Marguerites Cookbook

A cooking blog all about making vintage recipes from a cookbook we inherited from our grandmother

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March 11, 2017 by: Shannon and Aaron

Carrot Casserole

CarrotCasseroleHeader

Today, we decided it was time to spice up some vegetables. Don’t get me wrong, I like vegetables, but sometimes plain old vegetables gets boring. Marguerite made several vegetable “casseroles” that made veggies more exciting. The ingredient that provided that excitement was french fried onions and she used them on several different recipes. This week, we made a carrot casserole.

Carrot Casserole

Here’s what Marguerite had to say:

Carrot Casserole Recipe

This recipe was extremely simple.  The hardest parts were splitting the cream of celery soup in half and waiting for the oven to preheat! This carrot casserole recipe will be so easy to add to any meal and you can squeeze it into the oven while your main course is cooking, too.

Carrot Casserole

To be honest, I feel like every recipe lately has had some “cream of” soup in it. Even though its feeling a little repetitive, these carrots were really good. The celery soup helped keep the carrots from drying out in the oven. Those two main ingredients combined together perfectly to make a delicious vegetable dish. Then, adding the french fried onions to the top made it even better. The crunch and flavor of the fried onions really make this recipe extra special.

Carrot Casserole

Vegetable casseroles like this carrot casserole are popular in our family still. These recipes frequently come out at large family gatherings, which make me remember Marguerite now that she’s gone. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks certain recipes bring her to mind more than others.

Carrot Casserole

Carrot Casserole
Print Recipe
  • CourseAppetizers and Sides
Servings Prep Time
4-6 people 5 minutes
Cook Time
20-25 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4-6 people 5 minutes
Cook Time
20-25 minutes
Carrot Casserole
Print Recipe
  • CourseAppetizers and Sides
Servings Prep Time
4-6 people 5 minutes
Cook Time
20-25 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4-6 people 5 minutes
Cook Time
20-25 minutes
Ingredients
  • 2 cans sliced carrots
  • 1 can cream of celery soup
  • 1 can french fried onions
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease bottom of casserole dish.
  2. Put one can of carrots on the bottom of the casserole dish.
  3. Spoon 1/2 the can of celery soup on top, then another can of carrots, and the remaining soup.
  4. Cover and cook at 375 until it bubbles, about 15-20 minutes.
  5. Uncover, put on onions, and bake for 5 minutes.
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March 4, 2017 by: Shannon and Aaron

Cocktail Reubens

cocktailreubensheader

Shannon and I both like to invite friends over and have dinner parties periodically; a trait I think we both inherited from other members of each of our respective families. Marguerite played host frequently with her friends and their families, as well as for her bridge club. This cocktail reubens recipe would be an appetizer to share before dinner at one of these gatherings. I can imagine they were popular at Marguerite’s parties, even if they weren’t so popular with us.

 

Here is what Marguerite had to say:

coctail reubens recipe

 

Now, both Shannon and I don’t like one part of this recipe and that’s the sauerkraut. Shannon disdain for sauerkraut is so intense, that she abandoned me while I made this recipe and wouldn’t come back until all the sauerkraut was gone. Like she completely left the house for an hour and a half. So for that reason, we didn’t want any leftovers and made as little as possible. Also, I couldn’t find “party rye” anywhere, so I just got regular sized rye bread and cut it into smaller pieces.

 

IMG_2339

This was a really simple recipe and took almost no time at all to throw together. For that reason, it is a great party appetizer choice. Reuben sandwiches have many complex flavors, and the fact that this simple appetizer can include all those flavors without difficult preparation is a plus. I did not enjoy opening the can of sauerkraut. That initial punch of smell really got me, but after that I was able to push on.

IMG_2345

I actually really liked these cocktail reubens. I ended up eating quite a few and by the end, the sauerkraut overwhelmed me. However, in a social situation with these and a variety of foods, I would definitely pick one of these up. I think Shannon would have liked them sans sauerkraut. My mom really likes sauerkraut and she remembered having these courtesy of Marguerite. She, of course, liked them a lot and in her words “considered them a delightful treat!”  I might not go that far, but this was a successful recipe with great flavors, whether one chooses to enjoy those certain flavors or not.

IMG_2340

Cocktail Reubens
Print Recipe
  • CourseAppetizers and Sides
Servings Prep Time
12 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
6 minutes
Servings Prep Time
12 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
6 minutes
Cocktail Reubens
Print Recipe
  • CourseAppetizers and Sides
Servings Prep Time
12 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
6 minutes
Servings Prep Time
12 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
6 minutes
Ingredients
  • Rye bread
  • Thousand Island dressing
  • corned beef thinly sliced
  • sauerkraut drained
  • 3 slices swiss cheese
Servings: pieces
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. If using full slices of rye bread, cut into smaller pieces. Spread thousand island dressing on each slice.
  3. Top each slice of bread with a slice of corned beef. Cover with 1 tbsp of sauerkraut and 1/4 slice of Swiss cheese.
  4. Place on baking sheet and bake at 400 for 6-8 minutes - until cheese melts and they are heated through.
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February 25, 2017 by: Shannon and Aaron

Chicken in Rice

chickeninriceheader

Chicken dishes were some of the most plentiful recipes that graced the table during family dinners at Marguerite’s house in my life time. They were most frequently casseroles or plain baked chicken, but Marguerite did lots of chicken recipes. While I don’t remember this chicken in rice recipe from any Sunday dinners with her, I would have enjoyed it a lot.

Chicken in Rice

Here’s what Marguerite had to say:

Chicken in Rice recipe

Now there was one thing that did confuse me in this recipe: minute rice. I asked my mom, and found out that Minute Rice was a brand of quick cook rice. Turns out it does still exist, but I decided to go with a 90 second microwave option of another brand instead. Mixing all the ingredients was very simple and this was a very easy recipe to prepare. This was the second recipe where I’ve browned chicken before baking it (the first was the Chicken and Mushrooms recipe). I really like the way the chicken looks and turns out.

Chicken in Rice

I did end up baking this recipe for the entire 40 minutes because I felt that the rice mixture was still too watery after the first 30. I wasn’t sure I was happy after the 40 either, but I was already afraid I had over baked the chicken. After it cooled a bit out of the oven, the mixture thickened and it looked better. I did feel the chicken got a little dry, but it was still tasty. We both like this chicken in rice recipe alright. Shannon felt it was a little too similar to a casserole, but still liked it okay. I enjoyed some of the flavors in the rice mixture. I couldn’t tell exactly which ones I liked the most, but I think it was some of the flavors from the condensed soup. In the end, I do think my favorite part of this recipe is its simplicity. So if you are looking for a quick and simple chicken recipe for dinner, give this one a try!

Chicken in Rice

Chicken in Rice
Print Recipe
  • CourseMain Dish
Servings Prep Time
4 10 minutes
Cook Time
30-40 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 10 minutes
Cook Time
30-40 minutes
Chicken in Rice
Print Recipe
  • CourseMain Dish
Servings Prep Time
4 10 minutes
Cook Time
30-40 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 10 minutes
Cook Time
30-40 minutes
Ingredients
  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
  • 1 tbsp minced onion
  • Dash of pepper
  • 1 tbsp parsley
  • 1/2 tsp celery flakes
  • 1/8 tsp thyme
  • 1 1/3 cups water
  • 1 1/3 cups minute rice
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Mix all ingredients together other than the chicken.
  3. Brown chicken in butter.
  4. Place rice mixture in baking dish. Place chicken in rice.
  5. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes.
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February 18, 2017 by: Shannon and Aaron

Cream Cheese Brownies

cream cheese brownies header

I’m not sure if I’ve made it clear enough (although I think I have), but I love desserts. Chocolate desserts might be my favorite, and brownies are near the top of the list. Since its been a few weeks since our last dessert, the Southern Lane Cake, I think it’s time to do another. These cream cheese brownies were a great treat.

Cream Cheese Brownies

Here’s what Marguerite’s friend Susie Matha had to say:

cream cheese brownies recipe

Susie also gave us the Coffee Cake recipe, which is one of my favorite recipes I think we’ve done on Marguerite’s Cookbook. So when it came time to make these brownies, I was hopeful they would be as much of a success as the coffee cake. To be honest, these brownies didn’t quite live up to the coffee cake, but they were still tasty. It was fun to make brownies completely from scratch, and we enjoyed working on making each of the layers for this interesting brownie recipe.

Brownies Cream Cheese

The cream cheese brownies turned out really nice. They were soft and moist and had great flavor. Both the chocolate layers and cream cheese layers were delicious, and the two mixed together well to make a wonderful brownie. We both enjoyed these brownies, and they disappeared pretty fast. I’m sure we’ll be making these again!

Marble Brownies

Cream Cheese Brownies
Print Recipe
  • CourseDesserts
Prep Time
25 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
25 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Cream Cheese Brownies
Print Recipe
  • CourseDesserts
Prep Time
25 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
25 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Ingredients
Chocolate Layer
  • 4 oz Baker's German Sweet Chocolate
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
Cheese Layer
  • 3 oz cream cheese
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Melt chocolate and 3 tablespoons of butter over very low heat. Stir frequently. Cool.
  3. To make cheese layer, cream 3 ounces of cream cheese with 2 tablespoons of butter. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, creaming until fluffy. Blend in 1 egg, 1 tablespoon flour, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Set aside.
  4. To make chocolate layer, beat 2 eggs until lightly colored. Slowly add 3/4 cups sugar; beat until thickened. Add 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 cup flour.
  5. Blend in chocolate mixture, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract.
  6. Spread half the chocolate batter in a greased 8 or 9 inch square pan. Top with cheese mixture. Spoon remaining chocolate patter over top. Zigzag knife through batter to marble. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
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February 11, 2017 by: Shannon and Aaron

Fruit Bread

Fruit Bread header

I don’t know about you, but sometimes it definitely makes me feel better to bake. And eat the thing I’ve baked, but that’s besides the point. However, I really enjoyed making this “Fruit Bread” while we are in the depths of winter here in Chicago. It was also a great way to use up any extra candied cherries you might have leftover from making a delicious batch of Christmas cake cookies.

Here’s what Marguerite had to say:

Fruit Bread Recipe

I was really looking forward to making this bread, since our other bread recipes here at Marguerite’s Cookbook have been very successful. I was happy with how the bread turned out, but it sure was a process to get there! First of all, it took quite a while to chop up the candied cherries and they were extremely sticky of course. Then, as you may imagine, four cups of flour and a bunch of nuts and fruits make for a very thick batter. I was exhausted by the time the bread was all mixed together.

Fruit Bread

I did have a little trouble baking this bread. It seemed that when the time was up, the insides where just barely done but the bottom crust got burned a little bit. I suppose I may have put the bread too close to the bottom of the oven. That little issue aside, the fruit bread turned out to be quite tasty. The combination of candied fruit, nuts (we used walnuts), and orange juice added vibrant flavors to an already sweet tasting bread.

Fruit Bread

We both really enjoyed this bread. I’ll probably have some with my morning coffee, but its so sweet this may be more of a dessert bread. This might not be my favorite bread so far, but it is definitely close. I’m looking forward to sharing this with my coworkers, and I’m sure they’ll be happy to see some more delicious food coming into work with me.

Fruit Bread

Fruit Bread
Print Recipe
  • CourseAppetizers and Sides
Servings Prep Time
2 loaves 40 minutes
Cook Time
45-50 minutes
Servings Prep Time
2 loaves 40 minutes
Cook Time
45-50 minutes
Fruit Bread
Print Recipe
  • CourseAppetizers and Sides
Servings Prep Time
2 loaves 40 minutes
Cook Time
45-50 minutes
Servings Prep Time
2 loaves 40 minutes
Cook Time
45-50 minutes
Ingredients
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup corn oil
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup chopped nuts
  • 2 cups chopped candied fruit
Servings: loaves
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Beat together eggs and sugar.
  3. Sift together dry ingredients and add to eggs and sugar.
  4. Add the oil and orange juice.
  5. Chop the candied fruit and nuts (if not already done).
  6. Fold into batter.
  7. Grease and flour two loaf pans and fill with batter. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.
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February 4, 2017 by: Shannon and Aaron

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

shrimpcocktailsauceheader

Happy Super Bowl weekend! Well, it may not be a happy one for many of you if like me, your team did not make it to the big game. Yet Super Bowl Sunday is still a big day for many football fans, fans of sport, and people who love to throw big parties. Super Bowl parties are some of the biggest parties based around a single event I’ve seen. The spread at a party can be really important, and shrimp cocktail sauce is just one of the many options for your party’s spread. If you want to try something new and make a cocktail sauce from scratch, we have Marguerite’s recipe for you.

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

Here’s what Marguerite had to say:

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

Now you might be saying ‘why would i want to make cocktail sauce from scratch?’ And there may not be many reasons now-a-days. The likely hood that you have the other three ingredients already lying around at home and then accidentally grab the Chili Sauce from the store instead of a bottle of pre-made Cocktail Sauce is slim, but that would be one reason. However, the reasoning behind this recipe is fascinating.

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

Since I couldn’t figure out the reasoning behind this recipe, I asked my mom about it. She thought she could remember a time early in her life where chili sauce was abundantly available, but couldn’t remember bottled cocktail sauce real well. I did some research and found that shrimp cocktail sauce was first mass produced and began to be made commercially available around 1950. (Okay, Shannon did the research because she is an internet genius.) Now while Marguerite could have mostly likely been getting premixed cocktail sauce the entire time my mom could remember, she may not have. And at the very least she would have needed a way to make cocktail sauce by hand before it was readily available.

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

Now I’m not an avid consumer of cocktail sauce, but I did like our home made shrimp cocktail sauce. I did prefer the look of our sauce. In my opinion, it looked better than a pre-made cocktail sauce and who doesn’t love something homemade over store bought? If you have a party this weekend or in the future and want to try something new, why not give Marguerite’s shrimp cocktail sauce a try!

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce
Print Recipe
  • CourseAppetizers and Sides
Servings Prep Time
3/4 cup 5 minutes
Passive Time
30 minutes
Servings Prep Time
3/4 cup 5 minutes
Passive Time
30 minutes
Shrimp Cocktail Sauce
Print Recipe
  • CourseAppetizers and Sides
Servings Prep Time
3/4 cup 5 minutes
Passive Time
30 minutes
Servings Prep Time
3/4 cup 5 minutes
Passive Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
  • 1/3 cup chilli sauce
  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 2 tbsp horseradish
  • 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
Servings: cup
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients and refrigerate.
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January 28, 2017 by: Shannon and Aaron

Hot Sausage Sandwiches

sausagesandwichesheader

Summer is just around the corner and so is hot dog cookout season. Okay, so that is a cruel lie since we are still in the dead of winter. But today we have a relative of the hot dog that is a good sandwich for this time of year. Marguerite’s teaching friend Marvelle’s Hot Sausage Sandwiches are a simple and easy meal that don’t take much work but are pretty darn tasty.

Hot Sausage Sandwiches

Here’s what Marguerite (and Marvelle) had to say:

Hot Sausage Sandwich Recipe

I love the details like specifically where to get the meat! Unfortunately, we’re at least 500 miles and some 50-60 years removed from the Mall Butcher Block, whatever that means. Maybe that’s a bigger deal than I thought, since I couldn’t find “sweet” sausage. I went for some fresh mild Italian sausage instead.

Hot Sausage Sandwich

This recipe was extremely simple having only four ingredients, not including water. I was able to quickly and easily chop up the veggies and get everything into the pot to simmer. Since I started by chopping the vegetables I also decided to toss them in the pot first. That was a mistake, because then I wanted to put the partially fried sausages closer to the bottom, and had to do quite a bit of shuffling of veggies to make it happen.  After that, the simmering went smoothly and cooking was underway.

Hot Sausage Sandwiches

I made sure to get good sandwich rolls, since I figured an Italian sausage covered in peppers and onions would require a hearty roll. Remember that time I didn’t listen to Marguerite’s advice and got cheap buns for our Pittsburgh Ham Barbecue Sandwiches? Well, lesson learned. Don’t these just look great in those buns?

Hot Sausage Sandwich

Now I’m not a huge fan of spicy things, so meals like hot sausage sandwiches don’t always sound appealing to me. However, since I used mild sausage it wasn’t too bad. I thought that the flavor of the meat turned out nice with the inclusion of the tomato paste being a nice addition. I also really like use of peppers and onions, which Marguerite does in quite a few different recipes. Overall, these hot sausage sandwiches were a success and a nice hearty but simple sandwich.

Hot Sausage Sandwich

Hot Sausage Sandwiches
Print Recipe
  • CourseMain Dish
Servings Prep Time
4 sandwiches 20 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours
Servings Prep Time
4 sandwiches 20 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours
Hot Sausage Sandwiches
Print Recipe
  • CourseMain Dish
Servings Prep Time
4 sandwiches 20 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours
Servings Prep Time
4 sandwiches 20 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs Mild or Sweet Italian sausage
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 1 can water
  • 1 onion cut up
  • 4 green peppers cut up
Servings: sandwiches
Instructions
  1. Cut up green peppers and onions.
  2. Cut sausages into serving sized pieces if necessary. Fry to remove grease.
  3. Put sausages in a heavy pan and add the onion, peppers, tomato paste, and one can of water.
  4. Cover and simmer two hours.
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January 21, 2017 by: Shannon and Aaron

Chicken and Mushrooms

ChickenandMushroomsHeader This week we decided we would take a break from desserts (I’m sure we’ll make more soon) and leftover casseroles to make an actual meal. This chicken and mushrooms recipe is healthier than some and has a relatively short ingredient list. The instructions were interesting and included things I had not encountered before, which was fun!

Here’s what Marguerite had to say:

Chicken and mushrooms recipe

First thing, this recipe threw me a curve ball. I had never browned the outside of a chicken breast and then removed it from heat to cook other parts of the meal. I found this incredibly interesting and I still don’t know why this recipe called for that, but it ended up working out just fine! I have really grown to like mushrooms since I was little. Mushrooms were on that long list of foods I didn’t like because I had never tried them before . . . Anyway . . . the smell of the mushrooms and garlic cooking made us excited to try this.

Chicken and Mushrooms

The next step was to add the wine. In looking up types of wines used in cooking, I found that the best choice for a chicken dish like this was a dry, oaky white. I ended up choosing a Chardonnay. After adding the chicken stock and stirring everything together, it was time to put the chicken breasts back in.

Chicken Mushrooms

While Marguerite didn’t suggest this, we decided that after eight or nine minutes of cooking we should flip the chicken breasts over to finish them. We even ended up cooking the chicken longer than Marguerite suggested (something I never thought I would do!) We decided to pair it with rice, although mashed potatoes would have been a delicious addition to this chicken and mushrooms recipe as well.

Mushrooms and Chicken

The chicken stock, wine, garlic, and parsley really soaked in to both the chicken and mushrooms. Cooking the chicken in the amount of liquid present at a lower temperature helped the meat soak up the liquid and not dry out. The chicken was tasty, but for me the real star of this dish was the mushrooms. Shannon is more a fan of mushrooms in creamy dishes, so she wasn’t as crazy about this.  In the end, this chicken and mushrooms recipe was a success but was still rather simple. If you like mushrooms or do chicken a lot and need another recipe to mix it up, this is definitely one to keep in mind.

Mushrooms Chicken

Chicken and Mushrooms
Print Recipe
  • CourseMain Dish
Servings
2 chicken breasts
Cook Time
30 minutes
Servings
2 chicken breasts
Cook Time
30 minutes
Chicken and Mushrooms
Print Recipe
  • CourseMain Dish
Servings
2 chicken breasts
Cook Time
30 minutes
Servings
2 chicken breasts
Cook Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
Servings: chicken breasts
Instructions
  1. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to skillet on high heat. Brown each side of the chicken breasts and then remove chicken from heat.
  2. Add another tbsp of olive oil, then the mushrooms and garlic. Cover and cook three minutes. Then uncover and cook mushrooms until brown over medium heat.
  3. Add the wine and increase heat to high. Cook until about half the wine has cooked off.
  4. Add the chicken stock and parsley and reduce heat to half.
  5. Add chicken. Cook 6-8 minutes per side, or until done.
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January 14, 2017 by: Shannon and Aaron

Southern Lane Cake

Southern Lane Cake Header

I hope everyone out there is having a good start to their new year. Some of you may be working on a resolution to eat healthier. While we are also attempting that goal, there is an important milestone that requires this week’s recipe to be a cake. It’s Marguerite’s Cookbook’s birthday! That’s right, we launched Marguerite’s Cookbook a whole year ago, and knew that we wanted to do one of Marguerite’s many cake recipes as a birthday treat to ourselves. This Southern Lane Cake turned out to be an excellent choice that was fun to make and delicious to eat.

Southern Lane Cake

Here’s what Marguerite had to say:

Southern Lane Cake Recipe

As usual, the planning for this recipe required a little more work than just reading Marguerite’s notes. I had to research how long to bake the layers for, what a cooked white frosting was (more on that later), and a little more about just what a Southern Lane Cake was. That’s where I discovered that some fillings or icings included things like nuts, which is why I decided to put some almonds on top of the cake.

Southern Lane Cake up close

As you may or may not be able to tell, there are only three layers in the final product here. I’d like to say that is on purpose, but of course I made a little mistake and was forced into the decision. We have a tiny oven in our current kitchen, and it was a struggle fitting two 8″ and two 9″ pans into it. On top of that, the two sets of pans are not the same ages and not the same shade of aluminum. In the end, one of the four layers burned while the others turned out great, so the height of our cake was decided for me. I do think a three layer cake looks great though!

Southern Lane Cake with piece

I also had some trouble in attempting to make a homemade icing, so instead I just used some plain store bought white icing. That is why there is no accompanying icing recipe to go along with the cake. As great as it can be to make something by hand, Marguerite knew the value of making it easier when she needed to, too! In my opinion, the lack of homemade icing did not take away from this cake at all!

Southern Lane Cake piece

This “blogiversary” cake was delicious. I used to not like cakes with fillings, or filling that wasn’t more icing. Now that I am older and wiser I have seen the error of my ways and am less narrow-minded towards filled cakes. The actual cake parts cooked great, and were light and moist. The combination of the cake, cherry pie filling, and icing worked very well together to make this a very enjoyable dessert. Shannon agreed that this cake was tasty, but was happy to see it go to work with me so we didn’t eat it all.

Southern Lane Cake

My favorite part of this Southern Lane Cake was putting it together and decorating it with Shannon. She took a Wilton cake decorating class before so she is the resident cake expert. Making icing walls to hold the cherry pie filling and stacking the layers on top of each other together was a lot of fun. I also love spreading icing, so I got to do that over the whole cake, too. Here’s to the first year of Marguerite’s Cookbook. Thanks for spending some time with us and with Marguerite. We had a great first year, and hope to have many more to come!

Southern Lane Cake

Southern Lane Cake
Print Recipe
  • CourseDesserts
Servings Prep Time
1 cake 25 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20-25 minutes 1 hour
Servings Prep Time
1 cake 25 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20-25 minutes 1 hour
Southern Lane Cake
Print Recipe
  • CourseDesserts
Servings Prep Time
1 cake 25 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20-25 minutes 1 hour
Servings Prep Time
1 cake 25 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20-25 minutes 1 hour
Ingredients
  • 3 1/4 cups flour
  • 3 1/2 tsps baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup milk
  • 8 egg whites
  • 1 can cherry pie filling
Servings: cake
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 4 nine inch round layer pans.
  2. Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla.
  3. Combine dry ingredients (flour, powder, salt). Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to creamed butter and sugar.
  4. Fold in egg whites.
  5. Bake 20-25 minutes.
  6. Let layers cool before constructing cake using cherry pie filling and icing. Add nuts like almonds to the top if desired.
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January 7, 2017 by: Shannon and Aaron

Spaghetti Sauce

spaghetti sauce header

Happy New Year from Marguerite’s Cookbook! Aaron here, and starting now on Marguerite’s cookbook, I will be writing the posts.  We decided that since Marguerite was my grandmother and Shannon consulted with me quite a bit when writing posts this past year, it would make more sense if they came from my perspective. And now, on to our first post of 2017!

spaghetti sauce

With the cold of winter all around us, now is a good time to have simple meals that can keep you warm. What could be better than a nice homemade spaghetti sauce? Marguerite’s spaghetti sauce is very simple with only a few basic ingredients, making it a perfect easy sauce recipe.

Here’s what Marguerite had to say:

spaghetti sauce recipe

We decided to skip the mushrooms in this sauce, because, not everything needs mushrooms. In typical Marguerite fashion, we were missing some information. Such as: how many ounces were the standard cans of ingredients back in her day?We turned again to my mom to ask what the typical can sizes would have been at the time. She distinctly remembered Marguerite using the small 6 0z cans of tomato paste. So with all my questions answered, it was time to make some sauce. While making this we totally couldn’t stop saying “sauce” in very bad long-island accents.

spaghetti meat sauce

As I mentioned before, this recipe has very few ingredients. Even though the spaghetti sauce has to simmer for quite a while, it was nice to only need about ten minutes of prep before this recipe was cooking on its own. Checking on it now and then, plus making sure to stir it occasionally, the three hours went by smoothly and at the end we had an easily made sauce. After cooking up some spaghetti (appropriate) to go with our sauce, it was time to try it out.

meat spaghetti sauce

The theme of this sauce was simple and that is also how it tasted. I really mean simple in a good way, in that there weren’t too many flavors crammed into this. I thought it was very tasty and I enjoyed it, but I also felt it was just a little too thin. Shannon thought it was delicious and it reminded her of her Italian grandmother’s homemade spaghetti sauce a bit as well. All in all, a great homemade spaghetti sauce!

meat sauce

Spaghetti Sauce
Print Recipe
  • CourseMain Dish
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours
Spaghetti Sauce
Print Recipe
  • CourseMain Dish
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours
Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 tbsp minced onion
  • 3 6 oz cans tomato paste
  • 1 29 oz can spaghetti sauce
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 6 6 oz cans water
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Brown ground beef with onion in a skillet.
  2. Combine tomato paste, spaghetti sauce, garlic, and 5 cans of water in a large saucepan. Add ground beef to mixture, and use final 6 oz can of water to rinse skillet.
  3. Simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
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We're Aaron and Shannon, the cooks behind Marguerite’s Cookbook. We are a husband and wife cooking/blogging team who love food, fun, and family.

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