Saturday, March 26, 2011

 

Saga of Making 7-Up Pound Cake


A comical take on trusting hubby to do the grocery shopping by Jeanne Robertson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=-YFRUSTiFUs#t=65

7-Up Pound Cake
3 cups sugar
3 sticks butter or margarine
5 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon lemon extract
3/4 cup 7-Up soda

Cream together sugar and butter; add eggs one at a time, then add the flour and beat. Add lemon extract and 7-Up; mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 13X9-inch baking pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes; check for doneness after 1 hour. Just a simple dusting of powdered sugar is plenty sufficient frosting for this rich, elegant beauty.
Yield: Approximately 8 servings
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Free e-copy of Bumper Crop: Beginning with Apples
Click here: http://tinyurl.com/36yjzhh and put in Coupon Code FK84R at check out for your copy available free in about 10 different e-reader formats. Offer good until April 7, 2011.
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Quote
A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand. ~Author Unknown
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Saturday, March 12, 2011

 

Irish Creme Bundt Cake

Celebrate this St. Pat's Day with Carolan's Irish Creme Bundt Cake. As soon as you smell its Irish creme aroma emanating from the oven, you’ll know this recipe is a keeper. It may even lure a few uninvited guests to your party when its sweet-smelling fragrance permeates its way through the neighborhood. Everyone is Irish on March 17, so embrace the festivities o' the green by serving a delicious slice of this moist Irish beauty.

Carolan's Irish Creme Bundt Cake
Cake:
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
¼ cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup Irish cream liqueur
Glaze:
½ cup butter
¼ cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup Irish creme liqueur


Preheat oven to 325°F (165° C). Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over bottom of pan.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding. Mix in eggs, ¼ cup water, ½ cup oil and ¾ cup Irish creme liqueur. Beat for 4-5 minutes at high speed. Pour batter over nuts in pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto the serving dish. Prick top and sides of cake. Spoon glaze over top of cake and brush onto sides. Allow glaze to absorb, repeat until all glaze is used up.

To make the glaze: In a saucepan, combine ½ cup butter, ¼ cup water and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in ¼ cup Irish creme.
Yield: 12 servings.
Note: I use Carolan's Irish Creme over Bailey's because it's much lower in price, and to me it tastes exactly the same. So why pay more?
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Quote
When the apple is ripe it will fall. ~~Irish Proverb
Proverb noted in Sweet Apple Temptations with Grandma Briggs' Apple Rolls.
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Thursday, March 3, 2011

 

Onion Mushroom Beef Steak


Caramelized onions, green beans and carrots simmering all day in savory mushroom gravy with hefty slabs of seared steak, it's a hubby approved comfort food dinner that is truly lip-smacking good.


Slow Cooked Onion Mushroom Beef Steak
2-3 pounds boneless round or chuck steak, cut 1/2" to 3/4" thick
2 to 3 tablespoons cooking oil
2 large Spanish or white onions, sliced and divided
3 cups mushrooms, cleaned and thick sliced
2 cups baby carrots, whole
1 pound green beans, cleaned, whole
1-10 or 12 ounce jar beef gravy
1 mushroom gravy packet, dry
Mashed potatoes, rice or spaghetti (optional)

Trim visible fat from steak. Cut steak into 8 serving pieces. Sear meat on both sides in hot oil using a large skillet. Discard excess fat and save the brown drippings in the bottom of pan; set aside.

Combine prepared beef gravy and dry mushroom gravy packet in a medium bowl. Put half the onions in the bottom of crock pot; add mushrooms. Place seared steak pieces and brown pan drippings over mushrooms; pour half the gravy mixture over steak. Add remaining onions and green beans. End by pouring last half of gravy mixture over green beans.

Cover; cook on low heat for 8-9 hours or 4-5 hours on high heat. Serve over hot mashed potatoes, rice, egg noodles or spaghetti, if desired. Yield: 8 servings

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Check out: http://www.porkchopsandapplesauce.net/purchase.htm or http://www.porkchopsandapplesauce.net/book.htm to see Cynthia's banquet of comfort food.
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Quote
We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink... ~Epicurus
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