Cherry chip cake disaster!

Hello, everybody! We made the most DELICIOUS cherry chip cake for my husband's birthday. Unfortunately... it didn't want to come out of the pan! WHY OH WHY didn't I use Ruthy's recipe?? But I have pictures so you can laugh along with us. Since it's probably user error and not really not the recipe's fault, so I'll share it, too.
But first, some of our recent happenings!

 We have a new project. We've done trunk refurbishes before and it's a BIG project. This is a steamer that my grandparents used in the early 1900's and we've had it for quite a while. But now is the time! Stay tuned for updates...

 So, my kids raised a ton of money for the Cub Scout pack and this was one of the rewards, hitting the den leader with a pie. I rolled my eyes when I heard, but apparently to an 8 year old boy, it's the greatest thing EVER.

 They were all good sports about it...
                                                      
Also one of the prizes they won- a walkie talkie set. This was very useful for when we delivered all those bags of coffee.They would run up to the door, and then they'd stop at the curb until I sad, "RETURN TO THE MOTHER SHIP".

 We just turned the last of our Easter eggs into deviled eggs and I hated to say goodbye. Our hens lay beautiful brown eggs and they turned out looking like dragon eggs!

 Also... baseball season is here. Goodness. I'm not a sports person but seeing these kids in their teeny uniforms... like goats in pajamas. SO CUTE.
                                                       
Of course, all this running around is in between viruses. We're STILL fighting different bugs. This time it was the stomach flu. Yuck.

 Cherry trees are blossoming!! Pray for good weather and no hail. A few years ago we lost most of the cherry crop in the area. It was horrible.

 Those clouds better bring rain (good) but not hail (bad).

 SO. That brings us to this delightful creation!!

 Here is my husband accepting his fabulous cake. With a smile, no less!!

It was absolutely delicious, so I'm posting the recipe. Just make sure to let it cool before removing from the pans. I wasn't in the kitchen at the time and my younger kids didn't know that step. Now they do.

1 10 ounce  jar maraschino cherries
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tspt salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice


I also added about three drops red food coloring. Maybe that was my mistake?? LOL. Anyway, cream the butter, sugar, egg whites, vanilla and almond together. Mix the dry ingredients. Add, in alternating batches, the buttermilk and dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add in the chopped cherries. 

Pour into greased cake pans and place in a preheated (350) for 35 minutes or so. GOOD LUCK. :D

All in all, it was delicious. We used a buttercream icing but you can also use a cream cheese frosting if you prefer. 

That's all for now! Be sure to stop by my authors pages at Virginia Carmichael or Mary Jane Hathaway for book news. 

All the Blue of Heaven was free last week....

And on the 27th, Purple Like the West will be on sale for .99! All to prepare for a new historical release on May 15th! 

Until next time!

Cinnamon Crumb Cake

Last week, I told you about two of the new babies in our church. A couple weeks ago, we had a shower for the baby due this week. Yes, a THIRD baby in one month!

Let's just say we love babies :)

My friend, Janet, hosted the shower, and we had a wonderful time. And, of course, wonderful food!

She had tried a new recipe that was fabulous. I knew I had to share it with you.

Cinnamon Crumb Cake

ingredients:

topping:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter

cake:
1 package white cake mix
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla

Now, before we start, let me emphasize the importance of reading the directions carefully. Because when I made this cake, it didn't look anything like Janet's version - although it tasted perfect. I couldn't figure out what I did wrong until I read the ingredients again. I used a whole stick of melted butter in the cake instead of one-half stick.

Words are important. So is careful reading!

Anyway, let's make the topping first.

Mix the flour, sugars and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Cut in the two sticks of butter until the mixture is crumbly. Set the bowl aside.

Now for the cake:

Beat the cake mix, egg, sour cream, melted butter and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute.

Spread the batter evenly in a greased 9"x13" pan (it will be thick - almost like cookie dough instead of cake batter). Sprinkle evenly with the topping.

Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool and cut into squares to serve.

But do you see the way the cake kind of oozed through the topping as it baked? The original version was perfectly smooth.

And my version was crumbly. One thing that impressed me about Janet's original was that it was so firm and moist - not a stray crumb anywhere. Perfect for a ladies' brunch.

Yes, it's important to read directions carefully.

Sigh.

But in the end, it didn't really matter because it tasted delicious! And my version disappeared in less than 24 hours. :)

It's your turn now - can you tell us about a time when you read the recipe wrong? Was it a win or a fail?

Banana Cream Pie.... or maybe not.

Hello, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back and I've got a delicious recipe for banana cream pie I got from a fun book. Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies has all the old favorites, along with quite a few I've never heard of, including a recipe for "weepless" meringue. (You know, it gets those little droplets of sugar water and it doesn't look as pretty. Apparently, you can fix that!)

I thought this book would be a fun giveaway on my blog but as soon as it showed up, Thor took it over. 

I could hear him mumbling to himself as the pages flipped by...

So, first of all, we need a banana. Ooooo, lookey here!

 It was sort of sunny... but sort of not. I was trying to get a good picture, and it started to rain. I'm not sure whether I like the before rain sun, or...

 ...if the sunny-while-raining picture is better. So, here they both are and you can choose.

 (You can see the reflection on the wall where the water was running down the window. I should have gone out to look for a rainbow, but I was determined to have PIE!)

 One banana, 3 cups whole milk, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 3 egg yolks, one cup sugar.

 Also, 1 TBS unsalted butter, 2 tsp vanilla. For the meringue four egg whites, 4 TBS sugar, and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar.

 Mix three egg yolks, corn starch, and one cup sugar.

This is my vintage pie tin and she's quite the chatterbox. When she and Edna get going, you wouldn't believe the stories she tells: being forgotten in the oven until she thought she'd melt, overflowing with bubbling berry juice and filling the house with smoke, left on the windowsill and being snatched away by thieves, sitting in the cool shelter of a pie safe.

 So, I filled Miss Pie Pantry (her nickname is "peaches" but I just can't call her that, she deserves more respect) with pie crust. Preheat the oven to 350F.

 I sliced the banana and lay it inside. Miss Pie kept trying to say something, but it was so muffled under all that dough. I was in a hurry, so I gave her a little pat and  just kept on...

 Now, bring the milk to a boil, and then add in the egg/corn starch/sugar mixture, cook 4 minutes. (I have to say it looked a little lumpy. Edna said I added everything when the milk was too hot. I made another batch since the little guys loved this custard so much, and it was much smoother the second time).

 After 4 minutes, remove from the heat and add the TB of butter ad the 2 tsp of vanilla. YUMMY. The kitchen smells so good!

 Pour into the crust like so. Miss Pie Pantry was still talking. She sounded sort of insistent. I resolved to get her out of the cupboard more often. She must be very lonely.

Whip the four egg whites with the 1/4 tsp cream of tartar, When soft peaks form, add the sugar one TB at a time. I think I could have whipped this a little longer.

Enlist small boy to spoon the meringue onto the pudding.

 Gentle, gently.

 Miss Pie Pantry was still making noises, but soon she was completely muffled under all that crust, banana, pudding, and meringue.

 (This is the second batch of vanilla pudding I made. I had to share this shot because, int he upper left hand corner, there is an EYE. Creepy, eh? This is what happens when you cook pudding in a house with six kids. Random photo-bombing will happen.) Anyway, of course Edna was right and this was MUCH smoother.

 Thirty minutes in the oven and the pie is done! Perfect!!!

Happy boy! He can't wait to eat the pie! But it has to cool in the fridge for 3-4 hours, so I tell him that tomorrow morning, we'll cut into it...

Except, that night, right around midnight... I cut into the pie. Just to check, you know. It was HORRIBLE!! How did this happen??? 

Once I'd cleared a space, Miss Pie Pantry informed me that I needed to BAKE THE CRUST FIRST. Oh.... that's what all the muffled yelling was about. Edna's bowls were rattling with laughter and even Thor let out a few low chuckles. 

Hm. I think it's the cookbook's fault. They should have highlighted that bit. And a bigger font.  I mean "prebaked" is such a small word and no wonder I missed it.

So, until nxt time my friends. I wish you success in the kitchen and remember to BAKE THE CRUST if you make this recipe.

Edna's retirement party and another kitchen fail!

Helloooo, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back and we wanted to share some very exciting news! Last week, we had Edna's retirement party. Here she is, the center of attention, surrounded by all her old friends.

Hats were made by my ten year old because... well, Edna has no thumbs. She's good, but she's not 'party hat and hot glue gun' good.

Walter the alarm clock, Goldy the tea cup, Minty the Fireking mug, Pierre the French Press, and Master Chen, the Ninja cooker all came and partied hardy.

My sweet blue Pyrex and the ice blue Fireking dessert plate carried the cupcake to Edna. (Imagine humming and whirring. It sounded like the wedding march crossed with 'happy birthday'.)

Polly the vintage mixing bowl, Sassy the hobnail milk glass teacup, Rudolf the vintage cookie press and Francine the Fireking flowered teacup crowded around. Folgers coffee had to come because they share counter space and I hear them giggling long into the night. That Folgers... he never sleeps. Tom the vintage toaster and Perky the percolater coffee maker were there.

Vintage blue glass Ball jars made an appearance but one refused to wear the party hat. It didn't fit right. She's used to those fancy zinc lids.

Everyone had a wonderful time and many cupcakes were consumed. After a few hours, it was time to tuck everyone back into their spots. We needed to get ready. We were expecting someone....

While I waited, I took some old tea containers someone gave me and started painting.

Ooooh, pretty! With my red kitchen, I'm thinking this will be very cheery! I found a site that had some great downloads for decals. I'm thinking red will be fun. Decals from 'Just Something I Made'. I really love that site, she is SOOOOO crafty! I love repurposing materials and we get given a LOT of materials because people know we homeschool.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door! Our package had arrived!

AHHHHH! This one is occupied! Wrong box!

Seriously, this is the box.

Hey, my painted thumb sort of matches this sticker...

Oooh, first peek! And I'm thinking I might have ordered the wrong size.

Oh... WOW. Umm.... This mixer is a monster! (Ignore the legos. It's a constant state in this house.)

It's a Captain Hook mixer!

So, we got him out of the box and set him up on the counter. Edna was there to inspect. She looked him up and down and all around. *low whistle* "My goodness. He's definitely got the brawn, but does he have the brains?"

There was no response. I was wondering if he really was 'just a mixer'. I mean, not everything can have a sparkling personality.

 I tried to set him under the cabinet. No go. He was far too large.
Then I heard a light sniff. I think he was noticing the fresh garlic. And avocados.

Hm. It was time to test him out. He still wasn't really talking. I found this awesome Norwegian Krumkake press at a thrift shop. COOL!!! I want to make some of those yummy crisp cookies that are shaped like cones and smell like Christmas!

 So, we started.
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 cup flour
6 TBS cold water

I asked Mr. Strong and Silent what his name was but he seemed far too intent on his work. And boy, did he go fast!

 In seconds, everything was mixed. We hardly got to know each other.

 
 I got out my potato masher, ready to roll the cookies on the handle as soon as they came off the press.

Directions say to grease the press, add a dollop of batter, squeeze together, and cook 30 seconds on each side. Ummmmm.... That is hubby's tortilla warmer. I set it on there because I was afraid of getting hot sugar batter on the ceramic top stove. He walked by and rolled his eyes toward heaven. I told him, "Just you wait! They're going to be delicious!"

Hm. I tried. I really did. Over and over and over until all the batter was gone. I never did figure out how to get the crispy cookies. I'm wondering if the recipe called for too many eggs? I thinned the batter and tried again. Nope. The scraps were incredibly tasty, but this is all we every got: scraps.

Anyway, Mr. Tough and Reticent and I got to spend a bit of time together. It was just a mere introduction. I think he enjoyed himself. At least, I'm pretty sure. Maybe we need to try something else. Cinnamon rolls? He can use that pirate hook. Edna thought that was quite intriguing. And maybe after that, he'll tell us his name. The kids have already decided they're married, but I don't know if Edna is the marrying type.

Only time will tell!

Until next time!