Cinnamon Swirl Pound Cake with a Maple Frosting

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Sometimes you just need a little sweetness with a cup of coffee!  This cinnamon swirl pound cake I've made for years, but I've changed it up with a simple maple frosting.  I make this in my Non Stick Bundt cake pan.  If you need one, HERE is the one I have. 

Cake Ingredients:

1 stick of butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

2 cups of sugar + 1/3 cup for cinnamon mixture

4 eggs

1 cup of whole milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups all purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Maple Frosting Ingredients:

4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp of maple flavoring

1/4 cup of milk

2 tbsp melted SALTED butter

2 tbsp brewed strong coffee

Start by mixing 1 stick of butter, 1/2 cup of shortening with a mixer in a large bowl.  Add 2 cups of sugar and blend until light and fluffy.  Then, add the eggs - beating well after each addition.  Set this to the side. 

In a separate bowl, or glass measuring bowl combine 1 cup of milk and 2tsp of vanilla.  Set this to the side.  I love my glass measuring bowl, and use it daily!  If you need a good one, I've linked mine HERE.

Next, in a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk to the creamed butter mixture.  Beat well after each addition to keep the batter smooth and creamy.  

Combine cinnamon and remaining 1/3 cup of sugar.  Grease your bundt pan with shortening.  Sprinkle a little of your cinnamon mixture into the pan.  Pour 1/3 of the batter into the cake pan.  Then sprinkle the cake layer generously with cinnamon mixture.  Repeat batter and cinnamon layers.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.  A knife will come out clean with done!  Let the cake cool before turning over onto a cake plate - this will help it come out more cleanly!  I've been eyeballing this dreamy cake stand HERE. Or this similar one HERE.  Aren't they pretty?

Now, for the maple glazed frosting!  Oh my - this just makes the cake even more perfect!  

Combine all of the ingredients into a small bowl while your cake it baking.  Once the cake has cooled at least 20-30 minutes pour desired amount of frosting over the top of the cake with a spoon letting it fall over the edges.  You want the cake to be cool so the frosting remains in place on the top some and creates a nice thick glaze instead of melting completely down the sides.  

Enjoy!  I hope you love it as much as we do!  Let me know if you make it!  

Join me in the kitchen as I make this cake!

Drunken Rice Noodles with Pork

This is one of my favorite cast iron skillet recipes from one of my favorite cookbooks The Lodge Cast Iron Classics.  Here is the video of how I tweak this recipe with ingredients I can easily find, and I make it less spicy with a jalapeno instead of a chili pepper so my kids still eat it!  

Ingredients

1, 7-ounce package dried medium rice noodles

¼ cup canola oil

4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 Thai chili peppers, chopped (optional)

2 boneless pork chops, thinly sliced and marinated in 2 tablespoons of soy sauce for 5 minutes

4 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon white pepper

½ cup water, as needed

1 red bell pepper, sliced into ¼" strips

1 cup snow peas, trimmed and cut in half

1 cup fresh basil, plus more for garnish

Directions

Cover noodles with warm water for 10 minutes, or according to package instructions, then drain water, and set aside.

Gradually heat Stir Fry Skillet to medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat for 1 minute. Add garlic and chilies. Use a wide metal spatula to stir until the mixture is fragrant and the garlic starts to turn color, about 1 minute.

Add the pork and stir until cooked through, 4-6 minutes. Add the drained noodles, soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, white pepper, and water. Cook, stirring constantly, until noodles are almost soft, 5-8 minutes.

Stir in the red pepper strips and snow peas. Cook 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the basil, and serve immediately.

This recipe and others can be found at:  https://www.lodgecastiron.com/recipe/drunken-rice-noodles-with-pork

Grilled Pork Chops with Peach and Jalapeño Salsa

I have never had a peach salsa, but let me tell you what - it's amazing!  I've been eating it by itself.  You have this spicy Tabasco sauce, jalapeno and crushed red peppers in it, but then you've got this sweet cilantro and then of course some peaches and onion.  The flavor is AMAZING!  Top off your grilled pork chops that have just been salted and peppered.  

Add a spinach salad as a side to keep it light and healthy - or do like I do most of the time and make it worthy of a country kitchen and serve it with smashed potatoes, cooked down green beans and a crusty roll.  

Either way, you're going to LOVE this recipe.  Have you given up on dry, tough pork chops?  Head to your nearest farm and get some local farm raised pork - you'll change your mind.  They cut with a butter knife.  Get yourself a meat thermometer, it's worth the investment.  Each year we raise pigs, and sell the meat locally to YOU!  I have pork chops left available as of today, so leave a comment below and I'll contact you with pricing! 

**If you can make the Peach salsa at least a few hours ahead of time - even the day before it gives it time for all of the flavors to combine and makes it so much more flavorful!  Here's what you'll need from the store or local farm.

Ingredients

• 2 medium ripe peaches peeled, chopped
• ¼ medium red onion choppped
• 1 medium jalapeño pepper seeds and veins removed, chopped
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• ½ tsp. hot pepper sauce (like Tabasco®)
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 raw center-cut pork chops lean, boneless
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper

Here's how to pull it all together!  

Instructions

1. Combine peaches, onion, jalapeño, red pepper flakes, lime juice, hot pepper sauce, and cilantro; mix well. Set aside.
2. Preheat grill or broiler on high.
3. Season pork chops with salt and pepper.
4. Grill or broil  chops for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until desired doneness.
5. Top pork chops evenly with salsa; serve immediately.

Enjoy!  Come back and let me know how you like it!  And, if you have any other great pork chop recipes I'd love to try them! 

(Recipe from Beachbody On Demand)

Sunrise Skillet Breakfast

Eggs are abundant around here - and heading out to collect them in the mornings brings me such joy.  Especially on a beautiful winter morning like this.

This wasn't today, but it's one of my favorite snowy morning photos from earlier this winter.  On the cold mornings I try to collect eggs twice a day so they don't freeze and bust.  And, they get a handful of MealWorms for extra protein to help them keep laying in the winter.

This recipe is an easy, everyday skillet breakfast.  I used my small cast iron pan so I could finish it off in the oven and perfectly cook those eggs.  

I started with a small handful of hot sausage.  We raised two pigs here on Rockfish Farm last year and ended up with about 100lbs of sausage.  50lbs mild and 50lbs hot.  They're both great but the hot brings so much flavor to the eggs without being overly spicy.  I'll spare you the picture of the pigs in a recipe post.  They were really great to raise and we're about a month out from getting the next round of pigs.  I miss having pigs on the farm.  

Chop the sausage into small pieces in the pan on low heat and let cook almost completely.  Add in chopped green peppers - about a tablespoon.  If you're using a yellow or sweet onion, you can add that in now.  I used spring onion, and wanted them not so cooked, so I added them last.  

Then, turn off the heat, add in a handful of spinach (it cooks down, so get your greens in for the day and go for the 1/2cup), two scrambled eggs, green onions and top with cheese.  Place into a 350 degree oven for about ten minutes until eggs are cooked and cheese is bubbly.  Let cool, and enjoy! 

Sunrise Skillet Recipe:

1/4 cup of hot or mild sausage

1-2 tablespoons chopped green peppers

1/4 to 1/2 cup spinach

2 eggs 

1 tablespoon chopped onion

1 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Cook sausage, chop into small pieces as cooking.  Add in the green peppers.  Cook sausage almost completely.  Turn off the heat and add in layers: spinach, stirred eggs, chopped onion and top with cheddar cheese and salt and pepper.  Place cast iron pan into 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes until eggs are set and cheese is bubbly.  Enjoy! 

Cherry Cola BBQ Pork

Dinner by 10 is the rule I live by to keep our budget in check.  I love to cook, but after long days I'm tired, my brain is tired and my children are tired.   The last thing I want to do is to prep dinner - especially when my children are in their "needy" time of the day.

My rule is to have dinner planned and prepped by 10am.  When I used to work full time it would be 10pm the night before.  I chop all the vegetables I can, measure out all ingredients I can and have as much mixed as I can so when dinner time comes around it's just pulling it all together.  It makes after dinner dishes much easier too!

This recipe is adapted from the Southern Cast Iron Magazine from May 2018.  Here is how I prepped it to have my dinner ready by 10am.

First, let's prep those Picked Red Onions and get them in the refrigerator.



In a small bowl, or I used a mason jar - fill with 2 cups of thinly sliced red onion.  Then, on the stovetop combine 2 cups of water, 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, cook for 1 minute and then let cool completely.  Pour over the sliced red onions, cover and place in refrigerator up to 5 days. 

Pork Rub:
 1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Now, let marinate the meat.  The longer it sits, the better it tastes! In a small bowl combine salt, chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper and ground coriander.  Rub into the pork, cover and refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.

BBQ sauce:

Combine:
3 cups Cheerwine or Cherry Cola
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard


Here are your cooking options.  I usually throw into the crockpot because it just makes my life so much easier on busy days.

Cook on low 6-7 hours in a crock pot - pork should easily shred with two forks when its done. If possible, I add the sauce about halfway into cooking - giving it plenty of time to thicken.

If you're not able to add in the sauce, cook sauce on stovetop for about 20 minutes, then when ready to eat combine sauce and pork.

And, lastly if you have the time and a good cast iron dutch oven pot - you can throw the pork in there and put in the oven at 450 degrees for about 45 minutes.  Then, turn the oven down to 325 degrees and continue to cook for about 2.5 more hours.  Pork should register to 185 degrees and easily fork shred.

Shred your pork and add your sauce!

To assemble sandwiches, start with a good crusty hamburger bun, top with pork, sauce, pickled red onions, pickles and enjoy!  

Grilled Italian Chicken Panini with Homemade Basil Pesto

This was so delicious and easy! It’s a great way to use up leftover chicken- or do like I did and get the Tyson’s grilled chicken. Already cooked, makes it easy!

I found the Garlic Naan Flatbread at Aldi. Here’s the recipe for homemade Basil Pesto:

A handful of Basil leaves

Tablespoon of Garlic

1/4tsp pepper

1/4 tsp salt

About a cup of olive oil, more if needed 

Blend in blender until thick but chopped. 

Now, to assemble the sandwiches! 

Cut Flatbread in half. Layer mayo on one side and Basil Pesto on the other. Then, add argula or any good dark green lettuce. Then top with chopped or pulled chicken, red onion slices, tomatoes and shredded Italian blend cheese!

Grill, on a cast iron grill pan with panini press, or toast up in a regular pan just to warm up that cheese! Enjoy! 

Want to watch it come together? Here’s the video!

Homemade Croutons

I had a bunch of people asking for my recipe, so here it goes!  I don't do much measuring for this, just kind of a throw it all into the pan and hope for the best type deal.  You can't really mess it up really!

Here's what you need:
Day old crusty bread, cubed. (1/4 loaf of sandwich bread)
Olive Oil
Handful of Fresh Herbs like Rosemary, Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Parsley or
Dried Italian Seasoning
Garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste


In a pan I go around about 2-3 times with olive oil.  Turn the burner on med-low heat and let it heat up.  Meanwhile, I cube my bread and chop all of my herbs.  Sometimes I use my homemade bread, and sometimes I use sandwich bread.  I use whatever I have.  I use probably the equivalent to a quarter to a third of a loaf of bread.  Just eyeball it.

Back at the pan, I throw in garlic.  I use prepared garlic that is already chopped.  I don't like a ton of garlic, so I just do maybe the equivalent to one clove.  Mix it around for about a minute.  Then, add in my cubed bread.  Stir it around and let the oil coat it.

Add in my chopped fresh herbs or dried Italian seasoning.  And, top it off with salt and pepper to taste.  Me?  Easy on the salt, load on the pepper.  Stir them around occasionally until they are toasted, and ENJOY!