Mad About Maida

Blueberry-Nut Loaf Cake (S ource:  Maida Heatter's Cakes  (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed. , pg. 168). Blueberry season has arrived. They are abundant in our region. I have thought about going to one of the local farms where you can pick them yourself but they are readily available at grocery stores and farmer's markets. I purchased berries that were grown in Salem, Oregon and that had already been frozen. They were delicious! Maida Heatter has several other blueberry cake recipes that I want to try. 1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp salt 2/3 cup granulated sugar 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 egg 2 TBS unsalted butter, melted 3/4 cup orange juice Grated zest of two large oranges 1 1/4 cups walnut pieces Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 10 1/2 x 4 x 3 inch or 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Dust with fine bread crumbs. Wash the berries and allow them to completely dry. When dry, toss the berries wit...

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings's Chocolate Cookies   Source:  Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.) , pg. 17 . Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings was an American writer who wrote novels and short stories based on her life in rural Florida. She won the Pulitzer Prize for " The Yearling " in 1939. In 1942, she published the autobiographical " Cross Creek " (it was made into a movie starring Mary Steenbergen in 1983). Rawlings was also an avid cook and " Cross Creek Cookery " (published the same year) is a book that Maida Heatter often mentions. While traveling through Cross Creek, Maida and her husband stopped at a gas station and purchased some homemade brownies that the owner's wife had made. He said the recipe came from Rawlings, who his mother-in-law had worked for. The brownies were actually drop cookies and Maida found the recipe in "Cross Creek Cookery". She omitted the baking powder and added the coffe...