French Custard Strawberry Cake

 

Ingredients

1. 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2. 1 1/4 c. granulated sugar, divided
3. 2 large eggs
4. 1 t. vanilla extract
5. 1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
6. 1 1/4 t. baking powder
7. 1/4 t. salt
8. 1/2 c. sour cream
9. 16 oz. fresh strawberries, stemmed and halved

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip together the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until pale and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.
4. Fold in strawberries. Spread the batter in the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar evenly over the top of the cake batter.
5. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack.

 

New Beginnings

“In this new year, may you have a deep understanding of your true value and worth, an absolute faith in your unlimited potential, peace of mind in the midst of uncertainty, the confidence to let go when you need to, acceptance to replace your resistance, gratitude to open your heart, the strength to meet your challenges, great love to replace your fear, forgiveness and compassion for those who offend you, clear sight to see your best and true path, hope to dispel obscurity, the conviction to make your dreams come true, meaningful and rewarding synchronicities, dear friends who truly know and love you, a childlike trust in the benevolence of the universe, the humility to remain teachable, the wisdom to fully embrace your life exactly as it is, the understanding that every soul has its own course to follow, the discernment to recognize your own unique inner voice of truth, and the courage to learn to be still.”

Janet Rebhan

Finnegan Begin Again

With seven hospital visits in 2016, I am looking forward to a new year free of health issues.  My only resolution is to resuscitate this blog.

Our Daily Bread

I’ve had a bread machine for about fifteen years.  I’ve never baked in it, just used it on the dough cycle to mix and knead the dough. Then I’d remove the dough, plop it in a buttered bread pan for the second rise and bake.  Easy peasy for my bad hands.

About five days ago the old bread machine gave up the ghost.  I agonized for a couple of days over what to do.  I finally convinced myself that I deserved the Cadillac of bread machines, a Zojirushi Virtuoso.  After all, making bread is my therapy.  After I make about two hundred ninety-nine loaves more, I should be at the breakeven point investment wise.

Here is this morning’s loaf, sliced to perfection with the electric knife wielded by my baking partner, John.

Living With a Carnivore on a Diet

 

My husband and I are the embodiment of “Opposites Attract.”  He is blonde haired and blue eyed and I’m some hair color from a box and eyes that are neither green nor brown.  He is strictly meat, potato and two veg and if I did not have to cook for or feed him, I’d probably just eat meat on holidays.  My husband and I are fish that swim in two entirely different seas.   

The eating thing food thing does present some marital issues.  We both weigh in every morning.  If I gain a couple of pounds, I back off on carbs and sugars.  I eat a lot of fresh salad type things. I really watch portion size. I never eat between meals and I don’t snack. 

My husband has gained five pounds. He drinks beer daily.  He has a couple of glasses of red wine at night. He quite often eats potato chips from the bag when watching television.  He shares the chips with the dogs.  I find this really annoying.  They don’t need the calories or the sodium.  The dogs have never eaten anything but high quality dry kibble.  They self-feed and none has ever gained an ounce.  My husband’s diet plan is to starve himself all day and then around 4:00PM begin asking me what I’m making for dinner.  He circles the kitchen like a hungry Great White Shark.

The photo above is what I prepared for dinner.  The video below, one of my all-time favorite scenes from the 1980 comedy film FATSO, starring Dom Deluise, is exactly what it was like in our kitchen beginning around 8:00PM.  A Carnivore on a diet is not a pretty thing