Fruit Cake (Pat’s Own Devising)

by Mrs Marvel

Here we come with fruit cake recipe number two, one that Gram came up with on her own apparently. Maybe this is the one my sister made? Who knows, I can only guess that any fruit cake will keep better with the addition of bourbon. Continue reading →

Fruit Cake

by Mrs Marvel

With the holidays right around the corner, I thought I’d post a few recipes for fruit cake. In my family, we enjoy fruit cake, because we know how to make it. Yes, fruit cake is dense, and many commercial fruit cakes are horrible. Yes, it can be a heavy dessert, so you only eat a small slice. But fruit cake has been around since Roman times…just not the same fruit cake, that would probably be moldy by now. Originally wedding celebrations featured a cake made of fruits and nuts, very different from the fancy white cakes we associate with weddings today! On my other site, Notes From the Melody Maker, I recently posted Martha Washington’s Great Cake recipe, along with a recipe for icing. The Great Cake recipe is more like a fruit cake Continue reading →

Rice Pilaf

by Mrs Marvel

We continue with another side dish that I just love – rice pilaf. I’ve never really had bad rice pilaf, only poorly made, heh. Most people don’t realize you can make it without the box of Rice A Roni, so here’s a pretty simple recipe that I hope will grace the tables of readers far and wide. You can try your own variations with chopped parsley, garlic or onion. I tend to cook with my  nose, so I open the spice cabinet and smell what goes nicely together. Enjoy!

Rice Pilaf (Bingham Collection)

1 1/2 c uncooked rice

4 tbsp butter

salt & pepper

3 c boiling water

3 bouillon cubes

Melt butter in heavy skillet or Dutch oven which can be put in the oven. Add rice & heat until golden & butter begins to bubble. Dissolve bouillon cubes in boiling water. Pour over rice & season to taste. Heat to boiling then cover & place in oven at 400. Bake 30 min. Uncover, stir well, cover & bake 10 min longer.

Celery Rice

by Mrs Marvel

Here’s a nice side dish that sounds really delicious and easy. My mom makes a wild rice with celery and mushrooms, and you could probably make this celery rice with a wild rice mixture as well. Note that although the instructions have you combine the ingredients including the salt, salt is the ingredient that was scratched off. That is probably a personal preference. Continue reading →

Whole Wheat Crackers

by Mrs Marvel

One of my favorite recipes is a cheese cracker that I have made from time to time. This one from the Bingham Collection is for a whole wheat cracker that probably shouldn’t be sullied by cheese or other decadent ingredients in them. Put the cheese on top of them! I might try these, although I have terrible luck with rolled cookies, so this may not go well.

Whole Wheat Crackers (Bingham Collection)

1 c whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

cream

Mix and sift dry ingredients. Add enough cream until the right consistency to roll out thin on a floured board. Cut into cracker size. Bake at 400 until brown. Reheating makes the crackers crisp.