Butter Pecan Cake

I love butter pecan ice cream, so when I saw this recipe for Butter Pecan Cake on Pinterest and how beautiful it was, I decided to pin it and try it out one day. That day has come, and oh my gosh, it is fantastic! This would be a great addition to a summer cookout, so hold on to this one!

2-2/3 cups chopped pecans
1-1/4 cups butter, softened, divided
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsps vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk

Place pecans and 1/4 cup butter in a baking pan.

 

Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream sugar and remaining butter until light and fluffy.

 

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

 

Stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.

 

Stir in 1-1/3 cups of toasted pecans.

Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans.

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

FROSTING

1 cup butter, softened

8 to 8-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk (I found this to be a bit much so add it slowly until you reach the correct consistency)

2 tsps vanilla extract

remaining toasted pecans

Cream butter and confectioners' sugar in a large bowl. Add milk and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in remaining toasted pecans. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake.

Lime Bars

If you like key lime pie, then  you will love these bars! It's basically just key lime pie in an 8X8 dish, and made with real lime juice and a from scratch crust with lime zest to kick it up a notch from the quick style versions. I came across the recipe for Lime Bars perusing Pinterest one day. This is a straight recap (except I didn't use fat free sweetened condensed milk) of the original.

Crust

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

6 Tbsps salted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
zest of one lime

Filling

2 large egg yolks

1-14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lime juice

Heat oven to 350 degrees, then grease an 8 inch square pan, line it with parchment paper that hangs over the edge of the pan by a few inches (so you can remove the bars from the pan more easily).

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and zest.

 Press into the prepared pan, pressing the crust mixture one inch up the side of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

Once the crust is cooled combine the egg yolks and condensed milk until well mixed. Stir in the lime juice and combine. It will begin to thicken slightly.

Pour the filling into the crust, making sure the filling reaches the edges. Bake for 15 minutes, or until just set.

Cool to room temperature, then chill for at least one hour, overnight is better. Pull the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares with a serrated knife. To make cutting cleaner wipe the knife with a damp cloth between cuts.

Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container. They last for about five days.

Marinated Asparagus

I like quite a few more vegetables than I do fruit, but even so, I don't eat as much as I should. Oftentimes, my vegetables are simply steamed or boiled and plain, so I'm on the lookout for new vegetable recipes to try out. Asparagus is one of the vegetables that I really like. And this recipe is my own. I started fixing this as a fluke one night many years ago just to see how it would work. I'll give you some alternatives and tips throughout the dialogue, so here goes!

1/2-1 lb of asparagus

3-5 cloves of garlic, minced

4 Tbsp butter, melted

1 cup Dale Sauce

optional - garlic salt, garlic powder, any other seasoning you like

Start by washing off and then cutting about an inch off the ends of your asparagus. This allows the asparagus to absorb more of the marinade.

Melt butter in the microwave in 10 second intervals until it is melted, and mince the garlic. Add the garlic to the asparagus, then the butter and then the Dale Sauce.

If you do not have fresh garlic, then you can use about a tablespoon of garlic powder. You can also use other types of seasoning. When I made this batch, I also added a few dashes of a roasted garlic and herb seasoning I have just to up the flavor a notch. I will also occasionally use garlic salt if I will not be able to marinate the asparagus long. If you are marinating it more than two hours, then don't add anything that has salt. Dale Sauce is naturally salty, and the asparagus will get saltier as it marinates. I normally try to marinate it about an hour, sometimes a little longer. When you are ready to cook, add 1-3 Tbsps of butter to your skillet (depending on how large of a skillet you are using) and a bit of the marinade.

Cook the asparagus, occasionally turning, until it is fork tender. I know this picture looks silly, and you do not have to cook the asparagus in small batches. I had two very large pots on my stove, and I did not have room for a large skillet. The asparagus is done when a fork goes through it smoothly. You don't want to overcook it. It tastes much better when there is a bit of a crunch left to it. 

Sometimes I will serve the asparagus with bernaise or hollandaise sauce, but whether with a sauce or not, this asparagus is amazing!

Amish Country Bread

I know I've mentioned this before, but I love bread. I mean really love bread. I think I could subsist off of a good bread. Until about a year ago, I thought bread was so hard to make, but it isn't! And since I got a 6-quart stand mixer for Christmas, it's gotten even easier. I've tried out a number of recipes, and I have more pinned to try out. This recipe for Amish Country Bread, which I found on Pinterest, of course, was really easy and only took a bit over an hour to make. It is goooood! And it makes two loaves, which is even better. If you want to try your hand at some homemade bread, then this is a good first-time recipe.

4 Tbsps sugar

1 1/2 cups hot water

1 Tbsp of rapid rise yeast

2 Tbsps butter

1 Tbsp salt

5 cups flour

If you have rapid rise yeast, then combine all the ingredients and mix in a mixer or by hand until the dough is ready, but not less then 10 minutes.

If you have active yeast, then combine sugar, water and yeast in your mixer and allow yeast time to activate, usually 5-8 minutes. Add salt, flour and butter and mix for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle some flour in a bowl, put the dough in it and let it rise for half an hour.

Cut the dough in half, make two balls and put in a baking pan after sprinkling some flour in it. Make some nice small cuts on top (see image) and let sit for 10 minutes.

Brush an egg and sprinkle some salt and rosemary. 

Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.

Muffuletta-esk Sandwich

Despite my love of bread, I'm really not a big sandwich eater. I don't have anything against sandwiches, and the ones I do like, I really really like. I just don't eat them often. This little number is my own creation based on a sandwich I tried when I lived at Fort Polk, La. called a muffuletta. Please note, this is not a muffuletta though. I have not and will likely never be interested in an olive spread. Ever. And I fix my sandwiches very plainly. You may want to add some mustard or lettuce or other normal sandwich items to your version, but here's the basic form of it. I use a good sandwich roll, turkey, salami, and provolone. The key to these though begins with the bread! You must have a good bread for these. Kaiser rolls usually work good, but there are others that will work as well.

Bread rolls

2-4 slices of turkey

1-2 slices of salami

1-2 slices of provolone

This is a very simple sandwich - all you do is layer the parts. Cut the roll in half and place on baking sheet. Depending on the size of your bread, layer 2-4 slices of turkey, 1-2 slices of salami, and 1-2 slices of provolone. For the sandwich pictured, I used 2 slices of turkey and 1 each of salami and provolone.

Turn oven on broil and toast sandwich until top of roll is golden brown and provolone has melted to desired consistency. Watch it closely. You may need to pull the tops and let the cheese melt a bit longer. The goal is to warm the meat and slightly melt the cheese.

Add some chips and a fruit salad, and you have a wonderful and fairly healthy meal!

Rigatoni Pasta Bake

Rich, hearty meat sauce... stringy gooey mozzarella... perfect pasta... I mean, really, what's not to love? I found this recipe for Rigatoni Pasta Bake on Pinterest, and because it looked so yummy, I decided to give it a try. I would like a bit more sauce to pasta ratio, but all-in-all, it turned out very good.

12 oz Rigatoni pasta
1 lb ground beef
1 lb Italian sausage
2 (15 oz cans) tomato sauce
28 oz can crushed tomatoes (I didn't use this)
1.5 Tbsp tomato paste
1.5 cups Mozzarella cheese
½ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsps Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar

In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente.

In a large saucepan, brown ground beef and sausage until crumbly and cooked through. Stir in crushed tomatoes (if using), tomato sauce, and tomato paste.

Stir in garlic powder, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt and pepper. Allow to simmer 3-5 minutes, allowing the flavors to combine. Gently stir pasta into sauce.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add half the pasta and sauce mixture to the baking dish. Sprinkle half the mozzarella and parmesan over the pasta. Repeat with a second layer.

Bake in preheated 325 oven, covered with foil, for 20-25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

French Silk Pie

I love chocolate. I especially love creamy rich chocolate. This French Silk Pie recipe I found on Pinterest is to die for. The espresso powder just intensifies the chocolate flavor unbelievably. I didn't even share this dessert with my coworkers! It was that good. I used my own Pie Crust recipe rather than using a store bought crust, and it's worth the little bit of extra work.

4 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated ugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs, room temperature
1/4 tsp espresso powder
1 fully pre-baked 9-inch pie shell (homemade or store-bought)
3 cups whipped cream
1 chocolate bar, roughly chopped or shaved or melted into chocolate curls

Heat chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second intervals, stirring between, until completely melted. Set aside and let cool for about 10 minutes until it is room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. When melted chocolate has cooled, gradually add it to the butter/sugar mixture.

 

Beat the mixture on medium-low speed until thoroughly combined. Add vanilla and beat until combined.

Switch to the whisk attachment. Add one egg, and beat for 5 minutes on medium speed. Repeat with remaining three eggs, beating the mixture for an additional 5 minutes after each egg. (20 minutes total.) Take the time to do this right. This will give this French Silk Pie its silky fluffy texture.

Pour the filling into a baked pie shell in a pie plate, and use a spatula to spread out the top evenly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until chilled before serving.

Top with desired amount of whipped cream, then garnish with chocolate shavings or curls. I took the cheat here and topped mine with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. It. Was. Good!

Key Lime Poundcake

As with many others my age who grew up in the 80s, we were inundated with offers of meals that were faster and easier to make. Microwaves could cook entire meals, and nearly everything came from a box. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I've learned lately, that it really isn't THAT much harder to make things from scratch. I had never had homemade pound cake until a couple of years ago. All I had ever had was Duncan Hines pound cake, and while it is tasty, it is only good until you have the real thing. I no longer buy it, because pound cake is so easy to make. I also never knew that there were so many varieties of pound cake. The past year I've made about five or six different kinds of pound cake, and I haven't been disappointed in a single one. 

This one for Key Lime Pound Cake, I came across on Pinterest while searching for recipes that use fresh squeezed lime or lemon juice. This cake is so fresh and flavorful and moist. The bad thing though is that key limes only produce about a teaspoon or two of fresh juice each, so I had to juice a lot of key limes and then still had to use some regular limes to make up the difference. Still, I highly recommend this recipe.

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lime zest
1/4 cup fresh Key lime juice

Key Lime Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp fresh Key lime juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy.

 Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

 

Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla, lime zest, and lime juice.

 

Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch (12-cup) tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. 

To prepare Key Lime Glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, fresh Key lime juice, and vanilla until smooth. Brush over top and sides of cake. Cool completely (about 1 hour).