Veggie Annie's Skillet: September 27, 2024

Unusually fresh, quick-and-easy meat / vegetarian / vegan recipes for everyone.

Hello, Cooking Friends!

How do I have so much STUFF?! It’s been a summer of sorting, paring down, donating, yard sales, and, more than anything, standing around with my hands on my hips, surveying the piles that still don’t seem much smaller. It’s a privilege to have so much, and also, I’m ready to have less! 

But one precious treasure that I’ve come upon recently is my Dad’s baby book. In 1931, his folks adopted sweet baby Tommy Joe, and then documented tons of darling memories and details -  swatches of the wallpaper in his nursery, lists of gifts for various occasions (so many sweaters! They lived in Chicago, and apparently, no one wanted that babe to get chilly in the Windy City!), telegrams from friends and family addressed to Master Thomas Joseph, welcoming him to the world and the family. My Grandma Ann even wrote out the recipe for his first birthday cake: Wellesley Fudge Cake, baked with nuts, in a loaf pan. It seems like kind of an intense cake for a 1-year-old, but I guess, back in the day, babies were more hard-core than we know! Did they serve black coffee along with the cake to Baby TJ and his pals? Could be!

We made this cake yesterday, and didn’t actually care for it much. It was quite dry, and the frosting was weird and hard to work with -  like an unusually-extra-sticky hot fudge glaze, which, no matter how long we beat it, did not become frosting-textured. Ingredients, baking vessels and ovens change quite a bit over almost a century -  not to mention tastes -  so I didn’t necessarily expect a 1932 recipe to make a perfect-for-me cake in 2024. It was fun to try! Stay tuned in future issues, though, because now I need to make a GREAT Wellesley Fudge Cake. 

Anyway, he would have been 93 this month! I hope you’ll raise a cup of black coffee with me for my lovely Dad. 

Free Subscribers get this silky, incredibly easy Roasted Butternut and Feta Soup, which is gluten-free. Paid Subscribers get these scrumptious Vegan Green Chile Burgers, (also GF) which do take about 40 minutes to put together (plus baking time), but have a very high ROI.

The nights are getting a little cool here in the Mid-Atlantic, and I’m sending you thoughts of crisp blue skies, sweet nostalgia, and loads of Autumnal veggies.

See you in the kitchen!

Love and Kisses,

Veggie Annie