7-Up Cake

If you want to win Tim's heart via his stomach, then whip up one of his favorite childhood treats ...

7-UP Cake

1 ½ cups butter
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups flour
2 tablespoons lemon extract
¾ cup 7-UP

1. Cream sugar and butter together and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Stir in flour. Beat in lemon extract and 7-UP.

2. Pour batter into well greased and floured jumbo fluted mold. Bake at 325° for 1 - 1 ¼ hours.

Source: Mom State

Everything tastes better with bacon

Tomato Bacon Sandwiches

8 slices bacon, chopped
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
3 Tbs Dijon-style mustard
30 slices homemade-type white bread, crusts removed
15 thick large tomato slices

1. In a large heavy skillet cook the bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until it is crisp, transfer it to paper towels to drain, and chop it fine.

2. In a bowl stir together the bacon, the mayonnaise, and the mustard. Spread the bacon mayonnaise on one side of each bread slice, sandwich the tomatoes between the slices, and cut each sandwich into 4 triangles.

Servings: 30

Yield: 60 hors d'oevre sandwiches

Ann's Avocado Salsa

Aunt Ann brought this tasty salsa to a BBQ last summer. I whipped it up as a dip for the Morgan Terrace Loftwarmen.

Ann's Avocado Salsa

1 package (16 ounces) frozen corn, thawed
2 cans (2 ¼ ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup olive or vegetable oil
¼ cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons cider or white vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
4 medium avocados

1. In a large bowl, combine corn, olives, red pepper, and onion.

2. In a small bowl, combine garlic, oil, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix. Pour over corn mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate over night or 8 hours.

3. Just before serving, chop avocados and stir into salsa. Serve with tortilla chips.

Yield: 7 cups

Author: Aunt Ann

Loftwarmen Menu

Morgan Terrace Loftwarmen

We recently moved to a loft in Chicago's West Loop. Our pets, Long John, Buster and Sheleata Kanatuna, hosted a festive Loftwarmen last night. Some 70 guests stopped by to celebrate the new digs and Long John's 10th birthday.

Menu

Brie & garlic jack cheese

Assorted crackers

Baguette slices

Assorted vegetables

Hummus

Spinach dip

Olive tapenade

Blue corn chips

Salsa

Guacamole

Ann's avocado salsa

Chocolate fondue

Pound cake

Strawberries

Pretzel dipping rods

pineapple

Brownies

Buckeyes

Pita pizza wedges

Pepperoni

Fresh tomato

Stuffed tomatoes

Hummus

Spinach dip

Cilantro & chive yogurt dip

Tomato, bacon sandwiches

Pound Cake

This is one of my favorite treats. I love it for breakfast, dipping in chocolate fondue or covered in fresh fruit and whipped cream.

Pound Cake

½ pound butter
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
pinch salt
1 2/3 cups sugar
5 eggs
2 cups sifted cake flour

1. Have all the ingredients at room temperature. Soften the butter and add the nutmeg and salt. Beat 4 minutes by electric beater or 8 minutes by hand.

2. Gradually blend in the sugar until fluffy, beating 2 minutes by electric beater or 8 minutes by hand.

3. Beat in 4 of the eggs, 1 at a time. Total beating time should be 1 minute by electric beater or 2 minutes by hand.

4. Stir in all the flour at one time and beat 2 minutes by electric beater or 5 minutes by hand.

5. Blend in remaining egg, 15 seconds by electric beater or 33 strokes by hand. Turn the mixture into a well-greased, lightly floured 9 x 3½-inch tube cake pan.

6. Place in a cold oven and set the control to 300°F. If the cake is mixed by electric beater, bake 2 hours; if mixed by hand, bake 1½ hours. (Because the electric beater entraps a little more air into the batter, it produces a cake that is a little thicker and lighter.)

7. Cool the cake in the pan 10 minutes. Turn out on a wire rack to finish cooling.

Source: The New York Times Cookbook