Life can be celebrated in many different ways. Years ago, when arriving home from school, Mother made sure there’d be cookies or freshly made sweet bread waiting for me on the kitchen table. On Oct. 4, when I became a year older, a homemade angel food cake drizzled with pink and green frosting was placed on the dining room table to enjoy with family and friends. It was also the feast of my patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi, who, like me, loved animals. So I always made sure my dog, Suzy, celebrated the day, too, with small piece of cake.
Reader requests and recipes throughout the year also become special gifts. Let’s start with a delicious apple recipe from longtime reader Donna Brooks, Baraboo, who has shared many other favorite recipes in the past. This is a favorite apple cake recipe that her friends enjoyed so much they asked for the recipe.
Caramel apple cake
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups peeled sliced apples
1 cup chopped walnuts with 1 tablespoon flour
Beat together oil and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together; add in small amounts and beat well. Stir in apples. Combine nuts with flour and stir in batter. Pour into a greased and floured 9×13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Remove from oven and immediately spread with topping.
Caramel topping
½ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup milk
Combine ingredients, boil over medium heat for 3 minutes and spread at once on cake.
Another special recipe arrived from Glenda Lindsay, Madison, who discovered it in “The American Country Inn and Bed and Breakfast Cookbook” by Kitty and Lucian Maynard with this favorite from The Frederick Fitting House, Bellville, Ohio. Every time she serves it to guests, they ask for the recipe.
Dutch babies with fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup milk
½ cup all-purpose flour
Dash of salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups sliced strawberries or other fresh berries, sugared
Confectioners’ sugar (powdered)
Vanilla yogurt (or cottage cheese)
Using a 9-inch glass pie baking plate, melt butter in plate in a 425 degree oven. In mixing bowl, beat eggs and milk together. Add flour, salt and nutmeg; mix well, leaving mixture a bit lumpy. Remove the pie plate from the oven and pour mixture into it. Bake 12-15 minutes. This will rise dramatically on the sides. Remove from oven and slice. Top with sliced strawberries; sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Place a dollop of vanilla yogurt in the middle and sprinkle yogurt with nutmeg.
Note: To this “good, easy and impressive dessert”, Lindsay adds a shot of cassis or any orange flavored liqueur, or a liberal “drop” of Fiori di Sicilia to the berries.
A reader recently sent me a letter asking for David Letterman’s Mom’s recipe for French onion soup. It had once been featured here but the reader had misplaced it. It’s a good thing the book, “Home Cookin’ With Dave’s Mom!” is still within reach so the reader can continue to prepare and enjoy it as in the past.
Also please remember to include your name and way to reach you when sending requests. Grazie!
Unforgettable French onion soup
6 cups beef broth
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
½ cup sliced almonds
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
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