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My Memama’s Apricot Nectar Cake

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Apr 222013
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My Memama's Apricot Nectar Bundt Cake

This was one of my grandmother’s favorites! See, she LOVED apricots and she always rated her recipes…and this one received HIGH marks in her book. We called my grandmother Memama, she was a small little Southern lady who loved to cook and made the best biscuits I have ever put in my mouth. I never did really figure out what made her biscuits different, but they were.

Were she still alive, she would have turned 97 last week. We would have gathered round and celebrated with a meal and a cake and she would have fussed at us for making a fuss over her. My Memama passed away 5 years ago, even at the ripe age of 92 she could run circles around me. She even still did most of her own gardening up until the last year that she was alive. Her yard was a big source of enjoyment for her. She loved flowers and it was always manicured perfectly…as was her kitchen. She would spend hours in there making all kinds of delicious eats and treats. I love to go by there on days she made soup especially. It was my favorite. Along with her salmon patties. And her chow chow. But alas, her kitchen is now closed so let’s go into mine and see just how she made that Apricot Nectar Cake:

ingredients for Apricot Nectar Cake

Gather up the ingredients and get ready.

One of the ingredients you are going to need is called Apricot Nectar.

Jumex brand Apricot Nectar

I can remember that my Memama always bought Apricot Nectar on the juice aisle, but that isn’t where I find it anymore, now it is located in the International foods section with the Mexican/Hispanic  juices.

AND, here is another tip, if you are ever looking for juices that are a little unusual, that is a great place to look and they aren’t expensive. I think I paid .69 per can for these….but you aren’t going to need but one can.

apricot nectar cake batter

Apricot Nectar Cake

1 package yellow cake mix

4 eggs

3/4 cup apricot nectar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup chopped nuts

Mix the first 4 ingredients and beat for 4 minutes. Add pecans and stir in good. Pour into a tube pan that has been greased and floured. Bake on 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.

Icing/Glaze

2 Tablespoons melted butter

3/4 cup apricot nectar

2 cups powdered sugar

Mix the butter with the apricot nectar then slowly beat in the sugar. Pour over the cake while it is still warm.

 

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 Posted by The Jilly Bean at 11:05 am  Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

Sugar Muffins

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Apr 042013
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plated sugar muffins

It has rained a LOT here the last several weeks. I seriously thought that we were going to need an Ark. Or at the least a john boat. Thinking of the john boat led me to thinking about my Daddy. Yeah, I know…my thoughts are pretty random. I would feel sorry for anyone who tried to makes sense of what goes on in my head. Anyway, my Daddy was funny when it came to food. He loved to cook and he loved to eat. He also loved, loved, loved to go to the grocery store. He went every day the last several years that he was alive. I think he was always afraid he would miss a sale and he never decided what he would cook for all of us until that morning. Every morning he would get up and make his menu out. Then he would call each of his girls to see who was going to come for dinner. Typically we would all say yes, and inevitably one would not show up. Those who were in attendance would get to hear Daddy rant and rave over the one that didn’t show up and how he spent his hard earned money on all this food and slaved over the stove for hours and hours all in a valiant effort to take care of his girls and how we just don’t appreciate him and his efforts that he went to for us. His bark was much worse than his non-existent bite. We would just listen, agree and eat…nodding our heads in agreement, never saying a word. The reason we never said a word, we were too busy eating! Because the reality of it all is that Daddy was a great cook that just wanted his girls around to show off one of his new dishes he had made. Ok, so back to the rain, and the ark, and the john boat. As I was pondering whether we were going to wash away or not I decided to pull out all my Daddy’s old cookbooks and browse. As I was browsing I came across one of his recipes…Sugar Muffins. Oh my. SUGAR MUFFINS!!! This is one of those old-timey recipes that your Grandmother’s grandmother made. A simple but delicious muffin that will take you back to the simpler days and the comforts of sitting around the table listening to your Daddy fuss about a sister that told him she was going to come eat and then never showed up and how she just didn’t appreciate him or things he does for his family. I can see him sitting at the end of the table smiling at us good daughters, serving us some Sugar Muffins now…all the while thinking in the back of my mind I always knew I was the good one!

sugar muffins in muffin tin

 

SUGAR MUFFINS

2 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

6 Tablespoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup shortening

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup butter (melted)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

 

Mix together all of the dry ingredients, EXCEPT 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Blend in the shortening until the mixture is coarse in texture. Beat in egg and milk until dough is thoroughly moistened. Grease muffin tins and fill 2/3 full. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. While still warm, remove the muffins from the muffin tin and dip the muffin top in melted butter, then dip in 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon mixed together.

Sugar Muffins

And as an extra little bonus, try them with Land O’ Lakes Cinnamon Sugar Butter. OhMyStinkinHeck Fabulous!!

Now, for those still wondering what a john boat has to do with my Daddy, he was always taking his out on the lake to go fishing, or at night he would go frog gigging. He loved that crazy boat and all the adventures it took him on. I remember that boat always bringing home something delicious for supper.

 

 Posted by The Jilly Bean at 12:40 am  Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

Old Fashioned Vegetable Soup

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Jan 222012
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old fashioned vegetable soup
I love Old Fashioned Vegetable Soup. My grandmother used to make it for me every time we would visit and most visits she would also send me home with a big mason jar full so I would have lunch the next day. I sure do miss those days but luckily enough I was able to get her recipe before she passed away. I say recipe but it is more of a technique than a recipe.And while hers was always simmering in a big pot on the stover, I know make mine in a slow cooker. It is just easier for my family but either way will work just fine.

You will need a large can AND a small can of diced tomatoes (I froze a ton this past summer and used those but have used canned ones many times), a package of frozen mixed vegetables, a package of frozen okra, cabbage, an onion, 4 bullion cubes, and about 5-6 potatoes (peeled).

Dice up the potatoes, the onion and the cabbage. I usually use about half a head of cabbage but it is give or take. Use as much as you choose for all the vegetables. Do not drain the tomatoes and if you need add enough water to cover the vegetables. Place everything in your crockpot and cook on high for about 6 hours. I use a Hamilton Beach 6 quart slow cooker and it was filled to the rim, the picture above is after several bowls were taken out. If you cook it on the stove top use the largest stock-pot that you have and simmer until your potatoes are tender.

bowl of old fashioned vegetable soup

I have always eaten my soup with cornbread, I have never had it any other way but when Bric moved here he thought that was just weird and he eats his with crackers. How do you eat your Vegetable Soup…cornbread or crackers?

 Posted by The Jilly Bean at 6:16 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How How Chow Chow

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Jul 232010
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This has been a crazy busy week around here…and it just keeps getting better! Monday I had the privileged of going to my Aunt Ruth’s house and helping in the Chow Chow making process. Now, let me tell you a little about Aunt Ruth. She is in her 80′s and has more energy than me and you put together. She has a huge garden every year and cans hundreds upon hundreds of jars of home grown goodness. Her sense of humor and fun are unrivaled by anyone else I know. In other words…we might have gone to work, but like always it was more fun than work.I came home with a big mess of tomatoes, several home-grown cantaloupes and some freshly made chow chow.

aunt ruth

And just look at her canned goods room:

canned goods

That is only one section of one wall! This stuff you can’t buy in a store with coupons. It is home grown, home canned, home goodness!

The first step, which happens to be the biggest is to get everything chopped up. Sandra (in the back) is chopping the green tomatoes. Mallory is chopping the bell peppers and I was in charge of chopping the onions. It got me a little teary-eyed.

chop up the ingredientsRuth had gotten up early that morning and peeled all the green tomatoes that go into making the chow chow. Once we all arrived and got the assembly line going it went pretty fast. See, that is the thing about canning, gather up a couple of family members and friends and you can make a party out of it.

green tomatoes and onions

Once you get your green tomatoes and your onions all chopped up your going to add some salt and cook for about 20 minutes. Once all it is finished cooking you have to drain it really good before you add all the other ingredients. After you have drained it you are going to add in the peppers:

chow chow 1

Make sure you stir it all up really good and then add in the celery seed, vinegar and sugar:

chow chow 2

Now that all the ingredients are in you are going to cook it for about 20 minutes making sure to stir often.

Pack the Chow Chow into hot jars and seal with hot lids and rings.

Chow Chow

Chow Chow is great with any kind of beans or peas or greens. And of course you can’t forget the cornbread!

The recipe:

1 gallon green tomatoes

1 dozen onions

6 green bell peppers

6 red bell peppers

2 hot pepper (optional)

3 lbs. sugar

1 quart white vinegar

1 TBPS celery seed

1/2 cup salt

Peel the tomatoes and onions, chop them both ( I use a food processor). Mix together and add a 1/2 cup of salt and cover with water. Cook for 20 minutes and then drain well. Then add the chopped peppers, celery seed, sugar and vinegar. Cook for 20 minutes. Pack into clean hot jars and seal with hot lids and rings.

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 Posted by The Jilly Bean at 7:55 am  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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