I obtained a cookbook a while back from an aunt that passed away. It was the same edition as one of my mom's cookbooks that she used when I was growing up, so nostalgia made me claim it. It's right out of the 1960s or 70s and as I was looking through it, I happened across something called Nesselrode Pie. I was like "What on earth is that?" and looking through the ingredients it called for a jar of Nesselrode. Very unhelpful. After some quick googling, it's a pie from the past, the New York area to be specific, and it's got a Vanilla Custard Cream base with candied chestnuts and sometimes candied fruits added to it, topped with shaved chocolate. Most intriguing.

Anyways, I was curious if some of the older members on this site have heard of it or even tried it? I found a few recipes online and I thought it might be fun to experiment with a forgotten relic of ages past.

It sounds good, but I've not heard of it, and my family is from NY originally. They're mostly about cheesecake and apple or mince pie, mostly. I'd think the chestnuts would be the hardest item to find because of the blight. Chestnut trees die off after a few years. I'm fortunate enough to have had roasted chestnuts one night with my folks many years ago from an uninfected (I'm assuming) tree. It wasn't bad. Nat King Cole makes it sound a lot better than it is though in The Christmas Song.

This old fogey hasn't heard of it. But maybe it's because I had a sheltered childhood in a Midwestern small town.

It sounds interesting, though I've never had candied chestnuts (or even roasted ones)...and I bet it could use more chocolate.

A couple weeks ago my Mom asked me to make cinnamon rolls, but it was too cool then to make them. I was going to make them last week, but then I did not have time. Finally yesterday, I made cinnamon rolls practically by myself. I do not like using yeast, so I always make sure someone "helps" me.

Cinnamon rolls = happy Dad and brother at the end of the work day.

That picture is of the last cinnamon roll. I did put some in the freezer for big sister's birthday. But the rest of the rolls are gone.

This is the roll recipe I used, it is the larger of the two roll recipes we use for cinnamon rolls.

Rolls! Rolls!
3 1/3 cups milk
1 cup shortening (must be shortening, butter will not work in this recipe)
2 1/2 cups water (use 1/2 cup for yeast)
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup yeast
2 1/2 T. salt
5 pounds flour (12-15 cups)

Heat milk, water, and shortening. Add sugar to cool down to about 110F before adding yeast. Add yeast to the 1/2 cup of water at 110F, let puff for about 5 minutes. Then add the yeast/water to milk mixture. Next add the salt. Add flour. Knead for about 5 minutes.

Let rise for 1-2 hours. Roll out in batches, spread with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, roll up, and slice into 1 inch rolls. Place in greased 9x13s - 15 rolls in a pan. Let rise again for 1 hour. Bake at 400F for 10-12 minutes or until done. Frost and enjoy!

SnowAngel

I am one of the few who actually like vegetables better than fruit overall. My favourites are eggplant and zucchini. They are part of many vegetarian recipes. I cooked this one recently it was rather nice. http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/22477/p ... t+caponata

When it comes to vegetables I'm a fan of greens myself; collards, mustard, turnip, and kale. I'm not so big on carrots unless they've been put in a stew all day. I love tomatoes and celery, and of course if it's a bean of any type I'll eat it like crazy. Broccoli and cauliflower are favorites of mine too. In fact, if there were any vegetables at all I didn't like it so happens that they're ILF's favorites. I must have gotten a bad eggplant or something, but they just turn me off!

SnowAngel, anytime you'd like to send me and my family some cinnamon rolls, you go right ahead. No one here will attempt to stop you.

SnowAngel, anytime you'd like to send me and my family some cinnamon rolls, you go right ahead. No one here will attempt to stop you.

Maybe someday I will.

I am currently looking for recipes that I can make for my brother for breakfast. Since he has to get up by 6:00 and leave for work by 6:30, no one really wants to get up and make breakfast for him. So I am going to make one of our favorite coffeecakes later, but instead of a 9x13 I am going to make it in cupcake liners. However he can't eat coffeecake for breakfast every morning, even if he might like to, so I need to find some other things he can grab and go.

SnowAngel

Maybe muffins or homemade granola bars? Or even cold pancakes or french toast, if he likes that kind of thing. Some people do. I also make a wrap with cream cheese and shredded/chopped veggies like carrots, brocilli and celery, but I'm not so sure he'd really care for that.

AC, I thought about both muffins and granola bars, however he eats granola bars for a snack and it is hit-and-miss whether or not he will eat muffins. That is why I tried the mini coffeecakes.

I also make a wrap with cream cheese and shredded/chopped veggies like carrots, brocilli and celery, but I'm not so sure he'd really care for that.

You are right, I don't think the wrap would go over real big with my brother. Scarlet might like it though.

The mini coffeecakes turned out pretty good. I made a plain coffeecake with brown sugar/cinnamon topping. I think I need to try my berry cream cheese coffeecake recipe next. It is a very moist recipe and probably better suited for the "cupcake" size, especially with blueberries. Yum!

Friday was Flag Day and my turn to bake. I had been wanting to make cupcakes for a couple months, so I made Blueberry Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting. Mmmm!

I thought the frosting was a little plain by itself, so I topped each cupcake with one little blueberry. Perfection!

SnowAngel

SnowAngel, those look quite delicious!

So, I need some help finding a brownie recipe... the weird thing about staples like apple pie, brownies, and swiss rolls is that it's so hard to find a basic recipe.

I'm not a fan of dense, thick brownies, and I like the ones that have that thin shell on the top compared to frosted ones. I'd like one that almost has the consistency of cake (texture-wise), but just a hair different.

I've been really wanting to eat a hot brownie and vanilla ice-cream for the past week. Thanks in advance.

Mmm, SnowAngel, yum! So pretty and tasty-looking.

I wish I had a good brownie recipe, Bella. I've tried to find one that is 'just right', to no avail thus far. However, I have not searched hard enough because one must be out there somewhere! And anytime we have received a treat of brownies from someone else, I'll ask them for their recipe, whereupon they blush and state it is from a mix.

Anywho, we talked about healthy snack foods awhile back: these days my favourite ones are black cherries, which are in season now. I could fill up on those alone for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are amazing! *gobble-gobble-gobble* And fresh peas! I mentioned earlier that in the winter when fresh peas are not readily available here, I thaw the frozen ones and chow down bowls of those. But now, we are getting local produce in to the stores and market, so I am eating an abundance of crisp, decadent peas. It takes time getting all those fresh little balls out of the pods (we have lots of compost these days!), but they are so worth it. The peas in our garden will probably not be ready for another few weeks, but then ... /anticipation!!!

Those were great cupcakes! I gave some to a friend of my brother's, not knowing he doesn't eat/like berries very much, but he said they were good. I think it was partly because the cupcakes themselves were not real sweet. That recipe is almost across between muffins and cupcakes.

I was hoping to make cupcakes again this week, I bought some new colored cupcake liners and some mini ones too. But I am not sure I will get to, since we are going to be making peach jam tomorrow. Yum! Oh, maybe I need to make peach cupcakes!

Bella, I have a buttermilk brownie recipe that has a cake-like texture, but it has frosting and the frosting is essential to the brownie. However, if you would like the recipe I would be happy to post it. If you made it with out the frosting the amount of cocoa might need to be increased. I might have to make the recipe so I would have pictures to post with it. And I think I have a recipe that makes that kind of thin shell on top. But I don't have a cake-like with a kind of shell recipe, yet.

SnowAngel

SnowAngel, I think your cupcakes are gorgeous! I am rather jealous of your frosting ability. The frosting I put on cupcakes never looks that good. I suppose practicing on occasion might help.

Well, I have a funny story to share with everybody. My husband has two chocolate chip cookie recipes that he's made himself. I actually prefer the second one that includes cake flour and honey (they're very cake-like), but the rest of the world prefers his first recipe (the one that's actually placed in our state fair). He's taken the cookies from this recipe to his place of work several times, and his coworkers are addicted. I mean... it's hilarious. He'll be sitting there working at his desk and all of a sudden he'll hear "...cookies..." "I hear Tom's bringing in cookies tomorrow...." This has escalated to the point where last Thursday he went in to work and on his desk was a $20 with a note saying "For Cookies" on it. Seriously. Apparently he needs to quit his job as an engineer and go into cookie baking or something. So last night was spent making a whole lot of chocolate chip cookies. The kitchen smelled pretty awesome.

Other cooking escapades lately include discovering tapenade. It probably wasn't a true tapenade, but here's the recipe I made...
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food ... index.html
It was phenomenal. And it helps that all of those fresh veggies come straight out of my garden.

Speaking of fresh veggies, I also made a double batch of salsa last night to use up a lot of tomatoes that were going bad in a hurry. I always forget how tasty homemade salsa is, but I have to be careful because it's the one thing in the world that can give me serious heartburn.

Haha, thanks, Jo! That seems to be the case for me, too.

Thank-you for responding, SnowAngel! I would love to see that recipe! I appreciate it!

Fantasia, that's hilarious about your husband's cookies. And that tapenade looks delicious.

Well, haven't been doing much cooking, but I have been doing eating... as always. My mom, who is the best cook ever, recently made eggplant and peas. It was quite delicious, with basmati rice and plain yogurt. I'm hoping my garden will give me some more eggplant this year - the taste of garden-grown eggplant is wonderful.

Oh goodness, fantasia, that is way too funny! Go-o-o-o-o homemade chocolate chip cookies.

I have never tried tapenade before. Fun name, though, lol. And it has olives in it. ♥

My mom, who is the best cook ever,

I can attest to that! But, wait, her daughters are following in their mom's footsteps, methinks.

Tonight for supper I made what's called 7-layer casserole, which I may have mentioned here before. It's an old, simple recipe, and sooo hearty, consisting of rice (or potatoes), carrots, peas, beans (from our garden!), onion, hamburg, tomato soup. A very tasty dish, indeed.