Announcing the First WDB #1 Event

As a new food blogging event, make sure to check in here every weekend for the round-up on the canines in our midst. A spin-off from Clare’s regular WCB event, we’re giving equal time to the pups. :) Send me your links sometime every weekend to be included in the round-up (round-ups to be posted late Sunday night). Don’t worry if you send me your link after this post goes up, I’ll add it. ;) Appreciate trackbacks from your own blog. For this weekend, our first Weekend Dog Blogging Event, check out:

– Extra-cute Ziggy over at Soul Fusion Kitchen.

– Letta all tucked in for the night, snug as a bug in a rug, at Something So Clever — oh that face!

– Introducing Harley and Peanut over at Speculative Musings. Harley looks like a friendly grizzly and check out those soulful eyes on Peanut!

– Last Minute addition from One Hot Stove, introducing Dale. With a face like that, how can you not let him get on the people furniture? So cute, all curled up.

– and last, but certainly not least, our own cutie patooties, Eli and Bella. You’ll have to excuse the demonic flash in their eyes, it was hard enough getting them to sit still together!

The pups

Join us next weekend for Weekend Dog Blogging #2. And as the companion to WDB, we, of course, are participating in Clare’s Weekend Cat Blogging Event, with Callie, a very unwilling participant this weekend. You know how cats are, when they need you, they need you … and every other time, they can’t be bothered with ya!

An Unthrilled Model

You can check out the complete round-up of participating felines at WCB #15 here.

Now on with the food. The Neighbors came over for dinner tonight, and it gave me a chance to make up for NO COOKING all weekend! For dinner, I made my Beer Cheddar Soup to start, Brown Sugar Baked Chicken for a Main Course and sides were Mrs. Potato Head Potatoes, Marinated Mushrooms, Roasted Asparagus and Roasted Carrots. Can you tell I went to the Farmer’s Market this morning? Dessert was Banana Pound Cake. A total of 4 new recipes, and 3 will be repeaters. The Marinated Mushrooms were OK, just nothing special. The Mrs. Potato Head Potatoes (how can you not love a recipe with that kind of name?!) came from an as-yet unused cookbook of mine, Dressed to Grill, these were a definite winner. Not one speck left in the dish. The recipe needs a lot of babysitting, but easy to do and worth it. I picked up this cookbook from Amazon, for a whopping fifty cents. Just went to check and there are copies available for 4 cents, so go grab one while you can!

Mrs. Potato Head Potatoes

The Brown Sugar Baked Chicken was easy and delicious. I made a rub using brown sugar, chili powder and orange extract, rubbed it all over chicken thighs and baked it for about an hour. Can’t get easier than that!

And lastly, the Banana Pound Cake. The Neighbor is taking this one into work tomorrow. What better way to start off the week? The batter made enough for a full bundt cake and a small loaf, so we dove into the loaf after dinner, and it’s really good. Very moist from the bananas, nowhere near as dense as a typical pound cake. A definite repeater. The Neighbor will have to delurk to let me know co-worker feedback on the bundt version.

Banana Pound Cake

You’ll be impressed to know that I already have dinner for tomorrow cooking away … Rio Grand Pot Roast is in the crockpot. The Husband and The Neighbor’s Husband are going to a football game tomorrow night (Giants vs. Saints), so we’re on our own. A little bit of Mom Juice, dinner, our anti-gravity chairs and we are all set.

Until tomorrow…

Sweetnicks’ Beer and Cheese Soup
Approximately 5 servings
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 medium carrots, finely chopped (1 cup)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 can or bottle (12 ounces) beer (I use Guinness)
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
pinch white pepper

Melt margarine in saucepan over medium heat. Cook onions and carrots in margarine, stirring occassionally until tender. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in beer, broth and salt. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in sour cream, cheese and pinch of white pepper. Continue stirring until cheese is melted. Serve.

Banana Pound Cake
(modified by Sweetnicks)
3 teaspoons plus 3 cups sugar, divided
1 cup butter, softened
6 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (use 3 medium)
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon banana extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream

Glaze:
1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 teaspoons milk

Grease a 10-in fluted tube pan. Sprinkle with 3 teaspoons sugar; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in bananas and extracts. Add flour, baking soda, and sour cream, beating until just combined. Pour into prepared pan (pan will be pretty full). Bake at 325 for 75-85 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing pan. In a small bowl, whisk the glaze ingredients until smooth; drizzle over cake. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 12-15 servings