I was fixing a birthday cake for a member of my pod the other day and decided to try something new. Here’s what it was supposed to look like:

The cake itself used a fairly small amount of flour and a can of chocolate syrup, so I knew it would be moist. It is a single layer cake with ganache poured over it. The instructions said:

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until just set in the middle. Allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then remove from the pan, turn the cake upside down on a wire rack set over a sheet pan and cool completely.

Total disaster! What the instructions should have said was “bake until cake is thoroughly set in the middle”! As it was, when I turned the cake over, the insides started dripping through the wire rack (I guess that is why the directions call for it to be set over a sheet pan). The cake was so tender, in fact, that the wire rack was leaving deep marks even on the part of the cake that was set.

So now, instead of having a cake that was even across the top, I had one with a huge dip in the center. If I had tried to pour ganache over it, the ganache would have just pooled in the low areas. I didn’t really have the time or the energy to whip up any other frostings, so I ended up calling it a “gooey” cake and served it to the birthday boy with ice cream (I also made cookies as a backup).

One of my projects during this pandemic was to put all the recipes I have made and all the recipes I want to make into one place. I started going through each of my cookbooks and putting recipes I want to try into my recipe software program. I have now finished going through my physical cookbooks; I still have a lot of my ebook ones to go.

I decided to print out what I have done so far on 60-weight, half-letter size paper and put the recipes in binders. I have just under 500 recipes at the moment, so here’s what they look like:

I have two books for baking (deserts and breads) and four for cooking. Each book has a few page protectors in the front pocket. The recipes themselves are in alphabetical order and I have an index that is both alphabetical and in divisions such as “Poultry”, “Vegetables”, “Appetizers”, etc.

Now I just take out whatever recipe I’m going to make, slip it in the sleeve, and put it on the counter. I must say, the system is working out very well so far!

Back in 1978 I was at Officer Candidate School in Rhode Island. The school made sure that all of us who were staying over Thanksgiving vacation had a chance to have a holiday dinner with one of the school’s officers and I signed up for it. I don’t remember much about the meal except for one thing: instead of turkey, our hosts served ham.

Having been raised Seventh-day Adventist, I had never had pork products. But I was already throwing that upbringing behind me: I was reading books on evolution (gasp!) and had voluntarily joined the military (another no-no). I figured I might as well start throwing out the dietary restrictions too and took my first bite of ham.

It was soooooo good!

Since then I have had the occasional bit of ham on a sandwich and enjoyed it in dishes like soup or beans. But I had never fixed it; it seemed pointless when many of the people I cook for wouldn’t eat it. Yesterday, though, I had invited some friends over to celebrate a birthday. The birthday person said they really enjoyed ham and I decided to fix one. So I bought my very first ham from the local supermarket and heated it up on my Trager grill.

It was sooooo good!

Now I just have to figure out what to do with all the leftovers.

The Ember cup I mentioned in an earlier post has enabled me to start drinking and enjoying hot tea. So I have now embarked on the adventure of finding out just what teas I actually like.

There are two main characteristics I am looking for in my tea. First, I want to actually taste something with a lot of flavor. Most teas that I have tried are too weak; they taste like barely flavored water. The main hot teas, heretofore, that I have somewhat enjoyed are the mint teas served in such places as Turkey and Morocco, very strong brews, indeed. Second, I want a caffeine-free brew as I am drinking it in the evening.

The teas I have found so far that have these characteristics are herbal teas, so I am starting to try those out. First I tried a “chocolate” tea. I did not find any chocolate flavors; it just tasted sort of muddy. I have also tried a buttermint tea. Not bad, but not great. The winner so far is “Sangria Zinger”. It actually tastes of fruit and is very pleasant.

As to how I brew: the Ember mug holds about 10 ounces, a bit more than a standard mug. The instructions for most teas tell you to pour boiling water over the bag and steep for 4-6 minutes. What I end up doing, though, is using two tea bags in my big mug and steeping for 10 minutes or so. More tea and more time seems to be the right combination for me. Once it cools down, I find myself with a terrific tasting brew that I can sip for quite some time.

The only problem with this routine is the time involved: I have to plan ahead by almost 30 minutes: 2 minutes to boil, 10 minutes to steep, and 15 minutes to cool off enough to sip. The whole process is quite enjoyable and worthwhile, but not nearly as easy as filling a glass with ice and pouring a can of soda!

The Ember Mug is one of those things that sounds way too frivolous to buy for yourself, but ends up being really useful. I got one as a gift this Christmas and it is unexpectedly turning out to make a real difference in what I’m drinking.

I like hot drinks, but the temperature range I like them at at is very narrow. I am either scalding my tongue or wondering why bother with something so tepid. I have seen the mug warming coasters, but that means you are tied to the coaster and must live with whatever temperature it puts out.

The idea behind the Ember Mug is quite different: the warming element is in the mug itself. It does recharge itself on a coaster, but while you are actually drinking, you can take the mug anywhere and it will keep your drink warm.

Better yet, it doesn’t only keep it warm, it keeps it at the temperature that you want. I bought one of these mugs for mom so that her Postum will stay warm throughout her lengthy breakfast. I have her Ember set to 145° (the highest setting the mug has) and it keeps it at a perfect sipping temperature for her throughout the morning. It also works great for her when she is splurging on hot chocolate at night in her arm chair.

Knowing that mom can drink liquids at a way higher temperature than I can, I started my mug at the default 135°. While I could handle that, I am much more comfortable with my tea at 132° (125° is way too cool). It’s weird to me how much my brain is just expecting the tea to be cooler each time I pick it up and, instead, it’s the same temperature every time.

Now I’m starting to experiment each evening with different herbal teas. More on that in a later post.

Here’s the table set for dinner yesterday.

Dinner was currant glazed chicken thighs, creamy braised brussels sprouts, smashed potatoes and praline-pumpkin torte. The torte was a new recipe for me and I was very pleased with it:

And here’s mom opening her presents this morning:

Hope you all are having a great day!

Friday night I tried a recipe I’ve been eyeing for some time: Now that I’ve made it, it’s definitely a keeper. Not sure where I got the recipe from, but here it is:

Chicken with Currant Glaze

• 1/2 cup fresh currants (or dried)
• 1-3/4 cups water
• 1-1/2 cups currant jelly (I used about 1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with
• enough water to make a smooth paste)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Salt
• Pepper
• 4 whole chicken breasts, halved and boned ( I used boneless, skinless thighs)
• 1/4 cup oil

Plump currants, if dried, in 1 cup water for 5 minutes. Drain water from currants.

Combine remaining ingredients except chicken and oil in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown chicken in oil. Place chicken in an uncovered 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Pour 3 tablespoons of sauce over each chicken breast. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or to desired doneness. Place on a platter and spoon over remaining sauce. Serve immediately.

I served the chicken with a dish I tweaked from Food and Wine. Here’s the original:

Jeweled Rice Pilaf With Carrots

• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 2 1/2 ounces angel hair pasta, broken into 2-inch pieces (1 cup)
• 2 cups basmati rice
• Pinch of saffron threads
• One 3-inch cinnamon stick
• 3 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted Picholine olives
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 450°. Spread the almonds in a pie plate. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the carrots with tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the carrots until golden and tender, about 15 minutes. While the carrots are cooking, toast the almonds until golden, 3 to 4 minutes; let cool.

Meanwhile, in a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the leeks and angel hair pasta, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, saffron and cinnamon stick and cook, stirring, until the rice is golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer.

Cover the rice and cook over low heat until all of the broth has been absorbed, about 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.

Fluff the rice and stir in the carrots, toasted almonds, lemon juice, olives and parsley. Transfer the rice to a bowl and serve with lemon wedges.

I made a few changes:

• Slivered almonds instead of sliced
• No leeks, , as I was serving to someone who can’t eat them
• Fideo noodles as they are already short and thin
• I left off the last three ingredients and put in a cup of currants to go with the chicken dish

Lastly, since it was Halloween, after all, I tried my hand at making meringues:

Meringue Ghosts (from Sunset Magazine)

• 3 large egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 16 to 24 miniature semisweet chocolate chips or pieces semisweet chocolate

Line 2 baking sheets (each 14 by 17 in.) with cooking parchment, or butter sheets and dust with flour.

In a deep bowl, with a mixer at high speed, whip egg whites and cream of tartar to a thick foam. Continuing to beat, add sugar, 1 tablespoon every 30 seconds, then whip until meringue holds very stiff peaks.

Beat in vanilla. If using cooking parchment, smear a little meringue on the underside of each corner to make it stick to baking sheets.

Spoon meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (or spoon into a gallon-size heavy plastic food bag, then cut off 1 corner to make a 1/2-inch-wide opening). Pipe meringue onto baking sheets into ghostly shapes about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, 2 to 4 inches wide, and 4 to 6 inches long, spacing about 2 inches apart. To make eyes (noses and mouths, if desired) press chocolate chips lightly into meringue.

Bake in a 200° oven until meringues begin to turn pale gold and are firm to touch, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours (1 to 1 1/4 hours in a convection oven); switch pan positions halfway through baking. Turn off heat and leave meringues in closed oven for 1 hour.

Slide a spatula under meringues to release.

Not every great meal requires a lot of cooking or ingredients. This weekend, for instance, featured hot dogs. Not just any hot dogs, however. My favorite dog up to this point has been any variety of Hebrew National. As many of you probably know, though, Costco is renowned for their $1.59 hot dog and drink deal. And it’s a very good deal because it’s a very good wiener! People are known to go to Costco just for lunch to get their all-beef hot dog.

When I was in Costco last month, I headed to the frozen section as they sometimes have very good deals on Hebrew National. For the first time I saw they carried their own, Kirkland, brand of beef hot dogs. I figured if they were the same as the ones they serve up, I couldn’t go wrong, and I was right. They are delicious. Highly recommended.

A good hot dog is only enhanced by a good bun, of course. And, wow, did I find one. I was in Albertson’s and was snagged as I walked in by a display that contained, among other things, fresh-baked, brioche hot dog buns. They were even split down the top, rather than cut through from the side. Just perfect for making a chili dog or the like.

The rolls were so good I went back and bought a dozen more this morning to have on hand in the freezer next to the Kirkland hot dogs.

I did do one bit of baking: a raisin pie. In the past, I have just bought pie crusts for any pies I’ve made as I had always heard how difficult pie doughs were. I have seen several recipes that purport to reveal the magic ingredient or technique that will assure perfect crust, but had not had the nerve to try them.

The other night, though, I was watching an episode of Milk Street that showed how to make a dough the actually looked quite doable and I tried it on Sunday. Making it was “a piece of cake”, so to speak!

I have a neighbor who knows a thing or two about pie crusts and I tried the pie out on her. She asked if I had used lard in it; her family had always used lard and she was very skeptical that any non-lard crust would be up to her standards. To her surprise, my pie crust met and surpassed them!

If you haven’t had raisin pie, it’s very simple and quite easy. Here is the recipe:

Raisin Pie

• 1 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 egg whites
• 1 unbaked pie shell

• Put raisins in sauce pan and cover with water. Cook until nearly dry. Cool slightly.
• Add remaining ingredients up through egg yolks and combine.
• Beat egg whites until stiff, fold into raisin mixture.
• Pour mixture into unbaked shell and bake at 350° for 45 minutes (may be done earlier than this, check it early on).

And here’s the recipe for the pie crust:

Milk Street Pie Dough

• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (159 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 10 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
• 2 tablespoons sour cream

Don’t skip the sour cream; it’s key for a tender crust. And don’t skimp on the pie weights if blind baking; use enough to come 3/4 of the way up the sides.

01
In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch. Microwave until set, 30 to 40 seconds, stirring halfway through. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.
02
Once the cornstarch mixture has chilled, in a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt and process until mixed, about 5 seconds. Add the chilled cornstarch mixture and pulse until uniformly ground, about 5 pulses. Add the butter and sour cream and process until the dough comes together and begins to collect around the blade, 20 to 30 seconds. Pat the dough into a 4-inch disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 48 hours.

03
If blind baking, heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle position. On a well-floured counter, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle.

04
Hang the dough over the rolling pin and transfer to a 9-inch pie pan. Gently ease the dough into the pan by lifting the edges while pressing down into the corners of the pan. Trim the edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then tuck the overhang under itself so the dough is flush with the rim of the pan. Crimp the dough with your fingers or the tines of a fork, then chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

05

To blind bake, line the chilled crust with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until the edges are light golden brown, about 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Remove the foil and weights and bake until the bottom of the crust just begins to color, another 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before filling. Once baked and cooled, the crust can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for up to 2 days.

I serve this appetizer whenever I throw a big party. It is easily the most requested recipe I have. I usually make it without the bacon just to keep it meatless and it is still raved about. You just can’t go wrong with this one!

• 11 ounce cream cheese, softened
• 2 t sour cream
• 1-1/2 t curry powder
• 1/2 c bacon pieces, optional
• 1/2 c chopped peanuts
• 1/2 c green onions, chopped fine
• 1/2 c raisins
• Chutney
• Crackers

Blend cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Add curry and blend well. Add bacon bits, peanuts, green onions, and raisins. Mix well. Spread into serving dish or form into shape of choice and tops with chutney. Serve with crackers.

Note: All the favorite curry condiments combined in a single appetizing spread. May be topped with peach, mango, or apricot chutney (I’ve always used apricot).

This is another recipe from the Gourmet LA cookbook.

Years ago I picked up a cookbook called Gourmet LA: A Collection of Fresh and Elegant Recipes from the Junior League of Los Angeles. Over the years I have made a lot of recipes from it. Every single one has been outstanding. There are some I haven’t tried because there is something in them I don’t like, but every one I have made is a winner.

One of my favorites, and the one I made today, is “Spanish Soft Tacos”:

• 1 whole chicken, cut up (approximately 3 to 4 pounds) or 4 whole chicken breasts (thighs work, too)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 12 ounces white corn (I’ve also used hominy here)
• 8 ounces creamed corn
• 2 ounces diced mild green chiles
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup grated onion
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups sour cream
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 12 flour tortillas
• Sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Place in a large glass baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until tender. Cool chicken. Skin, bone, and shred chicken. Combine chicken, white corn, creamed corn, green chiles, almonds, raisins, onion, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, sour cream, and Worcestershire sauce in a baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 45 minutes. Spoon onto warm flour tortillas. Top each with a generous dollop of sour cream. Serve folded over or rolled up.

Today I added halved cherry tomatoes; next time I think I’ll add olives.

If you have a chance to get a used copy of this book (it’s sometimes available on Amazon), do it! You won’t be disappointed.