Oatmeal Biscuits/Cookies

with nuts but no choc chips or fruit 

Today as friends prepared to go on school holidays with a 2 day drive, I made some oatmeal biscuits to keep them going.  Simple to make with pantry basics.

Kathy’s Oatmeal Biscuits/Cookies

3/4 cup/180 g butter

1 cup/220 g sugar

1 cup/150 g brown sugar

3/4 cup/180 ml applesauce or similar

3 eggs

1/8 teaspoon/large pinch allspice

1 teaspoon/10 ml vanilla

2 1/2 cups/360 g flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 cups/300 g oatmeal

1 (12 ounce/200 g) package chocolate chips, any style – optional

1 cup/100 g chopped nuts – optional

1 cup/100 g raisins/sultanas/currants - optional

1.    Heat oven to 180C/350F.

2.    Chop nuts (TM-30 sec, speed 6 – set aside)

3.    Blend thoroughly remaining ingredients except oatmeal and chips/nuts/fruit (TM – 30 sec, speed 5, use spatula through lid as necessary).

4.    Stir in oatmeal and chips/nuts/fruit (TM – reverse speed 1)

5.    Place spoonfuls on baking trays.  Bake for 10-15 min depending on size of biscuit/cookie until golden.

6.    Cool on rack and enjoy.

Makes 4 dozen 2”/5 cm wide

Mumford Fudge Icing/Frosting

So, one of the icings/frostings to go on the Mumford Chocolate Cake.  For most family birthday parties, I don't do more than provide the cake with a smooth top, candles, M&Ms and maybe a writing frosting tube.  Children/teens attending decorate the cake for whoever we are celebrating.  Otherwise, I just 'swirl' the top.  Mother added chopped nuts and often if she made the icing, she used fresh hot coffee for the boiling water.  A variation I have yet to try is fresh squeezed, strained orange juice or orange liquer.  I need an 'audience' who haven't had the basic fudge.  I don't use any Nestle cocoa - I've been boycotting Nestle products since the early 1970's due to a range of industrial, humanitarian issues with how they do business.  For the Mumfords with a discerning chocolate taste bud, the best cocoa is Van Houten's or Droste Cocao - both are a Dutch processed cocoa.  I don't really know what that means, other than they taste much better than ordinary baking cocoa.  But as they are expensive, I usually use a local brand like Hershey's (USA) or Cadbury's (Australia).  

Mumford Quick Fudge Icing/Frosting

Karen Jones’ originally

2 – 9” layer cakes filled and iced or single layer 9x13 with a bit left over

Sift into large bowl or mixing bowl:

1 lb or 3 ½ cups or 500 gm powdered or icing sugar

½ cup dry cocoa

½ teaspoon salt

Add, then beat till fluffy:

6 Tablespoons boiling water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup soft butter

Double above for 2 – 9x13 cakes as a layer cake filled and iced

2 lb powdered sugar

1 c cocoa

1 t salt

12 T boiling water

2 t vanilla

2/3 c soft butter

Double large layer cake or double layer 40 cm round cake

4 lb powdered sugar

2 c cocoa

2 t salt

24 T  boiling water

4 t vanilla

1 1/3 c soft butter

Mom K (Tiny's) Pie Crust

My mum has been known for her pie crust and pies for as long as I can remember!  Here is her recipe, with my amendments in italics.

3 c plain flour
1 1/2 t salt (1/2 t)
1 c pure lard (250 g butter) from the frig, eg cold (cut into 16 or more pieces)
Place in electric mixer bowl and blend til crumbs (in Thermomix follow Short Crust Pastry method)
Add 1/4 c water and continue mixing til clumps together.  Don't over mix.
Divide in two and roll out to 1/4 inch thick.  Divide in three and roll each on silicon mat with cling wrap over top - no need to flour mat or roller.
Follow filling recipes with prepared filling and bake as directed.

The photo is of one pastry recipe quantity to make a 2 crust 20 cm apricot pie and the tops of meat pies in ramekins - 4 small and 4 large with "initials" as vents.  Tradition is the initial of the pie filling - A for apple or apricot, B for berry.....

Favorite Cookbooks

I've been thinking of the cookbooks that I've used the most frequently over the years -
* Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook, 1st Edition 1951 - my mother's cookbook
* Fannie Farmer Cookbook
* Joy of Cooking, edition printed during World War II with sugar safer recipes, what to do with leftovers, convalescent cooking, menus, preserving, table settings
* More With Less by the Mennonites, original 1976 and the 25th Anniversary editions

I love cookbooks and have accumulated many.  I love reading them, thinking about the combination of ingredients, methods and processes of cooking and preserving.  Recently I've been going through my father-in-law's cookbooks that I was able to keep - TimeLife series on how to cook; cakes and cake decorating.  And having bought a Thermomix, testing their recipes and thinking about how to modify my favorites.

Joined Pinterest and met a Pin

While visiting my sister-in-law, I saw Pinterest in action, but didn't pay attention except to find a recipe.  Last week on a plane, I read an article about Pinterest and decided to see for myself.  Still not sure what it can do, but in 'following' a pin I found a person who seemed to have similar interests who was starting interviews with mothers.  So I contacted her and her response made me realise that I should once again consider writing.

Looking at the very few posts on this blog, there are more recipes and other things I could put up.  I wonder though how to organise them - recipes here, home hints there.....