Italian Cream Cake

2 cups sugar

1 cube butter

1/2 cup Crisco

2 cups flour

5 eggs, separated

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups coconut

1/2 cup nuts

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Cream together sugar, shortening and butter together. Add egg yolks. Add flour with soda, alternating with buttermilk. Add nuts and coconut. Beat egg whites and fold into batter. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake @ 375 for 35 minutes. Cool

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. milk

2 Tbs. butter

2 cups powdered sugar

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Mix cream cheese, vanilla, milk and butter until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar until smooth. Frost cake when cake becomes cool.


while making this I was listening to, Tempted by Squeeze, Above Ground by Norah Jones and Hey Ya by out Cast. I think the combination of music helped the cake turn out better.

Ratlatouille

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cup small diced yellow onion

1 tsp mined garlic

2 cups medium diced eggplant, skin still on

1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 cup green bell peppers

1 cup red bell peppers

1 cup zucchini squash

1 cup diced yellow squash

1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Set a large 12 inch saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot , add the onions and garlic to the pan. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are wilted and slightly caramelized, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the eggplant and thyme to the pan and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is partially cooked, about 5 minutes.
Add the green and red peppers, zucchini, and squash an continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste, and cook for a final 5 minutes. Stir well to blend and serve either hot or at room temperature.

We occasionaly like to serve this over pasta noodles.

Chicken Scallopine with Sage and Fontina Cheese

6 (4 1/2 to 5 1/2 ounce) chicken cutlets, pounded thin
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 sage leaves
3 ounces grated fontina cheese
3 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, halved
1/2 cup white wine, I used Martinelli's sparkling cider
1 28ounce can while San marzano tomatoes
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
toothpicks

place the chicken cutlets on a clean work surface, narrow end facing you. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place one sage leaf crosswise on each of the pieces of chicken. Sprinkle each of the pieces with 1/2 (about 2 tbsp) fontina cheese. Roll up the chicken and seal with one or two toothpicks.

Warm the Olive oil and halved garlic clove in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant about 2 minutes. Add the chicken. Brown the chicken on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and remove and discard the oil and garlic. Add the wine (martinelli's) and let simmer for 2 minute's while scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes and red pepper flakes in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the tomato mixture to the reduced wine mixture in pan. Simmer for 5 minutes to let the flavor marry.

Return the chicken to the pan. Simmer the chicken in the tomato sauce for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken over and simmer until cooked through 5 - 7 minutes


This is so absolutely amazing that every time I have made this I have put on Michael Buble and listened to "Feeling Good"