Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Cookbook Spotlight - Ships of the Great Lakes

One of the most enjoyable parts of having this blog is constantly learning new things; whether or not they relate to food. This month I got the chance to learn more about food AND ships - something I know practically nothing about.

My friend, the lovely Mary of The Sour Dough asked for my assistance in hosting another Cookbook Spotlight, this time for a most intriguing cookbook all about the ships - passenger and freight - that travel in the waters of both Canada and the United States.



Mary has previously written about this cookbook for her post here for Walnut Bars for Weekend Cookbook Challenge 13. The publishers of the book read her post and graciously offered 10 copies of the book for Mary and I to distribute to some food bloggers to see what they thought of the book.

Ships of the Great Lakes Cookbook is most certainly not a run of the mill cookbook, but it is a whole lot of fun, whether you are a ship enthusiast or not. And while not all of the recipes may be practical for everyday cooking (like the Santa Fe Pork that requires 30 pounds of cubed pork loin), if you look past that it's a very entertaining cookbook with a lot of personality and heart. Many recipes rely on canned or boxed goods, and why wouldn't they? I can't even begin to imagine the thought and work that would go into being a cook on a ship. Run out of something? Too bad. There's no stopping at Safeway when you're out on the water!


Madeline Chili from Bev Denyas, Schooner Madeline.


Grecian Orange Cake from Virginia Hobaugh, SS Valley Camp.


Grecian Orange Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 (6 serving size) package instant lemon pudding
4 eggs
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup water

Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 tb orange juice
2 tb butter

To prepare cake combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl; beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Pour batter into a greased and floured tube or bundt pan. Bake at 350' approximately 45 minutes. Remove from pan and glaze while hot.

Combine all glaze ingredients in a saucepan; Stir over low heat until dissolved. Poke hot cake with utility fork and pour on glaze.


Thanks to Mary and all the bloggers who are taking part in the spotlight! Keep your eyes peeled early next month for the round-up.

8 comments:

Lis said...

I loved this book.. thanks again for allowing me to participate, I had fun!

Now on to much more important things.. that cake! How did I miss that cake? I am all about the citrus glazes, doncha know. =)

It looks fabulous and so moist! Yummy :D

breadchick said...

OH MY LORD SARA!!! I missed this cake too and I am a HUGE sucker for bundt cakes, especially ones with orange juice in the glaze (Told you Lis, u/me separated at birth...)
Thanks so much for starting this event! I'm so glad to be co-hosting with you!

Sara said...

Lis - as I've said tons of times, I'm not much of a baker, but this cake was fantastic!!!!! Very moist and flavorful.

Mary - Bundt cakes are my favorite too. No, thank YOU!

Shaun said...

Sara - I love these "tasks" where everyone is given the same thing but all come out with something different. The chili looks fabulous, and the Grecian Orange Cake makes me want to dive right through the screen and grab a slice. It will be great to see what everyone came up with and see if there are any overlaps. Your entry is great!

Anonymous said...

Thirty pounds of meat?! Good lord! That Orange cake does look yummy though. :)


Ari (Baking and Books)

Peabody said...

My dad would love that book, he is facinated with food and ships!

Unknown said...

Good point about boxed and pre-packaged ingredients, Sara.

We've had three meals this week from this cookbook and are enjoying it very much. Although my father had no connection to the book, other than having cooked on another vessel, I felt his spirit with me as I made recipes from this cookbook.

Sara said...

Shaun - thank you and thanks for taking part! the round up should be up later this week. i hope that we've given more opportunities in the future to do more spotlights like these, they are so much fun.

Ari - it was delicious!

Peabody - it's a wonderful book, Scott can't put it down.

Thanks so much Mimi.