Guaranteed

On Thursday, Hesston College's Bel Canto choir was in town, and a few of the choir members stayed overnight with us. When a friend asked if some of the others could come to our house afterwards for dessert, I said sure (as I love an excuse to make dessert).

As I debated what I wanted to make, I knew I had a bunch of extra apples, so I looked for an apple dessert. Since I had about an hour or so to make this before leaving for the concert, and pie and I have a testy relationship, I wanted something more cakey. This situation always leads me to the same answer: an apple cake recipe that Marilyn's sister gave me several years ago. I make this cake when I want an absolute guarantee that people will love it, and that's what I got. The cake is good, but the caramel sauce is unbeatable.

When all was said and done, there were 11 students and 5 hosts at our house till almost 11 PM that night, the cake was gone and everyone loved it. So next time you need a guaranteed yummy cake, try this one.

Caramel Apple Cake

3 eggs
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 c. oil
2 c. flour
1 t. soda
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
2 c. chopped apples
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Beat eggs, sugar, and oil. Fold in dry ingredients. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Caramel Sauce

1 T. corn starch
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. water
1/2 c. butter
1 t. vanilla

Cook in saucepan over medium-high heat until thick. Serve warm over cake.

What can I do with this?

"Hmm, let's see. That's about to go bad. I have a ton of that. I always have a little of that. What can I do with these things? How can I put them together?" Anyone ever have this self-conversation? Anyone else talk to yourself? Ok, maybe that's just me. (At least that's what my first college roommate told me :-))

Either way, some people make dinner every night with this conversation. I, however, am not that person. I don't get home, and then see what's in the pantry. On Saturday, I figure out what I want to eat/make this week, and then get the ingredients for those things. This generally eliminates the rotting 3 tomatoes, the 14 cans of cream of mushroom soup, the extra cup of olives, etc. (In fact, I just ordered this and this, as depicted above, to assist in this process.)

However, since we started gardening, the "What can I do with this?" conversation is a bit more present in my extensive self-conversing. (Let's just say, we definitely lived through cilantro week, which I'll write about later. It's a close relative of strawberry or peach week.)  I don't mind doing this occasionally, because it makes for some creative cooking. That's what happened a few weeks ago, when I was pondering my cilantro shrubs, the contents of my freezer, and my newest favorite flavor. As I surveyed these items, I concocted this southwest flavored cucumber corn salad. It's nice and refreshing, and I imagine there's quite a bit more creativity to add to it. See what you think-

Southwest Cucumber Corn Salad

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 c. corn (fresh, frozen or canned)
1 T. cilantro, chopped
1/4 c. green onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. oil
1 T. white wine vinegar
1/4 t. southwest spice rub
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in bowl.

2. Put garlic and oil in small microwaveable container. Heat in microwave for 30-60 seconds. [Omit this step if you like raw garlic.]

3. Combine garlic and oil with vinegar, spice rub, and salt and pepper in small bowl. Whisk together. Pour over vegetables in bowl. Chill or serve at room temperature.