Cindy’s Coconut Cake
Here is Cindy Pool’s recipe for coconut cake. She got it from her sister when they were visiting her in Greece over 25 years ago.
Cake:
1 box white cake mix
1 cup water
3 eggs
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup flaked coconut
Preheat oven to 350.
Grease and flour two round eight or nine-inch cake pans. In a large bowl, on medium speed, combine first six ingredients. Fold in one cup of coconut. Divide batter into two pans. Bake for approximately 30 to 35 minutes, until cakes come away from sides of pans. Cool on racks for seven minutes, then remove and cool completely.
Frosting:
3 oz. white baking chocolate, chopped into bits
21/4 cup heavy cream, divided
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 cups flaked coconut, divided
Soften chocolate with a quarter cup cream in microwave or in bain marie. Cool. In chilled bowl beat two cups cream with confectioners sugar until soft peaks form. Add cooled white chocolate and beat until firm. Frost middle and sprinkle with some coconut. Then frost and sprinkle rest of cake. Chill. Bring to room temperature to serve.
Tomato Beef Chow Mein
From the “Adventures in Oriental Cooking” cookbook by Ortho, by way of Jane Bimson.
1/2 lb. flank steak, cut in strips, 1/8 inch wide and 11/2 inch long
Marinade (Jane’s family usually doubles the marinade.)
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sherry
1/2 tsp. salt
1 clove of garlic minced
Noodles
2 qts. water
1 lb. Chinese style egg noodles or vermicelli pasta
2 tsp. soy sauce
Salad oil for frying
Gravy (They usually double the gravy, too.)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce, Worcestershire and cornstarch
3 Tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 cup water
4 Tbsp. oil
Salt to taste
2 large stalks celery, sliced diagonally 1/8 in. thick
1 medium onion, cut in wedges, layers separated
1 green pepper, cut in bite-size pieces
3 medium tomatoes, cut in 6 wedges each
Marinate meat in marinade and set aside.
Heat two quarts of water to boiling, add noodles, stir, and again bring to a boil. Cook two to three minutes and drain. Toss noodles in two tablespoons soy sauce and two tablespoons oil.
Heat two tablespoons oil in a nonstick frying pan. Spread a quarter of the noodles in the pan over high heat until lightly browned. Turn sheet of noodles to brown other side. Repeat with rest of noodles. Add oil as needed.
Prepare gravy.
Heat two tablespoons oil in a wok or large frying pan. Sprinkle salt over the oil and stir-fry onions and celery for two minutes. Add green peppers and cook one minute. Remove from pan.
Heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil in wok, and stir-fry marinated meat for one minute or until browned on the outside. Add vegetables. Stir gravy to recombine ingredients. Pour over meat and vegetables. Stir and cook until sauce thickens.
Stack pan-fried noodles on a platter and cover with meat sauce.
To make serving easier, cut fried noodles into smaller portions or fry in six-inch frying pan.