Down Home Vanilla Wafer Cake

This recipe called for a tube pan and I wasn't sure if had one at home. Turns out I did! "Bundt" is a brand name tube pan. Bundt pans seem to be shaped whereas tube pans have a smooth surface. The reviews I came across said you might experience a slight variation in bake time, but they are essentially interchangeable.

This recipe is tasty and the cake is moist. Be sure to grease the pan well and flour. Parts of my cake stuck to the pan. I sliced the cake for a prettier presentation.

Ingredients:
2 sticks butter
6 eggs
1 box 11 oz vanilla wafers, crumbled
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup milk
7 oz package flaked coconut
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups sugar

Directions:
Blend sugar and butter until creamy; add eggs, one at a time and beat, alternate vanilla wafers and milk. Add vanilla, coconut, and pecans. Bake in greased and floured tube pan at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

This recipe is from the Favorite Recipes cookbook of 1977 published by the Bellaire West Women's Club of Alief, Texas.

Chili Rellenos Casserole: Breakfast, Dinnner, or Both!

While traveling last weekend we stopped in at a small town antique store and picked up a couple fund raiser cookbooks from the 1970s and 1980s. I baked this recipe for dinner, but it would work well as a breakfast dish too. My husband is already planning on leftovers for breakfast tomorrow!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 four ounce cans green chilies, cut in half crosswise and seeded
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
4 eggs, beaten
3-4 dashes of Tabasco

Directions:
In skillet, brown beef and onion; drain fat. Sprinkle meat with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Place half of the chilies in baking dish; sprinkle with cheese. Top with meat mixture. Arrange remaining chilies over meat. Combine remaining ingredients; beat until smooth. Pour over meat-chili mixture. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes and cut in squares.

This recipe is from the Karnes County Cookery of 1986. A Texas sesquicentennial project of the Young Progressives of Karnes City.

The Coach House Bread and Butter Pudding

I did not dare change the title of this recipe after doing some research! The Coach House is a long adored restaurant which opened during the 1940s in Greenwich Village in New York and closed in 1993. Lifelong fans talk of family tradition and dining at The Coach House in blogs and news articles.

If you are one of those fans, please forgive me, I made a couple adjustments to the recipe. Instead of French bread I used challah and toasted it in the oven. Instead of fresh raspberries I added dried cherries and raisins. This recipe was delightful after a big Easter dinner and was enjoyable on Monday morning for breakfast too!

Ingredients:

12 small thin slices French bread
Butter
5 whole eggs
4 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/ 8 teaspoon salt
4 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Confectioners' sugar

Directions:
Trim the crust from the bread, and butter each slice on one side. Beat together the eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt until thoroughly blended. In a saucepan combine the milk and cream. Scald them and blend the heated liquids very gradually into the yolk mixture. Stir in the vanilla extract. Arrange the slices of bread, buttered side up, in a 2 quart baking dish and strain the custard mixture over them. Set the dish in a roasting pan filled with hot water to a depth of about 1 inch and bake the pudding so in a preheated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the pudding can be withdrawn clean. Sprinkle the pudding generously with confectioners' sugar and glaze it under a hot broiler.

At The Coach House this elegant pudding with served with a puree of fresh raspberries.

This recipe comes from the James Beard's American Cookery cookbook of 1972. 

Bruschetta Pronounced Bruscheta or Brus'ketta?

Bruschetta reminds me of a group of girlfriends from college. We would order it at a local restaurant and I'm sure I never pronounced it correctly. You'll notice there are no measurements for the ingredients below. Bruschetta has many variations and is easily adapted to preference. Here is a combination we put together shopping the olive bar at our favorite grocery store.

Ingredients:
Sliced bread (ciabatta or baguette)
Variety of olives
Marinated tomatoes
Fresh cherry tomatoes
Marinated red pepper
Fresh basil
Balsamic vinegar
Lemon juice
Olive oil

Directions: 
Pit and slice olives, dice tomatoes, red pepper, and basil then combine in small bowl. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and lemon juice over ingredients to taste. Slice bread and set aside.

Prepare a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill. Toast the bread slices on both sides over medium-hot heat, about 3-4 minutes each. Drizzle with olive oil and top with mixture. Sprinkle with coarse salt if desired.