Old Fashioned Pound Cake

It was surprisingly difficult to find a pound cake recipe that someone hadn't tried to reduce the fat content in. And I certainly wouldn't want that! So like any  ̶g̶o̶o̶d̶  classic pound cake recipe, this starts with an entire pound of butter.

1 lb butter

3 c. sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

6 eggs

3 c. flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. sour cream

Pre-heat oven to 350

Mix together the flour, soda and salt and set aside. 

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until mixed. Then add the flour mixture and mix until thoroughly incorporated. When the flour is completely combined stir in the sour cream and mix until combined.

Grease your baking pan and bake at 350 for anywhere from 20 - 40 minutes, until the top is a dark golden brown. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Run your knife around the edges of the pan and flop upside down on a cooling rack. 

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I got 5 smallish loaves out of this, each one yielding 10 slices. 

I'm guessing the pan size was 2 x 5 or 6

We ate one with macerated strawberries and
sweetened whipped cream. 

I think lemon curd also is very tasty with the pound cake,

and lemon curd with strawberries and whipped cream is always good too

The other 4 loaves I wrapped in plastic wrap and then tin foil and froze.

Candy Easter Eggs

Our first guest recipe from fellow blogger Cecilotta. 

And a picture to help put things into perspective. 

If we were really lucky at Easter-time our mom would make these eggs for us. They are fun to give away, and especially fun to eat, and they look nice on the table while drooling children wait to slice them.

While a little time consuming to make, they really are not hard at all and well worth the effort. Especially if you have people in your house with allergies, you can make sure these are safe to eat.

With Easter only a little over a month now is a great time to start getting ideas together to celebrate.

4 c. white sugar

1 c. corn syrup

1 c. water

1/3 c. - 3 oz (about 3) egg white

(Make sure there isn't ANY yolk in the white or they wont beat right)

Orange - Peanut Butter - 1 c. creamy peanut butter

Blue - Chocolate Nut - 3/4 c. dark chocolate melted + 1 c. walnuts, chopped

White - Coconut - 1 c. flaked coconut
1/4 - 1/4 c. melted white chocolate
Splash of coconut extract

Yellow - Maple Nut - 1 Tbsp. real maple extract + 1 c. walnuts, chopped

Pink - Fruit and Nut - 1 c. candied fruit + 1 c. walnuts

Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook syrup to 261. Remove from heat, let stand until bubbles stop.

Meanwhile beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Slowly add, in a thin stream, sugar syrup and beat until gloss is gone. Fold in desired flavor. Shape into eggs, you can make them small or large. Let cool, chill.

Coat with chocolate by dipping the egg into melted chocolate and use your hands to coat. Place on a tray lined with wax paper, place a confection flower in to top to indicate what flavor it is. Let set up at room temperature and then chill to firm.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I love chocolate chip cookies. I mean who doesn't? But I hate dropping them into cookies, baking, cooking, lifting them off the tray, trying not to eat them all as they come out of the oven, and then shaping more for the next tray. It's all a hassle. So that's why I like cookie bars. You dump them all in the pan, spread it out and bake. It's even better if someone else makes them for you.

These are perfectly crumbly without being dry and hard, and chewy without sticking to your teeth and being too gluey. Thats cause of the addition of cor syrup. I know what you are thinking, "CORN SYRUP??? Do you know how bad that stuff is for you??" But come one people, it's a dessert!! It's not going to be good for you no matter WHAT you do to it. So add a little, it makes them perfect. The recipe looks really familiar to me, I think it might be the Neslte chocolate chip cookie recipe with corn syrup added baked in bar form.

2 1/4 c. all- purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. corn syrup
3/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (12 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup oats (or nuts)

Cream together the butter and corn syrup. Next beat in the white sugar and the brown sugar. Then add the eggs and vanilla.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat into the butter mixture.

When combined beat in the chocolate chips and oats. Dump into a 11x13 casserole dish and spread out so it's even. Bake at 375 for 20 - 25 minutes.

They are darker in color than a chocolate chip cookie, I thought they were burned, or at the very least going to be too dry to eat. Not so! Just take it from me but don't ask how I know, eating half the pan in one sitting will give you a stomach ache. 

Peanut Butter Silk Cups

Today is my 8th anniversary. While we were on our date last weekend I picked up come chocolate cups without any real thought as to what I was going to fill them with yet, just that I though they would be fun yet simple. And while with peanut butter I can take it or leave it, my hubby on the other hand LOVES the stuff. So that's what I settled on

1 batch swiss buttercream
I used 2 egg whites and 1/2 c. sugar, basically the smallest recipe, doubled.

Once you have made the Swiss buttercream, beat in

1 c. creamy peanut butter
1 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
generous pinch salt

Taste the stuff before you add the salt. I found it cloying, thats why I added a little, if you like it like that leave it out.

Then using a large star tip I piped it into chocolate cups. Or you could use it to fill cakes or crepes or frost cupcakes. My kids are currently eating it with a spoon.





And I'm gonna send them over to Cast Party Wednesday, cause linking parties are fun

And to Double takes Peanut Butter Challenge

Creme Brulee

When you heat a liquid, usually a dairy, and then mix it into eggs it is called tempering. At that point in this recipe you pour it into the ramekins and bake it, but you can return it to the pan and continue cooking until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon to create custard.

If you go the custard route stir in some chocolate and whipped cream to make silk.

For such a great dessert this was not only super easy to make, but would be great for entertaining. You can make it the day before and just take them out of the fridge before dinner. Then when you are done eating just sprinkle with sugar and torch the top.

1 1/2 c. heavy cream
2 c. half-an-half
6 egg yolks
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
12 Tbsp Turbinado sugar

Heat the cream, half-an-half, and vanilla until the liquid is really hot, but don't let it boil or it will curdle.

Meanwhile beat the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture looks light and fluffy and is pale in color.

When the cream is hot and the yolks are pale slowly whisk the hot cream into the egg yolks, a little at a time, until completely incorporated.

Pour into ramekins and place on a tray, pour water halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 30 minutes.

Chill overnight. Remove from the fridge and top each with 1 Tbsp sugar, using a kitchen blow torch, run the flame across the top until the sugar is melted. Let sit for 30 minutes before serving.

I use the lowest setting on my torch. I found that the highest setting burns the top of the sugar before it melts the bottom, the lowest setting melted it throughout and the browned the top nicely.

Peach Kuchen

This has a crumbly shortbread crust, a warm peach filling, and is topped with a baked custard. Well worth the annoyance of working with cold butter.

After I made this I was thinking it would be great with a tropical twist. I would add some lime zest to the crust, replace the mangoes with peaches, and use come coconut milk in place of some of the sour cream, maybe even a little coconut extract in there too.

Crust
3 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 sticks of butter

Combine all the dry ingredients and cut in the cold butter until the dough becomes crumbly. I actually freeze my butter and grate it in. I then stir it a little to coat the butter with the flour mix and the then squish it a bit with my hands.

Top that layer with either
1 dozen ripe peaches, skins removed and sliced thin
OR 2 (29 oz) cans of sliced peaches
1/2 c. sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes

For the custard combine
3 c. sour cream
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Pour on top of the peach layer, sprinkle with another
1/4 c. sugar
1 Tbsp Cinnamon

And bake at 400 for another 30 minutes or until the top looks puffed and set.

Let cool for 20 minutes before cutting and enjoy warm or cold.

Key Lime Pie

It seems like every time I turn around a see Key Lime Pie on another blog. It's becoming and epidemic, and I think I caught whatever it is. Or it could just be that Key Lime pie is really tasty. Or a tradition in my family. It's one of those things

We have it every Easter, and there has been some debate as to whether we had it at Thanksgiving too, some people remember it along side the turkey and others seem to think thats outrageous. Either way the pie still tastes good.

Crust options on this are pretty much whatever you want. I like a pastry crust, others swear by a graham cracker crust. I recently saw a recipe for key lime pie that used rice chex cereal to make a gluten free crust.

1 pie crust, baked

12 oz. Key Lime Juice
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c. sugar
3 eggs Green food coloring (optional)

Bake the pie crust until cooked.

Whisk together the milk, lime juice, and sugar. Whisk in the eggs. I added 3 drops of food coloring to mine but thats totally optional.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Let sit on the counter for half and hour and then chill for 4 hours before cutting.

Some people like chantilly (whipped) cream on theirs.
I think it ruins the pie.

Quiche Florentine

2 Tbsp butter
1/2 onion
1/4 lb fresh spinach
3/4 c. sour cream

3/4 c. half-an-half
2 oz. Parmesan cheese
5 oz. mozzarella
1/4 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
Dash fresh cracked black pepper
Pinch fresh grated nutmeg
Bash tabasco

1 pie crust

Saute butter and onion until the onion is tender. Add the spinach and saute until wilted and dark. Set aside to cool

Meanwhile whisk together the sour cream and half-an-half. Add both of the cheeses, mustard, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and tabasco.

Stir in the spinach, onions, and butter.

Fit the pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan and pour in the filling.

Bake at 350 for 45 - 55 minutes or until the center is set.

Let rest 10 minutes before cutting.

Coconut Shrimp

So this is kind of an odd thing for me to post, I can't eat shrimp (so don't expect a picture). But once in a while I used to cheat, and this was one of the things I made. I thought I had lost the recipe and while searching for another one today I found it in my inbox. So I thought I would share.


2 lb, shrimp, peeled and vein removed, tails on
1 1/3 c. coconut
1/2 c. almonds
1/4 c. flour
1/8. t. chili powder
1 egg
1/8 t. salt

Combine 1/3 c. coconut and almonds in a food
processor and process until fine crumbs.

Add remaining coconut, flour, and chili powder.

Whisk together 1 egg and salt.
Dip shrimp in egg and then coconut and press onto sides.
Deep fry in oil (375) until golden, about 1 - 2 minutes.

Serve warm with sauce.


Sauce
Sweet and sour duck sauce (7.25 oz.)
1/4 c. catchup
1 T. soy sauce
Mix and serve

Breakfast Pasta

I made macaroni and cheese last night for dinner, the kind with the flour thickened sauce (from the vitamix cookbook) that you pour over the cooked pasta and then bake until hot and bubbly. So this is my revamp of the leftovers

I made my macaroni and cheese with a can of ham in it, but you could just use leftover ham or skip it.

Presto Pasta Nights 225 is at "Once Upon a Feast"

(This is before I added the cheese so you could really see the pasta itself)

1/2 package of bacon
6 sausage links
1/2 onion
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
Salt to taste
3 - 4 c. leftover macaroni and cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the bacon until crisp, crumble, and set aside. Remove all but 3 Tbsp of the bacon drippings. Cook the sausage in the bacon drippings until browned. Remove from pan and chop. Add the onion and peppers and cook until both are tender.

Whisk together the milk and eggs and some salt to taste.

Push the peppers to one side of the pan and cook the eggs in the other until set. Chop the eggs into small pieces and toss with the peppers. Add the macaroni and cheese to the pan and toss with the veggies and eggs. Keep stirring to heat through without it sticking to the pan.

Add the sausage and bacon and mix in.

Sprinkle with the cheese and stir to melt the cheese

Serve

HH6 Cooking Club Pizza

I came up with the challenge this month, I chose Pizza, but you couldnt use tomato sauce. So I used my favorite eggplant sauce in place of the tomato sauce.

Then I wanted to highlight my other favorite pizza that uses a spinach sauce and mention some other things I have done with pizza.

First off my eggplant sauce recipe. Just use in place of the tomato sauce, top with cheese, and bake! Sorry about no pictures, my computer is being worked on and this dinosaur doesnt have bluetooth.

Eggplant Sauce
2 egg plants, quartered lengthwise
4 roma tomatoes, quartered
3 cloves garlic
1 onion, quartered
olive oil
Salt

Brush vegetables with oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast at 400 for 40 minutes.
Then combine
4 c. chicken broth
2 tsp. marjoram
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Scrape eggplant from purple skin. Add eggplant, onion, tomatoes, and garlic to broth. Simmer 30 - 40 minutes until vegetables are tender. Puree. Let sit 15 minutes.

Stir in 1/4 c. cream

So thats the eggplant sauce, I highly recommend it.




Now for the Spinach Pizza.

Some other pizza's I have either made or had are

Breakfast
Don't worry about a sauce, top crust with cheese, green onions, cooked bacon and a whole raw egg and bake until the crust and the egg are cooked

Hot Wing
Use wing sauce instead of marinara, sprinkle with a powdered ranch, top with cheese and some chopped up boneless hot wings.

BBQ Chicken
BBQ sauce, gouda cheese, sliced red onions, chicken cooked in bbq sauce, and fresh chopped cilantro

Pesto
Pesto for the sauce, top with cheese and bake

Alfredo
Only use a little alfredo sauce, top with a lot of cheese and then top with cooked chicken tossed with a little sauce, and sliced garlic.

Make the alfredo primavera, and top with lots of spring veggies.

What do you put on your pizza?

Breakfast Casserole

You might need more or less bread depending on the size of your slices. When the bread and cheese are combined you want them to come about halfway up the inside of the casserole dish.

4 slices old dry bread, ripped into small pieces
1 c. shredded cheese

1/2 onion
1 Tbsp. butter
4 sausage links
1 c. cooked ham (I used leftover ham from a previous dinner)

1 3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. sour cream
6 eggs
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
dash black pepper
1/4 tsp. mustard

Combine the bread and cheese in the bottom of a 9x9 inch pan and toss to mix.

Saute the onion in butter until translucent. Add the sausage and cook until browned. Add the ham, cook 1 minute and remove from heat.

Top the bread and cheese layer with the meat and onion layer.

Combine the milk, eggs, and remaining ingredients and pour over the meat layer.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 minutes to and hour, until cooked in the center. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting.

Quiche

I have to say I love quiche. But it has to be good quiche, and I'm picky. Its usually to dry, or too bland, or they seasoned it wrong. And since it's so easy to make, I just do it myself.

But I still hadn't gotten it quite perfect. That is until I saw Frenchy over at lechateaudesfleurs recipe (sorry, I can't find her post or I would link it). And she puts sour cream in hers.
Moist and perfect. I now have a quiche that tastes great fresh or re-heated, and everyone loves that is so simple to make.

The other thing is to make sure you dont put too much cheese in it. I like to use mozzarella or cheddar though other cheese works, and you can use more than one variety at a time.

I hope you enjoy.

2 Tbsp. Butter
1 large onion, coarsely chopped

3/4 c. sour cream
1/2 c. heavy cream
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
dash freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. yellow mustard
2 oz. cheese, finely grated
1 can ham, crumbled very fine (optional)

1 pie crust

Heat onion and butter together until starting to turn golden. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, heavy cream, and mustard. Add eggs. Stir in salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. Next fold in the mozzarella cheese and ham. Add the cooked onions trying not to get the butter you cooked them in, into the egg mixture. Pour into the uncooked pie crust and bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until the egg mixture is set. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

I love to serve this with fruit and then either a green vegetable, usually green beans, or a green salad.