Spry! Best Wedding Gift Ever!

Spry Pure Vegetable Shortening did an amazing job with marketing during the mid 1930s through the mid 1950s. They created a character named Aunt Jenny who appeared in print advertisements and hosted a radio show/soap opera.

(In this case, I guess it would be called a shortening opera.)

DiDi found for me a trippy old recipe booklet called Aunt Jenny's Favorite Recipes which of course all demand Spry.

Check out the front cover:

That handsome fella with his arm around Jenny is the ever dashing DH Calvin. For some reason, he's not referred to as "Uncle", which makes me question the nature of their relationship.

The back cover is equally fun.

The book is filled with techniques and tips for the aspiring homemaker. The back cover tips you off that Jenny likes to help newlyweds.

Who wouldn't want a paper advertocookbooklet and an economy sized can of shortening as a wedding present!

Ain't Spry grand?

Chocolate Fluffernutter Cake

DiDi asked me to make a cake yesterday. She'd bought a Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix and a container of Betty Crocker Whipped Fluffy White Frosting.

  

Being a self-sacrificing sort, I complied.

I'd feel like a poser if I made a cake from a box without kicking things up a notch, so I substituted sour cream for the oil in the recipe and threw in 1/4 bag of mini chocolate chips.

She'd asked for coconut in the icing. Unfortunately I didn't have any, which is a mystery, because the last I knew there were two bags in the cabinet. Is shredded coconut like socks in the laundry, disappearing without a trace?

I wouldn't think so. But I can't explain it.

After accepting my apologies graciously, DiDi's second request was that I melt some peanut butter flavored chocolate chips and spread it around on top.

(I don't suppose I should call them chocolate chips when they aren't chocolate. But "baking chips" sounds a bit snooty, and this way you all know what I mean.)

Turns out the Whipped Fluffy White frosting is rather marshmallowy, and reminds me of Fluff.

I melted the chips with a bit of oil to help with consistency, and poured it in stripes atop the frosted cake, then pulled a spatula through in an attempt to make it look fancy. The peanut butter goo was a bit thick to cooperate fully, but the marbling wasn't bad. And the flavor combo is an absolute winner!

Yum! DiDi's suggestion was brilliant!  It was like a fluffernutter sandwich with chocolate cake as the bread!

Next time I might just mix peanut butter with confectioners sugar and milk to make a softer consistency... the chip goo hardened back up so that the prettiness factor is disrupted in the cutting. But other than that, the combination is fabulous.

Luckily we had guests last night so we aren't forced to eat the whole thing ourselves. Because that would be sad.

Wouldn't it?

What's for dinner May 31, 2011

Last night's menu included salad, discount strip steaks (surprisingly tender, so I'm guessing the bones remaining in each one contributed to the low price), Hawaiian garlic toast, "Ranch Rings", and sautéed mushrooms and onions.

Dessert was a small handful of chocolate chips, eaten slowly.

I had the quasi-brilliant idea of making lower fat onion rings (aka Ranch Rings) by baking them in a coat of potato chips. Given that nearly a quarter bag of chips was used in the creation of the dish, I'm not sure that the lower fat concept was a success. I ran out of chips and patience before I ran out of sliced onions (hence the mushroom sauté).

Turns out making onion rings is tedious. It's exactly the kind of cooking I dislike.

I sliced the onions in thick rings, powdered them with flour, dredged them in beaten egg, and then pressed crushed onion-and-sour-cream potato chips on them. I think I needed the crumbs to be smaller, because they put up a fight and didn't want to stay on.

Next time--if there IS a next time--I will pulverize the suckers.

Luckily I have only one baking sheet, because by the time it was full, I'd had my fill. I generally don't mind tedious tasks because I go into a zone of semi-consciousness that is rather pleasurable. I'm not sure why coating things for frying doesn't put me there. It must take too much concentration.

Which seems weird.

But into the 400 degree oven they went. After about 20 minutes they came out.

(Apologies for the bad image quality...)

The onion was nicely cooked, and the coating had browned, but unevenly. I should have turned them over sooner than I did.

DiDi thought they were delish. I still held a grudge, so initially gave them an "OK" rating, but they grew on me.

Now I'm thinking of variants, not that I'm eager to enter back into THAT battle. I wonder how they would come out using ranch dressing mix in place of the flour, and regular chips instead of flavored? Possibly too salty?

DiDi's a southern girl. Maybe I could do the mise en place and she could take care of all the dredging.

I'll keep you posted.