Is the recipe you mean by the base? It's from the University of Illinois Extension. How to Make a Friendship Cake Starter There are a least a hundred versions of the starter and the resulting bread or cake recipe going around. There is one with fruit, one with nuts, one made with whole wheat flour and raisins and the list goes on and on. Here is one method for starting the starter. Friendship Cake Starter Recipe 1 package active dry yeast 3 cups warm water (105° to 115°F), divided 2 cups all purpose flour, sifted 2 tablespoons sugar Starter food Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water, stirring well; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbly. Combine remaining water, flour and sugar in a medium size, non-metallic bowl; mix well. Add dissolved yeast and stir well. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or cheesecloth and let stand in a warm place (80°-85°F) three days, stirring 2-3 times daily. Place fermented mixture in refrigerator at this point. Stir daily and use within 11 days. Always bring starter to room temperature before using in cake recipe. Allow to set in a warm place for one hour or longer before using. Stir well, then measure amount needed for recipe. Or on day 10 divide the mixture. Measure two to three cups starter for recipe. Divide remaining starter into one cup portions. Place in plastic or glass containers, loosely cover with plastic wrap. Keep one cup for yourself and give one cup each to friends along with the "Nurturing Your Starter" instructions and cake recipe. Nurturing Your Starter Starter Food--Your starter should have a sweet yeasty smell. If at any time you notice signs of spoilage toss the starter and begin again. Do not add milk, cream, or eggs to starter or it may produce harmful bacteria. Day #1 -- The day your receive your 1 cup of starter, stir the mixture with a wooden spoon, let it sit on a counter, loosely covered with crumpled plastic wrap or wax paper for one day. Do not refrigerate at this point. Use a nonmetallic container. Day #2, 3, 4 -- Refrigerate, stir the mixture each day, keep loosely covered. Day #5 -- Transfer starter to a larger glass or ceramic jar or bowl. Add the following "starter food." 1 cup water 1 cup flour 1 cup sugar Stir to mix, cover loosely and return batter to the refrigerator. Mixture will expand. Your container should not be more than half full. Refrigerate the starter at this point. Day #6, 7, 8, 9 -- Stir only and keep refrigerated, loosely covered. Day # 10 -- You may need to transfer the batter to an even larger container. Add more starter food and stir. Allow starter to sit at room temperature for one hour. Remove 3 cup for three friends, and measure 3 cups for the following recipe. Note: If you keep a cup for yourself, start over, beginning with Day #1. Fruit & Nuts Friendship Cake 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 cup sugar 2 cups all purpose flour 2/3 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons baking powder 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup chopped apples 3 cups starter 1 cup raisins or chopped nuts 1 egg plus 2 egg whites Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, set aside. In another large bowl mix starter, egg and whites, sugar, oil and vanilla. Add flour mixture, apples and raisins or nuts. Pour into a greased and floured tube pan or 9 x 11 loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes. Cool, dust with powdered sugar. Note: Any combination of fruit and nuts can be used as long as the total equals 2 cups. Try crushed, drained pineapples, dates, pecans, or almonds.

I don't use the honey or cinnamon in this recipe. It's really good and since I love the "relish" I always double the amounts. Sweet Potato-Coconut Soup with Spicy Relish Spicy Relish: 1 T canola oil 1 T unsalted butter Pinch of red pepper flakes ý small sweet potato, peeled & cut into a small dice Salt and fresh black pepper ü cup finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley Heat oil & butter over medium heat. Add red-pepper flakes; heat for 10 seconds. Add diced sweet potato, salt & pepper. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, 15 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to high & cook until diced potatoes are golden brown, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; stir in the parsley. (I like diced potato to get a bit crunch). Soup: 1-1/2 T canola oil 1 small red onion, chopped 2â piece of fresh ginger, grated Pinch of red pepper flakes 3 cups chicken broth ý cup water 1-1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into a large dice 1-1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk (light version if you prefer) 1 T clover honey Large pinch of ground cinnamon Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and ginger; cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add red-pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Add broth and water; bring to a boil. Add sweet potatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are soft, 20-30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Use immersion blender to puree. Simmer over low heat. Whisk in coconut milk (or alternative), honey, and cinnamon. Cook until thickened and warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls; top with a spoonful of the spicy relish. Serves 4. Per serving: 410 calories; 34g carbs;10 mg cholesterol; 30g fat & 4 g fiber. Source: adapted from a Bobby Flay recipe My note: the âÂÂspicy relishâ is the best part of this soup! Double the amounts.

We have used a recipe for years of a sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on the top. [g] I know...not the healthiest choice, but we cut back on the sugar and cream that is mixed into the sweet potatoes, so that it is barely 2-3 T each of light cream and brown sugar in a large casserole. A serving actually ends up having about 1-2 marshmallows on it. Not too bad. :-) pm2

This is what the kid asked for this year... * Exported from MasterCook * Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion Casserole Recipe By :Katie, Christmas 2000 Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 2 large sweet potatoes -- peeled and thinly sliced 2 large onions -- sliced 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar Drizzle onions with oil and cook on low heat until caramelized, stirring occasionally. Layer 1/2 sweet potato slices in a shallow 1 qt. casserole dish. Cover with caramelized onions. Layer remaining sweet potato slices over onions. Dot with butter, sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake, uncovered, at 350F for about an hour, or until casserole is browned on top. We've made these for Thanksgiving and really liked them... * Exported from MasterCook * Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups Recipe By : Katie Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :2:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 6 medium sweet potatoes -- (2 1/2 lb), cooked, peeled and mashed 4 large navel oranges 6 tablespoons melted butter 2 tablespoons grated orange peel 1/2 cup orange juice 1 egg -- beaten 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup light raisins Cut oranges in half and scoop out pulp. Set the shells aside. Add butter, grated orange peel, orange juice, egg and salt to potatoes and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in raisins. Mound filling in orange shells. Wrap in foil. (Can be frozen at this point - thaw for 3 hrs.) Bake at 325F for 50 minutes or until heated through.