RECIPE: LYNNBO’S FRESH STRAWBERRY CAKE WITH STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

In the South, sharing recipes is a part of life. I’ve known Lynn about as long as I’ve known anyone, I think. We went to elementary school all the way through high school together. Lynn had the most amazing parties back in the day… she was a big time party-thrower, even as a kid! I cannot hear Sly & the Family Stone to this day without thinking about spend the night parties at her house. I saw a Facebook post where someone was asking Lynn to make this cake for them and they were raving about it… so I asked her to share it with us. It has been a spring tradition for several years now and is the perfect cake to kick of strawberry season!

LYNNBo’s FRESH STRAWBERRY CAKE with STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

INGREDIENTS

1 strawberry cake mix (plus eggs and oil as required by the package)

1 1/2 cups fresh chopped strawberries plus more strawberries for garnish

1/2 cup of unsalted butter (1 stick) softened

12 oz cream cheese, softened

3 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons heavy cream or evaporated milk

1 small box strawberry Jell-o; add this to taste. (I used about half of the box)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 (or to package directions)

Prepare or spray your pans as directed on the package

First, chop up 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries and mash them so they resemble a puree.

Make the cake mix as directed except exchange the mashed strawberries for the water the package directions call for. Pour evenly into the prepared pan (s). Bake as directed or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Lynn recommends using a 9×13 pan but I used two 9″ round pans for mine. Allow them to cool before frosting.

For the frosting:

Cream together the cream cheese, butter, sugar, and Jello at medium speed of your mixer. Add the milk and vanilla and mix well.
Garnish with lots of strawberries. Lynn recommends adding them just before serving because there is so much moisture in the strawberries, they will slide all over the cake if you add them too soon. She also recommends to pat the strawberries dry before topping.

Hope you enjoy this one…. perfect for Spring and strawberry season!

RECIPE: MARTIE’S LOWER ALABAMA SHRIMP AND SAUSAGE GUMBO

Like our BBQ sauce, deviled eggs and potato salad recipes, most Southerners living near the Gulf coast will also have a gumbo recipe they claim as the world’s finest. Well, I’ve had some amazing gumbos in my time and I’d put this one up against them. You can make the roux lighter if you like and some people do. I prefer a dark brown, chocolate-y colored roux flavored with layers of bacon, sausage and the Trinity. Gumbo is a great way to feed a lot of people and when you serve it with rice, you can really stretch it even further. Try your own flavors and add hot sauce to your taste. 

MARTIE’S LOWER ALABAMA SHRIMP AND SAUSAGE GUMBO RECIPE

Prep Time: 20 minutes       Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

4 pounds 26-30 count raw Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 pound Conecuh brand smoked sausage cut into ½ inch-thick slices (use Andouille or kielbasa if you can’t find Conecuh)

2 tablespoons plus ½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 medium onions, chopped

3 celery ribs, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 pound fresh okra, cut into 1/4“slices (you can use frozen)

3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

7 cups chicken broth (use low sodium)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoon Kosher salt

4 bay leaves

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 cup thinly sliced scallions plus more for garnish 

DIRECTIONS:

In a large cast iron Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add the sausage and cook well browned. About 7 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.  Add the shrimp to the drippings and cook until pink, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside. 

Keep heat medium high. To make the roux, add the remaining ½ cup oil to the pan and heat until it starts to smoke. Then, whisk in flour, a little at a time. Cook the flour for about 20 minutes, whisking constantly so that it does not burn. The roux should be dark brown. Be patient. If you rush or cook it less, it will result in a lighter roux. 

Next, add the onions, celery, okra, and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Then add the garlic, salt, pepper, white pepper, cayenne, paprika, thyme, oregano, and bay leaves, cooking for about 2 minutes. Don’t let the garlic burn. Now, slowly whisk in the chicken broth, adding it in a little at a time; cooking until well combined. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for about an hour. Add the sausage and shrimp and heat it through. Skim off any excess fat from the surface as it cooks. Fish out the bay leaves and discard before serving. Stir in parsley and scallions. Serve over white rice with hot sauce and more scallions on the side.

WEDDINGS: PLAN A WEDDING IN ONE WEEK? YES, I DID!

When a lifelong friend and longtime bachelor calls you on April Fool’s Day and says… “I got engaged yesterday and I want to get married THIS coming Saturday AND we want you to plan the wedding”… the normal reaction is to bust out laughing. Which I did. But when he says he’s serious, it is time to jump on the planning ASAP. Here’s how I pulled together a beautiful, sentimental family wedding in only one week. And here are the photos to prove it.

When you have less than a week to pull together a wedding, you don’t have time to procrastinate and stress about the decisions you are making. You have to make decisions and move on… and that’s what we did. No time to sweat the little things! Trusting your planner is essential:)

I was the vendor for just about everything. I was the planner, the chef, the florist, and even rental delivery… just about everything. What I could not make, I purchased. The one vendor I did hire was the photographer, Mo Davis from Arden Photography. Mo is a rock star, capturing every moment and every detail. Advice to brides: don’t skimp on the photos. The pictures and the memories last a lifetime. AND I must thank my sweet friends Jared and Corey from The Sonnet House in Leeds, Alabama. Corey made the lovely bridal bouquet and boutonnieres… aren’t they beautiful!

For the decor, the couple wanted a rustic theme to fit the farm setting so we used bales of pine straw, pots of spring flowers, branches, burlap, moss, Mason jars, rustic lanterns, and lots of candles. The pine straw along with the flats and pots of spring flowers were used at the front gate and also for the ceremony site. The couple has already planted those in their yard to enjoy all summer long. We also did not want to have to worry with rental china so we opted for this eco-friendly recycled paper and bamboo place settings which were recycled again after the event!

We continued the rustic theme throughout the decor and for the food service. Wooden serving trays, cutting boards, bowls were all used. Charcuterie of cured meats, cheeses, and sausages plus grilled lamb pops were waiting for guests after the ceremony. For the main course, we kept it down on the farm with smoked pulled pork over organic grits and collard greens. For dessert, the two-tiered wedding cake was vanilla butter cream and filled with layers of homemade lemon curd and raspberry preserves. Since there was going to be a fire in the fire pit after dark, I made my signature s’mores with Nutella instead of a groom’s cake and also made plenty as favors for guests to take home.

Wishing a lifetime of happiness to my sweet friends… thank you for letting me be a part of your day! Thanks to my assistant Caroline, my grill master Brad, Lauren, Kristal, and Sohaila along with Mo and Jared and Corey from the Sonnet House in Leeds. You made this easy!