Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

Stewart Farms

Not everyone is as lucky as we are. When strawberries are in season, we just head down the road to a neighbor's farm and buy some. It's a U-pick farm, but for those of us not looking for a farm experience they usually have some gallons ready picked. So I can grab a bucket and head home. Where we live, it's miles for us to go do anything. Unless you're talking about strawberries. (Or blueberries—another neighbor grows those.) With this first bucket, I made strawberry shortcake. And then my favorite—strawberry ice cream. 

I'm just going to repost the blog from 2016 with this super easy recipe. It's written for a    1-1/2 quart ice cream maker. Adjust amounts if you want more. Goodness, how that baby has grown! 

This time I only had a small can (5-oz) of evaporated milk in the pantry. I made up the difference with heavy cream. I couldn't tell any difference. I also had an issue with my little countertop ice cream maker. Might have something to do with the fact that it's over 20 years old. Whatever the problem was, the ice cream didn't freeze. So I poured the mixture into an oblong container (just like the one pictured) and popped it into the freezer. I stirred it several times as it was freezing. If you don't stir, you will have a solid frozen hard block. Stirring mixes some air into it, just like the dasher of a churn does. That makes it the ice cream texture you're after. Although homemade still freezes harder than commercial ice cream. We've been making our strawberry ice cream last as long as possible, dishing up small servings. It's delicious. So hard to make myself not scoop up that second bowl.

Now, let's time travel back to May of 2016...

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STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

Strawberry Ice Cream (no eggs)

I had an ulterior motive when I brought strawberries to Georgia. I knew they would have to use them quickly and I would be here to taste all the recipes. 

 

Mommy made ice cream yesterday with part of her berries. If you have one of those 1-1/2 quart ice cream makers (the kind where you freeze the container before using--no ice required) in your kitchen, strawberry season is a good time to pull it out. Those tend to be forgotten appliances, but they really do work and making homemade ice cream is easy enough for a weeknight dessert. 

 

Everyone enjoyed the ice cream but maybe Baby Girl loved it most. She didn't waste a drop. I like her style. And when she was done, she said, "Mimi, it's tasty!" I totally agree. 

 

This ice cream tastes just like the kind my mother made--but it doesn't call for raw eggs. In this day and time, that's safer. 

STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM (no eggs)

1 (14-oz) sweetened condensed milk, such as Eagle Brand

1 (12-oz) can evaporated milk
1-1/4 cups fresh milk

about 1 cup cut up strawberries 

2 tablespoons sugar

a good squeeze fresh lemon juice (about 1 tbsp)

pinch of salt

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Sprinkle sugar over cut up berries. Stir and add in lemon juice and salt. Let stand while mixing milks. Mash slightly. 

Using a whisk, blend the 3 milks together thoroughly and chill for 30 minutes. (I like to chill the canned milks first.)

Mix strawberries and milk mixture. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to appliance directions. Freeze until done, about 20-25 minutes. 

While it might change the texture a little, you can use low-fat or fat-free milk for any or all of the milks called for. Just remember, lower fat content means it won't be as creamy. But it will still be "tasty" as Baby Girl says. 

 

Our Book Club Salad Supper

Our salad supper

We all have our favorite recipes that we use again and again. Today's post is about several of those recipes that go together really well. I'm documenting this combination so that when I need a supper plan again, I'll have this list ready. (I've linked each recipe title to the previous blog post if you want to see better photos, or read more about the recipe.)

Surely I have mentioned our book club here before—a small group of friends gather most weeks to chat, to catch up on the news, to knit, to share a meal...and occasionally we talk about books. This book club has also done pool walking, hula hooped and hiked. We are a versatile group. 

We take turns providing supper. Sometimes it's an adventure—like making açaí bowls. Supper has also been as simple as frozen pizza. It doesn't really matter as long as we get to eat together. I'm so sorry I didn't make photos of last week's meal. It included the best key lime pie for dessert. All I know is that Joanne needs to make one again so that I can get a photo and share the recipe here. And we would get to eat it again! 

Last night it was my turn. As I was setting out the food, I overheard someone saying, "The hardest part about bringing the food is deciding what to make." That's usually the case with me, but this time I knew exactly what I wanted to bring. All of these recipes are favorites of mine. All are easy to make. And all are served cold, so I could pack it all in coolers and not worrying about transporting hot foods or heating things up there. Even though these are favorite recipes, I don't think I've ever served them all at once. But I did love how these dishes went together.

I prepared the bean salad the day before so that the flavors could blend. And I cooked the chicken the day before, too. I told Carol I felt like I was guilty of "recipe appropriation" because we all think of the bean salad as "her" recipe. So happy she shared it with all of us years ago.

CAROL'S MARINATED VEGGIES

1 (15.5 oz.) can light red kidney beans

1 (15.5 oz.) can black beans

1 (6.5 oz.) can mushroom stems & pieces

1 (8 oz.) can sliced water chestnuts (I cut into smaller pieces)

1 (2 oz. ) jar diced pimento

frozen white corn (amount about equal to the kidney beans)

frozen green peas (amount about equal to the kidney beans)

1 bag frozen shelled edamame beans, cooked according to package directions

1 rib celery, finely chopped, optional (I used this)

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2  to 3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Drain and rinse canned vegetables. Cook and cool edamame beans. In a large bowl, mix drained beans, pimento, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. 

Combine oil, vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. When cool, pour over vegetables and refrigerate. Vegetables will keep in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Yes, you add the corn and peas frozen. No cooking. I did cut the slices of water chestnuts into smaller pieces. I'm sure if there is something that you don't like here, you can leave it out. 

The next morning (day of the supper) I mixed up the orzo salad first. The hardest thing about making this is chopping the baby spinach. I like to take the large stems off and that can be done while the water comes to a boil and the orzo cooks. Then it's just all stirred together. My usual recipe, posted here, is actually half a recipe. This time I doubled everything since I was feeding more than the two of us. That might have been overkill, but we will happily eat leftovers for the rest of the week. 

ORZO SPINACH SALAD

1/2  box (16-oz) orzo, cooked according to package directions
1/2 bag (5-oz) baby spinach, roughly chopped
1/3 cup chopped red onion (use the amount that you want)
4-oz. container crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper (I used a few grinds of fresh pepper)

While orzo is cooking, mix the dressing--oil, vinegar, basil, pepper. Set aside.
Drain orzo thoroughly when done. Stir in chopped onion, spinach and feta. Whisk dressing again. Pour dressing over the pasta and mix to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

After I put the orzo salad in the refrigerator, I chopped the chicken for the chicken salad. There are hundreds of ways to make chicken salad. And I've never had one I didn't like. I've made several versions, including a hot chicken salad. The yogurt version on the blog is delicious, too. But this time I just made the one I make most often. Because I make it regularly I can mix it up in a hurry. When I'm in a big hurry, I use a 12-oz can of chicken breast, well drained and broken up. It's surprisingly good. It makes great sandwiches. Make the celery, apple and cheese match the amount of chicken.

CHICKEN SALAD

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (that's 1 package at my store)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon Lawry's seasoning salt (I just give it a good shake)
1 large rib celery, diced fine
1 medium red apple, diced (I leave the peel on for color)
1/2—3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
sprinkle of salt
a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice
enough Duke's mayonnaise (or other good quality mayo) to make it spreadable

Cook chicken in water with seasoning salt added until tender, about 40-45 minutes. Let cool in broth, until cool enough to handle. Chop chicken medium-fine. In a large bowl, add in celery, apple and cheese. Add in enough mayonnaise to make it spreadable. I start with 3 or 4 big tablespoons full and stir and then add more, one spoonful at a time, until I get the right amount. (Because chicken breasts and celery and apples are different sizes, it's hard to be precise with a mayo measurement.) Stir until well blended.

Cheddar Beer Bread

Before lunch, all the salads were done with plenty of time to chill before I packed it in late afternoon for travel. After lunch I decided to stir up some cheese bread. If you say "but I can't bake bread" this recipe is for you. It stirs up like muffin batter. No yeast. No kneading. No rising time. And it's so so good. 

CHEDDAR BEER BREAD

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese, divided 

1/4 cup melted butter, divided

1 (12-oz) bottle or can of beer

Preheat oven to 375º. Spray an 8-1/2-inch loaf pan with PAM (or similar) cooking spray. 

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, pepper, 3/4 cup shredded cheese, and 3 tablespoons of the melted butter. Add the beer and stir well. Batter will be sticky. Pour batter into loaf pan.

Top with remaining shredded cheese and drizzle with the remaining butter.

Bake bread for 45-55 minutes, or until top is golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

General rule is to check the bread at the shortest baking time and see if it needs more. All ovens are different.

I used my favorite set of nesting bowl to serve everything. These are melamine bowls with lids so they are perfect for packing. Because I was determined to use all five bowls, I put lettuce leaf cups for the chicken salad into one and found a box of gluten-free cheese crackers (Good Thins, Three Cheese flavor) to put in the tiny one. A well-known restaurateur told me years ago that food service is all about presentation. He was right. I really think that supper last night tasted better because of the pretty bowls. It's the first time I've used them all together. 

NOTICE:  If you subscribe to this blog by using the email widget on the sidebar (I have removed it,) that feedburner service is being retired in July 2021. It is not being replaced. There are other ways to sign up for an RSS feed. I do not know how to do that, but maybe you (or a grandchild) know how. If I can find someone to help me migrate the email list of over 1200 to a different service I'll do so. But at the moment, that is way above my skill set. 

 

Spring Break 2021

Last night's twilight

I've been quiet here on the blog because we've been on spring break. Actually it's Mommy and J-Daddy and the little girls who have truly had a school spring break. They opted to spend their vacation at the farm. So we came down to the lake to let them have full use of our house and yard and farm. It's been great all around. 

Like so many grandparents this past year, our time with the grandchildren has been nearly non-existent. We had not been close enough to touch them in almost a year. It was splendid to get to hug those little girls. Even if we had our masks on. 

Easter Dinner

Our lake house is only 45 minutes away from the farm so we've able to see them several times. The first time was on Easter Sunday. We were invited to our own back yard for Easter dinner. We are still being careful until everyone is fully vaccinated, so our backyard became the dining room. And it was perfect. Not too hot or humid. Not too cold. No mosquitos yet. "Delightful" is the word that comes to mind. We don't get many days like this.

Red velvet birthday cake

Baby Girl had a birthday just a couple of days before they came to the farm, so we saved the celebration until we were together. Last year she had the first Zoom birthday party of the lockdown. This was so much more fun. They got to the farm on Saturday afternoon. How J-Daddy managed to bake a cake in time for Sunday lunch, I'm not sure. It was delicious. I'll share the recipe soon.

Grilled Atlantic char, kale salad & grits topped w/prosciutto

Let me make it clear that our son-in-law was the main chef this week. This was his idea of a vacation. He enjoys cooking and especially enjoys cooking in my big kitchen. We were happy to be dinner guests. At our own house. Seriously. I could get used to this. (Mommy says she's ready to hand the holiday cooking back to me!)

After dinner that particular evening, we enjoyed dancing on the patio to some easy jazz. I loved it when Baby Girl told me, "This is a glorious night." Yes. Yes it was. We made some good memories this week. 

They have done some serious memory making of their own at the farm, too. We have lots of space there for riding bikes, scooters and roller skating. Two swings hang from the huge old oak tree in our front yard. And there is a river way back behind our house.

Riverside nap

They hiked across the field and through the woods to the river several times. A picnic by the river was a big treat one day. And at night the sky at the farm is really dark. Not much light pollution in the country. So they could look at the stars and find constellations.

See the red kite? 

Another day, kite flying was the activity. The pasture right beside the house is a perfect kite flying space. They are absolutely positive they set a record for flying the highest kite. One car passing by slowed down to watch the red kite gliding high above the ground. 

Meanwhile, here at the lake we've had a lovely time. It's quiet here in early spring. But with enough fishermen passing for us to not feel isolated. It is also the short weather window when we can leave the doors open and enjoy letting the outside come inside. I can sit comfortably inside and watch the sunlight sparkling on the water and hear the birds. Bliss!

Daddy-O fished. He even caught a couple. I brought my knitting and...call me crazy...but I bought a keyboard to leave down here so that I could keep practicing. My latest hobby? Learning to play jazz piano. If nothing else it's great brain exercise to try and learn a new way of playing. (It will be a better hobby when I get an adaptor to plug in my headphones. Daddy-O is getting tired of the ballad I've played about a thousand times this week.)

Lobster tail, baked sweet potato & broccoli

One night I was the single backyard guest. Daddy-O had a dinner meeting. Boy, did he miss a good meal. I have never cooked lobster of any kind. And surely never imagined having one in my back yard. 

Blueberry pie

The recipe for this blueberry pie is here on the blog. It's always a winner. And as pie goes, it's pretty easy to make. Nothing to peel or slice. J-Daddy has made this many times. I'm always happy to be around when he bakes one.

Low country boil & hush puppies

One evening they drove down to the lake. And brought the fixings with them and cooked supper down here. Could life get any better? Like I said earlier—I could get used to this. We love low country boil (recipe is in the index here) and the open pavilion here at the lake is the kind of place where this casual meal tastes best. It turned out to be a cool night so we rummaged around and found some of Mimi's sweatshirts for the girls. And rolled the sleeves way up. Why do kids love wearing borrowed clothes that are way too big?

It was too windy to stay on the pier very long. But they did have fun blowing giant bubbles. I can't wait for them to come back in the summer and do this again when the wind is not in charge of how big the bubbles are.

The nights we did not have dinner together, I would get pictures of what was happening in my kitchen at home. Yes. J-Daddy makes sushi, too. I think he has two more meals before their vacation is over. I will wait patiently to see photos of the last two dinners. He did some serious menu planning to make this all work out.

Then it will be time for all of us to pack and head back home to our respective homes. And my kitchen won't know what's happened next week when the only things being cooked are just plain ordinary food. We will miss them terribly. But goodness it's been fun!

I don't know about you, but I wanted to document the mask wearing. Many years from now, we need to remember this year and all of the ways COVID changed our lives. You know about the terrible things it brought to many. But some good things have come about, too. While others are itching to travel again, I have decided it doesn't get much better than here where we live. I learned that Dorothy was right—there's no place like home.

 

Easy Peasy And Loosey Goosey

I had zero idea that this supper would be blog worthy. So you only get a photo of the leftovers. But sometimes life's surprises are good ones. I made a plate for Daddy-O's lunch tomorrow.  We've been busy this week with house and yard chores so I made something new that sounded super easy. I was only aiming for edible. But this exceeded my goal. Daddy-O said, "Be sure to put this one on the blog so I could make it if I needed to when you are gone." I put boneless pork chops in the slow cooker and topped them with a mix of two ingredients—a can of whole berry cranberry sauce and an envelope of dry onion soup mix. You really can't get much easier.

The rest of the meal of the meal was only canned peas (which Daddy-O loves) and yellow rice from a mix. Remember? I told you that tonight was all about easy. We were focused on the house and the yard. (The house is clean and the grass is cut.) Cooking supper was way down on my list. But it's a happy thing when something that easy turns out to be delicious.

I saw a recipe somewhere in the last week or two that used the cranberry sauce/onion soup concoction. I don't even remember what meat they put it over or how they cooked it. But I have a recipe on the blog that uses cranberry sauce and bottled chili sauce over pork chops. So I kinda sorta followed those directions. I also was trying out a new slow cooker. All slow cookers are different. So I set this one like I usually do. But two hours before it should have been done, I checked it. New slow cooker has a temperature probe. And it was done. So I turned it to "keep warm" until we were ready to eat. I think you could also do this in the oven. The pandemic year has found me getting all loosey-goosey with my cooking methods and recipes (or lack of recipes.) 

For the record I'm also getting all loosey-goosey with my piano playing. Who says I have to play ALL the notes on the page? Don't tell Little Sister who is taking piano lessons and practicing hard, but now I play a song the way I want to. Add notes. Leave out notes. As long as it sounds good, it IS good. There are perks to passing age 70. 

So Daddy-O, here you go! Since it wasn't really a recipe, I had to make up a name for it. Somewhere later I'll try the cranberry/onion soup mixture with other meats.

CRANBERRY PORK CHOPS

4 to 6 boneless pork chops (my pack only had 3 this time)

1 (14-oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

Place chops in a slow cooker. Mix cranberry sauce and onion soup mix. Spread on top of chops. Cook on LOW 5-6 hours. Or until done. (This slow cooker was faster than my other one, where the recipe says LOW for 7-8 hours. I also had less meat. Do it how your slow cooker works.) 

If you are wondering why I bought a new slow cooker, let's just blame it on pandemic brain. I have seen so many people who love the Hamilton Beach slow cooker I had to try it, too. This one has a temperature probe and a locking lid. Like every brand there are so many different models I have no clue if this particular one is even one I read about. I do like the locking lid. Haven't used it enough to have thoughts about cooking in it. I've used the Crock-Pot brand for decades with no complaints. Like I said...pandemic brain and too easy online ordering. Now to figure out where to store it. It will likely end up in Big Sister's apartment kitchen in the fall. Yes. She is that old.

 

Best Slow Cooker Pulled Pork I've Ever Had

PULLED PORK BARBECUE -- SLOW COOKER

I got lucky enough to bring home a quart of this pulled pork last week when I stopped by Mommy's house to drop off some things on my way home from Jessica's house. And I got to see the granddaughters for a few minutes. Right now I can only visit with the little girls through the storm door but that is better than nothing. 

When Mommy ordered her groceries for the week, she had not anticipated such a large cut of meat, so she ended up with a massive amount of BBQ. Worked out well for me because I got back to the farm late that afternoon and I didn't have a dinner plan. But I had the BBQ that Mommy shared. It was delicious! We wrapped it up in tortillas because that's all I had on hand. 

Let me be clear! This does not taste like you made it in a slow cooker. It's pretty close to pulled pork you'd get at a BBQ restaurant. I have a couple of other slow cooker pulled pork recipes on the blog and we like them, too. But this one is different. Better different. I asked Mommy to share the recipe and tell a little about it. And send me photos. Here is what she sent.

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Words and photos from Mommy....

This was a hit at my house. The first time it was served, Little Sister ate 3 helpings, Baby Girl ate 2 big helpings, and J-Daddy said it was worthy to sit on an Independence Day spread. Leftovers have been eaten multiple times without complaints.

 

PULLED PORK BARBECUE

from Fresh Flavors for the Slow Cooker by Nicki Sizemore, creator of FromScratchFast.com 

Spice Rub

• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp granulated garlic (I used jarred minced garlic.)
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (I omitted it.)
• 1 (4-5 lb) boneless pork shoulder (also called pork butt), trimmed of excess fat
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Slow Cooker

• 1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced (I used jarred minced garlic.)
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2-1 cup barbecue sauce (I used 1c of Sweet Baby Ray's Original Sauce.)
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

For Serving

• Buns (or rice, or tortillas)
• Barbecue sauce 
• Red Cabbage & Sweet Corn Slaw (aka Princess Slaw at our house) 

RUB THE PORK

1. Combine the paprika, sugar, garlic, mustard, and cayenne in a small bowl. Season the pork generously with salt and pepper to taste, and rub it all over with the spice mixture. If you have the time, refrigerate the pork in an airtight container or ziplock bag overnight.

ASSEMBLE THE SLOW COOKER

2. Arrange the onion and garlic in the bottom of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker, and pour in the vinegar and honey. Place the pork on top. Cover and cook until the pork is tender and pulls apart easily with a fork, 9 to 10 hours on low or 7 to 8 hours on high.

3. Switch the slow cooker off, and transfer the pork to a cutting board. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Using two forks, coarsely shred the pork, discarding any large chunks of fat.

4. Using a ladle, skim off enough fat and liquid in the slow cooker to measure 1 cup and discard. Transfer the shredded pork back into the slow cooker with the remaining liquid and onions, and add the barbecue sauce to taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste then toss to combine.

SERVE

5. Pile the pulled pork into buns, and serve with additional barbecue sauce on the size for drizzling. Serve the slaw either in the sandwiches or on the side (or both!)

Cook’s Notes:

• Kroger gave me 8-lb bone-in pork butt, so I cut it in half, and doubled the spice rub amounts. I adjusted the cooking time to 5 hours on low and then 5 hours on high.
• Since I skipped cayenne pepper, J-Daddy added Frank’s hot sauce to his before eating.
• The first time I served barbecue with rice and lima beans. The second time I served it in quesadillas. The third time it will be served as sandwiches. Guessing could work in a biscuit or on pizza too…

 

 

Sometimes A Recipe Is More Than A Recipe

Lemon Pound Cake

Sometimes a recipe is just a recipe. But every now and then a recipe is more like a love letter. Or a sympathy card. Or a thinking of you card. This pound cake is one of those special recipes. Every time I make it I am reminded of a teacher who loved my children dearly. She loved all her students. She was a miracle worker as far as I could tell, teaching band class to middle school students. I marveled at how she could take several classes of seventh graders, most not able to read music, hand out assorted instruments and by mid-December put them all on stage and present a Christmas concert, playing songs we could recognize. It was a miracle. Year after year. 

She was tough as nails in the classroom. She had to be to create music out of potential chaos. (Do you remember your seventh grade?) But there was always love underneath the tough. This pound cake was her calling card. I don't know exactly how many she brought to us over those band years. I particularly remember the one I found waiting on us in the front seat of our car. The cake was still warm. I don't have a clue what had happened that time, but this cake was waiting on us when we got home. It was her way to say "I care." Those were some hard years for us as we cared for ailing parents (all of them) and our older daughter had a serious surgery. It felt like we lurched from one challenge to the next for a time. But when it started to feel like too much, a cake appeared. And I knew we were not alone.

Paula was generous enough to share her recipe with me years ago. But like many of those special recipes I never thought mine was a good as hers. But last week I think I hit the mark. It was my shining pound cake moment! This was an early birthday cake for Jessica. I went down to play with the baby while she packed and packed and packed. They are moving soon. I am pretty sure that both of us worked off any extra calories from the cake.

I had a learning curve with this recipe. I remember the year I wanted to make one for a baby shower. The first one rose so high that it collapsed and ran down the outside of the pan. When that one finished baking (it still tasted good) I cleaned it all up and made another one. By supper time, I had made FOUR pound cakes to get one that looked good enough to serve. So glad those learning days are behind me. But the nice thing with pound cake is the homely ones still taste good. I figured out that I was over mixing the batter after I added the flour and milk. Too much air was incorporated and they puffed up too much. Now I make sure to mix it plenty good with the butter/sugar/egg part, but not overdo the flour part.

For the most part, I like pound cakes plain—no frosting. If it's a really good one, it doesn't need anything else. But this time I added a lemon glaze to Paula's recipe. It was a birthday cake. And we like things really lemony. 

You mix this in the standard pound cake method. Paula's directions didn't quite tell me step-by-step. But in the years since, I have made many pound cakes (mostly chocolate) and have a better handle on how it's done.  Check my notes that follow the recipe. 

LEMON POUND CAKE

2 sticks butter, softened

8 tbsp. butter Crisco

3 cups sugar

5 large eggs

1 cup milk

4 cups plain flour (I like to use White Lily flour for this)

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon flavoring

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Cream butter, sugar and eggs until consistency of paint; then add dry ingredients alternately with milk.  Add flavorings last.

Bake for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes at 325 degrees in a floured and greased tube pan.

This cake freezes well.

That is the recipe just as I got it from Paula. I've always teased her that I needed to know what brand of paint she used. 

Make sure your lemon flavoring is not old. I use a lot of vanilla and it doesn't have time to sit on the shelf long. But lemon flavoring is another matter. If it doesn't have a good strong lemon smell, go buy a new bottle. Like I had to do.

Standard cake directions apply here. If you are not a cake baker, let me help you out...

• Whisk baking powder and salt into flour to blend it in.
• Cream butter and shortening until lighter and fluffy. Add sugar and mix well, until sugar is nearly dissolved.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.
• Add flour and milk alternately, starting and ending with the flour, mixing just until blended after each addition.
• Add lemon flavoring and vanilla extract and mix another 30 seconds. 
• Use a spatula to scrape to the bottom of the bowl and make sure everything is mixed.
• Pour (or spoon) into a well greased tube pan. (I use Baker's Joy to grease the pan.) Spread it evenly. 
• When done, let cake cool in pan on a rack for about 15 minutes. Turn out and cool completely.

I didn't use a recipe for the glaze. Just mixed powdered sugar, fresh lemon juice and a little melted butter until it tasted good and was the consistency to drizzle. I'm sure you can look up measurements if you need them.

If you have an extra minute, go read what the Bitter Southerner has to say about pound cakes. There are some excellent tips there. One day I'll try their recipe. And I want to make the other recipes in that article as well.

Here is my "fitness trainer" for the week. This was one of her rare, still moments. Oh, those are long, tiring days. But then you blink and that hard part is over. Glad I got to spend some extra time with her. While I can still keep up!

 

I'm Still Here

While I was taking a blog vacation, 

I missed the 10th anniversary of this blog last month. 

Who knew this venture would last so long? 

The little one on the blog title banner is 10 years old now.

And two more granddaughters have been added to the family 

since I began my grandmother journal here. 

Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

Did you think I went away and wasn't coming back? When I looked at this blog last week I realized it's been over a month since I posted. It was not an intentional break, but it was one that I needed. I needed time to just be. Time to take care of some house chores. Time to do some serious decluttering. 

You can thank reader Becky for today's post. She emailed to tell me she thought she had accidentally been unsubscribed. But no. She was not receiving new posts because there weren't any. I ran out of words. 

I've been thinking a lot about this past year. This time last year I was at the beach with my girl friends for our annual trip. Watching the TV news the night before we headed home we saw the announcement that the NBA was cancelling the rest of their season. I knew things were about to be drastically different. But goodness, I had no clue how very different. And here we sit now, fully vaccinated, thinking about how we plan to venture back into the world. For the last year, we have mostly stayed home. No restaurant meals. No trips. 

Are we ready to make a mad dash back into our favorite restaurant? Not quite yet. We will try outside dining first. But I have realized how much better we have eaten this year when all of our meals have been at home. I have control over salt, fat and portions. I am healthier now that I was last year. And I don't want to lose the health improvements I've made. I also started an exercise program while I was only at home. And I have loved that program. We all have to find the one that works for us, but Grow Young Fitness has suited me to a tee. Next week will mark one year of following the progressive workouts without missing a day. Yes, there is a subscription fee but for me it's been worth it.

You know me. I only cook easy things. And after a year of making all the meals, I have streamlined my simple cooking even more. The above supper was made with no recipe. I pulled out the things that go with a Chinese-inspired dish—ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, etc.—and put them with chicken and vegetables that were in the refrigerator. And I just cooked. For whatever reason, that feels much faster than following a recipe. Trust yourself in the kitchen. You know more than you think!

So what have I been doing during that last month when I didn't blog? I have spent some time with the newest granddaughter, keeping an eye on her while her mommy packs up their house. That family is moving. I'll head back there one more time before they go.

There are more boxes stacked up now than when I made this photo.

After watching Jessica pack and pack and pack, I realized now was the time to get serious about decluttering. I'm talking about the things put away neatly in cabinets and closets and drawers. But things I no longer needed. Right at this minute I have many  boxes ready to donate. And that much more has gone to the dump. I've been doing this with a vengeance. And acknowledging that things that served me well have no place in my current life. This feels so good. (Marie Kondo would be proud.) 

I have also decommissioned my "pandemic pantry." What a lesson I've learned from this year. I know that it's a good thing to have a well-stocked pantry for those emergency times. But I have learned more specifically what things I use a lot of and what "emergency" foods I shouldn't have bought. Ever. Yesterday I sorted it all out. Threw out the expired foods. Boxed up the excess/about to expire items and have them ready to go where they are needed. And I'll plan my menus around what is on hand as I work down my food stash.

So while the last week has been non-stop busy around the house, we still had to eat. I found a box of recipes printed out from my blog. (This year I've gotten better at cooking from a screen and not needing paper.) And one recipe jumped out at me as I went through that stack of paper and tossed the duplicates and the ones I'll never cook. It had been about a year since I made it, so it was due for a repeat.

If you need a simple supper, give this one a try. No. It is not fajitas like you get at your favorite Mexican restaurant. But it's delicious even if it doesn't sizzle. 

This time I used a  whole red and a whole yellow pepper. The tri-pack of peppers I had were smaller than the huge green peppers I often buy. The amount of pepper strips is not critical to the recipe. The rest of the recipe I did just like it says.

OVEN BAKED CHICKEN FAJITA 

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken cutlets, cut into thin strips (cut against "the grain")  

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons chili powder

1-1/2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 (10-oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies (I used Rotel Mild)

1 medium onion, cut into thin strips

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1/2 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.

In a small bowl (I used a custard cup) combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano and salt. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and stir to coat. Add the undrained tomatoes, peppers and onions to the dish. Stir to combine. 

Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Stir a time or two through the cooking time.

We topped ours with sour cream, salsa, avocado and shredded lettuce. And instead of a second "fajita" I spooned the chicken/pepper mix over the shredded lettuce. That was a good, less-carby way to enjoy this.

Let's hope I'm not gone again for so long. Today the whole Blogger platform is trying to thwart me. Fingers crossed it sorts itself out soon.