Celebrate Every Day

Did you know that today, January 27, 2021, is National Chocolate Cake Day?

Thank goodness it was all over Facebook or I wouldn't have known about it! Like we need a reason to eat cake.

Actually, we do need a reason, or a reminder, to enjoy all the good things in life, including cake. 

You can find out about all sorts of special days in a book called Chase's Calendar of Events - The Ultimate Go-to Guide for Special Days, Weeks and Months. I used to look at this book during slow times at the library reference desk. This annual book has been published since 1957 and includes all kinds of events and holidays for every day of the year. It's available through Amazon.

But, back to cake.

I made one of my favorite cakes today from the Yankee Kitchen. I posted this recipe back in 2012 and it deserves a repeat performance. Easy and delicious. Enjoy!

Downeast Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

Note: Buttermilk substitute: combine 1 TB. vinegar with 1 c. milk.  Let rest 5 minutes.

In saucepan, bring to boil 1 stick margarine, 1/4 c. cocoa, and 1 c. water. Set aside.  

In large bowl, mix together 2 c. flour, 2 c. sugar, 2 eggs, 2 ts. baking soda, 1/2 c. buttermilk, 1 ts. vanilla. Pour in cocoa mixture and mix well. Pour in a greased 13 x 9 pan.  Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.  

While baking, make frosting.  In same saucepan, bring to boil 1 stick margarine, 1/4 c. cocoa, 1/3 buttermilk.  Remove from heat.  Add 1 lb. confectioner's sugar. Beat well.  Add 1-2 c. walnuts.  Frost cake while hot (1-2 minutes after cake is out of the oven).

Do you ever get on food kicks?

Do you ever get a hankering - a craving for something - and eat it over and over again?

Last summer I couldn't get enough of this:

An everything bagel, toasted

with cream cheese

fresh basil

and sliced tomatoes

with everything bagel seasoning on top

I ate if for breakfast. I ate it for lunch.

This lasted for a few months until the end of summer when the basil died out. Then I ate it without the basil. 😃

If you're not familiar with everything bagel seasoning, or, as it's sometimes called, "everything seasoning", it's a mixture of spices and such that you find on everything bagels.

 

This particular brand by Stonemill contains sesame seeds, sea salt, minced garlic, minced onion, black sesame seeds, and poppy seeds. I bought three containers of it at Aldi's.

If you have a plain bagel, this stuff turns it into an everything bagel. Et voila! 

This was my most recent obsession. 

And it all started at Anna's - 

Anna's Harborside Grille | Plymouth, MA

"Greek inspired fare in the Heart of Plymouth's Historic Waterfront"

I ordered the Chicken Santorini - made with chicken, oddly enough, rigatoni, spinach, roasted peppers, Kalamata olives, feta and asiago cheese, garlic and white wine. 

HELLO!

I ordered a wine called assyrtiko from Santorini, Greece. Similar to a sauvignon blanc - the assyrtiko was fresh and lively and awesome - and, of course, the perfect pairing with the chicken dish. YUM! 

You know where I'm going with this. I wanted to relive that taste sensation. I made a dish at home with what I had on hand - chicken, pasta, brocolli, olives, feta, garlic, white wine, and parsley.

Don't get me wrong. This is way different from Anna's dish, but it helped me cope with my withdrawal from Anna's taste sensation.

I cooked up some pasta and set it aside.

I sliced up some pieces of chicken breast (not too thin) and sprinkled with some garlic powder. I put the chicken in the pan with a couple tablespoons of butter and some olive oil. I sauteed the chicken a bit, then added some chicken stock (I used chicken bouillion with a cup or so of water), added some white wine and also a little red because I didn't have much white, mixed a little flour with some water, put that in, and covered the pan and let it cook. When the chicken was done, I added some chopped feta and fresh parsley. I zapped some brocolli in the microwave with a little water. Drained it. And ate it. 

I ate it again the next day. When the chicken dish was gone, I just ate the leftover pasta with some brocolli, butter, feta cheese and parsley. When the brocolli was gone, I ate the pasta with some butter and some more feta cheese and parsley. 

That was my latest food kick. 

How about you? Any food obsessions?

Another Blast from the Past - More Auntie Mimo's recipes

I remember listening to the final Yankee Kitchen radio program with Gus Saunders. He told us - his listeners - that other things would come along in our lives to take the place of the Yankee Kitchen. 

While we were left to busy ourselves with other things, nothing can replace the comradery we felt with Gus and our family of callers. We're still enjoying the recipes that became part of our lives back then during the 31 years that the show was on the air.   

It was great to hear from former YK fan Arlene who shared with me some of Auntie Mimo's recipes that were very popular on the Yankee Kitchen. The recipes below were featured in the old "Chatters" section of the Boston Herald. Thank you, Arlene, for these great recipes.

"Dear Chatters: This is one of my favorite ways of preparing potatoes. My familiy loves these potatoes with roast beef, and you can bake them the same time the roast is cooking. Auntie Mimo"

This recipe and the variations listed below were written by Auntie Mimo.

Italian Potatoes

5-6 large potatoes

5-6 carrots

5 medium onions

2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup grated Italian cheese

1 tsp. paprika

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Peel potatoes and carrots and cut into 2 inch lengths. Cut onions into 1/2 inch rings. In a 13 x 9 baking pan, put in layers the potatoes, carrots and onions. Cover with cold water so the water is about half an inch above the onions. Sprinkle with salt, cheese, and paprika. Pour oil over all.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. I often vary the recipe by omiting 1 cup of water and adding one cup of tomato sauce. Stir to blend and then bake. The potatoes are excellent both ways.

This recipe and the suggestions below were written by Auntie Mimo.

Carrot Cake

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup oil

2 jars (4 and a 1/2 ounce size) strained carrot baby food

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup chopped golden raisins (optional)

This is an excellent cake, but be sure to keep it refrigerated. 

Mix sugar, eggs, vanilla, oil and baby food; blend well. Add baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour; mix thoroughly. Fold in nuts and raisins. Pour into a well-greased 9 x 5 loaf pan. Bake at 350 F for 60 to 70 minutes. Move to rack to cool completely.

Now comes the hardest part of the entire recipe; do not slice the cake until the next day. It will crumble unless this step is followed.