Wesley's Heirloom Recipes
Take Tom's wing come see what I'm doing for Thanksgiving. This year I've added a woodland mushroom soup and a butternut squash soup to my Thankgiving Day Buffet.
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup raisins
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups Gold Metal all purpose bleached flour
4 Large Eggs
1 cup fresh or canned coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup blackberry jam
Cream butter and sugar and mix all ingredients. Pour into three 8 in greased and floured pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.
Filling and Icing
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sugar
1 Tbls all purpose flour
2 Large Eggs
Cook until thick over moderate heat then add one cup of chopped nuts, 1 cup raisins, 1 cup coconut and 1 tsp vanilla. Spread between layers and top and sides.
BigMike's Banana Cake
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
4 large eggs
2 3/4 cups self rising flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups mashed ripe bananas
For the icing you'll need:
4 Tbs Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
3/4 cups confectioners sugar (more if needed)
Pecans (enough to cover cake)
Grease 9' inch round cake pan and cover lightly with additional flour. Combine all ingredients in large bowl and beat on low speed until all ingredients are thoroughly blended. Then beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth.
Pour mixture into prepared cake pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 hours. Let stand for 15 minutes before turning onto wire rack to cool.
(*If using 2 cake tins bake for approximately 1 hour or until center rises back when touched)
Icing
Melt butter in small saucepan. Add brown sugar and milk. Bring to boil then simmer stirring for 2 minutes. Allow to cool. Stir in enough (sifted) confectioners sugar to give a spreadable consistency. Apply one 'crumb' coating of icing to cake and cool in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Then apply left over icing and pecans to cake. Serve with some home made ice cream and Gevalia coffee.
Wesley's Old Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 sticks unsalted butter or margarine
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
3 1/2 cups all purpose Gold Metal bleached flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups each of toasted and hand chopped walnuts pecans
1 1/2 cups Hershey's Semi Sweet Double Chocolate Chips
In a large mixing bowl cream together butter and sugars, when this is smooth and creamy add in eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined. In another large bowl combine flour, salt,baking soda. Gradually add 1 cup of flour mixture to creamed mixture until incorporated. With a large spoon gently fold in walnuts and pecans stir until combined and then add 1/2 of your chips to this stir the fold in the rest of your chips. Preheat oven to 375 ° By the tablespoon drop mixture on to a parchment lined baking sheet or non-stick cookie sheet. Bake for 9 - 12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on racks for 15 minutes then serve with big glasses of ice cold milk. Enjoy!
BigMike’s Blueberry Muffins
1 cup sugar
1 cup whole milk
2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
4 Large Eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsps baking powder
4 cups all purpose Gold Metal Bleached Flour
5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
*Note: Any fresh berry can be used. This is a big recipe it makes 24 muffins. This recipe also makes a great layer cake. Just pour batter into two buttered, floured 8" cake pans lined with parchement paper. Bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
In a large mixing bowl cream room temperature butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy for about 3 to 4 minutes. Then add eggs and vanilla beat until combined *do not over beat this mixture* In another bowl combine flour that has been sifted once with salt and baking powder. Gradually add one cup of flour and 1/4 cup of milk to the creamed mixture, alternate with the flour and milk ending with the milk to make sure all the flour gets incorporated. Now with a rubber scraper gently combine blueberries to muffin mix. I add about 1/2 cup berries stir, another 1/2 cup and so on. This seems to get the berries well distributed into the batter. Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. With your large spoon fill muffin tins lined with muffin papers 3/4 full. Sprinkle muffins with 1/2 teaspoon natural raw sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg mixture and no more that a quarter teaspoon on each muffin. Then bake muffins for 20 minutes. Serve with butter and cherry preserves and a big glass of milk.
BigMike’s Caramel Apples
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup lite corn syrup
1 Cup Whole Milk
1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
4 Tablespoons butter
2 Tsps Vanilla
8 Red Delicious Apples
*Note: you may use any apples you like. To guilt this lily even more, make old fashioned fudge sauce, let it cool slightly dip the apples in this and then dip the apples into freshly chopped salted, roasted peanuts.
Pour all ingredients accept vanilla into a deep non-stick pot that will comfortably hold one apple on a popsicle stick. Put on medium high heat with a Candy Thermometer clipped to the side of the pot. If you don’t have a candy thermometer just have a bowl of iced water on hand so you can test the caramel to see what "stage" it’s at. Set a timer for 30 minutes and start stirring the mixture, adjust the heat so that the mixture doesn’t boil over the sides of the pot. After 30 minutes place a small amount of the caramel into your bowl of iced water it should be soft and something you would pour over ice cream. If you have a thermometer it should read 238 degrees. Now is the time to add the two teaspoons of vanilla and keep stirring until the mixture reaches 248 degrees on your candy thermometer or when dropped into iced water the caramel will hold it shape and be firm to the touch. When caramel is ready reduce heat to low, and dip your apples into the caramel. Have a parchment lined or non-stick cookie sheet ready. Caramel sticks to everything trust me. Allow to cool for at least one hour at 40°. Since I live in Florida I put mine into the refrigerator over night, this has worked well for me. One last tip. After you've coated all the apples you can, turn heat onto simmer and pour warm water into the pot you used and place back on stove for one hour. Place your candy thermometer and wooden spoon back in the pot. This will melt the caramel and the pot will be clean.
BigMike’s Pie Crust
2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Unbleached Flour Unsifted
1 Cup Chilled Crisco Shortening
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 cup Ice Cold water
Blend all ingredients in food processor for 30 seconds, this makes what I think is the best pie crust. Make sure crisco and water are Iced COLD, form dough into a round, wrap in plastic wrap and chil dough for one hour in the refrigerator.
BigMike’s Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe
2 cups flour unbleached
1 Cup Buttermilk
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
In a large mixing sift flour, salt, baking soda. Mix in cold butter with a pastry cutter. Cut in butter until it's cut into small baby pea size pieces. Then add the buttermilk to the flour. Save aside 2 or 3 tablespoons of buttermilk to ensure that all the flour is moistened. Now place the dough on a sheet of parchment paper, and flour it well with about 2 tablespoons of flour so it won’t stick. Then I sprinkle on one table spoon of flour so I can work with the dough. Now I get my old wooden rolling pin and roll the dough out so it’s 1/2 inch thick. With my old tea biscuit cutter I cut dough into rounds and place on cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 450 ° When you’ve cut all the biscuits that you can from the dough place on cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Be sure to watch them. They will be golden brown and very hot. Serve with butter and cherry preserves.
Come back and join me in front of the fireplace