Nora's Recipes My Own and other Favorites

Nora's Apple Cake

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil..I used canola or grapeseed

1 tsp real vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

4 cups chopped peeled tart apples..I used almost 5 cups of Haralsons

1 1/2 cup walnuts

Directions: Peel and chop the apples and soak them in a bowl of cold water with a splash of lemon juice added. Set that aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. In another bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Add to egg mixture and mix well. Drain the apples well. Fold in apples and nuts. Pour into a greased 13x9x2 in. pan. Bake at 350 for 55-60 min. or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened...I used 1 and 1/2 pkgs

2 tsp butter...I used about 2 tablespoons.

2 c. powdered sugar...I didn't measure. I just kept adding until it was the thickness I wanted.Directions: Beat cream cheese and butter together and then add powdered sugar. Refrigerate the left overs. There usually isn't any.

Variations...Use 2 cups Turbinado sugar instead of white.  Raw washed sugar works great also.

For a vegan option use 1/3th cup warm water or so with about an equal amount of ground flax seed to replace the eggs.  Make a frosting of your choice.

Nora's Borscht

Stew meat 1 lb or more.  None for veggie Borscht

Onion.  two large. diced

Carrots. about half a bag of baby carrots or equivalent Cut up small or shred about a third of them for the meat.

Garlic.  Two large cloves.

Celery seeds.  1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Tomatoes Probably used about five large ones or equivalent.  Other recipes call for paste. chopped up with skins on. 

Tomato juice.  One 5.5 can

Cracked Black Pepper.  I used quite a bit but season to your taste. 

half a head of shredded cabbage.

Brown meat in a heavy bottom kettle using pan spray or very little olive oil.  Add about four cups water to the kettle and and the Onion, part of the carrots, garlic, salt, cracked black pepper, tomatoes, can of tomato juice, cabbage  and celery seeds and simmer.

Beets.  Three large and peeled

Carrots remaining from first step. 

While meat is simmering cube the beets and carrots.  Toss with a little bit of olive oil and bake in a 350 oven until soft yet still firm.  Add to soup.  At this point you will need to add more water.  Keep simmering until meat is tender. 

Fresh Dill.  One pkg of fresh dill chopped up.  Add to the soup st the end of the simmering and serve with either a dollop of sour cream or plain greek yogurt.  

Candied Orange Peels

Take about 4 good sized oranges with nice surfaces on the peels. More or less depending

on how much you want to make. If you make a larger batch then just add equal amounts

of water and sugar.

Use a potato peeler and thinly remove the orange part of the peel. Try to get as little of

the white pith as you can. If some white gets a little thick on it then use a paring knife

and scrape it off.

Put the peels in a small sauce pan with 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Simmer at a low heat. This will take quite awhile. Keep pushing the peels under the syrup as it cooks. When

the peels turn clear like and the syrup is reduced to fairly thick, remove the peels from the syrup and drop them in a Tupperware container with about 3/4 cup sugar and shake until they are coated. Lay them on a plate or sheet to cool and dry.

The left over sugar in the Tupperware can be used again by adding about a 1/2 cup water

to the sugar, swishing it around and then adding it back to the left over syrup on the

stove. Boil it again. You can use high heat this time. Then use the syrup for pancakes etc. Or flavored coffee. I’ve also used it to make Cranberry Orange bread.

Good stuff but very, very addicting! Enjoy.

Off Road Bars

1 1/2 cups (10 oz) Almond Meal

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup honey

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup raw sunflower seeds

1 cup raisins

1 cup sweetened coconut...can use unsweetened also

Preheat oven to 350

Toast pumpkins seeds, almonds and sunflower seeds for 12-15 minutes,  cool

Mix almond meal, salt, soda, oil, honey and vanilla in large bowl until just mixed.

Stir in seeds, almonds, coconut and raisins.

Press ingredients into a parchment or foil lined 9X13 pan.

Bake bars for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool completely before cutting...any attempt before completely cool will crumble the bars.

Enjoy!  This recipe is from Ruth Raich's Favorite Recipes of the Jenny Lind Cafe.  She is retired now but her bakery and cafe were amazing.  It lives on in her cookbook.  You can

buy it at Simple Abundance in Red Wing and a few other places along the river road. 

1 1/2 cups red or white Quinoa. I use red but white is an option.

3 cups water

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin seed

1 tsp coriander seed

2 garlic cloves

1/4 tsp salt

Zest of two limes

Juice of two limes

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/2 tsp dry yellow mustard

2/3 cups olive oil

6 dried apricots chopped

1/2 cup dried currants

1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (cilantro, chives,  basil and/or parsley)

Rinse quinoa in a sieve under cold water to wash off protective coating which has a

bitterness to it.

Place quinoa in a sauce pan with water and salt.  Bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes.  Turn off heat, put a lid on the pot and let stand for 30 minute.  Then place quinoa in large bowl to cool.

Toast cumin and coriander seeds in dry skillet until fragrant shaking pan periodically

(about 5 minutes).  Take off heat to cool.

Mince garlic and salt together, place in small bowl and add lime zest, lime juice, and

green onion.

Grind seeds in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.

Whisk seeds, dry mustard and olive oil into lime mixture.

Pour finished dressing over cooled quinoa.

Stir in apricots, currants almonds and herbs and stir well. 

Let salad sit for 2 hours in refrigerator so flavors can meld.

Summer version.  Substitute lemon for the lime.  Substitute fresh fruit for the dried.  I use cherries, peaches or nectarines and blueberries chopped coarse.  Splash them with some lemon juice to keep the fruit fresher.

This is from Ruth Raich's Favorite Recipes of the Jenny Lind Cafe.  She is retired now

but her bakery and cafe were amazing.  It lives on in her cookbook.  You can buy it at

Simple Abundance in Red Wing and a few other places along the river road. ....