A note from a non-cook

[HeiressofBickworth]

Ok, I admit it, I don't cook any more. Too old, retired, too much trouble to bother. Well, today, I got a wild inclination to actually Bake something! I sorted through a few cake recipes and found a very simple one, so simple, the cookbook actually called it "busy day cake". Pretty much a dump and beat thing. So I started off. Dry ingredients, ok, put them in the bowl. Hmm, only shortening I had on hand was one that was butter flavored. Figured it couldn't hurt, so I put that in the bowl, too. But then I came to the vanilla. Searched the cupboard, shelf by shelf, and there was no vanilla. At this point, I'm too far along in the process to give up so I had to figure out something else. I first looked for either almond or lemon flavoring, but I had neither. However, I had some instant coffee, the Goddess only knows how old that is! Figured a teaspoon or so of that would give it some flavor. But then I spied the box of dark chocolate. About six teaspoons later, I figured there was enough. Beat the batter the two minutes called for. Put it in the baking dish, into the oven, crossed my fingers. Well it came out of the oven about 10 minutes ago. I couldn't wait any longer so I cut myself a piece. As I write this, I'm savoring the very last crumbs of that first, still warm, piece. It came out perfectly!! Light, lots of flavor. Good enough to leave off frosting. Wish I could take some credit for the substitutions, but I must call it dumb luck.

Anyone else have a success-by-accident in the kitchen?

[irisblue]

1. Can I have a piece of your cake?

[HeiressofBickworth]

2. How nice of you to think

it would be good enough to share!

[elleng]

3. Sounds great!

I'm not an experimenter in the kitchen, so no such tales from me. Sorry.

And I don't bake. Not a religious thing, but only cooked 'necessary' stuff like breakfast, lunch and dinner for family of 4. DID bake 2d birthday cake for my daughter (31 years ago!) and used a box! DID decorate it with fruit, made a favorite brisket, invited cousins to join us, but due to ?itok=kj8tkO0Q it was just the immediate family! MEMORABLE indeed!

I did 'invent' beef stew recipe, which became a family favorite.

[PoliticAverse]

4. Now comes the hard part, can you repeat your successful accident? n/t

[HeiressofBickworth]

5. Only if I make notes in the cookbook

as to what I used instead.

I'd put the info on a card in my recipe box, but then I'd probably forget to look in the box.

[No Vested Interest]

6. Your recipe will be on the DU site and retrievable in the Search box, at least for a while. nt

[Warpy]

7. I'm old and retired and my cooking has just gotten a lot more simple

with decent ingredients prepared simply. I just can't be bothered with elaborate fare any more, especially the stuff from celebrity chefs that assume you have a full kitchen staff to pull off.

I've always thought the mark of a truly great cook came when s/he found some essential ingredient missing from a recipe, decided to wing it, and made enough of an educated substitution that it turned out beautifully. That's the most likely way all truly great signature dishes by cooks and chefs alike are devised.

[dem in texas]

9. I am old and retired and now have more time to cook ( a few days a week)

We usually end up eating out 3 or 4 times a week. I sell from a website that I have to work at with photographing, listing and mailing, one reason we eat out so much.

When we stay home and I cook, I love to pull out all the stops and make complex recipes from scratch. I love to make soup and usually make at least half a gallon. I freeze it in 3 cup portions and give some to my neighbors.


I also love to bake and make cakes, cookies and pies, the best one are when you end going "off" recipe and getting good results is exciting.

[Warpy]

10. I make soup and eat it for a week

Having a run of corn chowder these days.

[Nay]

11. If I wasn't married, this is what I would do; make a large pot or pan of something

and eat it for a week. I really hate cooking now because I've had to do it for so many years. I never liked it much, now I hate it.

[Warpy]

13. You sound like my mother

She hated cooking from Day One, absolutely despised it and it showed. One fine day in her late 80s, she announced that she got no pleasure out of it and just wasn't going to do it any more. My dad panicked, he'd been a decent enough cook in his bachelor days but 50 years down the road, he wasn't.

I took him on a tour of the frozen foods aisle at Publix. Marie Callender became his best girl friend, Sara Lee his bit on the side.

It was cheaper than eating out and he appreciated being able to choose his own food. No, it wasn't the healthiest, but once you get way up there, eating anything takes precedence over eating for life extension.

[dem in texas]

12. anything with fresh corn is good

I make a chowder that takes left baked potatoes, crisp fried bacon and fresh corn cut off the cob. This is a favorite for everyone,

I cook a lot of Mexican and Tex-Mex foods and one dish that is so delicious is fresh corn tamales. They are a lot trouble to make, but so good, with fresh corn, half ground, green chilies, sharp cheddar cheese and masa steamed in green corn leaves. Yum, Yum.

Have to go to Cox farms tomorrow, going to buy some fresh corn. I have some leftover baked potatoes in the fridge, so I can get after some chowder. Not up to taking on the tamales right now.

[Warpy]

14. I'm next door in NM and it'll be couple of weeks

until the fresh corn comes in from Mexico. It's very good, much better than what we'd get back in Mass. in August.

Your tamales sound wonderful. I get a wild hair and do tamales once a year or so and freeze a batch, maybe I'll so fresh corn a la dem in Tejas.

[Marie Marie]

8. Anything, I repeat ANYTHING, can only be improved with dark chocolate.

Good choice.

[locks]

15. Wacky Chocolate Cake

3 C flour 3/4 C oil
2 C sugar 2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda 2 squares bitter chocolate, melted
1/2 tsp salt 2 C warm water

Sift together dry ingredients. Place in ungreased 13X10X2 in. baking dish. Make three indentations in dry ingredients and add the last four ingredients, mixed. Bake 30 min. at 350.