Banana Soup

Every Mother's Day I like to make something that my mom used to make for me, and today I offer the simplest treat which, you will find, is also one of the best. The combination of OJ and banana elevates the flavors of both and will light up your morning! I love you, Mom.

Banana Soup:

1 Banana, sliced
1 cup fresh-squeezed Orange Juice

* Pour OJ over sliced bananas in a bowl, and eat with a spoon

Like cereal, but BETTER.

Carrot Cake

 

What do you do with an over-abundance of carrots because your juicer quit working? Why, you make carrot cake! (Or in this case, delicious little carrot cupcakes.) Because come on, who wants to juice when you can eat cake instead?

(Did I mention I had a lot of carrots?)

I googled a recipe for a low-cal version of carrot cake, and also found a low-sugar version in one of my hippie cook-books, the 1976 “Bake Bread” by Marguerite Bencivenga. Between the two, I came up with something not too sinful that still tastes like cake rather than like a hockey puck – success! I should point out that I made a straight up, regular, full fat and sugar, cream cheese frosting. Because I might substitute part whole wheat flour and use less oil, but I will NOT MESS WITH FROSTING.

I’m not giving a traditional recipe here, because you can find those easily (and for about 500 calories a piece!) but do try this version. I made cupcakes, which require less baking time – and pay attention so they don’t become dry! As soon as you can smell them, they are close to done. Since there is much less oil than a traditional recipe calls for (1 cup or more less!) you need more carrots (on average one more cup) to increase the moisture, but it will never be quite as moist. That’s why you NEED the good frosting! However, if you omit the frosting (WHAT!?!?!?) then it is “carrot bread” and you can pretend you’re eating health food. Sure…..

Carrot Cake

4 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 cup all purpose white flour

1 cup all purpose whole wheat flour

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

·         * Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch pan (or place cupcake papers into cupcake tins – approx. 18)

·        *  In a bowl, beat together eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in carrots; fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.

·        * Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes (30 min for cupcakes), or until you smell the cake and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

·        *  Frost when cooled. (see below)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 box powdered sugar

3 oz cream cheese

2 Tbsp milk

½ lemon

·        *  Cream the cheese and ½ box of powdered sugar, and add milk and juice of lemon

·        * Add sugar till taste and consistency are right; beat till smooth. You may not need the whole box of sugar. (Oh come on, who am I kidding? Of course you will!)

·         * Frost cooled carrot cake or cupcakes.  

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, topped with Pecans. YUM!!!

Green Goddess Dressing

Open any mid-century book on California Cooking and I guarantee you’ll find a recipe for one thing: Green Goddess dressing. (See three examples of my CA Cook Book collection, pictured above - all have it.) Since on St. Patrick’s day my friends and I had a “Green Food Till You Puke Pot Luck”, I decided one dish that I had to bring was Green Goddess Salad. It’s green, its slightly bizarre, and everyone loves it. (I also made green fondue, which is another story entirely, and rather disgusting.) See me and my friends in our green finery – Green Goddesses, all of us: 

One of my favorite books on California Cooking is a 1950 edition of the “The New California Cook Book” by Genevieve Callahan. (pictured at top) Not only is it filled with tons of actually tasty things, but Genevieve is knowledgeable and chatty and tells us background on her recipes. She notes, for example, that Green Goddess Dressing was famously served at San Francisco’s Palace Hotel in honor of the English actor George Arliss, who appeared in a play called The Green Goddess in the 20s. (And to think, I had always just assumed it was some hippy BS!) The other thing I adore about this book is that the previous owner, Mrs. Vera A. McMillan, had written ALL OVER IT, and stuck clippings and other recipes in its pages. She clearly was a “Health Nut” who had saved coupons for “Dr. Fearn’s Soya Bean Capsules” and other delights. I am sure she knew my grandmother.

This dressing is simple and everyone loves it, but one thing that always bugs me is that I have never seen “tarragon vinegar” for sale anywhere. Was this something that went away over time? A culinary mystery. Instead, I used white wine vinegar and some dried tarragon. Also, you can adjust the amount of mayonnaise and sour cream to taste in case you prefer one to the other, and “heavy cream, soured” is just sour cream. Some variations on this recipe call for onion juice (1 tsp) or onion and/or garlic powder (very 50s). Finally, to make a dip for veggies rather than a salad dressing, eliminate the mayonnaise entirely, and you can also eliminate the anchovies (which are said to be a later addition anyhow) and it is still excellent.

Green Goddess Dressing

1 clove garlic, grated

3 Tbsp finely chopped anchovies, or anchovy paste

3 Tbsp finely chopped chives or green onions

1 Tbsp lemon juice

3 Tbsp tarragon wine vinegar

½ cup heavy cream, soured

1 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup finely chopped parsley

Salt and coarse black pepper

Combine ingredients in order given. Chill, then pour liberally over coarsely torn mixed greens – roamine, chicory, and escarole or head lettuce and leaf lettuce. Toss until well-coated, adding more salt and pepper as needed. Serve in individual plates or bowls, to accompany the main course. You’ll mop up your salad plate with French bread when you finish! Makes about a pint.

Oh, did I mention I put just a drop of green food coloring in the dressing? You can barely tell... see, I saved most of it for the frosting on the green cupcakes above. Note also that the green fondue is cropped out of this photo. You're welcome!

Allspice (Pimento) Dram

I recently made some friends from Jamaica, and in addition to loving their music, I learned that we also share a love of healthy food including fish, fresh fruit and lots of spice.  They sang beautiful music to me, and I was happy to be able to give them things they appreciated in return: local San Francisco honey and Meyer lemons grown in Berkeley by my mother. Since then I’ve been looking at this adorable booklet of Jamaican recipes from 1963 (Leila Brandon’s Merry Go Round of Recipes from Jamaica) and wanting to make something, but much of the ingredients are extremely unfamiliar. A recipe for Pimento Dram caught my eye, which I know as an ingredient in many classic Tiki Drinks, and which I also know to be an expensive liqueur to purchase. Even the tiny vintage airplane bottle that I have once cost $8.70 (according to the

price tag still on it from the shop called “All Things Jamaican”) so I figured this project could save me some money. 

Rather than buying St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram for $25, which is indeed excellent but pricy (and in a tall bottle that annoyingly won’t fit in my cabinet) I decided to make my own. The procedure seemed simple enough, though Ms. Brandon’s recipe called for fresh allspice berries (which I couldn’t find) and lots of fresh lime juice (which might not be stable at room temp over time) so I went to the trusty Interweb to look for a different recipe, and was happily able to find a similar one, which I provide for you here. If you love the flavor of pumpkin pie spice (which comes mainly from allspice berries, also known as pimento), you’ll adore this liqueur. It takes a couple of weeks to make, but is well worth it.

In addition to traditional Tiki drinks, allspice dram is called for in many cocktails such as the delicious 1937 Lion’s Tail (see below) and also tastes yummy over vanilla ice cream or as a flavoring for a delicious flan. Brew some up today and thank me in a fortnight. 

Allspice Dram: 

1 cup light rum

¼ cup whole allspice berries

1 cinnamon stick

1 ½ cups water

2/3 cup brown sugar

1. Crush the allspice berries in a mortar and pestle or grind them in a spice grinder. You want coarse, large pieces and not a fine grind.

2. Place the crushed allspice in a sealable glass jar and pour the rum on top. Seal the jar and shake well. Let this mixture steep for 4 days, shaking daily. On day 5, break up the cinnamon stick and add it to the mixture. 

3. After 12 days total steeping, strain out the solids through a fine mesh strainer. Then strain again through a coffee filter into your final bottle or jar.

4. Heat water and sugar on medium until boiling, stirring to dissolve, about 5 minutes. Let the syrup cool, then add it to the strained allspice infusion. Shake and then let rest for a minimum of two days before using. (Yield: about 3 cups)

Lion’s Tail (1937)

2oz Bourbon

½ oz Allspice Dram

½ oz Line Juice

1 tsp. Simple Syrup

1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake over ice, strain; serve straight up in chilled cocktail glass.

Children's Favorite Casserole

There is nothing easier to throw together after a long day than a casserole, and the League of Women Voters of Illinois knew this back in 1971 when they published this chic little “Hasty Lady” Cookbook. Filled with quick and tasty recipes, it also gives helpful tips, such as this gem:  “No time-saving device beats a well-trained 12-year-old”. SOLD!

Lots of yummy-looking recipes in here, but good LORD, there is a recipe for a casserole specifically For Children, made with BEER? I know, I know, the alcohol is cooked out… it just seems so funny! I do cook with booze all the time, and who doesn’t love a casserole?  Even though the “cheese mixture” had me a liiiiiittle grossed out, I decided to give it a try. 

Turns out, sure – it’s easy to whip up, and fairly tasty. It wasn’t my own child’s favorite, though, because I think, even at eight, she prefers champagne.

Children’s Favorite Casserole

1 lb. ground beef

1 Tbsp oil

2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

1 6 oz.  can tomato paste

1 cup beer

1 tsp salt

½ tsp Tabasco

½ tsp. oregano

1 cup cottage cheese

8 oz. cream cheese

½ cup sour cream

1 green pepper, chopped

8 oz. broad noodles, cooked and drained

Brown beef in hot oil. Add tomato sauce and paste, beer, salt, Tabasco , and oregano. Cook 10 minutes and remove from heat.

Mix cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, and green pepper in a separate bowl.

Spread half the noodles over bottom of a greased 2 quart casserole or lasagna dish. Cover with cheese mixture, then with remaining noodles. Pour beef sauce over top.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Serves 4 heartily.  Easy to double recipe. Can be made night before of frozen before baking.

Frito Pie

 

 

 

Being a child of the 70s and raised by an “Earth Mother” who did not allow processed foods of any kind, naturally I gravitated towards things like Fritos and other delightful snack foods, but usually as something I snuck and ate in my car or late at night. Ironically, it was my own mother who gifted me this very cookbook (“Carrie – Happy Easter 1993 Love, Mama”) and thus helped me learn to incorporate those “forbidden foods” into perfectly acceptable company dinners.

Recently I found myself with a surplus of chili (leftover from a campout with a Hillbilly theme, if you must know) and was too tired after the weekend to cook a meal. I didn’t want just leftovers, and my friends were shouting Frito Pie! Frito Pie! OK I have to admit I’d never heard of such a thing, but I knew right where to turn. Thank you, mom, for the book that teaches me to cook in ways that you never did.

Fritos brand corn chips were created by Texan Elmer Doolin sometime around 1932. (See? Vintage food, or course I love them. – CS) Beginning with a formula purchased from a Mexican cook, adapted from the authentic corn tortilla, Doolin parlayed his snack business into a national phenomenon.  Fritos brand Corn Chips Chili Pie, invented by Doolin’s mother, Daisy, is a baked dish of corn chips, chili, onions and cheese that soon became the Southwest’s equivalent of the tuna noodle casserole. The Walkabout (aka “Frito Boats” – CS), created by spooning chili, cheese and onions into an opened snack-size bag of Fritos brand Corn Chips, is eaten on the hoof with a spoon and is still enjoyed at drive-ins, rodeos, state fairs and the like. (“The Back of the Box Gourmet”, Michael McLaughlin 1991)

 Basically, you throw chili (be it leftover or a can) into a casserole with Fritos, onions and cheese, and bake it. So Easy! So Good! Please note, though, that as much as I love to sneak junk food, I will not and cannot eat American Cheese, so I used cheddar. See, mom, at least some of what you taught me stuck!

 

CHILI PIE CASSEROLE aka “Frito Pie”

3 large cups Fritos brand Corn Chips, divided

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup grated American cheese, divided

1 19-oz can chili

Spread 2 cups Fritos brand Corn Chips in a baking dish. Arrange chopped onion and half of the cheese on top of the corn chips. Pour chili over the onions and cheese. Top with remaining corn chips and cheese. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Orange Cupcakes

Celebrating a birthday calls for cupcakes, doesn’t it? In the past, I’ve been treated to entire trays of Hostess orange cupcakes studded with candles, but I decided to bake up my own, somewhat healthier, version for a friend’s recent birthday. As usual, I turned to the venerable Joy of Cooking (1975 version) for a recipe for Orange Cake, and adapted it to cupcakes, as follows.

Since I made mini-cupcakes, I didn’t have room to inject the cream inside, (the element that makes the Hostess product the chemical-filled delight that it is!) but that can be achieved with regular-size cupcakes and a baking syringe if you have the time and inclination. Otherwise, go nuts with the frosting instead (I used a basic cream-cheese frosting with orange and topped each cupcake with colored sugar) for a sweet little bite of cheer.

To note with cupcakes, especially mini ones: watch them as they bake, and test them as soon as you can smell the cake. Burned cupcakes aren’t the life of any party!

Orange Cupcakes

Have all ingredients about 70 degrees. Sift before measuring:

3 cups cake flour

Re-sift with:

¾ tsp. salt

3 ½ tsp. double-acting baking powder

Grate:

Rind of 1 orange

Into:

1 ½ cups sugar

Cream this until light with:

¾ cup butter

Beat in, one at a time:

3 eggs

Measure:

½ cup orange juice

½ cup water

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Add the flour mixture in 3 parts to the butter mixture, alternately with the liquid. Stir the batter after each addition until smooth. Bake for 12-24 minutes; cool.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream together 1 package or softened cream cheese and 1 package of powdered sugar. Add 1 Tbsp orange juice and the zest of ½ an orange, to taste. Spread lightly on each cupcake and top with colored sugar.