The Good Housekeeping Cookbook Yellow Cake

 

I recently wanted a single layer cake, but I remembered that the Dinette Cake from The Betty Crocker Cookbook, while a favorite is a bit coarse and dense.  Perfect for a Strawberry Shortcake, or a coffee cake like cake with a Broiled frosting but not light and airy like the cake I wanted.  

Since The Good Housekeeping Cookbook was right beside my chair it was easy to find a new recipe to try.  I've linked this cookbook and the other one, too, for those of you interested in checking them out on Amazon.

This recipe is different than most cake recipes.  First there is the question of what fat you will use.  The recipe says that butter will give you a rich flavor, while shortening will give you a more delicate flavor and crumb.  I'd be very curious what coconut fat might do for the cake.  I didn't have any on hand, so I subbed in the butter with a bit of shortening to make the full half cup fat required.

Then there is the question of temperatures. * If using two 8-inch rounds or you want to make 24 21/2-inch cupcakes, then 350F is the suggested temperature.  If using the 9-inch square, then the directions say to temperature should be 325F.

Whatever pan size you choose, do be sure to grease and flour the pan(s) or line with paper cupcake liners.

Yellow Cake

 2 cups flour

2 tsps. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup room temp fat (butter or shortening)

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup milk

Preheat oven.  See notes above * to determine temperature.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

Beat fat with sugar for five minutes on medium speed.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add vanilla.  

Lower speed to the lowest setting.  Alternate flour mixture with the milk, beating well after each addition.

Pour into greased floured pan(s).

Bake at 350F (8-inch rounds or cupcake pans) or 325F (9-inch square).   8-inch pans bake for 30 minutes (mine took 35 minutes), cupcakes bake for 20-25 minutes and 9-inch square bakes for 40-45 minutes.  

Cool in pan(s) on wire racks for 10 minutes, then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.

I was so pleased at how silky this batter turned out.  The layers are tender and lovely.  I planned to freeze one layer, but it was truly a smaller cake than I'd thought it might be.  

I've debated the difference in baking times, and I'll bet that the longer slower bake time in the 9-inch pan will get you a slightly heavier cake with a consistency closer to a moist pound cake.  I plan to test that theory out one day soon.

I made mine lemon by using lemon extract in the batter for a subtle delicate lemon flavor and iced with a half recipe of buttercream frosting that I flavored with pure lemon juice.  I used only the half recipe of frosting because I didn't want a very rich cake overall, just something with subtle sweetness.

Cheesy Salsa Chicken and Rice

 

This was one of those desperation dinners.  I waited too late in the day to allow for a long thawing of meat.  The weather had changed from a previous forecast and was quite cool, rather than warm.  I had no clue what I might make but what was on the menu didn't appeal in the least.  

Out of desperation something was born that my family raved over.  I thought I'd share that with you all here.

This is a variation on Chicken and Rice but with a fresh twist that made it most welcome on the dinner table.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Chicken for four people (I used boneless skinless thighs, but any boneless chicken would work well)

Tajin seasoning 

1 cup salsa

1 cup shredded cheddar (what I had on hand.  I used a sharp cheddar.  I think Pepper Jack would have been equally delicious)

Prepared Mexican rice (from scratch or a packet.  Mine had been frozen from a previous meal and was thawed.)

I baked the chicken, covered, at 350F until I could easily pull the pieces apart and separate.  I drained off the liquids that accumulated in the bottom of the pan then laid the chicken back out on the pan and seasoned liberally with the Tajin seasoning.  I also added a bit of salt.  I baked about 20 minutes, turned it and then seasoned again on that side.  At about the 35-minute mark, I removed chicken from the pan.  

I spread the rice on the bottom of the pan.  Lay the chicken pieces on top of the rice base.  Then spread the salsa evenly over each piece of chicken and then with cheese.  Bake at 350 for another 10-15 minutes until everything is hot, melted and bubbly.  

We served this with a simple salad and Mexican Cornbread.  Tortillas would also make a great side and you could add beans if you needed to stretch the meal further.  

Mock Chop Suey

 

I got this recipe via Jennifer Brockman of A Country Life.  You can view her original recipe here. It sounded really good to me when she was making it in a recent video, and I thought I'd try it out on my family.  I happened to have all the ingredients including the chow mein noodles on hand.  

She mentioned in the video that the recipe was well over 60 years old.  I am pretty sure I've had it before, made as she shared it.  She'd found the recipe in an old collaborative cookbook, one of those sold by churches or women's clubs.

The recipe I'm sharing below is based on the one Jennifer shared but I'm adding in my variations and I'm including one ingredient that I didn't use, but Katie and I both felt it would be a great addition.  The dish definitely needed the added texture.

All in all, this is a good recipe, uses pretty much basic pantry ingredients and isn't cost prohibitive to make.  

Mock Chop Suey

1 pound ground beef

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped mushrooms (I used baby Bellas)

1 cup grated carrot (just something I had already on hand, so no harm in adding it right?)

1.5 cups chopped onion

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 can drained, diced water chestnuts (You really need this crunch in this dish so try to add it.  I didn't have it but next time I make this I will.)

1 cup water

1 tsp. powdered beef broth

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup uncooked white rice

salt and pepper to taste

Chow Mein Noodles

Brown ground beef, then add in the onions, celery, mushrooms, carrot, and garlic.  I considered adding in some shredded broccoli stalks as well.  I'm a big proponent of adding in all the extra vegetables I can to these sorts of dishes.

Once the meat is browned and the vegetables are soft add in the water, broth powder, soy sauce, soups, rice, and basic measures of salt and pepper. I used a little less salt and a good 1/2 tsp of pepper.  Mix well.  Remove from heat.  

Pour into a baking dish.  Jennifer filled a 9 X 13 pan.  I used two 9-inch square pans and divided equally among the two pans. 

Cover pan.  Bake at 350F for 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Remove cover, top with chow mein noodles and bake an additional 10 minutes.

I opted to bake one pan now and put the other pan into the freezer to have as a future entree. I labeled with cooking time and temp for future use.

Mongolian Beef Noodles

 

I'm always interested in trying a spin on a familiar taste profile that is a little less expensive to make.  Six years ago, Bess made an absolutely awesome Mongolian Beef that used boneless Chuck Roast.  It was made in the slow cooker, and it was wonderful.  We asked to put it on a repeating cycle while she and Sam lived here.  Back then, boneless chuck roasts were an inexpensive meat to have on hand.  Nowadays though it's pricey as can be.  In fact, I am seeing more of the English cut or Arm roasts on sale than Chuck Roasts and those are still rather pricey for my taste.  

In the meantime, I was interested when I saw a video of Mandy from Mandy in the Making preparing a version of Mongolian Beef that used ground meat.  She made a couple of suggestions about serving and it sounded interesting, so we tried it.  It was a little lackluster in my opinion.

But I couldn't quite let go of the idea.  I knew that one of her suggestions I hadn't followed and that was to double the sauce ingredients.   Then I came across another blogger's recipe which also sounded good.  I decided to try it again and this time add the touches I'd felt were missing the first time around.  Only I couldn't find the second blogger's recipe when I went to look for it.  So, I grabbed another recipe from a Bing search that came from the website, 12tomatoes.com.  I tweaked a few things based on what I had on hand, then I added all the toppings I'd felt were missing before.

The result was terrific.  It was so good that dibs got called right away on the leftovers a few days later when we were doing a clear out the fridge night.

I used thin whole wheat spaghetti noodles because it's what I had on hand.  I think the broader flatter noodle really would work best with this recipe to give the sauce more surface to cling to.

I used raw grated carrot, fresh lime wedges, chili garlic sauce, green and pickled onions on our bowls of noodles.  That was what I had on hand.  I think you could pickle shredded carrots or have sliced fresh radishes and that would be very nice on top as well.   I know that John would love this dish with slices of fresh cucumber surrounding the plate.  

I served with steamed broccoli but thought after that if I could manage a crisp tender broccoli, it would be good, tossed right in with the sauce and noodles.   Cooked diced baby bella mushrooms in with the beef would be a nice way to extend the meat if you had additional company.  

I think this would make a great rice bowl as well.

Mongolian Beef Noodles

8 ounces Fettuccini noodles

1 pound ground beef

4 cloves of garlic, minced (or 4 tsps. of minced garlic)

1/4-inch slice ginger root, grated 

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

3 tbsps. honey

1.5 tsps. sesame oil

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 c. loosely packed brown sugar

1/4 c. Hoisin sauce, I often don't have this and leave it out

1/4 c. Beef Broth

2 tbsps. cornstarch

1/4 cup water

For garnishing:   raw grated carrot

                              Pickled red onion

                              Diced Green onion tops

                              Lime wedges

                              Chili Garlic sauce

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.  Salt well.  Add fettuccini and cook according to package directions.

Brown ground beef.  Add garlic and cook for a moment or two.  Add the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer.  Make a slurry of cornstarch and water.  Remove pan from heat, stir in the slurry and then return to heat stirring the whole while.

Serve beef over noodles and top as you like.

July 1, 2024 update:  I recently used ground chicken in this recipe and it worked beautifully.  I was blessed to find packages marked down for about $1/pound.  I like ground chicken far better than I do ground turkey.  It's less grainy and takes on the flavors in this dish very well  

The Good Housekeeping Cookbook Pie Crust Recipe

 

I just tried a new pie crust recipe today and I have to say that this might be 'the one' for me from here on.  It turned out really nicely though I skipped one step and failed to take note of another which I'll share below so you will be informed, but this really turned out just lovely.  It was light, golden and flaky.  I used it to top Chicken Pot Pie today.  I'm curious to see how this works as the bottom of a pie in future.

The recipe is unusual in that they call for both shortening and butter.  I've seen recipes that called for one or the other but never both.  In going back later to the front of the chapter on Pie & Tarts, I found this explanation:  The single most important factor in the quest for tender pastry is the fat.  Butter gives a dough rich flavor, crispness and color; vegetable shortening makes it flaky.   We use butter and shortening to give piecrust the best qualities of each.  To keep fat in the dough chilled and firm, use ice water to bring the ingredients together.  And be sure both the butter and the shortening are well chilled. (I failed to chill my shortening).  The pieces of fat should hold their shape.  The kitchen should be cool, too.  If you must make pie on a hot day, chill the flour.

I have to laugh over that last line, ' if you must make pie on a hot day...'.  It's almost like a warning against even trying isn't it?  My second thought was that it would be ideal to have pastry pre-made and chilled in the fridge or keep a few disks in the freezer to take out and thaw to use.  You'd naturally want to thaw it in the fridge to insure it stayed properly cool on those hot days.

Pastry Dough for 1-Crust Pie

Chilling pie dough before baking helps it retain its shape.

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons cold butter or margarine, cut into pieces.

2 tablespoons shortening (remember this too should be cold)

3-5 tablespoons ice water

In large bowl whisk flour and salt.    With a pastry blender (two knives or a fork) cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle in ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly after each addition, until dough is just moist enough to hold together.

Shape into a dish; wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight. (If chilled overnight allow to stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes prior to rolling out.)

On lightly floured surface, roll into a 12-inch round.  

Refrigerate or freeze until firm.  Fill and bake as directed in your pie recipe.  Makes one 9-inch crust.

My notes:  I didn't read that the shortening should be chilled.  It was fairly cool in my kitchen today, so the shortening was fairly firm anyway.

I use my KitchenAid mixer and the paddle to cut in the shortening and stop immediately when there are no big lumps, and the crumbs look coarse.

I've always struggled with knowing just how much water to add to get pastry to the right consistency.  I did add the water in one tablespoon increments.  Today it took 4.5 and I literally stopped the very moment the dough started to come together in one ball.  It will still be slightly crumbly, but will hold together once you start forming it into a disc.

Kidney Bean Salad

 

I found this cookbook a few years ago in a thrift store.  The price was low and the words in the title appealed to me for the most obvious reasons.  I love good food and I like cooking budget food.  You can still find this cookbook online.  The publication date is 1971. 

This particular recipe sounded odd, but I was making a complete menu right from the pages of the book.  I'm happy to say that this salad tasted really good!  Yes, these are unusual ingredients to combine to make a salad but there you are.

Kidney Bean Bowl

1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained (I rinsed, too)

1/2 cup sliced celery

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1/4 teaspoon salt

dash pepper

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 cup diced, unpeeled apple

1/3 cup diced process American Cheese

(I used cheddar from Aldi)

Lettuce

Combine beans, celery, onions, salt, pepper, mayonnaise.  Cover and chill.  Stir in apple and cheese before serving.  Serve in lettuce lined bowls.   Serves 8. 

Applesauce Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

In the autumn, I almost always am drawn to the warmth of dark spices: cloves, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon have such lovely deep flavors and because they seldom are used in combination in too many recipes, they tease the tastebuds.   We might use some of these spices individually, but it's in combination they really come into their own, playing one off the other as they do.

I don't know why I only make Applesauce Cake in the autumn.  I could argue it's because of the spice profile in the recipe but the truth is this cake makes a wonderful snack cake for any time of the year.  You can leave it unfrosted and simply dust it with powdered sugar.  You can frost it in a variety of ways.  The frosting the recipe recommends is really not much more than a glaze despite the quantity of sugar in it.  A thick rich homemade caramel frosting might be substituted or the broiled frosting I have published here would do equally well.  But the Browned Butter is delicate and just right in my opinion for that touch of sweet topping with being overbearing and smothering the flavors of the cake.

The cake itself is not fussy.  It's a one bowl, dump and mix recipe but the end result is tender and lovely.

Applesauce Cake

2 1/2 cups flour 

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsps baking soda

1 1/2 tsps salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups applesauce

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground allspice

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup shortening

Heat oven to 350F.

Put everything into the mixer bowl.  Mix for 30 seconds on low to blend all ingredients and then for 3 minutes on high.

Flour and grease a 9X13 pan.  Pour batter into pan.  Spread gently and evenly.  Bake for 60-65 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool for a half hour then spread on frosting. I like to do this while the cake is still warm so if your kitchen is cold, then test the temperature before the half hour is up.  You'll want the cake just warm enough to lay your hand gently upon it and feel the warmth but not so hot it burns you.

Browned Butter Frosting

1/3 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

2 tbsps. milk

Over medium heat, melt butter.  Just before the butter is fully melted you will start to see golden flecks.  The moment the last bit melts, turn off the burner and remove entirely if you are using an electric stove.  The butter should be just barely golden in color.  You'll notice the difference in smell the moment it begins to brown, so pay attention with your eyes and your nose!

Mix in sugar, milk and vanilla.  This is not a stiff frosting, but neither is it glaze consistency either.  It should hold its shape but be very soft.