Keeping Calm in the Kitchen

     Well as I predicted I did find my Corn Beef and Cabbage and a drop of the whiskey this past Monday but not before the already mentioned DR's appointment and finding out that Madeline was being admitted to the hospital with a fever and just generally sick. Too sick for a little girl. Her Mommy never left the entire time they were there 24 hours plus a few more. Mommy asked that no one visit so the DR's could do their job and she and Madeline could rest in between all the poking and prodding that happens in a hospital. Respecting that wish was one of the hardest things I have done. The fact that the request made sense made it easier to do but still hard because you know I wanted to be fussing over all of them. Will, Stef, and Madeline. 
     To keep from jumping out of my skin with worry when I really didn't need to worry I took my self into the kitchen and stayed there all day. I pulled out my favorite cook book from my Mom's collection and looked up a cake I made once before.

 I did a few things differently this time and the results were much better. I used the correct tool on my kitchen aid and the correct speed. That made a big change in the out come right there. I folded when it said fold instead of letting the machine do it for me and I sifted like the directions advised. In other word I followed the recipe correctly this time. 

               Chocolate Sponge Roll
   1/2  C Cake flour
   1/4 C coco powder
   1 tsp Baking powder
   1/4 tsp salt
   4 eggs separated
   3/4 cup sugar divided 
    1 tsp Vanilla
    2 TBS water
   Preheat oven to 375 and line a 8 by 16 shallow baking pan with parchment paper.
    Sift flour and then measure, sift coco and then measure. Sift together coco, flour, baking powder and salt.
   Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry, beat in 1/2 the sugar gradually  2 TBS at a time.
   Beat egg yolks until they are thick, add remaining sugar gradually and vanilla continue beating until very thick. Slowly add water, stirring constantly. Gently fold into egg whites. 
  Sprinkling 1/4 cup at a time into the egg mixture carefully fold flour mixture in.
  Pour into baking pan and bake 15 to 20 minutes. 
  Sprinkle powder sugar onto a dish towel slightly larger then the cake. **** While the cake is still warm ****** frees the edges from the sides of the pan and invert onto the towel.

 Remove parchment paper and trim the edges. Roll cake gently evenly and firmly in the towel the entire cake should be covered in the towel. Let cool. unroll add filling reroll decorate and enjoy.

    I did not have gelatin to stabilize the filling cream and from past experience I knew the cream will not hold up for more then a day in the cake roll so I decided to use a chocolate butter cream frosting recipe in the same book. I followed the recipe and this time I wish I had followed my instincts. I would have been happier with more butter and less sugar.

   Butter Frosting
  1/2 cup butter softened
 3 cups powdered sugar
 1 egg
 2/3 cup coco powder sifted
 4 to 5 TBS butter milk
 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  Cream the butter and sugar coco until light and fluffy add the egg and beat til creamy stir in liquid a little at a time until you get a good spreading consistency, add vanilla.
 Other then the too sweet part the frosting is the perfect texture and worked perfect as the filling in my cake roll.Adding the coconut before rolling the cake up was a last minute idea and a good one even if I do say so myself. With all the different steps needed to prepare this cake I had little time to worry about anything but counter space and what to do next. It may not sound it but that was one very calming recipe. A pretty one too.

        "What Was Dinner"?  While I was working on that cake I had Tuesday's one pot  dinner simmering on the stove. The best comfort food ever invented and used by every Mother around the world to cure whatever ails you. Chicken Soup. My soup would take all day Monday and half of Tuesday to make but the time and effort to make the soup is worth it I got 3 pints of broth to freeze and dinner and well as a chicken salad out of all that cooking. I am sure I could do it quicker but I love the rich full flavor I get from doing it my way. There really isn't much effort and only a few ingredients. I use what ever meat pieces that are on sale and cheap that has the bone in. This time it was a breast half and a thigh leg combo. In a large dutch oven I throw the chicken skin and all, salt, and pepper, oregano, garlic powder,thyme celery seed, celery leaves, 1 onion quartered, 4 or 5 cloves garlic smashed and peeled. About 12 cups of water enough to cover the chicken. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil remove the lid,  lower the heat and simmer all day adding water every so often as needed. At the end of the first day I cover the pot remove from the heat and keep cold. The next morning I scrap the chicken fat from the surface and dispose of it. I pour the rest through a strainer into a bowl. I Return the broth I will need for my soup back into the pan and freeze the rest.I pick out the bones and skin and anything else I don't want in my soup from the meat.I Add  meat  to my soup pan want  and refrigerate the rest for other uses. I Add chopped carrots celery and green onion to the pan how much is really up to you. Cover bring to a boil reduce heat leave covered and simmer until veggies are tender. If you add noodles or rice make sure you cook them first. 

I served my soup with corn muffins and every one was happy. 

Bill sat back and smiled saying you can do more meals like this and Mom left not a tiny morsel on her plate. 
   Happy Wednesday! Thank you for stopping by.