• 3 1/3 cups cups sugar, divided use
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
• 1 cup canned evaporated milk
• 1 egg

Mix 3 cups sugar, butter, evaporated mik, and egg together in a saucepen; bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, brown the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a heavy pan. Let the sugar melt in pan slowly – keep stirring so it does not burn.

Mix the browned sugar into the milk mixture and boil slowly for about 15 minutes. Cool and beat until ready to spread on cake.

• 1 ½ (3 sticks) of butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or 12 cups bundt pan. Beat butter and cream cheese together in mixing bowl until blended. Add sugar to mixture and cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla. Sift flour and salt together. Blend into creamed mixture, spoon batter into prepared pan(s). Bake for one hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted one inch from edge comes out clean. Cool in pan for five minutes, turn onto wire rack and completely cool.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,100 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 52 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

For the past few years, we’ve been making homemade vanilla extract for ourselves and for Christmas presents. We started with a basic recipe from Cook’s Illustrated, and scaled it up, because 3/4 cup of extract just isn’t enough. With a little experimentation, we also increased the amount of vanilla to reach our current ratio.

To make vanilla extract, you’re going to need to buy vanilla beans in bulk. Grocery store beans won’t cut it,for two critical reasons. First, they’re outrageously expensive–one or two beans in a jar. The first problem leads to the second: they’re so expensive that nobody buys them, so they sit on the shelf for a long time and as a result are dessicated and terribly stale.

We’ve had good luck buying from Arizona Vanilla Company (no affiliation, just happy customers). Since we’re making extract, we buy the grade B beans which aren’t as pretty, but work just fine. A half pound goes for a little over $20 the last time we bought some. It’s more than we need for extract, but they keep well in a glass jar in the freezer (even after a year, they’re fresher than what you get in the grocery store!). You can see from the photo how much oilier they are than those dried out things in the store.

To make a little under 750 mL of extract:

• 40 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
• 750 mL bottle of vodka

Pour out a little bit of vodka, then put in 40 beans. Top with the vodka you poured out, and then set aside in a dark, cool spot for at least 6 weeks. From time to time, turn the bottle over to mix. After a few weeks, the vodka will start to darken. Six weeks is the minimum to soak it, but longer is even better. We keep a fifth of vanilla extract steeping pretty much all the time, and use it to top off a smaller bottle we keep in the spice cabinet.

• 1 tbs coconut oil
• 1 lb sausage
• 1/2 bunch spinach
• 6 eggs
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat skillet over medium heat. When hot, add coconut oil and then cook until browned, breaking up the sausage as it cooks. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Add eggs and stir together, then turn heat to medium-low. While it cooks, preheat broiler and grate Parmesan over the top. When the center starts to set, place under the broiler until the top is browned. Slide onto a cutting board and cut into 6 slices.

• 4 thick cut pork loin chops (bone in or boneless, as you prefer)
• coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• 1 Tbs coconut oil (or butter, lard, or olive oil–it’s not critical)
• 1 bottle cider (I used Woodchuck Granny Smith, but substitute as you see fit)

Sprinkle chops with coarse salt, and let rest for a few minutes. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add oil, and add chops. Cook until they start to brown, then turn and add cider. Cover, and braise for about 10 minutes or until done. Remove chops to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Raise heat to high, and reduce until syrupy. Add juices from chops and reduce again until thickened. Serve chops with sauce and sides of your choice.

Wow . . . without a doubt the best mead I’ve ever made. Sure wish I’d made more than a gallon–it’s gonna go fast, and it’s a long time until I’ll be able to make any more.

To make one gallon:

• 2 lbs, 12 oz Tupelo honey
• 3 peaches, peeled, pitted & chopped
• water to make 1 gallon
• 1 packet Safale S-04 yeast

Heat water & honey to a simmer, let cool and add to fermenter with peaches. Pitch yeast and ferment to completion.

Bottle, chill & enjoy.

• 1.5 lbs chicken, cut into small, bite-sized pieces
• 2 Tbs coconut oil
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs garlic-chili sauce
• 2 Tbs fish sauce
• 1 Tbs water
• 1 Tbs soy sauce
• 1 Tbs brown rice syrup (you can substitute brown sugar, but if you have rice syrup on hand, it provides a subtle sweetness that blends nicely with the jasmine rice)
• 2 Tbs coconut butter
• 2 cups sweet peppers, seeded and thinly sliced into rings
• 1 cup basil leave, coarsely torn
• Jasmine or long-grain rice to serve

Prep veggies, then chicken (to minimize opportunity for cross-contamination). Put rice on to cook.

Heat wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, and when hot add coconut oil. Add garlic and chili suace. Stir-fry for a few seconds to heat the garlic and chili and infuce the oil, then add chicken. Stir fry the chicken until it changes color and is nearly done.

Add fish sauce, water, and soy, and cook for a minute or so. Add rice syrup (or sugar) and stir fry for another minute. Add peppers and stir fry until they soften slightly, then add coconut butter and basil and cook until the basil wilts and the coconut butt incorporates into the sauce.

Remove from heat and serve over rice. Serves 4 (or 2 with leftovers for lunch.

Bastard succotash

This recipe combines the Hot and Hot Succotash with my earlier Andouille Succotash, because the only thing better than veggies with bacon is veggies with bacon AND sausage.

• 1 TBS melted lard
• 3 slices coarsely chopped bacon (the thicker & smokier the better; we used bacon from our Snow’s Bend 1/2 hog)
• 1 diced yellow onion
• 2 cups sliced fresh okra, about 1/2-inch thick (use frozen if necessary)
• 2 cups frozen butterbeans
• 1 lb smoked sausage (we used Conecuh Spicy & Hot)
• 2 cups seeded and diced tomatoes (you could peel ‘em also, but I’m too lazy)
• 2 cups freshly shaved sweet yellow corn (or use frozen silver queen)
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tsp sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup chiffonade of sweet basil

Heat the lard in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 3 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Do not allow the onions to brown. Increase the heat to high, add the okra and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat to medium, add sausage and butter beans, and cook 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes and corn and cook an additional 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the butter and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper and add the chiffonade of basil.

• 1 lb bulk sausage
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 3 ribs celery. diced
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups sliced okra (about 1 lb)
• 1 small bunch fresh thyme sprigs
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• Freshly ground white pepper, to taste
• Freashly ground black pepper, to taste
• File powder

Saute onions, green pepper, celery, and bay leaves in olive oil over medium heat until soft and translucent. Add sausage, and continue cooking until sausage is browned. Add okra, stock, thyme and peppers and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered until okra is done, 20 to 30 minutes.

Serve over rice and sprinkle with file powder. For extra deliciousness, serve with cornbread or corn pones.

N.B.: Claire strongly suggests that this should have tomatoes. YMMV.