The Cake Slice Bakers - Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Snacking Cake

When I was in the fifth grade, I convinced my mother to let me join the Girl Scouts. Three things appealed to me about the Girl Scouts: the uniform; the badges and S'mores. We all love to be a part of a team that wears a uniform, whether it's sports, Scouts or cheerleading. We met every Friday so that meant I got to wear the uniform to school. As I collected the badges, my mother and I sewed them onto my sash and my pride in wearing that uniform only increased. I anticipated greatly the upcoming expedition to summer camp.

Dreams of basket weaving, swimming in a clear mountain stream and eating S'mores nightly floated through my head. The cruel reality became apparent the first day of camp. There was no class in basket weaving (we took sewing, which I already knew how to do thanks to my grandmother), the clear mountain stream was a regular old swimming pool and while we had S'mores by a campfire, the drone of mosquitoes superceded the delight of those wonderful treats.

I made January's cake during our second big snowstorm. Here in the South, a big snowstorm is anything over 6 inches. Since we don't have the need for large amounts of snow removal equipment, anything over 2 inches will shut down any city in the South, including ours. Nine inches kept us inside and out of school for five days, thus making it easy to bake the Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Snacking Cake.

Below are the ingredients, assembled on my kitchen countertop.

The cake smelled delicious as it was baking and we couldn't wait to try it. When I took it from the oven, it didn't look too appetizing though. It looked like one of those big cookies you get at a mall here in the US. I perservered and made the frosting.

I didn't have Marshmallow Fluff, however, I did have some homemade marshmallows leftover from Christmas. They melted quite nicely and provided a fine subsitute. This cake tasted MUCH better than it looked (see photo below) and we devoured it in a couple of days. Once again, my husband proclaimed it excellent breakfast fare. Looking forward to warmer days here in the mountains of Appalachia! Jill

Great books I read in 2010

I realize this blog was originally about food, but no one reads it so I might as well begin to add book reviews, too! I am a prolific reader and try to read at least one book a week. Often that becomes too laborious when tackling a particularly weighty tome - right now I'm reading a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer - and I find myself reading two or three books at a time. Below is a list and a small notation about the best books I read last year. I'll update on the Bonhoeffer in a couple of weeks.

"The Girl Who ..."books by Stieg Larsson - undoubtedly the best page-turning mysteries I've read in years. I gave up mysteries several years ago finding them to be too formulaic. Larsson cured me of that little problem. I read all three books in two weeks, often to the dismay (and hunger pangs) of my family. Too bad Larsson died so young and can't fulfill our need for more Lisbeth Salander.

"Let the Great World Spin" by Colum McCann - a post 9/11 novel which won the 2009 National Book Award for fiction. I may have read this in '09 but it's in my '10 book list. Essentially, it's two stories; one about Philippe Petit, who tight-rope walked between the two World Trade Center towers and, the second about two Irish immigrant brothers who live in New York. A beautiful love story of brotherhood and sacrifice.

"Lit" by Mary Karr - autobiographical portrayal of the author's road to sobriety. This book is not for the faint of heart (or those who might possibly have their own drinking problem). At times, the author's behavior is reminiscent of Nicholas Cage's character in "Leaving Las Vegas" but not with the same outcome. An amazing memoir of someone who's been to the edge and not fallen over the cliff.

"The Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barberry - as an English major, I love to learn new words and delight in a book where I have to consult a dictionary and this is just that type of novel. The interaction between Renee, the superintendent of the apartment building and Paloma, the young girl who lives in the flat upstairs is lovely. Barberry constructs a world where nothing is as it seems on the surface. Renee pretends to be the stereotypical coarse, rough person who might be a superintendent while underneath it all, she is a sophisticated, well educated and well-read woman, hence the title.

"Freedom" by Jonathan Franzen - this book seems to be on everyone's best liked book of the year. Franzen's follow-up to "The Corrections" involves the reader intimately in the marriage of the Berglands and their individual lives. Another great fiction read.

"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot - Most of the time I read exclusively fiction but every once in a while, a non-fiction book will strike my fancy. Rebecca Skloot tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, a black woman who died in the 1950's from cervical cancer. After her death, and without her family's permission, her cells were harvested and began to reproduce prolifically. This is a poignant tale of the survivors of Mrs. Lacks and their inability to grasp the concept of her immortality and also of the doctors and nurses involved in the cell growth. Fascintating scientifc book that reads like fiction - science fiction at times.

"Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese - the story of Siamese twins, separated at birth. That alone is enough to hook the eager reader but Verhese's ability to spin a tale takes you into the world of each boy, chronicling the choices they make along the way. Verghese also wrote an earlier non-fiction book about his time as an AIDS doctor in rural Appalachia - "My Own Country - A Doctor's Story"

"One Day" by David Nicholls - the author checks in with the two major characters on the same day (St. Swithin's Day) for 20 years. A moving story of the star-crossed love lives of Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley, many readers will recognize each character as someone they have known. A suprise ending and the author's ability to have his characters age (though one might not always say mature) over a period of years made this one of my top books of the year.

There were forty-three other books I read during the year but no others received a five-star rating. Stay tuned for 2011 which is starting out on a high note with the Bonhoeffer biography. My old book club is reading "Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter" by Mario Vargas Llosa (I once belonged to a very erudite book club when I lived in another city) and my current book club is reading "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" by Mark Haddon. The latter I have read but shall have to re-read (or Spark notes) but the former I am looking forward to tackling.

Bill Bennett's oyster thing

Several years ago, I had a brother-in-law who made the most divine oyster dish at Thanksgiving and Christmas family gatherings. Sadly, the family had an internicene feud and no one speaks to each other anymore. The glue that held the family together, my gracious, beautiful Southern lady mother in law, died a few years back. Said brother-in-law showed his true stripes upon her death, robbing the rest of the family of their inheritance by hook and crook (and lots of legal fees).



He always maintained that his secret oyster recipe would never be shared as it had passed down from his mother to him. Unbeknownst to him, my sweet mother-in-law shared it with me. I don't think she really liked him very much! Anyway, it is my true pleasure to share this with everyone.



As I stated in an earlier post, many of my recipes bear the name of the person from whom I received them. Even though I received this from my dear mother-in-law, I still enjoy the dig at my erstwhile brother-in-law by attaching his name to this post.
Please enjoy!



Bill Bennett's Oyster Thing



1 stick butter

1/2 cup flour

1/2 t. paprika, salt and pepper

dash of red pepper

1 medium onion finely chopped

1/2 green pepper finely chopped

1 t/ garlic

1T lemon juice

1 T. worcestershire sauce
1 qt. oysters (buy select-style, not jumbo)
1/2 c. saltine crumbs

Make a very dark roux from flour and butter stirring constantly (this takes about 30 minutes but is well worth is and made tolerable if one has a stool on which to perch while stirring). Add seasonings and stir for 3 minutes. Add onion, pepper and garlic and cook for 5 more minutes.

In a separate pan, heat oysters in their own juice until the edges curl. Add to roux and pour into a greased casserole dish. Top with saltine crumbs. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes.

Iris Ellis' Cornbread Dressing

First of all, many of my recipes are written and remembered by the person who gave them to me. None of you were probably privileged enough to know the kind, gentle lady for whom this recipe is named and sadly, she left this earth several years ago, followed within a few short years by her daughter who was one of my best friends.



During college, we couldn't wait for Thanksgiving and for Loraine to go home and bring back some of Iris' dressing. Here in the south, we don't stuff turkeys; that's for Northerners and those not lucky enough to be born here. We make our dressing in a separate pan and it always starts with day-old cornbread. Many of my friends' mothers made dressing, but none as well as Iris. She would always make an extra pan for Loraine and we would freeze it and take it out in the summer as a celebratory meal.



When Loraine died, I no longer had her at my disposal to remember Iris' recipe for me. Her daddy came to my rescue the first Thanksgiving after her death. I frantically emailed him for the secret recipe and he gladly shared. I will post EXACTLY as it was given to me (with accurate measurements in parentheses). Every Thanksgiving, I have a couple of friends who still call me for this recipe and I gladly share, remembering with much love the two women who made this recipe possible.

Iris Ellis' Cornbread Dressing

Day old cornbread
(1 pan - I use an old cast-iron skillet and make homemade cornbread. Whatever you do, DO NOT use Jiffy cornbread mix as it is too sweet)
3 or 4 biscuits (again, I make my own but it acceptable to use biscuits from Bojangles or the like)
A couple of pieces of toast

Crumble all these together (I will sometimes put them in the food processor for a finer crumb)

Saute and onion and some celery in butter (chop one onion finely and a stalk of celery)
Beat 2 eggs with a little bit of milk (I use a couple of tablespoons)
Add above to bread mixture

Add sage, salt and pepper to taste (I use a good amount of sage - 1 t. and 1 t. of salt)

Add two cans of chicken broth

Dot with butter and bake at 350 til done (this takes about 30 minutes)

Banana Pudding, Southern style

Since we are snowed in here in Asheville, NC, I have been doing a lot of cooking. I also have lots of time on my hands because we can hardly get out of our driveway! Last night, I made my husband (and my daddy's) favorite dessert: Banana Pudding. I remember my daddy's mother making it and watching her slowly stir the pudding on the stove. How that combination of vanilla pudding, bananas and "Nilla" wafers combine to make such a heavenly taste is magical. I've made this recipe dozens of times and it really is best served warm, about 15 minutes out of the oven. However, my son often eats it for breakfast the next day IF there is any leftover. Banana pudding is often deemed a plebian dessert but there's no better comfort dessert anywhere!

Banana Pudding
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup all purpose flour
dash salt
3 eggs, separated
2 cups milk (I always use fat free as this is all I buy but grandma used whole which is much richer)
1 t. vanilla extract
1 T butter
45 vanilla wafers, divided
5 ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups), sliced

Mix 1/2 cup sugar, flour and salt in a heavy pot on the stove (you can use a double boiler if you like). Add egg yolks and milk. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture is of pudding consistency (about 8-10 minutes). Off heat, add vanilla and butter.

Spread small amount of custard in the bottom of a 1 1/2 qt. casserole; cover with a layer of wafers and a layer of sliced bananas. Pour about 1/3 of the custard over the bananas. Continue to layer in that order, making a total three layers of each and ending with custard.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form, gradually adding remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until stiff but not dry. Spoon on top of custard, making sure to seal edges.
Bake at 350 until browned, about 10-15 minutes.

Quick Thai Green Curry

This is one of my "go-t0" meals that my family begs for at least weekly, although I don't make it that often. I love thai green curry and spent inordinate amounts of time eating it at Basil in Charleston, SC. Since moving to Asheville, NC, the best thai curry I've ever eaten is served at a litte restaurant inside an Exxon station - Little Bee Thai.

I discovered this recipe quite by accident several years ago while trolling the internet for a "Basil" taste alike. I always add the higher amount of curry but your can adapt to your taste buds. I also add a vegetable to stretch the dish and have used eggplant, snow peas and broccoli. Again, your preference. Serve over steamed jasmine rice.

As for the meat, the original recipe calls for chicken (which I bake in the oven, along with whatever vegetable is added to the dish) but I have also used shrimp. I suppose one could use tofu and vegetable broth to make this a vegetartian meal. The recipe is extremely adaptable. Let me know what YOU do to make it your own!

1 T. vegetable oil
2 minced shallots (I've used onions when I didn't have shallots)
1-inch piece gingerroot, minced
1-2 T. green curry paste (usually found on the Asian aisle in most grocery stores)
1 14 1/2 oz can chicken broth (or use your own stock if you have it)
1 can coconut milk (NOT coco-lopez) - you can use lite coconut milk to save calories
1 can sliced, drained bamboo shoots
1/4 t. salt
2 c. sliced cooked chicken, beef, pork, tofu or shrimp
1 c. vegetable of your choice.

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over med. high heat; add shallots and ginger. Stir fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat heat to medium; stir in curry paste. Stir in chicken broth; cook until broth is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Stir in chicken, vegetable, coconut milk, bamboo shoots and salt. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer five minutes. Sitr in fresh basil before serving if desired.
Serve in bowls over steamed jasmine rice with lime wedges on the side if desired.

The Cake Slice Bakers - Cranberry Cake

Finally, a recipe from this cookbook that was outstanding! The tanginess of the cranberry was offset perfectly by the sweet streusel-like topping. We devoured this cake so quicky I never had time to take any pictures. Below is the recipe:


1 cup sliced almonds
2 T. melted butter
2 T. packed light brown sugar
2 c. all purpose flour (I use King Arthur)
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. sale
3 large eggs
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sitcks) butter, melted and cooled
1 t. vanilla extract
1 bag (12 oz) fresh cranberries

Make the Streusel:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 10-inch springform pan.
Combine almonds, butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl . Work the mixture between your fingers to form large crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the Cake
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
Combine eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat until light and increased in volume, about 5 minuntes. With mixer on low, add the butter in a slow stream. Increase speed and mix on medium for another two minutes.
Fold in flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time. Stir in cranberries.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and top with streusel. Bake until golden, about 1 hour. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Unmold from pan and cool completely.