Story originally printed in the Tomah Journal or online at www.tomahjournal.com
Published - Sunday, April 13, 2008
From My Kitchen To Yours: French Breakfast Puffs, Chocolate-Chocolate Cake
I avoided the colds and other nasty stuff going around for quite a few weeks, but late last week it got to me. So, although nothing really sounds good to me right now, I’ll rely on some old favorites. Hopefully soon the weather will change and all these germs will be out of the air.
The first recipe is for French Breakfast Puffs that my sister used to make on a regular basis. When we get together she always says she doesn’t remember making many of my “treasured” recipes, but then I show her my recipe box and a good portion of the recipes in there say “From Pat”. I was her mother’s helper every summer from the time my folks moved to Tennessee (when Badger Ordnance reduced in force in the late 1950s) until the summer I turned 18 and was able to also work at The Carlton as a waitress. If it weren’t for my sister, I probably would never have learned to cook. During most of my childhood, my mother was a stay-at-home “June Cleaver” type mom who had supper on the table for me and my dad every night at 5:00, so I didn’t experience cooking except during the summers at Pat and Jim’s - they had five small kids and she needed help. When I got married I didn’t even own a cookbook, but thankfully my mother-in-law, Loretta Ducklow, was a sweetheart and answered lots of cooking questions for me.
French Breakfast Puffs
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup milk
6 tbsp. (or more) butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar and egg. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Stir into first mixture alternately with milk, being careful not to overmix. Fill greased miniature muffin tins 2/3 full with batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
While still warm, roll in melted butter and then in sugar mixed with cinnamon. Serve warm. May be reheated.
NOTE: These freeze well.
And this chocolate cake is easy enough that kids can make it and rich enough that chocaholics will love it.
Chocolate-Chocolate Cake
1 pkg. chocolate fudge cake mix
1 6-1/2 oz. pkg. chocolate fudge instant pudding mix
1 12-oz. pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
4 eggs
1/2 pt. sour cream
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup oil
Powdered sugar
In a large bowl, beat all ingredients except powdered sugar. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly on top.
Let cool 10 minutes in pan. Invert onto platter and dust with powdered sugar.
E-mail me your favorite recipes and I’ll be glad to share them with readers. Contact me at rosalie.ducklow@lee.net or write me at P.O. Box 190, Tomah, WI 54660.
All stories copyright 2006 Tomah Journal and other attributed sources.