Torn Tissue Decoupage Eggs

A common title for such beautiful things! The title says nothing about how easy these pretty eggs are to make, or how creative one can get making them, or how stunningly beautiful they turn out. I can’t wait to show you how because I think you will love making them too…

Flawless Fried Eggs: It's In The Details

Is there anything better than a hot breakfast of fried eggs and bacon on a cool and crisp Fall morning? I love fried eggs, but rarely cook them because it's just easier to scramble them. Or so I thought. This quick and easy method is just as easy as scrambling eggs. Seriously. So go forth my friends. Enjoy the fall and a few fried eggs......any time of day!

PONDERING PIES FOR THE HOLIDAYS

I don't know about your family traditions but in the Porter house Thanksgiving just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without pie! If our dessert table isn't full of pies we would in fact have to check the calendar. Maybe it's NOT Thanksgiving! No need to look for cakes or cookies because you won't find any, however there WILL be pie. I'm not exactly clear on how it happens but our pies somehow seem to miraculously multiply on Thanksgiving Day. Every year I always end up with as much or more pie than I originally baked myself. Which in fact is fine by me since I am a lover of pie. I can bake cakes upon cakes, or cookies and candy by the dozen without taking a nibble, although pie.... well pie is a different story. Let's just say that I am lucky, Mr.P and Jared will have all of our pie eaten by the Saturday night following Thanksgiving, yes it's true. As a result, I don't have to exert too much self-control. I'm grateful, truly I am. 

Bacon and Egg Muffins and The BIG DIG!

Today has been a busy one here at Porter Central. Starting early and ending entirely too late. In between, I have washed, dried and put away clothes.....and I think Mr.P's ADD has rubbed off on me because in the midst of ALL that I decided my closet needed it's bi-yearly overhaul, which then led quickly to the drawers. I had two meetings today and made it to one. Ran by the Goodwill, I have been on the hunt for old candlesticks to paint or stickle. Cooked a loaf of banana bread only to realize that the element in my oven is ka-PUT...ran out again to pick up a new element. And now for the last hour  have been on the looking for my tropical banana bread recipe. And may I just say that digging through recipes when you are hungry is NOT the most intelligent idea. I still have NOT found my recipe and about ready to eat the wallpaper!

The Perfect Pound Cake

10 Steps to The Perfect Pound Cake

Having tried and failed for YEARS to place with my Pound Cake at the State Fair of Texas, I figured, what's the point....how much rejection can one woman take? It is incredibly hard to place with a Pound Cake, ask any of the women who have spent years banging their heads against the proverbial 'oven door'! 

You may think I'm nuts, but this is what I LOVE about the food competitions at our state fair. Spending twenty plus years gleaning knowledge from some of the best cooks in Texas. The spirited competition is only surface deep, none of the competitor's are out for blood, just a lot of gentle kidding. To be sure we want to win that blue ribbon but we take joy when our friends win for their efforts as well. 

I've said it before, but here it is again if you missed it......these food competitions taught me how to cook, or at least to be a more skilled cook. Visiting with the older members of our close knit group, asking questions, taking to heart that they also had to pay their dues back in the day. Which brings us back to the Pound Cake and that elusive blue ribbon. After twelve years of listening to these wise women and applying their knowledge, I FINALLY WON THAT BLUE RIBBON for Pound Cake! Over the years I slowly picked up the following tips on how to bake the Perfect Pound Cake, I gladly pass them onto you, enjoy!

1. Prepare the recipe as directed using name-brand ingredients. Store brands of sugar are often more finely ground than name brands, yielding more sugar per cup, which can cause the cake to fall. Store brands of butter may contain more liquid fat and flours more hard wheat, making the cake heavy.

2. Measure accurately. Be sure to use dry measuring cups for flour and sugar. Spoon flour into the cups and lightly level with the straight edge of a small offset spatula or knife. Extra sugar or leavening causes a cake to fall; extra flour makes it dry.

3. Have ingredients at room temperature.

4. Beat softened butter, and cream cheese or vegetable shortening, at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, continuing to beat until light and fluffy. These steps are important because they whip air into the cake batter so it will rise during baking. Should take you at least 5 minutes.

5. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until the yolk disappears. Over beating the eggs may cause the batter to overflow the sides of the pan when baked or create a fragile crust that crumbles and separates from the cake as it cools.

6. To prevent the batter from curdling, always add the dry ingredients alternately with the liquid, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until blended after each addition. Over mixing the batter once the flour has been added creates a tough, rubbery cake.

7. Be sure to use the correct type of cake pan. Pound cake recipes calling for a tube pan won’t always fit in a Bundt pan. I learned this the HARD WAY! Although both may measure 10 inches in diameter, each holds a different amount of batter. The same pound cake recipe rises and bakes differently in each pan. When unsure of size, use a cup measure to fill the cake pan with water.

8. Grease cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, such as Crisco, and always dust with flour—a slippery surface keeps the batter from rising to its full volume.

9. Place the cake pan in the center of the oven, and keep the oven door closed until the minimum baking time has passed. If the cake requires more baking, gently close the oven door as soon as possible after testing to prevent jarring and loss of heat—both can cause a cake to fall.

10. After removing from the oven, place the pound cake, still in the pan, on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. This allows the cake to become firm enough to remove from the pan without breaking apart. I also learned this the hard way! Remove pound cake from pan to wire rack, and brush with a sugar glaze.....CRUCIAL!  This ensures a moist pound cake. I brush ALL of my cakes with some sort of glaze....ALWAYS. Let your cake cool completely.

Using these good and sensible tips try your hand at.........

My Blue Ribbon Pound Cake

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, room temp
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, I use Crisco sticks
• 3 cups sugar
• 5 eggs, room temp
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup milk, room temp
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

GLAZE INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

WHAT TO DO

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• With a mixer, cream butter and shortening together.
• Add sugar, a little at a time.
• Add eggs, 1 at a time, just barely mixing until you can no longer see the yolk.
• Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl and add to mixer alternately with milk; starting and ending with the flour. 
• Pour into a greased and floured Bundt pan. 
• Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes while you make the glaze. For the glaze, bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Brush warm cake with glaze until it's all gone. Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

With a mixer, cream butter and shortening together.

Add sugar, a little at a time.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, just barely mixing until you can no longer see the yolk.

Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl and add to mixer alternately with milk,

starting with the flour and ending with the flour. Mix in vanilla. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes while you make the glaze. For the glaze, bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Brush warm cake with glaze until it's all gone. Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.

Try your hand at this traditional pound cake....

.......you'll be glad ya did!

ENJOY!

~THE DOMESTIC CURATOR~

RONDA



On The Go Breakfast Burrito

The right breakfast foods can help you concentrate, give you strength – even help you maintain a healthy weight. Your mother was right: Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Not only does it give you energy to start a new day, but breakfast is linked to many health benefits. Studies show that eating a healthy breakfast, instead of something like doughnuts, can help give you:  

A more nutritionally complete diet, higher in nutrients, vitamins and minerals

Improved concentration and higher performance levels in the classroom or boardroom

Give you more strength and endurance

Lower cholesterol levels

Eating breakfast is important for everyone, but is especially so for children. Children who eat breakfast perform better in the classroom and playground, with better concentration,

   problem-solving skills, and eye-hand coordination. These healthy Breakfast Burritos

 are a great and simple way to start your day. Wrap these delectable bundles up and eat on the run! No more excuses when your husband or children say, "I don't have time to eat"!  Healthy and satisfying this breakfast will see your family through the morning until lunch with NO sugar low! You can add anything to your burrito as well as leaving any ingredient out. No one is watching, do your own thing and believe me your family will LOVE these little bundles of healthy energy!

Breakfast Burritos

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1/2 small red onion, diced (1 cup)
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 cup drained, rinsed canned black beans
• 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 eggs and 4 egg whites
• 1/2 cup shredded pepper Jack or white cheddar cheese
• 4 (10-inch) whole-wheat tortillas, burrito-sized
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1 large tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 small avocado, cubed

Directions

Heat the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over a medium-high heat. Cook the onions and peppers until onions are softened and peppers are slightly charred, about 8 minutes. Add black beans and red pepper flakes and cook until warmed through, another 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Whisk together the eggs and egg whites then stir in the cheese. Add eggs to skillet, moving constantly, scramble until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Spread each tortilla with 1 tablespoon each sour cream and salsa, if desired, and 1/4 of the scrambled eggs, some diced tomato and avocado. Season with hot sauce if you like....I skip this step! Roll up burrito-style and serve. For on the go, wrap them in foil and a napkin and you have yourself a winning start to your day!

You can add any number of goodies to your scrambled eggs. My favorites are onions, diced mushrooms, tomatoes, chopped spinach and a little cheese. Have fun experimenting and finding your families favorites.  ENJOY from me to you!

Photography courtesy of