Homemade Cream Cheese Pound Cake…Delicious and Easy to Make

By Jodee Weiland

Looking for something good to serve with all those grilled peaches, that homemade ice cream, or the berries you bought this week? What about a delicious pound cake?

https://learnfromyesterday.comI’m always looking for something to serve with ice cream, grilled peaches, or berries I purchased at the Farmer’s Market.  The one thing I know of that complements it all is Homemade Cream Cheese Pound Cake…Delicious and Easy to Make.

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This pound cake is made with cream cheese and that gives it a rich smooth taste.  What I like most about Homemade Cream Cheese Pound Cake, besides the fact that it tastes delicious, it is never overly sweet, but rather just sweet enough.  For this reason adding any grilled fruit, fresh fruit, or even ice cream to this pound cake only enhances the flavor rather than putting you into sugar overload.  Now don’t misunderstand, this pound cake is delicious even by itself, so when you make it, you decide how you want to serve it.  It’s up to you!

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Homemade Cream Cheese Pound Cake…Delicious and Easy to Make

1 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted whipped butter softened
1 cup sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 eggs room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour loaf pan.

https://learnfromyesterday.comIn a bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.  In a second bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla together with a mixer until creamy.  Gradually add the eggs, continuing to blend together with a mixer.  Once done, add a little of the flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture, blending them together. Finally, add and blend in the cream cheese until completely mixed.

https://learnfromyesterday.comPut this in the greased and floured loaf pan you prepared earlier.  Once filled, tap the pan lightly and carefully on the counter or table to make sure it is evenly spread in the pan.  Put the loaf pan in the oven and bake at 325 degrees for about 60 minutes.  When lightly brown, use a toothpick in the center to decide if it is done. The toothpick should go into the center and when withdrawn be clean, if done.  Let the pound cake cool before removing from the pan to serve.

https://learnfromyesterday.comWhen serving your Homemade Cream Cheese Pound Cake…Delicious and Easy to Make, you decide how you want to serve it.  I like to serve it a number of ways, but my favorite is with a light dusting of sifted powdered sugar and fresh berries.  It’s simple, but so good.  On special occasions I will add ice cream with those fresh berries.  Whichever way you serve it, one thing is certain, and that is, you are going to love it.  So enjoy!

Baby Kale Pesto with Pasta…Both Healthy and Delicious!

By Jodee Weiland

Being Italian, it was hard for me to imagine kale in a pesto.  I’ve used it to make kale chips, a kale salad, and even a kale and white bean soup. But putting kale in a pesto to use with pasta was something I just couldn’t imagine, especially since I love Italian Basil Pesto.

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Nevertheless, with all the baby kale I have coming from my garden, I decided I had to do something with it all, and Baby Kale Pesto…Both Healthy and Delicious is what I came up with for dinner tonight,  I was pleasantly surprised when this dinner turned out to be very tasty after all.

https://learnfromyesterday.comKale likes to grow in lower temperatures, and with the unusual cooler temperatures we’ve been having in the Midwest this summer, my kale lasted longer and grew more abundantly than I ever expected when I first planted the seeds last spring.  I have had plenty of kale to use this summer for salads and kale chips, which we love.  I have had so much that I have given some away to people who wanted it.  But today, I used my fresh baby kale to make my pesto, and it turned out great!

https://learnfromyesterday.comBaby Kale Pesto with Pasta…Both Healthy and Delicious!

2 cups fresh baby kale leaves packed tightly
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 teaspoon chopped garlic clove or to taste
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (more or less, depending on desired consistency and thickness)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese or more

https://learnfromyesterday.comBlend together the kale, pine nuts, garlic, salt, and black pepper until finely chopped in a food processer or blender. Gradually add oil to this mixture to attain a smooth consistency and thickness (your preference). Finally, add the Parmesan cheese into this mixture. You can add more salt and black pepper to taste once it is blended. Kale pesto can be made two days ahead or just before it is needed. If made ahead, cover and refrigerate it. With pesto recipes, I like to double the recipe and freeze some for later.

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Baby Kale Pesto…Both Healthy and Delicious will quickly become a favorite, especially for those who prefer a milder tasting pesto than what one finds in a basil pesto, although both are good.  Some may think, as I did, that kale would be too bitter for pesto, but the blend of garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan Reggiano cheese with the kale in an extra virgin olive oil creates a pesto that has no bitterness and plenty of flavor when served with pasta.  Serve it with a nice red wine and a side salad for a very pleasant meal, as well as healthy.  Try it, and enjoy!

Mom’s Italian Tomato Salad…With Basil, Garlic, and Peppers

By Jodee Weiland

When I was growing up, the vegetable garden was planted every summer.  During the summer months, the tomatoes were coming in fast and furious. There were always plenty of tomatoes and my father’s hot peppers as well.  For this reason mom would often make her Italian Tomato Salad…With Basil, Garlic, and Peppers.

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A big loaf of freshly baked Italian bread to eat with the tomato salad was a must. We would eat the tomatoes and dunk our bread in the tomato, basil, and pepper juices from the salad, this sometimes being our favorite part.

https://learnfromyesterday.comThis salad is unusual in that it has no vinegar or any other juices other than those from the tomatoes in water and oil with basil, garlic, and peppers.  Regardless, when put together, these ingredients create a juice that is flavorful and even better when you soak it up with freshly baked Italian bread.  You won’t believe me until you try it yourself, but it is really good and so easy to put together.  It’s a great way to use tomatoes as a side for dinner.

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Mom’s Italian Tomato Salad…With Basil, Garlic, and Peppers

Ripe tomatoes cut into wedges (as many as you want/I used about 6)
4 or more fresh basil leaves sliced and lightly chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic chopped
1 to 2 hot peppers finely diced (number depends on size and desire for heat)
Water to fill bowl up to an inch from the upper edge of the bowl or to cover tomatoes plus some
Vegetable oil (olive oil will solidify in fridge so use vegetable oil) about a half inch of oil
Salt  and black pepper to taste as you eat salad

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In a bowl with a cover, put your cut tomatoes, basil, garlic, and peppers.  Add water to cover tomatoes, followed by a half inch of vegetable oil.  Stir together.  Then cover and put in the refrigerator for several hours before serving.  This will give the tomato juices, basil, garlic, and pepper flavors a chance to blend together in the oil and water creating the salad juices desired.

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When ready, serve Mom’s Italian Tomato Salad…With Basil, Garlic, and Peppers with the rest of your meal.  Don’t forget to get a freshly baked loaf of Italian bread to serve with your salad.  Then enjoy dipping your bread in the juices as you eat your tomato salad.  You will love it.  I know we all did and still do.  Try it out and find out what I’m talking about!  Enjoy!