Tea Cakes

Plain but delicious!

Tea cakes fall into the category of "heritage foods."  These slightly thick, not-too-sweet, cookies are definitely not showy and are not something you will see in the supermarket bakery.

My late mother, who was born in 1911, remembered tea cakes as a childhood staple in her West Texas home.  Using simple ingredients and tools, her mother and other cooks of her generation were masters at making tea cakes.  My grandmother's recipe was never committed to paper, and my mother tried lots of tea cake recipes in search of one that produced tea cakes like she remembered.  Finally, she was given the perfect recipe from a  Nancy Ray of Ackerly, Texas. 

Hand written card from my mother's recipe box.

TEA CAKES

1 cup lard (or shortening)

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour milk (or buttermilk)

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla or nutmeg

6-1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease 4 or 5 baking sheets.

Using a mixer on low speed, cream sugar and lard.  Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla and mix well. 

Yes, lard.  Crisco will do in a pinch.

Buttermilk makes everything better!

 

Sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda.  Add about half the flour to the existing mixture and, using wooden spoon, blend in flour.  Add remaining flour, working in gradually.  The dough will be very stiff. 

 

Mix flour with a heavy spoon.

Finally, use your hands!

 

Working with about one fourth of the dough at a time, place dough on a floured surface; and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough to ¼ inch thickness.  Cut dough in circles using a cookie cutter whose edges have been dipped in flour. 

I like to use a plastic pastry mat.

Roll to 1/4 inch thickness.

Don't try to work with too much dough at one time.

 

Bake on greased cookie sheets approximately 16-18 minutes or until only slightly browned.  Yield:  6-1/2 dozen cookies, using a 2.5 inch cookie cutter.

Baking time varies, watch the first pan carefully.

 

Mexican Turkey Soup



Mexican Turkey Soup

Serving turkey at Thanksgiving is a tradition I follow, but using the leftovers is far more entertaining than cooking turkey for the big day.  The possibilities are endless:  turkey spaghetti, turkey and dumplings, turkey pot pie, turkey soup, you get the picture. 

The minute Thanksgiving lunch was over this year, a day or so of leftover bird was kept in the refrigerator; and the remainder was removed from the bones and packaged for freezing.  The carcass was boiled for broth, and the broth was frozen for later use.  

Homemade broth is more tasty than the canned variety, and it is nice to be in control of the salt (or lack of it) and other seasonings.

Turkey carcass ready to be turned into broth. 

 

1 large onion, chopped

4-6 cloves garlic, minced

1 large jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 green pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes (no salt added)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles

Kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn

2 tablespoons cumin

2 tablespoons oregano

4 cups chopped turkey

8 cups turkey broth

Additional water as needed

Garnishes:  grated cheddar or Mexican blend cheese; cilantro leaves; chopped onions; crumbled tortilla chips; lime wedges.



The garnishes make the difference between a good soup and a great soup.

In a 4 quart pan, sauté onion, garlic, jalapeno, and green pepper in olive oil.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer until flavors are well blended and vegetables are tender, at least 30 minutes.  Serve with garnishes. 

Preparation tip:  There is no need to thoroughly defrost the turkey or the broth.  I usually place the turkey in the fridge the night before using it so that it is thawed enough to cut into piecees.  It will thaw quickly when added to the soup.  As for the broth, it can be added to the pot frozen like a big old popsicle; it also thaws quickly.

 

Posole



Posole with pork and sausage.



Frozen posole (hominy) is one of two key ingredients in this dish; canned hominy is just barely acceptable compared to the frozen product.  Frozen posole is not always easy to find; some grocery store chains do not carry it.  WalMart in my area has it.  The other key ingredient is roasted Hatch chiles; when they were in season, I roasted and froze several pounds.  Frozen or canned green chiles may be substituted, but the flavor isn't quite as intense.  Adding potatoes, carrots, and celery, and German sausage to posole may be unconventional, but it tastes good.






1 lb. cubed pork

German link sausage

2 lbs. cubed lean pork (or 1 lb. cubed pork and 1 lb. German-type sausage, sliced)

6 cups vegetables (a combination of any of the following, or others of your choosing; this is a total of 6 cups, not 6 cups of each)!

Onions, garlic, jalapeno, potatoes, carrots, and celery

• Cubed potatoes
• Sliced carrots
• Sliced celery

2 cups chopped onions

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

3 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

16 cups water or vegetable broth

Posole that has been soaked and rinsed

Additional water as needed

2 lbs. frozen posole, soaked and rinsed according to package directions

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon dried green chile,(to taste, in case you need more heat)

1-1/2 cups chopped Hatch chiles (roasted)

Salt to taste

Sauté onions, garlic, and jalapeno in olive oil.  Add pork and brown slightly.  Add broth or water, posole, vegetables, and seasonings.  Bring to a boil and simmer until the posole and vegetables are tender and the meat is done.  Add additional water as needed during cooking process.  Adjust seasonings to taste.

Lots of good ingredients!

To serve, garnish with chopped green cabbage, thinly sliced radishes, cilantro leaves, and juice from lime wedges.  This makes a large batch; eat half now and freeze the rest for later; posole freezes very well.

Posole with pork.

Butterscotch Glaze

Pound type cakes with little or no frosting are my favorites.  This glaze is quick and easy, and it doesn't overpower the cake.  I have used this glaze on apple cake, carrot cake, and chocolate chip pound cake.  Adding finely ground pecans might be nice.

Butterscotch Glaze

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons milk or buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Add milk or buttermilk and brown sugar, dissolving brown sugar.  Bring to a boil and boil vigorously without stirring for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Stir in powdered sugar and beat until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes.  Drizzle over Bundt type cake or use to frost a 9x13 inch sheet cake.

Turkey or Chicken Pot Pie

Using the turkey leftovers is the most fun part of having turkey for Thanksgiving. 

Turkey or Chicken Pot Pie

8 cups chopped vegetables:

·         2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

·         4 ribs celery, stringed and thinly sliced

·         4 carrots, thinly sliced

·         1 medium onion, chopped

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups liquid (chicken or turkey broth, vegetable broth, water, or a combination of any of these)

2 cups frozen green peas, defrosted and drained

4 cups cooked, chopped turkey or chicken

¼ cup butter

½ cup all-purpose flour

Milk (approximately 1 cup)

Salt and pepper to taste

Pastry for 2 double crust pies

Place single pastry into two 9 inch pie plates or one 9x13 inch casserole; reserve remaining pastry for top crust.

The bottom crust in this case was pieced together, utilizing pastry from a previous endeavor.

In a medium saucepan, place 4 cups liquid and the 8 cups chopped vegetables; bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Simmer vegetables until tender, approximately 30 minutes. 

I started with approximately 1 cup frozen chicken broth and added 3 cups water for cooking vegetables.

 Drain cooking liquid into a 4 cup measuring cup and set liquid aside.  Some of the liquid will have evaporated, yielding about 3 cups liquid.

Combine cooked vegetables, green peas, and turkey or chicken in a large bowl, set aside.

To prepare gravy:  Add milk to vegetable cooking liquid to equal 4 cups.  In the same saucepan in which vegetables were cooked, melt ¼ cup butter (1/2 stick).  Using a whisk, add flour to melted butter and mix until all flour is coated in fat.  Add liquid to fat/flour mixture and whisk well.  On medium heat, cook and stir until mixture is thickened and has just reached the boiling point.  Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add milk to cooking liquid to equal 4 cups.

Pour gravy over turkey/vegetable mixture and stir gently.  Pour all into prepared pie plates or casserole; top with remaining pastry.  Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until pastry is browned evenly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Refrigerator Rolls

This recipe came from my Aunt Mildred, who got it from a friend.  My aunt was one of the best cooks I have known; she always baked her rolls in muffin tins.  I tweaked it a bit to add water temperatures and mixing instructions.

Light and tender rolls! 

Refrigerator Rolls

½ cup warm tap water, 110° to 115°F

2 packages (4-1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast

¾ cup melted butter or margarine

¾ cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 eggs

2 cups warm tap water, 110° to 115°F

7 cups all-purpose flour (more or less)

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm tap water.  Use a food thermometer to make sure the water is within the recommended temperature range so that the yeast will be able to do its job.  Set yeast mixture aside.

The water temperature for dissolving yeast should be 110 to 115 degrees F.

In a large microwave-proof bowl, melt butter.  Add sugar, salt, and eggs; beat well with a whisk.  Add 2 cups warm tap water (again, make sure the temperature is correct) to this mixture, along with the dissolved yeast mixture.  Beat well with a whisk.  Add 2 cups flour and beat well.  Add remaining flour, about 2 cups at a time, stirring with a sturdy spoon.  Continue adding flour  until the dough is stiff and sticky. 

Dough should be stiff but not dry.

Cover bowl and refrigerate dough overnight; it may be stored up to one week.


When dough is removed from the refrigerator, it will be light and spongy.

Remove dough from refrigerator and turn onto floured board.  Knead in additional flour until the dough is not sticky.   Shape rolls as desired. 

High tech biscuit cutter, about 2.5 inches in diameter.

 

 

Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness.

Placed in greased muffin tins or in greased pans. 

Leave a bit of space between rolls to allow for rising.

Let rise until doubled in bulk, approximately 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Bake rolls 22-28 minutes or until lightly browned.  Baking time will be influenced by the thickness of the rolls and variations in oven performance.

Variations:  Sometimes I use cooking oil rather than butter; you can reduce the oil and sugar to 1/2 cup each, if you like a less sweet and rich roll.  Brushing the rolls with melted butter immediately after removing them from the oven will make them extra yummy.

Sweet Potato Pie

This is a result of a 2013 Thanksgiving baking frenzy; it is easy to make and very tasty. 

Sweet Potato Pie

1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust

2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes, without skins

½ cup sugar

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

¼ cup melted butter

½ cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Mix sweet potato, sugars, eggs, buttermilk, butter, vanilla, and nutmeg with a whisk or mixer.  Pour mixture into prepared pastry. 

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix; pretty simple!

Unbaked 9 inch pie crust.

 

Ready for the oven.

Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the crust comes out clean.  Serves 8.