Apple Sauce Cake

                          Ellen Hamilton

½ cup butter                               ¼  teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup white sugar                      1 teaspoon cinnamon    

1 cup chilled applesauce            ½ cup soaked raisins    

2 cups flour                               ½ cup chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon baking powder

1.      Cream butter or margarine with sugar. Add applesauce; beat well. Stir in flour, soda, and spices. Add chopped nuts and rains (pre-soak in water for an hour).

2.      Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8 inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes, or until done. Serve warm. 

A nice little cake for apple season. No eggs which makes it even more moist. 

Pork Spare Ribs                                                               The Hamiltons

vvv Defrost the ribs. Put into a large cooking pot. Add 2 tablespoons garlic salt, several bay leaves, 3 stalks of chopped celery, 1 large chopped onion, 3 cloves garlic. Almost cover with water and put lid on pot. Turn on high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 1 ½ hours until ribs are tender. They will begin to break apart.

vvv Use tongs to remove from broth (which can be used for bean soup or thrown away). Place on foil large enough to close around each rib. Cover with BBQ sauce (our favorite is Sweet Bay Rays). Close each package using “drugstore fold” to seal. Place in oven on large sheet pan in a slow over 275 degrees or less for another 2+/- hours. Open once or twice during cooking to add BBQ sauce. Can be kept warm in a slightly warm oven for several more hours. We serve from the foil for easy clean up.

vvv History:  We have developed this way of cooking ribs over many years. It is a favorite for the McNinchs, Barrows, and Hamiltons. Depending on appetites, cook 1 rack for 2 people. (For the six of us we cook 2 racks.) We think the key is success is par boiling makes them extra moist and tender.  We do not mind that they fall apart. Modify to your taste over many happy years of marriage and gatherings. Like crabs, ribs taste better with friends around.  Always add lots of love and conversation. 

Cucumber Relish—Bread and Butter Pickle                               Aunt Lassie Comegys

2 quarts sliced cucumbers

1 teaspoon ground mustard

2 teaspoons turmeric

4 teaspoons salt

4 teaspoons pickling spices (or mustard seed)

2 sweet red, green, yellow, or orange peppers

4 large onions thinly sliced

3 cups sugar

3 cups vinegar

If using pickling spices, it is best to put these in a muslin bag tied at the top with string. (Remove bag before putting pickle into jars.) Put into a large kettle. Bring to boiling, but do not boil. Pack in canning jars.  These will keep in the refrigerator for many weeks without being "canned". Or you may can them. Makes about 6 quarts.

History: Aunt Lassie and my mother called this Cucumber Relish. I think a better name is Bread and Butter Pickle. I started using pickling spices because I did not have any mustard seed. I think they improve the taste. The key to the crunchiness is just bringing it to a boil, but not boiling it. Once boiled, the pickles get soft. 

Shaklee Videos: Why Supplement?

Shaklee Videos: Why Supplement?

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

(Judi Leaming—Dover Post 10/24/2012)

2 cups pumpkin puree                                 

4 eggs at room temperature                         

1 ½ cups granulated sugar                          

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon                       

¾ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves                           

½ teaspoon salt                                                                 

½ to 1 teaspoon orange extract
1 (2 layer size) spice cake mix
½ cup chopped pecans
¾ cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350^o. Lightly grease 13X9-inch baking pan and set aside. Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, spices, and extract in bowl of electric mixer and beat just until well blended. Pour into prepared pan. Evenly sprinkle chopped nuts over the top of this, trying to evenly and completely cover the dry mixture. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes. Cool on wire rack completely before serving. Cover tightly and refrigerate any leftovers. Serves at least 12.

***I tried this recipe yesterday. It was a hit at our house. I hope I have some left for the party tomorrow. Friday a.m. October 26, 2012

Easy Grilled Pork Chops

      Easy Grilled Pork Chops      From Cook’s October 2012

6 (6-to 8-ounce) boneless pork chops, ¾ to 1 inch thick

3 Tablespoons salt

1 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 ½ teaspoons honey

½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1.      Cut slits about 1” apart through outer layer of fat and connective tissue on each chop to prevent buckling. Dissolve salt in 1 ½ quarts cold water in large container. Submerge chops in brine and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2.      Whisk together oil, honey, anchovy paste, and pepper to form smooth paste. Remove pork from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Using spoon spread half of oil mixture evenly over 1 side of each chop (about ¼ teaspoon).

3.      For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s).

4.      Clean and oil cooking grate. Place chops, oiled side down, over hot part of grill and cook, uncovered until well browned on first side, 4 to 6 minutes. While chops are grilling, spread remaining oil mixture evenly over second side of chop. Flip chops and continue to cook until chops register 140 degrees, 4 to 6 minutes longer (if chops are well browned but register less than 140 degrees, move to cooler part of grill to finish cooking). Transfer chops to plate and let rest for 5 minutes.  

Note: Tasty, Juicy, and Delicious!!!

5-Minute Chocolate Cake

This just looks like fun. From the Reader's Digest , May 2012

Here's one more feat of microwave magic: gooey mug of cake, sized just right to satisfy an after-dinner craving.
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa
2 tbs whisked egg
3 tbs milk
3 tbs oil
3 tbs chocolate chips or broken-up candy bar
Chocolate sauce or ice cream

1. Mix first four ingredients together in large coffee mug: add egg and combine until paste forms. Stir in milk an oil, then chocolate chips and vanilla.
2. Microwave on medium for 3 minutes until cake starts to crown over the top of mug. Remove, top with chocolate sauce or ice cream if desired, and enjoy.