Frankfurter Kranz

Does this look like a flop or what?
Most of us women live fast paced lives and we're always multi-tasking.
Not ALL Menno girls can cook up every meal perfectly in just a few seconds.
But what do we do when something flops?

Tanta Rued (Ruth) makes this in Calgary and I thought it was simple enough to whip up.
This was a treasured recipe of my husbands mother.
But now it's time to give our readers the true facts.....
This torte is called Frankfurter Kranz. It's a German cake and it is delicious.

Just so you know I've tried this recipe three times and it keeps flopping.
I can't just huck it out, but being somewhat frugal I tried to piece the thing together.

Bake a simple sponge cake and yes, you can bake this in a round pan, but I prefer to use the loaf pan so that I can cut it into slices and freeze it.

Wow, as you can see the whole thing flopped....So much work and yet that's my second try.
I'm not impressed.
But somehow I served it to my family and they approved....meanwhile I'm foot stompin' because this does not taste or look like Tanta Rued's. (Ruth)
So I'm on the phone....

I invited Martha Stewart (my cousin, Frieda) for a lesson on cake baking...

Frankfurter Kranz

• Make your simple sponge cake recipe, or buy a cake mix.
• Remember to turn the cake upside down to cool.
• Slice cake into three layers.
• Whip two two cups of whipping cream and add 2 Tbsp. instant vanilla pudding.
• Spread first layer with whip cream mixture.
  
• Spread middle layer with tart raspberry jam.
• Spread remaining whip cream mixture over the entire cake.
• Spread burnt almond over the entire cake.

Burnt Almond Mixture

• Now the real secret to this cake is working the the almond mixture.
  
• 2 Cups white almonds (no skins) Put into hot water for 1 minute, only so that when you chop the nuts the crumbs don't fly all over the place. Don't chop to fine, but evenly.
• Add 2 Cups sugar.
• Stir slowly in frying pan at med-high heat, until all the sugar caramelizes and turns brown.
• I rotated the heat from med to me-high over the next 45 minutes.
• It needs to be done slowly, otherwise the sugar will not caramelize.
• This process is what makes the cake special and as you can see, it takes.....TIME.
• I had enough nuts left over to make another cake for a later time. I just froze them.

We sliced the cake and assembled it with raspberry jam and whipping cream.
Ooops! I think I see 4 layers...

She then showed me how to take the burnt almond nuts and distribute them evenly.
It's always fun to cook with someone else. You learn so many life lessons.
"Marg, learn to buy cake mixes rather than thinking you need to do everything from scratch....The results are the same and no one knows."

Voila!

The cake was completed and devoured instantly as my husband's family ramped and raved that they had not had this Torte since their Mother passed away 25 years ago.
Mission accomplished and You too, can do it.
Just keep working at it and call for help.
Thanks Frieda for coming alongside.

Chicken Tarragon Salad

Over the past 10 years, since the children have left home,
salads, have been one of our staple foods in the house.
I always enjoy sharing other people's salads. What a treat.
Sometimes when we've dined out, it's always a treat when the chef,
shares some secrets with you.
This recipe comes from one of our finest dining restaurants way back in 1980's.
It was called the "Harverstors Four," and they had a European chef, Jurgeon.
He has shared several with me and they are always my families favorites.

Go to your favorite market, or pick from your garden.
I always love to get the freshest vegetables.

Julienne all the vegetables.
It looks so nice and colorful.

I make most of my own dressings and have found the little
Braun mixer to be a favorite for mixing the dressing for the right consistency.

Don't forget the freshly cut up Tarragon.

I made this on Sunday and just through the freshly chopped
Tarragon right into the salad.
The fresh flavors are still in my taste buds.

Chicken Tarragon

4 deboned chicken breasts
2 green peppers
2 red peppers
2 Romain heads lettuce
1 bunch onion greens
1 red Spanish onion

1. Fry Chicken at 375 for 20-30 min. I always BBQ
2. Julienne (cut long thin strips) peppers, onions
3. Cut lettuce into bite size pieces.

Dressing

2 TBSP vinegar & tarragon (I love to use fresh tarragon from my garden.)
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. Worchester Sauce
10 TBSP unsaturated oil (I use Olive Oil)

When the chicken is cooled, cut into julienne strips and lay them on top of the salad.
Pour the dressing over the salad and watch the food disappear.
I can never make this salad big enough.
Of course you can serve some of Marg's Health Buns

Ukranian Borscht

I used to walk in after school, smelling fresh dill.

There it was, a fresh bowl of Borscht.
So this weekend Levi and I pulled the vegetables out of our
Veggie Tale Garden.
Then he practiced saying BORSCHT!

Take a walk to your garden
Find potatoes, carrots and beets.

Add a few of the other things like cabbage, dill and tomatoes.

Meanwhile my herb garden is bursting, which gave me a few extra flavors.

VIOLA! Wash, peel, and chop and you have a tasty soup.

I searched the Menno blog for borscht, I noticed Lovella's and Trish's
but I could not find a true borscht like my Mother's.
You need to have beets.
So here goes.....

Ukrainian Borscht
(Mennonite Treasury pg.50)
I doubled the whole recipe.

4 cups soup stock ( I used beef soup broth)
2 Cups beets
1/2 cups carrots diced.
1 Cup Cabbage shredded
1 Cup potatoes diced
1 Cup tomato juice
1 medium onion, cut fine.
Salt to taste
3 Bay leaves
Fresh handful of dill
Parsley

Put all vegetables in soup stock and simmer gently until well done.
I like making my soup thick rather than thin.
So I add more vegetables. (like I double them)
Add a bit of sour cream.
Yummy!

Oh, by the way did any of you ever love
dipping your bread into the soup?
Only at home, never at company's.

Health Buns

This is one of my favorite recipes for buns.
I've just discovered it in the last year.
I no longer make the white ones,
except on occasional request....
I found it in the Greendale Mennonite Cookbook. (pg. 24)


But I do have to admit.
I have never kneaded dough in my life.
My first time round was a disaster. (35 years ago)
I literally through the dough at my husband and said, "Catch"
He saw the frustration on my face.
I have no clue how my mom did it!
It didn't take long and that man knew how to get his wife to bake bread.
Before I knew it, I had a beautiful Bosch machine,
and also an electric wheat mill, to grind all my own wheat.
Once you have tasted freshly ground wheat,
you don't want to go back to the store bought flour.

I changed up a few thing things in the recipe.

1 Cup water
2 Tbsp. yeast
1 tsp. sugar

4 Cups whole wheat flour
( I use the freshly ground whole wheat)
4 Cups white flour
1 Cup freshly ground 7-whole grains
1/2 Cup Flaxseed
1 Cup milk powder
( I never have milk powder)
I substitute 1 Cup scalded milk instead.
1 Tbsp salt

3 Cups warm water
1/3 Cup molasses
1/2 Cup oil
3 Eggs

I always use Fermipan Yeast, 3 Tbsp
so there's no rising time, I just add an extra cup of water.
So if you are familiar with the conventional method, just continue on...

I add only half the flour mixture, from white and whole wheat,
and add all the wet ingredients into my Bosch machine.

Now I let this mix for about 5 minutes.

Once this is well mixed, I add the remaining flour until
it forms a soft dough, not sticky.
It continues to knead for about 10 minutes.

Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise until double in bulk.

Yikes, it rose faster than I expected.

Form into buns and place on greased pans.
Let rise once more for maybe 45 minutes.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Cool on racks.

Serve with your favorite jam and cheese,
or even old fashioned peanut butter and honey.
It's always a staple in our home.

Trudy's Granola

Living healthy becomes important as we have so many choices today.
I have a sister-in-law who always shares some wholesome healthy recipes.
I started making this granola a few years back,
and this has become one of my staples in our home for our grandkids.
He calls granola, "Crumbs"
Whenever the little one is hungry he says,
"Oma, can I have some yogurt with Crumbs?"

5 Cups Quick Oats
1/2 Cup Sesame Seeds
1/2 Cup Pumpkin Seeds
1 Cup unsweetened med-coconut
1 Cup Sunflower seeds
1 Cup almonds
1 Cup cashews

Mix all these ingredients in a large stainless steel bowl.
I make sure that I chop my almonds and cashews coarsely.
In fact I use any nuts, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts etc. that will equal two cups.

In a small bowl, I mix the following ingredients.
2 tsp. almond flavor
1/4 Cup water
1/4 Cup oil (not virgin oil)
3/4 Cup honey
I stir these ingredients and blend them together with my Brown mixer.
It makes the right consistency.
Then mix the wet ingredients with the dry.
Stir till all the ingredients are moist.

Bake in the oven in a 9x12 cake pan at 350'
Stir every three minutes for up to 30 minutes.
I prefer my granola crunchy.

When cool, pour Granola into a container and freeze.

Serve over yogurt, add some fresh berries,
(In winter I add frozen berries)
Cover with a large spoonful of Granola.
This has been a life saver for many a quick healthy snack.

Decadent Chocolate Trifle

Have you ever caught yourself in a pinch?
I think we've all been there.
On Friday, recognizing that it was also my daughter's birthday,
I thought..Hm...what can I send along to the city?
How do I even have time to make something,
while my day was packed with a flurry of celebrations.
I knew she was having a party with friends.

I know she loves Skor Bars, and so I found this recipe in the
Greendale Mennonite Cookbook, pg.180
Well I began scrambling...cake was baking while I was out walking.
Cake and pudding cooled while lunching out.
Came home and quickly assembled the layers.
Ready for three o'clock pick-up.
Off to the game I went.
Surprising how we can work under pressure.

I'm always thankful when I have the right ingredients on hand.
I have a friend and she helps me along.
Yea! Betty Crocker.
I store her in my pantry.
She only comes out in a pinch.

Decadent Chocolate Trifle

1 chocolate cake
1 large Cool -Whip
6 Skor Bars, crushed
4 Chocolate Mousse mixes
2-3 cups peanuts
2 jars caramel topping

Cut cake into bite size pieces.
Make chocolate pudding according to directions on package.
Layer in the order listed.
I didn't have Mousse in the house, so I used chocolate cooked pudding.
Did you know that you can buy Skor Chipits?

I could already see quite quickly, that this was a large recipe.
So, I decided to half it and put it in s smaller bowl.

Cut cake into bite size pieces.
Layer with whipping cream or Cool-Whip.
Drizzle the crushed skor bits on top.

Yummy, can you see the chocolate pudding?
Throw the nuts on top!


Drizzle the caramel topping and you are set to go!
It's more advisable to chill for several hours.
They are still ramping and raving over it.

Now I have just enough left for a small dinner company!

Raspberry CAke

My walking partner phoned this morning
and said she needed a day to catch up.
Fair Enough!
I totally agreed and while we were quickly talking about our days,
I told her I needed a quick fix for coffee.
"Do I run to town or make something?"
She responded, "Do you have raspberries?"
"I sure do."

This is one girl that needs to be adding recipe's to our
Mennonite Girls Can Cook.
I scrawled down the recipe and whipped it up.
Saved myself a trip to town,

plus there is nothing like serving something home-made.


Raspberry Cake

1/3 C margarine
1 C Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp.vanilla
2 C flour
3 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C Milk

You know how this works.
Heat oven to 375.
Cream your margarine, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
Add your flour, baking powder, salt and finally your milk.
Throw into 9x13 greased pan.
Add about 3 Cups of fresh raspberries on top of the cake.
Bake in oven for 30 minutes.

Drizzle a basic icing over the cake and BINGO! It's ready to go.
It' so YUMMY and is definitely a keeper in our home.
Thank-you so much Laurie for the great suggestion.