Cocoa Cinnamon Pound Cake

While I don't specifically recall my Mom making this cake, it tastes very familiar. Both the cocoa and cinnamon flavors are subtle. I did not make this cake to share with my nieces and nephews because I was worried about them not liking cinnamon. Now that I have tasted the cake, I think the kids might like it. They will have to wait until I make it again.

This cake is easy to make, and even easier to eat.  The only problem that I had was getting the cake out of the pan. I was able to assemble the cake well enough for the picture. If I were serving it to guests, I would consider using a glaze or a frosting to cover the broken sections, but because it was just MDS and me, I pieced the cake back together and sprinkled it with powdered sugar. The recipe itself calls for 3/11 cup cocoa, but I just used my 1/4 cup and used just a bit less. Mom's recipe did not include how long the cake should be baked, so with some toothpick testing, I found that 65 minutes worked well. The recipe calls for a tube pan, but if you don't have one, you could use loaf pans and adjust the baking time.

Cocoa Cinnamon Pound Cake

• 1 cup butter
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 5 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 3/11 cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream butter until smooth and fluffy. Add sugar gradually, beating until smooth. A eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Sift flour with cocoa, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Add flour mixture to butter mix alternating in thirds with the milk and vanilla, beating smooth after each addition. Grease and flour a tube pan. Pour batter into the pan. Bake at 325 for 65 minutes or until done. Enjoy!

Sesame Semolina Bread

When we recently hosted Easter, I decided to make some fresh bread because the Buckleys all love bread. This bread recipe is one of the favorites that I often make. It was a hit with the family. In fact, because it was fresh out of the oven, we ate most of the loaf even before dinner was served. It was delicious bread. If you can't eat all the bread fresh, then toasting the leftover pieces is an excellent way to enjoy the bread.

This bread recipe is a double rise bread, like many bread recipes. When making fresh bread, the rising times can vary based on room temperature. So, when in doubt, start the bread earlier in the day to allow for extra time. This recipe uses semolina flour, which is a bit coarser than all-purpose flour. Semolina flour can be found in many grocery stores near the regular flour. It is common in Italian bread recipes. The sesame seeds really make this bread extra tasty, so sprinkle on as many seeds as possible.

Sesame Semolina Bread 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup semolina flour
• 2 teaspoons yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup hot water (120-130)
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds

Combine all ingredients except egg white and sesame seeds. Mix until cohesive. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes. Knead dough until smooth, about five to ten minutes. Allow the dough to rise in a covered bowl for one to two hours. Divide the dough into three pieces, and roll into logs approximately 12 inches long. Braid the logs. Set the loaf on a baking sheet and allow to rise, covered, for about one to two hours. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Turn oven off, leave door open and allow to cool. Enjoy!

Grandma Holmes's Spoon Bread

Here's another recipe from a collection of recipes on index cards from Grandma Holmes. MDS does not remember Grandma Holmes making this recipe. I suspect that she made it but it is not quite as memorable as the sweets she used to make. When we had this spoon bread, we put some honey on top, and it was delicious. It stores well and can easily be re-heated.

Spoon bread is a variation on corn bread that is more like a corn pudding. It is best eaten with a spoon. This recipe is a very basic recipe. It could be easily modified by adding ingredients before baking or on top of the finished product. For a great savory spoon bread, add in cheese, chives, or diced bacon. For sweet spoon bread, top with honey or add in cranberries. Or, just have the basic recipe as a great side dish to go along with any meal.

Spoon Bread 

• 3/4 cup corn meal
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 2 cups milk
• 3 eggs, well beaten

Early in the day (or the day before), in a saucepan, blend together the corn meal, sugar, salt, water and one cup of milk. Cook slowly, stirring until the blend thickens. Remove from heat and cover. About one and one half hours before serving, add eggs and one cup milk. Blend well. Pour mixture into a well-greased baking dish. Bake at 325 for one hour. Enjoy!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and meatballs is similar to Spaghetti and Gravy, but just different enough to be special. Making meatballs takes a little more work than is required for gravy, but the effort is worth it. While you can buy pre-made and pre-cooked meatballs, freshly made meatballs are so much better. So take the time to make them from scratch. You won't regret it.

Mom had two different recipes for meatballs. When I made this recipe, I used some aspects from both recipes, which appear below. The recipe allows for plenty of variations that you can easily adopt to your preferred taste. Both of Mom's recipes called for using ground beef, which I used here, but you could also use ground turkey or Italian sausage. The seasonings are fairly basic: onion, garlic, oregano, and basil. Other seasonings, such as rosemary, could provide a different flavor. I used canned tomatoes, but fresh tomatoes would be delicious. Because these meatballs are so good, I know that I will make this recipe again.

Spaghetti and Meatballs 

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 2 tsp. basil
• 2 Tbsp. chopped garlic
• 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• cooked spaghetti

Combine meat, bread crumbs, cheese, milk, egg, salt, pepper, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1 tsp. oregano, 1 tsp. basil, 1 Tbsp. garlic. Form into meatballs and place on baking pan. Brown meatballs in oven at 425 for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a skillet, the remaining garlic and onion in the oil. Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce. Mix in the remaining oregano and basil. Place meatballs in the sauce, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve over spaghetti. Enjoy!

Sage Biscuits

Biscuits are easy to make and can be a delicious addition to any meal or a snack all on their own. While you can buy biscuit dough at a store, it is so easy to make your own dough, I think you should always just make your own dough. The basic ingredients include items you probably keep around your kitchen, such as flour, baking powder and butter. Then, you can customize your biscuits with seasoning or specialized ingredients like buttermilk to get different flavors.

The addition of sage makes for a lovely savory biscuit. I have tried biscuits with rosemary, but I had not even considered using sage. When I saw this recipe in Mom's recipe box, I knew I had to try it. The resulting biscuits were delicious. And the next time I make them, I might add a little more sage for a stronger flavor. The recipe calls for powdered sage, but fresh sage would work as well.

Sage Biscuits 

• 2 cups flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 tsp. powdered sage
• 3/4 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter until coarse crumbs form. Add milk, stirring quickly until dough forms,  and is soft but not sticky. Turn out dough into lightly floured surface. Knead about half a minute to shape into a smooth ball. Roll or pat out until 1/2 inch thick. Cut into biscuits. Bake at 450 for 12 minutes. Enjoy!

Armenian Yeast Bread

Here is another bread recipe from among the many in Mom's bread recipe box. I don't specifically remember eating this bread as a kid, but this recipe makes a delicious bread. The resulting bread can be served with just about any type of meal, but I think it would be really good with soup or a meal that has sauce that needs to be sopped up. The bread is somewhat flat, but is hearty and strong enough to absorb a good amount of sauce.

When I made this recipe, I cut the amounts in half because I did not want to have too much bread around. I shouldn't have worried about that. MDS and I ate the bread within two days, so next time, I won't hold back, but will instead make the full recipe.

Armenian Yeast Bread 

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 tsp. salt
• 4 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 envelope yeast
• 1/3 cup lukewarm water
• 4 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• sesame seeds
• olive oil

Mix together in a bowl butter, boiling water, salt and 3 tablespoons sugar. Cool to lukewarm. Soften yeast in lukewarm water (about 120 degrees) and stir into butter mixture. Beat in two cups of flour and blend thoroughly. Add remaining two cups flour. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for about ten minutes, adding more flour as needed or coat hands with olive oil is dough is too sticky. Place dough in a greased bowl and let rise in a warm place free from drafts for about two hours or until doubled. Punch down; divide and shape into four balls. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, flatten and roll out to a circle about seven inches in diameter. Used fingers to create dimples or pattern on top of bread. Brush tops with a mixture of milk and one tablespoon of sugar. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Put bread on ungreased baking sheet. Let rise again for about 90 minutes or until doubled. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

Sourdough-like Beer Bread

MDS and I recently returned from a week in San Francisco. While there, we ate well, including some delicious sourdough bread. I don't know if there is something special about San Francisco sourdough but I have never tried to bake it. A true sourdough requires a starter, which is a method of cultivating wild yeast with flour and water. I don't have a starter, so when I found this bread recipe among Mom's recipes, I thought I should give it a try.

Typically, beer bread uses beer and baking powder as a leavening agent. This recipe uses yeast. The dough rose very well and made two very large loaves. The beer gives this bread the sourdough-like taste. Although this bread is no San Francisco sourdough, it is very delicious in its own right. This bread rose very quickly, so if you don't have all day for a slow-rising bread, this one is a good alternative to a non-yeast bread. The bread is great fresh out of the oven, but also good leftover for sandwiches or toast.

Sourdough-like Beer Bread 

• 5 1/2 cups flour
• 2 packages yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 cup warm beer
• 3 tablespoon oil
• cornmeal

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, and salt well. In a saucepan, heat water, beer, and oil until warm (120 to 130 degrees). Add flour to mix. Blend until moist, then beat for three minutes. Gradually stir in the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about five minutes. Place in a greased bowl and turn greased side up. Cover; let rise in a warm place until dough doubles (about one hour).

Punch down and divide in two. On a lightly floured surface, roll or pat dough to a 7x11 inch rectangle. Start with the  longer side, tightly roll, pressing dough into roll at each turn. Pinch edges and ends to seal. Place seam side down on greased cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. With a sharp knife, make three or four diagonal slashes across the top. Cover; let rise again for about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 30 to 35 minutes. Allow to cool. Enjoy!