Long time no see!  I have been so uninspired lately.  I have been busy and just not interested in doing all the work to make something yummy and then take the pictures and create a post.  It was just too much.  Therefore, I knew the only way that I would get back into the kitchen with some gusto would be to do some baking.  When I saw that the Sunday Supper crew were doing retro recipes I decided to dig for some delicious baked good from yesteryear.  And found these lovely cakes to make for any good tea party!

Plus, I was able to use some of my massive jam stores.  I have so much jam.  I love buying jam.  When I am at the farmer’s market it always beckons me.  There is always this wonderful person who explains all about their jam and tells me about the great produce they found and the new and inventive flavor combinations and I am sold.  But then I have more jam than any one person ever needs.  So recipes like this are perfect!  You can really use any jam you want.  But nothing too runny.  That would not stay in the cake very well.

I found this recipe in a vintage cake cookbook.  I love baking and the recipes in this book are wonderful and have some great history.  This is a cake found on 1930′s and 40′s flour products.  It is an easy and simple recipe that uses cheap ingredients to make something a little fancy and special.  Next time you have a tea party you should totally make these.

Raspberry Jam Cakes

This recipe is adapted from Vintage Cakes by Jane Brocket.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups self-rising flour, extra for dusting
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar, extra for sprinkling
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2-3 tablespoons milk, extra for brushing
• 6 teaspoons raspberry jam(or any other flavor of jam you prefer)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl.  Add the cold and chopped butter and rub into the flour with your hands.  Once the butter is well incorporated add the sugar and stir.
3. Mix the egg and milk together in a separate bowl.  Next add the egg/milk mixture to the flour mixture.  You might need to add more milk, but be careful not to add too much.  The dough should stick together, but not be too sticky.
4. On a lightly floured surface, work the dough into a flat rectangle and divide into 12 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a sphere.
5. Make an indentation in each sphere, kind of like a bowl and then put a teaspoon of jam in the center of one of the bowls and put another bowl on top and make the bowls into a sphere by rubbing the edges together.  Repeat until you have approx 6 cakes.
6. Place the cakes on a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Brush the top with milk and then sprinkle with sugar.
7. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cakes are golden, but not brown.  Transfer to a wire rack and let them cool.  Do not eat immediately because the jam might burn.  These taste the best on the day they are baked.

Number 1- White Tea Blueberry Smoothie

Number 2- Slow-Roasted Turkey Breast

Number 3- Spicy Grilled Cheese

Number 4- Sage Salvation Tea

Number 5- Bird Nest Cookies

Number 6- Baked Breakfast Apples

Number 7- Thyme Mushroom Quinoa Saute

Number 8- Chamomile Cupcakes with Honey Glaze

Number 9- Chicken Chowder

Number 10- Irish Carrot Potato Soup

Number 11- Tuna Melt Hot Sandwiches

Number 12-Breakfast Tart with Garlic, Mushrooms and Bacon

OMG who doesn’t love sticky buns?!  I am a huge fan.  Well the other day my friend Kelsey and I decided to make them for brunch and it was wonderful.  I am so glad we had these.  They were fabulous!

And the doggies!  So cute!

I am not quite happy with the dough on this.  I need some more practice.  And let me just tell you I will enjoy getting better at making sticky buns

Apple-Pecan Sticky Buns

This recipe is adapted from Shutterbean.

Ingredients

• 2 apples; peeled, cored and sliced thin
• 1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar, divided
• 6 ounces butter, softened, divided
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream, divided
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons honey

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease a 9-inch square baking pan.  Place the apples, 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 tablespoon butter in the baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

2. Next mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Add 5 tablespoons butter and mix until crumbly.

3. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with 1/2 cup cream, then mix into the dry ingredients.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to form a 9 inch rectangle.  Ok maybe I needed a lot of flour, so lightly floured might not be quite accurate.

4. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup brown sugar, the pecans and cinnamon.  Cut up 2 tablespoons butter and dot the dough.  Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on top and cover evenly with the roasted apples.  Roll up the dough, jelly roll style, and cut crosswise into 9 slices; place the slices cut side down in the prepared baking pan.  Bake until golden, 35 to 40 minutes.  Transfer to a rack to cool.

5. In a saucepan bring the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the honey to a boil, stirring.  Heat for about 2 minutes and the let cool slightly and drizzle the sauce over the warm buns.

I love biscotti!  And I recently found this wonderful recipe with peppermint and candy canes.  What could be more perfect for the holidays!  I love candy canes and always use them to stir my hot chocolate so this is just too much.  Now I can stir my hot chocolate with biscotti!  So much chocolate

I just put up the Christmas tree!  Have I mentioned how incredibly small my apartment is!  I have no room for a really tree, even on a table.  Therefore, thank you washi tape and windows!

I have not put the ornaments on because I think the cats will have a hay day with them.  Therefore, I will wait until I really want them.  Probably for my cookie party

Double Chocolate Peppermint Biscotti

This recipe is adapted from Honest Cooking.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract, divided
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• a few candy canes crushed
• 1 cup melted chocolate
• 1/2 teaspoon canola oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, cocoa, soda and salt.  Mix to combine.

3. Next cream the sugar and butter for a few minutes.  Then add the eggs and 1 teaspoon peppermint extract.  Once that is well blended add the dry ingredients.  This is a very firm dough.  Next add the chocolate chips and mix by hand.  Separate into two equal halves and form a log that you flatten a little and place on the baking sheet.

4. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until firm.  Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.  Next place them on a cutting board and slice into approx. 1/2 thick pieces.  Next lay them cut side down on the baking sheet and bake for an additional 10 minutes, flipping half way through.

5. Melt your chocolate over a double boiler and keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn.  Add the oil and 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract and mix well.  In a separate bowl crush the candy canes (I kind of pulverized mine, I would not recommend pulverizing them).

6. Next dip one end of your biscotti in the chocolate and then in the candy canes and let them firm up.  Store in a closed container for about 4-5 days!  Enjoy!

I got peanuts, chocolate, cornbread and blackberry jam.  All these items are from Virginia.  I have never been to Virginia so this was a nice taste of a new place.  I have already finished off the peanuts and chocolate.  Next I am going to make some cornbread and I think I am going to make pop tarts out of the blackberry jam

If you want to see what I mailed you can go check out Elizabeth over at Being Elizabeth.  I sent her a yummy Minnesota package.

Next month we are changing it up and encouraging everyone to donate money to charities for hurricane sandy.  You can check more out on that here.

I love Thanksgiving dinner.  We always have family favorites and it is so good.  We normally have leftovers, but my family usually eats the leftovers just like they are.  We don’t make new dishes out of them.  So for this Sunday Supper I had to do a little investigating to see what we could make.

I found this delicious recipe for croquettes in one of my favorite cookbooks and just had to try it out.  We ordinarily have leftover mashed potatoes and if it takes a while to get through them or if you have a lot of leftovers this is a great way to use them up!

Leftover Mashed Potatoes and Beef Croquettes

This recipe is adapted from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros.

Ingredients

• about 3 cups mashed potatoes or 4 potatoes
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 6 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Put a pan of salted water on to boil.  Add the unpeeled potatoes and boil, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until they are soft and completely cooked through.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Drain the potatoes and when they are cool enough, peel them.  Mash them well in a wide bowl.  Add the beef, parmesan, egg, and salt and mix thoroughly with your hands.

3. Take a rounded tablespoon and roll into a ball and then flatten a bit into little ovals.  Put the bread crumbs on a plate and path the croquettes in them to coat both sides.  Drizzle about 2 1/2 tablespoons of oil over the bottom of a large baking pan, spreading it around with the back of a spoon.  Pack the croquettes tight on the pan and drizzle lightly with another couple of tablespoons of oil.

4. Put the pan in the oven and bake the croquettes for about 30 minutes, or until the undersides are nicely golden and a bit crisp.  Turn them over gently and bake for another 10 minutes, or longer if necessary, until the new undersides become nicely golden (even a little crisp here and there- but not dried out).

5. Serve warm or at room temperature with a small scattering of salt, if you think they need it.

The Weekly Dish!  Here are the recipes from this blog for the last week.

Snickerdoodle Snack Mix

Tomato and Cilantro Soup

Spiced Apple Cider Sorbet

Chicken Korma

Here are recipes from blogs I follow.

Side Dish

Bacon Cheddar Cornbread from Eat Boutique

Soup

Chicken Dumpling Soup From Fast Food to Fresh Food

Lentil and Roasted Vegetable Soup from Scarborough Food Fair

Desserts

“Hot Buttered Rum” Apple Pie from Eats Well With Others

Candied Chestnuts from Vanilla Garlic

Cardamon Honey Pear Upside-down Cake from You Made That?

I was given this recipe in my birthday present and have wanted to make it for a while, but was a little nervous.  I have never made Indian food and it had a lot of ingredients.  But!  I am happy to report it was not that difficult at all.  I was also sure I had burned it when I was cooking the onions, however that is not the case.  It tasted amazing!  Now I am going to plan a bunch of different Indian dishes to make.  You just wait!

Chicken Korma

This recipe was given to me by my very good friend Lisa.  She found it at Quick and Easy Indian Cooking.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3 tablespoons and 1 cup water, divided
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 inch stick cinnamon
• 8 cardamom pods
• 4 whole cloves
• 1/4 cumin seeds
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon coriander
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 3 canned plum tomatoes, chopped
• 3 pounds chicken pieces
• 1/4-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper- I like mine spicy so I used 1 tsp
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. Put the ginger, garlic and 3 tbsp water in the container of an electric blender, blend until you have a smooth paste.

2. Put the oil in a wide frying pan or saute pan and set over high heat.  When the oil is very hot, put the bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom pods, cloves, and cumin seeds.  Stir once or twice and put in the onion.  Stir and fry for about 3 minutes or until onion browns.  Put in paste from blender, ground coriander, ground cumin and fry for a minute or so.  Put in tomatoes and fry for another minute.  Put in chicken , cayenne pepper, salt and 1 cup water.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and turn heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, turning chicken over now and then.  Remove cover and add cream.  Cook on high for 28 minutes or until thick.

I really enjoyed this.  I do have to say that it is really a bizarre flavor, because I am use to spiced apple cider being really hot.  BUT it is cold.  And it has a warm after taste.  You should just try it.  I really do like it.  It is kind of a brain twister.

Spiced Apple Cider Sorbet

This recipe was adapted from The Kitchn.

Ingredients

• 3 cups apple juice
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 5 whole cinnamon sticks
• 3/4 cups cranberry juice
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons spicy cinnamon bitters or other alcohol

Directions

1. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Simmer for about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Remove cloves and cinnamon sticks, discard.

2. Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Next it through your ice cream maker according to the directions of your ice cream maker.

Tomato soup is an iconic American soup and I have never made it from scratch before.  I figured I should tackle it.  It was way easier than I thought it would be.   And it tasted better than any tomato soup I have tried before.

Also, originally this soup was named spicy tomato and cilantro soup, but it is not spicy.  I am not even kidding.  It just has flavor, no spice.  Really good flavor- like I mentioned best tomato soup I have ever ate.

Last, but not least, this soup calls for onions and I put the onions in the soup!  I am trying to eat healthier.  Onions are good for you and normally as long as the onions are not overpowering I can handle them.  And I could handle them in this.  So yay me!  Now to the recipe!

Tomato and Cilantro Soup

This recipe is adapted from The Soup Bible.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 scallions/green onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 cups water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons light cream, to serve

Directions

1. To peel the tomatoes, plunge them in very hot water.  They only need to be in the water for a few seconds.  Put it in and then take them out.  The skin should peel very easily.  Next roughly chop them.

2. Next heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan.  Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, and green onions.  Cook for a few minutes.

3. Add the salt, garlic, black peppercorns, cilantro and water to the mixture.  Bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to a simmer.  Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.  While the soup is simmering dissolve the cornstarch in a little cold water; set aside.

4. Strain the soup into a new saucepan.  Discard the strained vegetables.  Put the soup on low heat and add the cornstarch.  Stir in for a few minutes.

5. Pour into individual soup bowls and serve piping hot with a swirl of cream.