Sour Cream-Lemon Pound Cake

After dinner tonight I looked at my

husband and said

WE should make CAKE!

I don't know why but I was in the mood

for a sweet dessert.

I had a few pages in my Cooking Light

Dessert cookbook.

Actually all the recipes in this cookbook

sound great but Sour Cream-

Lemon Pound Cake is what we chose!

Sour Cream - Lemon Pound Cake

Cooking spray

3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter or stick margarine, softened

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons lemon extract

3 large eggs

1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon rind (about 2 lemons)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, divided

1 (8-ounce) carton low-fat sour cream

1 cup powdered sugar

PreparationPreheat oven to 350°.
Coat a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray,

and dust with the breadcrumbs.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups;

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl;

stir well with a whisk. Beat the butter in a large

bowl at medium speed of a mixer until light and fluffy.

Gradually add the granulated sugar and lemon extract,

beating until well-blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating

well after each addition. Add grated lemon rind

and 2 tablespoons lemon juice; beat 30 seconds.

Add flour mixture to sugar mixture

alternately with sour cream, beating at low speed,

beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until

a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan.

Cool completely on wire rack.

Combine 2 tablespoons of lemon juice

and powdered sugar.

Drizzle glaze over top of cake.

Superb!

Just the right amount of lemon

and the icing adds a nice sweetness.

We served our pound cake with a little

homemade whip cream and blackberries.

Strawberry, Honey, Almond Smoothy

A Saturday morning smoothly ~

can't get much better than that!

Strawberry, Honey, Almond Smoothy

6-8 Strawberries

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 of honey, alomnd yogurt

1/2 - 1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

ice

blend until smooth

I really enjoyed this smoothy because it is

not to sweet for the morning and it has

a nice nutty flavor because of the almond in the yogurt.

Stufffed Shells with Sausage and Cheese

Yeah! I am glad that I finally had some

time to cook on Sunday so we can have

a good meal during the week.

I made Stuffed Shells today.

There are so many wonderful fillings

that are good inside stuffed shells.

I have made Four Cheese, Veggie Shells,

Mushroom Shells and Meat Shells.

The recipe for today is:

Stuffed Shells with Sausage and Cheese

1lb Italian Sausage

16 oz Ricotta Cheese

8 oz Mozzarella Chesse Shredded

1 large egg

basil

oregano

salt and pepper to taste

parmesan cheese

Pasta Sauce ( either homemade or jar)

1 box of large shells

First, brown the sausage use the spatula to

break the sausage into small pieces.

The in a bowl mix the sausage, ricotta, mozzarella,

egg, basil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste

Place in the refrigerator.

Cook noodles for 5-7 minutes and

rinse in cold water.

Then prepare your baking dishes by

placing sauce in the bottom.

Stuff the shells with the sausage mixture

and place in baking dishes.

Top with a little more sauce and both

parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Bake on 375 for about 25- 30 minutes.

When cooked they are soft and creamy.

MMM ~ I just love Italian Food.

I am submitting this delightful recipe to Ruth

at Once Upon a Feast for her Presto Pasta Night Event.

Masaman Curry Chicken

That's right, my husband strikes again

with another great dinner.

He made Masaman

Masaman Chicken Curry

1 -2 lbs chicken, chopped

3 garlic cloves chopped

1 large white onion, sliced

3 -4 carrots, chopped

5 red potatoes, chopped

1 can masaman curry sauce

1 -2 Avacados

almond oil

cinnamon

curry powder

Saute chicken, garlic and onions in oil from Massaman can.

Add curry powder and cinnamon while cooking.

In a second pan boil the potatoes and carrots.

Cook the potatoes and carrots partially.

Then add the veggies to the pan with the chicken.

Add the Masaman sauce and a little more

curry and cinnamon to taste.

Add the diced avacado at the very end

so that they aren't overcooked.

Yum! Nice chucks of carrots, onions and avacado!

Life

Sometimes we forget how fragile life is.

We get busy with our job, errands, tasks

and we loose sight of the things that are

truly important.

Unfortunately, I was reminded of the fragile

side of life this week when my parents called

to tell me that their best friends were killed

in a plane crash.

These sad times are reminders that we are

here for only moments and then our time is gone.

And in knowing that we won't live forever .. then ~

What do you believe?

What is important in life?

How do you want to be remembered?

What impact will you have while here on earth?

A time for reflection ~

I believe in a Loving God

My husband, family and friends are very

important and special to me!

I love each of them dearly.

I have a passion for my work.

I enjoy helping others.

I think it is important to laugh and have fun.

Life is fragile ~ how do you live?

Thai Peanut Chicken

I know I have expressed before how much

I enjoy Thai food ~ the flavors are just so good.

Everytime I eat out at a restaurant I check

out my food and think I really should be able

to make this dish at home unless they are

using a few secret ingredients.

I did a little online searching for recipes and

not to brag or anything but this recipe

for Thai Peanut Chicken turned out great!

Thai Peanut Chicken

1/2 lb boneless chicken tenderloins

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon chilli sauce

1/2 teaspoon red pepper

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 cup snap peas

3/4 cup light coconut milk

rice

brown sugar

Start by slicing the chicken so that it is in thin strips.

Brown the chicken in olive oil with garlic.

In a second sauce pan warm peanut butter, salt,

soy, chilli sauce, red peppers and vinegar.

Once warm, add coconut milk until desired texture.

Add a little brown sugar if needed.

Taste and make any necessary changes.

Then add sauce to chicken and stir until heated all

the way.

Then top with crushed peanuts.

Top with peanuts

Wonderful, creamy, sweet and spicy!