Amaretto Pound Cake

 Fair worthy and delicious! I found this recipe from Platter Talk and had to try it! 

I wanted a "plate" to safely carry my cake without fanfare, so I used a thick piece of cardboard to cut a circle and covered it in foil. 

I didn't take a picture of this step, but I soaked the almonds in a little amaretto overnight before sprinkling them in the bottom of the pan...I baked something with almonds the other day, and the blondies themselves were soft, then the almonds were almost painful in contrast, so I sliced them in the food processor and soaked them a little. This was a pretty delicious taste test!

And the judges agree!

Cruzan Rum Cake

 We were blessed to be able vacation on St. Croix this June. It was an absolutely amazing experience and I loved it. One local delight we ran into in many places was "Cruzan Rum Cake", Cruzan and Captain Morgan both have distilleries on the island. Unfortunately, both were closed to visitors when we were there, but Cruzan Rum especially was everywhere, in many different varieties. 

Of course, I could hardly expect a restaurant to share their special dessert recipe, and it took me forever to find a cake that didn't call for a boxed mix! I finally gave up searching "Cruzan Rum Cake Recipes" and just looked for a good rum cake from scratch. Also, when it came right down to it, our local store didn't have Cruzan Dark, so I did get a Cruzan Vanilla, and dark rum in another brand (Myers). I guess technically it's only a half Cruzan Rum cake, but that is where I got the idea!

I ended up using this Caribbean Style Rum Cake from King Arthur Baking. 

I wanted to enter this in the County Fair, but didn't want the plate to take attention from the cake, so I cut a circle from stiff cardboard and covered it in foil. 

I don't have a picture of the finished cake!!!!!!!!

It tasted amazing though.

And the judges agreed!

Spiced Rum Brown Butter Cookies

 I was in need of two more batches of cookies for my cookie jar and was scrolling recipes. These Spiced Rum Brown Butter Cookies looked interesting, so I gave them a try. 

The original poster made some notes about the recipe and how accidentally adding extra rum improved the flavor, so I followed that adjustment. 

I had gotten rum for a cake I was going to make (future blog entry, maybe next week), but it wasn't spiced. After researching it, I found you can make your own spiced rum, but I didn't have 48 hours, so I put it in the blender and it seemed to do alright. I'm sure that wouldn't be sip worthy spiced rum, but in baking I just needed the ingredients to mix together to create the flavor.

This recipe does not call for the dough to be refrigerated, but it was kind of runny (probably from the extra rum), so I covered it and stuck in the fridge for about 30 minutes. The dough was much easier to work with and they taste great! These also freeze well and have been getting eaten from my freezer for the past week or so. 

They did place at the County Fair!

• For my spiced rum, I used 2 TB Vanilla Cruzan Rum and 2 TB Myers Dark Rum. I used a little orange zest, some cinnamon, allspice, pepper, nutmeg, and ginger (I didn't realize till later I'd forgotten the cloves). I spun it up in my single cup Ninja and poured it in as the "Spiced Rum" ingredient.

 

RumChata Snickerdoodles

They are delicious and they freeze well. My husband has been munching on them for a couple of weeks now (zip plastic bag in the freezer).

Pastor Paul Page August 2022

             Last month we talked about Hannah, and her  problem. Hannah prayed instead of worrying She believed in God’s promises, His word, and His power to answer her prayer, and God provided.

            1 Samuel 1: 19-20...the Lord remembered her. ²⁰ It came about ^[i]in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him of the Lord.”

In Chapter 2 of 1 Samuel Hannah sang a song of Thanksgiving and Praise to God.

2 Then Hannah prayed and said, My heart rejoices in the Lord; My ^[n]horn is exalted in the Lord, My mouth ^[o]speaks boldly against my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
² There is no one holy like the Lord, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God. ³ Do not go on ^[p]boasting so very proudly, Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth; For the Lord is a God of knowledge, And ^[q]with Him actions are weighed.
⁴ The bows of the mighty are broken to pieces, But those who have stumbled strap on strength.
⁵ Those who were full hire themselves out for bread, But those who were hungry cease to be hungry. Even the infertile woman gives birth to seven, But she who has many children languishes. ⁶ The Lord puts to death and makes alive; He brings down to ^[r]Sheol and brings up.
⁷ The Lord makes poor and rich; He humbles, He also exalts. ⁸ He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the garbage heap To seat them with nobles, And He gives them a seat of honor as an inheritance; For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, And He set the world on them. ⁹ He watches over the feet of His godly ones, But the wicked ones are silenced in      darkness; For not by might shall a person prevail. ¹⁰ Those who contend with the Lord will be terrified; Against them He will thunder in the heavens, The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; And He will give strength to His king, And will exalt the ^[s]horn of His anointed.”

 

God blessed Hannah because she was obedient to Him. We must remember, Without faith it is  Impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6

 

- Paul Brow, Haven of Rest