Slater Family Cookbook

under constant construction

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Danish Heirloom Strawberry Cake

Found on Facebook, 19 Feb 2015, as “Connie’s Danish Heirloom Layer Cake”https://www.facebook.com/just1courtney

Ingredients:½ cup vanilla yogurt ½ cup sour cream 1 cup granulated sugar Pinch of salt 1 egg ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1½ cups flour 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 pint heavy whipping cream (whipped and sweetened with powdered sugar below)1 Tablespoon powdered sugar 1-2 pounds sliced slightly sweetened strawberries (or fruit of choice)—save some berries to decorate top 

Directions:• In a medium bowl, whisk or stir together yogurt, sugar, sour cream, egg, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.  Add flour and vanilla, and combine. • Grease or spray three 9-inch round layer cake pans and divide batter evenly between pans (the batter will appear skimpy, but spread with a spatula thinly and evenly in each pan—layers will rise while baking). • Bake in a preheated, 350º F. oven (325º in a convection oven).  Bake for 10-12 minutes until light brown. Cool on racks; remove from pans to finish cooling as soon as cakes can be handled.• Layer ingredients to assemble the cake: bottom layer, then ⅓ sweetened whipped cream, and ½ the strawberries; next layer, ⅓ sweetened whipped cream, and last half of berries; last layer—just sweetened whipped cream on top. Decorate with saved berries. Note:  Do not over bake.  If not assembling immediately, put wax paper between cake layers, cover with plastic, and refrigerate or freeze until ready to assemble cake with cream and berries.  This cake tastes even better the next day.

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Lime & roasted peanut slaw

The coleslaw for people who despise coleslaw!

Before I tried this I thought I hated cabbage. I've seen a number of variations for this involving carrots, bacon bits, shredded chicken, celery, etc. Here's the version I've liked best. *Tip: peanuts can be roasted in a toaster oven or in a saucepan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.

½ head of a medium cabbage, sliced into pencil-thin ribbons

¾ cup toasted peanuts

½ to 1 cup diced tomatoes (halved cherry tomatoes also work)

¾ cup cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeno, diced (or 1 Tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes)

¼ cup lime juice

2 Tablespoons olive oil

dash of salt to taste

Combine shredded cabbage, cilantro, jalapeno, and tomatoes. Set aside. Combine olive oil, lime juice, and salt. Pour slowly over cabbage mixture, stirring gently to combine. Fold in toasted peanuts.

Serves 4-6, refrigerate 3-4 days.

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Apple Pie

People ask me how much cinnamon, how much nutmeg, how many apples. The problem is that all these things can change, depending on the volume of your chosen pie tin and the size of the apples. The key is to not be afraid of the cinnamon! 

Favorite pie crust recipe for two 8" rounds

nutmeg (not much)

cinnamon (lots!)

4-6 apples peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup water

Using your preferred pie crust recipe, line a pie dish with one 8" round of rolled out dough, reserving the other half for later.

Sprinkle nutmeg over the bottom of the crust-- about 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.

Cover the bottom of the crust in one layer of apple slices, then sprinkle cinnamon over the apple slices until evenly covered.

Add another layer of apples and cinnamon, repeat until pie dish is full and slightly heaped-- apple slices will sink down slightly after cooking. Sprinkle top of apples with another layer of nutmeg-- about 1/4 teaspoon.

Roll out remaining dough and slice into strips 1/4" to 1/2" wide. Construct a lattice over the apples, tucking in the ends and fluting the sides of the crust. Set aside and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 

To prepare the filling, melt 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat and whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour. Mix in 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar, and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. 

Once filling reaches a simmer, pour evenly over the pie making sure to coat the lattice.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, turn oven down to 350 and bake for another 45 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour, otherwise pie will be very soupy! Tip-- bake the pie on a cookie sheet to prevent any drips. 

[thechroniclingsofagearhead-blog]

"The greatest skill I ever had, though, was the one I started with: being able to suffer for long periods of time and not die. In exchange, I got to see some amazing things.”

Bree Loewen, Pickets and Dead Men: Seasons on Rainier  (via thechroniclingsofagearhead)

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Strawberry freezer jam

4 cups mashed strawberries

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

Combine ingredients in heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Stir on low heat until sugar is dissolved, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 20 minutes or until a candy themometer reads 220 F. Makes about 2 pints of jam.

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Lime-cilantro rice

1 cup cooked white rice

juice and zest from 2 limes

1 jalapeno, diced

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Combine ingredients. Best when warm-- too hot and cilantro will begin to wilt. 

Note from ajs: So many people want to add the cilantro, lime juice, and lime zest while cooking the rice. Resist the temptation! Those items are never the same or as good in this dish when cooked with the rice. Add and toss with the warm rice right before serving.

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Lemon-Garlic Marinade for Chicken

This is the way Bill often had chicken served to him in Argentina. 

Combine:

1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh is better, but bottled can work for this)

1 Tbl olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbl herbs such as basil, parsley, rosemary, etc

Marinate chicken in the refridgerator for at least 30 minutes but not longer than 24 hours. Tip: use a ziplock bag and flip it over several times during the day. Grill chicken over medium heat, turning often to avoid sticking. 

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Devil's Food Cookies

1 package Devil's Food cake mix (8 oz package such as Pillsbury, Duncan Hines, etc)

2 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

4 tsp milk

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 F. Thoroughly mix eggs, oil, milk, and package of cake mix. Roll dough into balls and coat in powdered sugar. Bake on greased cookie sheet for 8 to 10 minutes.

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Snickerdoodles

From: Anne. A and K loved to help "roll and smash" these when they were little, and they're still K's favorite cookie. I don't even know where we found the recipe, but we have not found a Snickerdoodle recipe we like better. And, we actually like the shortening better than the butter with this recipe, which is a statement we probably couldn't make anywhere else.

1 cup shortening

1 and 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs, beaten

Cream the shortening, add the sugar slowly, then add eggs. Sift in:

2 and 3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Then mix all ingredients together.

Roll into balls and roll in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Press down with a fork to create a criss-cross pattern. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 400 F for 8 to 10 minutes.

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3 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

dash of salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

6 cups hot milk

Combine chocolate and water in saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring until chocolate is melted and mixture is blended. Add sugar and salt. Bring to boiling and boil for 4 minutes,...

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Slater family version. This is a little more intense for serious chocolate lovers:

8 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 cup water

1 and 1/2 cups sugar

dash of salt

1 pint heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine chocolate and water in saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring until chocolate is melted and mixture is blended. Add sugar and salt. Bring to boiling and boil 4 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool, stirring in vanilla extract. Add 2-3 tablespoons to 1 cup of hot cocoa. 

Also delicious for dipping cookies, layering in cakes, or serving with ice cream.

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Apple Pudding Cake

B's grandmother made this when he was little. B insisted we buy a 9x9 pan so it would turn out just like his grandmother's.

We always use butter, not margarine, but I think the margarine is because of the recipe's timeframe when B's grandmother made it--when margarine was supposed to be better for you than butter (ajs note).

1 and 1/4 cups shredded apples

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup softened butter or margerine

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 egg

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 F, mix ingredients and pour into greased 9x9 pan. Bake for 40 minutes.

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French Hot Chocolate from Grandma Jackson

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

dash of salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

6 cups hot milk

Combine chocolate and water in saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring until chocolate is melted and mixture is blended. Add sugar and salt. Bring to boiling and boil for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool. Whip cream and fold into cooled chocolate mixture. Place 1 tablespoon of chocolate mixture in each cup and add hot milk to fill cup. Fold in additionall whipped cream if desired. Makes 8-12 servings.

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The Italian Dish - Posts - Amazing Artisan Bread for 40 Cents a Loaf - No Kneading, No Fussing, No Kidding

What if I told you that instead of buying bakery bread for four or five dollars a loaf, you c...

This is a fantastic tutorial for home-made bread!

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Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients: 2/3 cup oil 1 cup honey 2 teaspoons salt 5 cups hot water 2 Tablespoons yeast 10-12 cups flour combination (whole wheat and white) In a large bowl, add oil, honey, and salt. Combine, then add hot water to bowl. Right away add yeast on top. Do not mix! Let it sit until slimy-looking. Add flour combination (I use half whole wheat, half white). Knead well. Let rise to twice the size. Makes 5 loaves. Let raise again inloaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes. Once out of the pans, let steam by by putting a cloth over the top.

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Death by Chocolate Cake

1 16oz package Devil’s Food cake mix

1 3oz package instant chocolate pudding

1 cup sour cream

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup water

2 cups chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350

mix packaged mixes, oil, eggs, water, and sour cream

stir in chocolate chips

pour batter into greased bundt pan

bake 50-55 minutes

allow to cool at least 30 minutes before inverting onto a plate

serve plain, dusted with cocoa powder, glazed with chocolate ganache, etc. 

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Puff Pancake

makes 1 pancake

1 egg

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup milk

pinch of salt

place 9" pie tin or cake pan in oven

preheat to 425 degrees

mix egg, flour, milk, and salt

when oven has heated completely, remove pan and grease or butter to prevent sticking

pour batter into pan and bake for 15 minutes or until top is browned

This can be served with fruit, syrup, whipped cream, jam, nutella, etc.