APPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

I recently found this recipe my mom gave me many years ago.  Don't think I ever made it ... until today.

1/4 cup of crisco
1/2 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 teasp of vanilla
1 1/2 cups of flour
2 teasp of baking powder
1/4 teasp of salt
1/2 cup of milk
2-4 apples (I used macs because they are in season)
2 teasp of cinnamon (mixed with 1/4 cup of sugar)

Cream the crisco, while adding sugar, well beaten egg and vanilla.
Sift dry ingredients together and add alternately with the milk.

Grease bottom and sides of pan well.

Peel, and slice apples thin and spread on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle apples with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Pour cake mixture over the apples.

Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.

Serve with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

Labor Day Weekend Lobster Stew

*Lobster Stew

Ingredients: 6 lobsters, cooked, picked, cut into chunks... 1 can evaporated milk, 1 quart half n half (or whole milk works, too) and TWO (yes two) sticks of salted sweet cream butter!

In a large skillet, saute COOKED lobster meat for about 5-10 minutes on medium heat. This simply releases some of that "red" into your stew to make it orange. But is a KEY step! Saute in one HALF of a stick of butter... when you're done sauteing, add can of evaporated milk, and quart of half and half (or milk, either do the trick, I actually prefer milk over half and half!) and then you add the other 1.5 sticks of butter, turn the heat on LOW and wait....

You want that heat to stay on low for two reasons. One, it slowlyyyy melts those butter sticks, and two, it gives the stew time to "cure"...

Something new I tried this year is YELLOW CAP Mrs. Dash (there is only ONE Mrs. Dash with a yellow cap, you can't get confused) to top the stew. There is something about the flavor of the yellow cap Mrs. Dash on stews... also, your favorite oyster crackers to sop up that DELICIOUS broth!

This recipe is an amended version of what my mother always made...She would have LOVED this version.

Finally, this stew, generous with fresh lobster meat was made possible because of my son who has had a Maine Lobster License.

Sour Cream Banana Walnut Bread

Sour Cream Banana Walnut Bread

1/2 cup margarine or butter (I use butter)

1 Cup of sugar

2 eggs

1 Teasp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 Teasp baking soda

1/2 teasp salt

1 cup mashed banana

1/2 chopped nuts

1/2 cup sour cream

Grease I large loaf pan

Cream Margarine, sugar, eggs and vanilla

Add dry ingredients, then bananas, nuts and sour cream

Mix Well

Bake at 350 F for 1 hour

My mom had a recipe for this, but I could not find it.  Looked online and found this ... it is delicious. She would have loved this recipe.

Mom's Baked Beans

I was going to post the recipe for my mom's baked beans but my brother (and blogger) Mike Webber did just that some time ago.  He is the master bake beaner in our family now so I give you his post with great pictures:

http://maine-matters.blogspot.com/2012/03/mother-mabels-baked-beans.html

Thanks Mike!

Butterscotch Walnut Brownies

Below is a photo of my well worn recipe of "Butterscotch Walnut Brownies" otherwise known as Blond Brownies:

Time to digitize this old recipe as I can barely read it; although I pretty much can do this one from memory!

1 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of softened butter or margarine
1 egg
1 cup of flour
1 teasp of baking powder
I teasp of vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mix the brown sugar, butter and egg until is soft
Add the flour, baking powder, vanilla and walnuts.

Bake in a slow oven of 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Do NOT overcook!

Apple Pie

For at least 3 generations apple pie has long been a favorite in my family.  For years my mother would make an apple pie almost every day---my poor father would get two slices and then she would parcel slices out to the rest of the family.  It never lasted long enough to cool off.

I do not follow in my mother's footsteps in making a pie everyday but she did leave me with a huge legacy and gave me lessons in the art of fine pie crust making. Since my eldest son, and the father of my only grandchild is coming to Belfast today (to pull traps tomorrow, lobster stew(???) I made him an apple pie.  The recipe for pie crust and filling is as follows:

One heaping cup of flour
One half cup of crisco (I like the butter flavor as it makes lovely flaky crust, this should be refrigerated too as it is easier to work with if it is cold)
A tad of salt.
Water

Mix the first three ingredients until it all becomes soft and granular, add the water. Here is the 'trick" the water must be very cold, I use water that I keep in the frig.  Just pour a small amount (at a time) of water in the flour mixture and mix until it becomes doughy....but NOT wet.  If you get it too wet you can always add more flour.  Put the dough on a generously floured countertop.  Flour hands, then gently work the dough until it becomes one large SOFT round clump.  Again, using lots of flour cut the dough in half and gently roll out  the first piece until it fits in the bottom of your pie plate; do the same to the second piece.  Fill the pie plate with diced/sliced apples (today I used Granny Smith Apples) because the new macs are not out yet.  Once you have all the apples in place, cover them with a half a cup of sugar, sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg, finally, dotting  it with about three small pieces of butter.  Cover with the last piece of dough. Gently baste with milk (this will help the browning process).

Put in a preheated oven of 425 degrees and bake for approximately 40-45 minutes (checking it about every 15 minutes).  It will bubble and if the apples are soft it is ready to eat!

Ready for the oven

It smells delicious!

Chocolate Walnut Brownies

Here is my mom's recipe for homemade chocolate walnut brownies....they are far beyond the best brownies you will ever make.

2 eggs, well beaten
add 1 cup sugar--beat well
Blend in 1/2 cup of oil

In sifter or separate bowl add 2/3 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
6 level teaspoons of cocoa

Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup of walnuts.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 or 30  Minutes in 8 inch square pan.

Enjoy.