Strawberries and Cream with Grandma's Poundcake Recipe

One of my favorite desserts and actually birthday cake favorites.  I love to make this one for my own birthday every year. Nothing else compares. The cake is buttery heavy and rich and goes perfectly with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Simple, elegant and you just can't go wrong with a cake that grandma made. Making this in her #memorialdayweekend memory. Thanks Gram!

You will need:
Heavy cream whipped and sweetened with sugar
1 quart cleaned and washed and hulled strawberries sliced
1 pound cake recipe below or store bought
strawberry ice cream topping or warm strawberry jam

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the cake:
1 1/2 pounds of butter at room temperature and then cream for 4 minutes with an electric mixer adding 3 cups of sugar. Beat until light, it may be longer than 4 minutes with your mixer.

Add:
9 whole large eggs
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon milk
4 teaspoons vanilla pure

Bake in greased buttered and floured loaf pans at 350 for 1 hour or until the tooth pick comes out clean in the center of the loaf pans. Completely cool.

Whip chilled heavy cream and sweeten with sugar (around 4 tablespoons) to taste. Slice the cooled pound cake in half. Layer with fresh strawberries and drizzle with strawberry ice cream topping or warmed strawberry jam.  Top first layer with whipped cream. Add the top layer or pound cake. Spread with whipped cream. Add more strawberries and drizzle with more strawberry topping. Chill or serve. You can make three loaves with this recipe. I freeze the other two for future use.
+claudia lamascolo   Author

Crockpot Mushroom Wine Chicken and Wild Rice Recipe

Crock pot cooking is perfect for anyone on the go go go! Well here is a great dinner that everyone will think your a gourmet cook! The chicken is fall apart tender with amazing flavors! Of course you can adapt to whatever your family likes with spices if you love hot hot hot add more cayenne! The side dishes are your choice, I will suggest the rice or mashed potatoes as an alternative. No matter what the chicken will be a big hit!

You will need:

Boneless chicken breasts enough for your family size
1- 12 or 16 ounce can beef gravy
1/2 can Marsala wine or white wine from your gravy can used
1lb fresh sliced mushrooms washed or canned drained
1 teaspoon each garlic powder, salt, black pepper
pinch of cayenne and sprinkle of dried rosemary (Optional)

1 box wild long rice cooked to package instructions or
Make some homemade roasted garlic mashed potatoes CLICK HERE

In a 5 quart or larger crock pot, place the chicken breasts on the bottom. Add the gravy and wine, herbs and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Cook rice to package instructions.
Serve chicken and mushrooms with wild rice.
+claudia lamascolo  Author

Italian Roasted Peppers On The Grill Recipe

Grilled Roasted Peppers are so easy to make!
These peppers are on sliced Italian bread, don't use anything else.

First use cooking oil and spray the grates on your grill.
Heat on medium heat.

Now all you have to do is place 3 or 4 whole peppers on the grill. Close the lid.

Keep checking them and turn them often with tongs. They will be scorched on the outside with good darkened marks.
Cook them until the peppers look soft ,wilted and charred.

Cool them. Cut them open, scoop out the seeds and place just the pepper slices in a jar.
Drizzle a good grade Extra Virgin Olive Oil over them, whole peeled and cleaned garlic cloves and that's it!
Store in the refrigerator.

I let them sit overnight in the refrigerator the first time to eat them to soak in the flavors. Then I take them out an hour before I will eat them to room temperature.

Serve on crusty Italian Bread. Love the Ciabatta and Rustic breads the best!