mangia mondays 29: pound cake

hello, friends!

welcome to another

a blog hop i co-host each week with my bloggy bff

lisa from shine your light.

{love her!}

this week, i'm sharing:

pound cake

16 oz sugar

16 oz butter, softened + more for greasing pan

16 oz flour + more for dusting pan

9 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. preheat oven to 350 f. grease & flour 1 10" bundt pan or 2 9"x5" loaf pans.

2. cream together butter & sugar for 5 minutes on medium speed using the paddle attachment. stop once to scrape the sides of the bowl. with the mixer running at the lowest speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. {the mixture will look curdled.} add the vanilla & salt & beat on medium speed for 30 seconds.

3. with the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour in 3 installments, making sure each portion is fully incorporated before adding the next. after the final addition, scrape down the sides of the bowl & beat for 30 seconds on medium speed or until almost smooth.

4. scoop the batter into the prepared pan(s). bake for 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 210 f. the outside should be golden brown & spring back when pressed, but the crack around the center will appear moist. 

5. remove cake from oven & cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. remove from pan & cool on the rack completely. store tightly covered.

i've never made a pound cake & thought it would be difficult...

but it's not!

while it was delicious for dessert,

i enjoyed it with coffee the next morning for breakfast! :)

now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

click here to check out all of the amazing blogs i'm linking this post to!

until next time,

dowlings, out!

it's a keeper thursday: carrot crumb muffins

well, hello there!

this week, i'm co-hosting the "it's a keeper thursday" linky party with christina from it's a keeper.

are you following it's a keeper?

if not, you should probably head over & do it now.

i'll wait... i'm patient. :)

*twiddles thumbs*

back?

oh, good.

so, let me tell you a bit about it's a keeper thursdays:

IAK Thursday is the place where we all get together and share our “keepers”! Do you have a recipe that you’ve tried, or a craft project you’ve made that was a “keeper”? Well, then we want to see it — each and every week!

this week i'm sharing:

carrot crumb muffins

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 C carrots, grated & strained through cheesecloth to remove excess liquid

3/4  C sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 C butter, melted

1/4 C plain applesauce

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

crumb topping:

2/3 C brown sugar

3 TBS all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 TBS butter

1/4 C oats

1. preheat oven to 375 f & lightly grease muffin pan, or line with paper liners.

2. in a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, & salt. in another bowl, beat together carrots, sugar, egg, melted butter, applesauce, cinnamon, & nutmeg. stir the carrot mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. divide batter evenly between prepared muffin tins.

3. in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, & oats. cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. sprinkle topping over muffins.

4. bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

christina & i can't wait to see what you guys are bringing to our virtual table,

but before we start sharing, there are a few guidelines:

1. follow it's a keeper (& delightfully dowling, if you feel inclined!) via email, google friend connect, facebook, &/or twitter.

2. your link should be a food or craft/project related item. link as many as you'd like!

3. add the it's a keeper button (& the delightfully dowling button, because it's just so darn cute!) to your sidebar or blog post to help spread the word!

4. be sure to check out some of the awesome posts that others have linked up! let them know that it's a keeper or delightfully dowling sent you!

It's a Keeper Thursday will be open until Sunday at 11:59 PM (EST). And, don't forget to check out It's a Keeper on Monday to see which posts have been featured!

until next time,

dowlings, out!

mangia mondays 28: chicken cacciatore

howdy, folks!

welcome to

a blog hop that my sweet friend

lisa from shine your light

& i co-host each week.

this week i'm sharing

chicken cacciatore

1 whole chicken, cut into 6 pieces (2 breasts, 2 legs, 2 thighs. alternatively, you could do 8 pieces & cut the breasts in half & leave the wings attached, but no one eats the wings around here.)

1 C flour

1/2 TBS salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/8 C oil

1/2 onion, sliced thin

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 stalk of celery, sliced

1 carrot, peeled & diced

1/2 TBS garlic, minced

1/4 C white wine

14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes

2 TBS tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp dried basil

1. combine flour, salt & pepper in a large bowl. dredge the chicken with the seasoned flour. shake off excess.

2. heat the oil in a large saute pan (or, if you're like me & enjoy 1-pot-cooking, use your dutch oven!). add the chicken pieces & brown well over high heat. as the chicken pieces are browned, remove them from the pan & set aside. repeat with remaining chicken.

3. pour off some of the oil from the pan, leaving a couple of TBS. add the onion, green pepper, celery, carrot & garlic to the pan. sweat over low heat until nearly tender.

4. add the wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, & herbs. bring to a boil. simmer about 5 minutes.

5. add chicken back to the pot. cover & reduce heat to low. cook 30-45 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked.

6. when the chicken is done, remove from pan. remove bay leaf. skim some of the oil from the sauce. reduce sauce to desired consistency over high heat. adjust seasonings if necessary & pour sauce over chicken.

we served ours with green beans, roasted red peppers, & bacon.

man, oh man!

deeelicious! :)

now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

click here to check out all of the amazing blogs i'm linking this post to!

until next time,

dowlings, out!

mangia mondays 27: spinach enchiladas

hey there, friends!

welcome to

a blog hop that the stellar

lisa from shine your light

& i host each week.

this week, i'm sharing

spinach enchiladas

for the enchiladas:

8-10 small flour tortillas

1 pound of chicken

1 1/2 C grated cheddar cheese

1 lg onion, diced

for the sauce:

8 oz. sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

12 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed

1 clove garlic

16 oz. chopped green chile

1. boil the chicken & onion until cooked through. drain. shred chicken. add cheese to the chicken & onion mixture.

2. for sauce, puree ingredients together in a blender or food processor.

3. pour some of the sauce into the bottom of a 13" x 9" casserole dish. spoon chicken, cheese & onion mixture into tortillas. roll & place in pan, seam side down. pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas.

4. bake at 350 f for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

the hubs celebrated his birthday last week,

& this is one of his favorite meals.

they are quite delicious!

now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

click here to check out all of the amazing blogs i'm linking this post to!

until next time,

dowlings, out!

mangia mondays 26: puff pastry wrapped apples with cheddar & bacon

howdy, ya'll

& welcome to

a super-mega-awesome blog hop i co-host each week

with the ever-so-amazing

lisa from shine your light.

this week i'm sharing

puff pastry wrapped apples with cheddar & bacon

yield: 24

1 package (2 sheets) puff pastry, thawed

2 C extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 large granny smith apple, peeled & diced

10 strips thick cut bacon, cooked, drained, & diced

1 egg beaten, for wash

1. preheat oven to 400 f. prepare a mini-muffin pan by spraying with a nonstick cooking spray.

2. cut each sheet of puff pastry into thirds, then each third into fourths (you'll have 12 squares per sheet). place a square of puff pastry in each mini-muffin cup & press to fit, leaving the sides to fold over later.

3. fill each square with a pinch of cheese, a couple of pieces of diced apple, bacon, & a bit more cheese. fold the corners of each squares up to the center & press together to seal shut. brush the tops with a bit of egg wash.

4. bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown, rotating halfway through.

now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

click here to check out all of the amazing blogs i'm linking this post to!

until next time,

dowlings, out!