February 2013 Challenge: Share your great DESSERT recipe!

 It's the month of love and we love dessert,   our group scraps of color will share one, two or three great dessert recipes.

 Today I have selective my Grandmothers 1 2 3 Cake recipe for my first great shared recipe.

The pound cake, most known as a rich cake, originally contained a pound of each of the main ingredients, including flour, sugar, and butter. That’s where the pound cake gets its name.

When I was a young girl, my grandmother didn't have a mixer she would beat this cake by hand and folded the dry ingredients in a little at a time before baking. She said it needed 300 strokes so we used to count as she mixed. She would bake it during the week for Sunday dinner, also she would bake one for my dad's Friday Night Fish Fry.

123 CAKE

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

2 cups sugar

3 cups flour sifted (to day we use Swans Down Cake Flour)

4 eggs

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon bourbon

1 teaspoon orange zest, grated

1 - 2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate, thawed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat on medium speed 10 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with milk and flavorings, creaming by hand until smooth after each addition. Spread batter into prepared 10-inch bundt pan. Bake until tester inserted into cake comes out clean ( I used the old one  finger touch), about 1 hour and 25 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool on rack.

Glaze with OLD-FASHIONED BOURBON GLAZE: Combine sugar, bourbon, zest and enough orange juice to make a thin glaze. Drizzle onto cake.

IT'S TIME FOR BUFFALO WINGS

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY IS HERE

Try my quick and easy recipe when you don't have the time or not ready to spend  time in the kitchen.


CROCKPOT WINGS

Ingredients:

* 3 pounds chicken wings (16 wings)
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 1/2 cups any variety barbecue sauce
* 1/4 cup honey
* 2 teaspoons prepared mustard or spicy mustard
* 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
* Tabasco to taste, optional

Preparation:

Rinse chicken wings; pat dry. Cut off and save wing tips then cut each wing at the joint to make two sections. Sprinkle wing pieces with salt and pepper; place wings on a lightly oiled broiler pan. Broil about 4 inches from the heat for 10 minutes on each side, or until chicken wings are nicely browned. Transfer chicken wings to crockpot.

In a bowl, combine barbecue sauce, honey, spicy mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco. Pour sauce over chicken wings. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or on High 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Serve directly from slow cooker, keeping temperature on LOW. Makes about 30 chicken wings.

Let me know what team you want to win or give me your best guest on what team is going to win. Just enjoy your day (GAME)

LETS MAKE A CHANGE IN 2013

This year has big changes for us, we must take a step back and look at our future, and prepare a new plan of action, to be successful in 2013.  I found if I don't worry about things I personally can not change, eliminates 3/4 of the things for me to worry about.  Maybe a good game plan would be start with working toward becoming financially independence, who knows. If you have a hobby or always wanted one this will be the year to start one or put more effort and time into your old hobby. This year I plan to rewrite and add more healthy recipes to my blog, complete twice as many craft project by just putting more time and energy into my hobby. Try my hand at alter art and  mixed media projects, also using my scraps and the supplies I have on hand if at all possible.  Maybe my creativity  will increase and take my mind away from the problems of today. I know we will make it through 2013 by taking one day at a time and with God on our  side we will be all right.

FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS HAPPY NEW YEAR

It is a long-standing tradition in African American families to indulge in a family or communal New Year's Day dinner featuring cabbage or greens, which symbolize greenbacks (paper money), black-eyed peas which symbolize coins and both giving good luck for the New Year. Our family New Year tradition brings the whole family together (4 Generations)  sharing the first meal of the year with a traditional soul food dinner. No matter how you celebrate it, we hope you have a happy new year!

This month I will only feature three recipes but they are some oldies but goodies.

KWANZAA PRINCIPLE DAY-6

6th Kwanzaa Principle: Kuumba or Creativity

Health Principle: Use imagination to keep diet and exercise routines 
Okra, Corn and Tomatoes

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen cut okra
1 (14.5 ounce)cans diced tomatoes
1(20 ounce) packages frozen corn
2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 - 1 tsp Cayenne pepper(depending on your heat tolerance).

Place bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir to release some of the juices, and then add the onion and okra. Fry until tender and browned, stirring constantly. Add a little vinegar or squeeze of lemon can be used to brighten the taste and reduce the sliminess.Be careful, as this tends to brown quickly. Pour in the tomatoes, and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes. Mix in the corn, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with Creole seasoning, salt and pepper, and serve.


To make this a one pot meal, add 1/2 pound of cook chicken and ½ pound of kielbasa sausages use a little sprayed in a pan, cook the smoked sausage until it’s a bit blackened on both sides and add with the corn. You can also try 1 pound of clean and deveined raw shrimp add with the corn. Its great serviced over white rice.