Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Ingredients:

6 Eggs
2 Sticks of softened butter
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz cream cheese

Directions

1

Mix sugar and butter very well. Add cream cheese and then add eggs one at the time, and mix it again.

2

Add flour, baking powder, vanilla and mix well. Pour into greased bundt pan.

3

Preheat 350 F for about 50 minutes or until golden brown.

Vegetarian Pea Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped carrots (I used 1/2 cup)
  
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
• 1 sprig fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 quart vegetable stock
• 1 1/3 cups dried split peas
• salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add the carrot, celery, onion and thyme, season lightly with pepper and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Add the stock and split peas, and bring to a boil quickly over high heat.
3. Lower the heat and simmer until the peas are tender, about 1 hour.
4. Puree the soup in a blender or with an immersion blender and stir.
5. If the soup is too thick, thin it by adding a little more stock. Raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil for 15 seconds.
6. Add salt and additional pepper to taste.

NOTE: Do not add salt until the peas are fully cooked, because salt will prevent the peas from becoming tender.

Cooking pea soup with the ham bone adds flavor (so the meat eaters say) but it also adds a lot of salt. I cubed lean ham slices and added some to the soup for my ladies that like ham in their pea soup.

Roasted Mushroom and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

I saw Rick Bayless making this on a show and it made my mouth water! I'm glad to report that it tastes just as good as I had hoped.

In a glass pan mix the following:
2 large heads of garlic, cloves peeled and slightly mashed
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 lime juice
2 t salt

Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

1 1/2 pounds thin sliced mixed mushrooms. (I used crimini, shitake and button)

Mix mushrooms into garlic mixture, cover and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Uncover and bake for about 30 minutes more.

To assemble the sandwiches:
6 crusty rolls - sliced
soft goat cheese (I used Boursin Garlic and Herb)
3 cups arugula (I mixed in some baby spinach)
Tomato Salsa

Spread rolls with goat cheese and some mushrooms. (I wrapped them in foil and baked at 325 for 10 minutes) Top with arugula and salsa.

Happy Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

1 yellow cake mix
1 can pineapple slices
cherries
chocolate chips
Brown Sugar
Butter

Prepare cake mix as directed, except use pineapple juice from can instead of water (add water if you need more liquid). Melt about 1/2 stick of butter in microwave and mix in brown sugar until it makes a paste. Grease muffin pans. Put about 1 T of the brown sugar paste in each pan. Decorate with pineapple and cherries, press into the brown sugar. Fill each muffin tin with cake mix and bake until done. Let rest about 4 minutes and then flip out onto a cookie sheet. Decorate with chocolate chips if desired.

Jelly Roll (Paula Deen's)

4 eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup cake flour, sifted
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Garnish:
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting, sifted
1 cup jam or jelly, stirred well

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a small bowl beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and set aside. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks until light. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla, and mix well. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the sifted flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture. Fold in the egg whites into the egg mixture and pour the batter into a 15 by 10 by 1-inch jelly roll pan lined with waxed paper. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cake is golden.
Loosen edges of cake, invert cake onto a towel dusted with confectioners' sugar. Gently peel wax paper off cake. Trim 1/4-inch of hard crust off each long side of the jelly roll cake. Begin with the narrow side and roll the cake and towel up together. Cool cake on rack, seam side down, for 10 to 15 minutes.
Once cake has cooled, gently unroll and spread cake with jam or jelly and re-roll. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar

Ho Ho Cake

Chocolate Cake Mix

Filling: 1 stick butter
1/2 cup crisco
1 cup sugar
3 T flour
2/3 cup milk
1 t vanilla

1 can chocolate frosting

Make cake according to directions in a 9 by 13 greased pan.

filling: Cream together butter, crisco and sugar. Add flour, milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth then spread on cooled cake. Place in freezer until cool enough to spread icing on top.

Microwave frosting until smooth enough to spread easily (15 seconds). Spread over filling and refrigerate until serving.

Pork Chops and Stuffing

4 pork chops
3 cups bread cubes
2 T chopped onion
1/4 cup butter melted
1/4 cup water
1/4 t poultry seasoning
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup water

Brown pork chops on both sides. Pour off drippings. Mix bread cubes, onion, butter, 1/4 cup water and seasoning. Put chops in a roaster with a mound of stuffing on each chop. Blend soup with 1/3 cup water. Pour over chops and stuffing. Cover and Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.