Joy in the Kitchen!

  I brought home an old cookbook from my Mom's stash of recipes.  I wish I'd have asked her more about it when she was alive, but now I'm just making guesses as to it's history.  This book is the Larkin Housewives Cook Book .  Copyright 1915,16,17, and 1923.   I love old books.  My Mom was born in 1929.  I would guess this is her mothers' cookbook.  Her mother passed away when Mom was 6 years old.  My grandpa cooked and had housekeepers to come watch after the house and children for several years after.  Any of them could have enjoyed using this cook book.    There are a few recipes with "good" or "very good" penciled in to the side.  A few small notes in lovely handwriting. (There are even pencil scribbles from a child on a few of the back pages - I had fun imagining my Mom or her brothers doing that while their mom's back was turned.)   One way I can tell the best recipes is in play in this book though, th...

  I don't know that it's fair to call this a pound cake, nothing was measured by pounds!   But it is moist and dense and delicious, just like old fashioned pound cake!  And chocolate to boot!  Can't beat that.  This is lovely in a Bundt pan but would work well in 2 loaf pans as well.  The smooth chocolate ganache on top is my favorite but you can just sprinkle with powdered sugar as it's cooling for a lightly sweet touch. I made this recently for an auction at church.  It was fun to see all of the fun desserts that others brought to auction off as well!  We went home with a delicious German Chocolate cake. Mmm! Triple Chocolate Pound Cake 1 chocolate cake mix (I prefer fudge or rich chocolate) 1 6oz box of instant chocolate pudding 1/2 cup white sugar 2/3 cup water 3/4 cup oil 1 cup sour cream 4 large eggs 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips Ganache 3/4 cup heavy cream 2 cups chocolate chips, semi sweet or milk 2 tsp. coconut oil, optional Prehe...

Lemon is such a vibrant fruit!  Color and flavor are bright and refreshing.  This old fashioned Luscious Lemon Cake is tart and sweet with a glaze that really packs a punch.  My mouth is watering just thinking about the melt-in-your-mouth goodness!   I got this recipe from my Mom who got it years ago from her friend at church.  I find so often that these recipes that were passed around amongst acquaintances are some of the best!  Tried and true, recipes to use over and over and pass along to a friend.   There is a 5 pound bag of lemons in my fridge waiting to be used so this seems like a tasty opportunity to share this recipe! Luscious Lemon Cake 1 lemon cake mix (any brand will work) 1 small package of lemon gelatin  4 large eggs 3/4 cup oil 3/4 cup water Glaze juice of 3 lemons grated rind from those lemons 2 cups of powdered sugar Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat together (by hand or in a mixer) the first 5 ingredients, scrapi...

  It has been cold and snowy white as far as the eye can see where I live!  This week the temperatures are supposed to be above freezing for the first time in several weeks!  I mean high 30's!  Absolutely balmy!  When we're this far into winter, I'm always ready for some peeks into spring.  Though we are several weeks away from the snow melting enough to see the ground, I enjoy including this colorful, fresh salad in my menu!  It's a lovely reminder of the garden harvest I'll enjoy this summer.  This is more of a throw-it-together sort of dish rather than one needing exact measurements, but I have some guidelines I use as the base of this dish.   I make it in this quantity for myself for lunch, or I leave the garbanzo beans out and add another cucumber and a little more olive oil and lemon and use it as a side dish for the family at dinnertime.   I've never been a fan of vinegar and oil dressing on salads, but I love, love, L...

Lentil and Burger Bake We've been finding new ways to eat healthier which includes using beans and legumes more often.  My Mom used to make this lentil dish once in a while and I've always loved it.   I love the peppery, earthy flavor of lentils!   They cook up quicker than dry beans as well, you can cook them on the stovetop for 40-50 minutes or in the instant pot for around 8-10 minutes.  Sometimes I just love my Instant Pot for things like that! When I'm reading recipe blogs I don't enjoy having to sort through so much chatter to find the recipe, so on to the important part!   Ranch Style Lentil and Burger Bake 1 lb. lean hamburger (I like 93/7 but use what you can find) 1 T. olive or vegetable oil 1 pkg. dry onion soup mix OR 1 T. beef bouillon and 1/2 C. fresh, diced onion 4 C. cooked lentils 1 tsp. dry mustard 1 tsp. vinegar 1 C. water Brown burger in oil, stir in remaining ingredients.  Pour into a casserole dish or 9x13 pan and bake a...

S'More's   are one of our family's favorite camping treats.  A beautifully browned marshmallow and a few pieces of chocolate bar pressed between two crispy graham crackers.  Yum!   They are sticky and messy to eat and only the most patient of marshmallow roasters get them beautifully browned, but even S'More's with blackened marshmallows are tasty! I don't remember where I got the base recipe for these S'More's Cookie Bars, but we've been making them for about 20 years.  It's like a taste of camping anytime!  No fire to build, coals to wait for, or smoky clothes and hair when you're done!  Right now our firepit is buried in snow drifts as well so this is a much better option for this chocolaty marshmallow treat! Today I'm making these for my son to take to a get together with friends.  They need about half an hour to cool enough to cut and then a little longer to cool enough for the chocolate to set, so be sure to bake with time to spare....

Early this spring, my friend called asking for help!  A swarm of bees had landed in her yard and were collecting on the base of her lilac bush.  I called my niece, whose husband (Andrew) is a beekeeper and he was here in an hour or so.   He brought all of the equipment needed for capturing a swarm.  He was excited when he saw how large this swarm was!  A prime swarm!  HUGE!   I wish I'd videoed him scooping the bees up by handfuls and shaking them into their new beehive home.  Pretty cool from a distance! We have sev eral apple tr ees, pea r, plum trees and a fairly large garden.  Alfalfa fields are nearby as well so our little hive of bees have plenty of blossoms to stay busy all summer.  Andrew told me bees gather nectar in a 5 mile radius of their hive.   When the hive was fully capped off (the bees had filled all their little honey holes and sealed them), Andrew and his wife Cassie brought their honey separat...