Blog

May 08, 2024

A Little Inspiration From Stella's Kitchen

When I was a little boy, I stayed with Stella Vance during the day while mom worked. I loved Stella dearly and she was like a second mom to me and was one of the best cooks I have ever known. Stella’s

When I was a little boy, I stayed with Stella Vance during the day while mom worked. I loved Stella dearly and she was like a second mom to me and was one of the best cooks I have ever known. Stella’s kitchen was not large or fancy, but could she ever turn out some fine food. Everything Stella cooked was just delicious, and to this day I remember many things she prepared.

One of the things I especially remember was her Banana Cake with delicious icing, and I must confess that I have been on a lifelong quest to find one that comes close. Every banana cake recipe I see catches my eye, and I think, “Could this be it?” So far I haven’t found it. Boy, if I had only known then what I know now! That being said, I do have good banana cake recipe to share with you today, and I’m interested in what ever one you may have, because it just might be “the one!”

Now, I have two German potato salads for you today. I think whatever the country, no two people make potato salad exactly the same unless they are strictly following the same recipe. In Germany, there are really two main types of potato salad—the chilled one in the north and the warm “bacon” one in the south. And within that framework, the variations are endless, each cook tweaking in a personal way—just like here! Try them both, and I bet you’ll like both, too!

There are some other good recipes for you today, and I hope you’ll find something you like. Make it a good week!

Banana Bundt Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

Cake:

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 & 2/3 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 & 3/4 cups mashed very ripe bananas, approx 4 bananas

1 cup sour cream

Brown Sugar Icing:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 Tbs. mil

1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. With a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and beat for another minute, at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add vanilla, then beat in one egg at a time. Mix in bananas (the mixture might curdle, that’s okay). Add half of the dry ingredients, sour cream, and then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing between each addition. Thoroughly grease a 12-cup bundt pan and add the batter to the pan. Rap the pan on the counter a couple times (to remove air bubbles), then smooth out the top. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Loosely cover the cake with foil if it starts to get dark (this was around 30 minutes for me). Place the pan on a wire rack until it is cool enough to handle, then carefully unmold the cake and place it back on the rack to cool completely.

Icing:

In a small saucepan combine butter, brown sugar and milk. Bring to a simmer, whisking frequently and cook until the sugar is dissolved, a minute or two. Remove from the heat and cool for five minutes. Add vanilla, whisking to combine. Add powdered sugar one-fourth cup at a time, whisking vigorously, until you reach your desired consistency. The icing will start to firm up quickly so have the cake cooled and ready. Drizzle the icing over the cake and immediately sprinkle with nuts. The icing will set in a matter of minutes.

Hot German Potato Salad

9 potatoes

2 tsp. salt

6 slices bacon

1/2 tsp. celery seed

3/4 cup chopped onions.

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

2 Tbs. all-purpose flour.

3/4 cup water

2 Tbs. white sugar.

1/3 cup distilled white vinegar

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, cool, peel and slice thin. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside, reserving drippings. Place onions in bacon drippings over medium heat until they are golden brown. Whisk flour, sugar, salt, celery seed and pepper together in a small bowl; stir into onions and cook until bubbling, then remove from heat. Stir in water and vinegar bringing to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, and simmer for one minute. Gently stir bacon and sliced potatoes into the onion mixture until potatoes are hover medium heat, stirring constantly, and simmer for one minute.

Chilled German Potato Salad

Note: Made with fresh ingredients and tangy dressing, this classic German Potato is perfect for any occasion!

2 lbs. potatoes (Yukon Gold or Red potatoes).

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 Tbs. honey

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley.

Salt and pepper to tadte

Rinse the potatoes and place them in a large pot with enough water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes and let them cool for a few minutes. Once they’re cool enough to handle, cut them into bite-sized pieces and place them in a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped onions, celery, and parsley to the bowl with the potatoes. In a separate bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, vegetable or olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper until well combined. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and stir until all the ingredients are evenly coated. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together. Serve the kartoffelsalat chilled as a side dish with your favorite German meal or as a main course.

Lemon Icebox Cake

8 oz cream cheese softened

2 (3.4 oz.) boxes lemon instant pudding mix

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice about 3 large lemons

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 & 1/2 cups milk

1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip

1 (14.4 oz.) box graham crackers

Toppings: (Optional)

Lemon zest

Raspberries

Sliced lemons, wedged or curled

Blueberries

Using a hand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about two minutes. To the same bowl add instant lemon pudding powder, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Use a hand mixer again to blend until uniform in consistency and bright yellow. Slowly pour in the milk and mix until minimal lumps are left. Add the cool whip and fold in with a rubber spatula. Using a 9x13 casserole dish, spread one-half cup of pudding mixture onto the bottom, similar to how you would lasagna. Layer the crackers as best you can, in one layer. You may need to break pieces of graham crackers to fit the shape and close in the spaces of your casserole dish. Pour one-third of the remaining pudding mixture on top of the graham crackers and spread evenly. Repeat: graham crackers, pudding mixture, graham crackers, pudding mixture. Freeze for four hours or refrigerate overnight. Remove from the freezer and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes on the counter to soften before cutting. Finish with lemon zest and fresh raspberries.

The Famous Ritz Carlton Hotel 1920’s Tea Room Lemon Pound Cake.

This is the kind of recipe that keeps getting handed down. It’s that GOOD and perfectly classic.

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbs. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

3 cups sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup shortening, room temperature

5 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

6 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or butter and flour two loaf pans or one large Bundt pan. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, shortening and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating until well blended after each one. Add dry ingredients in three additions to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Mix in lemon juice and zest. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for 15 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely.

Chocolate Butter Pecan Bundt Cake

Note: This cake is similar to the Louisiana Stranger Cake

Cake:

1 (18.25 oz.) box Betty Crocker Butter Pecan Cake Mix

1 cup canola oil

1 cup heavy whipping cream

4 large eggs beaten

1 (16 oz.) can German Chocolate or Chocolate frosting

1 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Chocolate Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbs. unsalted butter softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 to 3 Tbs. water

2 heaping Tbs. cocoa powder

Cake:

Mix all ingredients except sugar and stir well. Pour into a well-greased and floured 15-inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle with sugar. (I used between three and four tablespoonfuls). Bake at 350 degrees for about 60 minutes or until a knife or bamboo skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake completely.

Chocolate Icing:

Whisk softened butter, cocoa, powdered sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl until combined. Add only as much water as needed to get ingredients to spreading consistency. Drizzle Chocolate Icing over cooled cake. Allow icing to set about 15 to30 minutes before covering with plastic wrap. (Note: This recipe makes a lot of batter. You need a 15-inch bundt pan, or put it in a large bundt pan and a small bundt pan. Otherwise, the recipe may overflow. I recommend filling it so that it has at least a one-and-a-half inch border at the top so the batter can expand while baking. You may want to put a cookie sheet under the pan to catch drips while baking.)