Ravenwood Cottage

Kittens and Cake...

Time for the annual clean out, inventory and re-organization of my pantry; what a job! I have seen many dead weevils so I must have over looked a bag of beans or something and they hatched out. I keep trying to make myself to remember to put things that might have weevil eggs into the freezer so they won’t hatch out and destroy my inventory. Sometimes I am good at it and others…well weevils appear. I had quite a few cans of crushed pineapple that were reaching their ‘use by date’ so I decided to bake a Pineapple Upside Down Cake for supper. I forget how good they are and a well stocked pantry should have all the ingredients so I consider it an easy from scratch dessert to make. Here is my recipe to share with you.

 Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

2 8-ounce cans crushed pineapple

2 Tablespoons Butter

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 ½ cups self-rising flour

1/3 cup shortening or oil

¾ granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Drain the pineapple and save the juice.

 Melt the butter in a 10 inch well seasoned cast iron pan; stir in the brown sugar and 1 Tablespoon of the pineapple juice.

Add water to remaining pineapple juice to make 2/3 cup liquid in total. Spread the 2 cans of crushed pineapple over the top of the melted butter & sugar.

Cream the shortening or oil and the granulated sugar about 30 seconds. Add egg and vanilla, beat 1 minute. Alternately add the flour and pineapple juice and beat after each addition.

Spread in the pan over the top of the crushed pineapple. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes.

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes; invert onto a plate or platter. Serve warm. Serves 8.

Our kittens have really grown and are 17 days old now. Their eyes are open and they are beginning to try to walk on all four paws. They are such precious little things. I can’t remember ever having small newborn kittens to enjoy as most of the cats I have cared for have been at least teenagers or young adults by the time I got them. Mother is enjoying playing with them as well, twice a day we have to get them out of their holding pen and play with them. I honestly don’t know what we will do when they start running around the cottage in earnest. Fritz has been a perfect gentleman with them, cautiously stepping forward to sniff at them and wondering why they make such squeaky noises. Olivia continues afraid of the kittens as well as their Mother, her social skills are in need of improvement. I will try to make myself post some photos of the kittens soon.

Chocolate Cake-Pudding

You can assemble, bake and serve the cake all in the same pan. It’s a cake with its own sauce, delicious with vanilla ice cream on top!

Cake:
¾ cup sugar
1 cup self-rising flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
½ cup milk
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla

Topping;
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cocoa
1 ½ cups water

Into a 9 inch pan sift the flour, cocoa and sugar. Mix milk, melted butter and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture, mix well and spread cake batter evenly in the pan. Make the topping by mixing the regular and brown sugar with the cocoa and sprinkle over the batter. Pour the water over the top of everything.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the top springs back when touched.
Serve warm. This will soon be a family favorite! It is so easy to make because you usually will have all the ingredients in your pantry.

Sliced Fresh Apple Cake

Sliced Fresh Apple Cake

3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 heaping tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg I am usually rather heavy handed with measuring spices
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
3 cups peeled and thickly sliced Granny Smith Apples
Do not dice or slice apples into small pieces as it will spoil the texture of the cake.

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well. Alternately
add dry ingredients and milk until well mixed. Add apples and nuts, you will probably have to hand stir the batter by now as the batter will be rather thick. Pour into a buttered and floured 9" x 13" pan and smooth top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Check cake at 40 minutes. Might have to bake 5 extra minutes, anyway bake till cake tester comes out clean as the cake mix is so thick and heavy.
This cake doesn't need any frosting. We like to serve it with vanilla ice cream and maybe a drizzle of caramel topping over the ice cream, but not too much as the cake is rich.
Especially good in the morning also as a breakfast cake served with hot tea or coffee.

Chicken, Pasta and Fruit Salad

1 cup Orzo Pasta
3 cups cooked chicken, cubed or diced (I usually don’t use this much chicken)
2 cups sliced red seedless grapes (I sometimes add more as I really like the grapes)
2 cups finely chopped celery
¼ cup finely chopped onion (May substitute onion powder if preferred)
1- 20 ounce can pineapple chunks or tidbits, drained but save the juice
1-11 ounce can mandarin oranges, drained
½ cup or more slivered toasted almonds (To toast the almonds, place on a cookie sheet in preheated 375 degree oven for 5-10 minutes. Watch carefully as they burn easily)

Cook the orzo, drain and rinse with cold water. Combine remaining ingredients and mix gently. Sprinkle with toasted almonds just before serving.

Dressing for the Salad

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup reserved pineapple juice
¼ cup white vinegar
1-2 Tablespoons of toasted sesame oil (Can use regular corn oil)
2 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce
Mix dressing ingredients well and pour over finished salad.

Dundee Cake

It seems that some of the heartiest and most aromatic cakes come from Scotland, perhaps because the harsh weather invites such indulgences. This cake, named for a Scottish city, is wonderful for a winter tea. Rich and fruity, it could be easily used as a Christmas Cake, if you like.

2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
2-2/3 cup diced mixed dried fruit
1/4 cup candied cherries
1/3 cup chopped mixed candied peel
1 tablespoonful brandy
1/2 cup blanched almonds
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a round 2-inch deep 8-inch diameter cake pan; set aside. Sift flour and baking powder into a medium sized bowl. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer or a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Fold in the dry ingredients. Stir in the dried fruit, candied cherries and peels. Add the brandy and mix well, the batter should be soft. Pour into the prepared pan, smooth top. Arrange almonds over the top in concentric circles. Brush almonds with beaten egg white. Bake 1-1/2 hours. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake 30 to 40 additional minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 1 hour, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Recipe from "The Pleasures of Afternoon Tea" by Angela Hynes, 1987, HP Books

I do an adaptation of this recipe I call a 'Southern Dundee Cake'. For the dried fruit I use about 1 cup quartered candied cherries, 1 cup sliced candied pineapple, 1/4 cup each of lemon, orange and citron peels. I add a mixture of currants and white raisins soaked in brandy to equal the other fruits and then a generous 3/4 cup or more of chopped pecans. I also am quite liberal with a 'glug' of the brandy rather than just a tablespoonful. I have used either the almonds or pecan halves in decorating the top of the cake, which ever you can obtain the easiest. This cake is better the next day rather than the day it is baked, although it is hard to wait because it smells so good and buttery. Hope you enjoy.

Egg Custard Pie

4 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoonful vanilla
Nutmeg

Stir eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla until well blended. Pour into pie shell, sprinkle generously with nutmeg. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until set.

I use evaporated milk from my food storage pantry for the milk in this recipe as this helps to rotate and use the milk from my storage and Pillsbury's Ready-To-Use piecrusts from the grocery can't be beat.