Cherry Layer Cake with Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting

 Ingredients:
For the Cake:
3 cups sifted cake flour
2½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
⅓ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
⅓ cup vegetable shortening
1½ cups sugar
¼ cup maraschino cherry juice
¾ cup whole milk
¼ tsp almond extract
16 maraschino cherries, cut into eighths
5 egg whites, room temperature, stiffly beaten
For the Frosting:
8 oz (1 block) cream cheese, room temperature
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup maraschino cherry juice
6 cups confectionary sugar
 Directions:

For the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease and flour two 9-inch round layer cake pans (line bottoms with parchment, if desired) and set aside.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
Cream butter, shortening, and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, about five minutes.
Measure out the milk, almond extract, and cherry juice into one liquid measuring cup together. Beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, alternately add the wet and dry to the creamed mixture. Beat well after each addition. Fold in the cherries.
Stiffly beat egg whites in a separate bowl. Fold in ⅓ of egg whites to batter to lighten it. Fold in the remaining egg whites until mixture is well combined.
Divide the batter between pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until springy to touch.
Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for about 10 minutes. Using a thin knife, loosen carefully around edges and turn out onto the racks. Cool to room temperature.
For the Frosting: Cream together the butter and cream cheese with half the confectionary sugar. Add the cherry juice. Mix in enough of the remaining confectionary sugar to get the taste and consistency desired.

Paula Dean's Not Your Mama's Banana Pudding

 Ingredients:
2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen Cookies OR 2 bags Vanilla Wafers
6 to 8 bananas, sliced
2 cups whole milk
* 1 (5 oz.) box instant French Vanilla pudding
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz.) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream

Directions:
Line the bottom of a 13x9 inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

Bowl 1-
Combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer.

Bowl 2-
Combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth.

Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture.
Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended.

Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies.

Refrigerate until ready to serve!

TURKISH LAMB WITH ROSEMARY & THYME

INGREDIENTS

300 g lean lamb chunks

1 tbsp olive oil

400 g fresh tomatoes, about 6-7 medium, cut in large chunks

200 g onions, about 2 large, chopped

2 fat cloves of garlic, left whole

75 g leeks, green bits, chopped

100 fresh peppers ( i used yellow ones )

200 g white beans or new potatoes,

2 tbsp Rosemary and thyme, chopped finely

Salt and black course pepper to taste.

METHOD

Heat the oil in the pan and brown the meat, add tomatoes onions, garlic, cover and cook very slowly for about an hour or until the meat is soft. Then add the beans, leeks, peppers and herbs and cook further 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables cook to your taste. Season with salt and black pepper, sprinkle more herbs just before serving.

COOK'S TIP

Cooking time with pressure cooker is 15 minutes for the meat then 5 more minutes to finish it off with the vegetables.

You can also cook this dish with chicken or beef rather than lamb to suit your taste.

BEAN SALAD

YOU NEED

200 gr cooked white beans

2 tsp olive oil

1 shallot or small red onion, salt

1 tbsp of parsley, chopped

Ground black  pepper

Lemon juice

1 tsp sumak

10-12 black olives

TO DECORATE

1 Egg, boiled, sliced

Cherry tomatoes

Jalepeno peppers

Sweet paprika to sprinkle

METHOD

First slice the onions thinly. Put in a bowl with a pinch of salt and a little water. Rub it well with salt then wash and rinse it. ( You will have soft and sweet onion for the salad now )

Mix the onion, olive oil, parsley, olives, sumak and lemon juice with the beans. Add black pepper to taste.

Decorate it with eggs, tomatoes and jalepenos. Sprinkle with paprika before serving.

SUMAK : This spice comes from the Mediterranean and Middle East, from the berries of a wild bush. Favoured over lemon for sourness. Dark red in colour, this aromatic spice has a tangy and fruity flavour.

CHICKEN WITH BARBECUE SAUCE

YOU NEED

8 Chicken drumsticks or thighs

1 copped onion

black pepper

FOR THE SAUCE

5 tbsp dry sherry or wine

5 tbsp light soy sauce

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp oil

1 tsp Tabasco or chilli sauce

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp honey or brown sugar.

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 200C.

Rub the chicken pieces with oil. Season with black pepper. Put them in a roasting tin together with chopped onions and cook them at the high shelf for 25- 30 minutes. In the mean time make the sauce by mixing or whisking all the ingredients together.

When the chicken joints  have been in the oven 30 minutes, pour off excess oil from the tin, then pour the barbecue sauce over the chicken and cook for a further 20- 25 minutes. baste if necessary.

Serves 4

BROCCOLI WITH YOGURT DRESSING

INGREDIENTS

350 g  broccoli

4-5 tbsp low fat natural yogurt

Lemon juice

1 clove of garlic grated (optional )

Roasted pumpkin seeds ( handful )

Paprika

METHOD

Cut the broccoli into small florets, wash and steam them for about 6-7 minutes to your taste until just turning soft. Squeeze lemon juice over the broccoli. Grate the garlic on the fine side of the grater and add to the yogurt. Pour yogurt over the broccoli.

Serve it with a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds and paprika on top.

TIP OF THE DAY

The quickest way to roast pumpkin seeds is to dry roast them in a non-stick pan on the stove.

CHEESE & ONION BREAD WITH OLIVES, SUN DRIED TOMATOES

INGREDIENTS

10 oz plain flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

2 oz sun dried tomatoes, chopped

10 pitted and halved olives

1 tbsp dried onion

3 medium boiled and mashed potatoes

4 oz of red Leicester cheese, grated

2 tbsp parsley, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

8 fl oz of water.

METHOD

Grease a baking tray. Pre- heat the oven gas mark 6, 200C,180C fan oven. Sieve the flour with salt and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Reserve half of the  grated cheese set aside. Then mix and stir rest of the ingredients into the bowl with flour.Pour the oil and water to make a soft dough with a wooden spoon. Turn the dough on to the floured baking tray. Shape it into a 20 cm/ 8 inch round. Mark it into 4 portions with a knife without cutting through. Sprinkle with the reserved cheese and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool. Serve it fresh.

Serves 4.