When
we lived in “the big house” on Broadview Drive in Lewiston, we were located
within a mile of good grocery stores. I could – and did – shop frequently for
groceries. It was impossible to stock food in those days when we were raising
teenagers.
Life
changed abruptly in 2005. The kids were grown and gone and just the two of us
moved our town base five miles from the nearest marts. We also began to spend
more time at the farm. I learned to anticipate our needs and make shopping
trips count. I no longer rush to the store just because I’m out of coconut and
carrots. It’s become a matter of making do. Sometimes nice ideas come out of
that effort.
Son
Clint was coming to dinner Friday evening, so Mike picked
up chicken breasts and potatoes while he was in town. But what about
dessert? I really think Clint wouldn’t be upset if I didn’t provide dessert, but
Mike and I like it. I found a slightly “out of date” German chocolate cake mix
on the shelf but I didn’t have the ingredients for a traditional frosting. So –
I scoured my pantry for a substitute.
There
it was – a package of Heath Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits that I had picked up on
a whim during the holidays. Borrowing an idea from the back of the package, I
slightly under-baked the cake in a 9x11 pan, then sprinkled the toffee bits
over the top of the hot cake and sealed it with foil. How easy!
The
cake was still warm when Clint took a bite. “This is good!” I heard him say. If
you cook, you love to hear that phrase, but it especially warms my heart when my child says it. In fact, we all liked it. The German
chocolate cake has a particularly nice texture, and the toffee bits provided
just the right touch of salty sweetness.
It
was an idea borne of making-do, but now I’ve added German chocolate cake mix
and English Toffee Bits to my shopping list.
[I didn't take a picture of the cake. Instead, here are some photos of our water-wise beds at the valley house. Top: As the blossoms of our ornamental cherry tree fade, the leaves become more prominent. Mike marvels that he bought this beautiful tree from Walmart for $15. Middle: The crocus and jonquils have passed but these lovely daffodils are in full bloom. Bottom: Basket o' Gold loves this location. You can see that I have work to do. I might have pruned away last year's blooms much sooner, but I rather like the effect of the dried vegetation through the winter.] KW
Kathy, you're always able to solve a "dinner dilemma." Glad the cake was a winner. That's how new recipes are made...using what's in the pantry.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure the German chocolate cake is an American invention. When I lived in Germany for nearly a year, I learned that they don't like cakes that are very sweet. The frosting/topping on this particular cake wouldn't be something that they would make.
Just checked Wikipedia. It tells us that the name of the cake came from a man named German at a Chocolate Co.
BTW, Spring flowers arriving at your house means a great deal to you, I know. I remember living in a state with 4 seasons and how much I welcomed Spring. Those little buds are really working hard.
ReplyDeleteHow fun to have Clint home! And the cake sounds delicious. Those Heath Toffee Bits are irresistible aren't they? Can cake mixes go out of date? Hmmm...
ReplyDeleteFunny! Here I always thought that "German" chocolate was the basis for the cake.
ReplyDeleteI love spring bulbs. I don't plant tulips because the deer will eat those, and we have deer at both places. But I plant a variety of daffodils and crocus.
It was fun to have Clint here. And guess what -- I still haven't put anything on the bed.
Yes, I have been known to devour a bag of the toffee bits. The top tab on the cake mixes carries an expiration date. Last year when I cleaned the pantry I wrote the exp. year on the side of the box and that has been helpful. Really -- I'm not too concerned about that, but I have an angel food mix that expired in 2003. I'm thinking about tossing that.