Braised Brussel Sprouts

Another one of Scott’s delicious side dishes!  He heard about this dish on an Italian cooking show on the Food Network … yummy way to prepare Brussel Sprouts!

Braised Brussel Sprouts

1 lb Fresh Brussel Sprouts, quartered

4 strips Bacon

4 Green Onions, chopped

Brown Bacon and remove from pan.  Chop and set aside.  Add Brussel Sprouts and Onions to Bacon drippings and cook until Brussel Sprouts are wilted.  Add back Bacon and cook for another couple minutes.  Serve warm.

German Potato Salad

Scott found the original of this recipe in a West Lawn, Pennsylvania (local) Dutch Cookbook.  He changed it up a bit … leaving out a couple of ingredients he felt weren't needed and our family and friends love his version.  Oftentimes, it is requested at family gatherings.

German Potato Salad

3 lbs Potatoes

1 lb Bacon, diced

1 level Tblsp Prepared Mustard

1 Tblsp Flour

½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1 med Onion, diced

2 Tbsps Sugar

2 tsps Sea Salt

¼ tsp Fresh Ground Pepper

½ cup Water

Place washed whole Potatoes in a pot and cover with water.  Boil for about 25 minutes or until tender.  Peel and dice into bite size pieces.  Place in serving bowl and set aside.  Brown Bacon, remove from drippings and set aside.  Saute Onion in Bacon drippings until soft but not brown.  Stir in Flour until smooth.  Add Vinegar, Water, Salt, Pepper and Sugar.  Stir constantly until mixture boils and thickens slightly.  Remove from heat and stir in Mustard.  Pour mixture over Potatoes and add diced Bacon.  Serve warm.

Fresh Apple Pound Cake

This was originally my Nanny’s recipe passed down to my Mama.  It’s probably not written like your used to but this is the way my family wrote down recipes … a lot of it assumes you know what you’re doing … believe me, there was a time I’d have to ask questions about this hand written recipe too.

 So here it is as I would have written it down for all of you:

Fresh Apple Pound Cake

1-1/2 cups Cooking Oil (I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

2 cups of Sugar

3 Eggs

3 cups Sifted Flour

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Vanilla Flavoring

3 lrg Apples (Peeled, Cored and Cubed)

1 cup Pecans, chopped

Glaze:

1 stick Butter

½ cup Light Brown Sugar, packed

2 Tblsps Milk

Preheat oven to 325°.  Combine and beat Oil, Sugar and Eggs on medium speed for 3 minutes.  Add Flour, Salt, Soda and Vanilla and beat until blended.  Fold in Apples and Pecans. 

Pour into a greased and floured Tube Pan and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean.

After cake has cooled, heat the Butter, Light Brown Sugar and Milk and bring to a boil for 2 minutes.  Pour over completely cooled cake.  The glaze will be thin but will soak into the cake.

Fresh Apple Pound Cake before placing in oven

Look what happened as I went to place my cake in the oven ...
I was wearing a long necklace (not a good thing when cookin)
and off popped the 'keys' and into the back of the oven they flew
LOL ... I had to use plastic coated tongs to remove them!

Fresh Apple Pound Cake before adding Glaze.

I made this cake for the first time over the weekend and it was just as delicious as I remembered it.  Perfect for this time of year ... being apple season and fall and all … hope ya'll enjoy it too!