Reader Recipe: Liberace Sandwich

It’s time for our second reader recipe of the week!

When Caker Cooking reader Catherine sent me the recipe for Liberace Sandwich, I got pretty excited. There’s nothing more glamorous than eating the same thing as a Hollywood star. (Case in point: Barbara Mandrell’s Pig Out Cake.) And when that star has the mega-wattage of Liberace, well, sit back and put on the rhinestone-crusted sunglasses, my friends.

This sandwich proves two things: 1) Liberace was a caker (which, c’mon, we all knew – anyone with hair that stiff is down with the tater tots) and 2) his talent went beyond piano playing. The man knew his way around a loaf of white bread like nobody’s business. This egg-soaked, cheese-filled, bacon-topped creation really tickled my ivories.

Catherine also sent me a recipe for something called Fluffy Muff. I’m going out on a limb here, but I doubt Liberace ever made that for dinner.

Thanks, Catherine!

Make 6 sandwiches, no butter, cut off crusts, with cheddar cheese. Place in shallow, buttered pan. Beat 4 eggs with 2 cups milk, 1/2 tsp minced onion, 1/2 tsp dry mustard. Pour over sandwiches. Let stand 10 minutes. Bake in 375 oven 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove and top with sliced, peeled ripe tomatoes. Cover with strips of pre-cooked bacon. Place under broiler for 2-3 minutes.

Source: Caker Catherine via Ladies Aid, Ogunquit Baptist Church, Ogunquit, Maine, 1975

Reader Recipe: Cherry Balls

Welcome to Reader Recipe Month! I’ll be posting your caker recipes every Monday and Friday throughout February. After all, what good is cholesterol if you can’t share it between friends?

It should come as a surprise to no one when I say that cakers love their balls. Cold, hot, cheesy, so long as it’s round, we’ll pop it into our mouths. (Which explains the high number of golf ball-related caker deaths every year.) A few weeks back, I was at a wedding when I met Caker Cooking reader, Debbie, who asked if I wanted her Cherry Balls recipe. I said, “I do.”

I had my heart set on red maraschino cherries, but couldn’t find any at No Frills. They only had green ones – and all the jars were dusty. Please, caker gods, if I ever get reincarnated, don’t send me back as a green maraschino cherry. I can’t imagine a lonelier fate.

Thanks for the recipe, Debbie. Knowing your delicious balls were waiting at home got me through the dark days.

Come back Friday for a reader recipe that takes you behind the candelabra.

Maraschino cherries and graham cracker crumbs
2 cups icing sugar
3/4 cup desiccated coconut (see note)
1/2 cup butter, softened

Mix all ingredients except cherries and graham cracker crumbs. Roll around cherry, then roll in graham cracker crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Note: Debbie says, “I use sweetened shredded.”

Source: Caker Debbie

Tomato Soup Cake vs. The Great Canadian Heinz Ketchup Cake

The Great Canadian Ketchup Cake

A couple of years ago, I posted the recipe for the caker classic, Tomato Soup Cake. Well, actually, I posted two: Vera’s recipe and Gwen’s recipe, both of Melfort, Saskatchewan. I did a taste test and Vera walked away the champ.

Last year, I posted the recipe for The Great Canadian Heinz Ketchup Cake, which tasted pretty good. Some people thought it tasted better than Tomato Soup Cake. That got me thinking.

Toronto Star food editor, Corey Mintz, recently had me over for a caker dinner party. Corey’s a bit on the fancy side. (He’s the Grey Poupon to my French’s mustard.) But dang if he didn’t put on a good spread!

Tomato Soup Cake

I'm talking Broccoli Casserole, Baked Frankfurters and Taco Salad Casserole. The only thing missing was an episode of Hee Haw playing in the background. He also made something fancy with Cream of Wheat. I can’t remember the name, but I’m pretty sure it started with “Le.”

For dessert, I brought a Tomato Soup Cake and a Ketchup Cake, each topped with cream cheese icing. Then I asked the guests to pick their favourite.

So which cake won?

Vera, I hope Melfort realizes they’ve got a Martha Stewartson in their midst. Tomato Soup cake was the hands-down winner. Some said it was the nuts. Some said it was the raisins. Folks, it's the soup.

Check out Corey’s caker column here.

P.S. Get ready for Reader Recipe Month starting Monday!

Caker Cooking in The Toronto Star!

Recently, I had dinner with Toronto Star food editor, Corey Mintz. He's one of those "gourmet" types. You know, cloth napkins instead of paper towels. Did I convert him to the joys of caker cooking? You be the judge.

Vegetable Casserole

The Caker Code of Conduct (CCC) is the belief system that the recipes in our cookbooks are tried-and-true; that the person submitting the recipe has made it over and over again to the delight of family and friends.

Recently, I was flipping through my cookbooks when a name jumped out: my own mother’s name. The recipe she’d submitted was Vegetable Casserole.

Immediately, something seemed off. I couldn’t remember eating this. (Neither did my sister.) Vegetables never took centre stage in our house. A quick scan of the ingredients confirmed my doubts. Fresh broccoli and cauliflower? Cook them separately? I could only wonder – was my own mother guilty of breaking the Caker Code of Conduct? I had no other choice than to make it, take it to her and try to get a confession.

“Here's some Vegetable Casserole,” I said. “Does it sound familiar?”

“No.”

“This is the cookbook it came from.”

She scanned the page. “Oh, that Broccoli Casserole looks good.”

I pointed out her name. “Vegetable Casserole is your recipe! Only I don't think you ever made it.”

She frowned and passed the cookbook back. “How am I supposed to remember? I made a lot of casseroles over the years.”

Then she proceeded to ask if the colour of my pants were popular among gay men and if I wore that much cologne to work. She also wondered aloud why my fruitcake never turns out as good as my father’s.

I put two and three together. I think there’s a CCC-breaker in the family. I'm going to need some time to process this.

1 fresh cauliflower
1 fresh broccoli
1 can mushrooms
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
½ cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Heat oven to 325°. Partially cook cauliflower and broccoli separately for 10 minutes. (See note.) Mix together cream soups, sour cream and mayonnaise. In buttered casserole dish, layer broccoli, cauliflower and mushrooms. Pour soup mixture over top. Sprinkle cheese on top. Cover and bake for 20-30 minutes.

Note: "Partially" cook the vegetables for 10 minutes? Maybe this is my mom’s recipe.

P.S. The main photo is a bit misleading because once you mix the layers, it looks like this. Can you blame me for wanting some colour on this blog?

P.P.S. My mom called tonight to tell me how much she loved the Vegetable Casserole I made her. Her caker ears must've been burning. Or she's feeling guilty about the fruitcake thing.


Source: St. Luke’s United Church Cookbook

February is Reader Recipe Month!

This blog ain't a one-caker show. It takes two: me and you. (Actually, it takes three: me, you and a package of Tums.)

That's why I'm christening February as Reader Recipe Month. This is your chance to send me the horrible tasty recipes you have in your collection. I'll make them, eat them, post them on the blog and then you'll become one of those "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" people.

Send your recipes to cakercooking at gmail dot com and I'll do my best to feature it in the coming weeks.

Bun appetito!

Brian

Sloppy Joes

Living in this fast-paced modern world is challenging for most cakers. Why, just yesterday, I had to return my VHS copy of On Golden Pond to the video store. Then I had to go the Regis Salon at the mall to get my tips frosted. Then I had to go to bowling. All this before 5pm! The last thing I had time for when I got home was forming beef patties.

Thank god for Sloppy Joes. You get all the goodness of a hamburger with a fraction of the effort. Even the condiments are included in the mixture! Just remember to tie a tea towel around your neck. They don’t call them "sloppy" for no reason. I’ve got the stained coveralls to prove it.

These call for Campbell’s Chicken Gumbo soup, which may take some cakers out of their Cream-of-Mushroom comfort zones. But there’s a world of condensed soups out there, just waiting to be added to ground meat. As Proust said: The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.

1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon chopped onions
1 can chicken gumbo soup
2 tablespoons mustard
2 tablespoons chopped celery
2 tablespoons relish
2 tablespoons ketchup
Mushrooms (optional)

Brown ground beef and onion in fry pan. Add remaining ingredients. Serve on toasted hamburger buns.

Source: St. Luke’s United Church Cookbook