RECIPE: MY MOM’S POUND CAKE

We had pound cake a lot growing up. While my mom made a lot of pies, she rarely made cakes except this pound cake. We rarely let it cool before it was gone; my mom would serve it with homemade ice cream or use it for Strawberry Shortcake which was our family favorite.

My mom was a “pinch of this” cook and rarely wrote down her recipes. When I was living in Chicago back in the 1990′s, she gave me this recipe over the phone for my co-worker, Janet Radziejeski. I did not keep a copy of it. Sadly, my mom passed away and most of her recipes were never written down. Many years later, when I reconnected with Janet via Facebook, she told me she always makes my mom's recipe for Easter and it has been a family tradition ever since I shared the recipe with her all of those years ago. She photocopied the original recipe (which was in my handwriting) and sent it to me. Now I am able to share it with you and with the kids in our family who never got to experience Mom’s cooking.

Many Southern cooks have a similar pound cake recipe. The difference in this one is the addition of almond extract. You can omit if your family doesn't like it but to me, that's what makes this pound cake so special. Here's another opportunity for me to remind you to get those favorite family recipes down on paper... before they are lost forever. Thank you, Janet and Facebook, for reuniting me with this treasure!

MY MOM’S POUND CAKE RECIPE

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30-35 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean

INGREDIENTS

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 – 8 oz package cream cheese, softened

3 cups granulated sugar

6 large eggs, room temperature

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Prepare a 10-inch tube or Bundt pan… grease and flour or spray with Baker’s Joy.

In the bowl of your mixer, beat the cream cheese and the butter at medium speed until creamy. Then add the sugar, a little at a time. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Next, add the eggs, one at a time, beating until they are combined. Turn the speed on the mixer down. Combine the salt and the flour; adding a little at a time until it is blended. Add the almond and vanilla.

Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a wire cooling rack to allow it to cool completely.

Serve with berries, whipped cream or ice cream. I like it warm, straight out of the oven. Divine.

RECIPE: MARTIE'S BEST EVER STEAKHOUSE STEAK WITH HERB BUTTER

If you are a steak lover and think the best steak can only come from your grill, think again. My cast iron skillet will deliver a steakhouse quality steak and in record time, too. Add the compound butter at the end and you may give your grill away. This has long been one of my most posted and shared recipes… and I think it is because it is just so easy and so good. This is the perfect recipe for Father’s Day, Game Day or a romantic dinner for two. The secret is in the sear… make sure you really have a hot pan and don’t turn your steak too soon. You want a nice char before you flip it.

MARTIE’S STEAK HOUSE STEAK IN A CAST IRON SKILLET

Skill level: Easy    Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

Essential equipment: cast iron skillet, meat thermometer

MEDIUM RARE 130-135°

RARE 120-125°

MEDIUM 140-145°

INGREDIENTS

1 steak of your choice, I prefer a T-bone, bone-in rib-eye or a Porterhouse; not cut too thick

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter for the skillet plus 1/4 cup for the herb butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

Fresh finely chopped herbs

For the herb butter: place 1/4 cup butter at room temp in a small bowl and use a fork to sort of mash and whip it until soft. Add finely chopped herbs of your choice—basil and thyme are my favorites. Chives are stronger but also nice. About a tablespoon is all you need but that’s up to you if you want more— add more. Line a small ramekin or bowl with plastic wrap and spoon the butter mixture into it. Wrap the plastic over the butter and chill well. You can make this a few days in advance and unmold it when you are ready to use it.

For the steak: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. You will have to vary your cooking time based on the degree of doneness you want for your steak. Let the steak sit out at least 15 minutes to take some of the chill off before you cook it. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of good olive oil to the pan and let them melt together. You may need more depending on the size of your pan. Increase the heat to medium high.

Season both sides of the steak liberally with salt and pepper.

When the butter is melted– it burns easily so watch out—and the pan is very hot, put in your steak and sear it well on both sides. Do not pick up the steak or move it around. Let it sear on one side before turning it— about 3 minutes per side depending on the heat and the size of your steak. After you’ve seared the steak on both sides, carefully move the pan to your preheated oven. After the steak has been in the oven for about 3 minutes, carefully open the door (watch out as there will be quite a lot of steam) and put a large slice of the herb butter on top of the steak– it will melt down over the steak and add a wonderful flavor during the last minutes of cooking.

I like my steak just under medium so I cook it in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the meat thermometer reaches about 140 degrees. Remove from the oven, place off of heat and cover with foil. Let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes so the juices will redistribute. The steak will actually continue to cook a bit during the resting period so I remove it from the oven just under the desired temperature.

COOKING FOR A CROWD

If you have a big crowd, you will find this recipe hard to do unless you have several skillets. I typically reserve this recipe for smaller, more intimate groups but for 4 or more, I’ll use a Porterhouse cut and that gives me a filet and a New York Strip from each steak so I can serve 2-3 people from one steak.

HOW TO BUILD A BLOODY MARY BAR

Perfect for Sunday Brunch, game day, bowl games, or Super Bowl Sunday, or even for New Year's Day, this Build-it-Yourself Bloody Mary Bar is a hit every time! The best Bloody Mary I have ever had was in New Orleans at the Super Bowl. Since then, I've always kicked off Super Bowl Sunday with a Bloody Mary.

Part salad bar, part drink bar, the Bloody Mary bar is becoming a popular interactive addition to parties and restaurant bars everywhere. Every region has their own mix-ins and flavorings but one thing is consistent; everyone thinks their version is the best.

Let your guests build their own Bloody Mary with garden fresh veggies, swimmers like shrimp or oysters and a variety of different ways to add heat- from hot sauce to peppers.

As a Southerner, I would lose my membership card if I didn’t know how to make a good Bloody Mary. Southerners like a Bloody Mary to be spicy, heavy on the horseradish and loaded with fresh vegetables —a garden in a glass. To set up your own Bloody Mary bar, a cleared kitchen counter works well. You’ll need to keep your veggies chilled so put them in glasses, place in a low container or bowl and fill around the glasses with ice. Use large glasses for serving since it will be packed with veggies and mix-ins until the flavor is just right. Long teaspoons are best to mix up the goodies—a plastic stirrer just won’t cut it. Have lots of wipes or towels on hand for spills and don’t use a white tablecloth for this one. I often get a painter's drop cloth at the hardware store; they are usually made of a taupe material and have a stitched hem so once pressed, they work very nicely. Get my Bloody Mary recipe... 

If you don't want to make your own Bloody Mary mix like I do, my go-to favorite is Zing-Zang. You can find it at most grocery stores. 

Set up a rimming station and let guests rim glasses with a mixture of Old Bay seasoning, Kosher salt, and a dash of pepper.

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BLOODY MARY BAR SHOPPING LIST

VODKA:  Use your favorite vodka. Sometimes I use Absolut Peppar and rim glasses with a pepper and sea salt mixture before adding liquids and mix-ins.

MIX: Get one or two types of bottled mix or good organic tomato juice for the base or you can make your own Bloody Mary base using my recipe.

FLAVOR AND SPICE: Almost anything can add extra flavor to the base. These are some of the traditional flavorings.

Lea & Perrin Worcestershire

Celery salt

Old Bay Seasoning (look at the fish counter if you can’t find it with the seasonings)

Cocktail Sauce

HEAT: Offer guests several types of hot sauce, everyone has a favorite.

Tabasco Original

Louisiana Hot Sauce

Fresh ground pepper

Red pepper flakes

Fresh ground horseradish

CONDIMENTS: Pick and choose several of these. Celery and lemon and most traditional but a squeeze of lime and pickled okra are other favorites.

Celery stalks

Lemon wedges

Lime slices

Olives

Pickled okra

String beans

Cocktail onions

Cherry tomatoes

Pickled asparagus

SWIMMERS: Take it up a notch by adding fresh chilled seafood.

Boiled shrimp

Raw oysters

Clam juice

Having a DIY Bloody Mary Bar for Easter Brunch or Mother's Day will become a tradition your guests will love year after year and because you can set it and forget it, it makes very easy work of bartending duties.

FOOD SAFETY TIP: Remember to keep cold foods and seafood chilled to 140 degrees or colder for the length of the party.