A Christmas Cake...

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe for everyone or taken any pictures of the things I've made...so shoot me. :)

I have been busy with traveling to NY and then came home to the birth of a new Grandbaby (a girl) within a week or so. In between that I've been scrambling for Christmas gifts, getting interviewed for a job (that I've waited and hoped for for almost a year) and just the general every day stuff. HOWEVER..all that said I do have a cake recipe for you to try this Christmas season.
It's fattening, decadent and totally delish!

Ready for it? Here ya go..

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

3 sticks of butter, softened
1 pkg (8 oz.) Cream cheese, softened
3 Cups Sugar
6 eggs
3 Cups flour (self rising)
2 teaspoons vanilla

Line the bottom of a tube pan with wax paper and coat lightly with butter. (I use a brush) Heat oven to 300 degrees.
Cream butter and cream cheese together. Add sugar and beat till light. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Begin adding flour 1/2 a cup at a time, beating after each addition till all 3 cups are incorporated.
Bake on center rack of oven 1 1/2 hours.
Cool and remove from pan.

Additions you can do:
1. Sprinkle the top with sifted powdered sugar, serve.

2. Heat up to 2 Cups of strawberry jam, adding 1/2 C. (or more if needed) apple juice to make a hot sauce. Sever over cake slices.

3. Melt 2 bars of your favorite chocolate, add 1/2 C. heavy cream, drizzle on top of slices.

Or do it like I do..and just EAT IT like it is! YUM!!!

ENJOY!!

Time for Sage's Chicken Enchiladas!

Well here we are again, time for dinner. Since I cooked a BUNCH of chicken the day before in the crock pot, it was time to turn it into 'something' and Mexican was on my mind!!

So here ya go..here's what I did

Precook the chicken (boil it or however, just find some extra chicken!) Now I must say, my chicken was SOOO cooked, that I didn't have to pick the chicken from the bones, I just had to pick the bones out! (if you boil your chicken, save the broth for soup on another day..freeze it!

I used a lot of chicken and made a whole pan of very large enchiladas, but on average you would use about 2lbs of chicken.

Here's the rest of the ingredients:

1 pkgs cream cheese

1/2 onion

1/2 bell pepper

1 garlic clove, chopped or 1 T. minced garlic

2 tomatoes (small to medium)

2 jalapenos (chopped, seeds removed)

dash or two of red crushed pepper

1 T. cumin

1 t. chili powder

salt & pepper

Cilantro (if you have it) If you don't, see hint below.

flour tortilla wrappers

1 C. grated cheddar cheese

1/2 C (or more) salsa

shredded lettuce

Sour cream

Ready? Let's cook!

Mix your chicken with one package of cream cheese.
Saute the onions, jalapenos, garlic and bell pepper in a bit of butter or oil (your choice). Add to the chicken.

Chop up one tomato in medium/small chunks and toss in the skillet. Stir just to heat. Add to the chicken.
Add all spices and mix well. Taste! (add salt and pepper if needed or any other spice you'd like!)

I usually add some cilantro at this point but I didn't have any today, but here's what I did have

It's a cilantro cooking base, you can find in your Mexican food section of the grocers...so I added about 2 Tablespoons, and some extra minced garlic!

Time to wrap! Get your tortilla's warm (they are easier to wrap if they are warm) I used the LARGE tortillas. Place two or three large spoons of your filling near one edge of the tortilla, fold over the edge, roll once, fold in the ends and continue rolling and place in a casserole dish, seam side down. Continue until all the filling is gone!

Top with the salsa and cheese. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 mins (till heated through and cheese is melted)

Serve with Shredded lettuce and the other chopped tomato topped with sour cream, extra salsa and maybe even some guacamole! Don't forget the chips!

HAPPY COOKING!! OLE'!!

It will soon be strawberry season.......So get prepared with some YUMMY strawberry recipes!


How about a dessert and a breakfast all in one. Ready?? Here ya go..

Strawberry Bread

2 cups fresh strawberries
3 Tablespoons sugar
3 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans (optional)

And here we go, time to make the cake!
Slice the strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle with sugar, stir gently and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.

Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl: mix well. Grab the strawberries you sat aside..and mix in the oil and eggs. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until just moistened. Fold in pecans. Divide batter into pans.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or untill knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Let cool in pans for about 10 minutes. Turn loaves out, and cool completely.

Now, see if you can keep your hands off it?? LOL
Ohh, this is best served with coffee! (First thing in the morning!) :)

Ready for another one??
I came up with this one a few years back, hubby now begs for it weekly!
Ok, now this one can be used with blueberries or strawberries, so you'll see this recipe repeated in the heat of summer. It's just as good with both! Let's go to the kitchen!

Sage's Cream Cheese Delight
Here's what you'll need

1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1 pkg instant white chocolate or vanilla pudding (You can use sugar free if you want)
Milk for the pudding
Fresh Fruit, your choice. About a cup, maybe less. You'll also need a few pieces of fruit not mixed in for decoration, so set aside about 1/4 C. (or enough to put two or three pieces on the top of each glass)
1 container of whipped cream (the spoonable type, not the squeeze type)
Sugar or a sugar substitute. About 1/2 C or more or 4 or more packets of sugar substitute.
Wine glasses (2-4 glasses depending on size, or you can use parfait glasses if you have them)

Ready? Here we go. Mix up the cream cheese and your choice of sugar, to taste. For real sugar, start with 1/4 C and add till you get the taste/sweetness you like. For sweetener, about 4-6 pkgs. You wont need it super sweet. Once it's all mixed and creamy, add your fruit and fold it in. Don't stir to much, just get it mixed well. Now add 1 Cup of whipped cream, stir gently till mixed. Set this aside.
Get your assembly line ready. Set up your wine glasses, fruit/cream cheese mixture and whipped cream.
Now make the pudding. Let's create!
Take the first glass and begin the assembly layering. Use a big spoonful of each: the creamcheese fruit mixture, then pudding mix, then whipped cream and repeated till the glass is almost full. Top it with whipped cream and add a few of the pieces of fresh fruit that you set aside. (you can even add a mint leave for a real visual treat!)
Repeat this process with each glass. Chill for about an hour. Just till everything gets good and 'set' again. There you go! Looks real fancy, but couldn't be easier!!
It's a really pretty dessert. You're family will think it's a special day or something!