Monday, April 4, 2011

MONDAY AGAIN - TIME TO COOK

Good evening -- my goodness - it is already Monday again -- thankfully Monday night!!
Although I have to say - it has been a good day with sad intervention! I attended the funeral of a friend's husband who was fine when she left home - thankfully they told one another they loved each other - a thing they always did - and a friend called found him in the yard dead. So sad and she is so hurt and so lost. Thankfully - I can't empathize - but I can certainly imagine how lost and alone and hurt I would be if I was in her place. And I feel so helpless - what can I do to help her??

Tonight I went to the store, my Brookshires on Rice Road, and spent $65.00 and can make two cakes, 2 loaves of bread, cook chicken once and pork chops twice. Oh and Michelle has one of those lunchables for tomorrow. I did pork chops tonight - squeezed fresh orange and lemon juice on it, put pepper, black and red pepper,fresh pressed garlic, crytalized ginger, jerk seasoning and let sit awhile. Then I grilled it and grilled the rest of the orange. It turned out really good. I made a banana nut cake with a recipe I found in a wonderful book that my wonderful friend, Mary gave me from some fabulous cooks in Ruidoso. I didn't change one thing and it was definitely a hit with Travis - 3 large pieces tonight!!

Banana Nut Cake

1-2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 Teaspoon salt
1-1/4 tsp. baking powder
1-1/4 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup buttermilk
2-1/2 cups flour
1-1/4 cup bananas, mashed*
2/3 cups chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring -- I lied - I did add this!!!
Mix shortening, sugar, eggs, salt, and baking powder. Add baking soda to buttermilk and then add flour and buttermilk mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Mix in bananas, pecans and vanilla flavoring. Bake in two 9 inch layers or 1 9 x 12 pan. Grease and flour pans or pan - whichever you make. I used a 9 X 9 and a 9 X 5 -- I wanted to share with my neighbor that just had a baby.

Let cool and then ice with:

ICING

1 STICK BUTTER, SOFTENED
1 BOX POWDERED SUGAR (4 CUPS)
1 MASHED BANANA
1/2 CUP PECANS**

MIX WELL AND SPREAD OVER COOLED CAKE.

*I had frozen about 5 bananas that were getting too ripe to eat - well like we like them. I used these. Don't ever let bananas ruin - take and peel and freeze and use in banana bread or banana cake.

** I also added pecans to icing -- wasn't in recipe.

I tasted and hate to admit I really could have eaten a whole piece but I won't give in. Very seldom want anything sweet - thank goodness!!!

My sister in law was involved with an auction for her church last week and she made a Red Velvet Cake that was auctioned and brought over $50.00. I have searched every recipe for Red Velvet and could never find "the original" that I made Travis when we first got married -- almost 49 years ago. Wow - that can't be me!! She has the original recipe -- it was on an Adams vanilla flavoring box. All of the books now just use a cream cheese icing and the original didn't at all -- probably didn't have cream cheese back then!!! She shared with me today and sure enough -- it is the one I cooked for him the first week we were married and he loved it so much that I made him another one -- only I didn't have any more red coloring so I made it and used blue coloring. He was so sweet and said it was good -- but I'll always remember - I threw most of it out!! Lesson learned - man that was yukie looking!!! Well - now you know - yes - I don't always cook "wonderful!"

I read something today that clearly said what I've been trying to say ever since I started this blog. It was in the same book that the Banana Nut Cake was. Jeanie McDonald said her Mother must have used a million pounds of butter, sugar and pecans through time. She said John Wesley said this and her Mother lived it. What a wonderful woman she must have been. Here are John Wesley's words from so long ago:

"Do all the good you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as you ever can."

What a wonderful crede to live to. I think that is what Jesus taught too!
May God bless us all as we try to follow this thought.

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