Charlotte’s Kitchen

Archive for September, 2008

Ingredients:

1        plain spice cake (18.25 ounce)

1        (3.4 ounce) vanilla instant pudding mix

1        cup pumpkin, canned or fresh mashed

1/2    cup oil (canola)

1/2    cup water

3        large eggs

1        teaspoon Watkins Cinnamon

1/2    teaspoon Watkins Ginger

1/2    teaspoon Watkins Nutmeg, optional

1/2    cup pecans, toasted, optional

Directions:

Mix as for cake mix and bake at 350 degrees in a 13 x 9 pan for 32 to 35 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1        8 ounce cream cheese

1        stick (8 tablespoons butter softened and room temperature)

3        cups 10 x sugar

1        teaspoon Watkins Vanilla

Directions:

Mix and frost cake.

Ingredients:

1 1/2        cups flour

1/3           cup sugar plus 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar, depending on blueberries

3               teaspoons Watkins Baking Powder

1/2           teaspoon salt

1/2           teaspoon Watkins Almond Extract

1/4           cup melted butter

1/3           cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1/2           teaspoon Watkins Vanilla

2/3           cup ricotta cheese or dry cottage cheese

2               eggs

1                cup blueberries

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees and grease 8 to 10 muffin tins.

Combine with whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt til well blended.

Beat almond extract, vanilla, melted butter, ricotta cheese and eggs.  Add this mixture to the flour mixture and incorporate well.

Carefully fold in the blueberries making sure to distribute them throughout the mixture.  Batter will be soft and lumpy.

Fill tins 2/3 full and bake for 20 minutes.

Allow muffins to cool for 2 minutes in the tins and then invert onto a metal rack to completely cool.

Ingredients:

Cake:

2            cups granulated sugar

1            cup unsalted butter, softened

5            eggs, at room temperature

1            tablespoon grated orange rind

1/2        cup fresh orange juice

2 1/2    cups self-rising flour

1            cup 2% reduced-fat milk

Icing:

1/4        cup unsalted butter, softened

1            tablespoon grated orange rind

1/3        cup fresh orange juice

1            (1-pound) package confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

To prepare cake, combine sugar and butter; cream with a mixer at medium-high speed.  Add eggs and orange rind; blend well.  Reduce speed to low and beat in orange juice.  Add flour alternately with milk; beat well.  Pour into pans.

Bake 22 to 25 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pans 15 minutes.  Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

To prepare icing, combine butter, orange rind, orange juice and half of the confectioners’ sugar.  Using a mixer at low speed, beat until well blended.  Gradually add remaining sugar; beat until smooth.  Spread abut 3/4 cup on top of one layer.  Place second layer on top.  Spread remaining icing in a thin layer over top and sides.  Serves 20

Ingredients:

2 1/4        cups whole wheat flour

2 1/4        cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2        cups rolled oats

1                teaspoon baking soda

1                teaspoon salt

1                tablespoon sugar

2 1/2        cups buttermilk

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Combine everything but the buttermilk in a large bowl and stir the ingredients with your hands.  Make a well in the mixture and pour in 1 1/2 cups of the buttermilk.

Continue mixing with your hands, adding the remaining cup of buttermilk as you combine the ingredients.  The resulting dough will be wet and very sticky.

Dust your hands with flour, shape the dough into a ball and place it on a floured cookie sheet (a nonstick baking mat helps).  With a knife, score a deep X in the top of the ball, widening it with the sides of the blade as you cut.

Bake the bread until it’s golden brown, about 50 minutes.  Transfer it to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.  Makes a crusty, dense loaf about 7 inches in diameter.

Ingredients:

1        cup diced fresh mozzarella

1/3    cup thin pepperoni slices, quartered

1        cup halved grape tomatoes

1/2    cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

3/4    cup diced green bell pepper

1        (2.25 ounce) can sliced olives, drained

small head of leafy lettuce

1/2      cup salad croutons

Italian Dressing

1/3      cup olive oil

2          tablespoons red wine vinegar

2        tablespoons Parmesan

1/4    teaspoon salt

1/8    teaspoon Watkins Pepper

pinch of sugar

Directions:

Combine all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk the mixture well.

Add the mozzarella, pepperoni, tomatoes, mushrooms, bell pepper and olives to the bowl and toss the mixture to distribute the dressing.

Serve the salad on a bed of lettuce and top it with croutons just before eating.  Serves 6.

Ingredients:

12          ounces angel hair pasta

1/2        cup pine nuts

1/4        cup olive oil

3            cloves garlic, very finely chopped

2            tablespoons lemon zest

juice of 1 to 2 lemons (1/4 cup or so)

1            tablespoon table salt

2            cups grape tomatoes, halved

1/2        cup chopped fresh herbs such as basil, parsley and mint

1/4        teaspoon coarse salt

1/8        teaspoon Watkins Pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, toast the pine nuts, stirring often, until they are golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Then transfer them to a bowl.

Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium and pour in the olive oil.  Add the garlic and stir it often, until it softens and becomes fragrant, abut 45 to 60 seconds.  Remove the skillet from the heat and add the lemon zest and juice.  Set the pan aside.

When the water boils, season it with 1 tablespoon of salt and bring it back to a rolling boil.  Add the pasta and cook it al dente (for about 4 to 5 minutes or as the package instructs).

Spoon 2 tablespoons of water from the cooking pot into a small bowl and set it aside,  Then drain the pasta well.  Return the pasta to the pot.  Pour the reserved cooking water and the lemon juice mixture over the pasta and toss it well.  Add the tomatoes, herbs and pine nuts.  Season the mixture with the salt and pepper.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Makes 6 servings.