Nancy's Hummingbird Cake

There she is,

the proud baker,

my beautiful sister Nancy

and her cake for this year's

Family (& Friends) Cake Bake Off

The cake looks wonderful

and Nancy reports it was "delish!"

She used the 1978 SOUTHERN LIVING 

magazine recipe.

Two things strike me as notable about Nancy's cake:

*it was baked in a toaster oven

(another story all by itself)

*she used 2 sticks of butter 

AND

 2 boxes of confectioner's sugar

for the frosting.

You can read all about 

her cake here.

Excellent looking cake Nancy!

I can almost taste it!

Still waiting to hear from you 

about your cake.

A Nice Snack Cracker...

…you can make yourself!

   

Zesty Ranch Crackers

Mix together:

3/4 c. Orville Redenbbacher's Popcorn Oil

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dry dressing mix

 Add one large bag of small oyster crackers

Mix to fully coat the crackers.

Pour crackers onto a large rimmed baking sheet.

(I used the broiler pan from my oven.)

Bake for 30 minutes in a preheated 250 degree F. oven.

Using a spatula, toss and turn the crackers every 10 minutes.

Allow crackers to fully cool then 

store in an airtight container.

These are a great little snack cracker!

Yearning to Eat Heathy?

Is "Christmas" all put away at your house?

At this time of year, after all the holiday indulging

I yearn for healthy meals.
Here's a great salad.

Apple Spinach Salad

This salad serves 6 and works great as a meal on it's own.

Whisk together:
1/4 c. honey
3 T. vegetable oil
2 T. cider vinegar
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/8 t. salt

Add 1 (9-oz.) pkg fresh spinach, torn.

And 2 large Gala apples, thinly sliced.

Also add:
4 oz. extra-sharp white Cheddar cheese, shaved
1 c. thinly sliced celery
1 c. honey-roasted cashews
1/2 c. golden raisins.
Toss gently to coat.
Serve immediately.

This has become a favorite salad at
Buttermilk Cottage.
If you try it, you'll understand why!

The REAL Tomatoes are All Gone...



...but you can still make a mighty fine

Tomato Sauce for freezing.

This is a good all purpose Tomato Sauce.

The recipe makes a lot, but it freezes well.

3 (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, drained

4 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce

2 medium sized sweet onions, diced (about 2 cups)

1 large green bell pepper, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1t. black pepper

1/2 t. ground red pepper

1/2 t. dried crushed red pepper.

Other than dicing the onions and peppers,

there's no more work to do other than opening cans

and doing some measuring.

Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl. 

Makes about 12 cups.

Use immediately or store in an airtight

container in the refrigerator up to 7 days.

Or, you can freeze it.

I use 1 quart, zip lock bags.

To make filling them easier

place a bag, open over another container.

I use a one pound plastic coffee container.



Place 2 cups of the tomato mixture in  a 1 qt. bag.

Seal bag, squeezing out excess air.

Repeat procedure with remaining tomato mixture.



Place bags flat on a baking sheet,

and freeze up to 3 months.

Once they're frozen solid, you can stack them upright

to save space in your freezer.

Thaw in the refrigerator 24 hours.

Now you're all set with a tasty tomato sauce all ready.

You can make a

QUICK SALSA

by stirring together 3 cups of the tomato sauce with

1 1/2T. chopped fresh cilantro

1T. fresh lime juice

Cover and chill 1 hour before serving.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Or, for a quick dish of pasta,

saute some fresh mushrooms,

add to the heated tomato sauce and serve over

pasta of your choice.

Add some freshly grated Parmesan Cheese and

dinner's ready!

This week I'm sharing with
What's Cookin' in the Cottage Kitchen at
Etsy Cottage Style

Tasty Tuesdays at 22 Shades of Green

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Fettuccine with Zucchini and Mushrooms

There's a definite nip in the air in East Tennessee.

It's time once again to change from all those wonderful

cold pasta salads,

to hardier, hot pasta dishes.

I have been making this dish for

 more than 25 years.

It's a "keeper."

The recipe came from GOURMET Magazine.

(The magazine may not still be around,

but plenty of their recipes are!)

FETTUCCINE w/ZUCCHINI & MUSHROOMS

This is a simple recipe, requiring few ingredients.

In a large deep skillet saute 1/2 pound mushrooms,

trimmed and thinly sliced,

in 1/2 stick butter, over moderately high heat

for two minutes.

Add 1 1/4 pound zucchini,

scrubbed and cut into

julienne stripes,

1 cup heavy cream, and

1/2 stick butter, cut into bits.

Bring the liquid to a boil

and simmer it for three minutes.

(The mushrroms and zucchini are

cooking in butter and cream...

that should give you some indication

of how this dish will taste.

I have actually cut back on the

butter called for in the orginal recipe!)

Add one pound, cooked al dente and drained

fettuccine with 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese and

1/2 cup chopped flat leafed parsley,

and toss the mixtures with wooden forks,

lifting the pasta and combining the mixture well.

Transfer the mixture to a heated platter and serve it

with additional freshly grated

Parmesan cheese.

Serves 6

Let me just say, this dish is

extremely rich.

So, serve it with a big side salad

and maybe you won't feel so guilty

when you indulge.

This week I am linking with

Tasty Tuesday at 33 Shades of Green

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Red, White & Blue, the Perfect Salad for the 4th



For me, one of my favorite things about summer,

is the watermelon.

I like to keep it cut into bite sized chunks

in the refrigerator all during the season.

It's the perfect snack,

side with a sandwich for lunch,

or even for dessert.

When buying watermelon, did you know

you should look for a lighter colored area

somewhere on it?

That's a good indication it has ripened in the field.

Also, opt for the heaviest one you can get.

In additon to the uses above,

you can make a pretty salad for your

4th of July table.

Watermelon, Blueberry and Feta Cheese Salad

In a large bowl, mix together:

2 cups watermelon, cubed

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

1/2 small onion, chopped

Shake together in a small jar,

juice of 1 lemon,

2T. extra virgin olive oil

Pour over and toss with the watermelon.

Sprinkle 2 oz. crumbled feta cheese

Handful of fresh basil, thinly sliced

over the top.

(The blueberries are all hiding!)

Happy 4th of July!

This week I'm linking with

Tasty Tuesdays at 33 Shades of Green

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm

An Occasional Cook

Someone asked me yesterday if I cooked everyday.

My answer was that I cooked maybe once or twice a week.

When I do cook full meals these days,

they are shared with my sister, who lives upstairs,

and an elderly neighbor next door.

After years of getting meals on the table everyday,

while my daughter was growing up,

being an "occasional" cook is quite nice.

You might want to make this weekend an occasion

 with these tasty tidbits.

Cheese Cracklins

1 c. Cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

2T. butter, room temperature

water

Preheat oven to 400F.

Mix cheese, flour and butter in a large bowl

with your fingertips.

Add just enough water to make a stiff dough.

Don't over mix.

Roll dough into small (3/4-inch) balls.

Place on a greased cookie sheet

and bake about 15 minutes,

until lightly browned.

Makes about 20.

These are great as an appetizer,

or served with a salad or soup.

Yum...

Back to the occasional cook...

I won't be doing any cooking this weekend.

I'm off tomorrow to visit my

darling daughter in NYC.

Although I won't be cooking,

I'm sure we'll be eating quite well!

Happy weekend!

Summer's Bounty



I've recently returned from a visit with my parents.

My Dad's garden is already producing squash

and he loaded me up for my trip home!

This recipe appeared a few years ago in

SOUTHERN LIVING MAGAZINE.

Summer Squash Casserole

(Serves 8)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.



Cut 1 1/2 lbs. yellow squash and 1 lb. zucchini into

1/4-inch thick slices.

Place in a Dutch oven with 1 small sweet onion, chopped,

2t. salt, and water to cover.

Bring to a boil over medium high heat,

and cook 5 minutes;

drain well.

Stir together

1c. grated carrots

1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of chicken soup

1 (8 oz.) container sour cream

1 (8 oz.) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1/2t. salt

Fold in squash mixture.

In another bowl mix

1 (8 oz.) pkg. herb-seasoned stuffing mix

1/2c. butter, melted.

Layer half of this in the bottom of a

lightly greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

Spoon squash mixture over stuffing mixture,

top with remaining stuffing mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes,

or until bubbly and golden brown,

shielding with aluminum foil after 20 to 25 minutes

to prevent excessive browning, if necessary.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I served it with grilled chicken and

Strawberry Almondine Spinach Salad.

Bon appetit! and happy weekend!