Category Archives: Vegetarian

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL (SNACKS)?

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I noticed the other day that the oak trees are full of baby acorns, one of the first signs of fall here.  (Technically, the Halloween decorations at Michaels in July herald the start of fall.)

The acorns also signal the start of football season.  It’s no secret that football is big in Texas.  I didn’t used to pay much attention to high school football, but now my daughter plays the clarinet in her high school’s marching band, and it’s fun to go watch the football games.  Being a band mom, I especially enjoy the pageantry of the half-time shows.

Can you see my kid?  There she is, 3rd row, 2nd from the left.  No wait, 4th row, 3rd from the left.  Or is that her in the second row?  Got to remember to bring binoculars to the next game!

Both my husband and I went to the University of Texas.  Although we don’t get to a game very often, we enjoy watching the games on TV (him, more than me). Occasionally I’ll get inspired and try to make something football-themed to serve while we watch the game.  I think football-shaped food tends to look kind of gross (for example, football-shaped meatloaf), so I generally prefer to make dishes using team colors instead.  Longhorn Snack Mix is a colorful and oddly addictive salty/sweet snack mix that I have been making in some fashion since my kids’ earliest birthday parties.  It’s really good with Corn Pops, but they don’t hold up to our Gulf Coast humidity for long, so we use Honey Nut Cheerios instead, which are equally tasty.

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Longhorn Snack Mix
Author: 
Recipe type: Snack
 
Ingredients
  • 8 cups Honey Nut or Multi Grain Cheerios
  • 1 cup yogurt raisins
  • 2 cups Original Goldfish Crackers
  • 2 cups orange-coated candies (such as Reese's Pieces or M&Ms)
  • 2 cups mini marshmallows
  • 1 cup salted peanuts
Instructions
  1. Put all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. Store in an airtight container.

 

 Hook ’em Horns!

MOM’S JEWISH POUND CAKE

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I found this pressed glass cake stand at a local charity thrift shop.  I believe it was made by the Fostoria Company, although the shop had a tag on it that said Heisey.  Isn’t it classy?

What’s really cool about it, is that it has a well in the center of the plate.

I had no idea what this hole in the plate was for — flowers, maybe?  My interwebs research revealed that this was known as a “rum well.”  Now we’re talking!  What cake wouldn’t benefit from a liberal bath in liquor?

Every time I look at this cake stand I want to start singing “If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake” — a popular song from the ’50s, which went like this:

If I knew you were comin’ I’d’ve baked a cake

Baked a cake, baked a cake

If I knew you were comin’ I’d’ve baked a cake

Howd-ya-do, howd-ya-do, howd-ya-do

My version, however, is slightly different, and doesn’t involve the questionable use of double contractions.  (I mean, really — I’d’ve?):

 If I knew you were comin’ I’d have locked the door

Turned off the lights, shut the blinds

If I knew you were comin’ I’d have locked the door

Please call before you come next time

The thing is, I hate when people drop by unexpectedly.  It’s never good.  All hell breaks loose — things boil over on the stove or char in the oven, the dogs go bonkers or get out and run halfway down the block, and I have to make up some excuse why I’m still in my pajamas at 3:00 p.m. — you get the picture.  Sometimes folks come by unexpectedly to drop off something in connection with my son’s scout troop — a CD with 800 photos on it, broken camping equipment — which I receive with the same delight as when my dogs drop a dead lizard at my feet.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not antisocial — I just appreciate a heads up when someone is coming by.

My mom, on the other hand, was always ready for company.  She loved to entertain, or, as she called it, En-Ter-Tain, enunciating every syllable.  She and my dad, who were both accomplished cooks, could put together a tray of hors d’oeuvres in no time flat.  And my mom always had a home-baked cake or pie in the freezer.  Her signature cake was Jewish Pound Cake.  She found the recipe in a newspaper decades ago, and must have made 500 of them over her lifetime.  It was once her secret recipe, but now, of course, you can find it on the interwebs.

Inspired by the elegant cake stand and the memories of my entertaining mom,  I baked a Jewish Pound Cake — just in time for Rosh Hashanah.  I believe its name comes from the fact that it’s made with oil, not butter, and therefore, can be served with both a meat and a dairy meal.  It’s a simple, not-too-sweet, homey cake, best baked a day in advance, and perfect for noshing.  Or serving to unexpected company.

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JEWISH POUND CAKE
Author: 
 
This cake is best made at least one day in advance.
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup raisins
  • 1-1/2 cups water
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • ¾ cup oil
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • ¾ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt or tube pan.
  2. Place raisins and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat, stir in baking soda, and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, mix together oil, eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla, and nuts. Add in raisin mixture, and mix until thoroughly combined.
  4. Pour batter into prepared pan.. Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before removing from pan.

Hot from the oven 

I knew you were coming so I baked a cake!

 Please enjoy your cake while I put on some clothes

and go chase my dogs down the block.