Orange-Sweet Chile Noodles

A few of my followers on Facebook are having a "Citrus" party in August, so I decided to help them out with some cool summer recipes all with some sort of citrus in them. Now, these are not all southern recipes but being its 103 degrees right now in the south I thought it might cool things off a little.

My first recipe is Orange-Sweet Chile Noodles by Caprial Pence her cookbook is Caprial Cooks for friends. Caprial and John have cooking classes in Portland, Oregon. Her food is wonderful!

This dish is quick easy and can be served warm, at room temperature, or cold. What I love about this recipe is that it goes great with anything, plus you can add just about anything to it. You can add chicken, grilled salmon, or vegetables to make it just about anything you want.

Orange-Sweet Chile Noodles
Adopted recipe and photo by Miss Kates Cookbook
Original Recipe by Caprial Pence - Caprial Cooks for Friends

16 ounces dried Chinese egg noodles or spaghetti (which works great)
1 cup vegetable oil
6 gloves garlic
2 tablespoon fresh ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup sweet hot chile sauce
Grated zest and juice of 2 orange
2 teaspoons frozen orange juice concentrate,thawed

In a stockkpot over high heat, bring about12 cups of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until al dente, 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside

In your food processor, or bullet combined all the other ingredients. Pulse 4 to 5 times till garlic and ginger are minced and everything esle is blended. Pour over noodles and let sit for 10 minutes before you serve.

I have double the ingredients for the sauce, which you will not need all of it for the noodles.
First put one half of the sauce into the noodles and toss, then let sit for about 5 minutes. You can decide if you would like more at that point. I use a little over half, I like the flavor. The noodles absorbed a lot of the sauce.

For the rest of the sauce, I grill chicken and brush the sauce on it. You can then cut up the chicken and toss it in the noodles for a complete meal.

The topping is fresh basil. Thinly sliced.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

"This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!"
Julia Child

                                  

Southern Caramel Cake Recipe

Rosemary's Caramel Cake Recipe

My Mom

There is not a person in the world that has ever had this cake that has not loved it and wanted the recipe. It has been the talk of the family for over 40 years and was made for my brother and myself every time we came home to visit. Trust me your family and friends will love you for making this cake.

There are two things about this caramel cake recipe that are very important.

1.  One being the silvery white cake recipe needs to be increased by 1.5 so you get 3 full layers of cake. Also, do not over cook the cake, remember cake still is cooking when it comes out of the oven till it cools. So, I use pasta noodle and when the noodle comes out almost dry I pull the cakes out. Also, do not try and cheat and use a cake mix, the caramel icing is to thick and it will pull the cake apart.
2. The icing, now I know this says never fail icing but that is a standing joke in our family. You have to do this icing a few times to get the icing the way you like it. Sometimes it may turn out thick and more candy like but still good other times it will be perfect. (Rainy days can affect the outcome).

You can is the orginal copy from 1969 of recipe the copy from my sister in law. It is a attachment to the printable version. Read the attention part in the middle then you will understand the joke abot the icing. Do not worry it is worth the try.

   

SILVERY--WHITE CAKE

4 egg whites                                                       1 cup milk

2 1/4 cups sifted flour                                         1 1/2 teas vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups sugar                                                  or 1 teas vanilla and 1/2 almond extract.

3 1/2 teas baking powder                                     (Rosemary uses this variation)

1 teas salt

1/2 soft shortening

1. In small bowl, let egg whites warm to romm temp for about hour
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 f.  Grease well and flour two 9 x 1 1/2 deep round cake pans
3. Into large bowl of electric mixer, sift flour with sugar, baking powder, and salt
4. Add shortening, 3/4 cup milk, and extract. at low speed beat only untl ingredients are combined. then, at medium speed,  beat 2 mins, scrape down side of bowl and beaters with rubber scraper
5. Add the unbeaten egg whites and the rest of milk, beat 2 minutes
6. Pour batter into prepared pans; bake 30 -35 mins. or until surface springs back when gently presed with fingers tip.
7. Let cool in pans 10 minutes on wire rack. Turn over: let cool completely on wire rack. Fill and frost.

ATTENTION TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN.......Rosemary makes this recipe by increasing the amounts by 1 1/2.

so it makes 3  layer cake.

Never fail Creamy Caramel Icing 

2 1/2 cups sugar                                   3/4 cup of milk

1 slightly beaten egg                             1 teas vanilla

1 stick of butter

Melt 1/2 cup of sugar in iron skillet slowly; until brown and runny. Mix egg, and butter and remaining

sugar, and milk in a saucepan and cook over low flame until butter melts. Turn the heat to meduim and add the brown sugar. Cook until it reaches the soft ball stage or until mixtures leaves side of pan. This takes about 10 minutes. Remove for fire, let cool slightly ad ad vanilla. Beat until right consistency to spread. If it gets to thick add a little cream. This will ice a 2 layer cake.

Click here for a printable version of recipe.

Let me know

Happy Baking Charles

Childhood Memories Through Food

How cooking brings back your childhood memories.

When we cook in our kitchen with one of our grandmother’s recipes, it sometimes seems as though we are right there sitting down with our childhood memories. How the smell of maple syrup, or biscuits evoke powerful memories. What recipe does that for you?

The place I remember the most is the kitchen in my Grandmothers home. I remember walking through the swinging door, the large grey table in the center of the kitchen where all the preparing went on, the large yellow clay bowls to mix in, and my favorite thing of all was the large white gas stove. The stove had a gas broiler on the top, where in the morning we made cinnamon toast, I loved to what the lid lower down with the flames until the toast was ready. What do you remember?

My Grandmother’s southern cooking comes from a collection of southern recipes that span over 8 decades. Many recipes collected from great southern women of Mississippi at bridge games, garden clubs, and social events. They have been past down through generation to share.  I will share these recipes with you.

Let me know what southern recipe you would like to try I can start with that one. Share something about your childhood memories of things your grandmother made for you.

Have fun cooking,
Charles

Sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses

Well, its Sunday morning and already up working on my blog like crazy. I just got face book create doesn't have its own URL yet but if you go and visit and like it that would help. Miss Kates Facebook  Thanks

Sometimes I have to stop myself because I can get all caught up in what I am doing and forget the little things in life which make it so much better. So, I stopped to take a break with my favorite chocolate turtle coffee and sat out in my garden. Its raining here in Vancouver/Portland, Oregon area and the temp is 64, which for most of the country I know that's crazy but that's one of the reason I love it up here.

Just sitting listening to the birds, watching the butterfly's, and looking at the roses it give you a totally different perspective on life. I believe that is what a garden does for you, its a place to escape and relax. So, take a 10 minutes break to walk to garden today and just relax and get away. Enjoy !

Let me know if it helped,

Charles