English Teapot Cake

English Teapot Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

Usually the weekend of Mother’s Day I go down to Nashville to celebrate my grandkids birthdays, which are both in May. Since I won’t be with my daughter this year, I got to reminiscing past years and ended up thinking about my grandmother’s silver tray handed down to me, her oldest granddaughter, when I got married. Every Christmas my grandmother used her silver tray with her table decorations. I usually put the silver tray on my table at Christmas as well. The rest of the year it sits on a high shelf with oil lamps. So I decided to get it down and use it with my English Teapot Cake that I made for Mother’s Day in honor of my English grandmother. Even though my grandmother and mother are gone, I have lots of memories.

I’m not a professional cake decorator like my sister, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to decorate cakes. I’ve eaten some beautiful looking cakes that tasted horrible, were too sweet, or had inch-thick frosting, which my sweet-toothed husband loved. My rule of thumb in cooking is that food should first taste good and then look beautiful. Since trying my hand at cake decorating I’ve ended up with some non-perfect cakes, but they always tasted good. Interestingly enough it is my cake disasters like the tall layered engagement party cake that leaned like the Eiffel Tower and the peanut/chocolate groom’s cake top decorations that melted sideways, but still said “she made me do it” for my son that people remember instead of my perfect cakes. So if you’ve always wanted to decorate cakes don’t let the lack of professional training stop you. You may end up making a masterpiece that everyone will remember.

Today there are books on cake decorating, gels, and prepared decorative items to help a novice out. Just use your imagination and have fun. Whenever I’ve made my English Teapot Cake for a ladies meeting or birthday it has always been a hit. If the frosting isn’t perfectly smooth tell everyone that your cake is an antique teapot. Preparation time for the English Teapot Cake can take several hours. This large cake serves around twenty.

English Teapot Cake

2 pound cake mixes
1 c cooking oil
1 c water
4 eggs
¼ tsp butter flavoring
1 pkg of fondant icing
6 cups of frosting
couple drops of chocolate syrup

Beat together the cake mixes, oil, water, eggs, and flavoring on high for two minutes. The batter will be stiff. Pour half of the batter into a greased sports cake pan and bake at 350º for 45 minutes. Use a small amount of the batter to make a cupcake for a teacup and the rest for a second cake. Cool, level off the top of the cakes with a sharp knife, and then frost the first cake positioning it rounded bottom down on a paper doily. Frost the middle and the second half, putting them together to form the teapot. Roll and shape the fondant into a handle and spout. Let harden for a couple of hours. Decorate the teapot and teacup. Use a couple drops of chocolate syrup on the top of the teacup to look like coffee or tea. Garnish with a large silk rose on the top of the teapot!

Weekly tip: To tint frosting use a toothpick when adding color. Mix thoroughly before adding more color. By mixing different colors you can get a wider range of shades!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Strawberry Salad

Strawberry Salad
Dorcas Annette Walker

The earth is bursting with life here on the mountain. The hummingbirds have arrived and I saw a pair of Eastern Bluebirds checking out one of my bird houses. This year the wisteria vine in my backyard was so loaded with blooms until you could smell the fragrance on my front porch. You can see pictures of it and my other spring flowers on my website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com. My green beans are a couple of inches high and the rows of corn have poked their heads out of the soil. Last week I planted some cabbage and this week I plan to put out my sweet potato starts. Then all I will have left in my garden space is room for my tomato plants. I am eagerly awaiting my first taste of fresh strawberries so over the weekend I got out a pack of frozen strawberries and made up a simple Strawberry Salad.

Strawberries are believed to have been first cultivated in ancient Rome in the 12th century. During medieval times strawberries were considered symbols of peace, prosperity, and perfection. 14th century Charles V ordered 1,200 strawberry plants for the royal gardens of France. There is a legend that strawberries were named around the 19th century by English children, who picked the fruit and sold it on grass straws while another theory says that the name came from the practice of placing straw around strawberry plants. Native Americans called strawberries “heart-seed berries” and pounded them into their cornmeal bread. Colonist decided to create their own version, which became known as Strawberry Shortcake. Today the world’s largest Strawberry Shortcake is hosted each year at the annual strawberry festival in Lebanon, Oregon.

Strawberries are a member of the rose family; the scientific name is derived from an Old Latin word meaning fragrance. There are over 20 species of strawberry plants. Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside (an average of 200 seeds per strawberry) and the first fruit to ripen each spring. It takes three days for a strawberry to ripen from green, to white, to red. The United States is the top producing strawberry country in the world followed by Spain. While strawberries are grown in every state, California is the largest yielding state harvesting 83% supplying one billion pounds of strawberries per year that if laid berry to berry would wrap around the world fifteen times. Every strawberry is still handpicked, rushed to huge coolers, and then delivered to stores by refrigerated trucks.

Strawberries are low in calories, fat, and high in vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, and potassium. A five-day study by the American Cancer Institute showed that strawberries can help reduce the risk of cancer or heart disease. One of the oldest remedies for healing sunburns or reducing inflammation is using strawberry juice.

My Strawberry Salad is great year-round with frozen strawberries, although fresh berries work as well by halving and folding in instead of crushing. The Strawberry Salad has a smooth tangy taste of fresh strawberries coated with a fluffy mixture of jello and cool whip that can also be used as a dessert or frozen. Preparation time for my Strawberry Salad is fifteen minutes (not counting chilling time) and this recipe serves eight.

Strawberry Salad

1 pkg (6 oz) strawberry jello
1 pint strawberries
1 (8 oz) container cool whip

Make jello and cool until partially jelled (about 2 hrs). Crush strawberries, add jello, and cool whip mixing on low speed until thoroughly mixed. Pour into dessert dishes and chill. Garnish with cool whip and a strawberry!

Weekly tip: Layer strawberries on paper towels, seal in a plastic bag, and refrigerate for up to three days for short-term storage. For the best flavor strawberries should be eaten at room temperature. Otherwise freeze strawberries!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Twice-Made Baked Potatoes

Twice-Made Baked Potatoes
Dorcas Annette Walker

I’m amazed that in our lawsuit happy society someone hasn’t sued the flower/plant companies that send out seed catalogs and brochures all year tempting plantaholics like me. All I have to do is step into a greenhouse full of flowers to turn into a wild woman. Surely by now someone has faced financial ruin from compulsive ordering and buying plants besides me. I came to the realization that I was obsessed with flowers years ago when in one of our moves I was more concerned about transporting a station wagon load of plant starts rather than my household stuff. There is nothing like the thrill of receiving packages of tiny plants or seeds ordered during the dreary days of winter when I couldn’t resist the bright colorful pictures in seed catalogs. Like a true addict the first area I visit in any store when shopping is the plant section to check out new arrivals. Now that I’ve filled up all the space possible with flowerbeds around my house, I’ve turned my attention to our woods. My husband shook his head in disbelief when I sowed part of our new garden area for vegetables this spring with flower seeds. The only saving factor that keeps the courts from being tied up in lawsuits versus seed companies and greenhouses is the reason that most gardeners are some of the most loving big hearted folk around. Who else after spending hours of toiling in the dirt, weeding, watering, and caring for a garden will turn around and give away part of the harvest for the sheer pleasure of helping their fellow man? No matter how bad the economy gets as long as there are plantaholics or gardeners’ alive seed companies and greenhouses will flourish.

Early this past Sunday morning I was out in my herb garden snipping off the tops of a couple of garlic stems to add to my Twice-Made Baked Potatoes. These baked potatoes are a yummy deluxe version of a regular baked potato with a fresh garden taste that melts in your mouth. Each bite of my Twice-Made Baked Potatoes is flavored with bits of bacon, a hint of onion, and melting cheese. Twice-Made Baked Potatoes can be made the day before, refrigerated, and then popped in the oven along with the dinner rolls for Sunday dinner. You can also add black olives, green peppers, or substitute other herbs like chives, thyme, parsley, oregano, and rosemary to the Twice-Made Baked Potatoes to pamper your family’s taste buds. Preparation time for my Twice-Made Baked Potatoes is twenty minutes and this recipe serves eight.

Twice-Made Baked Potatoes

4 large potatoes
½ stick margarine sliced
salt & pepper
½ c milk
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
¼ c bacon bits
1 tb minced chives

Microwave potatoes until the potatoes are soft when you insert a fork into them. Put margarine in the bottom of a small bowl, carefully slice the hot potatoes in half, and scoop out the insides with a spoon. Mash the insides together, sprinkle salt & pepper to taste, and add milk beating until creamy. Then mix in shredded cheese, bacon bits, and onion. Refill the potato shells and bake at 350º for twenty minutes until lightly browned. Can garnish with a scoop of sour cream!

Weekly tip: To microwave a potato: first wash the potato and dry. Then poke holes into the potato with a fork. You can either wrap one potato in a paper towel or microwave a couple of potatoes in a covered microwave dish until soft alternating with microwaving and letting them sit a couple of times!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Breakfast Scones

Breakfast Scones
Dorcas Annette Walker

My henhouse was in an uproar last week when a strong gust of wind blew open the door to the pen and my curious hens and one rooster decided to investigate the world outside the fence. I was inside when I heard my dogs making a big racket. I discovered the dogs having the time of their life chasing hens all over the yard. I jumped into the midst of squawking hens and barking dogs in time to rescue my rooster, but when the dust cleared three of my hens were dead and the rest had disappeared into the woods. At dusk my husband spotted two hens in the woods so we coaxed them back into their pen. The next day I rescued two more hens, but one died the next day. Our flock is now reduced to one large rooster missing all of his tail feathers, two normal looking hens, and one hen without any tail feathers. Talk about a sorry looking bunch of fowl. Meanwhile in another area life is buzzing with twenty-four baby chicks. By fall we should be getting lots of eggs once more. There is nothing more satisfying to a cook than having a good supply of eggs on hand.

Contrary to common belief there is no nutritional difference between brown and white eggs. You can tell what color of egg a hen will lay by its ear lobes: red for brown, white for white, and black for colored or green eggs. A hen must eat about four pounds of feed to produce one dozen eggs and it takes 24-36 hours to make one egg. Research has showed that people can eat an egg a day without raising cholesterol, boost brain health, promote strength, and reduce inflammation. Eggs provide essential nutrients for a balanced diet containing protein, minerals, iron, calcium, and multiple vitamins. The egg yolk contains Vitamin D. The U.S. production of eggs totals more than 600 million dozen per month with Tennessee producing around 30 million dozen. The largest egg had five yolks and was 31 cm long while the heaviest egg weighed 454 grams. The world’s biggest omelet was made from 5,000 eggs in Madrid weighing 1,320 pounds. The longest throw of a fresh egg without breaking was achieved at 98.51 meters.

My Breakfast Scones are great for a weekend brunch; any leftovers can be frozen and quickly microwaved during the week for an instant breakfast. These filling scones with a biscuit-like texture are a perfect companion with a glass of milk or coffee. They can also be served under a fried egg for a more hardy breakfast. Preparation time for the Breakfast Scones is fifteen minutes and this recipe makes sixteen scones.

Breakfast Scones

6 slices of bacon
2 c self-rising flour
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 tb minced garlic, or scallions
1 egg
½ c milk

In an iron skillet fry the bacon until brown and crispy. Stir together in a small bowl flour, cheese, onion, egg, and milk. Crumble the cooled bacon, add to the dough, and pour in the bacon grease. Mix well and spread out on a greased 12 inch round pizza pan. Score dough with a pizza cutter to make sixteen scones. Bake at 350º for thirty minutes until lightly browned. Serve scones hot or cool!

Weekly tip: Place bacon in a cold skillet when frying to prevent shrinkage or dip bacon in milk and roll in flour before frying for an improved flavor!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbird Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

The beginning of April signals when I hang out my hummingbird feeders. I have always been fascinated by these miniature birds that appear every spring. The birch trees that line our driveway is a favorite spot for hummingbird nests. Summer evenings I sit out on my front porch captivated by the colorful flying jewels buzzing around. My feeders become a busy airstrip as a dozen or more hummingbirds swoop and dive in to feed. A big highlight of our family one summer was rescuing a hummingbird after a storm, feeling the magic of tiny claws perch on our finger while feeding, until it became strong enough to survive outdoors. I’m always spellbound when a hummingbird hovers near my face enjoying one of creation’s wonders up close. So this week I made a Hummingbird Cake.

Hummingbird facts:
- are among the smallest of birds with 325 to 340 different species; their English name is derived from the characteristic hum made by rapidly beating wings; they have 1,000- 1,500 feathers; the average ruby-throated weighs only 3 grams; the smallest bee hummingbirds measures 2.25 inches long; their average lifespan is 3-5 years
- they cannot walk or hop, but scoot sideways while perching; have no sense of smell, but very keen eyesight seeing ultraviolet light, which helps them identify certain plants
- their feathers are actually black; the iridescent colors are caused by refraction of light level, moisture, and other factors
- they breathe an average of 250 breaths per minute, but their heart rate can reach as high as 1,260 beats per minute while in flight
- can fly backwards and upside down; hover in midair by flapping their wings 12-90 times per second; flight speed is 25-30 mph, although in a dive they can reach 60 mph; most U.S. hummingbirds migrate to Mexico or South America flying nonstop 500 miles across the gulf of Mexico each spring and fall
- drink nectar from flowers, but also feed on insects and spiders; are continuously hours away from starvation only able to store enough energy to survive overnight; may visit up to 1,000 flowers daily; feed in many small meals; they do not suck the nectar through their long bills, but lick it with fringed forked tongues
- due to high energy cost the majority of their time is spent sitting or perching and digesting
- their nest is half the size of a walnut shell or smaller; they use spider silk to bind the nest material together and secure its support allowing the nest to expand with the growing young; two white eggs are laid about the size of a navy bean; a female can care for more than one nest at a time
- although the smallest of the bird species proportionately by body weight, hummingbirds have the largest brain in the bird kingdom; are also one of most aggressive birds attacking jay, crow, and hawks that infringe on their territory

My Hummingbird Cake is a rich, moist, and filling dessert that will add elegance to any meal. Instead of three layers you can make this into a large sheet cake. Preparation for the Hummingbird Cake takes about fifteen minutes and this recipe serves sixteen.

Hummingbird Cake

3 c self-rising flour
1 c sugar
1 c br sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1 c cooking oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple
2 c mashed bananas
1 c chopped pecans
2 (16 oz) cans of cream cheese frosting
shredded coconut tinted or plain

In a large bowl mix together flour, sugars, and cinnamon. Add eggs, oil, vanilla, pineapple with juice, bananas, and pecans. Beat until all ingredients are well blended together. Divide the batter and pour into (3) 9-inch greased round cake pans. Bake at 350º for 35 minutes. Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting. Garnish with coconut and a sprinkling of chopped pecans!

Weekly tip: Homemade hummingbird nectar: 1 c sugar to 4 c water, boil, and then cool. You do not need to use red food dye to attract hummingbirds, instead plant or hang tubular flowers nearby. I’ve always had success with purple petunias!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Easter Ham

Easter Ham
Dorcas Annette Walker

Spring has arrived here in the mountains of Tennessee. Warm sunny days fill me with spring madness. I want to live outdoors, dance in the sunshine, and dig in the dirt. Easter is my favorite season of the year as nature renews itself in a magnificent rainbow of colors. My family and friends know I’m crazy about color. Each room in my house is a different color, I love to dress and wear matching hats in vibrant colors, and my new website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com is full of color. Holidays are an excuse to celebrate with color. Around the world Easter is observed with special services to commemorate the death and resurrection of Christ, the end of the Lent season, and beginning of spring with flowers, family meals, treats, and colored eggs. Traditions include eating hot cross buns that symbolize the cross, bunnies to represent life, and Easter egg hunts. At our house we always prepare an Easter Ham for Sunday.

My grandfather raised pigs on his farm to butcher for market and had a smokehouse where he cured meat. Today we can go to the store and pick out the type of ham that we prefer. Hams are cured in three basic methods producing different flavors. The dry curing is where the ham is rubbed in a mixture of salt, sugar, and spices producing a salty product. Brine curing is the most popular method of immersing the ham into a salty liquid with sugar and spices added and some cooking may occur during this process. Smoking is where the ham is hung in a smokehouse under a smoldering fire adding flavor and color, although modern methods include using liquid smoke. Traditional wet-cured hams are finished by a light smoking. Tennessee or Appalachian hams include honey and are hickory smoked. One of the most popular and expensive ham in the U.S. is the Smithfield or Virginia ham. Ham is one of the leanest cut of pork, contains vitamin B-1 and B-12, but is high in sodium due to the curing process.

My Easter Ham is very easy to make and produces a rich Tennessee flavor in each slice, although you may substitute any of the following glazes to make your own unique Easter Ham: honey/whole cloves, brandy/ raisin/marmalade, sliced pineapples/whole cloves, mustard/brown sugar/lemon juice, applesauce/honey/brown sugar, orange juice/apricot jam or any fruit jams. I have also cooked my hams in a Crockpot with great success. Preparation time for my Easter Ham is about ten minutes and will serve ten.

Easter Ham

1 (10 lb) half ham
1 c honey
1 c water
1 tsp ground cloves

Unwrap and place the ham in a baking pan with the largest side down. Pour honey over the ham, add water to the bottom of the pan, and sprinkle on cloves. Cover with tinfoil, seal completely, and bake at 350º for three hours. Slice and serve!

Weekly tip: Line your baking pan with tinfoil for easy cleanup, let the ham sit for 15 minutes before carving, use a sharp knife with a thin blade, and don’t throw out the ham bone as it is great to flavor soups or bean dishes!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com