Chicken Balsamic – Easy Weeknight Dinner

Posted on March 7, 2012 | 1 comment

These are ingredients we all almost always have in the house (just make sure you also have a shallot).  I like to marinate for a few hours but if you can’t just do it for the hour. I did it the other night for 2 hours. Also lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper before putting in skillet. I found that this added to the flavor, because chicken can be very bland, and needs a little salt (even with the soy sauce); just go lightly, it doesn’t need a lot. I made this for dinner last night and served it on top of Caesar Salad, which is here on my blog, under Caesar Salad Dressing. The dressing has a lot of bite and it’s very delicious. This chicken is easy, and I recommend that when you take it out of oven, let it sit for a few minutes, then slice it and put back in pan and let it absorb some of the marinade before serving. This chicken is light, moist, low in calories and very tasty. This would also be great on the grill in the summer.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup minced shallots

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions:

Place chicken breasts in a zip top plastic bag, add vinegar mixture, seal. Marinate in fridge for at least an hour. (I did it for 2.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, remove chicken from bag and place on a plate; reserve marinade. Place marinade in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Boil for a few minutes, or until syrupy, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. If you have a pastry brush, get it out so you can brush chicken with marinade.

Heat a large, oven proof skillet over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, swirl around pan. Before adding chicken, sprinkle it lightly with salt and pepper, very lightly on both sides. Add chicken to pan and saute about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over and brush with marinade generously. Place pan in oven for at least 10 minutes or until done. (Check it for doneness.) When done, remove from oven; brush with remaining marinade and let it sit for a few minutes. I then removed to a cutting board, sliced each breast, placed back in pan, swirled around marinade, and let it sit for a few before placing it on Caesar Salad.

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Rotisserie Chicken and Pasta

Posted on March 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

Baby BroccoliRotisserie Chicken and Pastashredded chicken in broth

There are those nights when the last thing you feel like doing is going out. A home cooked meal would be great, but it’s 5 o’clock and you haven’t prepared, etc. Here is a great meal you can make with a quick stop to your nearby grocery for a rotisserie chicken and a few ingredients.  I make this meal with broccoli rabe or baby broccoli (which seems to always be available in produce section) or even just regular broccoli. If you can pick up fresh pasta that is best; if not, dry pasta will do just fine. This meal is a staple around our house and this is how I make it. I originally found it in Giada De Laurentis’s family dinner book. I made a few changes to the original which better suits us.

Ingredients:

1 lb. broccoli rabe (or baby broccoli or just regular broccoli), trimmed (I cut it into 1- 2 inch pieces, and use just tops of broccoli)

Kosher salt to taste

1 package pasta, fresh or dry (Fettucine is great, but I used Perciatelli this time)

16 oz. chicken broth

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 small lemons)

1 tablespoon lemon zest (first zest then juice)

1 roasted chicken, shredded

3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (in 400 degree oven for about 5 – 10 minutes  until fragrant; browned not blackened, be careful)

*2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped (if you don’t have no big deal. It’s delicious but not totally necessary.)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

*pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (I like it hot)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. I use the pasta insert for the broccoli (just easier). If you don’t have that, just add the broccoli and cook until crisp-tender, approx. 3 minutes. Remove broccoli with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Leave water, return to a boil and use for pasta. After pasta is cooked, drain it and reserve 1/2 cup of the water.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, bring the broth and lemon juice to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the broth is reduced by about 1/2, app. 5 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and simmer ’til just heated through, another 2 minutes or so. Turn off heat. Add the pasta, broccoli, 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese (reserve last 1/4 cup for topping), pine nuts, parsley, oil, and lemon zest. Toss to coat well which is why you will need a large skillet. Add a bit of the reserved pasta water as you toss to moisten, and season with salt and pepper to your liking. I let it sit out ’til we are ready to eat, and then heat it up and add additional pasta water if it is dry. This is a light meal, and it’s very healthy.

Place pasta into bowls, sprinkle with remaining cheese (and if you like, crushed red pepper) to your liking, and serve.

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Tuscan Chicken Stew

Posted on March 2, 2012 | 2 comments

This stew cooked up super fast, and was very tasty and very healthy. I only used 3 oz. of spinach even though the recipe calls for 6, because 6 oz. would be way too much spinach to get past Joel. Even with just three oz., he picked out all the green from his plate. Oh well, there was more for me, and I love spinach.  This whole recipe–from start to finish–took under an hour. It should serve 4 nicely.  A nice loaf of crusty bread would be perfect alongside. The beans give this recipe enough that you don’t really need pasta but if you want to stretch this recipe you can add pasta or rice. Oh and the spinach adds a little green for St. Patricks Day!

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp. fennel seed

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. fresh minced garlic

1 tsp crushed rosemary (dried)

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. black pepper

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes-this is where the thicker breasts work best

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (I used Chef’s cut)

1/4 cup red wine

1 tsp. kosher salt

3 oz. (about 1/2 box) baby spinach leaves (If you love spinach, add the whole 6 oz. that the recipe calls for. It will wilt down anyway. I just had to serve it to Joel, and he won’t touch it with all that spinach.) (fresh spinach in a box /bag)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. I pat the chicken breasts dry, cut into 1 inch cubes, and salt and pepper the chicken before adding it to the skillet. I then add the chicken to the skillet and brown for about 10 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet and place in a separate bowl. Add onion and fennel seed to the pan, cook and stir on medium heat or until translucent and tender. (If the mixture is very dry, add a bit more olive oil.)

Stir in beans, tomatoes, red wine, remaining spices and salt. Bring to a low boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet, stir in as much spinach as you’d like, cover and cook for about 5 – 10  minutes or until spinach has sufficiently wilted. This chicken doesn’t need any accompaniment but a nice crusty bread would be nice.

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Cookies and Milk with Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Very Crispy, Very Crunchy)

Posted on February 28, 2012 | 1 comment

Bakers Sugar/ ultra fine sugar for a crispier cookieCookies and MilkCookies and MilkCaught Joel eating the batterCaught Joel eating the batterCrispy Chocolate Chip CookiesCookies and MilkCookies and MilkCaught Joel eating the batter

Caught Joel eating the batter

I just love a crispy chocolate chip cookie. Plain and simple. I don’t love the chewy ones nearly as much.  While perusing through all of my magazines and books, trying out new recipes, etc., I found this one. It’s similar to many I have but the few key ingredients like superfine sugar and vegetable oil make all the difference. The recipe was in The Food Network Magazine. This recipe produces a crispy cookie pretty simply. Nothing beats a comforting cold glass of milk with a dunked chocolate chip cookie. I’ll take it any day of the week. These cookies are great with tea and coffee, as well. You can freeze them and take them out as you want them. I cannot keep these cookies around because I will eat them all. I keep only a few out and freeze the rest in a big Ziploc freezer bag, they defrost very quickly. The use of vegetable oil in this recipe helps the batter spread, so the cookies come out extra thin and crispy. Superfine sugar makes for a fine, crumbly, crispy texture as well.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 stick unsalted butter, softened (leave it out at room temp. or microwave for a few seconds to soften, not melt)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup superfine sugar

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl.

Beat the butter, vegetable oil, superfine sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl with a mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 5 minutes (use the paddle attachment). The mixture will look a bit separated at this point. Beat in 1 teaspoon water and the vanilla until smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. (Do not overbeat.) Beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand at the end.

Drop small tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 3 inches apart.  Rotate the baking sheets halfway through the baking process, I rotated the cookie sheet after 10 minutes, they baked between 12 and 15 minutes in my oven .  You want them to be crispy and brown, not just around the edges. You can see in photos they were flat and crispy with chips coming out of cookie, original recipe called for 20 minutes that would have been way too long in my oven. They came out perfectly but I did keep an eye on them. After you rotate them, just keep an eye on them.  If cookies spread into one another in the oven take a sharp knife and cut them apart while they are still warm  then when I lifted off cookie sheet they came apart.  When finished, remove the cookies from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheets.

Pour a large cold glass of milk and knock yourself out! As you can see from the pictures, I caught Joel eating the batter, which tasted pretty amazing.

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Academy Awards Sunday and What I’m Doing

Posted on February 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

Academy Awards Sunday is here. My plan is to ski or hike during the day, have my DVR set for pre-show on E!, and then the main event and of course the after show. (and don’t forget to DVR the Fashion Police ) I like to get home, put on my PJs and just set myself up for the night of nights. As most of you are already aware, I am an avid movie fan. This year I even did an actual mail in ballot with all my picks, so wish me luck. I have seen all the top nominees with the exception of a few documentaries and foreign films. It’s tough to do it all. I think I will have to dig in to some of those wonderful leftovers that are in our freezer–maybe the lasagna and the italian wedding soup.  This is the beauty of cooking a lot and freezing the leftovers. They are perfect for a night like this when all you want to do is curl up and watch TV. The thing of it is that I really do love to watch by myself. This is not to say that there won’t be a lot of  texting going on, but no phoning–it’s too distracting. Texting and pausing is totally acceptable, and if I have to talk I will. Joel will usually make an appearance for a few awards, but he lacks the patience to stick it out. So here’s to my annual Oscars Party of One and may the best movie win!

*P.S. Just a hunch , I think the Artist is going to win, (and I adored it) but I would really love to see Hugo win.

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Garbage Pail Pasta – Pasta from the Pantry – Vegetarian style

Posted on February 23, 2012 | 2 comments

What a name for a most delicious pasta dish. The recipe comes from Arthur Schwartz’s cookbook , “The Southern Italian  Table” , I actually saw it in an article from the Wall Street Journal of all places.  It contains 13 simple ingredients that are put together. It contains 3 kinds of nuts, but I only had 2 and that worked out just as well. My family was here and Kerri being a vegetarian , I am always on the lookout for new and exciting vegetarian recipes. If there is an ingredient that you really don’t like , take it out. I was trying to think of substitutions for what we had , I wanted to keep it vegetarian but I suppose you could substitute anchovies ( chopped finely) for capers, you need the salt and bite of the capers, and I suppose anchovies could do the trick. The olives add salt, and I chopped them up good as well, because Joel would probably not touch it if he knew they were in there. The raisins add sweetness and use the golden ones, they will look better.  Kerri doesn’t love olives and she loved it. My son in-law Brian kept eating it out of the fridge, and so did Kerri and Jenn.  So it got the family seal of approval and I will definitley make it again. You can experiment with other pasta, but I prefer just plain spaghetti, not too thick and not too thin. I also changed around quantities of a few ingredients to my liking, so feel free to do so.  It’s really a “whatever you have in the pantry ” kind of pasta.  Cooks rather quickly , and very tasty. ( like you’re in Italy)

It was bound to happen that the photos of this dish got erased, so sorry I only have the one of me cooking , it’ll have to do.

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon finely chopped walnuts

1 Tablespoon whole pine nuts ( Pignoli)

1 Tablespoon finely chopped hazelnuts ( I didn’t have so I doubled up on Pignoli, and everyone loved it)

3 Tablespoons raisins ( use golden ones)

1 rounded tablespoon salted capers, rinsed and coarsely chopped

1 Package of Grape Tomatoes diced ( you can use cherry tomatoes as well) original only called for 1/4 cup but I used whole package, and it was wonderful)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

6 small black olives ( preferably Gaeta) pitted and coarsely chopped

1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt for cooking pasta,  plus more to taste. Be careful with the salt, add as needed.

8 ounce box of Spaghetti ( use whatever kind you like best or have in pantry) I always use Spaghetti or Perciatelli

Parmesan Cheese for topping if you so desire

Directions:

In a 9 or 10 inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat, when hot , add nuts and saute until pine nuts become lightly colored.

Add raisins, capers, and tomatoes. Cook , stir frequently, for at least 5 minutes ( tomatoes will start to break down)

Add oregano, parsley, and olives. Stir well, Cook for a few minutes, Salt to taste. Set aside. I actually let it sit in pan on hot stove for a while till I was ready to mix in pasta. It really broke down nicely, the longer it sat.

Boil spaghetti in at least 3 quarts of water with a heaping tablespoon of salt. When cooked, drain well. I saved a cup of pasta water, in the event pasta came out to dry, I used a little of it. It’s not imperative but I always do that with “sauceless pastas”

Toss pasta with seasonings  over low heat until well mixed. I then put in a large bowl and continued mixing and added a bit of the pasta water . It was perfection.

If desired, serve with grated cheese ( I desired)

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Pasta e Fagioli ( Pasta and Bean Soup)

Posted on February 21, 2012 | 2 comments

Me and My Grandson Brody/ from visit with the family

019I have been making this soup forever,  This is really just a tomato base soup with beans and pasta. How bad can that be? unless you hate beans and pasta that is. I usually have ingredients in the pantry and it is a wonderful warm experience, with a nice salad this is a perfect meal. I do use dried beans so I need to soak overnight, if you want to cheat you can just use canned beans. It is a wonderful hearty soup halfway between a soup and a pasta.

Ingredients:

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes ( San Marzano)

10 – 12 fresh basil leaves

red pepper flakes

handful of italian parsley, chopped

5 – 6 cups cooked beans and their liquid ( I use cannellini beans usually) any type of bean will work I use Cannellini or Red Kidney beans and a combination of both is beautiful.* feel free to use canned if you don’t have time to cook the beans. ( 2 cans rinsed and drained) the canned beans work out perfectly and it’s a very quick and easy way to go.

5 cups water

app. 1 cup pasta, elbows, tubetti, ditalini, or broken spaghetti

salt and freshly ground black pepper ( I probably used about 1Tablespoon of Kosher Salt but you’ll have to taste for yourself , start with a Tablespoon and use more as needed) Pepper I just add in a few grinds of the pepper mill ( about 12) and taste , taste , taste!

Directions:

In a large , heavy stockpot ( Le Creuset) saute onion in olive oil. When onion is golden and transparent, add garlic. Cook for a few more minutes. Add tomatoes and herbs. Cook until the tomatoes begin to thicken and reduce, about 10 minutes.  Taste for salt.

Add the beans and their cooking liquid. (* see notes on cooking beans) Add the water. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes – until the beans begin to break down and the soup begins to thicken. Lower heat to a slow simmer, as low as you can.  Stir frequently to prevent it from sticking and burning bottom of the pot. Taste for salt and pepper again.  I always like it to simmer for a long time, an hour would probably do it, but if I have the time I let it sit for as long as I can.  Sometimes after it’s been simmering for a while ,  I turn off the heat and right before serving just bring to a boil and add pasta. Just be careful not to let it burn, stir frequently . If you need more liquid add water a little at a time, I showed a picture of my pot filler which is the greatest thing to have in a kitchen, makes it super easy to fill a pot.

When you’re ready to serve, right before add the pasta and cook until pasta is al dente, about 5 – 10 minutes depending on type of pasta you’re using. I used ditalini.

Serve immediately in large soup bowls.

Guests can drizzle some good olive oil and grate some Parmesan Cheese over.  Should serve 8 – 10 depending on appetites. I froze remainder for another time.

*Cooking dried Beans:

Place the beans in a bowl and cover with water – about 2″ – 3″ above the beans. Soak overnight.

Rinse and drain the beans, remove any stones, foreign matter, or beans that have not expanded.

Place the beans in a heavy pot and cover with water – about 2″ above the beans.

Bring the beans to a boil. Turn down heat, cover and cook at a very low simmer. Do not allow beans to boil hard. The beans should retain their shape. Cook until beans are tender. Cooking time will vary depending on the type of beans and how fresh they are. Plan on cooking for 2 to 3 hours.

The beans will now be ready to be used for any recipe calling for cooked beans.

If you don’t have time to soak or you just forgot, you can place beans in the pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, cover and let stand for 1 hour, and then proceed with the rest of the directions.

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Lasagna in the Slow Cooker

Posted on February 18, 2012 | 1 comment

I have to say when I first heard about lasagna in the slow cooker I was sort of skeptical.  My friend Cathy told me about it; she said she had made it for her family and I should give it a go.   The original recipe is from Jessica Seinfeld, who sneaks vegetables and healthy stuff into her food. I did make a few changes from original recipe , I used more sauce and a little more salt , I used fresh spinach which can easily be substituted for ground turkey, sausage, or any type of meat you like.  Next time I make this recipe I will be using meat because it really was quite easy and pretty quick even by slow cooker standards. It cooked in 3 1/2 hours, looked amazing and tasted delicious. I am still a little surprised by how good it was. The spinach wilts down and almost looks like basil in there. Even if you don’t like spinach, don’t worry because even though you start out with 5 ounces (which looks like a lot),  you hardly taste it at all but for those of you who do like it, it’s an added bonus. This lasagna was moist, cheesy and hearty.   So get out your slow cookers and give it a go. This is especially great for a big crowd. It easily serves 6 people.  We of course had a chicken dish alongside, because no amount of prodding could get Joel to try the lasagna, once he saw the spinach. Oh well, what are you going to do? He doesn’t know what he’s missing.  Thanks Cathy for the great idea, and of course, Jessica Seinfeld.

Ingredients:

I used 2 large cans of crushed tomatoes (the recipe original calls for 3 14 oz. cans but I thought it needed a little more sauce and I used 2 large cans which are app. 28 oz. each . You can always use homemade sauce if you have it already made and want to use it. Just make sure you have enough.)

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp. dried oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

*1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (use as much or as little of this, whatever you like)

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 containers (15 ounce each) ricotta (Fresh is awesome, but not always available. Use whatever you’d like. I used part- skim ricotta.)

2 cups grated mozzarella (again use whatever you’d like, package is fine. Just don’t use fat free, it doesn’t work well.)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

12 lasagna noodles (about 3/4 of a 1 lb. box) don’t cook them*see note at bottom

5 ounces (or 6 cups) of baby spinach (1 package in the produce section is 5 ounces)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, red pepper and black pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella and Parmesan.

In the bottom of a 5 – 6 quart slow cooker (which I sprayed with Pam first), spread a thin layer of sauce. Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit as necessary). Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture. Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach and cheese mixture. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella.

Cook on low, covered, for 3 – 3 1/2 hours. Noodles should be tender in center by then, mine was. I then switched it to warm until we ate it. I served it from slow cooker with a big spoon, you don’t get those neat little squares but it really held together quite well,  I left some in fridge for leftovers and froze the rest for another time.

*I broke the side noodles in 1/2 and just angled them a little, keeping the center one intact. Once it’s all cooked it doesn’t matter that they were broken, it really came out perfectly.

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Family Visit and what we’re Cooking with Candi

Posted on February 15, 2012 | 3 comments

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Our kids and grandkids are out for a visit,  and we are enjoying it so very much. I don’t want to go on and on about having grandkids, but it really is an unparalled joy . We cooked up some Shrimp Scampi and Pasta. Thanks to Joel we’ve been able to obtain the most awesome Mexican White Shrimp ( recipe is on blog, posted on 12/26/11) and it was such a lovely evening. Even Brody enjoyed the Shrimp. Joel and Brian cleaned the shrimp, and Jenn made the boys dinner and I cooked our dinner.  We had a delicious sald with the Honey Lime Vinaigrette ( recipe is on blog , posted on 11/16/11 . This recipe is really scrumptious and loved by the whole Kolen/Turoff clan. ( OK not so much Riley) . Uploaded a few pics for all to see. Of course we had that delicious Applesauce/Raisin Bundt Cake. I had to freeze the rest of it after I ate it for Breakfast today, so yummy!

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Applesauce and Raisin Cake – an Homage to the Bundt Queen

Posted on February 14, 2012 | 1 comment

I always call my friend Susan the Queen of the Bundt Cake. It certainly seems to be her calling, as she is always coming up with new and delicious Bundt Cakes for all of us to try. I just hope I do her justice in trying to duplicate it. She made this cake for everyone on New Years, and I have been wanting to try it ever since.  I had to change one of the ingredients because I bought chunky applesauce instead of plain applesauce. Of course, if you’re so inclined you can make your own applesauce (I wasn’t so inclined today!).  The original recipe hails from The Silver Palate, and I have to say this is one cookbook you don’t want to be without. There are so very many wonderful recipes in it. Our kids are on their way out to Colorado so I woke up early, had all the ingredients ready, and had someone to bake it for. I hope it comes out as good as Susan’s cake did, because hers was delicious. It has a slightly spicy flavoring, and is just so darn good. Am very happy to report that this cake came out awesome! Super Delicious with the chunky applesauce. Very moist and delicious, cooked perfectly at 1 hour and 10 minutes. Thanks Suki and the Silver Palate!

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus a little extra for greasing the pan (Butter should be at room temperature.  I woke up early and didn’t have time to let it sit so I just put it in microwave to soften for 15 seconds.)

*if baking for the Jewish Holidays and don’t want to use butter you can use margarine

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

2 eggs (at room temperature)

2 cups applesauce (I used Chunky because probably didn’t have reading glasses in market and grabbed it.)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, or 1 teaspoon freshly grated

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup raisins

Lemon/Orange Icing ingredients:

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl (electric mixer), cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the applesauce and vanilla.

Sift the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda together then add to applesauce mixture. Next, sprinkle in the raisins, and blend gently but thoroughly.

Pour the batter into the tube pan and set on a rack in the center of the oven. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean. 1 hour and 10 – 15 minutes. I cooked it 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes (I will leave it all day as I go out hiking, and turn it over when it is completely cool when I return.)  When it is completely cool, I will make the icing and drizzle over the top. A little trick is to poke little holes in the cake (on top, with cake tester or toothpick) and pour icing over the cake and it will go into cake and infuse some of the lemon/orange directly into cake.

Instructions for icing:

Sift the confectioner’s sugar and cinnamon into a small bowl.

Dribble in the juices, stirring constantly until the icing is smooth. Drizzle over completely cooled cake.

*should be enough icing for 1 Applesauce Raisin Cake

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