Food, drink, and geek stuff
This post may contain affiliate links, which cost you nothing, but may earn me a tiny commission. (Except probably not, because I’m super-lame about posting regularly.) There’s nothing that screams COZY! like a plate of Scottish shortbread and a cup of tea. Shortbread can be …
This recipe is another from the 1948 edition of The Rumford Complete Cookbook from Rumford Baking Powder. Now I didn’t grow up in Virginia, but I’ve lived here most of my adult life (except for that 8 years in Vegas) and I was recently shocked …
A few years ago, I posted a recipe for a Classic Pound Cake from The Rumford Complete Cookbook. This recipe makes a loaf cake with a lovely crumb, wonderful flavor, and it’s not too moist, nor too dry.
This pound cake recipe is a variation of the earlier recipe. The first edition of the book is from 1908, and my edition is from 1948. I’m not sure when the pound cake (or Plain Loaf Cake, as it’s listed) was added to the book, but it’s at least 75 years old.
It’s a cinch to make, and turns out beautifully every time!
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This moist cake is a snap to make, and is perfect for brunch, dessert, or tea time
1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon lime juice
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
zest of 1 lime
1/2 cup flaked coconut
For the Glaze:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
juice of 1 lime, or a bit more
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a loaf pan (I use a standard Pyrex loaf)
Cream butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy.
Add eggs, lime juice, and lime rind.
Add milk alternately with flour, salt, and baking powder.
Stir in the coconut, then pour into your prepared pan.
Bake 45-55 minutes, or until the cake is golden on top, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let Cool.
Stir together the confectioners sugar and juice of one lime until it makes a drizzle-able icing–not too thick that you need to spread it, but not too thin either. Add more lime juice if needed.
A quick and easy vegetarian dinner that you can easily customize to make it the way you like it
This hearty soup is full of sausage, tomatoes, artichokes, and pasta, and makes a great lunch or dinner on a cold day!
My grandma Guiseppina (Americanized to Josephine) stood about 4 foot ten, and was one of those wonderful cooks who rarely used a recipe. Thankfully, she did have some written recipes for baking. This is one of them.
It’s full of walnuts and orange peel and topped with an orange juice and sugar glaze, and it’s perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. Try it–you won’t be disappointed!
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This coffeecake is full of walnuts, orange peel, and Grandma’s love!
1/2 Cup Butter
1–1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar, Divided
2 large eggs
1 Cup Whole Milk
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Cup Walnut Halves or Pieces
1 Large Navel Orange
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
Grease and flour a round or square baking dish and preheat your oven to 375 Degrees.
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and 1 cup of sugar. Beat in two eggs, and the baking soda dissolved in milk. Stir in the walnuts. Unless you have your own orange tree, wash and dry your orange. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the orange, trying to get at little of the pith as possible. Using kitchen shears, snip the peel into small matchstick-style pieces, then stir into the batter. Add the flour and salt, and stir just to combine.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes. When cool, combine 1/2 cup sugar with 1/4 cup orange juice and spoon over the cake to make a glaze.
When the glaze is dry, serve
If you can wait, let this cake sit for a day to develop the flavors and soften the texture–it’s 100% worth it!
As I’m writing this, there’s about two inches of snow on the ground, which is super unusual here. A perfect day for a hot bowl of soup! This cream of broccoli soup makes a filling meal on its own, but you can also serve it with a salad or a sandwich–grilled cheese anyone? It’s also incredibly easy to make and can be on your table in under 30 minutes!
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This creamy soup is perfect for a snowy day, but also pairs beautifully with a spring salad
1/4 cup Chopped Onion
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Twelve Ounce Bags Frozen Chopped Broccoli
1–1/2 Cup Chicken Broth (or substitute Vegetable Broth)
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1–1/2 Cups Heavy Cream
Saute onion in the butter for a few minutes, or until the onion begins to turn translucent. Add the broccoli, broth, and seasonings, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes until the broccoli is tender. Process with a stick blender (or carefully pour into the jar of a stand blender and pulse) until most of the large pieces of broccoli have been reduced. Stir in the cream and serve.
When I was a vegetarian, I tried lots of different veggie burgers–commercially made, grain-based burgers, bean burgers, Impossible burgers, Beyond Meat burgers–you name it. Even now that I can eat poultry and seafood again, I still love a good veggie burger. I often make black …
I love apple season! We always end up buying tons of fresh, crunchy apples to eat and bake with, but by mid-winter, some of them start to get a little past their prime. Easy fix–make applesauce! This simple cake goes together in a snap, but …
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During our annual trip to Tennessee, I found my absolute favorite apple variety from childhood–Arkansas Black apples!
Unfortunately, they don’t taste the same as I remember, but I didn’t discover that until we had bought a half peck of them.
We also bought a peck of apples from the Fifes and Drums of Yorktown fundraiser, so we had LOTS of apples!
I made apple fritters, curried turkey salad with apples (with leftover Thanksgiving turkey), and this Granny Smith Apple Cake.
It’s super easy, not overly sweet, has a nice fine crumb, and is great with a glass of milk!
What you’ll need:
6 medium granny smith apples (or whatever variety you have on hand)
1 cup, plus 5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups cake flour (if you can’t find it in your grocer, this is the brand that I use
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Start by peeling and chopping the apples into small chunks, then toss them with 5 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixer bowl, beat eggs on low and add sugar, beating until combined.
Add half of the cake flour, the baking powder, and the salt, then add the oil, orange juice, and vanilla.
Beat until combined, then add the rest of the flour. Beat just until combined.
Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured Bundt pan.
I like to use shortening and flour because my pan is old and not very non-stick anymore, but you can also use cooking spray if your pan is better than mine!
Evenly sprinkle half of the apples over the batter, then pour the rest of the batter over the apples.
Finish by sprinkling the rest of the apples onto the batter layer, and bake 60-70 minutes, or until the cake is browned and starting to pull away from the pan sides, and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Cool 15 minutes and remove from the pan. Let cool completely before serving.
As you can see, the cake will be chock full of apple chunks! You can serve as-is, with ice cream, with a caramel, custard, or bourbon sauce, or just with a sprinkle of confectioners sugar.
It’s your food–make it the way you want it!
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This granny smith apple cake SCREAMS autumn!
6 medium Granny Smith apples
1 cup plus 5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Peel and dice the apples, then toss them with 5 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat eggs on low speed, then add sugar, beating until combined.
Add half of the cake flour, the baking powder, and salt.
Beat in the oil, orange juice, vanilla, and then the remaining cake flour. Beat just until combined.
Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured Bundt pan.
Place half of the apples over the batter, then pour on the remaining batter.
Spread the rest of the apples on the top.
Bake 50-60 minutes, or until the cake is starting to pull away from the sides and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely.
Serve plain, with a sprinkle of confectioner’s sugar, with a custard sauce, or bourbon sauce.
Keywords: Granny Smith apple cake, autumn dessert, apple recipes
When I was a kid, my mom used to make Beef Stroganoff every now and then, and I Loved It.
That combination of beef strips, onions, mushrooms, and the sour cream/beef broth sauce was heavenly. Never mind that the beef was usually tough since it was a good way to use chewier cuts of beef. I didn’t care.
As an adult with a red meat allergy, I can’t have beef stroganoff anymore, so I developed this easy chicken version.
It has all the taste that I remember, but I can still eat it!
Stroganoff has its roots in 19th century Russia, but became popular in the US in the 1950s, so it’s a perfect recipe for the Retro Kitchen!
You can, of course, use beef or tofu, or any other protein that you like. You can even use vegetable broth and leave out the meat altogether–just add more onions and mushrooms.
Maybe toss in some baby portabellas with your white mushrooms. It’s entirely up to you and your tastebuds.
This super easy dinner comes together quickly, but tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen!
What you’ll need:
2 large chicken breasts
4 Tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
several grinds of freshly cracked black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups sliced white mushrooms
1 medium onion, sliced
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
hot cooked egg noodles
Dried Parsley flakes
Slice chicken into strips and saute in butter in a large skillet.
Add salt, pepper, garlic, and onions. Cook and stir for five minutes.
Add one cup of broth and the mushrooms. Cover and cook another five minutes.
Combine 1/2 cup broth with the cornstarch and Worcestershire sauce. Stir together, then stir into pan.
Stir in the sour cream, toss with the noodles, and sprinkle with parsley flakes. That’s it! Super easy, super yummy.
This made enough for three large or four medium servings. If you serve it with a salad, you can serve smaller portions, and have tons of leftovers for lunch the next day!
PrintThis hearty chicken stroganoff has all the taste of classic beef stroganoff, but it’s great for people who can’t eat red meat, or just want less of it in their diet
2 large chicken breasts
4 tablespoons butter
1–1/2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
fresh cracked black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups sliced white mushrooms
1 medium onion, sliced
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
hot cooked egg noodles
dried parsley flakes
Cut the chicken into strips. In a large skillet, saute the chicken in butter.
Add the salt, pepper, garlic, and onions. Cook and stir five minutes.
Add one cup broth and the mushrooms. Cover and cook another five minutes.
Combine 1/2 cup broth with the cornstarch and Worcestershire sauce and stir into the pan.
Stir in the sour cream. Toss the sauce and chicken mixture with the noodles, and sprinkle on the parsley flakes.
This past Christmas, I made some recipes out of a vintage cookbook from the mid 1960s called Jingle Bells and Pastry Shells. I love these old books with their illustrations and stories about the recipes! This recipe is for a semi-sweet Christmas cake/bread, full of …
