Pound Cake on a Rainy Sunday

It's been a nice, quiet, rainy Sunday here. And we really need the rain. The rain has cooled things off too which is awesome! Although I like summer, I'm always glad for the next season to come for the change in temperature. It's great that we live in Atlanta and actually have all four seasons.

Today I've been cooking. I made a chicken stew with cornbread muffins. I also made pound cake called "Million Dollar Poundcake." Here's what's left:

No, we didn't eat it all! We have a neighbor just home from an extended hospital stay and another neighbor, a WWII vet that we like to share meals with. We packed up chicken stew, cornbread muffins and pound cake fresh from the oven and delivered to them.

The pound cake is really easy to put together and is very moist and delicious. Here's the recipe:


Million Dollar Poundcake

2 cups butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream butter until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.

Add flour to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Stir in extracts. Pour into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour, 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan.

Enjoy!

End Of Summer

Summer is winding down and the days are not so awfully hot. We've been enjoying many dinners on the porch. It's nice to take time from our busy days to actually sit down to dinner together and enjoy a meal. We had a southern vegetable plate recently, nothing fancy, just good food. I made homemade cornbread and cooked some of the green beans I canned over the summer. I also found one last tomato that had ripened on the one tomato plant we grew this summer.

Blooms on my gardenia bushes have made a sudden re-appearance and I've been picking them for the table and inside the house....love the smell!

I'm getting excited about my upcoming trip to Paris. I had taken a French language course at Oglethorpe University last spring. I met with my French teacher yesterday and she gave me some good tips. I'm putting together a knitting project today that I'll take with me to work on on the plane. Maybe I'll do a little packing this weekend since I have a pretty hectic next couple of weeks just before I leave.

I've been teaching a session of cooking classes through Operation Frontline. Next Friday is our last class so I'll finish my menu planning this afternoon for that. What a great group of women and a fun class this has been. I really enjoy teaching these classes and hope to do another one soon.

I'll also be researching more vegan recipes this afternoon for an upcoming wedding shower I've been hired to do. So much fun learning new things!

Life is good!

Yellow Rice and Chicken

When I was little, we would often have Sunday dinner at my grandmother's house. One of the things she used to make was Yellow Rice and Chicken. My grandmother had lived in Tampa at one time and was friends with a Cuban woman named Sally. That's where the recipe came from.

I made this for a client yesterday. When I tasted the finished product, I was immediately back at the Sunday dinner table at Granny's house. The flavors were identical and tasted just like I remembered.

I started by browning the chicken on all sides. Then you add the vegetables and simmer till soft.


Then add chicken broth, the rice and chicken back into the pot.

Simmer for about 2o minutes and it's done! It's quite easy to make, makes a lot, and is a one-pot meal.

Enjoy the recipe!

one whole chicken cut up
1/4 cup olive oil for browning the chicken
2 medium onions, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 bay leaves
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 cup frozen green peas
1 package, family size, Mahatma yellow rice
3 cups chicken broth
salt/pepper as needed


Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken completely on all sides. Remove chicken from pot.
Remove most of oil, leaving enough to saute vegetables. Cook all vegetables till soft.
Add chicken broth and rice and mix well. Add chicken back into pot. Simmer for about 20 minutes, till rice is cooked. Do not overcook or rice will become mushy.