Vacation

Sam and I decided to chase cooler weather...and beautiful scenery. I took a few days off work and we drove to Mt. View Arkansas. We parked the camper in an RV park in town. About 2:30 the first morning, I woke chilled...it was 61 degrees inside the camper. :-) In preparation, I had laid out another blanket before going to bed. I pulled it off the couch and spread it on the bed...snuggled back down. About 5:30, Sam woke and turned the heat strip on in the a/c unit. It got up to the low 80s mid-afternoon...but still wonderful weather!

If you haven't been to Mt. View...and you like Mountain, Country, and Blue Grass music...you really need to go there. The season is winding down now but the area has been preserving and promoting their music for 45 years or so. My family has been going there for that length of time.

We took several day trips driving the winding roads and enjoying the scenery. The trees are just now starting to turn...so the color is not all that great...but the vistas are! The Friends of the Library is holding a Thanksgiving bake sale. We are doing it different...we are baking to order. Each person listed a couple of specialties with our phone numbers. We will take orders and cut off when we want. We had the flyers ready for a catering job for the Business & Professional Women. Lo and behold, we received orders for five cakes from them for their annual Friday night dinner - tonight. Each of them is supposed to bring a 9 x 13" cake. One asked...then it got up to five. So...we definitely obliged! This... ...turned into this... An oatmeal cake with broiler icing. Recipe below.

On a cooking forum, several mentioned their favorite cookware. Mine is Farberware Millennium. I have been very satisfied with it, but did a search of many of the more popular brands. Farberware is no longer made in America. All-Clads "bonded" products are. Calphalon is. Many others are made overseas. Some brands have different product lines made in different countries.

I'm trying to be more conscientious about the country of origin on the products and food that I buy. I mean...with a country like ours with Washington state (and other locales) apples...and our grocery stores are stocking Chilean apples?! Not in my house!

Anyway...here's the bulk of my pots and pans. I have more - less frequently used - in another cabinet. I love my cast iron which is all Made in America! Speaking of the cast iron...only two or three pieces were purchased new back in the early 1970s...my chicken fryer with lid, a skillet, and a bean pot with lid. The remaining pieces were purchased from second hand stores and garage sales. I do not like the new Lodge pieces. The inside bottoms are not milled smooth...the bottom is pebble like. Stirring gravy is like squeaking chalk across a chalkboard...runs chills up my spine.

See that wood handled thick aluminum pan? It was my grandmother's. I use it exclusively to make candy!!

OATMEAL CAKE
with BROILER ICING

1½ cup quick-cooking rolled oats (see note below)
1¼ cup boiling water
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ cups butter, softened (NOT margarine!)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 whole eggs
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ - 1 teaspoon cinnamon

BROILER ICING
⅔ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
¼ cups butter, melted
¼ cups cream or Half-and-Half
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

In a small bowl, combine rolled oats and boiling water; let stand 20 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan.

In a large bowl, combine the sugars and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; blend well. Add oatmeal and all the remaining cake ingredients; mix well. Pour into the 9x13-inch pan.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the broiler icing: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, butter, and cream or half-and-half. Beat at high speed until smooth. Stir in coconut and nuts. Spread over still hot cake to cover.

Broil 4–6 inches from heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until bubbly and light golden brown. (Watch carefully...do not burn. Cool completely.

The recipe calls for quick cooking oats...NOT INSTANT. I don't keep quick cooking oats so always use regular old-fashioned oatmeal. Thinking back on my mother's cake, in my memory it was gummier than my cake...perhaps the difference is the type of oatmeal I use.