Old Fashioned Pound Cake

There are few things in life (culinary that is) that are more comforting than a slice of pound cake still warm from the oven.  I've posted many times about my enjoyment of the entire process of baking pound cakes.  I love baking them as much as eating them.

This recipe comes from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook.

While preparing the batter, it's best to have all your ingredients at room temperature.  It's crucial to follow the directions precisely especially when it comes to the time taken tobeat the butter and then to cream the butter and sugar together.  If you have a stand mixer, set a timer to allow the butter and sugar to beat for at least 5 - 7 minutes.  However, when mixing in the eggs, flour, and milk, mix just until blended so that the cake won't be tough.

2 cups butter, softened

2 3/4 cups sugar

6 large eggs

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 t. salt

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

1/2 cup milk

1 t. vanilla extract

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes or until creamy.  Gradually add sugar, beating 5 - 7 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until the yellow disappears.

Combine flour salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl; add to butter mixture alternatively with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Mix at low speed after each addition just until mixture is blended.  Stir in vanilla. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan.

Bake at 325 degrees F. for 1 hour and 15-20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes our clean. 

Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 - 15 minutes; remove from pan and cool completey on wire rack.

Blackstone Griddle: Smashed Burger Tacos

When you think of a flat top grill, you may not expect a taco to be one of the fun things you can create.  I've been reading about these smashed burger tacos on several Blackstone griddle social media groups of which I am a member.  So, y'all know I had to give them a try.  

As with most everything cooked on the Blackstone, things go quickly once the cooking begins.  You need to have everything prepped and ready to go before you even turn on the griddle.

The ground chuck should be loosely shaped into a 3 oz. ball.  You can either season the meat before rolling into a ball or form them and then sprinkle the seasoning on top.  

I'm going to provide step by photos with this blog post.  I apologize in advance for the non-professionalism of the pics, but like I said earlier, things move FAST.  lol

Preheat the griddle to high and pour a few tablespoons of vegetable oil and spread it out with a metal spatula.  Some people swear by avocado oil, but since I'm allergic to avocados, vegetable oil it is for me.  Use your favorite oil.  I'm good with that.

I cooked three at a time just so I could manage the cooking/photos.  You can cook as many as you want as long as your leave enough room for the tortillas to fit.  Hint:  Street size tacos work perfectly for 3 oz. of meat.

Place the meatballs on the griddle.

Place a tortilla over each meatball.

Now it's smash time.  Firmly press the meatball with the metal spatula.  You want to get maximum crust on the meat.  It helps to put a bacon press on top of the spatula.  Thanks to Sweet Harold for being an excellent smasher.

If you made the meatballs small enough to smash thin, they will only need to cook a minute or so!  The tortilla will soak up any meat drippings and will begin to crisp.

Flip and let the other side of the tortilla crisp and brown.

Next, add some finely diced onion.

Then some shredded Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese.

Now it's time to use two spatulas.  Carefully fold over the tortilla into a taco shape and place into taco holders or on your serving platter while you cook additional tacos.  

All that's left to do now is load them up with your favorite taco toppings!  

We loved them!  The tortillas were nice and crunchy and you can add as much cheese and toppings as you like.  Better than take out tacos for sure.  If you have a crowd to feed, this is a great idea to consider for your next get together.

Southwest Cheesy Cabbage Skillet (One Pot Meal!)

A variation of this recipe came across my social media newsfeed a few weeks ago. It had "low carb" in the title and after checking out the ingredients, I knew it would be something we would enjoy.  I spiced it up a little and added more cheese because why not?

An added bonus is that this is a one pot meal!  So no big sink full of dishes to wash after dining which is always a good thing.

You can either spice this dish up or down to suit your taste.  If you don't like spicy food, eliminate the jalapeno.  If you don't like Rotel tomatoes, substitute a can of petite diced tomatoes.  

1 pound ground chuck, pork or turkey

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 small jalapeno, seeded and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 t. chili powder

1/2 t. ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1 (10 oz.) can Rotel tomatoes (your flavor preference)

1 (8 oz.) can sugar free tomato sauce

3 cups coarsely chopped cabbage

1 - 2 cups shredded Cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese

In a medium skillet, over medium-high heat, brown the ground chuck and drain well.

Add the onion, peppers, garlic and seasoning.  Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring occasionally until onions and peppers are beginning to soften (3 - 5 minutes).

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and cabbage.  Stir well and cover.

Lower heat to medium-low and continue cooking for 18-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, under cabbage is tender crisp.  Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.  If you don't care for cheese, this dish is perfecdt at this point!  You can stop right here and enjoy a wonderful dinner.  

But.....if you're like me, add the cheese and replace cover.  Turn off the heat and let the cheese melt for 2 - 3 minutes.  Enjoy!

Baked Flounder Tacos with Mexican Slaw

This is one of the easiest, fastest, and yummiest recipes I'll post.  While the flounder fillets baked, I mixed up the slaw and by the time I was taste testing the slaw, the timer went off signaling the fish were ready!  Perfect timing indeed.

I posted the recipe for the Mexican Slaw last week.  Click HERE for the recipe.  The recipe can easily be halved or doubled.  For today's tacos, I halved and we had just enough for our six tacos.

For the flounder, I had six (4-5 oz. fillets) which I patted dry with paper towels, seasoned them with Kinder's Carne Asada Seasoning, and baked for 14 minutes at 425 degrees F. on a rimmed baking sheet I sprayed with non-stick spray.

I used zero net carb street size tortillas, but you can use any type you'd like.  

Spoon some of the slaw on the prepared tortilla, top with a piece of the flounder, and top with chopped cilantro.  Make sure to have lime slices ready to squeeze over the fish!

Cuban Cocktails

I'm sharing three different cocktails that would pair wonderfully with the Cuban sandwich which I shared HERE. Thanks to “Cocktails Made Easy” by Simon Difford. 

Cuban Special 

1 ½ shots light rum 

¾ shot triple sec 

2 shots of pineapple juice 

¼ shot freshly squeezed lime juice 

In a cocktail shaker, shake all ingredients with ice and strain into an ice-filled glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge. 

Cuban Island 

2 shots light rum 

½ shot dry vermouth 

½ shot freshly squeezed lemon juice 

¼ shot simple syrup (2 parts sugar/1 part water; bring to a boil; cool) 

In a cocktail shaker, shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an orange twist. 

Cubanita 

2 shots light rum 

3 ½ shots tomato juice 

½ shot freshly squeezed lemon juice 

7 drops Tabasco pepper sauce 

4 dashes Worcestershire sauce 

½ teaspoon horseradish sauce 

2 pinches celery salt 

2 pinches freshly ground black pepper 

In a cocktail shaker, shake all ingredients with ice and strain into an ice-filled glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.  

Cuban Sandwich with Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

One of my favorite sandwiches is a Cuban. Several local restaurants have Cuban sandwiches on their menus, and I enjoy comparing their versions.  

Cuban (or Cubano) sandwiches are served on Cuban bread with yellow mustard (my favorite), roast pork (yes!), thinly sliced ham (what's not to love?), dill pickle slices (gotta have dill pickles) and Swiss cheese (my love affair with cheese continues).  

It's easy to understand the reason a Cuban is my favorite sandwich. A Cuban is easy to assemble and is a delicious way to use any leftover pork roast or pork tenderloin.  

For my version, I mixed things up a tad and pressed the sandwich in a panini press. 

If you don't have leftover pork, here's an easy way to prepare pork tenderloin. 

1 lb. pork tenderloin 
1/4 cup olive oil 
1/4 cup orange juice 
1 tablespoon lime juice 
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 
2 garlic cloves, pressed 
1 teaspoon lime zest 
1 teaspoon salt 

Whisk olive oil, orange and lime juices, and spices together in a small bowl. Line a baking sheet with foil and place pork tenderloin onto the sheet. Using a pastry brush, coat the pork tenderloin with the mixture. Place in a 350-degree oven and cook for 35 to 40 minutes until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Thinly slice pork and set aside. 

For two sandwiches: 

1/2 cup mayonnaise 

1/3 cup yellow mustard 

Pinch of cayenne 

2 Cuban loaves or any soft hoagie style roll 

1/2 lb. Swiss or Provolone cheese slices 

1/2 lb. thinly sliced deli ham 

Dill pickle slices 

Butter 

Mix the mayonnaise, mustard and cayenne together in a small bowl. Slice the bread in half lengthwise. Spread the mixture evenly over the cut slices of the bread.  

Divide half of the cheese onto the bottom pieces of the bread. Layer the sliced pork, ham and pickles in equal portions on the bottom slices of bread. Place the remaining cheese slices on top of the pickles. Add the top pieces of bread. Spread a thin layer of butter on top of the sandwiches.  

If you are using a panini press, place the sandwiches one at a time into the preheated press. Toast the sandwich until the bread is browned and crusty and the cheese has melted. You also can put the sandwich in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Place another heavy skillet on top of the sandwiches to help press them down. When the bottom sides have toasted, flip and repeat. Cut the sandwiches in half on a diagonal and serve immediately. 

For my side dish, I cooked frozen sweet potato fries in the air fryer for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Lightly spray the fries with olive oil before placing them in a single layer (without touching) in the fryer.  

Season the fries with kosher salt before serving. I mixed another batch of the mayonnaise/mustard/cayenne for a dipping sauce for the fries.