Here There and Everywhere

Expat wanderer

Soused Apple Cake for the Fish Fry

It’s a three-day weekend, but I have things I need to do, so I am up at my normal time to bake while the day is still – well, not cool, but not so hot as later in the day. I need to make a salad; I need to bake a cake. We are invited to a fish fry – one of our favorite invitations. The host and his wife fry up a “mess” of fish, really good fish, and the rest of us are allowed to bring sides.

This cake, Soused Apple Cake, is easy, except for remembering to slice the apples a day before and soak the slices overnight in brandy. I could be like those famous cooks who tell you, “use a very good (olive oil, brandy, etc),” but honestly, here it would be a waste of good brandy because the brandy is a supporting actor and will be competing with cinnamon and nutmeg, so just use something you would use for cooking, not drinking.

It is also a very sweet cake. I have tried over the many years I’ve been making it, to make it healthier. It just isn’t the same. Today, I followed the original “can’t stop eating this cake” recipe.

Soused Apple Cake

4 cups sliced apples

brandy

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup salad oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped pecans

Peel, core, and finely slice apples; put into bowl and cover with brandy. Let sit overnight.

Combine sugar, salad oil and eggs. Set aside. Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add to oil mixture. Drain apples, mix in, adding chopped pecans. Mix well (it will be thick) and pour into a greased and floured 9”x13” baking dish. Cook at 330°F for 1 hour.

Let stand ten minutes while you prepare topping.

Pecan topping

1 stick butter 

2 Tablespoons milk

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 cups chopped pecans

Combine butter, milk, and sugar in a saucepan; bring to a boil, then boil for one minute. Add pecans, mix well, and spoon over apple cake while it is still hot.

The original recipe invites you to serve with whipped cream, but I find it to be overkill.

September 5, 2026 Posted by | ExPat Life, Weather, Recipes, Cooking, Friends & Friendship, Community, Cultural, Food, Quality of Life Issues | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pecans From Texas – Such Generosity!

When I was living in Kuwait, and my son married, one of my new daughter-in-law’s aunts sent me pecans from Texas. She didn’t just send me a pound or two, she sent like 15 pounds of pecans! It was a wondrous gift, and oh, we had pecan muffins, pecan date pies, pecans in everything. Pecans in Kuwait cost dear, you can’t imagine, and these pecans were TASTY, so so good. She tells me it is because they are from Texas, where everything tastes better. 😉

00ARPecans

At Thanksgiving, she gave me a HUGE bag of pecan meats.

“I want you to have pecans from TEXAS!” she told me. Her car was packed with sweet gifts for all her nieces and nephews and all the little ones related to her in any remote way. It’s just the way she is. She can’t help it, she is wired to be loving and generous.

AR, I am so thankful you are in my life! I am enjoying every cup of pecans I use, and although I have used a lot, there are so many pecans left it is like I haven’t used any! You are so generous, and I am enjoying your pecans so much! All of Pensacola is enjoying your pecans!

December 17, 2012 Posted by | Character, Charity, Cultural, ExPat Life, Family Issues, Food, Interconnected, Living Conditions, Local Lore, Thanksgiving, Travel | , | 5 Comments

Care Package

From the time our son was seven years old, we began praying for the girl he would marry – we knew she was probably somewhere in the world! We asked that God keep her sweet, and that when she and our son met, they would recognize one another and love one another faithfully.

Our prayers were answered bountifully. When he met his wife-to-be, he called us and said “there is someone I want you to meet.” He wasn’t talking about marriage – they had just met – but he knew she was special. From the time they started dating, they both kind of knew – this was it.

We knew from the beginning we would love this young woman. What we didn’t know is that we would love her family so much. As we partied together before the wedding, we had so much fun! Her family, like ours, has a great traditions of “aunthood” and “the cousins” and family gatherings. The cousins all attend one another’s weddings, gather together for special weekends (they went white water rafting and hiking this last summer, and are already planning the next gathering.) We all value family.

As my Mother has undergone surgery recently, one of my sweet daughter-in-law’s aunts has called my Mother twice, just to chat, and totally brightened her day. She also sent us a most wonderful Care Package – Texas Pecans!

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It doesn’t take much to thrill my heart. I feel so blessed.

November 14, 2007 Posted by | Biography, Community, Friends & Friendship, Generational, Holiday, Marriage, Mating Behavior, Relationships, Spiritual | , , , , , | 4 Comments