a competition.  Thus, the Pie-Off was born.  I think we had seven or eight pies that first year.  We had over 20 pies these last few years!

Interested?  You should be.  It's great fun, and if you like you can join us (assuming you're not some weird jerk or a pie thief).  Here's the deal.  We have categories for types of pies that encourage creativity, but not cutthroat competition.  Everyone brings a pie.  Everyone eats way too much pie.  Then we vote on what pie we think is the best for each category.  Simple!  Genius!

This year's categories are:

• Some Like it Hot
• Unicorn Pie
• It's 5 O'clock Somewhere
• Pie Is the New Black
• Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

We don't have a "Best Pie" type category, because it is more about visiting, having fun, and eating lots of delicious pie than repeatedly bowing down before that person who has been making beautiful pies forever.

Interested?  It is at 3:30 pm on Saturday, September 23rd at the Highland Park picnic shelter at 1200 Montreal Avenue, St. Paul, MN  55116.  The picnic shelter is on the north side of Montreal Avenue, across from Circus Juventus.  Bring a pie and stretchy pants.  It's a lot of fun.  Tall One can attest to that.

Grow some teeth, kid.

Hope to see you there!

Bread - Thin Bread

Welcome back to Cook Book Time Machine.  It has been a long time.  For those who are new to this project, I found an old church cook book from 1951 that belonged to my great aunt Marlys from Zion Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls, MN.  The cook book was assembled by the Zion Ladies Guild and is an interesting little snapshot on food, and domestic life on the prairie in the post-war era.  As far as the food goes, a few trends have emerged:  the food tends to be pretty bland, the directions in the recipe are often light on details, "salads" and hot dishes can be frightening.  Now, it's not to say that all the food is bad.  Aside from the carrot ring, we (or I) have manage to finish everything.  Wasting food is surely something the Ladies wouldn't have approved of.  So for each recipe I make, I document the preparation and reception of what I make.  It's a bit of an adventure, and it's kind of fun.

So now that I am done with nursing school, settled into my new job and a new house, I think it is time to resurrect the old blog.  I don't know that I'll go section by section quite as intentionally as I did previously, but I won't cherry-pick the best or worst looking recipes to make either.  For my first recipe revival, I decided to make Thin Bread.  I did choose this recipe in part to ease Sarah back into my doing this regularly.  There are multiple recipes that I've made that she was not a fan of.  Better to make something that appeared inoffensive than something scary.  So moving on...

Today's theme is Mystery.  Thin Bread?  What is Thin Bread?

Tortilla?

Pita?

Injera?

Lefse?

It is a mystery.

Let's find out.  Keep your eyes open for clues.

Pies and Desserts - Angel or Lemon Pie

Programming note:  I'm not yet done with the cookies post promised.  It'll be along in time.

I am enjoying working through the Zion Ladies Guild cook book, but it is not often that I am actually excited about making a recipe.  Angel or Lemon Pie looked exciting, and yes it is listed as "Angel or Lemon Pie" and I don't really know why.  Last year for Mother's Day, I made Sarah a pavlova.  The pavlova was first made in honor of Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova during a visit to Australia in the 1920s.  The pavlova has a meringue base and is topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit.  It is light, airy, beautiful, and delicious.  Just like Anna Pavlova... minus the delicious part.  I don't think she was very edible.

A. Pavlova - the dancer

A pavlova - the dessert

Don't get these confused.  That would be pretty embarrassing.  Though the pavlova I made wasn't as pretty as it could have been, I was satisfied with how it turned out considering it was my first attempt at making something like that.  Sarah was pretty happy with it, and so between the two of us we licked the platter clean, as they say.  The Angel or Lemon Pie (ALP, hereafter) looked to be similar to what I made for Sarah last year.  It had a baked meringue base, and a custard-like topping.  As good as the pavlova was, surely ALP should be alright.  But you know, this is the Zion Ladies Guild cook book, so who can really say?

Cakes - Devil's Food Cake

Before we start, I had some music playing while Thomas helped me make this recipe.  This devil's food cake has been brought to you by the letters K., C., and the number Funk.  You know, 'cause the Ladies of Zion were totally funky for their time

Cake.  What can I say about cake?  I'd much rather talk about pie, but I'm not on the pie section this time around.  There are so many more options for pie.  Pie is so much more fun to make than cake.  But this isn't the pie section, it's the cake section.  So cake, it is.  Previously when I came to the cake section, I made Scripture Cake (a crazy, ugly, adventure that wasn't so bad), and Sour Milk Orange Cake (puzzling, messy, strange, and edible).  Let's see how devil's food cake stacks up.  This recipe is by Mrs. J.O. Botten who previously showed up with Orange Cookies (unusual texture, but not too bad).

Though I prefer pie to cake, I have certainly made cakes before.  This will be the first time I will have made a cake from scratch rather than from a mix.  A certain mother of mine alleges that back in high school I would make cake mixes and just eat the batter instead of making the cake.  Can I claim plausible deniability?

Oh high school.  I don't miss you.

Hank Green Samples 50s Food

Came across this video of Hank Green of the Vlog Brothers making and sampling some period-looking (not going to pass judgment) recipes.  Thought I'd post this while I am very very slowly working on the post for the Devil's Food Cake recipe I made last week.

Enjoy!