Mocha Chip Chiffon Cake

After a long hiatus, I think I am ready to get back in the kitchen and back to some Maida Heatter recipes! The weather here is rainy and cooler which spurs me on. I had bookmarked this recipe a long time ago - it is a very light cake (similar to an Angel Food cake) with a wonderfully subtle hint of coffee flavor.

Overall, it turned out wonderfully well. One thing I would do differently next time is to chop the chocolate much finer. As she explained in her recipe, the chocolate chips will sink to the bottom if they are too heavy. I decided to use ready-made chocolate chips and they are too heavy. I did chop them a bit but next time I will use a chocolate baking bar instead. That minor flub did not affect the taste of the cake though.

3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 TBS. instant coffee or espresso (I use Medaglia D Oro Coffee Inst Expresso)
1 TBS. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
7 eggs, separated
1/2 cup Kahlua or Tia Maria or other coffee-flavored liquor
1/4 cup cold water
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
Optional: confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 325. You will need a non-stick tube pan, the type that has two pieces and which comes apart. Do not spray or butter the pan.

Chop the chocolate into pieces that are 1/4 diameter or less. As I noted earlier, I used chocolate chips and they were really too large, even though I chopped some of them. The larger pieces will sink to the bottom of the cake.

Sift together the flour, 1 1/4 cups of sugar (reserving the rest), the powdered coffee or espresso, baking powder and salt.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the oil, egg yolks, coffee liqueur, water and vanilla. Whisk together until smooth. Use a large spatula to fold in the chopped chocolate. Set aside.

In a separate mixer bowl, beat the egg whites until they are foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat on high speed until soft peaks are formed. (I always put my bowl and beater in the freezer for a few minutes to get them nice and cold. Always use the whisk beater for egg whites. Start out slow and gradually increase the speed until full speed). Reduce the speed and add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Increase speed to high and beat again until stiff peaks are achieved. Beat for an additional minute to be sure the mixture is stiff.

In three additions, slightly fold in about 3/4 of the yolk mixture. Do not fold in thoroughly, just barely! Then fold the whites into the remaining yolk mixture, being a bit more thorough this time.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes until the top springs back when pressed. The top will crack during baking. (It took 1 hour and 10 minutes for mine to bake)

After removing the pan from the oven, invert it on a narrow bottle and let it cool completely.

After cooling, use a long, sharp knife and gently run it around the rim of the pan and around the center tube. Carefully slide the pan apart and run the knife along the bottom of the pan under the cake. Remove the cake from the pan. If it is still sticking, use the knife to saw it carefully from the pan.

Use a flat pan, dish or I like to use preformed cardboard circles to plate the cake.

Sprinkle with confectioners sugar, if desired.

I think the cake needs whipped cream, ice cream or fruit to accompany it. We tried it with buttered pecan ice cream and it is delicious!

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

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Slow cooker cornbread dressing

Happy Thanksgiving! Today is rainy, dark and a bit dreary which I think is perfect weather for a holiday. I love the coziness it gives when you are all warm and cozy inside the house.

I am re-posting my Slow Cooker Cornbread Dressing recipe which I just got in the crock pot.


Slow Cooker Cornbread Dressing

6 cups prepared cornbread (Michael made me some cornbread the previous night. You can also use Jiffy mix cornbread but I suspect it would not be as tasty).
8 slices of day-old bread (I just used regular loaf bread)
4 eggs
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp of poultry seasoning or Sage (I used a combination of both)
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 10 1/2-oz. cans of cream of chicken soup
2 10 1/2-oz cans of chicken broth
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp. salt

Lay your bread out on the counter the night before you prepare the dressing so that it will dry. Crumble the breads in a large bowl.

Add all other ingredients except butter.

Stir the mixture with a large spoon and transfer to the crock pot that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Dot with butter. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours OR low for 4 hours.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

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Brunswick Stew

I hope you all are having a wonderful week! We are going to be doing some back and forth between fall and Christmas over the next week or two which I know is a little strange but that's just kind of how blogging is -ha! Today, though, I thought we'd bridge the two with a recipe for a delicious stew that my friend Jess made. It is perfect for the cool fall nights that are here and cold winter ones that are coming! 

Brunswick Stew

1 whole chicken, cut up

1 onion, quartered

2 ribs celery, diced

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 x 16 1/2 oz. canned (or frozen) White shoepeg corn

20 oz. small butter beans (canned or frozen)

2 lb. Canned tomatoes

4 small potatoes, cubed

4 carrots chopped

1 cup dry lentils 

1/3 cup ketchup

2-3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp Tabasco

1/4 tsp marjoram

2-3 tbsp butter

Place chicken in Dutch oven or stock pot and add enough water to cover well.  Add onion, celery, salt & pepper.  Boil until chicken comes off bones easily.  Remove chicken to cool and add corn, butterbeans, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, lentils and ketchup; cook 2 hours or until tender.  Remove chicken from bones and add to vegetables along with Worcestershire, Tabasco, marjoram and butter.  Serves 6-8 

I hope you all enjoy and have a wonderful weekend! We will be back tomorrow with a post from Jamie that is a little fall stroll through New England.

Source List:

Soup Bowl and Saucer - All Modern
Spoon - Birch Lane
Wood Charger - Joss and Main
Napkin - Heritage Lace

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Apple Crisp

One of the few trees already existing at our house is an apple tree in the middle of the hedge that runs along the back fence line. For the past several weeks, it has been loaded with apples and with them, flocks of birds. The scrub jays are the ones that seem to be enjoying them the most (as well as disrupting the peace and quiet with their incessant cawing).

I have been picking a few of the apples, thinking that they were probably no good, but it turns out they are okay for the most part.

I made an apple crisp this afternoon. 

The late summer sun here looks just like autumn in the South. It is very strange but wonderful.

Apple Crisp

• 4 or 5 medium tart apples, peeled and sliced
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease an 8x8 pan with butter or shortening.

Spread the apples in the pan.

Combine all the other ingredients and sprinkle over the apples.

Bake for 30 minutes (or until the top is golden brown and the apples are tender).




Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

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Frozen Lemonade Pie

As much as we needed the rain, I was bummed out that it came on Friday and today. I had tons of work to do in the garden and got very little accomplished. Couldn't the rain have waited until tomorrow?

I made Michael one of his all-time favorite desserts - Frozen Lemonade Pie. It is one of the easiest things in the world to make. We embellished it a few years ago and added more graham cracker crumbs.

Frozen Lemonade Pie

(Makes 2 pies)

3 Graham Cracker Crusts
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk (chilled)
8 oz. Cool Whip (thawed)
12 oz. frozen lemonade (unthawed)

Fold the condensed milk and Cool Whip together. Add the frozen lemonade and gently fold.

Crush one of the pie crusts and stir the crumbs into the mixture.

Pour into the two remaining pie shells and freeze the pies for 6 hours or more until set. Store in freezer.


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

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Black and White Pound Cake

I always find myself hesitant to make pound cakes - not only can they be expensive but they are not very kind to the waistline. When I contemplate using 10 eggs, 4 sticks of butter, 3 cups of sugar and 4 cups of flour in a cake, I wonder - is it going to be worth it? Well, the answer to that is usually yes! I have tried several Maida Heatter pound cake recipes and all of them have been exceptional. This one sounded different and unique and it turned out to be as delicious as any of her others.

The unique part is the 3/4 cup of chocolate syrup that goes into the second batter. I have never used chocolate syrup in a cake before. She says in the introduction to the recipe that it always turned out different each time she makes it and part of the fun is seeing how the pattern turns out.I assumed that the batter would meld together and create a marbeling effect but I was wrong. The second better actually sits on top of the bottom batter and does not blend into it.

The result is a moist and delicately-flavored cake. The bottom layer has a traditional pound cake flavor with a hint of almond extract. The chocolate flavor is mild and the two compliment each other well. I also loved the slightly crunchy crust that formed on the top.

Now, to make that Kentucky Pound Cake with bourbon...

1 lb. butter (4 sticks)
1 TBS. vanilla extract
3 1/3 cups sugar
10 eggs
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 TBS. instant coffee
3/4 cup chocolate syrup

Preheat the oven to 350. Use the bottom rack. Line the bottom of a 10x4 tube pan and butter it and the sides of pan. Dust with fine, dry bread crumbs.

Beat the butter to soften. (I never remember to set out butter ahead of time to soften it. I usually use the microwave but it can be tricky. Here is a tip I saw on The Chew: Place the butter in a zip-lock bag and place it in a bowl of tepid water. Allow the top of the bag to sit above the water line. Let sit for 20-30 minutes until the butter is softened.)

Add the vanilla...

and gradually add the sugar.

Add eggs, one at a time, until well blended.

On low speed, add the flour, a little at a time.

Now remove about half of the batter and put it in a separate bowl.

Add the almond extract to the batter left in the mixing bowl.

Transfer the batter from the mixing bowl to the prepared cake pan and level it.

Return the other half of the batter to the mixing bowl and add the baking soda.

Add the cocoa...

and finally the chocolate syrup. Mix well.

Pour the chocolate batter over the other batter.

Level it well.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil (loosely placed) and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 1 hour and 20 minutes. The cake is done when a tester comes out dry.

Let the cake rest on a cooling rack inside the pan for about 15 minutes before carefully inverting it and removing it from the pan.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

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Easy Peasy Fudge

I think this was the first time I have made fudge. This recipe is so simple and so good. I can't hardly stay out of it. You can make this without the nuts.

3 cups of  semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), cut into small pieces
1 cup chopped walnuts

Spray an 8x8 inch pan with cooking spray. Cut 2 pieces of wax or parchment paper long enough to extend outside the pan. Place them in the pan criss-crossed (this will create "handles" that make it easier to remove them form the pan).

Place the chocolate chips, condensed milk, and butter in a double boiler over a pan of shallow water on low heat. Melt the mixture, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the heat and stir in the nuts.

Pour into the prepared pan and refrigerate for 2 hours or more. Remove from the pan by gently lifting the handles of the wax paper. Cut into pieces with a sharp knife.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

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berry season = best blueberry oatmeal pancakes ever!

It's berry picking season in Alaska and they are plentiful this year! We went and got over five cups of blueberries in Hatcher's Pass last week, and I've been seeing pictures of all my friends with buckets brimful of the small, tart berries.

I've also seen the same question over and over - now that I have the berries, what do I do with them? Well let me tell you, you make pancakes! Amazing (and healthy!) blueberry oatmeal pancakes, filled with yogurt, oats and a whole cup of those juicy berries you just picked. 

I add chocolate flavored wheatgrass powder to Riggs' and sometimes switch out the blueberries for chocolate chips. Yum!

blueberry oatmeal pancakes

 original recipe here

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yummy chia pudding

It's Monday again, always (for us at least) a day spend getting back to our weekly rhythms and doing chores, which sadly allows no time for blogging. Luckily I already had the pictures ready for this post so I'm squeezing a little bit of computer time while Riggs should be napping (he's playing in his crib, such a lovely trick...not) to type up this post before getting back to work. 

And there's plenty of work, believe me. The coop is done and the girls have been moved into their new home (stayed tuned for a coop post coming soon) which is great, but also means I have lots of cleaning to do in the dog house and run that we had been using as a temporary coop. 

But anyway, back to today's post: pudding! I don't know about you, but I've always loved pudding, especially in fall and winter. There's just something so good about it. Smooth and creamy, or with a little texture (think tapioca) I pretty much love all pudding. Unless it has raisins, that is; no nasty raisins in my bread pudding, please. 

I found this recipe in the January/February 2013 issue of Natural Health Magazine, and finally got around to making it last week. It is soooo good. And it pairs well with just about any type of fruit you have lying around. And toddlers love it, or at least mine does. Such a healthy 'treat' to serve up for the whole family!

Here's the recipe:

Banana Coconut Chia Pudding

2 cups milk (I used whole but the recipe called for skim)

4 TBS whole chia seeds

1 medium banana, mashed

1/2 unsweetened shredded coconut (I'm sure sweetend would work just fine if that's what you have)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 TBS maple syrup (recipe called for agave, but here's why I don't use it. Agave is sweeter than other sugars though, so you might want a little more than 1 TBS if you like things a little sweeter. It was plenty sweet for us with just 1 TBS of maple syrup)

pinch of cinnamon

1. Place milk and chia seeds in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a low simmer, stirring occasionally with a whisk. This took about 5 minutes for me.

2. In the mean time, mash the banana.

3. When the mixture begins to thicken (took about 2 extra minutes for me), whisk in remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Divide mixture into 4 small serving dishes and cool in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.

5. Garnish with berries and serve. Yum!

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