Before I get to the baking part I wanted to show you a couple of scarves I had printed recently -- just to keep this blog art-related. But almost every picture I took came out poorly; the batter on my good camera just ran out of juice - AGAIN and I have to recharge it. And the little camera just wouldn't focus. Bah.
Oops - too late! Both of these scarves have been SOLD.
12/9
Effie, the model, stands in my livingroom and is fully clothed most of the time because it can be chilly in here. She is a 1951 size 16, which is probably a size 12 in today's numbers. Argh. She would like a partner, but I found her in somebody's basement in an estate sale a dozen years ago for a pittance and I am not about to pay a king's ransom for another one (which is what they cost these days if you can even find them) -- just so she can have somebody to keep her company.
Tomorrow, Studio Six, my fiber group, is meeting here and as hostess, I needed to bake.
I baked two of my easiest, no-fuss things today - both of which would fit into the category of baked goods we were discussing yesterday. Easy, economical, low-fat. One has no eggs, one has no shortening and both are yummy. I give you the recipes. I got this one off the back of a bag of Diamond walnuts about 1000 years ago.
Chewy Walnut Squares
1 egg, unbeaten
1 cup brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup, which for me is plenty)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. sifted flour (I don't sift and I use whole wheat flour)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (I added raisins today)
Stir together egg, sugar, vanilla. Quickly stir in flour, baking soda, salt. Add walnuts. Spread in a greased 8" square pan. 350 for 18-20 min. (cookies should be soft in center when taken from oven. Cool in pan, cut into 2" squares. Makes 16 squares.
I have no idea where I got this one, but it is a treasure. Fast, easy: no eggs, no fat, no dairy. And it is delicious. One of my son Jeremy's favorites.
6 Minute Chocolate Cake
Mix in pan (see at left - you don't even need a bowl)
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 c. flour
1/3 c cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup water (I used some leftover cold coffee today)
1/2 cup oil
Stir with fork till blended. Add 2 Tablespoons vinegar, stir quickly to blend and immediately place in 375 oven. Bake 25 min or till center is slightly puffed and cake starts to pull away from sides of pan.
This is how it looks when it comes out of the oven.
Today I was lazy and added chocolate chips to the cake, but sometimes I frost it with this:
Melt 1/2 cup choc chips & 2 T water or liquor in microwave. Remove, put bowl over cold water and beat in 3 T butter till thick.
One more story and then I'm off to bed. Marty had to go to CVS tonight to buy a birthday card. I asked him to see if they had a can of tomato soup (all I have is golden mushroom and I didn't think that would work for tomato soup cake). He came home grinning: not only did CVS have Campbell's tomato soup, they were having a buy one-get-one-free sale. I will put this bargain to use, but not tonight. And BTW - Campbell's says to bake the cake at 350 for 35-40 min.
Before I get to the baking part I wanted to show you a couple of scarves I had printed recently -- just to keep this blog art-related. But almost every picture I took came out poorly; the batter on my good camera just ran out of juice - AGAIN and I have to recharge it. And the little camera just wouldn't focus. Bah.
Oops - too late! Both of these scarves have been SOLD. 12/9
Effie, the model, stands in my livingroom and is fully clothed most of the time because it can be chilly in here. She is a 1951 size 16, which is probably a size 12 in today's numbers. Argh. She would like a partner, but I found her in somebody's basement in an estate sale a dozen years ago for a pittance and I am not about to pay a king's ransom for another one (which is what they cost these days if you can even find them) -- just so she can have somebody to keep her company.
Tomorrow, Studio Six, my fiber group, is meeting here and as hostess, I needed to bake.
I baked two of my easiest, no-fuss things today - both of which would fit into the category of baked goods we were discussing yesterday. Easy, economical, low-fat. One has no eggs, one has no shortening and both are yummy. I give you the recipes. I got this one off the back of a bag of Diamond walnuts about 1000 years ago.
Chewy Walnut Squares
1 egg, unbeaten
1 cup brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup, which for me is plenty)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. sifted flour (I don't sift and I use whole wheat flour)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (I added raisins today)
Stir together egg, sugar, vanilla. Quickly stir in flour, baking soda, salt. Add walnuts. Spread in a greased 8" square pan. 350 for 18-20 min. (cookies should be soft in center when taken from oven. Cool in pan, cut into 2" squares. Makes 16 squares.
I have no idea where I got this one, but it is a treasure. Fast, easy: no eggs, no fat, no dairy. And it is delicious. One of my son Jeremy's favorites.
6 Minute Chocolate Cake
Mix in pan (see at left - you don't even need a bowl)
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 c. flour
1/3 c cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup water (I used some leftover cold coffee today)
1/2 cup oil
Stir with fork till blended. Add 2 Tablespoons vinegar, stir quickly to blend and immediately place in 375 oven. Bake 25 min or till center is slightly puffed and cake starts to pull away from sides of pan.
This is how it looks when it comes out of the oven.
Today I was lazy and added chocolate chips to the cake, but sometimes I frost it with this:
Melt 1/2 cup choc chips & 2 T water or liquor in microwave. Remove, put bowl over cold water and beat in 3 T butter till thick.
One more story and then I'm off to bed. Marty had to go to CVS tonight to buy a birthday card. I asked him to see if they had a can of tomato soup (all I have is golden mushroom and I didn't think that would work for tomato soup cake). He came home grinning: not only did CVS have Campbell's tomato soup, they were having a buy one-get-one-free sale. I will put this bargain to use, but not tonight. And BTW - Campbell's says to bake the cake at 350 for 35-40 min.
8 comments:
Effie is lucky to have you taking care for her. And the scarves are beautiful. The left one with the reds, what a scale of reds.
Had to laugh about mushroom cake... well, my Vietnamese students (when I was teaching German) gave me sweet soy muffins with onion and bacon bits ...
Oh, just one more question from a foreigner: What does it mean: "a flake"?
You definitely have baking on the brain, Rayna -- you referred to the battery in your camera as "batter"!
The scarves are beautiful and the cakes look scrumptuous!
The scarves are lovely.... I am going to have to try that chocolate cake! Thank you for the recipe.
THe 6 minute chocolate cake sounds interesting. I don't care for vinegar, though: what is its function, and will the cake work ok without it?
Lois, the vinegar + baking soda are the leavening agents - used together.
There is no taste of vinegar in the cake.
We called this cake "The Crazy Cake" and it may be the very first thing I ever baked. Maybe I was ten or eleven, so sixty years ago. Where have the years gone?
I'm loving the quilt and my new scarf. I heard that scarves are the "IN" gift for Xmas this year.
Thanks, Del. I will post a few more as soon as I can.
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