Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Delicious! Try it you'll like it :)


Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

 I made my cake with ( frozen) fresh pumpkin from last year.

How to cook a pumpkin:
Cut in half and place cut side down on a grease cookie sheet (I use PAM spray). Bake 350 degrees until a fork can be inserted easily and well cooked. Let cool, scoop out the pumpkin, then puree in a blender.  I use a hand held immersion blender. You can use right away or freeze for later use.

Mama's Fish Chowder

I can't believe that it has been a whole year since I last posted a recipe. Believe it or not I have still been cooking for my family.

Here is a favorite recipe of mine. My mother used to make it for me. She knew how much I loved it. My family are not big fish eaters, so I don't make it very often. Pollock was on special this week...that is what prompted me to dig the recipe out and make it for myself. This recipe make about three hungry servings. You will need to double it to feed more people. The chowder will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days. In fact it will taste better the next day.  Enjoy!




1/2 cup salt pork (4 slices) cut up into bits (this time I left the slices whole and discarded after rendering the fat) edited 4/18/2011: used 3 slices of bacon cut up instead of the salt pork

1 cup chopped onion (1 large)

3 cups cold water

3 large potatoes diced

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tbs cider vinegar

1 lb white fish (pollock, shrod, haddock)chunks

1 small can evaporated milk

1 cup milk (1%)



In a heavy kettle fry out pork until crisp. Remove for later (or discard). In hot fat , fry onion slowly until soft and golden. Add 3 cups cold water, potatoes, pepper & vinegar. Boil until potatoes are half done. Add fish. Cooking gently until fish is tender. Add milk. Once hot, serve with browned pork. Serves 3 hungry people.

Töltött Káposzta or Stuffed Cabbage

Töltött Káposzta is the Hungarian name for stuffed cabbage. My father, whose parents were both from Hungary, taught my mother how to make stuffed cabbage. I'm not sure how authenic the recipe is with Campbell's tomato soup as one of the ingredients, but the important thing is that these cabbage rolls are delicious. My father passed away when I was just 5 months old, so when I make his recipe I feel like it is a tribute to the father I never really got to know!

Ingredients:
1 extra large head of cabbage

2 pounds very lean ground beef
3 large cloves of garlic chopped fine
1 large onion chopped
1/2 cup water
rounded 1/2 cup of uncooked rice
salt(optional)

1 package of sauerfraut ( I like the kind packaged in a plastic bag)
1 can of Campbell's Tomato soup

Boil water in a large stainless steel (non reactive) kettle or pot half full. Once the water is boiling add the whole head of cabbage, which has had the core cut out. As the leaves soften remove leaves one at a time and put aside. You may have to return the cabbage to the boiling water repeatedly.

Prepare the stuffing by mixing together the rest of the ingredients except for the sauerkraut and tomato soup.

To stuff a leaf remove the rib on the back side of the leaf and then spoon some of the stuffing on top. The amount of stuffing depends on the size of the leaf. Roll leaf tucking in the sides to make a nice package. Push in on the sides of the roll to secure.

Place rolls inside the same large pot you boiled the cabbage in, with a thin layer of sauerkraut and tomato soup. Layer and repeat leaving the last layer as sauerkraut and tomato soup.

Cook about 1/2 hour until very hot, then simmer 2 -3 hours. Refrigerate once cool. These taste even better the older they are.
Enjoy :)