Thursday, December 9, 2010

M: Gingerbread Pound Cake and Stuffed Peppers

Holy cold batman…It has been in the 30’s and 40’s here in Charleston, and that is just unacceptable. I guess Jack Frost is getting a little antsy this year…can’t wait until January to make us freeze our butts off. I know I know, some of you are sitting out in the mid-west or in Northern California or New York like “seriously Mandi…30’s and 40’s?....that is nothin!” This may be true…But a lot of us South Carolinians are just little girls when it comes to the cold, I’ll just go ahead and admit it.

Ok, so in the spirit of this cold weather and of course the holidays, I warned you I’d be doing more baking…And it’s nowhere near done! This time I baked up a gingerbread pound cake with lemon frosting.

This gingerbread pound cake recipe actually came from the Christmas edition of my favorite cookbook, Gracious Goodness Charleston. I LOVE my Gracious Goodness cookbooks, they are so much fun - so southern and just chock full of simple tasty recipes.

Anyway, this gingerbread pound cake came out beautifully! The spices just filled the kitchen with wonderful smells, and the cake itself was so moist and full of flavor. I whipped up the lemon frosting myself by just mixing up 1 cup of sifted confectioners’ sugar and about 2 TB of fresh lemon juice. The pairing was perfect!

And, just a little tip, the “frosted cranberries” I have placed around the cake are actually homemade. You can get the super simple instructions here. I think they are such a cute and elegant idea to decorate a buffet table during the holidays or lay around your baked goods, or to put in a big bowl as a centerpiece…so many possibilities!


So, I brought almost the entire cake (minus a couple pieces of course for the hubs and I and miss Erica) to work for my co-workers to dig into…Yea, the entire thing was gone by noon! Success! I couldn’t find an exact match to the recipe in the cookbook, but this one was pretty similar!

Now I know there are a lot of stuffed squash recipes out there, and don’t get me wrong, I like squash as much as the next girl, but my favorite vegetable to eat stuffed is peppers! I LOVE peppers – red, yellow, green, orange, ancho, jalapenos, etc…the list goes on.

This is such a simple dinner, but SO satisfying and tasty. It is good and hearty for a cold day and a big hungry hubby too =) I make 4 of them, I eat one, Bryan eats 2, and then he takes the last one for lunch the next day. You really don’t need anything to go with them, but you could always bake up a nice crusty bread or a pasta side.

I also think you could do a great batch of vegetarian peppers if you wanted as well. Instead of using ground beef or turkey you could sub in some black or pinto beans…yummm

Enjoy!!!

Oh, and Marley and Ziggy say “Don’t forget about Itzy’s Kitchen’s Newman’s Own Organics giveaway for your furry babies! Entries must be in by tomorrow, Friday, December 10 by noon!”




30 comments:

Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg said...

Haha, I heard from one of my friends that y'all were supposed to get flurries! It snowed ONCE when I was at CofC, and people went CRAZY!! :-)

Beautiful cake! Perfect for the holidays!

lee said...

So cold here in Atlanta too. The high has been in the 30s. Unacceptable!

I love your puppies. Which is Ziggy and which is Marley? I'm guessing you guys are big reggae fans?

CaSaundraLeigh said...

Wow! That pound cake looks like it came out of a magazine--great job! I love the flavor of gingerbread..it totally gets me in a holiday mood!

Anonymous said...

It all looks soooo good!!!! Thanks for the recipes!

Anonymous said...

I love stuffed peppers! I actually just told the husband we need to make them this weekend! They are so healthy and hearty and a great way to get in vegetables without eating a salad!

Nicole @ Geek Turned Athlete said...

That cake looks so professional!! Wow, great job!

Have I mentioned that your dogs are so cute? They are! Stay warm, and have a great rest of your week! ;)

Mother Rimmy said...

I'm with you. I live in Seattle. We've already had one snow. Cold is not my favorite thing. Your peppers look delicious!

Renee Paj said...

Brrr...that sure is cold for you southerners...we have been just pounded by lake effect snow lately. Pretty, but I am not a huge fan of snow...too much work to get rid of it! lol

Making stuffed peppers tonight myself...LOVE them...peppers were 2 for a dollar and so nice shaped they were just calling out to me in the store yesterday! :)

Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean said...

1) your dogs are ADORABLE!!! and 2) that cake looks amazing!! how did you make the icing look so perfect?! it could be in a magazine.

Stephanie @cookinfanatic said...

We've had some 20 degree days here in VA and it's just a bit too much for me!!!

Love stuffed peppers, haven't made them in a while though for some reason, such a great comforting meal :)

erica said...

I have always lived where we always get snow. When I went to college in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan it would get to be negative 60 outside without that factoring in the windchill, and getting multiple feet of snow in a couple hours was normal. We averaged 250+ it was crazy. Now I just have to deal with snow and hills...so scary lol. The gingerbread pound cake looks delish as do the stuffed peppers.

xo

teresa said...

gingerbread and stuffed peppers happen to be two of my favorite things, what a yummy post!

Dawn (HealthySDLiving) said...

BEST looking stuff peppers I've seen!!! YUM!

Aggie said...

stuffed peppers are awesome. you can do so much with them. yours look awesome and I think you inspired me to make an easy dinner out of them next week.

your cake is gorgeous!! love those cranberries!

Julie said...

it's SUCH a good compliment when whatever you bake/cook is demolished! glad the coworkers loved the treat :) i think you should start selling your goods haha

hbobier said...

Yum! I love stuffed peppers, and adding black beans is an awesome veggie option.

Pound said...

that's one picture perfect cake!!

i've never made stuffed peppers but keep meaning to try them!!!

Heather @ Get Healthy with Heather said...

I hate the cold too! It's crazy rainy here but in the 50s... Still no fun.

Your cake looks so professional! You're not a secret pro baker are you? ;)

Biz said...

I love how perfect those sugared cranberries look!

and my husband used to beg me to make stuffed peppers because I never liked them. But its because I never even TRIED it! Now they are on regular rotation. :D

Unknown said...

what a gorgeous cake!!

Maria said...

Gorgeous cake and cute dogs:)

Anh said...

I really love the look of your pound cake!

amanda said...

hey girl! send me one of those stuffed peppers, please. they look divine! and i guess, while you're at it...a piece of that cake would be dandy.

xoxo

MizFit said...

its freeezing here...for here in TX.
I love living somewhere that 50 is freezing :)

oh

and

*drool*

The Blonde Duck said...

I've been wanting to make stuffed peppers for ages! Thanks for reminding me!

lynn said...

that cake is blowing my mind!!!

Danielle said...

Yum! The gingerbread cake looks really pretty and delicious. I love the way you decorated it!

fittingbackin said...

So all of these food pics look SO fancy! I love the cake - really - it looks store bought, lady!

Anonymous said...

The pound cake looks so beautiful!

Holly said...

that pound cake is GORGEOUS! seriously, like straight out of a magazine!!!