Caramel Cake

Nothing says, "Albany, Georgia" like a Caramel Cake.  When I was a little girl, I couldn't wait to go to my Grandma Thelma's house and have a piece of Caramel Cake.  Nothing, and I mean nothing, could top that Slice of Heaven On Earth.  Twenty years later, I attempt to create that same sense of excitement with my Caramel Cake.

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 stick of Cisco Baking Sticks Butter Flavored All-Vegetable Shortening
2 cups of sugar
4 eggs
3 cups of Self-rising flour (sifted -- can get messy)
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla


Icing:
3 cups of sugar
3 tbsp of light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups of whole milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/4 tsp of salt

Preheat your oven to 350 °F and grease and flour three round nine-inch cakes pans. (According to my friend's mom, only people who weren't raised right make two-layer cakes. Now, you don't want to make your family look bad, do you?)  Next, cream the baking stick (I like to use these instead of butter.  I think it makes the cake more moist.)  Add the sugar and continue to cream the mixture (AddAPinch.com suggests do so for about 8 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, while continuing to mix the batter.  Then alternate between adding the sifted-flour and the buttermilk.  Lastly, stir in the vanilla.

Evenly pour into the pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until set.  Cool completely.

While the layers are cooling, let's make the icing. In a saucepan, add 2 1/2 cups sugar, corn syrup, and milk.  Place over medium heat.  Keep stirring until the sugar completely dissolves.  Now, using our friend, the casting iron skillet,  evenly distribute a 1/2 cup sugar. Over medium heat, swirl the pan until the sugar starts to melt and take on an "brownish" color (for an illustration of what I am trying to explain check out Gordon Ramsay making carmel in this video).

Once the sugar turns color, add the milk mixture into the skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the caramel dissolves (I prefer to use a whisk). Then cook without stirring until the mixture reaches soft-ball stage (somewhere between 238 - 240°F) on a candy thermometer.

Remove from heat. Stir in the butter, vanilla, and salt. Let it cool for about 10 - 15 minutes. Then stir until you have a the right consistency (could take up to 20 mins. Thank God for hand-mixers).

Spread the icing between the layers and on the outside of the cake.  Enjoy!!!

Shrimp and Cheese Grits

Southern comfort food...need I say more?  :-)


Ingredients:

Grits:
1 cup Quick Cooking Grits
2 cups Water
2 cups Whole Milk
1 tbsp of Unsalted Butter
1 tsp of Salt
1 cup Cheddar Cheese

Shrimp and Gravy:
1 1/2 to 2 lbs of Shrimp (raw, peeled, and deveined)
1/2 of a Lemon (juiced)
1 1/2 tsp of Season Salt (Lawry's, preferred -- Eula didn't use anything but!)
2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
2 tsp of Garlic Powder (NOT Garlic Salt -- there is a difference)
5 tbsp All Purpose Flour
6 to 8 Sliced of Thick Cut Bacon - chopped
1 medium Sweet Onion - diced (Vidalia onion, preferred)
1 tbsp of Unsalted Butter
1 cup of Chicken Broth (Knorr Boullion cube makes the best broth)


Let's prep our shrimp.  Wash the shrimp and place in a large bowl. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the Shrimp. Add Season Salt, 1 tsp of Ground Black Pepper, and 1 tsp Garlic Powder.  Make sure the seasoning is evenly distributed.  Place the bowl in the refrigerator until needed.


While that's getting ready, we'll start the grits.  Combine the water, milk, butter, and salt in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Once boiling stir in the grits (Tip -- If you use a whisk as you stir in the grits, you will notice there will be no lumps in your grits).  Reduce the heat and cover the pot. Revisit the pot and stir occasionally.  We aren't finish with the grits yet, there is still a little something we need to add. :-)

Now, it is time for our Shrimp and Gravy. Of course you don't need a cast iron skillet, but if you are planning to do a lot of cooking then you need to invest in one (Lodge Logic L10SK3 12-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet) .  Heat up your skillet on medium-high heat.  Once, hot add the chopped bacon.

As the bacon beings to brown, add the onions and 1 tsp Garlic Powder. Stir occasionally. Now, add 2 tsbp of butter to the skillet.  As the onions becomes translucent, remove the shrimp from the refrigerator, dust the shrimp with a coat of flour (about 2 tbsp), and add then to the pan (at this point, depending on your stove, you may need to reduce your heat to medium).

Cook until the shrimp becomes a "pretty pink".

Shrimp, bacon, and onions are ready for gravy 

Now, add sprinkle the remaining flour over the mixture and brown the flour (not too brown).

Flour sprinkled on to begin the base of the gravy

Lastly, slow stir in the chicken broth. A gravy should start to form.

Gravy is forming

Add salt and pepper to taste.


Return to the grits ( I hope you remembered to occasionally stir them) and check the thickness.  If it is too thick, you may add a touch of either water, milk, or heavy cream (I personally prefer heavy cream).  Then, add one cup of cheddar cheese and stir.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon some grits on a plate, smother with shrimp and gravy, and serve!  Hope y'all like it!

Shrimp and Grits with Garlic Bread