Somewhere in Middle America

summer strawberry cake

After our deliciously healthy dinner Sunday night, J decided he wanted to bake a cake. Not one to object to freshly made cake, I agreed to help. While he prepared the batter following the Martha Stewart recipe below, and I hulled and halved the strawberries. Our teamwork paid off in a big way–a delicious summer strawberry cake. If only we hadn’t forgotten to top it off with Cool Whip!

Ingredients

Makes one 10-inch cake

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pie plate
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.
  2. Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.
  3. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.
  4. Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on a wire rack. Cut into wedges. Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days.

hulling strawberries

I’m thrilled to have discovered a new talent in the kitchen: hulling strawberries. I hulled two cartons of strawberries this afternoon in preparation for the Flag Cake we’re making for tonight’s 4th of July festivities.

a challah-day

Last Friday for Shabbat, J’s step-mother made homemade Challah in our kitchen. Much to my husband’s chagrin, I did not learn anything about making Challah while watching her bake.  I did, however, enjoy taking photographs of the process–and tasting the final product.


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corned beef and cabbage cupcakes

Originally uploaded by stefhope

No green Bud Light or Corned Beef and Cabbage Cupcakes (eww) for us this year. In fact, St. Patrick’s Day would have gone unnoticed if J hadn’t prepared the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage for dinner tonight. He didn’t go into work today and spent all afternoon slaving over the stove (doubtful). All I had to do was stop at the supermarket to buy the cabbage on my way home from the office. Oh, and wash the dishes afterwards.

The meat and potatoes were cooked perfectly. The cabbage I could have done without. I’m just not cooked cabbage kind of girl.

i can cook: skirt steak with chili-roasted potatoes

Following a very easy recipe from the March issue of Real Simple, I prepared dinner last night for the two of us. Instead of buying skirt steak I used a flank steak we already had in our freezer, and J found a bag of Yukon gold/new potato hybrids, so I didn’t have to decide between the two. J’s contribution to the meal was fresh asparagus seasoned with lemon, thyme and salt and pepper. So simple, yet so tasty.

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