This is a recipe from my husbands family and it has been passed down for a few generations. The outside is nice and crusty with a great texture to the pound cake.

Ingredients

• 3 C Sugar (I substituted 3 C Splenda and 1 1/2 t baking soda this time)
• 2 sticks of butter - softened
• ½ C Shortening
• 5 Eggs
• 3 C Cake Flour
• ½ t Baking Powder
• ¼ C Milk
• 1 C Sour Cream
• 1 t Vanilla
• 1 t Lemon Flavoring (for today's cake I did not add the lemon flavoring)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and shortening; gradually add sugar a little at a time until all blended. Add the eggs, one at a time; beating well.

Sift together the flour and baking powder then add a little at a time to the creamed mixture, alternating the flour with the milk. Add the sour cream, vanilla and lemon flavoring until mixed well. Grease and flour a Bundt pan, then pour in the cake batter. Tap the pan on the counter a couple of times to remove any air pockets.

Bake 325 for 1 ½ hours If you use Splenda shorten the cooking time by about 10 minutes. The usual toothpick test works.
DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR WHILE BAKING!
The finished cake! I saw no loss of volume compared to the full sugar version...

When I make the regular "full sugar" recipe I make this icing:
Icing
• 1 stick of Butter - softened
• 1 box of sifted Confectioners’ Sugar
• 3 oz pkg. of Cream Cheese - softened
• 1 Lemon Rind – grated
• 3 to 4 T lemon juice
Cream softened butter and cream cheese together, mixing well. Add small amounts of the sifted conf. sugar and continue creaming until all the sugar has been added. Add lemon juice, as needed, until it is the right consistency to spread on cooled cake. Stir in the lemon rind, then ice!

Lighter Icing
But for today's cake I used 2/3 stick of butter and halved the sugar and left out the lemon to make a lighter icing to drizzle on. Spoon it into a baggie, snip a small corner off and drizzle away!



Slice it up and put a fork in it! Enjoy!

We've all seen them and or had them. They are just to handy and get used regularly. I actually have access to two sets. The ones pictured and another set that are in orange tones. The other set where my grandmothers and are packed to send home with my son...
The green ones are my husbands moms and will be M's or A's... they can figure that one out one day... LOL

In a pinch?

4 parts cinnamon, 2 parts ginger, 1 part nutmeg, 1 part allspice and dash of cloves.

These are dangerous!

Ingredients:

• 1 C butter, softened
• ½ C sugar
• 2 t vanilla
• 2 C all purpose flour
• ½ t salt
• 2 C finely chopped pecans
• Confectioners’ sugar (in a bowl)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. I skip this step and use parchment paper. In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed with a mixer until creamy, then add vanilla and mix in.
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and pecans. Gradually add to butter mixture and beat until combined.
Rub hands in flour. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Let sit 2 minutes on cookie sheets. Remove from cookie sheets and roll in confectioners’ sugar then place on cooling racks to cool.

There is a cool front coming through NC now and lowering the temperatures. When that happens, I don't know about you, but I think about soups and stews. This is a great recipe and just enough heat!

Ingredients:

• 2 medium onions - diced
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 (4.5 oz) cans green chilies, un-drained
• 2 cloves garlic – minced
• 2 t ground cumin
• 1 ½ t dried oregano
• Dash of red pepper
• 5 ½ cups chicken broth
• 5 cups chopped cooked chicken breast ( 5 or 6 large breast)
• 3 (15.8 oz) cans of Great Northern Beans, drained (reserve juice)
• 3 C (12oz) shredded Monterrey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook onions in oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat, stirring constantly until tender. Add green chilies, garlic, cumin, oregano, red pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth, chicken, beans with juice and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil: reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring often.


Stir in 2 C of the Monterrey jack cheese, stir constantly until cheese melted.
To serve, ladle chili into soup bowls, top with part of the remaining cheese. You can also add to toppings:
Salsa, sour cream, fresh chopped parsley or cilantro.

Ever need buttermilk but not have any on hand? Except at the holidays, I never do. To use a substitute, add 1T vinegar OR 1T lemon juice to 1C milk and let set 5 minutes. It works wonders!

I love fresh eggs! Note the lovely brown color!

Ingredients:

• ½ C Butter
• 1 ¼ C Sugar
• 2 t Vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 oz unsweetened Chocolate, melted and cooled
• 2 C All Purpose Flour
• 2 t baking powder
• ½ t salt
• 2 T milk
• ½ C chopped pecans or other nuts (Optional)
• Confectioners’ Sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add vanilla then beat in eggs and melted chocolate.
Stir in dry ingredients alternately with milk. Stir in chopped nuts.

Shape dough into 1” balls. Roll balls in confectioners sugar and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.






Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until cookies are firm in the center.






Remove from baking sheets and cool on rack. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar if desired.




Makes about 4 dz. cookies

So I have no pics for this one as I haven't made it since last winter but these are easy and quick!

Ingredients

• ½ lb. Bacon
• 1 C Minced Onions
• 2 C cooked Red Beans
• 1 small bay leaf
• 2 C Cooked Rice

Dice and cook bacon in saucepan until light brown. Pour off fat; add onions and cook till bacon is brown. Add cooked red beans and bay leaf, cover pot and simmer for 30 minutes adding water if needed and stirring occasionally. Stir in rice and cover. Cook till rice is heated through.

Had a great weekend... My sister was down so I got to use her as a Guinea pig.. I converted an old family recipe for pound cake to incorporate Splenda instead of sugar, made home made apple butter and created a new pumpkin pancake recipe all that I will be posting soon! Hope everyone had a great weekend also!

INGREDIENTS:

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package (3 1/2oz) instant coconut cream pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup pumpkin, canned or fresh cooked and mashed
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

PREPARATION:

Combine eggs, sugar, and oil in a large mixing bowl;beat at medium speed of an electric mixer hand-held until well blended.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, pudding mix, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon; add to sugar mixture alternately with the mashed pumpkin, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Mix well after each addition. Stir in pecans or walnuts.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove loaf to wire rack to cool completely.
For muffins: Fill muffin cups (well greased) 3/4 full. Bake 20 minutes. Makes 18.


Thought: Hummm, now I have leftover pumpkin...what next to create!?!?!

disclaimer: coffee not included, that's the hub aggravating me!

Cool weather is starting to move into NC and gets the taste buds all fired up for soups, stews and casseroles. This one is an oldie but goody from my childhood and Nannie's house..

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion - diced
• 1 green pepper – diced
• 1 T butter
• 1 ½ lbs ground round
• 1 t Seasoning Salt
• ½ t pepper
• 1 t sugar
• 3 small cloves garlic
• 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 C Water
• 8 oz wide egg noodles
• 12 ox shredded mozzarella – divided in half

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a Dutch oven, sauté the onion and green pepper in the butter, the add ground beef and brown. Drain the fat. Add in the seasonings, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and water. Heat to boiling, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Using a large casserole dish layer the meat sauce, uncooked noodles 6 oz of the mozzarella, then remaining sauce and remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. (I uncover for the last 5 to 10 minutes)


Serve it up and put a fork in it!

After baking the Carrot Cake - I lad leftover heavy cream...I hate to waste anything so here is a recipe using part of that cream. I am making a tomato soup with the rest...

Ingredients:

• 8 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced (let's hear it for a mandolin slicer!)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup dry sherry or wine (I used Pinot Grigio... personal choice! ;-))
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• salt and pepper
• little more than 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cup grated swiss cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese or romano cheese, for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

In two batches, sauté the onion in the butter in a large frying pan. Cook only until limp. Do not brown.
Deglaze the pan, or remove the onion from the pan and pour sherry, scrapping the pan with a wooden spoon to dissolve the brown, toasted onions.
Mix the onions, the sherry, nutmeg, salt, pepper and heavy cream together and place in a baking dish. Top with the Swiss and then Parmesan or Romano.
Bake at 350 until top is a bit brown and bubbling, 15 - 20 minutes


Serve it up and put a fork in it!

Note: So after a day of cooking we were hungry and I didn't get a picture before we ate...SORRY!

Thought: to me these aren't good as leftovers heated in the microwave. The hub heated some up today in a skillet and that way was much better!