Hermits

From the “Friends of the Hitching Post to Benefit Mission of Deeds Cookbook”

When she was little, Allison would look at the front of our neighbor’s house after a snowstorm and ask, “Where does their snow go?” Without fail, after every storm, their sidewalk, stairs, and walk would be clear – and not a snow pile in sight. Meanwhile, the small yard between the Mouse House and the street would be filled with piles of snow from our driveway, front walk, and sidewalk. (And no, he wasn’t piling his snow in our yard….)

Years later this same neighbor bought a snow blower, and began to clear the Mouse House sidewalk in addition to his own driveway, stairs, and sidewalk. And I began to offer baked goods in exchange as well as flowers from the garden in the spring, summer, and fall. Everyone benefits from this arrangement.

Yesterday I planned to make pumpkin bread. The recipe makes three loaves: one for my neighbor, one to bring to my mother today, and one to freeze. Uncharacteristically for me, I decided to be sure I had all the ingredients before starting – only to discover that I had two eggs in the refrigerator, not the three the recipe called for. Time for Plan B. What could I make that was easy to make, made enough to share, and, most important needed no more than two eggs?

The answer? Hermits. Something I love, rarely make, and oh so easy.  Here’s the recipe; let me know what you think.

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. cloves
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup molasses
• 1 egg
• ½ cup shortening
• 4 Tbsp. water
• 1 cup (or more) raisins
• Egg for wash

Directions: 

• Mix the first six ingredients together in bowl. Set aside.
• Beat together the next five ingredients in a large bowl.
• Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture and beat well. Add raisins.
• Lightly flour hands, then roll dough into sausage-like strips. Place on greased cookie sheets, three rolls per sheet.
• Brush with beaten egg.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Dough will look a bit soft when removed from oven. Cool on rack.
• Cut strips into slices when slightly cooled.  Store in tightly closed container.

Chocolate Walnut Fudge

Sometimes what seemed like a good idea at the time can come back and haunt you.

When I was in my 20s I began giving homemade fudge at Christmas.  Always from the recipe on the Marshmallow Fluff jar and loaded with sugar and butter.

Over the years, Durkee-Mower adapted their recipe for microwave ovens, eliminating the need to stand at the stove and stir – a good thing – except, if you didn’t pay attention, the mixture would bubble up and spill all over the inside of the microwave.  And, cleaning up that sugary, buttery mess is not fun.

Some years I would entertain the idea of substituting cookies, or buying the fudge, only to reminded by my own family it was a ‘tradition’ and I had to make the fudge. Be careful what traditions you start.  It has been over 30 years now and I’m really tired of making fudge…..

This year I tried a new recipe – with great success. Returned to standing at the stove and stirring – and using a candy thermometer.  To my surprise the process was not as bad as I recalled. And, I discovered that I prefer the taste of this fudge recipe to the Fluff one. Just don’t tell my friends at Durkee-Mower….

Chocolate-Walnut Fudge

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup light corn syrup

½ cup half and half

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate bits

½ cups chopped walnuts

Directions:

Lightly butter an 8-inch square pan.

In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, corn syrup, half and half, and salt. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Brush down any sugar crystals that form on the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in hot water.  Boil for 2 ½ minutes and then stir in the chocolate until melted and well blended. Continue to boil, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 234 degrees F, 7 to 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool until almost room temperature or 110 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 15 minutes. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the fudge until the color dulls and the fudge is creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the walnuts by hand.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with a spatula. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and refrigerate until firm, about 6 hours. Cut into 2 inch  pieces.

Makes 16, 2 inch bars.

Easy Apple Tart

I love, love, love pies. With a caveat: my mother has to make the crust. Her crust is so good that most others fail in comparison.  Including my own. Which is why I’ve come to rely on Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust: It is easier than making your own and while nowhere near as good as my mother’s, it bakes into the soft, slightly buttery and chewy crust I prefer.

Torn out of a magazine, this recipe is easily adaptable to whatever fruit I happen to have. It takes less time to make than a 'regular' pie and, without a top crust must have fewer calories per slice.

My no-longer-secret step?  Let the fruit mixture sit for 15 minutes before spooning onto the crust to let the cornstarch mixture absorb excess juice.

Easy Apple Tart

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Makes 8 servings

1 refrigerated pie crust

¾ cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

4 cups peeled, thinly sliced apples (4 medium apples)

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon sugar, for glaze

Prepare crust as directed on package. Place on baking sheet.

Mix ¾ cup sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Toss with apples. Let sit for 15 minutes. Spoon mixture into center of crust, spreading to within 2 inches of edges. Fold 2 inch edge of crust over apples, pleating crust as needed. Brush crust with egg white; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar.

Bake in preheated 425 degree oven 20 minutes or until apples are tender. Cool slightly before serving.

Rhubarb

Rhubarb: one of those funny 'old fashioned' fruits/vegetables (in the USA it is a fruit thanks to a New York state court ruling...) that seems to have become popular again with the increase in farmers markets, community supported agriculture, and eating locally/seasonally. I always thought it was a New England plant - maybe native - who knew it is originally from China where it had a medicinal use. According to Wikipedia, the expense of transporting it across Asia caused rhubarb to be very expensive in medieval Europe where it was several times the price of other valuable herbs and spices such as cinnamon, opium, and saffron.

The question I faced earlier this week after making a strawberry rhubarb pie was: What do you do with the rhubarb that is left over? Here are two suggestions from the Mouse House:

1. You can freeze it (who knew?). Cut the rhubarb into small (1/2” to 1” pieces), place in airtight container, and freeze. I like to freeze rhubarb in two cup portions – perfect for the next strawberry rhubarb pie.

2. Stewed Rhubarb: enjoy this easy dish over ice cream, plain yogurt, as filling for pies and tarts, or mixed with granola. Here’s what you do:

1 bunch rhubarb, washed and trimmed*

½ cup honey

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Cut the rhubarb into ½” slices and place in a saucepan. Drizzle honey over the rhubarb and sprinkle with lemon juice. It is not necessary to add water as the water in the rhubarb will seep out as it cooks.

Cover the saucepan and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat immediately and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

If not using immediately, cool mixture then place in covered container and store in refrigerator for up to one week.

*If I only have one or two pieces of rhubarb, I reduce the amount of honey and lemon juice, usually by ‘eyeballing’ it. I have to resist the temptation to add  water as it makes the stewed rhubarb too wet.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

To me, June is strawberries and rhubarb. Growing up, June was strawberries and roses: the red ones outside our back door that always bloomed at graduation time and for my sister Ellen’s birthday. The roses were a true red; for years I grew Mr. Lincoln roses at the Mouse House as they were the closest I could find to the rose bush of my childhood. Eventually, my Mr. Lincoln roses gave out: too little pampering on my part and too much winter road salt; today they have been replaced by white rosa rugosa.

June became strawberries and rhubarb the year I joined the Farm Direct Co-op. There were no problems finding uses for the strawberries in my share; the rhubarb was a bit more challenging. I remembered my grandmother making strawberry rhubarb pie; I don’t remember liking it a lot, my preferred strawberry dessert was strawberry shortcake. Not finding a lot of recipes for rhubarb, I made my first pie and found I loved it. Today, strawberry rhubarb pie signals the beginning of the Farm Direct Co-op season as well as our local farmers market.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I prefer a tart pie so my recipe has less sugar than most.

Ingredients:

• Dough for a 9” double crust pie (I use the rolled, refrigerated Pillsbury dough)
• 2 cups unpeeled, diced young rhubarb stalks
• 2 cups sliced strawberries, tops removed
• 2 2/3 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
• ½ cup sugar (add up to 1 cup for sweeter pie)

Directions:

• Line an 8” or 9” pie plate loosely with pie dough, pressing dough against bottom of pie plate. To keep bottom crust from getting soggy, brush lightly with egg white, melted butter, or a light sprinkling of flour. Do not prick bottom crust.
• Combine remaining ingredients, stirring gently until well blended. Let stand for 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Turn fruit into pie shell.
• Cover pie with lattice crust:
• Roll out top crust, then cut into ½” wide strips
• To weave, place one strip in center of pie, then lay second strip across center, perpendicular to first strip.
• Continue to alternate strips vertically and horizontally, folding back strips as needed to create an under/over weave.
• When the whole pie is latticed, loosely attach the strips to the pie edge, moistening ends to make them stick.
• Give the pie a decorative edge by rolling the dough hanging over the edge as well as the ends of the lattice pieces up into a ‘rim’ above the edge of the pie plate. Press edge with fork or pinch between fingers to secure edges to each other and to pan.

Bake in a 450 degree oven 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350 degrees, cover edge of crust to prevent over browning (use a pie crust ring or make one from strips of tinfoil) then bake 35 to 40 minutes more or until golden brown.
Cool on rack before serving.

Strawberry rhubarb pie is really good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! (Of course, Coffey ice cream is the best.)

Blueberry Strawberry Trifle

Greetings from a Mouse House pal! I too enjoy playing in the kitchen and entertaining my friends. I’m always on the lookout for recipes which I can make ahead of time. I like to be with my friends and not holed up in the kitchen..

Here’s a nice dessert that can be made the day before. Its red, white and blue theme makes it perfect for Memorial Day or Fourth of July gatherings.

Submitted by Mara Lynch
Marblehead

BLUEBERRY STRAWBERRY TRIFLE
Yield 8-10 servings

INGREDIENTS
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1 3 oz. package vanilla instant pudding
2 cups whipped cream
1 pound cake cut into 1 inch cubes (I use Sara Lee)
1 pint strawberries-sliced
1 pint blueberries

METHOD
Beat together condensed milk, water, lemon rind and pudding until well blended. Refrigerate until thick (about 15 minutes)
Fold in whipped cream
In a large bowl layer 1/3 of the cake, 1/3 strawberries, 1/3 blueberries. Repeat for two more layers
Pour pudding on top and refrigerate. Garnish with a few strawberries and Enjoy!

Mimi's Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe comes from my former mother-in-law who was a fantastic cook. I made this cake for my daughter’s first birthday party: I was into healthy eating long before it was popular and wanted my daughter to only have healthy food until she was at least two years old. Given the amount of sugar and oil in this recipe, I am not convinced this really was a ‘healthy’ choice. It does remain one of my favorite cakes.

When I presented 1-year old Allison with the cake so she could blow out her first birthday candle, she just looked at the cake, not knowing what was expected of her (after all, it was her first birthday party…). My sister Ellen, who was still young, was disappointed that Allison did not put her fingers into the frosting as she expected. Family history was made when Ellen stuck Allison's fingers into the frosting and made Allison cry… thus creating a family story often repeated at birthday parties.

Mimi’s Carrot Cake

Pans: three 9” layers or one sheet cake pan

2 cups flour
2cups sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
4 eggs
1 ½ cups oil
1 8 ½ ounce can drained crushed pineapple
1 can coconut (6 or 8 ounces?)
½ cup nuts
2 cups grated carrots

1. Mix all dry ingredients then add wet ones.
2. Pour into greased pans or sheet.
3. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes (layers) or 40 minutes for sheet cake.
4. Cool for 10 minutes then remove from pans and cool completely.
5. Frost with cream cheese frosting when completely cooled.

Cream Cheese Frosting

¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
3 oz cream cheese
1 ½ Tbsp cream or milk
1 ½ tsp grated lemon or orange rind

1. Sift confectioners’ sugar; set aside
2. Mix cream cheese and milk until soft and fluffy.
3. Gradually beat sugar into mixture of cream cheese and milk.
4. Add lemon or orange rind.

Makes approximately ¾ cup frosting.

Cupcake Week Continues: Deep Chocolate Cupcakes

Final entry for cupcake week!

My family celebrates birthdays. Everyone gets a birthday party: even the adults. When you were a child, you had two parties: the ‘kid’ party for your friends on a Saturday and the family party, usually on the Sunday closest to your birthday.

My mother bakes so we always had a homemade cake. I remember being envious of my friends who had a cake from the grocery store or the bakery. As an adult, I went through a period where I only served Merrill’s cakes (their bakery was in Newburyport, Mass. – anyone else remember their yummy chocolate, lemon, and carrot cakes??). When we moved from Beverly, Mass. to South Dartmouth, I bought half a dozen cakes for my freezer.

When Allison was born I started baking cakes again, serving them at both her kids and family birthday parties. It was then I discovered that some of her friends had never had a homemade birthday cake… how times change.

I now often make birthday cakes or cupcakes for my friends. I enjoy the act of baking (the frosting part, not so much). And, when you give the cake away it isn’t sitting in your house, calling out for you to eat it!

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake or Cupcakes
From the Hershey’s cocoa box

1 ¾” cup flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cup Hershey’s cocoa
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Combine dry ingredients.
2. Add remaining ingredients except boiling water.
3. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).
5. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9” or 3, 8” layer pans, or 1, 13” x 9” pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees, 30-35 minutes for layers, 35-40 minutes for pan
7. If making cupcakes, spoon ¼ cup batter into cupcake tins.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
9. Remove from oven, cool 10 minutes on wire rack.
10. Remove from pan, let cool completely before frosting.

One Bowl Buttercream Frosting

6 Tbsp butter
Hershey’s Cocoa – 1/3 cup for light flavor
½ cup for medium flavor
¾ cup for dark flavor
2 2/3 cups unsifted confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

1. Cream butter in small mixer bowl.
2. Add cocoa and confectioners’ sugar alternately with milk; beat to spreading consistency (additional tablespoon milk may be needed).
3. Blend in vanilla.
4. Makes about 2 cups frosting.

Queen Cake Cupcakes

Cupcake week continues....

I discovered this recipe in my grandmother’s recipe box after offering to bake a birthday cake for a close friend. The request was for a yellow cake; at the time my repertoire did not include a favorite yellow cake recipe. Finding this recipe was a happy accident; it is now one of my favorites.

The first time I baked this cake brought back memories of birthday parties at my grandmother’s house. Lots of kids from the neighborhood sitting around the table for the ‘kid’ party, and aunts, uncles, and cousins for the family party. A favorite tradition was baking foil wrapped coins in the cake. This lasted for a time, until family members started fighting for pieces with dimes instead of nickels or pennies….

I made this recipe as cupcakes this past weekend. Bill and I were going to a birthday party and he has given up chocolate for Lent. It makes a great cupcake; nice texture and good with or without frosting.

Makes approximately 20 cupcakes.

½ cup shortening (I use butter)
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs unbeaten
2 cups flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Cream butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla in mixer.
3. Add eggs, beat until well mixed in.
4. Add flour, baking powder, and milk; mix well.
5. Fill muffin cups with scant ¼ cup batter.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in the center of cupcakes comes out clean.
7. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5-10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely.
8. Frost with favorite frosting.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

February brings Valentine’s Day and birthdays, and often Mardi Gras. This past Valentine’s Day Bill and I had the honor of watching the Pass Christian, Mississippi Mardi Gras parade with family and our new friend Sandra, whose home was on the parade route. It was also Sandra’s birthday, and one of her friends sent the most delicious Red Velvet Cake with cream cheese frosting.

Last night, Bill and I celebrated the birthdays of three friends who are more like family to me. To honor their special days I made red velvet cupcakes and Queen cake cupcakes. Check this blog later in the week for the Queen cake recipe.

Makes: 24
Active: 40 minutes/Total: 2 ½ hr includes cooling

Batter
1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) butter, softened
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
2 Tbsp (1 oz) liquid red food coloring
2 tsp white vinegar
2 ½ cups flour (not self-rising)

* to make sour milk, add 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar in a 1 cup measuring cup; fill with milk and stir. Let set 5 minutes before using.

Frosting
2 8 oz bricks cream cheese, softened
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Garnish: colored sugar or heart or flower shaped decors

Cupcakes
1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. Place 24 regular size (2 ½” diameter) muffin cups in cupcake pans.
3. In large bowl with mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla 2 minutes until creamy.
4. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time.
5. Stir buttermilk, food coloring, and vinegar in a 2 cup measure until well blended.
6. With mixer on low speed, beat in flour in 3 additions, alternating with milk mixture in 2 additions, beating until just blended.
7. Spoon a scant ¼ cup batter in each cup.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes until a wood pick in the center of cupcakes comes out clean.
9. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5-10 minutes, then remove from pan to rack.
10. Cool completely.

Frosting**
1. Beat cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
2. On low speed, add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Increase speed to high and beat until smooth and fluffy.
3. Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with decorations.
4. Refrigerate until serving
** Short on time? Use your favorite store bought frosting.

Thanksgiving Pies (you have to have more than one....)

Pies. One of my favorite things. My mother makes the best pies in the world. Her secret? Her homemade crust. She takes flour, shortening, and water and turns it into a magnificent taste sensation.

I've tried her recipe; I can't replicate her touch. Instead, I rely on Pillsbury pre-made piecrust dough in the rectangular red boxes. In the refrigerator section. People who eat my pies (and didn't grow up eating pies made by my mother) love them.

Our Thanksgiving traditions include a lot of pies: pumpkin or squash (sometimes both), pecan, apple, mince; and the old New England standby, Indian pudding with vanilla ice cream. This year I'm baking pecan and trying out making pumpkin tarts instead of a pie; I'll let you know how they turn out.

On to the pie recipes: pecan and pumpkin:

Pecan Pie

Serves 8
Preheat oven to 350º

1 cup Karo syrup
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups (6 ounces) shelled pecans
1 unbaked 9” pie crust

Stir the first 5 ingredients thoroughly using a large spoon. Mix in pecans.
Pour into prepared pie crust.
Bake on center rack of oven for 60 to 70 minutes. Cool for 2 hours. Store pie in refrigerator.

Tips: Pie is done when center reaches 200º F. Tap center surface of pie lightly; it should spring back when done. For easy cleanup, spray pie pan with cooking spray. If pie crust is over-browning, cover edges with tin foil.

Recipe from the Karo container.

New England Pumpkin Pie

1 15 ounce can ONE-PIE pumpkin
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt (scant)
1 ½ teaspoon butter (melted)
1 ½ cups milk or 1-12 ounce can of evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1/8 cup molasses
2 eggs (beaten)
1 unbaked 9” pie crust

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Sift sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg together. Mix this with contents of one can pumpkin. Add eggs, beaten, melted butter, molasses, and milk. Add a dash of lemon juice if desired.

Line a 9” pie plate with pie crust, pour in mixture. Bake at 450º for 15 minutes. Then reduce temperature to 350º and continue to bake for 50 minutes.

Cool on wire rack.

Pumpkin Cake Roll

It's pumpkin season and one of my best friends just called in a panic because she had misplaced a favorite pumpkin recipe. After a frantic search (my copy appeared to also be missing) I found the recipe. It is a great fall dessert; the recipe can easily make three rolls so you have one to share, one to sample, and one for the freezer.
 
Cake: 3 eggs 1 cup sugar 2/3 cup pureed pumpkin (canned) 1 tsp. lemon juice ¾ c. flour 1 tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. nutmeg’ ½ tsp. salt 1 cup chopped walnuts Confcctioners sugar  

Filling: 1 cup confcctioners sugar 6 oz. cream cheese 4 tbsp. butter ½ tsp. vanilla  

Preheat oven to 375•   Beat eggs for 5 minutes, add sugar, pumpkin, and lemon juice. In another bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Combine and mix well. Spread on greased and floured 15 x 10 x 1” pan; top with finely chopped nuts. Bake 375• for 15 minutes.

Turn on cotton towel then sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Roll narrow end (roll towel and cake together). Cool, then unroll. Beat confectioners sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Spread on unrolled cake, then reroll, and chill. Freezes well.

*Note: 1 can pumpkin makes 3 rolls. Triple cake batter and double filling.

© 2009 Favorite Recipes From The Mouse House by Nancy Cox Davidge