Armenian Orange Cake

My Arizona friend Nancy gave me this superb Autumn recipe 16 years ago. I can’t believe I’ve waited all this time to try it! When I did, it instantly became a favorite!

Who could resist its lightly orange-flavored crumb crust, the orange-flavored cake batter over that, the crunch of lightly toasted nuts, and the orange-liqueur in its whipped cream topping? Not only is this cake delicious - it’s easy!

Armenian Orange Cake:

2 c. (500 mL) brown sugar

2 c. (500 mL) all-purpose flour

1/2 c. (125 mL) butter or margarine

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) salt

2 tbsp. (15 mL) freshly grated orange zest (See Note)

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) powdered allspice

1 c. (250 mL) dairy sour cream

1 tsp. (5 mL) baking soda

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 c. (125 mL) chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Line bottom of 9-inch (23 cm) square metal or glass baking pan or dish with parchment. Spray-grease sides of dish or pan.

In medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, butter, salt, zest, and allspice. Cut and mixture with pastry blender or two knives until crumbly and well blended. Spoon half crumb mixture into pan, lightly patting into place. 

Combine sour cream with baking soda. Quickly blend with egg. Pour into remainder of crumb mixture with egg, mixing quickly but thoroughly. Pour batter over crumbs spreading right to edges. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake 40-to-45 min. until toothpick poked into center comes out clean.

Note: One medium orange produces about 1 tbsp. (15 mL) zest. Be sure to zest extra for the topping!

Prepare Orange Whipped Topping while cake bakes. Serve cake warm, with orange topping.

Orange Whipped Topping:

1 c. (250 mL) heavy cream (whipping cream)

2 tbsp. (25 mL) icing sugar

1 tsp. (5 mL) freshly grated orange zest

2 tbsp. (25 mL) orange-flavored liqueur 

Whip cream until stiff. Stir in sugar, peel and liqueur. Refrigerate about 1 hr., to blend flavors.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Pecans

I adapted this recipe from one that appeared on inspiredtaste.net - a charming site that reeled me in with its great photos and interesting recipes. But after diverging and diverging and diverging from a filled squash recipe on that site, I found no reason to say I’d used one of the site’s recipes. Filling squash with ground meat, a sauce, veggies, or nuts is not uncommon. So  here’s what I arrived at by using what was in my cupboard at the time. I must add that it was delicious … I’ll definitely make this again! Pecans can be expensive … Use walnuts, if you prefer.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Pecans:

1 medium acorn squash (each approx. 5 in. or 12.7 cm long)

1-t- 2 tbsp. (15-to-30 mL) canola oil

3 tbsp. (45 mL) demerara sugar

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tbsp. (30 mL) butter or margarine

3 tbsp. (45 mL) roughly chopped pecans, lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. (I used a toaster oven). Cut unpeeled squash in half,  scooping out seeds with a grapefruit knife. Slice each half into another half. You will now have four wedges. 

Place wedges on parchment-lined baking sheet or toaster oven tray. Brush with oil. Press sugar into cavity of each wedge, seasoning lightly. Bake (see Note) until soft, 25-to-30 min.

As squash bakes, melt butter in small pan. Add lightly toasted pecans, cooking 20-to-30 sec. Spoon into center of each squash wedge. Serve hot. Yields 2 servings. 

Note: The word “Roasted” sounds more compelling than good ol’ “Baked,” so I’ve used it.

We grew this fat little squash in our garden!

Scoop out the seed-filled centers. 

And cut in half again. 

Brush a little oil ...  

On the inner surface of the squash.

Fill with demerara sugar; season lightly.

Serve hot. One small squash serves 2.

Mango, Ginger, and Walnut Muffins

As muffins go, those made in our village coffee shop are superb. What sets them apart from the norm, is the addition of three - not the usual two, but three - interesting ingredients. I’ve begun doing that in my own muffin-making, and it’s definitely tasty. Don’t be afraid to experiment when you bake: Muffins are a good place to start.  

Mango, Ginger, and Walnut Muffins:

2 c. (500 mL) all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. (15 mL) baking powder

1/4 tsp. (1.25 mL) salt

1 c. (250 mL) granulated sugar

3-1/2 oz. (100 g) dried mango slices

5-1/4 oz. (150 g) dried, sugared ginger slices

1/2 c. (125 mL) walnut halves, toasted and coarsely chopped 

1/3 c. (80 mL) canola oil

1 c. (250 mL) milk                                               

Mango, Ginger, and Walnut Muffins

1 egg

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) orange or lemon extract

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) orange or lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Spray-grease muffin papers for standard muffin pan. Bring water-filled kettle to a boil.

In large bowl, throughly combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Set aside. 

Pour enough boiling water over mango slices to cover. Set aside 10 min. Drain and blot reconstituted mango dry with paper towel, chopping mangos coarsely. You should have a loose (not packed) measure of about 1/2 c. (125 mL). Chop ginger slices into bite-sized pieces. You should have a loose (not packed) measure of about 1 c. (250 mL). 

In small bowl, combine mango, ginger, and walnuts. Add to dry ingredients until evenly distributed. In separate bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg, extract, and zest. Making a “well” in dry ingredients, add wet ingredients all at once. Mix quickly, just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Spoon or ladle into prepared muffin cups in pan, adding slightly less than 1/2 c. (125 mL) batter to each muffin cup. Bake 25-to-30 min. until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out dry. Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.   

Shirley’s Grammy’s Famous Fruit Salad

 Today marks my friend Shirley’s 85th birthday! Sometimes, she’d rather be 60. Wouldn’t we all?

We celebrated yesterday, over lunch. 

I’ve known Shirl 20 years. She’s on the left; I’m on the right. Wine … Always the wine. 

Lunch and a glass of vino loosened Shirley’s lips. 

I pried those lips open wide enough that Shirley parted with her highly prized recipe for her grandmother’s (aka “Grammy’s”) fruit salad - a recipe so deliciously simple that Grammy didn’t serve it as dessert, but as a side dish for special dinners. 

Naturally, the proportions vary with the number at the table, but make plenty because everyone will want seconds. Make this at least two-to-four hours in advance, giving the marshmallows time to soften in the juices the fruits release.

Shirley’s Grammy’s Famous Fruit Salad:

Bananas, sliced as coins

Apples, peeled in bite-sized chunks 

Oranges, peeled in bite-sized chunks

Red grapes, rinsed, blotted dry, halved or quartered

Mini-marshmallows (Grammy had to quarter big ones … Ain’t progress grand?) 

Heavy cream (“whipping cream”), as desired, but enough to mix throughout the salad

Icing sugar (confectioner’s or powdered sugar), as desired

Gently combine fruits and marshmallows. Cover and refrigerate 2-to-4 hr. Beat cream with icing sugar until cream is lightly sweetened and stands in soft peaks. Combine cream with fruits until completely distributed.

I can’t be sure, but this salad may just have been a factor in Shirley’s and Grammy’s long lives (Don’t get me started on how Grampy used to chase Grammy around even after she’d lost both legs and was confined to a wheelchair. This is not an XXX-rated recipe blog).

Cranberry-Orange Sauce

Excellent, even though simple and fuss-free!

Cranberry-Orange Sauce:

1 c. (250 mL) water (see Note)

1 c. (250 mL)) granulated sugar

3-to-4 c. (675 ml-to-1 L) fresh or frozen cranberries

1 tbsp. (15 mL) orange zest

1 tbsp. (15 mL) marmalade

Simmer water (or water and orange juice) and sugar in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add cranberries, zest, and marmalade, continuing to simmer 8-to-10 min. Serve chilled.

Note: Or use equal parts water and orange juice to make 1 c. (250 mL)

For more cranberry recipes like this one, see One Click: Cranberry Sauces, Relish, and Chutney.

Brussels Sprouts with Apples

I met her at the supermarket, over a bin of brussels sprouts. As women do, she asked: “How do you cook brussels sprouts?” Little did I know this was a leading question - leading in to her sprout recipe, which she generously gave me on the spot. 

“That sounds like a fantastic recipe!” I cried. “It is,” she said, without one shred of modesty. “If we have any sprouts left over, I eat them cold, the next day.” Too bad we didn’t exchange names. We were picking sprouts from the bin as she gave me her recipe.

This recipe has no proportions, because everything depends on the number of brussels sprouts you intend to cook.

Not to worry! Experienced cook that you are, you’ll figure it out. Newbies and klutzes, ask your mother or auntie or BFF and you’ll figure it out, too. What follows is what the very nice lady told me.

Brussels Sprouts with Apples:

Prepare and array all ingredients in advance. Take some red onion, a little olive oil, brussels sprouts (du-uh!), a little apple juice, one or more apples, (peeled and cubed into about 1/2-in. or 1.3 cm squares), and a dollop of balsamic vinegar. When the cooking’s done, add fresh grindings of salt and freshly ground pepper.

To prepare sprouts, rinse those of similar size (Let those less discerning shoppers buy the older, larger, woody sprouts - not you!). Your sprouts should be pleasantly green - not dull green. 

Trim away yellow or loose leaves. Cut away the woody part of the stem, slicing each sprout in half. This will help them cook more quickly. 

If you were one of those less discerning shoppers, cut an X in each sprout stem if you prefer them whole, or halvie those big ol’ sprouts to improve their appearance and make them look kinda sexy. I haven’t looked kinda sexy for more than 50 years, so I wanted to halve my sprouts, for sure. So, let’s get started!

Peel and slice as much of the onion as you like, remembering that the sprouts - not the onion - are the star of the show. To a skillet of a size appropriate to your needs, add oil. Sauté onion in oil on medium-to-medium high heat. Then!

Add and sauté the sprouts with the onion, stirring frequently. Sprouts should look slightly charred. Toss in some chunked, peeled apple. Or not, as you please. Next!

Apple juice. You don’t need much … Just enough to start steaming the sprouts before you slam a lid on the skillet. Immediately reduce the heat under the skillet to medium low, and keep a close watch. You don’t want the sprouts to burn, but nor do you want them over-done. They should be hot, slightly seared, and just cooked through. Finally!

The balsamic vinegar. Drizzle it on. It’s powerful stuff. 

For more recipes like this one, see One Click: Brussels Sprouts.

Stir-fry red onion and halved brussels

sprouts in oil, lightly charring sprouts.

Add apple chunks (if desired) with

a little apple juice to steam sprouts.

With lid on skillet, steam 1 or 2 min. 

I served these crisp brussels sprouts 

between carrots and Oven Roasted Yams.

My Very, Very Favorite Pecan Pie

I never make this pie. Never, ever, ever! That’s because it’s incredibly simple and sinfully delicious. If you use a commercially made pie crust, this pie takes 35 min. from start to finish. Why do I never make it? From the lips to the hips, Dollinks … 

My Very, Very Favorite Pecan Pie

My Very, Very Favorite Pecan Pie

Pastry for single-crust 9-in. (23 cm) pie

1 c. (250 mL) halved pecans, lightly toasted and cooled

1/3 c. (75 mL) butter or margarine

3 eggs

2/3 c. (150 mL) granulated sugar

Dash salt

1 c. (250 mL) golden corn syrup

Preheat oven to 425 deg. F. Line pie pan with pastry crust, fluting edges above top of pan. Sprinkle pecans evenly over unbaked pastry. Set aside.

Melt butter or margarine. Set aside to cool slightly. Combine remaining ingredients, beating until frothy. Add melted butter, continuing to beat. Pour well-beaten ingredients over pecans. Bake 10 min. 

With pie still in oven, lower heat to 350 deg. F. Continue baking 25 min. more. Slice into 8 portions. Serves one (me!). 

Lemon-Parsley Baked Cod

You’ll never again dismiss cod (or any thickly cut white fish) once you enjoy this outstanding recipe. It originates with a fish processing plant and fresh-as-caught retail market on the island where I live. It’s easy and quick and utterly delicious! I’ve modified the original recipe slightly.

Lemon-Parsley Baked Cod

3 tbsp. (45 mL) lemon juice, freshly squeezed

3 tbsp. (45 mL) butter or margarine, melted

1/4 c. (60 mL) flour

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) salt

1/4 tsp. (1.2 mL) paprika

1/4 tsp. (1.2 mL) lemon-pepper seasoning

4 cod filets (6 oz. or 170 g each), sliced about 1/2-in (13 mL) thick

2 tbsp. (30 mL) minced fresh parsley, stems removed

2 tsp. (10 mL) freshly grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 450 deg. F. Spray-grease 13x9 in. (33x23 cm) pan or casserole dish (see Note). Have two small, shallow bowls at the ready.

In one small bowl, combine lemon juice and butter. In the other, combine flour and seasonings. Dip each filet into lemon juice mixture and into flour mixture, coating both sides and shaking off excess. Place in baking dish. Drizzle with remaining lemon juice mixture.

Bake 12-to-15 min. until lightly browned or until fish begins to flake with a fork. Mix parsley and zest in small bowl, sprinkling over cooked fish before serving. 

Note: Fish may need shorter cooking time in metal dish, and fuller cooking time in glass dish. I used the convect setting of my oven.

Lemon-Parsley Baked Cod

One Click: Mayonnaise

One of life’s many delights is the joy of having choices. With a simple click, you’ll find recipes for three delicious homemade mayonnaises for summer sandwiches and salads. 

• Basil Mayonnaise

• Machine-Made Mayonnaise                     

• Pesto-Mayo Salad Dressing

• Roasted Garlic Aioli

• Tarragon Mayonnaise

Olive Cheese Bread

Plenty of people have been baking during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what they’re baking is bread. The puff-’n’-stuff supermarket brand I once thought a bargain at $2.50 a loaf looks pretty expensive, now. 

Clues that home cooks are baking bread? 

• Flour and yeast have been in short supply since the crisis became part of our lives.

• New bread machines are hard to find. 

• Cast-iron Dutch ovens are also hard to find. Cast-iron Dutch ovens are essential for No-Knead Artisan Bread, which everyone wants to bake, just as everyone seems to have gone crazy over Sourdough Biscuits and Sourdough Bread. 

I recently made a 1-1/2 lb. (0.7 kg) loaf of Bread Machine Olive-Cheese Bread ... Wow! This is a bread machine recipe I’ll definitely make over and over again. It’s a winner that deserves 5 out of 5 stars. If you don’t have a bread machine, follow the traditional method for hand-made bread, taking care to add the wet and dry ingredients in exactly the order the traditional recipe calls for.

Bread Machine Olive-Cheese Bread:

1 c. (250 mL) water, room temperature

3 tbsp. (45 mL) olive oil

1-1/2 tbsp. (22 mL) granulated sugar

3/4 tsp. (3.75 mL) dried thyme

1-1/2 tsp. (7.5 mL) salt (see Note)

3 c. (750 mL) bread flour

2-1/4 tsp. (11.25 mL) yeast 

1/2 c. (250 mL) crumbled feta cheese, well drained 

6 tbsp. (90 mL) coarsely chopped green olives, well drained (see Flavor Note)

3 tbsp. (45 ml) chopped, commercially sun-dried tomatoes, well drained and blotted dry

3 tbsp. (45 mL) additional bread flour

Place water, olive oil, sugar, thyme, salt, and flour into loaf pan of bread machine. Set for white bread, medium crust. Press Start button. 

In medium bowl, stir together feta, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes, distributing evenly. When first kneading is finished or when first beeper of bread machine sounds, sprinkle feta, olives, and tomatoes with additional bread flour. Mix quickly but well, adding to dough in bread machine. The machine will do the rest, baking a perfect loaf of this delicious and interesting bread.

Note: Do not reduce salt!

Flavor Note: Pimiento-stuffed olives impart the most wonderful flavor and ribbons of color to this bread. 

One Click: Stroganoff

The dish we know as Beef Stroganoff is steeped in Russian history. Wikipedia’s surprisingly weak entry on the topic left me wanting more. I still do. I found a lively, intrigue-filled description of how this dish came to be on a website that later dropped all reference to the Stroganoff family of Russia. Pity.

Onward! Nicole Parton’s Favorite Recipes features several types of Stroganoff - not one of them as fascinating as the history lesson I read and lost, but nonetheless filling and delicious. I hope you'll try these One Click recipes for … 

• Classic Beef Stroganoff     

• Beef Tenderloin Stroganoff               

• Jiffy Meatball Stroganoff   

• Stroganoff with Meatballs                

• Beef Stroganoff “Stew”

• Ground Beef Stroganoff  

• Turkey Stroganoff with Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

• Turkey Stroganoff with Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

Chickpea and Rice Salad

Canned chickpeas are a staple, at our house. They’re delicious, nutritious, low in fat, and never go to waste. I was poking around the kitchen cupboard a few days ago, wondering how if could make a salad with almost no “saladables” on hand, when I threw together these interesting ingredients and came up with a decent little salad I judged a “keeper.” 

Chickpea and Rice Salad:

3/4 c. (185 mL) white rice (see How to Cook Rice)

3/4 c. (185 mL) poultry or vegetable stock  commercial or homemade (see One Click: Stock)

1/4 c. (60 mL) water

1-1/2 tsp. (7.5 mL) soy sauce

2 tbsp. (10 mL) peeled and finely diced raw carrot

2 tbsp. (10 mL) finely diced raw celery and/or frozen peas

One 14-oz. (398 mL) can chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and blotted dry

2/3 c. (160 mL) large-diced, cooked, chilled poultry or firm fish, boned and skinned

1-1/2 tbsp. (23 mL) finely chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook rice in stock and water, adding more of either liquid according to which cooking method of you prefer. Chill cooked rice, stirring in soy until well blended. Add carrot, celery, and/or frozen peas and chickpeas, blending well. Stir in chilled chicken or fish, being careful to keep delicate diced fish intact. Add parley and seasonings. Chill at least 30 min. Serves 4 as a salad; 2 as a main dish.

Optional: Stir in a teaspoon of olive oil, if you wish; I found it wasn’t necessary.

One Click: Chicken Wings

It was the battle of the century. In this corner, in the green silk bathrobe: Ronald (Chicken Lips) Earle! In that corner, in the red curlers: Nicole (Boom-Boom) Parton! It’s the ... Great Chicken Wing Cook-Off! 

Nicole (Boom-Boom) Parton.

The Prize? We won’t mention the prize,

 but it sure looks like chicken feet ...

The contest: Chicken Lips’ (preposterous) belief that his wings could fly higher than Boom-Boom’s. The method: Each of these idiots cooked 4 lb. (1.8 kg) of chicken wings. 

Boom-Boom made Sticky Ginger Wings, Wings in Plum Sauce, and Devilishly Good Wings in Diablo Sauce.  

Chicken Lips made Honey-Garlic Chicken Wings, Hot Cha-Cha Wings, Ron’s Honeyed Chicken Wings, and Spicy Soy Wings. 

And then they sat down to over-eat. After that, they both got sick. Boom-Boom insisted Chicken Lips’ wings won. Chicken Lips insisted Boom-Boom’s won. After turning the (unmentionable prize) into soup stock, they called it a draw, agreeing they would never, ever do this again. 

We baked our wings in similar dishes - Ron’s clear ...

And Nicole’s tinted blue, to tell their wings apart.

Ron marinated his Honey-Garlic Chicken Wings.

Nicole’s Sticky Ginger Wings needed no marination.

As the sets of wings baked side-by-side, 

the Cook-Off took off!

Which wings won? You decide. These and other Wing 

recipes are findable as One Click: Chicken Wings

 or Chicken Wings: see One Click.