Angel Food Pineapple Cake

 I recently got a email from Betty Crocker and saw the recipe
for Angel Food Pineapple Cake. I used to make this several years ago for my daughter who was in Weight Watchers at the time. It has no fat and all angel foods are good for dieters. Using pineapple packed in juice lowers the sugar content also. Fresh pineapple won't work here as it needs the juice that the canned is packed in. This is the only liquid used.
 This is so easy that anyone can make it, great for children who like to help in the kitchen and are just learning. The recipe calls for an angel food pan but I won’t use spray in my pan. It never cleans out again and that will ruin your pan for a regular angel food. I baked mine in a 9x13 pan, you could use two 9 inch bread pans or make it into cupcakes. I do think the cupcakes would be messy as you need to work fast after it is mixed. 
 Lyle and Bettie thought it was very good, and that it was even better the next day. A good light, easy to fix, dessert to end a Easter meal. After a heavier meal, it is always nice to have a light dessert. Dress it up with whipped cream and cherries if you want it to look special.

Angel Food Pineapple Cake
Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker white angel food cake mix
1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
   Heat oven to 350°F.  Spray 10 inch tube pan, or 13x9 pan with cooking spray.
 In a large bowl, mix dry angel food cake mix and crushed undrained pineapple until combined. Pour into pan. (It will start to rise in the bowl).
Bake 40 to 45 minutes until deep golden brown for tube pan or 30 to 35 minutes for a 13x9 pan. Cool tube pan upside down as directed on cake mix box about one hour or 13x9 pan on a wire rack for one hour. Turn out cooled tube pan cake, do not take the cake out of the 13x9 pan. Cut with a serrated knife or break apart with two forks. Garnish with whipped cream and Maraschino Cherries if desired.
Nutrition Information


Serving Size: 1 Serving Calories 160 ( Calories from Fat0), Total Fat0g (Saturated Fat0g, Trans Fat0g ), Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 320mg Total Carbohydrate 36g (Dietary Fiber 0g   Sugars 4g ), Protein 3g ; % Daily Value*: Vitamin A0%; Vitamin C4%; Calcium 6%; Iron 0%; Exchanges:1 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 0 Fat; Carbohydrate Choices:2 1/2 *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Quick and Hearty Vegetable Barley Soup

My experience is that recipes from product boxes are invariably good; manufacturers want you to try them and use their product again and again.  Here’s one we like from the Quaker “Quick” Barley Box.  It’s convenient and uses ingredients most of us have on hand. 
I use whatever tomato product I have on hand, home-canned, Rotel, stewed tomatoes, salsa or the like.  I get a different flavor every time.  Any combination of vegetables you like that adds up to the 9 ounces can be substituted for the frozen mixed vegetables.  You can also use regular rice for the quick barley and cook it in the same time; however, barley is our favorite.  It’s whole grain, with a slightly nutty flavor and takes us right back to my grandmother’s kitchen.     I usually serve it with a serving of crackers or bread of some kind and a crisp salad with fresh fruit for dessert.   Today, cold and rainy, we had chopped salad, oatmeal muffins and a fresh pear.            
Quick and Hearty Vegetable Barley Soup
     ½      pound  Ground Beef
     ½      cup  Onion -- chopped
  1          teaspoon  Garlic -- minced
  5          cups  Water
  14 ½    fluid ounces  Canned Tomatoes
     ¾      cup  Quick Barley
     ½      cup  Celery -- sliced
     ½      cup  Carrots -- sliced
  2          teaspoons  Beef Base
     ½       teaspoon  Dried Basil -- crushed
  1          each  Bay Leaf
  9          ounces  Frozen Mixed Vegetables

In a 4 quart saucepan or Dutch oven, brown meat.  Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is tender.  Drain.
Stir in remaining ingredients except frozen vegetables.  Cover; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add frozen vegetables, cook about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
If soup becomes thick upon standing, add some additional water.

Yield:  "2 quarts" or 8 Servings

Cost 2015:  $5.86 or 74¢ per serving when ground beef is $3.29 per pound.

Per Serving: 128 Calories; 8g Fat (53.5% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 24mg Cholesterol; 123mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 1 Fat.

Sunday in Iowa

This barn is on the edge of town
in Bussey, Iowa 
population 422

Family Favorites...Spring Holiday Breads or Oster-Hefezopf mit Hagelzucker

In German, these Easter loaves are called Oster-Hefezopf mit Hagelzucker, or Easter yeast braids with "hail" sugar.  This is a nice spring loaf for Easter or other holidays from "Fleischmann's Best-ever Breads."  I shared a loaf with Myrna’s family – and made our loaf into French toast – delicious!  I had some coarse sugar that I use for Dutch Puff Pillows – so I used that on top.  This is also good with a thin powdered sugar glaze and slivered almonds on top or more elaborately decorated for Easter with icing flowers or smaller egg-type candies.
The recipe suggests that you can also replace the lemon peel and nutmeg with 2 tsp. ground cardamom, and/or knead in 2 cups chopped toasted nuts or chopped dried or candied fruit or a combination for a nice variation.    There are 2 choices of braiding directions; you can also braid each loaf into a round for another attractive variation.  This is a recipe you can make your own.                 
 Spring Holiday Braid
  6 1/2   Cups  Flour, All-purpose
     1/2   Cup  Sugar
  4          Teaspoons  Instant Yeast
  1          Tablespoon  Grated Lemon Peel
  1 1/2   Teaspoons  Salt
     1/2   Teaspoon  Nutmeg
     3/4   Cup  Whole Milk
     1/2   Cup  Water
     1/3   Cup  Butter -- softened
  3          Large  Eggs
  1          Large  Egg White -- lightly beaten
              Sugar
In mixer bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, yeast, lemon peel, butter, salt and nutmeg.
Heat milk and water until very warm (120° to 130°); using paddle attachment, stir into dry ingredients.  Stir in 3 eggs and enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.
Change to dough hook and knead 6 minutes.  Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
To shape:
  1. Divide dough in half; set aside half.  Divide 1 half into 4 equal pieces; roll 3 pieces into 14" ropes.  Place on greased baking sheet and braid.  Pinch ends firmly to seal.
  2. Divide remaining dough into 3 equal pieces; roll each piece into a 9" rope.  Braid.  Place the small braid on the large braid; pinch ends to seal and to secure to the large braid.
  3. Repeat with remaining dough to make 2 finished braids.
  4. Or divide into 6 equal pieces; braid 3 together for each loaf.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 25-30 minutes.
Brush braids with egg white.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes or until done; if needed, cover with foil during last 10 minutes.

Glazed Ham Balls


 A favorite recipe in our house is this one from Taste of Home for Glazed Ham Balls.
I have made these for several years now and they are always a winner. You can cut the recipe in half as it makes quite a few, or do as I do and freeze the leftovers for another day. However, if Bettie’s daughter is at our house, she always gets any left over as they are one of her favorites. One of the reasons we like these is that there are no graham crackers in the mixture. For some reason in this area most recipes call for them and I feel they make the balls too sweet.
Glazed Ham Balls
Balls
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 ¼ cups quick cooking oats
 2 ½ lbs. of ground Ham (I use a ham loaf mixture from our local store which is ground ham and pork.
Sauce
1 cup plus 2 TBS packed brown sugar
3 TBS cornstarch
¼ teaspoon ground cloves (scant)
1 ¾ cups pineapple juice (buy just the pineapple juice)
½ cup light corn syrup
3 TBS cider vinegar (it needs to be cider)
4 ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard (yellow will work if that is all you have)
  In a bowl, mix the eggs, milk, oats and ham. Shape into 1 ½ inch balls. (a ¼ cup measuring cup works well to get the right size). Place into a lightly greased 15 x 10 x 2 inch baking pan. Bake in a 350° oven for 15 minutes while you get the sauce ready. Drain before adding the sauce to get rid of some of the fat. 
 In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, cornstarch and cloves. Stir in pineapple juice, corn syrup, vinegar and mustard until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Pour over ham balls. Bake uncovered at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until browned. Baste occasionally with the sauce.
Yield: 10 servings of 2 Ham balls per serving

Ham and Noodle Casserole

Here’s a simple-to-make casserole that doesn’t use canned cream soup.   I have found that it’s quick to thaw the mixed vegetables by putting them in the bottom of the colander, and then draining the noodles over them.  I topped mine with some crushed canned French fried onion rings, but you can leave them off or use any other topping you like; buttered bread or cracker crumbs or corn flakes during the last 10 minutes.  I have also used some left over sour cream dip instead of the plain sour cream and we really liked it too.  You can use whatever grated cheese you have on hand instead of the Parmesan.
After making this for a while, I discovered one day, when my oven was already full, that this is just as good finished off in the microwave, and much quicker.  Then you can top and crisp up the topping under the broiler, or simply leave off the topping.           
Ham and Noodle Casserole
  6        Ounces  Dry Noodles 
  12      Ounces  Cottage Cheese -- fine curd
  10      Ounces  Frozen Mixed Vegetables -- thawed and drained
  1        Cup  Ham -- cubed
     ¾    Cup  Sour Cream
     ¼    Cup  Skim Milk
  3        Tablespoons  Grated Parmesan Cheese
  1        Tablespoon  Flour
  1        Teaspoon  Dill Weed
Cook noodles; drain.  In a large bowl (or the noodle pot), combine remaining ingredients.  Add noodles, toss to coat.
Transfer to a 2 quart greased baking dish.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 400°.  Uncover; bake 8-10 minutes longer until heated through.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Optional:  Instead of baking, cover the casserole with a lid or microwave safe plastic wrap (punctured in a few places) and cook on high for 6-10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

4-6 Servings

Ham Vegetable Soup


 A chilly day in the spring is just right for vegetable soup. I remembered seeing a ham and vegetable soup in the More Cooking From Quilt Country, so decided that as I had some left over ham and a ham bone that I would make a version of it for our supper.
  I did not use her recipe except for getting a basic idea of what was in the soup. Vegetable soup can be a great way to clean up the odds and ends out of your lonely vegetable drawer. I will try to give you the amounts I used, but feel free to make it your own using your families favorite vegetables. The flat leaf parsley tastes a good deal like cilantro so if you do not like that flavor do not add it. 
Ham Vegetable Soup
2 quarts chicken stock, homemade or store bought
1 meaty ham bone
1 cup cubed ham or ham from your ham bone
1 14 ½ ounce can of chopped or diced tomatoes
1 russet baking potato peeled in ¾ inch cubes
2 carrots diced
2 stalks celery diced
1 onion chopped
Chopped cabbage to taste, I used about 2 cups
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 teaspoons fresh flat leaf parsley
  Saute the onions, celery, carrots till limp, add everything except potatoes and cabbage. Heat and simmer. Peel and cube the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes in a separate pan. Drain and add to the soup. At this point it can simmer for as long as you need it to. Add Cabbage (if using) 15 to 20 minutes before you are ready to eat.
 If you are going to be late eating it, cool and reheat later.

Homemade Raisin Sauce

We thought we would offer some favorite ways to use Easter ham this week.
I went to high school in a small town in North Texas, and at a community Easter dinner every year; they served this raisin sauce with ham.  Serve it with your baked ham or with ham steak; I browned my Frick's ham steak (from Missouri) in our Mom's cast iron skillet in just a little bacon fat.
I use cook-type clear jel in this recipe if I think I am going to want to reheat it. This is very fast to make, and most cooks will have the basic ingredients in their pantry.  The mustard and vinegar are just enough to keep it from being too sweet.  Quick, tasty, and it makes your meal a little special.
Homemade Raisin Sauce
     ½    cup  Brown Sugar -- Packed - 4 ounces
  2        tablespoons  Cornstarch or Cook-type Clear Jel
  1        teaspoon  Dry Mustard
  1        cup  Water
  ¾-1   cup  Raisins -- 3-4 ounces
  2        tablespoons  Cider Vinegar
  2        tablespoons  Butter
In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, cornstarch and mustard.
Stir in the water and vinegar until blended.
Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Stir in the raisins.
Stir in butter until melted.  Thickens at room temperature.
Serve slightly warm over sliced ham.
Yield:  "1 3/4 cups"

8 Servings

Sunday in Iowa...


The lovely old St. Elizabeth's Cemetery 
in Harper, Iowa Population 114

Family Favorites Cashew Chicken and Rice Casserole


  The recipe for Cashew Rice and Chicken Casserole in the Land O Lakes Country Heritage cookbook is quite good. It calls for baking in the oven for an hour, and using wild rice and white rice.  
  I do not want to spend this much time and the cost of wild rice on a casserole so this is my twist on putting it together. I am going to use the directions I came up with and if you want to check out the recipe in the cookbook I encourage you to do so. This is an excellent cookbook and the casserole was well received at our house. I add about two cups of leftover cooked chicken or what I have on hand. Canned chicken will work as well.
 Cashew Chicken & Rice Casserole
2 cups cubed cooked chicken or what you have on hand
1 (6 ounce) box Uncle Ben’s Long Grain Wild Rice original recipe (omit seasoning packet)
2 ¼ cups chicken broth
1 cup salted cashews (whole and pieces are cheapest)
1 cup sliced celery
¼ cup chopped parsley (optional)
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup chicken broth and ¼ cup white wine if desired. (I used Sherry)
1 jar chopped pimiento, drained
⅔ cup dairy sour cream
1 teaspoon dried basil or italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt  (taste before adding. The cashews add salt)
Pepper to taste
  Cook rice with the 2 ¼ cups broth about 25 minutes. If there is still a little liquid in the rice saucepan just add it into the casserole.
  While rice is cooking, in large skillet melt butter, saute celery and nuts. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the sour cream. Simmer on medium low. When rice is done, add to the skillet. Stir in the sour cream and heat through. I let it heat about 15 minutes. 


Make It Yourself...Käsespätzle (Cheese Spätzle With Fried Onions)

Clockwise: from top L:  Prepared baking dish, cheese with nutmeg,
Serving portion, caramelizing onions, slicing onions,
European Mac and Cheese!
Here’s a delicious way to use spätzle, or what I think of as “batter noodles”.  I commented that I wanted to experiment some more with this recipe, and my husband said, rather firmly, that it was perfect just like this.  This "European mac and cheese" is popular in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other areas of Europe; often with different names.
The trick to perfect spätzle is to stir it until the batter starts to get stringy.  That keeps it from falling apart when you cook it.  You can use a spätzle maker if you wish, but I simply cut the batter off in noodles from a wet cutting board or plate, letting it drop into the simmering water, as my Swiss grandmother taught me.    
I used some Emmi  raclette cheese and some gruyere, both cheeses that melt easily.  You do want to both butter the casserole and use the bread crumbs to keep the dish from seeming too greasy.   
I sometimes make the onions before I cook this, or I use my home-canned caramelized onions which speeds up the preparation and they taste delicious.         

 Käsespätzle  (Cheese Spätzle With Fried Onions)
                        Onions
  2         teaspoons  Olive Oil
  1         teaspoon  Butter
  2         medium  Onion -- quartered and sliced
                        Batter
  1         cup  Flour, All-purpose -- (4 1/2 oz)
     ½     teaspoon  Salt
  2         large  Eggs -- beaten 
  2        tablespoons  Milk 
                        Casserole
     ¼     teaspoon  Nutmeg
  4        ounces  Gruyere Cheese -- or Emmental, or Raclette
            Butter and Breadcrumbs for Dish              
  1. Heat butter and oil in a small pan on medium heat, add onions and turn heat to low.  Stir every few minutes for about an hour, until lightly browned.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°.  Heat a large pot of water, covered.
  3. Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.  Combine the egg and milk and add to the flour mixture.  Beat for several minutes until the batter is smooth and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.  Let rest 10 minutes and beat again.  The dough should be a lot thicker than pancake batter but not as much as bread dough.  You can't beat it too much.
  4. Pour the batter onto a spätzle board or a flat plate that have been sprayed with non-stick spray or moistened with water.  Cut the noodles off in about 1/8-1/4" widths into the water.  Stir the pot so the noodles don't stick to the bottom.  They will rise to the top.  Cook an additional 3-5 minutes.  Drain well and set aside.
  5. Prepare a 1 quart casserole with butter and dust with bread crumbs.  Combine the grated cheeses and nutmeg.   In the casserole, layer the noodles and cheeses in 2 or 3 layers, ending with cheese.  
  6. Cover the casserole and bake 20 minutes, uncover, top with the onions.  and bake an additional 15 minutes or until bubbly.  Serve hot.
4 Servings
**Any combination of Gruyere, Emmental or Raclette cheeses may be used.

Per Serving: 323 Calories; 16g Fat (43.7% calories from fat); 16g Protein; 29g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 141mg Cholesterol; 413mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 2 Fat.

Make it Yourself...Spätzle, Spätzli or Spaetzle in Soup

Spätzle (Bavarian), Spätzli (Swiss) or Spaetzle (Americanized) – pronounced “spet-zul”, are soft, easy-to-make last-minute homemade noodles.  Our Swiss-German grandmother served them in chicken soup.
I can't believe people will actually buy dried spaetzle or use a fancy maker to drop them.  They are so easy to stir up!
The secret to getting these right is beating well to get a slightly elastic batter.  Grandma poured the dough into a fairly flat salad plate and cut off the noodles right into the bubbly broth with a table knife.   A smaller cutting board works too.   If you like knöpfle, or little knobs of dumplings, just drop pieces with two spoons.  
The spaetzle are done when they rise to the top; they should be delicate and light, but slightly chewy.  If the first one or two are too doughy, add some milk.  If you double this recipe, cook in two batches so you will not have some done before you can get all of them in the pan.
The noodle batter has only 4 ingredients and costs only 20¢ to make.
                                 Spaetzle
                        Soup
 3/4    cup  Celery -- finely diced
     3/4    cup  Carrots -- grated
     3/8    cup  Onion -- finely chopped
  1 1/2    quarts Rich Chicken or Turkey Broth
       1      pint Canned Chicken or Turkey (Optional)
                        Batter
  1          Large Egg -- beaten
     1/4    teaspoon  Salt
     1/2    cup  Flour, All-purpose
     1        tablespoons Milk
Soup: Cook vegetables in chicken broth until tender, 15-20 minutes.  Add chicken if desired, and keep soup simmering while adding batter.
Spaetzle: Beat eggs; add salt and flour, add milk gradually.  Beat well.  Batter should be fairly thick and elastic.  Pour batter into a flat plate or cutting board sprayed with cooking spray.  Tilt the plate slightly over the bubbling broth and slice off small noodles with a table knife into the soup.  Let them cook, about 5 minutes or so, until they are floating on top.
Serve with sprinkles of chopped parsley.


4 Servings as a main dish soup

Cabbage Potato Soup

 It was cooler and rainy today and I had a half of a head of cabbage to use up so this soup was supper. 
 I adapted several recipes I had read and used what I had on hand to make it and keep it light. I usually have home canned chicken stock, though you could certainly use store bought chicken stock or broth. I used smaller russet potatoes as that is what I buy most of the time. A few slices of thick sliced bacon and some fresh herbs and supper was easy and quick to make. I shaved some Parmesan cheese on the top when I served it you could easily leave that off. We had it with garlic toast.
Cabbage Potato Soup
6 cups chicken stock
3 minced cloves garlic
½ of a large onion sliced
4 slices thick sliced bacon diced
1 pound potatoes peeled and sliced ½ inch thick
½ head of cabbage thinly sliced
Fresh thyme sprigs or ¼ teaspoon dried Thyme
¼ teaspoon dried cracked Rosemary
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parmesan to shave on top Optional
 Heat the chicken stock, while it is heating slice the onions and garlic, fry the bacon for the fat and add the onions and garlic and saute till soft and golden. Add the sliced potatoes to the chicken broth along with the onions, garlic and bacon. Cook until potatoes are starting to get soft. The ½ inch thick slice will help keep them in nice pieces and not turn to mush. When they are almost done, add the cabbage and cook 15 to 20 minutes more or until tender. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Serve with shaved Parmesan on top of soup in bowl.

Chicken and Cashews


Don’t spend a lot of money at the Chinese buffet…this delicious gingered chicken stir fry is excellent with rice, and best of all, I usually have all the ingredients on hand.  The rice takes the longest, the actual stir-frying takes less than 10 minutes.  Marinate your chicken first, start your rice, then assemble your sauce and chop your vegetables.  Don’t let the long list of ingredients intimidate you, some of them are repeated in both the sauce and marinade.
If you don’t have sesame oil, use what you have.  I would recommend that every cook have a $5-$10 bottle of dry sherry (not cooking sherry) on hand for adding to sauces and gravies and deglazing pans.
I usually don’t have fresh ginger, but I buy the ginger in the tubes (usually in the salad department), you need about half as much as the recipe calls for.  There is no waste with this kind of ginger, and I’m not such a purist that I want to waste ingredients.  I also appreciated that the vegetables are ones I usually have for salads, not something exotic I have to specially purchase.
We enjoyed the recipe adapted from "Cooking Light MAY 2009", and have made it several times.                      

                           Chicken and Cashews
  1         Pound  Chicken Breast Halves Without Skin -- cut into bite-sized pieces
                        Marinade
  1         Tablespoon  Soy Sauce
  2        Tablespoons  Dry Sherry
  2         Teaspoons  Cornstarch -- divided
                        Sauce
  2         Tablespoons  soy sauce
  2         Teaspoons  cornstarch
     ½     Cup  Chicken Broth
  2         Tablespoons  Oyster Sauce
  1         Tablespoon  Honey
                        Stir fry ingredients
  2          Teaspoons  Sesame Oil -- divided
     ¾      Cup  Onion -- chopped
     ½      Cup  Celery -- chopped
     ½      Cup  Red Bell Pepper -- chopped
  1         Tablespoon  Fresh Ginger -- grated
  2         Cloves  Garlic -- minced
     ¼      Cup  Cashews -- dry roasted, unsalted, coarsely chopped
1. Combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sherry, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, and chicken in a large bowl; toss well to coat. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch, broth, oyster sauce, and honey in a small bowl or measuring cup.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken mixture to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from pan. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the pan. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Return chicken mixture to pan; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth mixture. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cashews.

4 servings               Yield:  "3 Cups"

Family Favorites Apricot Cream Coffee Cake


  A cool day is the perfect time to bake. The recipe for the Apricot Cream Coffee Cake in the Land O Lakes Country Heritage Cookbook looked very good, so that was going to be the baking of choice.
  The directions are easy, not a lot of ingredients and everyone thought it was quite good. I do have a 10 inch springform pan, but if you don’t I think it could be baked in two eight  inch pans or one 9x13 pan. Just be sure to grease and flour them well. I would not try to take the cake out of the pans if using regular pans, just remove each piece as you serve it.It did take longer to bake than the time given, ovens bake differently so check that the center is set. Always check at the shortest time given and than you can leave it in longer if you need to.
Apricot Cream Coffee Cake
Coffee Cake
1 ¾ cups all purpose flour                    
 ½ cup sugar  
2 eggs
¾ cup butter, softened
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Filling
¼ cup sugar
1 (8ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 (10 ounce jar apricot preserves)
Glaze
⅓ cup powdered sugar
2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice
  Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour bottom and sides of 10 inch springform pan. In large mixer bowl combine all coffee cake ingredients. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Spread batter over bottom and 2 inches up sides of prepared pan. 
  In small mixer bow, combine all filling ingredients except apricot preserves. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl until smooth. Pour over batter in pan. Spoon the preserves evenly over filling. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool 20 minutes; removes side of pan.
  Meanwhile, in small bowl stir together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over warm coffee cake. Serve warm or cold; refrigerate to store.

Skillet Lasagna


Want a hot meal fast?  Love the taste of lasagna?  Here’s my take on skillet lasagna – double or triple the recipe and use a larger skillet for a family meal.    I often make a larger batch of ground beef and spaghetti sauce and freeze it in about 1 cup portions, that works perfectly for the beef and sauce in this recipe, and makes it even faster on a busy day.   I use whatever hearty pasta I have on hand, mini lasagna noodles, bow-ties, rotini or our favorite, campanelle, which look like rolled-up mini lasagna.         
 Make a salad while this dish is simmering; or heat a green vegetable, and dinner is ready!
Skillet Lasagna
  4         Ounces  Ground Beef
 3/4      cups  Marinara Sauce
 3/4      cups  Water
  2         Ounces  Pasta -- Uncooked
 1/4     cup  Cottage Cheese -- 4%
     2     tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese
            dash  Italian Seasoning
In an 8” skillet, cook beef until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Add the marinara and water.  Stir in the dry pasta.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring once.
Combine the cheeses, drop by rounded tablespoonsful onto pasta mixture.  Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.  Cover and cook 5 more minutes.
2 servings


Make it Yourself...Spaetzle Makers

When I made Spätzle  yesterday, I thought again about how maybe I should purchase some sort of Spätzle-maker…as we really like them and I do make them occasionally.  They are a quick and easy way to make noodles or egg dumplings.
There are all kinds of spätzle makers…the most common are spaetzle slides, where you put the dough, and only a small amount, I might add, into a hopper and slide it back and forth to drop the spaetzle into the boiling liquid.  Then there is a nice tray you can purchase from Fantes, that fits right over your pan and you simply wipe the dough through the holes with a rubber scraper…this looks like the simplest to use and store to me.  There are also combination spaetzle makers/food mills like this one from Weston, and most fascinating, a Kull spätzle maker that looks like a potato ricer with large holes, it is often used in  gasthaus kitchens in Germany.
Some folks use a colander with large holes too. Cook's Country magazine last year used a large foil roasting pan they punctured with holes - that looked flimsy and like a real hassle to me!
I guess I think that using a plate or cutting board and simply cutting off your dough with a table knife and letting it slide into the liquid is cheap, simple and effective.  If you want small spätzle, cut the dough both ways or drop the dough with 2 spoons.  You don't have to look far for your equipment!  
If you live in Germany, however, and some parts of the US, you can simply purchase your spätzle ready-to-cook, from companies like Knorr and Maggi.
Besides cooking spaetzle in soup, many folks drain them, and brown them with buttered crumbs or serve them with caramelized onions, depending on your ethnic heritage.  I always try to order them with my meal in German-American restaurants, like those in Amana, Iowa.
Here's my favorite spaetzle recipe: Handgeschabt Spätzle