Funny Cake

Today is my dad's anniversary - yes, Valentine's Day. It wasn't the original plan, but if I remember correctly, Dad and Shelly changed their wedding date because of an ice storm or something like that. I suppose if one is going to have a V-Day anniversary, it should be someone as romantic and thoughtful as those two. Dad is the one whose poetry is among my favorite things to read on earth. (Beware if you choose to visit the link; Dad and Shelly openly love each other, and it shows up in the poems, if you know what I mean. Only read it if you're actually romantic and want deep expressions of good love.)

In addition to their poetry, I just enjoy sharing experiences with my dad and Shelly. Living so far apart means that is nearly impossible, but I would not be daunted today. I haven't stopped thinking about them all day, and I think I found just the thing to celebrate their love: funny cake. Today's recipe, in their honor, is named "funny cake" because it's...well...funny cake. It has a pie crust, a fudge layer, and a cake layer. So, so, so funny, and so, so, so good!

Ordinarily, I don't go around making random desserts because we don't eat most desserts (at home - you know me, my sweet tooth is awful!). However, we had a small group get together tonight, so taking a V-Day treat like funny cake would be perfectly appropriate. :) You can thank my dad's mom for this one. I have many positive memories of my grandmother, this being only one of them. She perfected this recipe, which has found its way into our family and hopefully into yours. You should know that I'm going to give you my grandmother's recipe the way it came to me. What I made today involved several substitutions like spelt, cane juice crystals, margarine, almond milk, and so on, in order that it could be Natasha-neutral (if not Natasha-friendly). Also, I only made one cake, and this recipe will result in two cakes. I've made it the way you see it below more times than I remember; it comes out well every time. Thanks, Grandma, and happy anniversary to Dad and Shelly! You may not be able to eat what I made for you today, but I hope you enjoy whatever you do! And try this recipe if you haven't in awhile, Dad. Make it for Shelly. :)

Funny Cake
Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Bake Time: 60 Minutes
Serves: 8-12

Fudge Layer:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla

Dissolve sugar, warm water, cocoa, and vanilla in a medium bowl, mixing with a small whisk until well blended. (The mixture will be runny.) Set aside.

Cake Layer:
2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter (softened)
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 unbaked pie shells (maybe some day I'll give you my recipe - for now I'm holding it close to the vest....)

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Mix as cake batter sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla, butter, flour, and baking powder with an electric mixer for about ten minutes. (Yes, this seems like a long time, but trust me and do this. The resulting batter will be thick.)
2) Line 2 pie pans with pie dough.
3) Pour 1/2 chocolate mixture into each pie shell.
4) Pour cake batter over chocolate mixture. (There is no need to spread evenly, though the recipe works better if you start by pouring the cake batter in the center of each pie shell, working out concentrically toward the sides.)
5) Place pie pans on large baking sheet in case the fudge layer boils out at all. (This happens to me at least 15% of the time.) Bake at 350F for one hour, or until cake is golden and springs back when touched gently.

Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken

I came home one day before Christmas absolutely delighted with a recipe Natasha had put together for dinner. You might think that I'm the only one who cooks if you listen to me talk or read what I write on here. This cannot be further from the truth; Natasha cooks frequently and does it well. She cooked very well the first time I had this recipe, when I asked her if I could put it on this blog. "It's too simple - I just threw it together," she said. Clearly, she doesn't realize that's really what we all want. :)

So, imagine my great delight when we invited Jeff and Courtney over one Saturday, and Natasha began putting this together again! It's been a week, but I have not forgotten this recipe. I like the freshness of the lemon, but I like how it does not take over the recipe whatsoever. Of course you almost cannot go wrong with the proverbial basil and thyme combo. The best part of all is that this is a slow cooker recipe, so you can begin cooking the chicken and then go about your day to do whatever else you're doing. (For us, it means we can begin a recipe, then get back to our infant and toddler, who is likely getting into something....) Enjoy this recipe at home with the family, or serve it to company.

Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2-3 hours (dependent on doneness of chicken)
Serves: 4-6

2 cups free-range chicken broth
Juice of one lemon (seeds removed)
1 tsp dried basil leaves (or 1 Tbsp fresh basil leaves)
1 tsp dried thyme leaves (or 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves)
Dash of fresh ground pepper
4-6 free-range, boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1) Put chicken breasts in the bottom of your Crock-Pot/slow cooker.
2) Add chicken broth, then add lemon juice.
3) Sprinkle the remaining ingredients evenly over the chicken.
4) Turn the Crock-Pot on low and let the chicken cook.

Voila! :) (Note: When hosting, we'll often line a platter or narrow dish with greens and put the chicken on top to make it pretty, but honestly, this is tasty no matter how it comes.)

Baked Oatmeal (gluten-free, dairy-free)

There are many baked oatmeal recipes floating around the culinary zeitgeist. Our two favorites came from an Amish farm and a B&B. The former required too much work and forethought, what with soaking oats overnight and taking about seven steps over several hours to accomplish our goal. The latter was easy-peasy, but it was"naughty." We have taken a good chunk of time figuring out our own, but after our girls gave us extra time this morning by waking us up extra early, I was given time for another stab at it.

The result was most pleasing! We discovered a Natasha-friendly and delicious treat that warmed us up on a cold morning. The "comfort food" aspect didn't hurt either, since at least I was out-of-sorts. It passed the fickle toddler taste-test, too! So, despite that I sent my sister-in-law an inferior incarnation of this recipe last week, we have finally arrived at the baked oatmeal recipe for us. (Note: I wouldn't ordinarily tell you to use blueberries out of season, but we froze several fresf ones back in the 2009 season.)

Baked Oatmeal
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 30 minutes
Serves: 8, give or take

3 cups Speerville rolled oats
3/4 cup cane juice crystals
1/2 cup margarine
2 eggs
2 cups (1 pint) plain soy yogurt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (or other fruit, optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9X13 or large square baking pan.

Put everything except the fruit into a large bowl and mix well.

Fold in blueberries.

Pour batter into pan. Spread evenly. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until oatmeal is set and golden brown. Let cool for five minutes and serve warm.

(Note: This stores well for several days in the refigerator, so don't be afraid of leftovers.)

Almost Thai Trout

I will not insult the Thai culture by claiming that I cook Thai food authentically or that any Western company can actually capture a true memory of Thailand. That being said, I love eating Thai food and look for any excuse - and any method - of Thai-ing food up. What you are about to read is the easiest recipe you've ever seen. If you like food with a sweet kick, you'll make this several times over the next year. And if you're one of those people who thinks you don't like much fish, just try this. You'll be shocked the next time you try anything else.* This is SO good!

Almost Thai Trout
Prep Time: 7 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 2 (flexible according to size of fish)

2 trout fillets (or one bigger cut divided; use this method if you're serving more than two people)
1 bottle PC brand Memories of Thailand sauce

1) Preheat oven to 325F.** Cut one piece of parchment paper for each trout fillet. (Note: the parchment paper should be considerably bigger than the fillet to allow the fillet to be wrapped.)

2) Place one fillet on each piece of parchment paper. Pour Memories of Thailand sauce atop each fillet, to taste. For best results, brush the sauce evenly over the fillet. Wrap the parchment paper securely around the fillets.

3) Bake at 325F for 25 minutes, or until fish is cooked through. (Properly cooked trout will flake with a fork, similarly to properly cooked salmon.)

4) Remove the parchment paper and serve immediately.

* The one exception is Digby scallops. I was recently in Yarmouth, NS, and had fresh Digby scallops. I forgot how perfect they are. I am ruined for scallops until I go back to the South Shore!
** Another option is to prepare the fish the same way, only grill the fish this time. You can also choose to grill or bake the fish without parchment paper, but I love how the parchment paper helps the fish cook evenly, gently, and moistly, while the flavor infuses every bite.

Vanilla Orange Vinaigrette

We eat many, many salads at our house. And I LOVE making them! I LOVE eating them! Natasha's okay with salads, but they're not her favorite. She eats them because of the productive things they do for our bodies. Part of why she doesn't love salads is that I'm not into salad dressings and vinaigrettes, which she is. Furthermore, there are few salad toppers that are actually as healthy as they claim to be. (One sure way to undo a good salad is to top it!) HOWEVER, our naturopath once told us to go ahead and make them on our own to ensure they are good for us.

What?! Who has time (and money) to figure out ratios with expensive oils and flavors?!?

Apparently we do. I made a salad tonight with part spinach/part spring mix; broccoli; cucumber; red pepper; oranges; and toasted almonds. As the almonds were toasting I thought, "Hmm.... What this salad needs is some vanilla and citrus dressing." Fortunately, I've known a few principles for making one, but I think I struck gold with this one. It made the salad fragrant and fresh. The vinaigrette was sweet but not sugary, tangy but without any vinegar! (I really don't like vinegar except on fish and chips or salty french fries.) This is definitely one I will repeat, as often as possible...when it matches the other flavors in the salad, that is. :)

So, give this one a try.

Vanilla Orange Vinaigrette
Prep time: 10 minutes
Covers a good-sized salad (or several individual salads)

Juice of one medium to large orange
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (none of that imitation business)
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
salt and pepper to taste

1) Mix the orange and lemon juices in a blender for one minute. (Stop blender.)

2) Add the vanilla and mix one more minute.

3) With the motor still running, slowly add the oil and mix for two minutes. (Stop blender.)

4) Add salt and pepper to taste. (We used very little of each, but they were a good addition!) Blend for two more minutes.

5) Chill the vinaigrette for at least 30 minutes before drizzling over a salad and serving.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Natasha was in the mood for pancakes this morning. Of course, that wasn't on our weekly menu, but I'm always up for something like that. After having Simply in Season's "Nutty Sweet Potato Waffles" on Sunday, I was up for another fall comfort food. To me, there are few things better than pumpkin in the fall and winter months. Pumpkins are coming to the end of their season in Nova Scotia, so I bought up several at the market last Saturday. (As we speak, I'm preparing pumpkin puree for other pumpkin recipes in the weeks to come.) You can understand, then, why I was determined to combine Natasha's pancake craving with my pumpkin craving.

I Googled "pumpkin pancakes" and found several good ideas. (Google, as we all know, is the answer to many quick-fix needs in the kitchen.) Unfortunately, none of these good ideas really "hit the spot" for me. I wanted something hardy, filling, and nourishing. I didn't want them to be heavy, though, nor did I want them to be too sweet (pumpkin is pretty sweet on its own!). Ideally, we would've found something gluten-free, lactose-free, and refined sugar-free. I found nothing that fit that description. I found one decent recipe that called for nuts, which always makes for a good source of protein. However, the recipe still called for some cheats, which I was unwilling to do. So, I did what any self-respecting amateur cook would do in this situation: I made my own recipe.

First, you'll notice I use spelt. If you're gluten-free or celiac, you know that spelt has some gluten in it. We're wheat-free, not gluten-free, so when we can't find something specific for gluten-free flours, we use spelt because it's easiest. Also, I want to experiment with things like agave nectar or maple syrup in the future, but I chose to go with evaporated cane juice because it's not as sweet. Finally, I pulled in the nut idea and several spices that we're in most of the recipes I found, but I love my pumpkin spicy! Honestly, though these are not overly sweet, there's a pumpkin pie quality to the flavor here that can only be a good thing. :)

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes (for the entire batch)
Serves: 4-5, depending on if you're a big eater :)

1 1/2 cups whole spelt flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground allspice
2 free-range eggs
1 cup almond or soy milk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup plain yogurt (you can find lactose-free in the right store, but regular will work fine if you can have it)
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup evaporated cane juice crystals
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts

1) In a large bowl whisk together the spelt, oats, baking powder, and spices until well blended.

2) In a separate, medium bowl beat your eggs until canary yellow and a little fluffy. Add milk, pumpkin, yogurt, vanilla, cane juice, and sea salt. Whisk together until well blended.

3) Pour the egg mixture into the spelt mixture, combining until just blended. Fold in nuts. (Do not overmix, or the batter will become runny.)

4) Pour batter onto hot griddle (medium-high heat) or frying pan, 1/4 cup at a time. If you're not used to cooking pancakes, watch for small bubbles to form in the cooking batter, particularly around the edges. When the bubbles pop, but their shape remains, you know it's safe to flip them and continue cooking till they are golden brown on the other side.

5) You can serve these alone, but for most people, they'll want butter or margarine and syrup. Please avoid fake syrup, and if you use maple, look for the darkest maple available to you. We also served this with fresh pear slices on the side because they fit the fall comfort food theme we had going. :)

Blueberry Lemon Bread

I'm a sucker for anything sweet, and those close to me know that I am more of a sucker for lemon. Though an open chocoholic, I would forsake chocolate for the right lemon dessert. Sometimes lots of lemon is best - as in my mom's "lemon lush." (If you're lucky I'll figure out a more nourishing way to make this and publish the recipe some day. It's a great birthday treat for people like me who could care less about cake.) Most often, though, it is subtle lemon that sends me over the top.

I've tried several lemon things lately, most notably Clotilde's lemon kefir ice cream. It was, by far, my best strong lemon experience since 2001, when I had a beautiful lemon sorbet at the Delta in Moncton. (It will be better when I chop the lemon zest more finely!) I was still in the mood for lemon, though, and we wanted something we could use for breakfast and share with someone we know whose hospital recovery means they cannot cook for themselves.

Because it's blueberry season and we live in blueberry heaven, we have several pounds of fresh blueberries waiting to become something lovely. Roya and I made blueberry muffins the other day, after which I thought, "You know, I'll bet lemon would work well with something like this." Then Natasha said, "I'm longing for a nice loaf this week." What was I to do? Natasha is eight months pregnant, Roya is completely into cooking with Dad, and I hadn't been creative enough in awhile. So, Roya and I developed this lovely recipe for blueberry lemon bread.

When trying to think up this recipe I wanted to be sure to avoid the common "lemon loaf" that is common in potlucks around here. I like it fine, but it's far too sweet for my taste. I also wanted to make it as Natasha-friendly as possible. I'm certain we succeeded. This loaf went over well with the whole family! It even complimented our coffee (Just Us! Guatemala blend) well, too! :) (The only down side is our friend who's home from the hospital turns out to be diabetic and, now, cannot indulge. So, we're looking for a home for some of our bread.)

Honestly, I think you need to check out this recipe.

Blueberry Lemon Bread
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 15-20 minutes
Yield: 1 loaf (would also make twelve muffins)

3/4 cup light spelt flour
3/4 cup heavy/dark spelt flour (or use 1 1/2 cup light spelt; we mix for the lightness of the light spelt and the more wholesome qualities of the dark spelt)
1 cup rolled oats
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 large (organic is best; you'll see why below) lemon
1 large egg
3/4 cup almond milk (original, NOT flavored)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup agave syrup
1 1/2 cup blueberries (you could use saskatoons, raspberries, or blackberries, but I strongly encourage you to stick with blueberries, which would best complement the hint of lemon, in my opinion)

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease loaf stone (or pan, if you don't have the stone).

2. In a large bowl, combine flours, oats, baking powder, and sea salt.

3. With short strokes, zest the entire lemon over the dry ingredients. (Remember to remove the sticker on the lemon, or you'll end up wishing you had!!) Stir the zest into the dry ingredients. Cut the lemon in half and juice it to produce about 1/4 cup lemon juice into a small bowl. Remove the seeds and set the lemon juice aside.

4. In a medium bowl combine the egg, almond milk, lemon juice, olive oil, and agave syrup with whisk until well blended. Add to the dry ingredients and combine until just blended.

5. Fold in the blueberries gently until just blended (attempt fairly even distribution). Pour into greased loaf pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. (Optional: You can sprinkle cane juice granules lightly on top of the batter before baking if you desire a slightly sweeter loaf.)

6. Remove loaf from oven and let sit for five minutes. Carefully remove loaf from pan and cook completely on a wire rack.