101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 minutes by Wendy Paul

101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 Minutes by Wendy Paul
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"It's what's Inside that counts!"

Yummy! That describes this cute little book in one word!The recipes are all quick and the cupcakes are all filled.  Just to tempt you a little, I will list a little of the deliciousness to be found inside.  Banana Cream Pie, Best Ever Apple, Key Lime Pie, Lemon Blueberry, Lemon Cream, Orange Cramsicle, Peach Cobbler, Chocolate Cream, Strawberry Shortcake, Root Beer Float, and Little earthquake.  There are lot more and Wendy Paul even offers frosting suggestions, and easy easy ways to top your cupcakes beautifully!

Here is a lovely recipe from the book:

Lemon Cream with Whipped Cream

1 box lemon cake mix

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened

2 Tbs grated lemon zest

1 recipe whipped cream

1tsp lemon extract

1/2 cup crushed lemon drop candy

Mix together cake mix, eggs, sour cream, and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.  Add grated lemon zest and combine .  Fill paper liners 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 degrees gor 15-18 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.  Remove and cool cupcakes on a wire rack.

Add lemon extract to whipped cream and combine well.  Top cooled cupcakes with lemon whipped cream and sprinkle with crushed lemon candy for garnish.

Enjoy!!!

Charla

Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread & Scuppernong Wine

;Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread & Scuppernong Wine: The Folklore and Art of Southern Appalachian Cooking by Joseph Dabney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is full of stories of the people of the  Smoky Mountains. My favorite chapters are devoted to Fruits.  Some of the mouth watering recipes are:  Stewed Apples, Fried Apples, Apple Dumplings, Peach Cobbler,Peach Butter, Blackberry Cobbler, Scuppernong Jelly,and yes, Scuppernong wine, which I plan to try!  Now, I will warn you that there are recipes for some things that I will not try, such as Turtle Stew, Squirrel Pie, and Possum and Sweet Potatoes.  However, there are enough great ones like Tomato Gravy, Mint Juleps, Angel Biscuits spoon bread, and apple butter to more than make up for the unusable ones.  If you want to cook up some serious southern food that is sure to be authentic and delicious, you cannot go wrong with this book!


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Smothered Porkchops & Williams Sonoma "Comfort Food" Cookbook review

This was the first of many recipes from this book that I  want to make.  Seriously, I think I want to make every recipe in this book!  If they all turn out as good as this one, I may just have to make them all.  The recipe was well written and easy to follow.  I will share this recipe with you, and maybe just a couple more, but I really think that you should buy it, if you like the few that I share here.  I don't think you will be disappointed.  The photo's are beautiful and so is the book!  I served this over steamed rice, but you might also like it with mashed potatoes.  Wl, here is the recipe.

Smothered Pork Chops

Center cut bone in pork loin chops, 4 @ about 1" thick

Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper

Canola oil, 2 Tbs

Unsalted butter, 2 Tbs

Yellow onion, 1 large, chopped

Green Bell Pepper, 1 small, sedded & hopped

Celery, 3 stalks, diced

Green onion, 4 white & green parts, chopped

Garlic, 3 cloves, minced

Fresh Thyme, 1 tsp, minced

All purpose flour, 3 Tbs

Chicken Stock, 21/4 cups

Heavy Cream, 1/4 cup

Hot pper sauce

Steamed rice for serving

Sprinkle the chops with salt and pepper.  In a large pan, heat the canola oil over medium heat.  Add the chops to the pan and cook on both sides until they are browned..  Transfer to a plate.

Add the butter to the hot pan, and melt. Add the peppers, celery, green onions, and garlic to the melted butter.  Cover and cook until the veggies are tender, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the Thyme.  Then stir in the flour.  Gradually stir in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. 

Place the chops back into the simmering stock.  Cover and cook for about 20 minutes.  Check and make sure that they are not pink when pierced near the bone.  When they are done, remove them again and place on a plate.

Stir in the cream and cook until thick, about 1 minute.  Season to taste.  Pour gravy over the chops to serve and they can can be served over rie.