12 Months 12 cakes: #11 Mixed Fruit Cobbler

I would rather write about the Christmas experience but I need to catch up with my November project entry.

Last month, my new try was the Loretta Fruit Cobbler Mix by Bektrom Foods Inc. Besides finding new recipes, I also enjoy experimenting with half ready cakes (mixes). They can be really convenient when you need to make a nice treat for an unexpected occasion/guests or simply when you want to make your life easy. 😀

What I used to make the cobbler:

1 jar - mixed fruit,
Loretta Fruit Cobbler Mix.

First try: I followed the recipe given by the mix manufacturer. The cobbler was tasty but only when it was fresh and warm. Next day, not really.

Second try: I followed all the steps of the given recipe given besides one thing. The instructions tell you to pour the melted butter onto the fruits and then cover it all with the batter/cobbler mix. I stirred the melted butter into the batter (cobbler mix) and spread it all on the fruits (which had been placed in a greased tin of course).
The results were much better. The cobbler was crispier than before and was still tasty even 2 days later.

I stored it in the fridge and warmed up each piece in the microwave before serving. With a splash of whipped cream, the cobbler made quite a nice, and easy to make dessert.

Visit the Bektrom Foods Inc. page to see what the package of Loretta Fruit Cobbler Mix looks like.

Loretta Fruit Cobbler Mix price =$1 at Dollar Tree

Quick and Tasty Raspberry Bread

Recently, I have been trying different cake mixes from various stores. This time my choice was Simply Homemade Muffin & Bread Mix found at Dollar Tree.

We found the the bread so tasty that, after baking, when it was warm and fresh, we ate a half of the loaf at once. In our opinion, it makes a wonderful dessert or/and breakfast option. Not to mention that the price of the mix is very good as well. It contains pieces of real fruit that is why the bread had a slightly sour flavor. Well, if you prefer very sweet treats only, probably you would not find the raspberry bread/ muffins good enough. Anyway, we liked it a lot.

What you need to make the raspberry bread (besides the mix of course):

• 2/3 cup Greek yogurt which can be substituted with regular yogurt (I used vanilla Greek yogurt),
• 2 large eggs,
• 1/3 cup oil (my choice was Canola oil),
• 1/4 cup water.

Then, just mix all the ingredients with a spoon, place the batter in a slightly greased loaf tin and bake it at 350F. After 45 minutes in the oven, our bread was ready. We let it cool down for about 10 minutes before the eating time started. The raspberry bread was really yummy! Certainly, I will buy this muffin and bread mix again.

Raspberry Bread

What was left after 'the first sitting'....

Calder's Gourmet Bold & Zesty Horseradish Sauce

In Poland horseradish is traditionally served, especially at Easter, with different kinds of meats. The condiment consists of a few ingredients only: a grated horseradish root with some lemon juice or very little vinegar, cream, and a bit of sugar. Depending on the 'strength' of the horseradish, the mixture has  usually has quite a bold flavor. I love how it tastes with sausages, meat sandwiches or baked meat.
I have been trying to find a similar horseradish based product here but so far with no success. That is why I was really happy when I came across this Calder's Gourmet Bold & Zesty Horseradish Sauce. It is very tasty and quite 'horseradishy' comparing to other sauces. The best of all I have tried in the US so far as it is not sweet, not bitter, and there is not too much mayonnaise in it. It adds a lot to the flavor of meats, and also works well as raw chicken breast seasoning. The horseradish sauce was made in the USA and it costs $1 only.

The horseradish sauce was found at Dollar Tree

Chicken Breast in Bold & Zesty Horseradish Sauce

• Heat oven to 375F/190C
• Rub chicken breast with horseradish sauce.
• Then coat it with plain bread crumbs - press bread crumbs a bit to make them stick to chicken breast better.
• Grease a baking dish with some butter and put it into hot oven for 5 minutes.
• Place chicken breast in the baking dish and bake it for 10 minutes.
• Turn chicken breast and bake again for about 15 minutes.

Easter Goodies & How To Sweep The Table Fast

The Easter goodies you can see in the pictures below are already gone but it is nice to think how delicious they were.
The cake was so good, moistened and not too sweet. It can be a really good birthday or any other holiday cake too. I did not have a kind of butter cake mix which was required in the original recipe, so I used what I had - a cake mix with 1/3 cup vegetable oil as an ingredient. That is why while making the cake I skipped butter of course. Besides that, I followed the instructions given by The Southern Lady  in her post. The Mandarin cake was a true success.
I used two round, 9" cake tins - my cake had two layers not three though. Another great recipe worth keeping!

Mandarin Orange Cake

These deviled eggs were my first try ever. Next time, to adjust the taste of eggs to our likes, I will certainly add some more mustard and sweet relish than the recipe says. We liked them anyway, but they could have been a bit more spicy.

This recipe also comes from the Southern Lady pages

After Easter:

Egg Leftovers - I used them to make a quick salad:

• one big potato - peeled, cooked and diced.
• 2 pickles - diced
• 2/3 TBS mayonnaise
• salt & pepper to taste
• deviled eggs - leftovers - diced

You just need to mix all the ingredients and the salad is ready. I enjoyed it even more than the eggs themselves.

While having a meal, it often happens that some bread crumbs land on the table, making it a bit messy. To clear it, there is no need to remove the table cloth, you just need to find the right equipment.

before Easter...

A little table sweeping set is quite useful and convenient then. You just sweep the table/table cloth and all the crumbs go onto the little shovel, and your eating space is tidy again. My mum used to have quite a stylish table sweeping set, which she had received from her mother. It was made of metal, nicely decorated with a fancy pattern. The sweeping brush was a bit shorter and made of some very soft something. All in all, it looked more like a prop from 'Downton Abbey times'. Guess, maybe it was though not literally of course. The set I have is both simple and inexpensive which actually is a great advantage. Since it is not too big, you do not need much space to store it either.

The set found and bought at Dollar Tree