Thanks for coming to my kitchen!

Most of my chef training came from the training my family has given me as I have learned to cook for some picky eaters and a couple of bottomless pits! It has been a fun journey and I want to share my experiences with you.
My daughter and I own a catering business and have cooked so many delicious things for our clients. Here I am sharing some of our best loved foods - at home and at catering events.
I like to keep things simple, using everyday food but I am a BIG fan of spice! I love hot and spicy stuff!
(Which is why I stay married to my wonderful hubby! LOL)
Try my recipes and let me know how it turns out!
And if you have a moment, check out our catering site to see what we do.
You will find us at: miamorcatering.com
Happy Cooking!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Sour Cream Pound Cake

Here's the recipe (finally!)

1/2 pound butter (1 cup or 2 sticks)
2 1/2 to 3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
Optional (for a lemon flavored cake):
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp lemon rind

Grease and flour a bread pan. Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
Cream butter and sugar together.
Add eggs and vanilla.
Mix flour and soda. Alternate adding flour mixture and sour cream.
Add lemon extract and rind if desired.
Pour into pan.
Bake 90 minutes.

My mom got this recipe from her aunt when I was little and we have loved making it throughout the years. Now my family enjoys it and soon it will be passed down another generation. The top gets kind of crunchy and everyone fights over it. The best pound cake I have ever had!

Make Ahead Tomato Sauce

This is a really good and a little bit spicy sauce that you can make ahead and store for awhile or use the same day. I actually prefer it to canned spaghetti sauce for preparing over noodles.


1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (or pressed)
2 stalks celery, finely chopped OR 1 small cucumber, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp fresh oregano (may sub dried oregano)
2 dried bay leaves
5 leaves fresh basil, torn
2 tsp fresh or dried parsley
2 (32 oz) cans tomatoes (or use 4 cups fresh, diced tomatoes)

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery (cucumber), and carrots. Saute for 5 minutes, or until onion is slightly translucent. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and saute veggies another 3 to 5 minutes.
Add in tomatoes, bay leaves, basil, oregano, and red pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over low heat until sauce thickens, about 1 to 2 hours.
When sauce is thickened, remove from heat and let cool slightly. Remove bay leaves. Working in batches, puree sauce in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Pour into airtight containers and freeze for up to one month or refrigerate up to one week.

I usually brown one to two pounds of ground beef and add to the sauce before serving. Pour over noodles (we prefer egg noodles or penne) and top with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

This recipe can also be put into a crock pot once the veggies are cooked and left all day until dinner time.