Irish Tea Cake

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Active Time: 10 Minutes Total Time: 13 Hours 50 Minutes Yield: Serves 12 RECIPE INGREDIENTS 2 1/3 cups currants or golden raisins (sultanas) 1 cup cold strong tea 1 cup brown sugar 2 cups self-rising flour 1 egg Butter, for serving

DIRECTIONS In a bowl, combine the currants, tea, and sugar and leave to soak overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 4 by 3-inch baking pan and line with parchment or waxed (greaseproof) paper. Stir the flour and egg into the currant mixture and pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve the cake sliced and spread with butter.(optional)

Impossible broccoli pie

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) bag frozen broccoli florets, thawed
• 1/4 cup of chopped onion
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup bisquik biscuit mix
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 dash pepper

Directions

1. 1

   Thaw broccoli crowns in a 9" pie plate, layer with onions and then cheese.

2. 2

   In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, Bisquix and pepper, beat together well.

3. 3

   Pour mixture over broccoli in a spiral motion (otherwise it may take too long to cook in the middle).

4. 4

   Bake for 25-35 minutes at 400F (a knife poked into the middle should come out clean).

Toffee Cookies

CRACKER TOFFEE
Unsalted saltines 1 c. sugar 1 c. butter 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips Chopped walnuts Foil a cookie sheet. Cover the cookie sheet with the saltines so that they are touching each other. Melt butter, add sugar. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture over crackers and bake at 400 degrees for 6 minutes.

Banana Bread

Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Method

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

I use Splenda 3/4 c. and I add a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. I also like to make a spread of cream cheese with a little milk added, a little Splenda and vanilla or other flavoring.

Christmas Cut out Cookies

CHRISTMAS CUT OUT COOKIES
3/4 c. lard 1 1/2 c. sugar 1/4 c. milk 1 egg 1 tsp. vanilla 4 c. flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. soda 1/2 tsp. salt Cream lard and sugar. Add milk, egg and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt and mix with lard mixture until you can handle the dough. Roll out to 1/4" thick. Cut out shapes. When baked, glaze with powdered sugar frosting. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes until edges are brown. Makes about 4 dozen.

About Spanish Bar Cake...

Dad used to bring Spanish Bar Cake home from the A&P. I was recently reminded of this when I attended Sarah Jane Frankland Pillsbury's wedding. Her wedding cake was pretty fantastic! It had a fountain incorporated in the main part of the cake. With smaller cakes sitting all around the main part. The cakes were covered with fondant and fresh flowers. No fancy frosting flowers and garlands here! No white or yellow cake either. There was a variety of cakes and I am not sure what they all were. I do recall carrot cake and a very fudgy looking chocolate. Norma told me that Sarah Jane particularly wanted a traditional British wedding cake included. Norma made the cake herself. It was a fruit cake full of raisens, moist and delicious. Norma started it about a month before the wedding and treated it with brandy to keep it moist. I had to have a taste even though cake of any sort is not on my diet. It reminded me of Dad's Spanish Bar Cake. Then I recalled my aunts at a family reunion talking about the wonderful fruit cake that their dad [my grandfather Imm] used to make every Christmas. Grandpa Imm was an immigrant from England. I wonder if his fruit cake was like the wedding fruit cake that Norma made? I will probably never know for sure. The older aunts and uncles are all gone now. Only the younger ones remain. I will ask them about it, but they may not remember it as well as their older siblings...

Spanish Bar Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon cocoa
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon allspice

Add

• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 cups applesauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup raisins

For Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or lime juice

Directions

1. 1

   Mix first 8 ingredients together in an electric mixer; mix well.

2. 2

   Add next 3 ingredients.

3. 3

   Raisins should be added last.

4. 4

   Bake at 350°F in 9x13 inch pan for 30-35 minutes; tube pan 40-45 minutes.

5. 5

   Cool thoroughly and frost if desired.

6. 6

   For Frosting:Combine frosting ingredients in bowl.

7. 7

   Beat well, adding more milk or confectioners' sugar to make it smooth and easy to spread.