Oatmeal Cake (well kinda)

    Last week was the one year anniversary of my Grandma Pauline's passing.  I was sad not to have made it home.  Some of my family got together to remember her and celebrate her life.  It was a tough weekend and so many things reminded me of her.  I made sure to sit at the piano and play all of her favorites from The Hymnal.  I also made sure to have her favorite mints/candies on hand.
    This week just happened to be my turn to bring treats to our church small group so I took this opportunity to try out one of her recipes, Oatmeal Cake.  I made it just like the recipe said, well except for the fact I only had old fashioned oats and the recipe called for quick but I thought, "I won't let that stop me".
I took it out of the oven and this is what happened...

I may have taken it out too soon...  oops!  Lesson learned, 25 min. is NOT enough time.  I put it back in for another 5 min. just to make sure I wasn't going to serve anyone cake batter.


Then comes the topping known as "hot sauce".

Hot Sauce:

6T butter

1/2 c brown surgar

1/4 cream

1 c coconut

1/2 c nuts

Well, that wasn't going to happen.  I couldn't use up my last stick of butter and I lacked 3 of the 5 ingredients.  So, I changed plans.  I decided to frost/glaze my cake.  It was already less than par why not just go a totally different direction.  I made a frosting with 1 cup powdered sugar, 3 T milk, and 2 T butter.  I put it on the slightly warm cake and it smelled like frosted oatmeal cookies!  I couldn't wait to try it.  I brought it to our small group and I'm proud to say it was a big hit!!  I only came home with 3-4 pieces still left in the pan.  :)  I think Grandma would be proud!

Verona is my Grandma's sister.  :)

Rice Pudding

I was reminded today that it had been awhile since my last post.  Tonight we had Sweet and Sour Chicken for dinner with rice.  So, I made sure to have plenty of extra rice so I could make one of my favorite recipes of my Grandma's, her rice pudding.  I have made it a few times before but have never taken note on the exact measurement of the ingredients therefore never getting the same results twice.  I got out my recipe box from my grandma in hopes of finding a recipe card with more exact directions.  I didn't find one but while I was going through the cards I could smell my grandma.  The smell brought tears to my eyes and memories of me and my sisters playing dress up in her closet came to me.  We loved dressing up in her colorful muu muu's (and yes I did just google to get the correct spelling and that's what it said). and grand necklaces.  Good times!

Rice Pudding

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

1/2 cup of milk

2 eggs

1/4 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

1/4 tsp of nutmeg

This is the recipe card I used.  It is one my mom gave me but it doesn't have exact measurements and I always used leftover rice that has already been cooked which doesn't help when it says 1 cup uncooked rice.

 Put the milk in a sauce pan and heat it to an almost simmer.
Not to a simmer, stop just before.

 Beat the 2 eggs.

 Butter a casserole dish or in my case a small to medium size glass bowl.

 Combine all the ingredients in the bowl and put into a 350 degree oven.

 Stir after 20 minutes.

 Continue to cook for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

And Enjoy!  Most of my memories of rice pudding are eating it cold.  I don't know if it was because it wasn't a popular dish (I can't imagine that being the case) or if my grandma just made too much.  Whatever the reason I love it cold and was always thankful for the leftovers.

Classic

Here is a classic Grandma Pauline recipe.  I can't tell you how many times this has been served at our family events.  We call it Grandma's Orange Salad but in her recipe box it was called California Salad.  I decided to make it for Lucas' School Easter Lunch.

Here is the line-up of ingredients.

Start by dissolving the Jello in 2 cups of hot water.

After the Jello is dissolved add 1 cup of ice to help the Jello set.  

I put the Jello in the fridge for 1 hour before continuing.

 While the Jello was in fridge I let the fruit (2 cans Mandarin Oranges and one can pineapple tidbits) and cottage cheese drain.

Add the fruit and cottage cheese to the Jello which is slightly set.  This is VERY important because you don't want everything to sink to the bottom!  If the jello is thickened a little bit then it will ensure that doesn't happen.

Finally, add the cool whip.  Let the Salad sit in the fridge overnight.

The Orange salad was a big hit!  

The next time I make this I may omit the pineapple.  The only time this salad tasted right was when I had a bite with oranges.  I talked to my mom afterward and she said that grandma didn't like pineapple so it's very likely that was left out of her version!  So, whatever floats your boat, pineapple or no pineapple it's up to you.

Our leftovers didn't last long! 

Peanut Butter Rice Krispies

Every time Lucas and drop Mike off at the airport we go out for breakfast at McDonald's.  This morning was different than most.  We stumbled upon a group of seniors getting ready for a game of Bingo.  I have a soft spot in my heart for Bingo players and couldn't resist stopping to talk to them.  One lady in particular reminded me of my Grandma Pauline.  She had beautiful white hair and a sweet disposition.  She also said something that sounded a lot like my grandma.  She said, "I've always heard that these are supposed to be our golden years, and although I do have a lot of fun, they aren't all their cracked up to be".  I can just hear my grandma say something like that.  Never complaining but not sugar coating the truth either.   Getting old isn't all it's cracked up to be like one of the other ladies said, "even the most expensive gold eventually tarnishes".


On our way home I couldn't help but reminisce about my Grandma.  The first thing I thought was, "If she saw me this morning she would've asked/told me to comb my hair.  There is no excuse but I did get out of bed at 6:15am and leave the house at 6:30am.  With getting Lucas up and making Mike breakfast there was no time to comb my hair.  My grandma would've been horrified.  Maybe I should carry a comb in my purse.  Hmmmm.....  Anyway, it made me miss my grandma Pauline so I knew it was time to pull out the recipe box.  It has been awhile since I've posted because we've been on the South Beach Diet, enough said.  After a month on the diet I am ready for a break.  This recipe came up the other day because my sister April made them and called me to ask about the ingredients.  

Mix 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of light corn syrup in a saucepan over medium heat.

Heat until it begins to bubble and not a minute more.  

Add 1 cup of chunky peanut butter and mix until it's melted with the sugar mixture.

Add the peanut butter mixture to 6 cups of Rice Krispies.

Press the rice krispies into a 9x13 pan and top with semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used mini hoping they would melt better).  If the chips don't melt (like mine didn't) put the pan in an oven heated to 350 degrees for a few minutes.  Once they are melted you can smooth out the chips with a spatula.

You need to let them cool awhile before cutting into them so that the chocolate can harden.  If you are in a hurry you could always put them in the fridge for a little bit.

When you do finally get around to eating them make sure you have a lot of napkins handy!!

Lutefisk

This is a recipe that isn't written down.  I don't have my grandmother's handwritten notes on how to make lutefisk.  Instead, I have year's of memories telling me how she perfected this family tradition.  I can picture my grandma sitting in front of the stove with this look on her face.  A look of joy but it was almost like she was keeping a secret and couldn't wait to share it with everyone.  The only thing is I don't think she was aware of the fact that we all knew exactly what she was doing and not everyone appreciated the smell that was coming from that pot she was stirring.  Not everyone likes this tradition but it's a tradition none the less.  I am the minority in my family.  I love lutefisk.  I truly believe that everyone would if they would only give it a chance.  If you heard people describe the taste of lutefisk it would probably have more to do with the texture of the fish than anything else.  It is a slimy fish with a jelly like consistency but not the way my grandma makes it.  

This is our Christmas tradition...

Normally she'd cook the fish in the plastic bag it came in but this year my mom and I bought it "fresh" from the seafood counter at the Cashwise in Willmar, MN.  So, we used a roasting bag.

  

Fill a medium sized sauce pan 3/4 full of water and bring to a rolling boil.  Place your roasting bag (with the fish inside) in the boiling water.  Make sure the fish is submerged in the water.  Cooking time will be between 15-20 min.  You will notice the consistency of the fish change it will become flakey(as flakey as lutefisk gets) and starts to break apart.  It will also become less clear and more white.

The next step is making the white sauce.  

Melt 2T of butter with 2T of flour over medium heat.  

Let it cook for a minute or 2.

Add a 1 and 1/2 cups of milk and let it thicken (you may need to add some more flour if it doesn't thicken enough).   

Once it thickens up add the cooked fish.  

Season with salt and pepper.

Somehow I forgot to take a picture of the final product.  I guess I was just so excited to eat it I forgot.  So, you'll just have to imagine it.  It is served over mashed potatoes and tastes amazing!

Since there's always leftovers (go figure) you have to eat it the next day and the only way to eat leftover lutefisk is in a burrito.  Not just any burrito.  A lefse mashed potato burrito.  For those of you who don't know Lefse is a thin swedish tortilla made out of potatoes.  It looks like this...

It is a favorite of my mom and I.  :)

Pumpkin Pie Squares

I aimed high and got out the recipe for my grandma's Apple pie slices.  Well, just looking at the amount of apples that I would have to peel and cut up was very overwhelming (I know, I need a peeler, corer, slicer and Christmas is just around the corner).  


So, I readjusted my plans and opened up the recipe box that I had found hiding on my grandma's refrigerator when we moved her in August to the Mount Olivet Careview Home.


I was surprised when I found a recipe that had very few ingredients and had hardly any prep work.  Not to mention it fit in perfectly for the purpose.  I needed to make a dessert for Lucas' Mother's Day Out Thanksgiving lunch and what's better than something pumpkin?

So, here goes nothing...

Crust: 1 stick of butter, 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup quick cooking oats

Press firmly into a 9x13 pan

Bake the crust for 15 min. at 350 degrees.

Warning!!!

Do NOT use this....

I didn't catch the small detail until I was ready to open up my can of pumpkin and thought...  "This is not going to taste good.  When do I add the sugar and the cinnamon, and the nutmeg?"  So, I checked the recipe and saw my mistake.  And so after a quick run to the grocery store Lucas and I returned with this...

Spread the can over the crust...

Just beware that you will be tempted to lick the can before throwing it away.  

Bake in oven for another 20 min.

While that's in the oven get out the ingredients for the topping.

1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 2 T butter

Mix them together well.

After the 20 min. in the over sprinkle the toppings on the bars.   

Bake for another 20-30 min.

Let them cool completely before cutting them into bars.

I brought one pan of the bars to Lucas' school Thanksgiving lunch and they were a huge hit!!  You can't eat just one.  They are a tad addicting.

Someday I will tackle the Apple Pie Slices but I'm so glad I had the opportunity to discover a recipe that my grandma obviously thought worthy enough to save all these years.

Thanks grandma!!

Fruit Soup

Fruit soup was something my grandma made a lot of.  It was a staple around the holidays but could be found in her fridge just about any time of the year.

A few years ago I asked her for the recipe for Ham Loaves.  This is the note that accompanied that recipe.

The cookbook has many classic Carlson recipes in it.
One of which of course is Grandma's Fruit Soup.  So, here goes nothing...

I gathered the ingredients.  Dried fruit, that's easy.  Grape juice, no problem.  Cinnamon stick, already gathered that from Grandma her self.  Tapioca pearls, now there was a problem.  Walmart? No.  Kroger? No.  Publix?  No.  K&S?  Yes!  To give you an idea the kind of grocery store K&S is I will tell you that  it is the place I get my goat meat (I'll explain later if you ask).  The point is I found the tapioca.

Here are my gathered ingredients...

The next step is putting it all in a big pot to soak.  I got out my big pot and added 10 cups of water, the ingredients you see above and then went to get the 1 1/2 cups of sugar.  The one ingredient I wasn't worried about.  Well, to my surprise I had less than 1 cup of sugar in my cupboard.  Doh.  With Lucas sleeping upstairs I was only given one choice.  Call the neighbor.   Luckily Leslie was home and was willing to give up 1 cup of her sugar.  To tell you the truth it made me feel a little old fashioned to have to borrow a cup of sugar from my neighbor.  I kinda liked the unexpected disruption.


I started the soaking process around 3pm and since the recipe is vague and says "couple hours" I let it go until after dinner.

At 7 pm I started the boiling and let it boil for 30 min.

The smell of Christmas started to fill the house.  It was amazing! 

Here is the finished product!  

I don't know why but I've only seen fruit soup in jars.  

It doesn't belong in any other kind of container.  :)

Now for the review:

I have to say I am not very found of the fruit soup flavor (this is not new news).  It did have that familiar taste and because of that I will eat it proudly!  :)

I would make sure you use LARGE tapioca pearls.  The recipe didn't specify and the little ones I used melted very quickly into the liquid.

The grape juice says "optional" and I just added it to the 10 cups of water but I think next time I would change the water to 8 cups with the 2 cups of grape juice.