Doesn’t this look amazing?  Learn how to make it here>>>

When I was a little girl, mother picked up hickory nuts every fall, cracked them into a Ball fruit jar and saved them to make Hickory Nut Cake.

She made it at Thanksgiving and Christmas,and it was the best cake you ever tasted.

I never had her recipe, but was thrilled to find this one from Midwest Living.

This one’s for you, mom…

Ingredients

5    eggs
1  cup  butter
2  cups  all-purpose flour
1  tsp.  baking soda
1/4  tsp.  salt
2  cups  sugar
1  tsp.  vanilla
1  cup  buttermilk
1  cup  flaked coconut
1  cup  chopped hickory nuts or pecans, toasted
    Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
Directions

1. Separate eggs. Allow egg yolks, egg whites and butter to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease bottoms of three 9x1-1/2-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with waxed paper; grease and lightly flour pans; set pans aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.

2. In a very large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar; beat until well combined. Add the egg yolks and vanilla; beat on medium speed until combined. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Fold in coconut and nuts.

3. Thoroughly wash beaters. In a medium mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Fold about one-third of the egg whites into cake batter to lighten. Fold in remaining whites. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pans.

4. Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool cake layers in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cake layers from pans. Remove waxed paper and discard. Cool cake layers thoroughly on wire racks.

5. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with about 1/2 cup Cream Cheese Frosting. Top with second cake layer. Spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Place the remaining cake layer on top; spread top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Store cake in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving. Makes 16 servings.

Cream Cheese Frosting: In a large mixing bowl, beat one 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened, 1/4 cup softened butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in one 1-pound package powdered sugar (about 4 cups) and 1 to 3 tablespoons milk to reach spreading consistency. Makes 2-1/2 cups frosting.

Source:  Midwest Living

This is it, the chocolate chip cookie that I’ve been searching forever for.  They are so good, thick and chewy, not flat and thin like most chocolate chip cookies.

I’ve tried so many recipes, tried to fiddle with The Original Toll House Cookie recipe, too, by adding more flour, and could never get it right.  These are hands down, the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made.  I’ll never try another recipe, I’ve found perfection!

I made these because of 750 positive comments on the Food Network site, and I was thrilled with the results.  It’s the bread flour, I believe, that makes them puffy not flat.  If you never make anything from my site, and you’re a chocolate chip cookie lover, than make these.  You will not be disappointed, pinkie swear you won’t!

The only adaptation I made was not using parchment paper.  I baked them on a cushioned,  air cookie sheet, it worked perfectly.

I chilled them for a half an hour, then scooped them into big balls with an ice cream scoop, the rest I baked off the next day after being in the refrigerator all night. 

~ jan

Ingredients

    * 2 sticks unsalted butter
    * 2 1/4 cups bread flour
    * 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    * 1 teaspoon baking soda
    * 1/4 cup sugar
    * 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
    * 1 egg
    * 1 egg yolk
    * 2 tablespoons milk
    * 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    * 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Hardware:

    * Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
    * Parchment paper
    * Baking sheets
    * Mixer

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Source:  Food Network

Ina’s recipe has over 200 rave reviews.  It’s the traditional way of making fried chicken, browning in oil, but she then puts it in the oven on a baking rack to fry.  So much easier than standing over a stove, turning and frying chicken for 30-40 minutes.  I’ve soaked chicken in buttermilk for years, it gives it an awesome flavor.

This recipe is a must try in our house, I bet some of you will like it also.  ~ jan

I modified Ina’s recipe a bit, I would never fry two chickens at once…

1 chicken or four chicken breasts with the skin and bone.
Enough buttermilk to cover the chicken
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1-2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1-2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil or shortening

Put the chicken pieces in a large bowl, pour buttermilk to cover, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a large plastic bag.  Shake chicken pieces in the flour mixture. 

Pour the oil into a large heavy-bottomed skillet to a depth of 1-inch and heat to 350 degree’s on a thermometer.

Working in batches, place several pieces of the chicken in the skillet, being careful not to crowd it.  Brown on both sides for about 3-4 minutes each side until it’s golden brown.  Remove the chicken from the oil and place on a metal baking rack (a cookie cooling rack works great for this) set on a sheet pan. 

Check oil to make sure it’s at 350, fry the next batch of chicken.  When all is fried, bake 30-40 minutes until chicken is no longer pink inside.

My friend, Veronica, was telling me last week about vodka pie crust.  A friend of hers made it and said it was the best pie crust ever.  So I did a search for it, the recipe came right up on Serious Eats.  Here’s the link if you want to check it out.  Read the comments, others seem to love this as well…

Cook’s Illustrated Foolproof Pie Dough>>>

Ingredients

• 3  pounds  Yukon gold potatoes
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1  (16-ounce) bottle olive oil-and-vinegar dressing, divided
• 8  cups  mixed salad greens
• 2  large avocados
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
• 3  large tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 12  small green onions, sliced
• 2  cups  (8 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 4  ounces  crumbled blue cheese
• 6  to 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation

Cook potatoes in boiling salted water to cover 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool slightly. Peel and cut into cubes.

Sprinkle potatoes evenly with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Pour 1 cup dressing over potatoes; gently toss. Set aside remaining dressing. Cover potato mixture; chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

Arrange salad greens evenly on a large serving platter. Peel and chop avocados; toss with lemon juice.

Arrange potatoes, avocados, tomatoes, and next 4 ingredients in rows over salad greens. Sprinkle with pepper. Serve with remaining dressing.

Source:  Southern Living, JUNE 2003

For an extra-crispy crust, use stone-ground yellow cornmeal, if available. Serve with lemon slices and your favorite tartar sauce. The secret to this recipe is maintaining an oil temperature of 360° to ensure a crispy, golden crust.

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
1 1/2  cups  buttermilk
1/4  teaspoon  hot sauce
6  (4- to 6-oz.) catfish fillets
1/3  cup  plain yellow cornmeal
1/3  cup  masa harina (corn flour)*
1/3  cup  all-purpose flour
2  teaspoons  salt
1  teaspoon  ground black pepper
1  teaspoon  ground red pepper
1/4  teaspoon  garlic powder
Peanut oil
Preparation
1. Whisk together buttermilk and hot sauce.

2. Place catfish in a single layer in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish; pour buttermilk mixture over fish. Cover and chill 8 hours, turning once.

3. Combine cornmeal and next 6 ingredients in a shallow dish.

4. Let fish stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Remove from buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Dredge fish in cornmeal mixture, shaking off excess.

5. Pour oil to depth of 2 inches into a large, deep cast-iron or heavy-duty skillet; heat to 360°.

6. Fry fish, in batches, 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack on a paper towel-lined jelly-roll pan. Keep warm in a 225° oven until ready to serve.

*All-purpose flour or plain yellow cornmeal may be substituted.

Southern Living, JULY 2010