I’m grateful for my mother-in-law. She was responsible for raising my own book boyfriend and gave me the recipe for Dump Cake. It’s a holiday favorite, quick to make and a delicious dessert for a crowd.
- One 21-ounce can cherry pie filling
- One 15-ounce can crushed pineapple
- 1/2 of your choice chopped of walnuts, almonds, or pecans (optional)
- 1 box white cake mix (18 ounces)
- 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
For the cherry-pineapple dump cake: Dump the cherry pie filling and crushed pineapple into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Stir together. Sprinkle the cake mix over the top of the fruit. Top with walnuts, almonds, or pecan pieces. Slice the butter into tablespoons and distribute evenly over the surface of the cake mix.
Bake until the tops are brown and bubbly, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve with ice cream.
Navy Bean Soup
Ingredients:
2 Cans of navy beans
1 quart of chicken stock, your choice of brand. But I always get organic stock or keep my own stock in the freezer.
1 package of sliced, peeled carrots
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of olive oil for sautéing the onions
Pre-chopped onions and/or chopped celery
Black pepper and salt to taste.
Have everything handy before starting to cook.
- Add olive oil to the stockpot and cook the onion over medium heat, until translucent or slightly caramelized.
- Add beans––I drain the juice out of the can and sometimes rinse them in the colander before putting them in the pot.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and cook over medium heat until carrots are fork-tender
- I use the ham to flavor the soup, then take out the slice and give it to the dog.
- To make the soup heartier, I add a serving of cooked pasta to my bowl of soup.
Options
Any additional beans
chopped spinach or kale
¼” of deli ham (diced or whole)
cooked, short tube-like pasta like elbow macaroni or ditalini
top with grated parmesan
fried onion rings, i.e. Durkees
crisp diced bacon, lardon, or pancetta
Enjoy with a glass of crisp white wine like Chardonnay