Mishaps of a housewife

Ina Garten's chocolate layer cake: INGREDIENTS 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 2 cups sugar 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line them with parchment paper; butter the paper. Dust the pans with flour, tapping out any excess. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the flour with the sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt at low speed. In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the oil, eggs and vanilla. Slowly beat the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until just incorporated, then slowly beat in the hot coffee until fully incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick i...

These are quite tasty, and the smell as they bake is intoxicating! Healthy Oatmeal Cookies 1 c whole wheat flour 1 1/2 c old fashioned rolled oats 1/2 t baking soda 1/2 t baking powder 1 t salt 1 T cinnamon (optional) 1 c molasses crystals (or brown sugar, if you don't have them) 1-2 T honey 1/2 c oil 1 egg, beaten 2 T- 1/4 c water 1/2 c raisins or craisins (or more, if desired) 1/2 c walnuts (ditto) Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together. In a separate medium bowl, mix together wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, then add the walnuts and raisins. Mix well. If the mixture seems to wet, add a bit of flour. If it is too dry, add more water (or an egg white). Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. bake for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown.

The other night, I made the "healthy" cookies from an earlier post. My advice: TRY THEM!!! They were delicious. I particularly liked them straight out of the oven, as they were still a little crunchy on the bottom and the dark chocolate was oh so melty! Here are the alterations I made (those of you who know me best can attest to the fact that I always change something in a recipe... I'm a rebel). 3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or olive oil) *I used regular olive oil and couldn't taste any difference 2 cups rolled oats 2/3 cup almond meal (this can be done in a food processor, just don't go so long that you get almond butter!) *I found pecan meal at the grocery store, and it was great! 1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt *regular salt is fine, but, like I do with m...

For years (literally- I've been making banana bread or at least helping my mom with it for as long as I can remember), I've been faithful to a banana bread recipe in the old red and white checked Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I'm now a convert. I recently made a new banana bread recipe from the same cookbook I described in the last post. It's from another character in the Mitford series, Puny Bradshaw. It's the best banana bread I've ever had. It's dense and cake-y, not overpoweringly banana-y, is moist on the inside and has the most delectable outside. It's good hot, room temperature, or cold. I also did the entire recipe in the food processor, so I didn't have to mash the bananas beforehand. I'm all about shortcuts! Puny's Banana Bread 1 1/4 cup sugar (or honey crystals, if you have them- they're fantastic!) 1/3 cup oil 2 eggs, beaten 3 ripe bananas, mashed 1 1/2 cups all purpose (White Lily, if you have it) flour ...

Recently, I have been reading a series of books that my mother has been telling me for years to read. The books belong to The Mitford Series, wonderfully and enchantingly written by Jan Karon. Not only are they highly entertaining (not to mention humorous, although sometimes very subtly so), but they are also challenging, encouraging, joyous, peaceful, and any other adjective that means good and wholesome. Anyway, I strongly recommend them. In addition to her series, Jan Karon produced a cookbook. In her books, she talks about food and the people that cook it in such a way that you feel like you just cannot go on unless you get a taste of it. The cookbook is written so that the recipes "belong" to the fictional characters and often include stories from the books. One such recipe is for glazed carrots. This has become the only way Randy will eat carrots, unless I manage to sneak them into stews or pot pies. He claims that they taste like candy (thanks to admittedly copious amo...

I found this recipe this morning, and I can't wait to try it! As soon as I do, I'll let you know what I think. "Healthier" Cookies 3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or olive oil) 2 cups rolled oats 2/3 cup almond meal (this can be done in a food processor, just don't go so long that you get almond butter!) 1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped Preheat oven to 350 degrees; place racks in the top third of the oven. In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.The doug...

This recipe is delicious! Surprisingly, the maple flavor is not too powerful. Goes great with some caramelized onions! Ingredients: 1/4 cup maple syrup 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 pound salmon In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. Arrange foil in a shallow glass baking dish that is long enough for the salmon. Place the salmon in the middle of the foil, then pour the maple mixture on top. Wrap the salmon in the foil, adding another piece if necessary. M arinate salmon in the refrigerator for up to 30 minutes, but no more, turning once. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon in the foil for 20-25 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork.