Recipes from The Help Book Club Meeting

I'm guessing that a large number of people out there have read The Help. And maybe you have also seen the movie. My sister bought me a copy of the book over a year ago and I read it from front to back in a little less than 6 hours. It was a great read and a very enjoyable book.

Our local Book Club recently discussed this book and I was hosting, so I was in charge of the refreshments. I am not a Southerner and I don't claim to know how to cook like one, but I chose recipes that were "traditional" Southern recipes and used them to help with our evening. I tried to choose food that had at least been mentioned in the book and most of these were also shown in the movie.


Chocolate Pie was an absolute must. I found a recipe from the author online and used that. It was one that her maid, Demetrie used to make for her. The recipe stated that you could use a graham cracker crust or a pie crust, so I made both. I used Dorie's recipe for the pie crust because it is the easiest and best one I have ever made. This filling reminded me of a mild chocolate pudding. I topped both of them with sweetened whipped cream.

These cheese crackers are originally from the Lee Brothers and I have made them before, but in a different shape.
A basic chicken salad that I served in little phyllo cups and also with crackers.
I made a caramel cake, but as you can see from the plate it is on, it was a messy experience, and I wasn't really sure if I was going to share these recipes or not, so I didn't get a great picture of it. Fun frosting. Very fun. (I have an alternate caramel frosting recipe linked up below if the original one scares you).

And of course, deviled eggs.

It was a great night!

Here is the recipe for Demetrie's Chocolate Pie


Here is the recipe for Chicken Salad with Grapes and Pecans
* I used nonfat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream
* I used fat free mayo

Here is the recipe for Traditional Southern Deviled Eggs
*I used fat free mayo

Here is the recipe for Caramel Cake
and here is an optional quick Caramel Frosting

Here is the recipe for Cheese Crackers
* I used all white whole wheat flour

Dorie Greenspan's Good for Almost Anything pie crust

for a 9-inch single crust:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 T) very cold (frozen is fine) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
2 1/2 T very cold (frozen is even better) vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces
About 1/4 cup ice water

Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse just to combine the ingredients. Drop in the butter and shortening and pulse only until the butter and shortening care cut into the flour. Don’t overdo the mixing — what you’re aiming for is to have some pieces the size of fat green peas and others the size of barley. Pulsing the machine on and off, gradually add about 3 tablespoons of the water — add a little water and pulse once, add some more water, pulse again and keep going that way. then use a few long pulses to get the water into the flour. If, after a dozen or so pulses, the dough doesn’t look evenly moistened or form soft curds, pulse in as much of the remaining water as necessary, or even a few drops more, to get a dough that will stick together when pinched. Big pieces of butter are fine. Scrape the dough out of the work bowl and onto a work surface.

Shape the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before rolling. (If your ingredients were very cold and you worked quickly, though, you might be able to roll the dough immediately: the dough should be as cold as if it had just come out of the fridge.)

To roll out the dough: Have a buttered 9-inch pie plate at hand.
You can roll the dough out on a floured surface or between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap or in a rolling slipcover. (I usually roll this dough out on the floured counter.) If you’re working on a counter, turn the dough over frequently and keep the counter floured. If you are rolling between paper, plastic or in a slipcover, make sure to turn the dough over often and to life the paper, plastic or cover frequently so that it doesn’t roll into the dough and form creases.

If you’ve got time, slide the rolled-out dough into the fridge for about 20 mins to rest and firm up.

Fit the dough into the pie plate and, using a pair of scissors, cut the excess dough to a 1/4- to 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the dough under itself, so that it hangs over the edge just a tad, and flute or pinch the crust to make a decorative edge. Alternatively, you can finish the crust by pressing it with the tines of a fork.

To partially or fully bake: Refrigerate the crust while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Better the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil, fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust and fill with dried beans or rice or pie weights. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 25 mins. Carefully remove the foil and weights and, if the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. For a partially baked crust, return the pie plate to the oven and bake for about 8 minutes more, or until the crust is very lightly colored. To fully bake the crust, bake until golden brown, about another 10 minutes. Transfer the pie plate to a rack and cool to room temperature before filling.

Cap'n Crunch Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Marshmallow Frosting

I saw these cupcakes and thought they would be so much fun to make for a gathering where there were going to be lots of little kids. What could be better than combining Cap'n Crunch cereal and PB? Not to mention some fluffy marshmallow stuff and then turning it all into a cute cupcakes.

I don't ever use cake mix nor do I have it on hand (mostly because I enjoy make cake from scratch), but for this one, I went ahead and used a mix because that is what the recipe called for. This was a winning combination and everyone really thought they tasted great. Definite crowd pleaser!





Here is the recipe for Cap'n Crunch Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Marshmallow Frosting

Ina Gartens Fresh Peach Cake

Once again, I present a bad photo, but this cake was delish!
My friend and her 5 children spent the night with us and she had purchased some peaches from a fruit stand. We decided to make this cake for breakfast and it was really good. It is a basic coffeecake batter and I used buttermilk instead of sour cream. You layer the cake batter, sliced peaches and a cinnamon-sugar mixture and then bake the cake. The house smelled absolutely wonderful and we all enjoyed this summer-y breakfast!

Here is the recipe for Fresh Peach Cake
* I used low-fat buttermilk instead of sour cream

Blueberries and Cream Cupcakes

Last week my mother-in-law celebrated her birthday and of course we had to make her some sort of sweet treat to show our appreciation for all the love, care and help she gives our family.
We had fresh blueberries and I found a light cupcake that seemed like the perfect thing for a summer day. My girls helped me whip these up and also taste tested them, just to be sure they were good enough to share! They were enjoyed by all who tasted them- perfect for a birthday or just any day that deserves a sweet treat.


Blueberries and Cream Cupcakes
adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature
2 cups fresh blueberries, plus more for garnish
*whipped cream

For the *whipped cream
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line standard or mini muffin tins with paper liners.

2. Whisk together both flours, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla.

3. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each. Fold in blueberries by hand.

4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until pale golden, about 25 minutes for standard and 15 for mini.

5. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

Make the *whipped cream

1. Whisk heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add confectioners’ sugar, and whisk until combined. If not using immediately, whipped cream can be refrigerated, covered tightly, up to 3 hours in an airtight container.

2. To finish, dollop cupcakes with whipped cream, and garnish with berries. Serve immediately.

Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club- Lemonade Layer Cake

It's time for the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club's Beachcomber Picnic! Val chose this month's theme and I would give anything to actually sit on the beach and eat this delicious menu today. It sure beats thinking about back to school shopping and the start of the school year that is right around the corner for us.

Here is how the menu looks for today-

Val is starting us off with some Oven Fried Chicken,

Roz is adding a delicious salad -Panzannella Salad with Tomato, Bacon, and Basil,

Sandi is bringing along a great side - Orange Flavored Couscous,

Jamie is also added a wonderful side/salad - Spinach-Pasta Salad,

Jerry has got the appetizer covered with his- Grilled Pepper Poppers ,

and that leaves the dessert up to me, so I picked this Lemonade Layer Cake.

I first made this cake quite a few years ago, for a baby shower. I remember it being such a hit with the crowd that my younger sister asked me to please make it for her next birthday. It was put in my memory bank, but I love to cook and bake so much, that I haven't revisited it since then.

The cake and frosting both contain frozen lemonade concentrate (that is thawed before it is added in) and that really adds a great lemonade flavor that is very delicious and definitely noticeable. The cream cheese frosting is a perfect choice to top this cake. I decided to decorate it with fresh flowers since it is August and so many beautiful flowers are in bloom.

It's really great when you can enjoy a slice of cake and you don't have to sacrifice any of the deliciousness just because it is a light recipe. This one is wonderful and the perfect way to end any picnic, whether you get to enjoy the beach or not.

Here is the recipe for Lemonade Layer Cake

Strawberry Cake

Last week we made one last trip to the local strawberry-picking farm. I went once when my Mom was here visiting, but my 6-year old missed it and she didn't let me forget that she wanted a chance to pick strawberries too.
The strawberries were about on their last leg out there. Very ripe and I knew they weren't going to last in the fridge for more than 24 hours.
That is where this cake came to the rescue. I needed something quick to take to someone and this was the perfect thing. Super simple to mix together the cake, the strawberries are dotted on top and it bakes up like a charm.
My daughter and I had to sneak a little slice and boy was it delicious. Just like strawberry shortcake, but actually way better and in cake form. I whipped up some strawberry whipped cream to top it.

My hubby ate the leftovers for breakfast the next day and loved it.

Here is the recipe for Strawberry Cake from Martha Stewart

Meyer Lemon Cornmeal Cake & Meyer Lemon Cranberry Muffins

Okay, here are the other 2 recipes that I used my Meyer Lemons in. I saw that The Food Librarian made this Lemon Cornmeal Cake with Meyer Lemons and I decided to follow her lead.
It was a stir and mix kind of cake with a nice powdered sugar glaze. I didn't make the blueberry sauce because I was trying to keep this sweet and simple. It sure was delicious. I made 1/2 the recipe in a 6-inch pan.
My daughters really loved this one. I really enjoy the texture that a little bit of cornmeal adds to a recipe.
This was simply delightful and one that I want to make again for sure. I don't think I got the glaze thick enough and it pooled in the middle, but that middle section was really citrus-y and delicious. Extra glaze added a bunch of flavor!

I used the last of my Meyer Lemons to make these Meyer Lemon Cranberry Muffins. I can't remember where I saw this recipe but I always have a stash of frozen cranberries in my freezer, so I figured this was the perfect time to pull them out.
This recipe was originally baked in a loaf pan, but I rarely have the patience for a loaf of quick bread. Muffins are easier and quicker.

The most interesting thing about this recipe is that the wet ingredients are mostly Meyer lemon juice. There is an egg and a little bit of oil, but for the most part, lemon juice does the job. As you can imagine, that gives this muffins a really bright, lemon-y flavor. Very lemon-y and citrus-y and just tart enough with that lovely edge of sweet that the Meyer lemon has.

The cranberries sunk the bottom of the muffin tin, so when I turned them out of the pan, I left them upside down. I added some of the leftover glaze from the cornmeal cake above, but for some reason I think these were better without the glaze.

That my friends, is the end of my Meyer Lemon extravanganza for this year. I hope I find them again next year and I can experiment even more.

Here is the recipe for Lemon Cornmeal Cake with Lemon Glaze that I adapted via epicurious
* I used Meyer Lemons
* I made 1/2 the recipe in a 6-inch pan

Here is the recipe for Lemon Cranberry Coconut Bread adapted to make muffins from Baking Bites
* I omitted the coconut
* I made muffins, baked them at 400 degrees for 15 minutes

Meyer Lemon Upside-Down Cake

I was going to make this
Meyer Lemon Coffee Cake (via martha stewart) when my brother was here, but I ran out of time. I had already purchased the 10 Meyer lemons though, so I needed a new plan.

I have never tasted a Meyer Lemon or seen one until a couple of weeks ago when they appeared in my local Publix. I had seen lots of recipes that used them, so I was excited that they were finally available to me. I couldn't choose just one thing to make with my Meyer lemons, but the first thing I wanted to try was this Meyer Lemon Upside-Down Cake.

The site where I found this recipe says this about Meyer lemons- "It's easy to understand what botanical explorer Frank Meyer saw in the cheery citrus fruit he found in China in 1908. Thought to be a cross between mandarins and lemons, Meyer lemons (as they've come to be known) have a thin, smooth skin and an alluring fragrance. But the biggest draw is their taste -- wonderfully sweet with very little pucker."

I made 1/2 of the recipe in a 6-inch cake pan. You rub some softened butter in the pan, sprinkle brown sugar on top and then arrange thin slices of Meyer lemon on top of the sugar. The batter is made from ground almonds, eggs, and honey. The egg whites are beaten and then folded into the egg yolk/honey/ground almond mixture.

The resulting cake is very good. Tender, but not to sweet with the delicious topping of almost candied Meyer lemons on top. If you can get your hands on some Meyer lemons, I highly recommend making this delicious little cake.




Here is the recipe for Meyer Lemon Upside-Down Cake from whole living
* I made 1/2 recipe in a 6-inch pan

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Instant Fudge Frosting

Today, my husband and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary. In a couple of hours, we are flying to Miami for a long weekend. I am so very excited!

I will be celebrating by basking in the sun, on the beach for a few days, so I thought I would share a cake with you today and celebrate here as well. I shared these pictures on my sugar blog , which is where I share all the goodies that I am baking up for people these days, but when I tasted a little crumb of this cake and a dab of the leftover frosting, I figured someone out there might need to bake it up for themselves. Have a great weekend everyone!

p.s. This frosting is also really great on Martha Stewart's One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake
from Sky High Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes
By Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne
For the cake:
4 whole large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
3 cups cake flour
2 cups sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of three 8-inch cake pans. Line with parchment paper and grease the paper.

Place the eggs and the yolks in a medium bowl. Add the vanilla and 1/4 cup of buttermilk and whisk all the ingredients well. Set Aside.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a mixer; whisk to blend. Add the remaining buttermilk and butter to the dry ingredients and with the mixer on low speed, blend together. Raise the mixer to medium speed and beat until light fluffy; 2minutes.

Add the egg mixture in three additions, scrapping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Divide the batter among all the pans.

Bake the cake layers for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn out the cakes onto a wire rack and remove the paper from the bottoms. Cool completely.

Instant Fudge Frosting:
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate melted and cooled
4 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tablespoons half and half
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to blend together. Then pulse until the frosting is smooth.

Pink Lady Cake

This cake has been waiting for an appearance for over 3 months. It was the cake that my daughter chose for her birthday back in November, but because it was pink (due to strawberry puree) and that makes me think of Valentine's Day, I saved it until now.

My daughter was very specific about how she wanted her cake. It ended up being a 9*13-inch cake and a 6-inch round. I wasn't going to post this recipe originally, but the cake was so delicious that I changed my mind.
The cake has almost a velvet texture and the flavor is unbelievable. The strawberry puree makes the cake so delicious and the best part is that it isn't in a artificial way.

This would be a perfect sweet to share with someone/multiple someones' for V-day. It would also be perfect to share some other time, if you already have your dessert for this coming weekend planned. All I know is this cake is delicious, pink and fun to share with a crowd. I will definitely make it again when a pink cake is in demand.

The original recipe comes from Sky High, in which the cake is called Strawberry Butter cake, but the recipe I used I found on smitten kitchen. I used a cream cheese frosting that I was familiar with and that I knew would hold up to some decorating.



Recipe for Pink Lady Cake



Cream Cheese Frosting from Martha Stewart
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time (scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally), and then vanilla; mix until smooth.

The frosting can be made up to 3 days in advance. Refrigerate until needed, then bring to room temp and beat until smooth before using.

TWD- Apple-Coconut Family Cake

My daughter and I just made this delicious cake. Amber chose it for this week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe and you can find the recipe on her blog HERE.

We made this as an after-school snack, mostly because I had some leftover coconut milk in the fridge and I figured I could use the coconut milk in place of the yogurt. I also used applesauce instead of the oil. I reduced the sugar by about 1/4 cup since I only had sweetened coconut to use in the cake.

I wasn't sure what to expect. I haven't ever combined apple and coconut in anything, but it worked out really well. The coconut milk really brought out the coconut flavor and the apples were delicious. I skipped the glaze and just sprinkled my cakes with sanding sugar.

I doubled the recipe, since I had a full cup of leftover coconut milk. I made 2 6-inch springforms, 4 4-inch springforms, and 5 little heart cakes.
My daughter wanted to make faces on the heart cakes- one for each member of our family. She used cranberries for the eyes and an apple slice for the mouth. Not too bad for a 4-year old.

You can see everyone else who participated this week by checking out Tuesday's with Dorie!

Mesclun with Pears and Pumpkin Seeds

Sometimes it is hard to get in any salad at holiday gatherings, but I figured if I made a salad to take to Thanksgiving Dinner, then I would probably eat it.
This salad is really easy. I was really wanting to try the beautiful red pears that I have seen in the grocery store and this salad is an easy way to use them.
I just used a basic spring greens mix and then whisked up the dressing and added the toasted pumpkinseeds. Easy and delicious.
I also included some pics of the tree stump cake and other goodies I recently made for a 80th birthday party celebration. The man we were celebrating had a career in forestry, hence the tree stump cake. There are more details on my other blog- sugar by Mary Ann- where I will be detailing some of the desserts that I am making as ordered.





Recipe for Mesclun Salad with Pears and Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Chiffon Cake

Here is a quick idea for a light dessert that would be perfect for your Thanksgiving celebration.
I saw this Pumpkin Chiffon Cake in Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine
and since I had 10 egg whites in my freezer and also because I had been wanting to try a airy/light type of pumpkin cake, I made it right away.

This cake is easy to make- you simply whisk everything except the egg whites together in a large bowl. Then you whip the egg whites, like you would for angel food cake and fold them into the batter. I baked this cake in my angel food cake pan, which has special ridges for the resting upside down part.

We could hardly wait for the cake to rest, but once it had and we sprinkled it with powdered sugar- it was as good as gone.

Delightfully light and airy, but still full of pumpkin flavor and spices.
This is one I will make again and again. It was wonderful.


Recipe for Pumpkin Chiffon Cake

TWD- Not-Just-for-Thanksgiving Shortbread Cake

Jessica, who blogs over at A Singleton in the Kitchen, chose this week's TWD pick- Not-Just-For-Thanksgiving Shortbread Cake. She made a few different variations, so go check it out and get the recipe on her blog.

I first made this cake about 2 years ago because I love cranberries and just couldn't wait for someone to pick it for TWD. I made it around Christmas and shared it with some friends.
I love the tartness of cranberries and also shortbread, so this was a great combination.

You can read more details and get the recipe HERE from when I made it before.

This is a great cake and a wonderful way to showcase cranberries. Go check out who else made this cake by visiting Tuesday's with Dorie!

French Fridays with Dorie -Marie-Helene's Apple Cake

This week for French Fridays with Dorie, we made Marie-Helene's Apple Cake.

This cake contains more apples than anything else and I decided it would be perfect as one of the desserts I made for a Fall get-together last week. I was making everything in cupcake form- pumpkin cheesecakes, pumpkin cupcakes, apple cheesecake (by Dorie too- what a great recipe!)- so I decided to turn this cake into cupcakes too.

Dorie suggests using 4 different kinds of apples, so I used Granny Smith, Jazz, McIntosh, and Golden Delicious. I substituted apple cider for the rum in the cake.
My cupcakes baked up in about 30 minutes or so and turned out great. I dusted them with powdered sugar before serving and they were well liked.

Go see who else made this cake and what they thought about it over at French Fridays with Dorie!

You can find the recipe in Dorie's new book- Around my French Table and Here from epicurious.

TWD-Double Apple Bundt Cake

Double Apple Bundt Cake. It just sounds perfect for this time of year. We finally got out of the 90's this past week and had some cool weather, so an apple cake really fit into the beginning of fall.
Lynne over at Honey Muffin chose Double Apple Bundt Cake as this week's TWD pick. She will have the recipe posted on her blog. You can also find many versions of this cake all over the web.

The reason this is called a Double Apple Bundt, is because it contains apples two ways. 2 apples are peeled and shredded into the cake batter and 1 cup of apple butter is also used in the cake.
I don't usually keep apple butter on hand, so I knew I wanted to make mine at home. I knew that way I could control the level of sweetness and spice.

I made 1 1/2 times the recipe so that I could make a normal bundt and 6 minis. I knew I was going to give the big one away, but we really wanted to try this one too, so I kept the minis for us to sample.

I followed Dorie's suggestion and made these the day before, then wrapped them tightly and glazed them the next day. I used granny smith apples and omitted the nuts and raisins.

This was a delicious cake. Moist, with great apple flavor. Absolutely perfect pick.
Check out what everyone else thought by heading over to Tuesday's with Dorie!


Recipe for Oven Apple Butter
* I did not add the total amount of sugar called for. I added 1/2 of it and tasted it, then a little bit more, so it wouldn't be too sweet.
* My apple butter was ready after 3 hours in the oven.