Yellow Cake with Cheese Cake inlay

This is my friend Lisa's recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 Degree F and spray Bundt pan with cooking oil.

Yellow cake

Mix 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 cup of sugar, then add 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of milk,1/2 cup of vegetable oil, and 1 tsp vanilla.  Mix and beat on high speed for about 2-3 minutes. 

Cheese Cake

In another bowl, mix 8 oz of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of sour cream, 1 egg and 1/4 cup of sugar. Beat the mix until smooth

Spoon the yellow cake batter into the bundt pan, then spoon the cheese cake batter over yellow cake batter. 

Bake on the center of oven rack for about 40-45 minutes.

Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder

Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the Pork shoulder in the Dutch oven, toss sliced onion on the top of pork shoulder.  Roast uncovered for 10 minutes. Turn the oven heat down to 250° and add 1/2 cup of red wine and 2 tbls of lite color soy sauce. Cover the Dutch oven  and slow roast for 4 hours, then raise the temperature to 375°, uncover continuing roasting for another 30 minutes. 

Beef Daube Provencal

The blend herbs give a sweet and fragrant aroma

Ingredients
3 pounds beef stew meat (*shoulder cut is best) cut into 2 inch cubes  *I bought the choiced shoulder cut
3 cloves garlic, sliced thick
4 cups dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc works well)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
1 large onion cut in medium sized strips
1 1 / 2 pounds brown (Cremini) mushrooms, stems removed and quartered. If you can’t get Cremini mushrooms use white button mushrooms. The Cremini just make the stew richer and earthier.
2 tomatoes, peeled
3 strips bacon, sliced into 1/ 4 inch pieces. Use good, thick cut bacon.

**Bouquet Gami
A traditional herb blend, with rosemary, thyme,
 and parsley

1 small can black Nicoise olives, pitted. In a pinch, use 1 /4 cup or so of black Kalamata olives.
1 Bouquet Garni**
1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence (available in most supermarkets.)
1 orange, zested
2 cups homemade or organic beef stock (you want to watch the salt content because of the bacon and olives in the stew.)
Flour, about 2 tablespoons. Salt and Pepper


Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place beef, garlic and wine in a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Marinate for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator, turning a couple of times. Remove beef from bowl and pat dry with a paper towel. Reserve half of wine marinade, placing in a pot so you can heat it up for later use.

Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over beef. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until it starts to smoke. Add beef to pot in batches, making sure not to overcrowd in the pot so you can brown it all evenly. Add a small amount of olive oil as needed to brown beef. This will take about 5 minutes or so per batch. Transfer beef to a clean plate and set aside.

In the Dutch oven, add bacon to cook until browned. Remove bacon and add to plate with beef. Add sliced onions to the pot and cook until translucent. Sprinkle flour over onions and cook for about two minutes, until the flour is lightly browned and smells nutty. Do not let the flour mixture burn!
Add browned beef and bacon pieces, then add carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms and olives; then pour in warmed reserved wine marinade, beef stock, Herbes de Provence, Bouquet Garni and orange zest. Stir well.

Place lid on Dutch oven and place in preheated oven for 3 hours or so. The meat should be tender and melt in your mouth, so don’t be shy about cooking it a bit longer if needed.


Via http://www.divinecaroline.com/38/94481-beef-daube-provencal-beef-stew#ixzz2Hp0FLzb4

Breakfast Casserole with Turkey Sausage, Mushrooms and Tomatoes

Sunday Breakfast



Olive-oil cooking spray

14 ounces spicy turkey sausage, casings removed

¾ pound mixed mushrooms (cremini, shiitake and oyster), trimmed and sliced

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 small onion, diced

8 slices (large) bread (4 whole wheat, 4 hearty white), cut into 1-inch cubes

5 ounces low-fat Jarlsberg cheese, finely grated (1½cups)

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

5 large eggs

5 large egg whites

1½ cups low-fat milk

Add mushrooms to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until they begin to brown, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

Add onion, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and mushrooms are well browned, about 4 more minutes. Set mixture aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss bread, cheese, tomatoes, reserved sausage and reserved mushrooms and onions. Coat a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread mixture in an even layer in dish. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs and egg whites. Whisk in milk and pour over bread mixture. Cover dish with aluminum foil and let casserole sit for 10 minutes. Press foil down gently to ensure top layer of bread cubes soaks up liquid.

Bake casserole for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes more. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings , per serving: 372 calories, 14g fat, 184mg cholesterol, 745mg sodium, 33g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 30g protein. http://www.chron.com/life/food/article/Recipe-Breakfast-Casserole-with-Turkey-Sausage-4158316.php

I'll learn one new dish every week! Good luck to John!