Happy Valentines Day

Red Velvet cake is full of history, there are so many different stories behind the cake and how it came about.  Most stories start with the rationed foods during World War II, some bakers used boiled beets to enhance the color of their cakes.  Boiled grated beets or beet baby food are found in some red velvet cake recipes.  During the Great Depression John A Adams of the Adams Extract Company gave away free copies of red velvet cake recipes modified to use some of his best red food coloring to drum up sales.  A resurgence in the popularity of this cake is due to the 1989 film Steel Magnolias in which the groom’s cake is a red velvet cake made in the shape of an armadillo.  

Red Velvet cake is a popular cake with a dark red, bright red or red-brown color.  It us usually prepared as a layer cake topped with a creamy vanilla icing or most popularly, cream cheese icing.  The reddish-brown color of the cake was originally from a reaction of the cocoa powder with an acidic ingredient such as buttermilk; however red food coloring is often added.

Common ingredients include buttermilk, butter, flour, cocoa, and beetroot or red food coloring.  The amount of cocoa used varies in different recipes.  Cream cheese frosting in most commonly paired with the cake, as well as the traditional butter cream.

Here is a copy of an easy, delicious recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 (1 ounce) bottle Red Food Color
• 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 (16 ounce) box confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not over beat. Spoon batter into 30 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Frost with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting.
4. Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese, softened, butter, sour cream and Pure Vanilla Extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until smooth.

I found this recipe and have to share it with you it is absolutely fabulous!!  I added portabella mushrooms, delicious!!

Ingredients

• 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 4 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 head fresh broccoli, cut into florets
• 4 zucchini, thickly sliced
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly oil a large, shallow baking dish.
2. Combine vegetables in prepared baking dish, and lightly salt. Brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with dry soup mix.
3. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until vegetables are tender. You can feel with a fork when they are ready.
4. allrecipes.com

I have been wanting to do this post for sometime, but I haven’t had much time with fair, our ERTL days and canning.  But I think most of you should still have cucumbers out there to do, I know I should be out picking as we “speak”.  My Mom gave me this receipe last year because, 1-my oldest son, David, LOVES pickles and 2-I don’t have time to do quart jars.  Plus he never returns the jars to me.  I usually start with cucumbers about 6 inches long.  The cucs should be the size of those spears you get at restuarants.  You will need a gallon glass jar with metal twist lid, 2 pieces of dill, 1-clove of garlic, 1-med onion, 1/2 cup canning salt, 2 cups of GOOD white vinegar and a pitcher full of ice water.

Of course you will want to scrub the pickles and slice in 4, the long way. 

Place one piece of dill, garlic, sliced onion.

Pack jar with pickles, straight up and down,  add the other dill and the pitcher of ice water.  Cover and let sit for 5 minutes, pour off 2 cups of water, add 1/2 cup of canning salt and 2 cups of vinegar.  Shake well and set on counter.

Leave on the counter for 4 days, besure to shake well everyday.  Keep in refrigerator after the 4 days.  They stay crisp for a long time.

If you have any other receipes for pickles or cucs, let me know they seem to be growing very well this year.

June is a great month to use the rhubarb that grows so abundantly this year.

This one is my family’s favorite.

mix 2 cups of crushed graham crackers and 1/2 cup soft butter.

press 1/2 of mixture  in 9×13 pan and refrigerate.

combine in a saucepan:

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1/2 cup water

3 tablespoons of corn starch

4 cups of diced rhubarb

Bring to a boil and cook until thickened; cool; spread over graham crust, put back in refrig.

mix 1 1/2 cups of small marsh mellows  and 2 cups of cool whip, spread over rhubarb mix. 

Mix small package of vanilla instant pudding to directions and spread over top and sprinkle rest of graham crackers over top.  (I let the pudding sit a bit before I pour on) 

Keep refrigerated and ENJOY!

The NEW John Deere Cookbook is here! It’s called “The Best of the Farmer’s Wife Cookbook”, and it is a delicious collection of recipes your family will love! Click here to see the cookbook and purchase your copy for only $14.50!

To celebrate spring, we thought we’d share one of the recipes in the cookbook, called “Orange Sunshine Cake”. It is a nostalgic cake from 1936, made with whipped egg yolks and whipped egg whites. It is a fabulous cake recipe that is reminiscent of grandma’s homemade angel food cake.

It has a hint of orange taste, and just the right amount of sweetness. The recipe calls for whipped cream/cool whip topping. Fresh fruit like strawberries or raspberries would be very good with it too!

Recipe for Orange Sunshine Cake

From page 214 of “The Best of the Farmer’s Wife Cookbook”

5 eggs, separated

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup orange juice

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp cream of tartar

Whipping cream or cool whip topping

Beat yolks until thick and light, adding half of the sugar. Add orange juice and beat. Sift flour, salt, baking powder together three times and add. Beat egg whites until foamy, add cream of tartar, then rest of sugar gradually. Fold into other mixture.

Bake in an ungreased tube pan in a very slow oven (325) for one hour. Cool, remove from pan, and ice with whipped cream, very lightly sweetened. Sprinkle with grated orange rind.

Special Notes: When I made the recipe for this blog post, I used parchment paper to line my pan. This made it very easy to remove the cake after it cooled. I used a bundt pan which worked fine.

Rarely do cakes get completely eaten at our house. I usually end up throwing away a good portion of cake after everyone is tired of eating it. That didn’t happen with this cake! It didn’t last three days. I think the kids liked that the cake was firm enough to hold a chunk in their hand, rather than needing a plate and fork. As I said before, the consistency of this cake is very similar to angel food cake.

What is your favorite barbecue recipe?

This is a mildly spicy, but very easy barbecue pork recipe. It works great for a marinade, and on other meats as well.

Recipe:  Barbecue Pork

1/2 Cup of your favorite barbecue sauce

1 Cup of sweet chili sauce (can find in the Asian food isle of your grocery store)

1 chopped onion

1 cup of cilantro, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions: Start with mixing the ingredients and marinading the meat if you have time. Then add it all to a crockpot on low for 6 hours. Watch to make sure it’s not cooking too fast/too slow. You can slice and serve, or shred and make sandwiches. Leftovers are great in fresh vegetable stir-fry’s.

This recipe is also wonderful for grilling. Start the cooking process on the grill, and brush the barbecue on toward the end so the sugar doesn’t burn.

Start to Finish: 20 minutes
Oven: 400 degrees F
Makes: 4 kabobs

1/2 of a 13.5 ounce package frozen cooked breaded chicken breast chunks
1 4.5 ounce package (6) refrigerated buttermilk or country biscuits
1 medium zucchini and /or yellow summer squash, cut into 3 x 3/4″ strips
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons honey

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Arrange chicken chuncks in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate.  Microwave, uncovered on 100 percent power (high) for 1 minute: the chicken will not be heated trhough but will be softened enough to allow skewers to be inserted easily.
2. Cut each biscuit in hlaf with a kitchen scissors or knife. On four skewers, alternately thread chicken pieces, biscuit halves and zucchini leaving about 1/4″ of space between pieces.  Place skewers on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake about 10 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and chicken is heated through.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together melted butter and honey.  Drizzle some of the mixture over kabobs.  Pass remainder for dipping.

Prep: 30 minutes      Bake:30 minutes

Oven: 350 degrees F      Makes: 6 servings

1 1/2 pounds mashed potatoes

1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dash of ground pepper

2 1/2 cups frozen cut green beans, thawed

1  10.75 ounce can condensed tomato soup

1/2 cup shredded process American cheese

1. Prepare mashed potatoes and set aside.  In a largte skillet cook meat and onion until meat is bronw and onion is tender.  Drain off fat.  Add salt and pepper.  Stir in thawed beans and soup.  Pour into a greased 2-quart rectangular baking dish or casserole.
2. Spoon mashed potatoes in mounds on beef mixture.  Sprinkle cheese over potatoes.  Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and cheese begins to brown.

Start to Finish: 20 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

3 cups cold water
1 cup lemon juice, about 6-8 lemons.
3/4 cup sugar

1. In a 1 1/2 quart pitcher stir together the water, lemon juice and sugar until sugar is dissolved.  If desired, chill in the refrigerator.  Serve in glasses over ice.  Gaqrnish with lemon slices.