What most people I know think of when you use the generic term "cake" is technically a butter cake, typically eggs and butter or oil beaten together and the dry ingredients then added, as opposed to a chiffon cake, a lighter textured cake where the egg whites are whipped separately and folded into the batter. Pound cake is butter or chiffon cake's sweet, voluptuous cousin, with rich, velvety crumb, created from not just eggs and butter but LOTS of eggs and butter!
Originally named "pound cake" for the simplicity of its ingredients: pound of butter, pound of sugar, pound of flour... it has long since been cut down to what we think of us "regular" cake size and customized in endless variations. This buttermilk and vanilla recipe is rich and. satisfying with straight-forward, simple ingredients that showcases what, to me, is almost a religiously divine combination: butter, flour, and sugar...and an oven. .
To fancy it up, add fresh strawberries or a drizzle of chocolate or caramel sauce. For me, I just cut a slice, pick it up, and don't bother dirtying a fork and plate.
One of the great things about things about cooking restaurant-style food at home is being able to customize it. I love this entree, Harvest Bay Mahi Mahi, a firm-fleshed white fish covered in rich Alfredo sauce mixed with sauteed shrimp and mushrooms, from Joe's Crab Shack but I've always wanted more: more sauce, more shrimp, more mushrooms!!!!! Viva la shrimp and shrooms! Since I don't have a district manager looking over my food cost reports, that's easy to do without sacrificing any of the integrity of the original dish, not to mention, being able to shave a few butter and Alfredo sauce calories here and there without sacrificing that luscious mouth feel and rich taste.
Here's How I did it, step by step, and with photos:
"Hi, My name is Glenna and I, too, am addicted to Pinterest."
I admit it. I have a million (well, maybe not QUITE that many) pins of recipes and crafts that I will, I promise myself, someday cook, create, paint, plant, or read.
I pinned this cobbler photo/recipe earlier this very afternoon and thought "I have all three of these things on hand, why not tonight?" So, along with the spaghetti, homemade bread, and roasted garlic we had for dinner, we also have this lovely peach (or the original is berry) cobbler to enjoy for a little something sweet to end the night on.
Mmmmm....weeeknd breakfast casseroles. They can range from the greasy to the sublime and I have to say this is one of my favorites. Quick and easy to put together, I have have a few tricks to make it go even faster.
This little gem is an easy mix of breakfast sausage patties, hashbrowns, sweet bell pepper, onion, eggs...and cornbread! Yes, cornbread. The best part about it is that you can pull the sausage and hashbrowns from the freezer and the cornbread doesn't have to be pre-baked so the whole thing can be prepped and in the oven in about 10 minutes.
It's a great combo of savory, sweet, eggy goodness perfect for a lazy Saturday or Sunday morning at home. Makes 10-12 servings but our house, we love it so much, it's more like 4-6 servings!
This is my very very favorite King Cake recipe. I've made it for several years and it's always a huge hit. It's a great combination of buttery pastry, creamy fruit filling, and just enough sugar to be a dessert but not so sugary that it's overwhelming.
We were craving something sweet this weekend, so rummaging through the pantry I found a jar of no-sugar-added fig jam from The Amish Country Store in Branson and said to myself "Self? If I baked this wonderful jam over a shortbread crust, wouldn't that make for great home-made Fig Newtons?"
It did!
The shortbread crust is a mix of cream cheese and butter, along with a mix of all-purpose flour and long cooking oatmeal. The cream cheese and oatmeal make for a chewier crust, while the crumbled topping give a little extra crunch. Once the cream cheese and butter have softened, it's also a quick prep using only two bowls, one spatula, a mixer and a baking dish.
We tried to wait until they'd completely cooled but it was a lost cause. I can officially attest that they're yummy both still warm and cool and will store up to several days in covered container...if they last that long!
When it comes to cooking for a crowd, the slow cooker or Crock-pot is my best friend and favorite kitchen appliance. Nothing is easier to cook in as long as you plan ahead of time and have everything ready to go that morning. Even better, many dishes can be made a day or two ahead of time so that when I'm entertaining I can finish up cooking the day of the party without spending all day long and all of my energy just cooking. I've spent too many years being exhausted before company even got to my house to even enjoy them but years ago I figured out I could still cook nice home-made meals without making myself tired, cranky, and crazy.
This recipe for slow cooker pulled pork is great for a crowd of 12-16, depending on how hearty the appetites are, and it goes together in a snap, can be made ahead, and leaves one less thing to have to think about before company shows up.
Gene and I first had caviar at the Petrossian piano/martini bar inside the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. We'd walked by the little bistro several times and one day we just decided to stop in for a drink and a nosh. Neither of us had ever eaten caviar before so we decided to splurge and give this new-to-us delicacy a try. Delicious!
I think it was one of the first times we've ever tried something we didn't know how to eat that we simply asked the waitress to tell us what to do. That seems like a simple concept but it. was a learning experience for us in several ways. I don't know why I thought the waitress might be snooty, my own insecurity, I guess. As Auntie Miranda said, only a stupid server wouldn't make sure a patron had a great experience with new food or they'd be burning their own tip money up.
Since then we've been very loyal to Petrossian and splurge on caviar and fois gras every other New Year's Eve or so. We've been building up quite the tradition: a good pasta, home-made bread, and a fresh salad, followed by poker or other family games, and a midnight caviar, a good bottle of champagne, and/or dessert buffet with Auntie Miranda, James and Lynn, and Corbin and Jenn.
The Petrossian caviar is overnighted from New York inside cold packs. To serve, all you have to do is open the tin it comes in, place over crushed ice in a secondary bowl to keep it chilled, and dip it with a non-metallic (to avoid the metal giving the caviar a weird taste) spoon. Ours happens to be mother of pearl, ordered from Petrossian our first year. Caviar can be served on soft (our preference) or toasted baguette or regular bread toast points, blinis, or crackers of any kind. Toppings are a personal choice but common sides are chopped hard-boiled egg, sweet gherkins, dill gherkins, capers, minced red onion, scallions, or chives, kalamata olives, and creme fraiche--a type of sour cream with a higher fat content and less acidity.
We served this little mini buffet on a lazy Susan to keep us, lazy celebrators that we are, from having to pass everything around a million times. I made home-made baguette and bought two kinds of crackers: one light and crispy and the other more toothy and whole-grained. Along with the caviar, we also ordered a duck fois gras pate and a pheasant, fig, and cognac pate. Everybody tried many different combinations of toppings with the caviar but it seemed like the favorites were either simply the caviar on a thin slice of baguette or any of the breads topped with caviar, creme fraiche, capers, and chopped sweet gherkins. There is something about that combination that meets the magic taste combination of salty, sour, sweet, and savory. Mmmm... I'm already looking forward to next year even though this year has barely begun.
There's nothing like pasta, the ultimate comfort food, to feed a small army of company at the holidays. It's tasty, it's easy, and it can usually be made ahead, all pluses in my book so that I can serve a delicious meal to my friends and family but also be able to relax on the day of and during the party instead of running myself ragged, cooking.
Traditionally at New Year's Eve, I make a big lasagna, but this year I went to the same song, different verse, choosing to created a Baked Mostaccili dish instead.
Several of my guests plus friends on Facebook asked for the recipe, so this is it: Glenna's Baked Mostaccioli for a Crowd. Even though the recipe easily serves 8-10, it can easily be cut in half for a family dinner or can be made as a whole and split into two separate baking dishes, freezing one for later.
Our friend, Jenn, brought these to our annual New Year's Eve party and they were a huge hit: the perfect combination of crunchy, salty, sweet, nutty, and chocolate. They're a quick and easy addition to any dessert table that will disappear faster than any other treat.
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