Luscious Limeade-Strawberry Cake

Fresh strawberry bits in both  the  intensely flavored dense cake and frosting! Everyone asks for this easy  recipe, using limeade or lemonade. So pretty, moist and flavorful, there's no clue that it starts with a mix. 

Preheat the over to 350, and grease and flour  two 8" or 9" round  cake pans.  When I double this recipe or make a recipe-and-a-half, I bake it in two square 9" pans.
 In a large bowl, combine 1 box white cake mix, 1 cup sour cream, 6oz frozen limeade or lemonade, thawed,   4 oz. softened cream cheese, 3 eggs, and 1 cup rather finely minced fresh strawberries. If you like, add just a drop of  yellow food color  if using lemonade, or a tiny drop of green  to very  faintly look like lime.  Beat on high for about 2 minutes, and  fill prepared pans.  Bake for 30 minutes or until center tests done,  rotating the pans at least once.   Cool for 15 minutes and remove from  the pans to cool.  Cool completely  before icing.

To make the frosting, beat 8 oz. softened cream cheese and 1/3 c. granulated  sugar with a mixer until smooth. Add 2/3 finely  minced fresh strawberries and 1 drop  pink gel food coloring
 ( not liquid). Beat til well blended.  In another bowl beat 1 1/2c. heavy whipping cream with 3 TB. fresh lemon or lime juice on medium until foamy.  Raise speed to high and slowly add 1/3 cup granulated sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold half of the cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture, then  fold in remaining cream.  Frost cake immediately and keep refrigerated.

Sometimes I top the cake with a swirl of strawberry jam in the center, or  arrange sliced fresh strawberries,  chocolate-dipped berries, or strawberry  meringue roses on top.

 

  

Chicken Marbella

A  catering favorite and very popular  entrée  recipe that made the rounds in the 80's,  wonderful for its deep flavor and simplicity of preparation. 

   The original version used  chicken quarters or a cut- up chicken,  but I often served small  legs as a delicious appetizer ----- good at room temperature as well as warm, making one less item that had to be transported and carefully  kept piping  hot.  At that time wings were not  ubiquitous, as they are now, and small legs were a fun surprise on an appetizer  buffet.

If you use boneless chicken parts, reduce the cooking time a bit, but be sure to allow it to  bake long enough to get that deep color and absorb the sweet brown-sugar wine sauce. And don't skip the dried plums & capers, they are important  elements.

If you aren't familiar with the dish, you might want to know that  the correct pronunciation is  Mar-bay-ah.  Marbella, Spain is on the beach in  the province of Malaga, in the heart of the Costa del Sol,   olive & caper country.

Quarter or cut up  1 chicken into desired parts, leaving skin and bone on.

Make a marinade of 1 TB  finely minced garlic, 1 1/2 TB oregano, a good  splash of red wine vinegar and a same-size splash of olive oil,   salt and pepper, 1/2 c. pitted prunes ( dried plums),  1/3 c. pitted Spanish olives, 1/3 c. capers with a bit of juice, 2 TB minced  fresh parsley, 2 bay leaves.

Place chicken in a shallow  ceramic or plastic dish or  plastic zipper bag, add the marinate and jiggle to  distribute the marinade.  Refrigerate overnight or for 24 hours. Turn the bag  a few times.

Arrange chicken in a single layer in a shallow baking pan, just large enough to fit all the pieces, spooning the marinade  over. An ovenproof skillet works, too.    Top each piece with part  of  1/3 c. brown sugar, and pour  about 1/3 c white wine into the pan around the chicken. I prefer white port, but use what you have.    Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 40-60 minutes, depending on  the size of the chicken pieces.  Check  done-ness for clear juices to run when pierced.

Serve with the marinade and the delicious pan drippings spooned over.  Garnish with chopped flat-leaf parsley, or  a bit of chopped chives or  green onion tops for color.