Mom's Lemon Cake

Ah, tradition. Mom's oven is not working and Easter is here. So, I'll be figuring out the pineapple souffle and the much loved and looked forward to Lemon Cake. Karen has put my cake baking experience/experiment on Silent Unity's prayer list. Surely this will help.

3 cups sifted flour

2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 pound butter

2 C sugar

4 eggs

1 C milk

finely grated rind of two lemons

1/3 C lemon juice

3/4 C sugar

Preheat oven to 350

Butter a 9 x 3 1/2 " tube pan (or bundt pan) and dust lightly with fine dry bread crumbs.

Sift together flour, baking powder and sale; set aside.

In large mixer bowl cream butter. Add 2 C sugar and beat in for 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs individually, scraping the bowl to keep mixture smooth. On lowest speed, alternately add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2 addition. Stir in lemon rind. Turn the batter into the prepared pan. Level. Bake for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes. Let stand for 3 minutes then cover with rack and invert.

Prepare lemon glaze. Stir together lemon juice and sugar. Immediately brush glaze over hot cake until absorbed.

Pad Thai anyone?

Look delicious? Marjory prepared the Pad Thai feast for the masses last night. Cassie and Mom de-veined the shrimp, I chopped some garlic and cut up the tofu --but basically Marjory did everything. This photo does not convey the huge amount of Pad Thai in the bowl. We didn't take a picture of what was left. I'm going home now to heat up leftovers.

Winter Sweets

Ethan and I just got back from winterland - a week split between Putney, VT and backcountry skiing in the White Mountains - a Birchard family tradition that I've been tagging along on now for five years.  This year Ethan got the flu so we ended up going up to the Whites a day late missing the one rainy day and cashing in on two incredible snowy days - the first freezing (-7) but the second clear blue and beautiful.  When we got back to Putney the snow kept on coming, so for New Year's we decided on a "Winter Carnivale" themed party complete with two bonfires: one in the sheep pasture, and one on the beaver pond, and a torch light processional in between.  In honor of Winter Carnivale, and because there happened to be a candy themometer at the Red House they use to make maple candy, I finally got to attempt marshmallow making (mom and I never got to it over xmas).  It was pretty easy, but also a little hot and nerve racking.  It only took about 45 minutes to make a batch (my first attempt at dissolving the gelatin turned into a solid hoof because I forgot about it for over an hour) and I think it worked more or less - a little gooey (not so great to roast on the fire), but great in hot chocolate. 

Since we got back I've been lurching around the apartment with a scratched cornea (skiing yesterday) and a makeshift bandanna eyepatch.  I've got homemade minestrone bubbling on the stove - another first - and feel very lucky that I didn't cut off any fingers in the process.  I got this recipe from the Vegetarian Epicure and it smells so good.  There's sage and basil in it - and I had to scald the tomatoes to peel them which I'd never done before.  And I'm making these baked apples for dessert: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/baked_apples/

Here's the marshmallow recipe if you want to try it:

http://kidscooking.about.com/od/desserts/r/marshmallows.htm