Family Weekend

Looking forward to the weekend!  My favorite cousin from Colorado is here with her very grown son and we're having a weekend get together before she goes home and Gregory goes back to Daytona!  Tonight's dinner is Honey Baked Ham (yummmmmm) with creamed spinach and mac and cheese.  Our contribution is lemon pound cake ... one of my favorite recipes from about 15 years ago!

1. Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan and heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix 3 cups all purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl and set aside.
3. On medium speed mix 1 cup unsalted butter (softened), 2 cups sugar until creamy; add 4 eggs one at a time.  On low speed add flour mixture in three additions alternating with 1 cup milk in two additions.
4. Stir in 2 Tablespoons finely grated lemon peel.
5. Bake 1 hour and 5-10 minutes until toothpick is clean. Let set 5 minutes then turn out on rack. Cover with tin foil while you make the glaze.

GLAZE
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar

Brush glaze all over warm cake (cake will absorb the glaze)

CANDIED LEMON SLICES
Cut two lemons into thin slices. Bring two cups EACH sugar and water to boil in wide skillet.  Add slices. Reduce heat. Simmer 25 minutes until slices are translucent.

Crab Louis

Since my liver and onions yesterday wasn't such a hit with most of my friends ... I thought tonight I'd go the seafood route because it is so fresh and plentiful here in Florida.  Not wanting to put a LOT of effort into dinner for one, and having picked up a container of jumbo lump crabmeat, I developed a craving for Crab Louis.

What is it?  
Many historians believe that the salad began appearing on menus of finer West Coast establishments between the turn of the 20th century and World War I. Other historians suggest that the salad was named after King Louis XIV who was known for his enormous amounts of food he could eat. I prefer to believe it was named for King Louis -- thus it is a "dish of kings" -- or in my case queens! lol!!

The crab is traditionally placed on a bed of good lettuce (I'm using baby greens) with hard boiled eggs, chopped tomato and asparagus spears surrounding it.  The dressing is made with mayonnaise, red chili sauce, minced green onions, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, lemon juice and salt and pepper and served on the side.  Since it's just me eating, I'll pour that right on the crab!!