Coffee Marble Cake

I remember having various coffee-flavored cakes when I was young, so I am sure that Mom made this cake. I would bet Mom made this just for the family, likely on a Sunday night, and not for any special events. With this marble cake, the coffee flavor is not overwhelming, but it adds a nice taste to the yellow cake. Maybe that was what started me on my love of coffee.

This recipe recommended using Coffee Frosting, which is another recipe that I found in Mom's recipe box, but that recipe needs to be made ahead, and I forgot to make it ahead. So I will save the coffee frosting for another day. For this case, I just used a coffee glaze frosting by mixing about two cups powdered sugar with one tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in two tablespoons of water, plus more water, as needed. Alternatively, you could just use powdered sugar to dust the cake. Also, I did not have dry milk on hand, so I just used a tablespoon of regular milk. And I substituted marsala wine for the sherry.

I made this as MDS's birthday cake this year. It was delicious and the two of us finished the whole thing within a few days, although it could easily satisfy several people.

Coffee Marble Cake 

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. nonfat dry milk
• 1 1/2 tbsp. instant coffee
• 1 tbsp. sherry
• frosting

Heat sugar with 3/4 cup water until sugar is dissolved; cool thoroughly. Cream butter with brown sugar, vanilla and lemon juice until light. Add eggs and beat for two minutes on medium speed. In another bowl, blend flour, baking powder, salt and dry milk.  Alternate adding the flour mixture and the cooled sugar syrup to the butter and egg mixture, beating after each addition until smooth. In a separate bowl, blend coffee and sherry and stir in about 1/3 cup of batter.  Alternate spoonfuls of batter with small amounts of coffee mixture into a greased and floured nine-inch tube pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until done. Remove from pan and allow to cool. Frost or dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Quick Parker House Rolls

This recipe takes no time at all for fresh bread. And because it uses staple ingredients, it is a perfect recipe for any time. The full recipe yields about 18 rolls, but it is easy to cut in half, if needed.

If you find that you like bread warm from the oven, but you are afraid to work with yeast, this is a good recipe for you. (Although, yeast is not difficult to work with, especially if you have thermometer to make sure the liquid is the right temperature.) MDS and I ate a bunch of these rolls just after giving them enough time to cool down so we wouldn't burn our mouths. They are delicious.

Quick Parker House Rolls 

• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 6 tsp. baking powder
• 3 tbsp. melted butter, separated
• 1 1/2 cup milk

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Add 2 tablespoons butter and milk to dry ingredients. Mix quickly until blended. Turn out on a floured surface. Knead lightly. Cut dough into 18 sections. Roll each section into a ball, then, using a rolling pin, flatten to about one half inch thick. Brush with melted butter, fold each in half and pinch the edges. Place rolls on a greased baking pan. Allow to rise for 10 minutes. Brush with melted butter. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

Grape Salad

This Grape Salad is a salad in the same way that jello salad is a salad. That is, it is not a leafy green salad, but instead, this Grape Salad really is a dessert masquerading as a side dish. Nevertheless, it is a delicious treat, especially at a summer party or picnic. As you can see from this photo, our good friend Kal enjoyed the Grape Salad.

I first recall seeing Grape Salad when Laura brought it to a family party. It was a hit. It has since been made by Jenny, who gave me the recipe that I used. This time, I put aside some of the Grape Salad before adding the nuts. I love the nuts in this recipe, but I remember that I did not like the nuts when I was a kid. The recipe calls for pecans, which are perfect for this recipe, but other types of nuts would work just as well. And, of course, you could completely leave out the nuts if that is what you prefer. Both versions of the Grape Salad were popular at Mom's family gathering to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Grape Salad 

• 2 pounds green seedless grapes
• 2 pounds red seedless grapes
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup crushed pecans

Wash and stem grapes. In a large bowl, mix sour cream, cream cheese, white sugar and vanilla, until blended. Stir in grapes until coated. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and nuts. Add some to the grape mixture and stir to blend. Sprinkle remaining nuts over the top. Refrigerate overnight. Enjoy!