Happy New Year, 2019!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons blanched slivered almonds
1 tablespoon white sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and grease a 8 inch round cake pan. Cream the butter and sugar together, then stir in the flour and mix until mealy. Add the eggs, baking powder and milk, mixing well. Then combine the lemon juice and baking soda, stir into the batter. Pour into the prepared cake pan.

Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then flip onto cooling rack. Add the coin(s) to the bottom while cooling. (Put on a lazy susan and spin so you don't know where it is.) Once cool, flip right side up onto a plate and decorate with sugar and almonds.

Things we did differently this year:
1. We used multiple coins, and that was more fun. There was still one special winner - the buffalo nickel.
2. The coins sink to the bottom while baking, so you might as well just put it in after its baked. That also keeps them from getting messy.
4. We should cut all the slices first, and decide who gets which slice, before serving. This prevents spoiling the surprise.

5. I put the coins in a bag at the back of the napkin drawer for next year. (I keep forgetting.

)

Lenten Clam Chowder

We listened to some of the Boxcar Children audio books during our summer vacation last year, and everyone was especially drawn to the descriptions of their yummy meals. We were delighted to find a Boxcar Children Cookbook, and tried some of our favorites over the next few months.

The clam chowder is my favorite, and I knew I needed to adapt it for Lent. It is a big hit. The instructions say serve immediately, but I have also made ahead and reheated in a crock pot for potluck with no problem. The original is in the image, but my adaptation is below!


Lenten Clam Chowder

• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• optional: 1 celery stick and 1 carrot stick, diced
• 1 cup peeled/cubed potatoes
• 2 cups water (or clam juice)
• 1 6.5 oz can minced clams
• 2 cups coconut milk (1 can + enough water or clam juice to make 2 cups)
• 2 TBSPs coconut oil
• 2 TBSPs flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Melt coconut oil in large saucepan over low heat. 
2. Add onion (and optional celery/carrots), and cook until soft.
3. Carefully add potatoes and water. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until potatoes are done, about 20 minutes.
4. Add clams and cook 2 minutes.
5. Add coconut milk and cook 5 minutes.
6. Melt coconut oil, and mix with flour, salt, and pepper. Add to chowder. Cook, stirring constantly until the chowder is thick and hot. Serve immediately. 

Lazarakia

I have been wanting to make Lazarakia, and this year I finally did, although, just barely. I waited until about 9 PM to start the recipe on Lazarus Saturday to take to church for our Palm Sunday feast. I was up until after midnight making the bread!

I used the recipe from St. Theophan's Academy with only a few changes. I shortened the rising time (since I waited until 9 to start!), and I didn't add the sticky glaze - I just thought it would be too messy for church. I did brush them with olive oil and sprinkle with a mix of cinammon and sugar just before going in the oven, and that made a sweet, non-messy finish. I also left out the ground clove, but used cloves for the eyes.

Also, I couldn't find a gingerbread man cookie cutter! That seemed like such a simple way to go. Instead I braided ropes about 3" long and smooshed a little ball on one end for the head. I saw this somewhere online, and I like how it looks like a shroud. This was very time consuming, but a nice end result, and I spent it quietly listening to "Rejoice, O Bethany."

Koulourakia

A friend of mine asked me to try his recipe for Koulourakia. And given my love for baking things in funny shapes, I've made these many times now. They're kind of like the Christmas butter cookies I grew up with, but not nearly as dry. Plus, they're super pretty with sesame seeds sprinkled on top, and they go nicely with hot coffee in the morning. 

There appear to be as many variations of this recipe as there are Greek bloggers. :) This recipe is close to the one I used, but this one is nice, too, with lots of pictures. I took some pictures to show how I twisted the shapes. A good recipe will make a strong dough that's not too sticky so they twist up quickly and nicely.