September, Apples, and Cakes

When the first cool night shows up in September, I start craving apple cake. My mama always made apple pies, and if I ever learn to make them like she did, I'll post it here. I cannot remember her making apple cakes. After Hub and I married, I learned that his mother was an expert at making apple cakes, and I was instantly hooked. Of course, this cake can be made all year long, but they just seem better in the fall. Here's how I do it.

You will need 1.5 cups of vegetable oil, 2 cups white sugar, 3 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring, 2.5 cups plain flour, 1 cup pecan pieces, 3 cups finely chopped peeled apples (Granny Smith if you have them), 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Grease a Bundt pan and turn oven on at 350 degrees.

Mix the sugar, oil, and eggs together.

Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together; add to the egg mixture. Mix.

I buy pecans whole; I think the chopped ones dry out faster. To chop them, I put a cup of pecans in a zip lock bag (leave it open). Then I get a wooden dough roller and beat them mercilessly. This is good to do after a bad day at work; it seems to get some aggression out.

These are the way I like them; chopped but big enough to show up in the cake. I have tried to chop them in a food processor, but they always get too fine.

Add the chopped pecans, 3 cups of chopped apples, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon real vanilla flavoring to the mixture. Mix on low; batter will be thick.

Oh, yeah! Perfect.

Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan. I shake mine to even out the batter, just another way to get rid of aggression. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes.

Before it is finished cooking, the whole kitchen smells like autumn. When it is done, remove from the oven and let it sit in the pan until it cools, 10 or 15 minutes. Turn onto cake plate.

If the stars line up correctly, it will look like this. Also, if you are making it for your family, it will look like this. On the other hand, if you are taking it to a pot-luck dinner, one side will probably have a huge hole.

There are various toppings for this if you want one. Sometimes, I pour caramel ice cream topping around the top, or a confectioner's sugar glaze to pretty it up. The cake is sweet enough without anything added to the top, and we prefer it plain. Served with hot tea, it is more like a bread than a cake.

Fresh apples are showing up at the stores now. This weekend would be an excellent time to give this a try.

Amish in Stantonville, Tennessee

Last week, my sis and her hub went with us to the Amish community near Stantonville, Tennessee. It was a beautiful day, and we love driving to new places and finding new treasures. We enjoy these mini-trips we take together, where we giggle a lot and get caught up on everything. Also, the squirrels ate all our tomatoes, so we needed to find some to buy. You know the food you are buying is fresh when they bring it from the field while you are standing there waiting for it. Here is part of what we brought home, and it was all delicious. Stantonville is located in McNairy County, Tennessee, northwest of Shiloh National Military Park.

Holy Smoke Pie

I think it was in the late seventies that I first had Holy Smoke Pie. It was at a party at Debra Morris Harville's house. After we ate, Debra had to give the recipe to everyone there. I came home and made it for my family, and it has been a favorite since then. I always make it at holiday dinners, because I believe tradition is important. It has become a favorite of our granddaughters. I've heard it called Chocolate Delight, Four-Layer Chocolate Dessert, and other odd things. We call it Holy Smoke. Here is how I make it: Chop us a cup of pecans; set aside. Add a stick of softened butter (NOT margarine) to one cup of self-rising flour. Cut the butter into the flour. Add the chopped pecans, and work it all together. Save two tablespoons of the pecans to sprinkle on top. Pour into a 9" x 12" pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Spread it over the bottom of the pan. It helps to use your hands (o...

Cedar Trees in Cemeteries

If you ever wander in old cemeteries, and I know many of you do, you are bound to see some cedar trees. The tradition goes back to the early days of the United States and even earlier in Europe. Cedar trees were not always used, but some type of evergreen trees were planted because they were a symbol of everlasting life. Some Cherokees believed that cedars contained powerful spirits, including the spirits of the departed buried beneath them. Perhaps because they are known as burial trees, there are many superstitions that surround cedars. My grandmother told us in no uncertain terms that if we planted a cedar tree, we would die when it was large enough to shade our graves. Some others are: Never transplant a cedar tree; it will bring bad luck. If you transplant a cedar and it dies, you will die shortly. Planting a cedar tree in your yard welcomes poverty. Some say Christ was crucified on a cedar tree, and wil...

Faith, Folklore, and Friends

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