Sunday's Plate

Well, after a long and needed rest, we're back at it. Sometimes it's nice to put regular things aside so that when you pick them up again, there is something new and delightful about those regular things!

I spent a great deal of this vacation on one of the little barn cats that has been coming around the school for food since this summer. He was horribly injured a couple of weeks before Christmas, and for about two weeks, we tried to save his paw, but failed. He needed an amputation. So to make a long story short, I brought him home Christmas Eve having had his hind leg removed at the hip, and by Christmas he was up the tree with the other little beast. It took more than a few days of worry and work to put this all right.

I did manage to stay at home a few days, and learned some new things about cooking. As this is supposed to be Sunday's Plate, I will share them with you.

I was making some ordinary vanilla cupcakes and knew that the recipe would be mediocre at best, and decided to add another 1/2 cup of milk and leave it beating at high speed for about five minutes. The cupcakes turned out to be one of the best batches I've ever made. One of my children asked me warily if I had store bought cupcakes! I'm going to try that at school this week when I make spice cupcakes. You can't have a light enough cupcake!

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Another thing I learned was how to make Pizzelles. They are little griddle cakes you make with a press that turn into large cookies or ice cream cones, or bowels. They are charming and delicious. I made orange rum flavor and they were wonderful. I plan on making them for the kids this summer as sandwich bread for their peanut butter.

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I learned how to use condensed milk to make bar cookies. This is a very nice substance and very usable in making all kinds of bar cookies. One recipe calls for:

2 cups flour
2 cups of oats
1.5 cups brown sugar
1 package white chocolate chips
1 package walnuts or pecans
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs beaten
1 can of condensed milk
2/3 cup peanut butter

Mix all dry ingredients; divide in 1/2.

Into one half mix your beaten eggs and press this half into a baking dish and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Mix milk and peanut butter together and pour over first layer hot from the oven.

Put second half of dry mix on top, press, and bake for 20 more minutes. Let cool and cut into big fat squares - to die for.

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One of the things I learned to do properly is fry left over mashed potatoes. The secret is to mix them up with eggs and let them sit. Then when you melt your butter in the pan, you LEAVE THEM ALONE until they are fairly brown on one side then flip them ONCE!

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One of the things I've been making is "The Recipe." This is made with fruit and brandy. Needless to say I can't make it at school; it has to be a home recipe ;-}. It's made with sugar, brandy, and canned fruit beginning with pineapple, then cherries, then peaches. The ultimate goal is to make a very adult fruit cake. It's very delicious. This is NOT traditional fruit cake. This is really quite a different kind of cake. Upon giving one of our teachers a small bit of pineapple, she had to sit down. Now if you are reading this and would like to sample some, please let Miss Judy know. I will be making them this coming weekend.

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Until next week c'est bonne!