New Years Eve Coconut Cake

Dad wanted a carrot or coconut cake cake for New Years and since I was wanting to make this for Christmas and didn't because of the multitude of desserts we already were planning. I decided to make it last night.

It's really heavy. I don't know what happened. It was in the oven and started smelling yummy so I turned on the oven light to check it's progress. It was beautifully risen but not quite done. A few more minutes passed and it was time to open the door and check. It's done! I pulled the pans on put them on cooling rack and left them to it. When I came back to remove them from the pans they had fallen from lovely domed tops to flat tops. Okay...flat tops are easier to frost. I finished cooling it and frosted it and stuck it in the fridge. No one ate it last night. I should probably mention no one has been eating a lot, especially heavier foods because the entire family, except dad got sick at Christmas, a nasty stomach bug that was going around my grandmothers rest home. My grandmother and her roommate had it a week or so before and my mom got it then as well, my sister Christmas Eve which prevented her from even celebrating with us. Then my aunt and cousin on Christmas Night, Mom got it again the night after that as did I the next morning.

I kind of got off point. Dad tried some earlier and said it was kind of heavy. He wasn't a fan of the frosting either. I tried a small piece after lunch and It was heavy, honestly doughy might even be a better word. I'm certain it was done when I took it out. I tested with a toothpick and the top sprang back when I touched it. It isn't sitting all that well so I don't even know if I will have another piece. I tasted the batter and it wasn't bad. and the overall flavor is okay. I'll put the link so if anyone wants to see if they have better luck with it than me.

Coconut cake recipe

Oatmeal Wheat Bread

Homemade bread, fresh from the oven and slathered with butter. Nothing else is as good. This is an excellent bread I found at A Bountiful Kitchen go and check out her post because she also has an informative FAQ about bread making.

Oatmeal Wheat Bread

2 cups whole milk

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking) plus additional for topping

1/2 cup warm water

2 tablespoons active dry yeast

1/2 cup honey

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 cups whole-wheat flour

About 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon salt

Vegetable oil for oiling bowl

1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water

2 8x4 loaf pans

Heat milk in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan over low heat until hot but not boiling, then remove pan from heat and stir in oats. Let stand, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooled to warm.

Stir together water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon honey in a small bowl; let stand until foamy, 5 minutes. Stir yeast mixture, melted butter, and remaining honey into cooled oatmeal.

Stir together whole-wheat flour, 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour, and salt in a large bowl. Add oat mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead with floured hands, adding just enough of remaining unbleached flour to keep from sticking, until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic, about 10 minutes (dough will be slightly sticky). If using a mixer, or Kitchenaid, use dough hook and mix for about 10 minutes until dough forms a ball and all flour is mixed in. Add up to 1 cup of additional flour if needed. Transfer to an oiled large bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel; let rise at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 hour.

Lightly grease loaf pans. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times to remove air. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a loaf, then place 1 loaf in each pan, seam side down, tucking ends gently to fit. Cover loaf pans loosely with a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Put oven rack in lower half of oven and preheat to 375°F. Lightly brush tops of loaves with some of egg wash and sprinkle with oats, then bake until bread is golden about 30 minutes. Remove bread from pans and transfer to a rack to cool.

Grilled cheese on homeade Oatmeal Wheat Bread

Potato Soup

I don't like potato soup from a can but I saw a recipe at Batter-Splattered that looked really good. I would have posted a picture but go here and check out this picture because it is much better than the one I took. It turned out very well and I would make it again.


Potato Soup
Serves four to six depending on how big the bowl
2 T olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
One stalk of celery, chopped
1/2 c onion, chopped
1/2 t dried thyme
3 T flour
2 c chicken broth
2 c milk -- 2% works fine, I haven't tried it with skim
2 good-sized potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 c frozen or fresh peas
1/2 c frozen or fresh corn
Optional:
1 c shredded cheese
1/2 c chopped ham
Chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add carrot, celery, onion, and thyme. Saute for 5 minutes or so, until vegetables are soft. Sprinkle flour over veggies and stir for two minutes. Gradually stir in broth, then milk. Add potato, peas, and corn, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potato is soft, about 20 minutes.

To make it naughty, you can add the cheese, stirring until cheese is melted and smooth. Then stir in the ham.
Sprinkle with parsley, salt and pepper.