Author Archives: Nana Clare

About Nana Clare

Cookie baker, brownie maker for 50 years. Mom to three, Nana to five. Married to Mr. Right for 36 years. I'm also a sister to seven women - no brothers - and daughter to parents who have been together for 64 years. I love to bake breads, cookies, muffins, rolls, bars and did I say cookies? I make all kinds of jams and jellies and have a killer hot fudge recipe that goes back several generations in my family. Paired with my husband's homemade ice cream it's always a winning combo. Oh Yes! I also enjoy making soups, stews, stir fries and other munchies. I worked full time when my children were young and discovered many short cuts so that I could still provide healthy meals (most of the time). Catholic for life and loving it. BA in theater and speech, costuming/ Broadcasting school graduate/ MS in journalism and mass communication, emphasis in public relations/ Graduate of the Institute for Children's Literature - beginning and advanced classes - yes, I love to learn. And a graduate of many decorative painting schools. See my page on decorative painting in my home.

Baby Sea Turtle Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

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This is an idea from the Dora the Explorer cookbook for kids. One year I gave each of my oldest four grandkids a cookbook for Christmas. Since then we occasionally have fun recreating recipes from them.

baby sea turtles

Sophia with Clare

First Communion Day

I was in Florida celebrating my granddaughter, Sophia’s 8th birthday and her first Communion. It was a wonderful time with Sophia, her sister, Clare and brother, Oliver, along with parents Isaac and Kara.

Clare and I made cupcakes for Sophia to bring to her class on her birthday. We used a basic frosting that I learned as a child and still love to make and then decorated them with M & M’s and gum drops. Snip the gum drops to use as the tails and use a full gum drop for the head of the turtle. So cute! The kids in Sophia’s class loved them!

Sophia and family

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 TBS butter
4 TBS cream cheese (low fat)
1 tsp almond extract
2 TBS milk
2-3 cups confectioners sugar
2 drops each – green and blue food coloring

Directions
Beat the ingredients, adding the sugar at the end.
Add more milk if it’s too stiff or more sugar if it’s too thin.

Use whatever cupcakes you like.

Oatmeal Walnut Cake with Broiled Coconut Frosting

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The world’s gone mad, it seems. Crazy weather, violence, tragic accidents are all things we cannot control. When I feel as if my world is out of control, I bake something, using a recipe from long ago. Long before we lived in a world where cameras caught our every move and crazies lurked around every corner. No, food can’t soothe our anxious minds or feed our sense of security, but it can bring us back to a calmer place, if even for a few moments.

The scent of this cake will make you think of your grandmother, I’ll bet. The original recipe came from an old church cookbook my Grandma Zola gave me in 1976. I cut out some of the sugar and added a few extra ingredients to give it more fiber and flavor. It’s melt in the mouth goodness that you can easily whip up and enjoy with someone you love.
The cake is wonderful even without the frosting. It’s a moist and dense cake that you can alter by add other nuts, chocolate chips or dried fruit of your choice.

baked cake without frosting

frosting before broiling


gooey after broiling


The frosting is rather thin as you spread it on the cake. After you broil it, it’s still gooey and it will thicken as it cools.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup quick oats

3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 eggs
1 tsp soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup dates, pitted and chopped (optional)

Directions
Mix boiling water and oats in a saucepan and let them stand for 20 min.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Grease a 9″ x 13″ baking pan.
With a mixer, cream the butter and sugars
Add the eggs and beat until well blended.
Add flour, soda, cinnamon and salt.
Finally, add oatmeal and mix just until incorporated.
Fold in the walnuts and dates.
Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

coconut walnut frosting

Coconut Frosting
1/2 cup butter (one stick)
1/4 cup milk or half and half
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (or more, to taste)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup coconut

oatmeal cake slice

Directions
Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until blended.
Heat just until the frosting starts to boil, then take it off the heat.

When the cake has finished baking, take it out of the oven and pour the frosting evenly over the cake.
Put the cake under the broiler for about a minute until it bubbles all over. Watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.

It will be gooey, but that’s ok. You can poke a few holes in the cake with a fork after you’ve broiled the frosting to allow some of it to seep into the cake. The caramel frosting is a great pairing with the moist, nutty cake. The dates are optional, but if you love dates, don’t omit them.
Eat it warm or cooled. This cake is a classic, pure and simple.

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Guest Blog on Healthy Eating

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Hi all, I’ve never printed a “guest blog,” before, but David Haas approached me and asked if he could provide some insight into healthy eating to prevent or fight cancer. We all have friends and family who are suffering because of cancer, so I welcomed his words. David is a researcher and writer about fighting cancer with food.
Here is a link to his blog: www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/david/

Nutrition and its Holistic Health Benefits for Cancer Suffers
by David Haas
If you or someone you love is living with cancer, proper nutrition can be a vital part of recovery. While it may not be able to “cure” you, a holistic approach can allow you to feel better from the inside out. Whether you are suffering from mesothelioma or any other form of cancer, you can benefit. Here are some examples of proper nutrition and its holistic health benefits from cancer sufferers.

First, eating a healthy diet can provide you with the energy you need to keep fighting. When you are going through chemo or any other type of treatment, it can drain you of all your energy. This can make it hard for you to continue your fight, but it can also make it hard for you to continue enjoying the things you once loved. When you eat the right foods, you are able to do both without having to sacrifice your energy anywhere.

Second, there are certain foods that are proven to help those who are suffering from cancer. Foods that are filled with antioxidants and vitamins and minerals are essential to your diet. Examples of these would be collard greens, spinach, kale, tomatoes, watermelon, guava, papaya, apricots, pink grapefruit, blood oranges, liver, sweet potatoes, carrots, milk, egg yolks, and mozzarella cheese. Also, foods including nuts, grains, and some meats, poultry, and fish can be beneficial. Your doctor or some other type of holistic healer will be able to tell you what will work best for your specific route of treatment. While eating these foods will not cure you, they certainly will not hurt you. Indulge in them for energy and healing properties while you are going through this difficult time.

Taking care of your body in the physical sense by exercising can keep your body strong. It is easy to become sedentary when you get a diagnosis like cancer. It is even easier to allow yourself to sit still when you are going through treatment. However, if you are eating the right foods and taking care of yourself in other ways, you will be able to continue your physical activities. Doing so will allow you to keep up your energy and receive all the benefits you would normally get from exercising, like keeping your heart strong.

Finally, caring for your mind is a great way to keep uplifted and motivated during your difficult journey. Cancer is a physical disease, but it is also necessary that you do not neglect your mind. It has been proven that those who are more positive heal more quickly. Do whatever you have to keep you mind active and satisfied. This may mean therapy. It could mean picking up a new hobby. Do whatever points you in a positive direction.

By eating a healthy diet and taking care of yourself in a holistic sense, you do not have to suffer in needless ways. You can have energy, be happy, and fight your cancer. Take advantage of these tips, and reach out to other healers, such as doctors, to find the best route for you to take.

Double Chocolate Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

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almonds echo the almond extract in the icing

OK, lent is over. Get baking! This cookie contains no hidden health benefits, other than pure pleasure. I made them for two families I am baking for and I hope they delighted in the taste and textures of the rich chocolate with the delicate almond flavor of the frosting.

If you don’t want all the frosting, you can simply make them as a drop cookie and enjoy the soft fudge flavor.
The original recipe for the cookies is adapted from the Betty Crocker Cookbook, circa 1972. Yes, a heritage recipe. I altered them and made them into thumbprint cookies to add a spot for the frosting.

makes a stiff batter

drop into balls

use the tip of a spoon


use your thumb

frosted and adorned

Ingredients for Double Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 oz melted chocolate (or 6 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder plus 2 TBS butter or coconut oil)
1/3 cup buttermilk (I used powdered buttermilk.)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, beat the butte, sugar, egg, chocolate, buttermilk and vanilla.
Stir in the dry ingredients and mix just until blended. This makes a stiff batter.
Add chocolate chips and stir by hand.
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a parchment lined (or greased) baking sheet.
Use the tip of a spoon to create a dent – or your thumb.
Bake 7 – 8 minutes until done. This is a hot oven, so watch them carefully.
Take them off the pans and let them cool on a wire rack.
When cool, frost and decorate any way you like.

Cream Cheese Frosting (small batch)
2 TBS butter
2 oz Cream cheese
dash salt
1 TBS milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1-2 cups powdered sugar until stiff

coconut and sprinkles on top

Mix these in a small bowl with a hand mixer.
Add just enough powdered sugar for the frosting to hold its’ shape and no more.
Garnish with nuts, coconut, sprinkles or whatever you like.