Other Things

Christmas Gift Ideas

Posted on: November 10th, 2010 by LynnMarie No Comments

I am absolutely in LOVE with the water pitcher by Blenko Glass.  Check it out at blenkoglass.com.  I bought a tangerine colored one for myself and then my sister-in-law Gail fell in love with it while visiting, so I got her one for Christmas.  It’s the perfect size and looks great on the table.  I use mine for OJ when serving breakfast. (Which is why I got the tangerine color.)  Sure to be a conversation piece.

Walnut Pumpkin Pie

Posted on: November 10th, 2010 by LynnMarie 1 Comment

So… I’m not a big pumpkin fan but the walnut topping makes it good.  And…’tis the season!

Enjoy.

Ingredients

  • 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin (about 2 cups)
  • 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp. maple flavoring
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1 (8- or 9-inch) prepared graham cracker or baked pie crust
  • WALNUT TOPPING
  • 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 3 tbsps. cold butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

  • Heat oven to 425°F. Combine pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, maple flavoring, cinnamon, salt, ginger and nutmeg in large bowl. Mix well. Pour into pie crust.
  • Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake an additional 30 minutes.
  • Combine brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts. Remove pie from oven. Top evenly with crumb mixture.
  • Bake an additional 10 minutes. Cool. Garnish as desired. Yield: 8 servings.

Napkin Cake

Posted on: November 3rd, 2010 by LynnMarie No Comments

When I was a little girl it was always a joy to find a piece of cake in my mothers purse. Yes, her purse! After attending a wedding at the Slovenian National Home on a Saturday night, they would bring home a piece of wedding cake for us kids, wrapped in a napkin.

 Napkin cake.  Finding it on Sunday mornings was a moment of feeling loved and cared for, like my parents thought about me enough to bring home cake.  I smile now even as I write this.
Below is a great recipe for a breakfast napkin cake… which is a nice touch at the end of a dinner party. Send your guests home with a piece of this coffee cake for them to enjoy the next morning.  This specific recipe is courtesy of my mother-in-law Arlene Rink. Enjoy!
1 Cup sour cream
3/4 Cup oil
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 Cup sugar
Mix together, then add 4 eggs & beat 2 minutes
Combine in separate bowl
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 Cup brown sugar
1 Cup chopped pecans
Alternate cake misture & sugar mixture in a greased 9 x 13 glass dish. Swirl with a knife & bake in 300 oven for 1 hour. Test center to be sure cooked through.
Let cool 1/2 hour; mix & pour over top:
1 Cup confection sugar
2 Tablespoon milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

This photo was taken at the Slovenian National Home in Maple Heights at my brothers wedding reception in 1968. (I was only three-years-old, but I’m sure I ate plenty of cake!)  Shown here is my oldest brother Lud, the love of his life, Sandy, and my mom & dad.