It seems to be lemony weather this, as two requests that came in this week contain lemons: lemon cheesecake and soft, iced lemon cookies such as those made by the Bread Basket. The final requests are repeat requests: recipes using goat cheese and for a cold spinach appetizer.
Joan Sass found the recipe for the desired oatmeal cake.
Lazy Daisy Oatmeal Cake
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 cup uncooked oatmeal, old-fashioned or quick
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Pour boiling water over oats; cover and let stand 20 minutes. Beat butter until creamy; gradually add sugars and beat until fluffy. Blend in vanilla and eggs. Add oats mixture; mix well. Sift together flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Pour batter into well-greased and floured 9-inch square pan. Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 50 to 55 minutes. Do not remove cake from pan. Frost with Lazy Daisy Frosting.
Lazy Daisy Frosting
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons half-and-half
1/3 cup chopped nutmeats
3/4 cup shredded or flaked coconut
Combine butter, brown sugar, half-and-half, nuts and coconut. Spread evenly over cake. Broil until frosting becomes bubbly. Cake may be served warm or cold. It’s delicious either way.
“E.” of Henagar, Ala., sent a handwritten recipe and kind words for the Taste section of this newspaper. She’s a student of many food sections and likes ours best; in fact, there was a particular baked chicken recipe, she says, that was a favorite of all three of her sons. (Pass that back to us, won’t you, “E”?)
For today, this reader sent a recipe for using refrigerated dough … and we’re still searching for recipes using frozen bread dough.
Cinnamon Nut Twists
2 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated reduced-fat crescent rolls
2 tablespoons reduced-fat stick margarine
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
Unroll both tubes of crescent rolls; press perforations and seams together to form 2 rectangles. Spread with margarine. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over dough. Sprinkle with nuts. Fold each rectangle in half, starting with the short side. Cut each into 8 strips. Twist each strip and tie into a knot. Bake at 375 F for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Yields 16 servings.
Nutrition facts per piece: 139 calories, 7 grams fat, 0 grams cholesterol, 251 milligrams sodium, 16 grams carbohydrate, trace fiber, 2 grams protein.
Diabetic exchanges: 1 starch, 1 fat.
In answer to a request, here’s a recipe, first printed more than a decade ago, from J.H. of Signal Mountain. It addresses the popular question of how to duplicate the Amaretto Pie as made at Mount Vernon Restaurant.
Amaretto Cream Pie
1 pie crust, homemade or store-bought
Pecan halves
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
Meringue or Cool Whip, optional
Prepare the pie crust for baking; press pecan halves into crust. Bake as directed until light brown. Cool.
Mix in double boiler the sugar, flour and salt. Add milk. Cook 10 minutes over hot water until mixture thickens. Remove from heat.
Have the slightly beaten egg yolks ready in a large bowl. Pour half the hot mixture into the bowl and stir. When mixture is smooth, return it to the other unmixed half and cook over hot water until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter and Amaretto. Cool slightly, pour into pie crust and chill. If desired, top with a meringue or Cool Whip. May be served as is.
Finally, here’s a quick recipe from T.D., a former Californian whose family loves just plain green beans.
Simply Good Green Beans
1 can Del Monte whole green beans, liquid reserved
Salt and pepper
Cavender’s Greek seasoning
2 tablespoons real butter
Pour liquid from can into a saucepan. Add all other ingredients. Bring to boil and boil down a good bit. Reduce the heat; gently add beans and warm to serve.
TO Reach Us
Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send.
* Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750.
* E-mail: janehenegar @tvn.net
* Fax: 423-668-5092.