Poppy seed Buttermilk Cake

1/2 cup poppy seeds
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup white sugar

Soak poppy seed in buttermilk for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), grease a 10 inch bundt pan. Mix together cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar. Sprinkle part of the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over greased pan. This will form a thin crust over the cake. Set aside the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.
Cream butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.
Sift flour, salt and soda together. Add to butter mixture alternately with the poppy seed mixture. Blend well.
Put the batter in the pan in layers, sprinkling the reserved cinnamon sugar mixture between each layer. If you spread your batter thin, you should get three layers of cinnamon sugar. (I only had one layer of cinnamon in the middle and sprinkled the rest at the end so both top and bottom of the cake has cinnamon-sugar)
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Set cake on rack to cool for one hour. Goes well with whipping cream or plain by itself!

Sloppy Joe Spice Mix

1 tablespoon instant minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon instant minced garlic
1 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
red pepper flakes to taste (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl until well blended.
Spoon mixture into jar or container.
Label as Sloppy Joe Spice Mix.
Store in a cool, dry place and use within 6 months.
Makes 1 package (about 3 T) of mix.
Sloppy Joes: Brown 1 lb lean ground beef in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
Drain excess grease.
Add seasoning mix, 1/2 cup water, 1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve over toasted hamburger buns

Vanilla Ice Cream

2 eggs
scant 3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 1/2 cups homogenized milk
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract (I use real Mexican vanilla - fake extract won't taste the same)

In a heavy saucepan, combine the first five ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat a metal spoon and reaches at least 160 degrees F. Remove from the heat; cool quickly by setting pan in ice and stirring the mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight or freeze immediately. When ready to freeze, pour custard and vanilla into the cylinder of an ice cream freezer. Freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.

Making a cooked custard really makes better homemade ice cream. I tried the no cook recipes and they freeze quite icy and have lots of ice crystals. You can add extras into this recipe for different flavours or just add your favourite topping when serving this treat!

Whole Wheat Honey Banana Muffins

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
2/3 cup olive oil
1 cup honey
4 eggs
2 cups mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup hot water


Stir together dry ingredients.
Beat oil and honey together; add eggs and beat well.
Add bananas and beat to combine.
Add dry ingredients to wet, alternating with hot water; mix well after each addition.
Spoon batter into 24 greased muffin cups; bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and test done.Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Homemade Cough Syrup

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons water

Mix ingredients. Take by the teaspoon as often as needed for cough.

Do not give to infants under 12 months due to the honey. Makes 4-8 doses.

Pineapple Crisp

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut (I used 1 cup coconut and 1/2 cup rolled oats)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/8 teaspoon salt
FILLING:
3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained ( I used fresh chopped pineapple combined with bottled juice to make 10 oz.)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (I omitted this and it was fine)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine


In a bowl, combine the coconut, flour, brown sugar, butter and salt. Press 1-1/2 cups into a greased 9-in. square baking pan; set remaining mixture aside.
In a saucepan, combine the filling ingredients. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Cool; spread over crust. Sprinkle with reserved coconut mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
If you double the recipe it fits a 9x13 pan nicely. We served this with whipped cream and it was very yummy.

Turkish Dumpling (Manti)

Dough: 3-3 ½ cups flour
1 egg
2/3 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp salt to taste

Filling:½ lb ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped/shredded
½ tsp salt to taste
½ tsp black pepper

For cooking:
8 cups water
1 tsp salt

Sauce:2 cups yogurt
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
¼ tsp salt to taste
3-4 tbsp butter/oil
1 tbsp tomato paste/2/3 tsp paprika
2-3 tbsp water
Dried mint
Sumac


In a bowl place the flour, crack the egg and add the salt and water. Then knead till you get a firm and smooth dough. Knead for about 8-10 minutes. Make sure to make it firm to flatten easily later. Cover it with a damp towel or cloth and leave for a rest (15-30 minutes).
Meanwhile in a plate mix all the filling ingredients and set aside.
Divide the dough into 2-3 pieces, take one piece and place on the floured counter. Cover the rest of the dough. Then with a rolling pin flatten the dough as thin as you can (as thick as the ridge of a knife). Then, cut it with a knife or roulette into ¾ inch (1 ½-2 cm) square pieces. Then place ¼ tsp filling over each square. Then stick the both traverse edges diagonally, by pressing with your finger tips. Do the same procedure for the remaining dough.
For cooking, boil the water in a big pot and add salt. Then add all the manti into the boiling water. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon to prevent them sticking to each other. Make sure not to close the lid. Cook over medium heat till manti gets soft (for about 10-15 minutes).
Meanwhile prepare the sauce. In a bowl mix yogurt, salt and garlic. In a small pan; melt the butter/oil and stir in tomato paste and water. Cook for 2 minutes over low heat. If you prefer using paprika, just add paprika into melted butter/oil and turn the heat off after one minute. Do not add water while using paprika.
Drain the cooked manti and transfer it into serving plates. Let it cool for a while and pour the yogurt sauce over. Finally pour about one tbsp of butter/oil mixture all over (adjust the amount as you like). And if desired sprinkle some dried mint and sumac over the Turkish Dumplings.
This recipe makes 6-7 servings.

We made this when we studied the country of turkey in school.

If you want to head over to the site where I found this recipe to see pictures if you need any clarification, go here: turkishfoodandrecipes.com