I have been away for awhile, but I wanted to share this wonderful cake.  The next time I am going to try this with macadamia nuts, it should work just fine.

1 cup plus 2 table spoons of butter

2-2/3 cups chopped pecans

2 cups of sugar

4 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsps. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 cup of 2% milk ( I used regular milk)

Directions: In a skillet melt the 2 table spoons of butter. Add the pecans cook until toasted about 4 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

In a bowl mix remaining butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with the milk. Beat until combined. FOLD in the COOLED pecans. Spread evenly into three 9 inch buttered and floured cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Use either cream cheese or vanilla icing (I choose homemade cream cheese icing ) to ice..ENJOY

Ingredients:

White cake batter

1 ½ cups plus 3 tablespoons cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup granulated sugar

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, warmed to room temperature

¾ cup whole milk

3 large eggs whites, warmed to room temperature

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Supreme chocolate cake batter

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons boiling water (put ½ cup of water on to boil, and once it reaches the boiling point, pour 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons of the water back into a glass measuring cup and discard the remaining water)

½ cup, scant cake flour

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, warmed to room temperature

1 ½ large whole eggs, warmed to room temperature

½ tablespoon plus

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Fantastically fudgy vanilla and cocoa frosting

2 ½ cups granulated sugar

¼ cup corn syrup

½ cup heavy whipping cream

½ teaspoon salt

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons) unsalted butter, warmed to room temperature

1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

½ cup cocoa powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make white cake batter:

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, and sugar in a large mixing bowl and mix briefly.

2. Add the butter and roughly 75% of the milk to the dry ingredient mixture and mix on low speed until the butter is thoroughly incorporated.

3. Increase the mixer’s speed to medium and beat until well combined. Then continue to beat at medium speed for 1 ½ minutes longer in order to build the cake’s structure.

4. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the egg whites by hand to incorporate considerable air into the mixture. Whisk the whites until they are frothy (but not so long that soft peaks form).

5. Combine the remaining milk, the egg whites, and the vanilla into a small mixing bowl and add it in 3 separate batches to the batter, mixing well between each addition.

To make chocolate supreme cake batter:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the cocoa powder and boiling water and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a large measuring cup.

2. In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients for 30 seconds. Set aside.

3. In a third mixing bowl, gently mix together the eggs and the vanilla extract. Add a third of the cocoa mixture to the egg-vanilla mixture.

4. Add the remaining cocoa mixture and the butter to the dry-ingredient mixture and mix together for 1 ½ minutes.

5. Add the cocoa-egg mixture to the cocoa-dry ingredient mixture in 2 separate stages mixing for 30 seconds between each addition. Scrape the bowl to ensure that all of the cocoa-egg mixture has been added.

To make black and white cupcakes:

1. Once you have prepared both the white and chocolate cake batters, fill 2 piping bags fitted with round #8 tips until they are ½ full (I used Ziploc bags and cut off the bottoms). One bag should contain the white batter, and the other should contain the chocolate batter.

2. Prepare the cupcake pans.

3. It’s important to pipe both cupcake batters simultaneously, so ask your hone to hold one of the bags. Each of you should begin to pipe the batter at the same time, filling each liner until it is ¾ full.

4. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes.

5. Cool on a wire rack.

6. Ice your cupcakes with Fantastically Fudgy vanilla and Cocoa Icing.

To make fantastically fudgy vanilla and cocoa icing:

1. Combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup, whipping cream, and salt in a saucepan and cook on medium heat until the sugar syrup mixture reaches 239 F. Remove from heat.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl (if using a hand mixer), mix together the butter and sifted confectioners’ sugar on medium speed.

3. Slow the mixer to low speed, and slowly add the sugar syrup mixture to the butter-sugar mixture.

4. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and pour in the vanilla. Continue beating the mixture until the icing is smooth and spreadable.

5. Pour half of the mixture into a separate covered container and set aside. That’s your vanilla fudge icing.

6. Add the cocoa powder to the remaining mixture still in the mixing bowl and mix thoroughly making the cocoa fudge icing.

7. You should spread the icing on the black-and-white cupcakes while it is still warm, but the cupcakes themselves should be thoroughly cooled. Frosting the cupcakes, like piping the batter, is best done as a team effort. Using offset spatulas, one person should spread the cocoa fudge icing while the other spreads the vanilla fudge frosting. Start by making 2 separate lines of the white and black frosting down the center of each cupcake, and use the offset spatulas to spread the respective colors around each cupcake half, making sure to cover the edges

Serving Suggestion:

Something tells me we’re not the only ones who get excited over beans and rice. Do you? Rarely a week goes by that we don’t have beans of some sort or another, and my mother’s chili beans with rice are a staple around here.  I found a recipe in our local grocery store circular for a Cajun red beans and rice using smoked pork shanks. (Ham Shanks)  Given the current  love affair with all things pork, smoked,  and southern, I couldn’t wait to make it. Traditional Louisiana red beans and rice also uses Andouille sausage which I did not add, (I used smoked sausage) but you could if you wanted. There was plenty of flavor, and plenty of meat with the smoked shanks.

Prep time: 10 min |Cook time: 2 hours | Yield: About 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 pound of dried red kidney beans

1/2 pound of bacon, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 large stalk of celery, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste, optional

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 bay leaves

1/2 tablespoon of canola oil

1 package (14 oz.) smoked sausage or Andouille sausage(very spicy), ham bone, ham hocks, hamchunks, or any combination

2 quarts of water

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, optional

Kosher salt to taste, if needed – BUT ONLY AT THE END!

Hot, cooked rice

Sliced green onion, for garnish, optional

Hot sauce, for the table

Instructions:

Rinse and sort beans and place into a deep pot, adding water to cover beans plus about an inch or so. Discard any malformed or floating beans.

Do not add any seasonings or salt! Bring to a boil; boil for 5 minutes uncovered, turn off heat, cover and let soak for one hour. Drain and set aside in a large pot.In a separate skillet, cook the bacon until lightly cooked and still limp. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery to the bacon and sauté the veggies until tender. Add the garlic, black and red pepper, basil and bay leaf into the vegetable mixture and let seasoning meld with the veggies for about 3 minutes, stirring. Add the bacon, veggie & seasoning mixture to the pot of beans. Meanwhile slice sausage in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch chunks. Add oil to skillet you used for the veggies and lightly brown the sausage. Transfer to the bean pot. If you have any leftover ham chunks, cut those up too, brown them and add them in.

Add 2 quarts of fresh water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cooked uncovered for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until beans are tender and slightly thickened. When beans are just about done, slide in a half stick of butter. The butter adds richness to the beans and makes them just super delish, but is totally optional if you want to leave it out. They are good without it. If you need to thicken them up more, just remove about a cup of the beans and mash them with a fork, returning them to the pot. Serve over hot, cooked rice and garnish with sliced green onion, if desired. Pass hot sauce at the table.

~Cook’s Notes~

Note: Do not add any salt until the end, and then only if it needs it. There is some salt present from all the meats involved, so taste and adjust your seasonings toward the end of cooking, adding salt here if needed. I very often find that the pot needs no additional salt at all. Taste, add salt if needed, taste again and adjust seasoning as needed.

Serving Suggestion:

 This cake is so rich it does not need icing, but it does not hurt to serve a lot of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, but you can do as a layer cake with a coffee flavored buttercream icing also.  Decident to the end!!!

1 1/2 c. water

1/2 c. Jack Daniel’s whiskey

1 tbsp. oa a good instant coffee

2-1/2 sticks unsalted butter

1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 c. sugar

Two eggs

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

One c. coarsely chopped pecans (optional)

Two tbsp. Jack Daniel’s

Gobs of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving

 In a large saucepan, heat and stir the water, 1/2 cup Jack Daniel’s, coffee, butter, and cocoa until the butter melts. Remove from heat and beat in sugar. Cool slightly, then whisk in the eggs, blending thoroughly. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat into the chocolate mixture until incorporated. Stir in the pecans. (Optional) Turn the batter into a greased and floured 9-inch tube pan or Bundt pan. Smooth the top of the batter with a spatula.

Bake the cake on the middle level of a preheated 325-degree oven for 60 to 75 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Immediately sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons of Jack Daniel’s. Let cool on a rack, and then remove cake from the pan.

 NOTE:

Serving Suggestion

(adapted from a recipe by Bev Shaffer)

The cassata siciliana consists of round sponge cake moistened with fruit juices or liqueur and layered with ricotta cheese, candied peel, and a chocolate or vanilla filling similar to cannoli cream. It is covered with a shell of marzipan, pink and green pastel colored icing, and decorative designs. The cassata is finally topped with candied fruit depicting cherries and slices of citrus fruit characteristic of Sicily.  The “Cleveland” cassata first appeared in the early 1920s at the local Italian bakery LaPuma Spumoni & Bakery. The children of the owners did not like traditional cassata cake, made with sweetened ricotta, chocolate chips, and candied fruit. Using what they had in the bakery, Tomasso LaPuma created what was to become the Cleveland cassata cake. The fifth generation of this bakery still continues to make the original version of this cake at their bakery of the same name on Cleveland’s Eastside.  The picture below is the one I am most familliar with, although the recipe is the traditional cake.

2 cups cake flour, sifted

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

3 eggs

1/4 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

simple syrup

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons orange liqueur or fresh-squeezed orange juice

filling:

2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese (a must, low fat will be runny)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon orange zest

2/3 cup mini chocolate chips or grated chocolate

frosting:

1 pint heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

grated or shaved semi-sweet chocolate, for garnish

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8×4 or 10×5 inch loaf pan. Add the ricotta for the filling to a wire strainer over a bowl to drain off some of the liquid. Store in refrigerator.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and beat on low speed until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Stir in milk and vanilla, beat on medium until smooth. Batter will be thick.

3. Add batter to prepared pan and bake 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from center with a few moist crumbs attached. Cool in pan on wire rack 10-15 minutes then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely.

4. In a small saucepan whisk sugar and water together, cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Stir in orange liqueur or juice. Remove from heat and set aside.

5.To make the filling whisk ricotta, sugar, zest and chocolate together. Keep refrigerated until needed.

6. In a large mixing bowl add heavy cream, whisk on medium until it begins to thicken, add cream of tartar and confectioners’ sugar. Beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.

7. To assemble cake slice into 3 equal layers. Set bottom layer on dish and brush or sprinkle the simple syrup over top. Add 1/2 of the ricotta filling and spread evenly. Set the next layer down and repeat. Brush bottom of top layer with syrup and set on top. Frost with whip cream and sprinkle chocolate garnish over top. Keep refrigerated, cut into slices for serving.

Serves 8-10

Serving Suggestion

A timballo is an Italian molded dish, typically of pasta or rice, with a filling of meat or vegetables. Although there are many versions of timballo Siciliano, it’s typically a pasta dish containing eggplant, similar to Greek moussaka.  The name timballo (like the French timbale) derives from an ancient percussion instrument, the drum or tympanum, so by analogy, a cylindrical mold. It probably began with Middle Eastern or Mediterranean meat-filled pies. Arabic influences pervade Sicilian cuisine.  It’s really hearty and makes for a great comfort food, It’s also something of a unique dish if you’re looking for something different than your more traditional Italian dinners.

Ragu:

1/2 cup olive oil

2 green onions, diced

1 carrot diced

1 stalk of celery, diced

Dried basil to taste

3/4 cup red wine

6 ounces tomato paste

3/4 cup pureed tomatoes flavored with basil

1 pound lean ground beef and pork (beef, pork is optional to make this vegetarian) mixture

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Bechamel sauce:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk, warmed

Salt and pepper to taste

Timballo:

Salt

2 baby eggplants, cut in 1/4-inch slices

2 tablespoons olive oil

Softened butter

Breadcrumbs

1 pound O-ring pasta

3 cups tomato sauce flavored with basil

1 10-ounce package frozen petite peas, sauteed

2 bunches green onions, chopped

1/2 pound fresh pecorino, cut in small cubes

2 tablespoons grated parmesan

Pepper to taste

Make the ragu: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat and saute the onions, carrot, celery and dried basil until fragrant. Add the pork and beef mixture and saute until browned. Add the red wine, tomato paste and pureed tomato. Stir and blend. Season with salt and pepper, cloves and cinnamon. Reduce the heat and summer for about 1 hour.

Make the bechamel sauce: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture turns a sandy color, 6 to 7 minutes. Slowly whisk in the warm milk and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Prepare the timballo: Salt the baby eggplant slices and let stand 1/2 hour. Rinse and pat very dry. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and fry the eggplant on both sides until soft. Drain on paper towels.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread butter in a 12-inch diameter casserole and dust with breadcrumbs. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 2 minutes and drain.

Toss the pasta with the tomato sauce and grated parmesan, pour half into the casserole, and layer the fried eggplant across the top. Combine the bechamel and the ragu sauce; pour over the top. Mix the sauteed peas with the green onions, layer on top and then add the pecorino.

Complete with the remainder of the pasta, dust with the grated parmesan and about 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs and dot with butter. Bake for 1/2 hour. Let stand 10 minutes to firm up, unmold onto a platter and serve. 4 servings.

Serving Suggestion:

Coffee has a remarkable affinity with beef. Here, it is complemented by balsamic vinegar, garlic and crushed peppercorns.  Cooking to medium, this succulent cut of beef will bring back memories of bar-b-queue’s on the beach, friendly gatherings at the end of a summer day.  A dry port or burgundy wine, or a tall frosty stein of your favorite beer is called for here, while new memories are being created.  Enjoy my friends!

Servings: 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 mins

Total Time:1 hr. 20 mins

Ingredients

3 tablespoons strong brewed coffee

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 pound flank steak, trimmed of fat

Directions

1. Whisk coffee, vinegar, oil, sugar, garlic, peppercorns and salt in a glass dish large enough for meat to lie flat. Add steak and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.

2. Heat grill to high.

3. Remove steak from marinade (discard marinade). Lightly oil grill rack.  Place steak on grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain and serve.  I prefer medium-rare, but you can cook the beef to your own preference.

Tips: MAKE AHEAD TIP: Marinated the steak (Step 1) for up to 8 hours.

Serving Suggestion:

I was looking around in an old recipe database this morning when I cane across this!  A large split chicken breast stuffed with a mixture of mushrooms, brown rice, tomato, mozzarella cheese and garlic.  Just so you all know, I haven’t seen or thought about this recipe in at least 30 years, it was stored on a rather old Apple IIe computer.  But, because I just happened to have 2 split breasts (yes with the bones and skin on) I decided what the heck and made it.  WoW!  I’d forgotten how good this is, I had it with egg noodles, but a nice potato or other side, some good bread (maybe the Italian I posted earlier?) and nice glass of wine would be perfect.  I developed this for a wedding reception some 30 years or so ago, now it’s time to share with all the good people here on BB&W.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 split chicken breasts with bones and skin on

½ teaspoon pepper

salt to taste

cooked white or brown rice (approx. 2 cups)

½ cup dry white wine

8 oz white mushrooms chopped and sautéed in butter

¼ cup diced tomato

¼ cup grated Mozzarella cheese

1 Tablespoon basil

1 tablespoon granulated garlic ( not garlic salt please)

1 tablespoon cyan pepper (or to taste, optional)

1 cup breadcrumbs any style

½ stick of butter, melted

cooking oil

Directions:

1. Using a very sharp knife, cut a pocket in the breast on the thick side. Don’t cut all the way through.

2. Season the chicken with the pepper and salt. Set aside.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the cooled mushrooms, ½ the garlic, rice, tomatoes, Mozzarella cheese, and basil. Toss all of the ingredients until well blended.

4. Spoon an even amount of the rice mixture into each pocket of each chicken breast. Secure with toothpicks if necessary.

5. In a skillet heat enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan skin side down. Brown the chicken skin until golden brown.

6. Remove from the skillet and place in the bottom of a baking dish skin side up. Combine the bread crumbs and melted butter and and remaining garlic. Sprinkle over each chicken breast. Add wine to the baking dish, pour it along the side not over the chicken. Cover lightly with foil and bake at 350º F for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for another 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. Remove from the oven recover loosely with the foil and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes.

7. Serve with your favorite veggie, potatoes and some good bread.

A delicious pea soup recipe with ham and seasonings.  This tasty soup provides a hearty meal that includes meat and vegetables in one dish. It is great topped with croutons or served with a slice of your favorite bread.  Green or yellow dried split peas can be used with this recipe.

Cook Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound dry green split peas

2 quarts water

1 meaty ham bone

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1 cup diced celery

4 or 5 medium carrots, peeled and cut in chunks

Preparation:

Directions for split pea soup

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cover with 2 quarts of water the ham bone. Bring split to a boil; boil the bone until the meat is tender. Set aside to cool. Add to the stock the dried split peas, onion, garlic, salt and pepper to taste Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove meat from bone; dice and return to pea soup with chopped celery and carrot. Simmer split pea soup slowly for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally until the carrots are tender and the peas have smoothed out. Taste split pea soup and add salt and pepper as needed, to taste. Serve with sour dough bread, butter and a good chilled rose’. This is a puree’ type soup, and will be thick, and possibly a little chunky from the dried peas (they way I like it!). Enjoy!!

Split pea soup serves 8.

Serving Suggestion

Swiss steak is a method of slow-cooking a relatively tough cut of beef, such as a round steak.  The meat is browned, and then braised in a tomato sauce.  According to rumor, recipes first starting showing up for Swiss steak in the 1930s.  You can cook this steak on a stove-top or place in a baking dish, cover with foil and cook it in the oven(which is the method I describe here).  The “Swiss” in Swiss Steak has nothing to do with Switzerland, but refers to the process of tenderizing a tough cut of meat.  The following is my mother’s method for making Swiss Steak.

Ingredients

4 pounds boneless beef round steak, cut 3/4 inch thick or

Eight 7-8 oz. cubed steaks. (I prefer these, no pounding)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon cooking oil

2 14.5-ounce cans stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings

11/2 cup sliced celery (about 3 stalks with leaves)

11/2 cup sliced carrots

1 Medium onion sliced and separated into rings

Serve with Mashed Potatoes Rice or Noodles (xtra large)

Directions

Trim fat from meat. Cut round steak into serving-size pieces 7-8 oz. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper. With the notched side of a meat mallet, pound flour mixture into meat.

For the cube steaks, season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper, (and whatever additional seasonings you wish to use), pressing into meat. Dredge in flour pressing meat into flour on both sides, making all meat surfaces are covered.

Prepare and brown meat in skillet as above. Transfer meat to a 9X13 or larger as needed baking dish. In the same skillet, combine undrained tomatoes, onion, celery, and carrot. Bring to boiling, scraping up any browned bits. Pour over meat. Cover and bake in a 350 degree F oven about 1 hour or until tender. Serve with MASHED potatoes, Rice or wide egg noodles.

Serving Suggestion: