Lidl's Apple Orange Brownies that don't require bringing out the electric mixer

Lidl's Apple Orange Brownies that don't require bringing out the electric mixer.

This is also great recipe to double.

Combine in a sauce pan over medium heat.
6 Tbsp butter
1 to 3/4 cup brown sugar in a saucepan (a little less than 3/4 works well too)

Cook until butter is melted.
Then beat in 1/2 cup apple sauce, some orange peel and
1 beaten egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Sift together:
1 1/4 flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp soda
and then stir these dry ingredients into the mixture in saucepan.

Stir in 1/2 cup walnuts. 

Spread in greased 15 inch by 10 1/2 inch pan and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

While the brownies are still warm top with orange glaze.
1 cup sifted powder sugar  (not sure of this amount.  I will have to call Lidl or experiment.)
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp. orange juice or more
dash salt

Omi's Bundt Cake and other Bundt cake recipes

Omi's Bundt Cake and Other Bundt Cake Recipes

My mom used to make a bundt cake almost every week.  She would invite friends over for coffee and cake and also offer cake to our friends when they came over to our house.

1 cup of margarine (I like using butter or coconut oil instead)
1 1/2 cups of sugar (less works out okay too)
4 eggs (using 2 eggs works as well)
1 or two lemons (juice and the rind)

Sometimes my mom would put finely chopped walnuts in the batter instead of lemon juice.  She would also make a marbled bundt cake by taking 1/3 or 1/2 the batter and adding chocolate powder. )

2 1/2 cups of flour
some baking powder and some salt
2 heaping Tbsp of yogurt

Grease a bundt pan.  Pour the batter in the pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack so air can get underneath the bundt pan. Turn the pan over onto a plate after 10 minutes of cooling time.  If the cake doesn't come out run a knife around the edges to free the cake from the pan and try turning it over again.

The original recipe that my mom adapted used 1 8oz. package cream cheese, 1/2 pound butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 1/2 cups vanilla, 4 eggs, 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup candied fruit and 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Blend cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Gradually add 2 cups flour sifted with the baking powder and salt.   Combine 1/4 cup flour with the candied fruit and 1/2 cup chopped pecans; fold into batter.   Grease a 10-inch bundt or tube pan;  sprinkle with finely chopped pecans.  Pour batter into pan;  bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes.   Cool 5 minutes;  remove from pan.  Garnish with candied pineapple and cherries.

This recipe uses crazy cake batter. I think it looks more festive in a bundt pan than in a flat sheet cake.

Crazy cake has an interesting story.  The recipe was popular during the Depression or during World War 2 when butter and eggs were in short supply.  

Sift together:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp. chocolate powder

Stir in:
10 Tbsp. melted Crisco (coconut oil works too and is a better for you)
2 cups cold water
2 Tbsp. vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla

Beat by hand. Pour into a bundt cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  After I let this cake cool, I like to top it with Sherri's frosting or dust the cake with powdered sugar.  

A delicious bundt cake that uses cake mixes

There is a chain called Nothing Bundt Cakes that was started by two friends in Las Vegas.  

1 pkg. cake mix

1 pkg instant pudding the same basic flavor as the mix

4 large eggs

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oil

(For chocolate chocolate chips cake add 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

Mix cake mix, instant pudding, eggs, water and oil in a bowl with an electric beater.  Pour into a greased bundt cake pan.  Cook in an oven at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes. 

You can sift powdered sugar over the finished cake or you can used this cream cheese frosting:

1/2 cups butter, softened

3-4 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and the butter.  Mix in the vanilla and then gradually stir in the powdered sugar.  I like to be able to pour the frosting on like a very thick glaze so that it slowly runs down the sides of the bundt cake.

Butterless Bundt Cake with banana, orange juice and golden raisins 

I made this cake for the county fair.  It won 2nd place!  Instead of butter, this cake has yogurt and bananas.

10.5 ounces of flour

1 tsp salt

1.5 tsp baking powder

6 ounces brown sugar

lemon and orange rind

3 eggs separated

2 bananas mashed with 1 Tbsp. orange juiced from an orange

2/3 cup yogurt

4 ounces golden raisins

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl.  Stir in the sugar and lemon and orange rind.  Make a well in the center of these dry ingredients and add the egg yokes, banana, yogurt and golden raisins.

Beat the 3 egg whites until they are white and fluffy and then fold them into the batter.  Pour the mixture into a bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.

When the cake is cool, drizzle with a sifted powdered sugar and lemon juice glaze.

Lentil soups and....

Lentil Soup Recipes and other recipes using lentils

My mom used to make lentil soup almost once a week.  It made me happy when my own kids said they missed lentil soup while in college.  The cafeteria doesn't make it.  Usually you use brown lentils but I have tried red lentils and it turned out great.  

My mom would make extras and give some to me in a tupperware container.  She would always say:  add a little liquid so it isn't so thick.  I read that in a recipe too.   Also, it tastes even better then next day.   

This is a Lentil Soup made with tomatoes, curry and the optional bulgur.  Instead of curry I have used thyme, or oregano or summer savory.

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 medium onions chopped

3 stalks of celery chopped

3 to 4 garlic cloves

2 tsp. curry powder

1 cup canned crushed tomatoes

1 cup lentils or more, rinsed and drained

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth.  I usually use a bullion cube.

1 bay leaf

Optional:  1/2 cup bulgur wheat

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup sliced green onions or some chopped parsley 

1.  Saute the onions and celery in the olive oil in a large soup pot.  Add the garlic. Stir in the curry powder and cook stirring for about 30 seconds.  Add the tomatoes, raise the heat to high, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.  Stir the lentils into the pot.

2.  Add the broth and 3 cups of water, and bring to a simmer.  Add the bay leaf, partially cover the pot, and simmer until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.  

3.  Stir in the bulgur wheat and continue to simmer, partially covered, until the lentils are tender and the bulgur is tender-firm, about 10 minutes.  Season generously with salt and pepper.

4.  Stir up to 2 Tbsp. lemon juice into the stew and serve it in bowls or in a warm terrine.  Stir the sour cream to liquefy it slightly and drizzle about 1 Tbsp. over the top of each serving.  Give each a good grind of pepper, sprinkle with scallions, and serve very hot.  

Options:

You can add carrots and parsley to the onions and celery.  

You can also use other spices instead of curry.

You can also start the soup by sauteing bacon in place of sauteing the vegetables in olive oil.  

Some people say this soup tastes even better when cooked a day ahead. 

My mom used to make lentil soup every other week.  She would put cut up sausage in the soup.   We lived in the county on 5 acres and one year we had so many mice outside and a few made it inside the house.  One mouse jumped in the lentil soup.  My mom found out when she ladled the soup.  She thought to herself:  I don't remember having put such a big piece of meat in here.  She figured out it was a mouse and I am sure she threw out the soup.    

Warm Lentil Dip

We brought this dish to my annual birthday picnic and hike and ate it kind of like a
dip with with crackers and bread.  

I would use red or yellow lentils.  The brown ones will make the dip look like a mud dip.

Cook dry lentils according to the package directions. Some stores sell pre-cooked lentils but I have never used them.
1 jar of curry simmer sauce
1/2-1 can of coconut milk (to taste - I have used light coconut milk, but regular coconut is better.)
Minced cilantro to taste. I think the more you add the better it tastes.

Mix all the ingredients together. This dish tastes even better if you let it sit at least an hour before serving so the flavors blend, but it is not necessary to wait to eat it. This dish keeps well in the refrigerator for about 7-10 days. You can serve it hot or warm. I prefer room temperature. It is great as a side dish or mixed with veggies. It is also delicious all by itself.

Overnight oatmeal and overnight Grape Nuts cereal

Overnight Oats taste great and easy to make.

Stir together :
1/2 cup of old fashioned oats
6 oz. of Greek yogurt
1/2 a banana mashed
some skim or almond milk

Top with sliced almonds or walnuts.
Top with chia seeds or flax seeds.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

I also make and eat overnight Grape Nuts cereal.  1/2 cup Grape Nuts mixed with milk.  I like to top with walnuts, wheatgerm and raisins.

My mom had a German friend that would comment that the food manufacturers take the wheat germ out of the wheat and then sell it separately in a jar.  They then take the wheat that has been robbed and bake it into white bread.  The wheat and germ should be kept together.