recipe inspiration

[blackdove]

I spent the last two years working away from home WAY too much, I finally quit and have more time for the things I love, like baking. But, now I am in need of some inspiration.

What are your favourite go to recipes?

I would like some new ideas. Something that I can make with the usuals in my pantry.

What do you suggest?

[Davinci]

The usuals in the pantry?

Let me see what's in my pantry. A box of cornmeal from 1987. A can of sardines of about the same vintage. A jar of my mother's terrible homemade pickles. Love my mom, hate her soggy, limp pickles. A bag of popping corn. Rock hard mini-marshmallows. And a jar of..uh..I don't know what this is or was. Maybe Cheeze Whiz?

I feel something very creative and food poisoning like could be crafted from these fine ingredients.

Start with the basics. It's hard to go wrong with chocolate chip cookies. But I dress mine up with a handful or two of rolled oats and the secret ingredient that everyone asks about, but I never tell them, because then it wouldn't be secret...a few spoonfuls of cocoanut. It adds a wonderful, subtle flavour that no one seems able to guess, until now.

Welcome back to the world of pantry gazing and recipe puzzling.

[niglefritz]

We have a few, but one is my homemade McCain cake. Doing so became a necessity years ago as we cut out some additives: artificial preservatives, flavors & colors.

I use a chocolate cake recipe that I found online called "better than a bakery chocolate cake". Even with straight home-milled whole grain flour it is light and fluffy. Then I top it with french silk pie filling. You will find that it is way better than even their now made over cake. SOOO tasty! It freezes well too.

My inspiration baking/cooking is generally the store itself, as well as a need in our household to cut down on those nasty non-food additives. You know, pretty much anything that you buy in the store was once made in a simple kitchen. If you know your spices and all of that by taste and smell...and you look through their ingredients and their order, you can generally figure out a better at home substitute. I have made better products than the "store-bought original" now many times over...all except Doritos. lol I don't miss them anymore, though... I am sure that if I really wanted to pursue that too, that it could be done.

Sometimes, I just look into my food stores and smell them and think of what they might taste like together and go from there. Thinking on that a bit, I don't think that I want to smell, think about, or eat from Davinci's pantry...  

[blackdove]

Homemade McCain Cake, eh?  I have never been good at cakes... pie, cookies, cheesecake, but cake not so much.  Is is a secret recipe niglefritz, or can you share?  Cuz I am not sure Dav's mini marshmallows/cheese whiz/sardine combo is gonna cut it.  lol

Choc chip cookies are a good start, I decided to make ginger snaps too.  Well, mine are better described as molasses cookies.  Just like my Gramma used to make.  Yum.  

I havent tried adding cocoanut to my cookies, Davinci.  Good tip.  I have chopped up a Skor bar and thrown that in, with good results.

[Davinci]

Ah, Skor bar and old sardines, my favorite...   

[niglefritz]

Of course it is secret!  But, I will share it with you because you sound worthy. Just don't tell anyone else...shhhh...oh, and maybe you can share a slice or two with Davinci. It sounds like she needs to perk up her diet a bit. She looks like she is getting a bit skinny and malnourished on those Skor bars and old sardines.   

Ready? Here it is:

Copycat McCain Cake
  Yield: 1-9x13" cake/31 cupcakes

1 1/2 c.  water/cold coffee
2 c.        sugar
3/4 c.     butter
2           extra large eggs, slightly beaten...duck eggs work well
1 tsp.     REAL vanilla extract

2 c.       flour (all whole wheat or whole grain works, but it is slightly heavier)
1/2 c.    dark cocoa
2 tsp.    baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Pre-heat your oven to 350*F.
Cream butter in bowl. Bring water to boil, add to butter, stir until melted. Add sugar, stir until dissolved. Add eggs & vanilla, mix well. Combine dry ingredients. Add to butter mixture, mix well. Batter will be VERY thin. Pour into greased & floured 9" x 13" pans (I have reused 2 old-style empty McCain pans).
Bake at 350*F for 30-35 minutes.** When cool, frost with "Secret" Frosting (recipe follows) by piping it onto the top of your cake(s) with a star piping tip. Keep the frosting cool, use a small amount in your decorating bag at a time and work quickly. If it gets too warm, refrigerate it for a few minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles. Cover, chill and/or freeze when done. Best eaten partially thawed the next day. You will have some left over frosting. I think that you will know what to do with that!

**for cupcakes, bake @ 350*F for 15 minutes. If you use a cake pop maker, we found that they bake for 11 min. This is the best recipe for cake pop makers...just like really good donut holes, and we tried a lot of different recipes.


"Secret" Frosting (also known as French Silk Pie filling)
1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
    Cream well.
4 x 1oz (4 x 28g) unsweetened Baker's Chocolate squares, melted
2 Tbsp. cocoa
    Add & mix.
4 eggs (do NOT use duck eggs here)
    Beat eggs in one at a time, 5 minutes each at med. speed. (I cut it down some, but this is done to give it lift)
Chill 4 hours if using as pie filling. Will fill 2 pies. If using for pie, top with whipped cream, serve in small slices. It is VERY rich.

See? I told you it was secret. It is written right into the recipe itself.

I just read a post somewhere else about making a great chocolate cake. Here are a few extra tips that I am thinking of incorporating into the cake next time. I thought it was great, but if I can make it better yet...

1. If you use a glass pan or non-stick, lower temp by 25*F. I haven't tried this yet. Better yet, use shiny pans. Personally I prefer glass pans in spite of what the blogger said...
2. Use room temp. eggs & room temp. water/coffee.
3. Always pre-heat your oven, and do not over bake the cake.
4. Use almond extract instead of vanilla in your icing.
5. I have heard that ground vanilla beans keep their flavor better in high temperature baking better than extracts do.
6. Always use butter in the icing...of course! Nothing is better!    
7. I often cut the white sugar in half in most dessert recipes, resulting in less sugar masking and more flavor in the cake. This recipe is typed as full sugar. Reduce or not at your own discretion.

AND...to improve gingersnap/molasses cookies a bit more and give them a bit of a kick, put a small sprinkle of cayenne in them and take them out a touch early.

Let me know how this cake works out for you! We like this better than even the re-done store bought McCain original. Enjoy!

[blackdove]

Awsome!  Thank you, niglefritz!  Great baking minds think alike, I was nodding along with all your tips.  I add cayenne to the gingersnaps and take all my cookies out a little early.  I usually turn my oven temp down by 25 degrees but that could be just that my oven isn't the most accurate.  haha.  And there will never be margarine in this house, its butter or nothing.  I also like my glass pans, but need to do some more experimentation.  I always cut the white sugar down in no matter what I am baking, I just like things on the less sweet side.   

I can't wait to try it.  I need a good go to cake recipe.  The frosting will be fun too... a cup of butter, how could you go wrong with that?  lol  

It's the first day of spring but you would never know it, woke up to snow and cold today.  And now they are calling for -20 tomorrow ... Great baking weather!!   

[niglefritz]

Yes, and tonight that "nice" weather is coming our way. The snow began early this evening and the wind will show itself soon enough.

We are planning on doing baking tomorrow too. A Mennonite recipe that was picked up as they went through Russia. It is called perischki. It is cooked ground meat, spiced simply (salt & pepper), mixed with mashed potatoes in a sweet roll dough. I add corn and have added other things in the past to see what they are like. They are great to have while travelling and as a "fast food." It is very addictive and very nice to have on hand in the freezer.

I have been thinking that I need to do a pie one day soon too...I still have some rhubarb in the freezer, and cream in the fridge. Mmmm....

[Davinci]

A friend just sent me a copy of the cookbook called The Big Cook. It is basically a style of cooking in which raw ingredients are assembled as meals, frozen, and taken out in the morning to be cooked that evening. It is a book of inspiration. I need inspiration.

Have you noticed the universal complaint meal makers have? It's not the COOKING that's the problem, it's the deciding WHAT to cook. I have resisted becoming one of those meatloaf on Monday, pasta on Tuesday kind of cooks. But I understand that out of self defense, it makes a lot of sense.

I am studying this cookbook and there are a few recipes I'm going to try, only I'm not going to put them in the freezer raw. I prefer my food cooked. So I will make a big batch of whatever, and freeze it that way. More work upfront, but quickly served on the day you thawed it. It doesn't need cooking, just heating.

I have GOT to get my shit together on this! I said this when the kid was born. THe kid has now grown up and moved out and I still don't have a handle on daily meal prep. Ugh! I hope this book lights a fire under my butt, I need it!

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