Canadian War Cake



           The Canadian War Cake.  It is Thanksgiving and I was looking threw recipes to Blog on and found this 3X5 card of my Grandmother's cake.  When I mentioned that I have not had that cake in like a hundred years, I was told it was because only my

Grandmother and I liked it.  After deciding to make it, I had second thoughts.  Why make it if I'm the only one who likes it.  All my life it was just "War Cake", I didn't even know it was called a Canadian War Cake until I saw the title on the 3X5 card. 

          A couple days went by my Mother and I discussed what we were cooking, the plan was to make a Lain Cake.  The Lain Cake was another cake that was taken to Christmas dinner long time ago.  OK the War Cake is more for a Christmas thing, or the Lain Cake, then a couple days ago Mom said it's going to be War Cake for Thanksgiving.  With that decided, maybe I should look up Canadian War Cake on the Internet.

 

           Did you look it up on the Internet?  No I didn't.  We just will go by the recipe.  Mistake!  My Grandmother is despicable.  I have other family members who say I'm giving away all the family secrets.  I would keep them private, those are the family's, you're not supposed to tell everyone in the world.  I tell them you are just like Grandma, she would never give the right recipe.  She would leave something out to mess you up.  Well she did it to us here, with this recipe too.  It is like she came back from the grave, just to laugh at us, trying to cook her favorite cake. 

           We are lucky, because she didn't mess us up to bad.  She even gave me this great family story to tell y'all, while we cook it.  For one thing, there are times when I think she was just mean.  My Mother tells the story that she loved coconut cake and would always ask her mom to make her one.  My father's mother, made coconut cakes but it was not the same.  Her mother made the best coconut cake ever made.  At least in her eyes, yet she goes to her Mothers house one day.  Her Mom says; I made you a Coconut Cake.  So where is it?  O, I let Jerry and Yvonne, take it home with them, they were here yesterday for a visit.  She never did get it. 

           May she rest in peace, because even Yvonne tells a story that my Grandmother made her an apple pie, and she sat and ate it all her self.  She never missed going to Church, right up till she died.  Yet she would talk about so, and so, who wore a red dress to Church, or some other gossip.  Her house is the memory I have of Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  As the years went by and less, and less showed up.  That house and the family are my

Hallmark Christmas Card memory.  My Father, being in the Air Force, coming home for Christmas was just that.



           The whole thing about the War Cake is that food was rationed.  Ingredients which include butter, milk, and eggs, were expensive, or hard to come by.  You can't tell, but that is 1/2 a stick of margarine, or 4 tablespoons.  When I looked it up on the Internet they used a whole stick.  We are sticking to the card.  To our pan we will add 2 cups of water and 2 cups of brown sugar.  Getting out our measuring spoons we need 1 teaspoon each of nutmeg, all spice, and cinnamon.  You can see in our picture we have apple pie spice instead.  It has the nutmeg in it.

 

          To this we are going to add 2 cups of raisins, one box is what the recipe calls for.  Our container is 4 cups so it would be 1/2 that.  Now when I looked this up on the Internet, I found Depression Cake, and Boiled Raisin Cake.  I found some saying it came from WWII, and the Great Depression.  What I didn't realize is it was WWI.  The more I read, it goes back to the America Civil War.



 

         We bring this up to a boil, just let it boil for a good 5 minutes before turning off to cool.  While this is cooling get out your mixer, baking soda, and flour.  Once again on the Internet they used self-rising flour, we are using all purpose flour.  Most of the time we will use all purpose flour, unless specified.  As this is cooling it will form sugar crystals on the side of the pot.  Keep stirring periodically with a wooden spoon until cooled.





        The all purpose flour needs the baking soda the self-rising doesn't, that is the difference.  In the back ground of this picture we have our baking pans for the cake.  We are going to mix 3 cups of flour and 3 teaspoons of baking powder into our raisins.  Then pour equal parts into the two pans.

 

            Our recipe call for cooking in a pre-heated oven at 300 degrees for 40 minutes.  On the Internet I was surprised that they said 375, for 20-30 minutes.  Most of the time you cook on 350 degrees.  I think with the raisins in the mixture, I like the 300 degrees as the way to go.  Also, I saw a lot of recipes with out the frosting, which would make a great coffee cake.  To me the frosting is the best part.  So, while that is in the oven, go take a break while I chop some nuts.



           Here we have Pecans and Walnuts.  2 cups, a cup of each chopped up fine.  Now here is where things get tricky.  We need 2 cups of brown sugar and 1 cup of white sugar.  Take 2 sticks of margarine, and 3/4 cup of sweet milk.  Back then they called whole milk sweet milk, and then you had butter milk.  We are going to use 3/4 cup of evaporated milk from the can.  Today's milk just isn't the same.

         The  Pecans we are going to set to the side and get out our pot for cooking on top of the stove.  Our sugar, milk, and butter, we will bring to a boil.  We will also have a bowl of cold water.  The mixture will continue to boil for 12 minutes or so.  As you stir let a drip fall into the cold water.  When the frosting drip you drop into water is a small ball, it is ready.  Then turn off burner and let cool.



           This is the part where Grandmother is laughing at us looking down from heave, Ha, Ha, Grandma.  I am showing a lot of pictures on this cake, so we get it right.  But Grandma wrote and I quote, " but in vanilla beat a little, and spread".  The frosting needs to cool completely and thicken.  Add about 1/2 of your chopped nuts and stir in as it cools.  Keep stirring as it thickens.



           While our frosting is cooling, let's get the cake out of the oven.  When the cake comes out will let it cool on our wire racks.  We want the cake completely cool before putting on the frosting.  

  

           As you can see in the next photo, this frosting has not set up enough.  This is where Grandma got us.



          And here after we put the frosting on the cake, we take it back off and put it into the pot and stirred until it thickens.  This is what it should look like.



           As I end this story and I'm sure you got a laugh.  Mom and I are laughing too.  Because not only have we made Grandma's favorite cake for the first time, and shared it with you.  With all the mistakes it is delicious, we had fun, and we will remember it forever.

 

 

          I took the first picture of the cake to post in the Blog and when I got back, my piece of cake was gone.  Have a great Thanksgiving, as always share with your friends and click on the ads.  We thank-you very much.  Cooking is fun.

           Now to re-cap;

     

            2 cups Brown Sugar

            2 cups Hot Water

            4 Tablespoon Butter (Margarine)

            1 teaspoon each; Nutmeg (Apple Pie Spice)

                                        All Spice

                                        Cinnamon

            2 cups Raisins

            3 teaspoons Baking Soda

            3 cups Flour

       Frosting;

            2 cups Brown Sugar

            1 cup White Sugar

            2 sticks Butter (Margarine)

            3/4 cup Evaporated Milk

            1 teaspoon Vanilla 

                  1 cup Pecans

            1 cup Walnuts

          

           

          

                

 

Fried Pork Chops -n- Rice and Gravy



Fried Pork Chops -n- Rice and Gravy

           Seems to me pork chops are getting thinner and thinner.  I love gnaw-in on the pork chop bone.  Around here you don't need a knife and fork when it come to poke chops, or chicken for that matter.  Just reach down and pick it up.  Where you think they got finger lick-in-good from.  It sure wasn't from eating spaghetti.  There is no bone in these, because I like to taste the pork in a pork chop.  Once in a while I find a good thick pork chop with a bone, but it might be pork stakes.  No they don't taste the same.  Family packs, some times has a mixture of both.  I separate out the pork stakes, and use them to cut up in beans and such.



            First off we get out a large frying pan, pot, and a baking dish.  That grease in the frying pan is from frying bacon.  There in the picture with the salt and pepper, is a small kettle.  That is for left over bacon grease only.  Get you grease good and hot for fry-in.  In your pot, put in the collie flour, and carrots.  They need to cook longer than the broccoli.  Your rice put in covered baking dish, 2 to 1,  2 water, to 1 rice.  We use 1 cup of rice, if is just 2 of you, you might just want to make 1/2 a cup of rice. 



           We do this the same way we did in the Blog "Fried Green Tomatoes".  Put some flour in a bag and shake each pork chop one at a time.  You want a good coat of flour on each one before putting it into the hot grease.  Make sure it is hot by dropping just a little flour in.  If it is sizzle-in, then slid the pork chop in, like slide-in, in a hot tub.  Don't just drop it in, that grease will pop all over you.  You want these pork chops to stay on one side and cook awhile before flipping over.  Talk about some thing looking good.



           Look at it, just look at that frying in that pan.  See the brown in the bottom of the frying pan that, is going to be the pride of your dinner.  No lumpy gravy any more.  No bad gravy here.  After today, your friends will brag on your gravy.  Today we are making brown gravy, there is white gravy, even red-eye grave.  Red-eye grave is made using coffee, brown gravy is made with milk and water.  I have made it with all milk for a creamer taste, and with just water, when I was out of milk.  No matter which way you make it, it will not have lumps.  

  

            Now before you get to this point, put some water in a glass.  When your pork chops are golden brown and crusty on both sides.  Take them out and put on a plate, then cover with a upside down plate.  Pour off some, but not all of your grease.  Leave the brown crusty part, and about a tablespoon of grease in the pan.  With the burner on medium heat, put in two heaping tablespoons of flour.  Use the flour from the bag you coated the pork chops with.  The important part is now.  Mess this up and you'll have lumpy gravy.  Stir in this flour real good making sure it is all dissolved.  You can add more flour now if you need more, but after the milk goes in, that's it. 

           With the flour melted into the grease, add a cup of milk.  Slowly pouring in the milk while stirring.  Constantly stirring, and adding milk until the milk is gone.  Now while still stirring add about 2 cups of water,  With practice you will not measure this, and acquire a feel for it.  You can stop stirring for a minute or so, but don't go far, as it will start thick-in-ing.



            As you stir, get the gravy off the sides or it will start a film.  Just keep stirring and add the secrete to brown gravy.  Kitchen Bouquet, for browning and seasoning.  You can fine it at your grocery store.  Don't panic if you don't have any.  That's how you make white gravy.  You just learned how to make 2 different gravy's.  Brown is for pork chops, hamburger, and chicken.  White grave is for sausage gravy and biscuits, and hamburger gravy too.



            Now, a word from our sponsor.  I do not get paid for the products I use in my Blogs.  Like this one and the other spices I use.  It is just the things that it takes to cook in the south.  The difference in the food you make, and every one wishes they could.  That is why people will tell you, "Mine just don't taste the same".  I do get a little sompin, sompin, when you click on the ads.  I do thank-you for that.  Now, back to lump free gravy.



           When your gravy is just about thick enough, turn off the burner.  If your gravy is getting to thick, with the glass of water you have, just add a little and keep stirring.  Take the rice out of the oven when done and take the top off.  Let the rice breath a minute, and take the top off the steamed veggies.



            The main thing about steaming vegetables is not to cook them to long.  Vegetables should be just done enough, not mushy.  Well if everything went alright with the house is smell-in, and the food it ready.  I must tell you this;  As always share my Blogs with your friends, and click on the ads.  I would show you a picture of this meal all plated up, but, well, I, it, this is all that is left.

   

           

Thanksgiving is an American Holiday



           Christmas time once again, but let's have Thanksgiving first.  Every year I think of my father say Christmas is so commercialized.  What if he could see it today.  People putting up Christmas trees in their homes, and little kids coming to the door for trick-or-treat.  Wal mart has Christmas and Halloween decorations, side by side.  The corporate world, and black Friday.  What has happen?

           I saw a joke with a turkey telling Santa to get out of here, this was his day, pointing to the calender.  Tradition has been that Thanksgiving is on a Thursday.  Most people get a 4 day weekend, and that is when after stuffing their selves.  They start getting the Christmas stuff out of the attic.  Shoot,  in some traditions the tree doesn't go up till Christmas eve.  How is it that we forget what Thanksgiving is about. 

           Daphne is 9 years old, going to be 10.  When I picked her up the other day, Christmas music was on the radio.  She ask me to change the station.  When I asked her why?  She plainly said it's not even Thanksgiving yet.  Now, this little girl loves to sing.  Her dream in life is to be a singer, yet she knows it is to soon.  We are still eating on her Halloween candy.  When did Christmas stop being for kids, and stories of Reindeer, Elves, and Santa.  When did Christmas become about corporate bottom lines, year end markets and such.  What's more, what happen to stopping everything for one day out of the year to be thankful?



           The leaves haven't stop falling out of the trees yet.  Lets be thankful this year, a lot of people are seeing hard times.  I think the corporate bottom line is doing just fine.  I think the home front needs this Thanksgiving more than ever.  Pilgrims, Plymouth Rock, 1620, Indians, we now call Native Americans.  It is about the food.  It is about, not only the food, but the harvest, the summer coming to an end.  In some places the last chance to go out side with out freezing to death.

           Since it is about the food, a must have is Sausage Balls.  Easy to make, and high blood pressure or not, I love them.  Bisquick, sausage, and cheese.  That's it.  1 lb. of sausage, a package of mild cheddar cheese (12 oz.) and 2 1/2 cups Bisquick.  Mix in a bowl until crumbly, then roll walnut size balls.  Place on an un-greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Pile them high on a plate because I'll be eating them the whole time we are cooking.

           No, I think maybe this year, we need to be thankful more than ever.  More people are out of work, losing their homes, and the cost of every thing just goes up and up.  Maybe as we enjoy family and friends, let's try think about the fact that Thanksgiving is an American thing.  While looking threw "The Box" for  recipes to share with you.  I have come across one of my Grandmothers' it is called a War Cake.  I think of her now reading the ingredients.  

           During WWII, there was rationing.  My Grandmother came up threw the Great Depression.  A lot of her ways, only having chicken on Sunday, or canning jelly's and jams.  I still do some of it with my mother, but for her it was a necessity.  She too has left us.  She lived a long time, and did quite well.  She lived off of some investments, and toward the end lived in a very nice retirement home.  You don't see that much these day.  Back then Banks paid you, to use your money. 

  

           Right now I guess just having a good job, is a lot to be thankful for.  I feel this time now, is the ending of the year.  Not New Years, but Thanksgiving, where the harvest of the year is celebrated.  Like the War Cake, that; it something that should wait for Christmas.  Thanksgiving is turkey, cornbread dressing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.  Pecan pie too.  This week we will be cleaning the ceiling fans, getting the house ready for company.  This house will be full of family, with food on their minds. 

           Now for a good Thanksgiving cake we have Fresh Apple w/ Nuts.  Get your mixing bowl out, we are going to put a little flour in our hair and on our nose.  You know it has to look like we are working here.  Blend 1 1/4 cups Mazola (cooking oil), 2 cups of sugar and 3 eggs together.  Then slow mix in 3 cups of plain flour with a teaspoon each of baking soda, salt, and Cinnamon.   With a wooden spoon fold in 1 cup of pecans, a teaspoon vanilla, and 3 cups of chopped up fresh apples.

           Spray your tube-pan with vegetable oil, after you put your wax paper in the bottom.  Fill with the mixture, and put in pre-heated oven, at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Do not open the door! 

           For the topping we are going to melt in a sauce pan 3/4 cup of lite brown sugar with 1/2 cup evaporated milk, and 1/4 cup of margarine.  Pour this all over the top and down the sides.  Sprinkle pecans all over the top.  With the entire house smelling of brown sugar, and apples, every one can't help being thankful.  Thankful to be getting a piece of that cake.

           I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving with family, and friends.  I hope your home is full of the smells, that truly make a wonderful holiday, called Thanksgiving.  As always share with your friends, click on the ads.  May there only be love and joy in your hearts.

              

   

              

Pecan Pie and Sweet Potato Souffle

           Yes it is my job to crack the nuts.  When I was a kid my father would sit in his chair, and crack pecans.  My Dad is no longer with us but I do think of him often.  Things sure have changed since those days.  When my Dad came home, he put on brown pajama pants, his t-shirt, and sat in his chair.  He had a remote control, me.  We had 3 VHF channels, plus 1 UHF channel, 4,7,13, and 21.  The antenna was on a tall pole, I had to go outside and turn by hand.  Rain or shine, even in the snow, I had to go outside and around the other side of the trailer, to turn it.  

           There are a few things about my father I'll never forget.  He loved Banana Cream Pies.  My mother had to make 2 of them when she made them.  One pie was just for him, the 4 of us shared the other one.  I have asked my mother to make one now, and she will not do it.  I do know she made them quite often back then.  At Thanksgiving, and Christmas it was Pecan Pies.  My brother liked pumpkin, but I'm like my father.  It's the Pecan Pie for me, and I crack the nuts now.  

           Something else about my father, he never complained about the grocery bill.  We didn't have a lot, but we had food, and cloths on our backs.  I know I heard stories about walking to school, up hill both ways.  My dad was hard on us, and I got the business end of a belt, often.  I was the oldest and was to know better.  Any way I survived, just like a lot of us.  I do think that today, there are many who could stand a trip to the wood shed.  Some of them are running this country.  

           Today we get pie crust already made in an aluminum pie pan, and just have to make the filling.  You can buy a Pecan Pie already made, but if you need more than one, make it.  You can't have to many pies.  First of all we will blend 3/4 of a cup of brown sugar with a tablespoon of butter.  After that is smooth, add a cup of either dark or lite corn syrup, 3 eggs, and a dash of salt.  Now, put in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and mix well.  With your wooden spoon stir in 1 cup of chopped pecans.

            Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.  Pour mixture into pie pan of crust, and place in oven for 10 minutes.  Then turn oven down to 350 until pie is set, about 35 minutes.  Glad you made it, then go ahead and make another one.  Now to use some more of the pecans, lets make a Sweet Potato Souffle.  Everybody is going to love you this year.  

           With either 1 can of sweet potatoes, 3 cups of sweet potatoes after cooked.  1 cup of sugar, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of milk, and 1/3 cup butter.  1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla, mix all of these together with your mixer, till smooth.  Pour ingredients into a casserole dish.  Now for the Topping;  1 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, and 1/3 cup of butter.  Mix in 1 cup of pecans until crumbly and sprinkle on top.  Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees, then bake 25-30 minutes.  With all the baking for Thanksgiving, you may not have to worry about pre-heating the oven.  The pies and such, and then the turkey.  The oven might not get cooled off for awhile. 

  

           As always please share this and all of my stories with your friends.  If you would, please click the ads, leave comments, and join in as a follower.  Happy Thanksgiving, if you are away from home invite friends over to share in food with you.  God Bless.   

Frogg Leggs

  
          This is a true story, It just might be the reason some have said I was crazy.  This story takes place in Lee County, North Carolina.  Fort Bragg is where I was stationed in the army, and Spring Lake was where I went to school since 5th grade.  My father was in the Air Force, at Pope AFB.  After high school I join the Army there.  These places were in Cumberland County, and everywhere was the military.  Over in the next county was the country.  So when I came home from Germany, and was out of the Army, this is where I lived. 
           Hwy 87 ran from Spring Lake to Sanford, the brick capital of the South.  At least that is what the sign said any way.  Half way between the two was Carolina Springs Golf Course, and a junk yard.  That was about it except for farms, and farmers ponds.  This story is about those ponds.  I have never done any fishing like it since.  Some of the things we did, in hind sight, I would never do again. 
           My best friend Smitty, bought 10 acres on the same dirt road the junk yard was on.  Wooded land means no road in, and lots of trees to cut.  Every weekend I was out at Smitty's cutting trees and drinking beer.  We would have large bon-fires, and work out in the woods till late.  We both knew McLeod up at the junk yard from getting parts.  Smitty knew him all the way back in school.  Smitty was older, he had been in Vietnam.  I had gone in the Army as the war ended. 
           Understanding all of that, we worked every weekend  cutting trees.  McLeod's junk yard was closed on Saturdays at 1o'clock.  They had a backhoe, and road grader that we used cutting in the road.  We worked very hard on this because, Smitty was paying rent where he lived, as well as for the land.  The idea was to get his trailer moved as soon as possible.  Then when we did get the trailer moved in, the work didn't stop.  We just didn't have to work as hard on it.
           This is where the fishing comes in.  We had permission to fish in about 4 or 5 different ponds in the area.  These ponds were a good ways from the farm houses.  The crop they mostly grew in this area was tobacco.  Mid-summer when the tobacco was tall, we would even get into ponds, we didn't have permission.  Sitting out in the middle of two counties, there wasn't any police around for 25 miles in any direction. 
           Sometimes on a Friday night after drinking more than a few beers.  We would load up a 22 rifle, and a crate that bags of milk came in at the mess hall.  The crate had a door on it so the frogs couldn't get out.  We new very little about frogs, or that we were suppose gig them, not shoot them.  I must say learning was the fun part thinking back on it.  We are out in a boat rowing around a pond at 2 am with rifle and a net.  I'm holding the light on frogs, Smitty is shooting them.  I stick the net into the reeds, and water, but getting nothing.  I know he is hitting them but I'm not getting any in the net.
           This goes on quite awhile, until I start getting a few frog's in the net.  The frogs have 3 and 4 bullet holes in their heads and still jumping around.  You can not catch frogs with a gun.  As the sun comes up Saturday morning we just start fishing.  I catch a large mouth bass, and Smitty catches one bigger.  We do this back and forth and it just stops as fast as it started.  We go home with 5 nice bass and let the 3 or 4 frogs with the bullet holes in their heads go. 
           Now, we have invested in a gig and a bamboo pole.  This is also where I get the nick name snake bait.  Some thing about my being in Special Forces, I thought I was Superman or something.  I have had Smitty shoot snakes out between my legs, as I ran out of the marsh.  One time I could not even get the word snake out.  I put the light on the biggest frog ever.  I went down an embankment, on the back side of the lake.  Putting the light on the frog, Smitty behind me.  I get to this frog, and the light moves. 
           The light is shinning on the biggest water moccasin, coiled up and ready to strike this frog I just gigged.  "SSSSnnnnnaakkeee, SSSSSSnnnnnnnnaaakkkeeeeee!"  Don't Shoot!  SSSSSnnnnn Smitty had a shotgun.  We brought a shotgun, not the 22.  I backed slowly backward up the embankment, took the gun from Smitty and shot.  That snake skipped across the lake in dark.  Yes I was scared.  Not as scared as another friend was, who wanted to come see what we called fun.
           Tripp, who I went to high school with was in 82nd Airborne.  We are suppose to be some of the toughest the United States Army has.  Tripp's father was Special Forces, and the reason I joined the Army.  Well, Tripp wanted to go, so we went to this pond where we caught the bass.  Nothing dangerous, it is about midnight, we are rowing around the edges, shinning the light on the bank. We are drinking beers, talking about the different times we've had.  I'm in the back of the boat rowing.  Tripp is in front with light, Smitty in the middle, with the 22.
          Now, a little cove runs along side where the car is parked.  It isn't much bigger than the driveway at your house.  We are starting to enter this cove, as I row under a tree, that is hanging over the water.  I see a snake drop down looking Tripp in eye, at eye level.  I start back paddling as fast as I can.  Smitty is twisting and turning, trying to get the gun free.  Some how Tripp's leg is in the strap of the rifle.  I am frantically backing the boat, and suddenly Tripp is gone.  Tripp is gone, out of the boat and sitting on Smitty's car.
           This is the truth so help me,  the car is 30 feet away from us, with 20 feet of water.  Tripp is sitting on the car cussing us.  He wants to go home, and we are in the boat laughing our asses off.  I row the boat to shore, and Smitty, and I go up to Tripp and feel his pants legs and they are dry.  I don't know if he flew, walked on water, or what but his pants were dry.  Needless to say we went home, and Tripp never went with us again.
           Ever since then when I go to a restaurant, and see frog legs on the menu.  I think back to these times, of plates piled high, with 20 or 30 frog legs, fried golden brown.  No I have never ordered them from a restaurant, and I never plan to go gigging again.  I must say I do get a smile on my face thinking of Tripp sitting on Smitty's car. 
           As always please share with your friends, and click on the ads.  The ads don't cost you anything, and each click helps us.  Deer hunting has nothing on frogs, snakes, and a couple drunks on a farmers pond.