Lemon Pound Cake A Faded Cottage with Author Diann Shaddox

Hello to all my foodies friends out there in Web Land its Madjon and we are here today to talk about a book on Essential Tremor and love here in the great state of South Carolina.  A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of the company of a not so famous author as yet of a book titled "A Faded Cottage".  It's about a South Carolina Love Story and being that it's close to that wonderful Love day called "Valentines Day", I thought I'd tell you a little bit about the author and the book.  Well "A Faded Cottage" a South Carolina love Story.  Author is Diann Shaddox.  It's about a journal of a famous artist not of his life, but of only two weeks, a love story about aging and two people being reunited after thirty years finding love can conquer all.  He also suffers from (ET), Essential Tremor which is a progressive neurological condition that causes a rhythmic trembling of the hands, head, voice, legs, or trunk.  It is often confused with Parkinson's disease and dystonia.  Anyway the book tells you how he deals with (ET) and how it effects his art work, life and a love that lasted sixty years.  Any who its a very nice read and it will make you recall and fall in love all over again. Now as to the illness Diann also suffers from Essential Tremor which is partly why she wrote "A Faded Cottage".  Also some of the proceeds of the sale of the book will go to a charity which has not been named as yet. You can get more information about the book at www.diannshaddox.com.  Also at the lunch that day I met with Randy Mills and John Vaughn who wrote the book trailer for "A Faded Cottage", he is a composer and pianist.  Any who I made my famous Clam Chowder and served Joan's Lemon Cake for dessert and am willing to pass on the recipe for you to try.  I must say its a great tasting treat.  It was her mother's recipe and one of the secret to a great pound cake is in the sifting, the more you sift the better the pound cake is.  Happy baking and try this to help start your spring!

o   Lemon Pound Cake

2 sticks butter soften
1/2 c Crisco
3 c sugar
5 eggs
3 c flour (sifted 5x's)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (sift last 2 ingr w/last time sifting flour)
3/4 c milk
1/4 c lemon juice
 2 tbs lemon flavoring

·

o   Lemon Pound Cake cont...
Cream butter and shortening add sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time till yellow disappears. Alternate flour, milk/lemon juice, starting and ending w/flour. Add flavoring. Bake @ 325 for 1 hour 15 minutes or until done in greased/floured tube pan.

 Glaze: 1 c powered sugar add 3 tbs lemon juice. I doubled the icing recipe.

Happy trails to you until we meet again and to find A Faded Cottage go to this link http://www.eaglequillpublishing.com/.  Come like my page on face book,"Cooking with MadJon & Friends.

Catering For Diplomats With MadJon & Southern Comforts Foods Beauford Stew

D.C.-based diplomats say goodbye to Aiken

Hello to all my foodies friends out there in web land hope all is well.  Here is a article that was written for us when the D.C. Diplomats visited Aiken and I had the honor of ch-effing for them with some good old Southern comfort foods and help from a friend of mine named Tim O'Briant, he helped me with cooking the Beau-ford Stew which is a great favorite from the low country of South Carolina.  We had to make it with Turkey Sausage instead of a pork sausage product which hey smoke flavor is smoke flavor to me and we cooked it in Beer and Chicken Broth from my recipe.  It was a treat loved by all.  We also made Greens with Smoked Turkey necks.  Black Eyed Peas and Corn Bread, also a Southern Favorites.  I made Peach Pies as well.    A good time was had by all and then I remember we got on a train headed for Washington D.C. after the catering for my son's 40th birthday celebration.  Now that's another story which I'll save until later.   I want to also thank Donna Ritter for picking me to do the ch-effing for this group of great people who I know are new friends of Aiken. This article was written by: Rob Nova.

As the visiting Washington-based diplomats prepared to leave Aiken on Sunday morning, New Zealand wing commander Allan Jenkinson expressed a sentiment shared by several other ambassadors, attaches and their spouses."The whole time we've been in Washington, we were looking for the opportunity to see what the real America is all about it," he said. "Washington is a very provincial and transient city, with people coming in and out."The weekend visit included a Lowcountry Boil and shag lessons at the Aiken County Historical Museum, the Aiken Trials and a visit with Cot Campbell and Dogwood Stable. The Lowcountry Boil was provided by Eileen Hudson, known professionally as Madjon.The weekend event was coordinated by part-time Aiken resident Donna Ritter, a volunteer with The Hospitality and Information Services (THIS), which provides assistance to diplomats and their families living in the Washington, D.C., area. Ritter and her husband Martin hosted a dinner of fried turkey and other Southern dishes Saturday, furnished by Allen Willing.The countries represented include Fiji, Germany, France, Switzerland, Malta and several more."I think they have gone home extremely excited and want to repeat this visit next year," Ritter said. "They called it the most unique visit ever. They're not naive; they know that Washington doesn't represent American culture. I felt they have seen the real-time America now."Several of the couples have visited extensively in mostly large U.S. cities. But few have been to the deep South and wanted to experience the hospitality.Another unique aspect was the opportunity to stay with host families, an effort coordinated by Aiken resident Lyn Kenney. She did a great job of matching the hosts with the visitors, Ritter said.Hank and Jen Smalling played hosts to Madagascar ambassador Jocelyn Radifera and his wife Erna."We talked about all the things going on in the world," said Hank. "We enjoyed getting to know the feelings they had about being here. They appreciated the hospitality and the kindness and how people took care of them."But diplomatic work didn't take a holiday this weekend. Radifera was on the Internet Sunday at 4 a.m., getting the latest information on the political turmoil in his country.Doreen Merkel, wife of European Union minister counselor Bernard Merkel, said with a smile that the weekend provided a different political experience."Where we hang out tends to be very left wing," she said. "Here, it's more Republican. In Washington, we're nothing, just little tadpoles. But here, we're the big fish in a small pond, and it's amazing to be given this great big honor."Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com

Read more: D.C.-based diplomats say goodbye to Aiken | Aiken Standard
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MadJon's Shrimp Boil

Fresh Large Shrimp                             1 pound, 16 ozs. Water                                                    Cover the shrimp for boil, 2 quarts maybe Lemon                                                    1 Cut in half and juiced Celery                                                    1 stalk, broken in half Onion                                                     1 small onion, diced Fresh Garlic                                            4 pods crushed Bay Leafs                                               3-4 leafs whole Black Pepper kernels                             2 tsp. whole black pepper Old Bay                                                   2 TBSP  kernels Mrs. Dash’s                                              2 TBSP Tabasco                                                   4 dashes, please

DIRECTIONS

Place the water into a pan and add the bay leafs, lemon juice with lemon thrown into pot, celery, onion, garlic, pepper corns, Mrs. Dash’s, old bay, and tobacco.  Bring the water and mix to a boil and then let it simmer for about 15 minutes to blend your spices.  Then clean and wash your shrimp and pour into the pot and boil for about 5 minutes or until curled and nice and pink. You may use this as a garnish or as a appetizer if you wish.  Enjoy.

That's it for this blog and I say Happy Trails to you until we meet again.  Come watch the cooking shows at aikenstandard.tv and you may also buy any of the season's shows at this site.  Come like my fan page on face book.  See ya, MadJon.

Baked Peaches & Chicken with some Catering

Baked Chicken with Peaches

1 whole Chicken cut up

Salt and Pepper to taste to dust

Onion & Garlic Powders to dust

Paprika to dust

Ground Cumin to dust

½ cup flour

1 Can sliced Peaches

2 TBSP of Butter

Juice from peaches

2 dashes hot sauce

2 TBSP Dijon Mustard

1 tsp. Cinnamon

Now you are going to dust the chicken with all the spices and salt and pepper.  Then you are going to rub the chicken with the flour or lightly coat the chicken. Place chicken in a pre-heated oven on about 375 degrees uncovered on a flat pan with a rim. Now bake your chicken for about 45 minutes and turn once.  Drain your peach juice in a pan and place the peaches on top of the chicken.  To the juice you add the butter, cinnamon and hot sauce.  Bring to a simmer and melt the butter and blend the cinnamon.  Brush your chicken with the sauce bake the chicken another 20 minutes or until brown.  Bon’a Y’all

Can't get this thing to work for the last three days.  Sorry.  Enjoy.

 Happy trails and my computer has been off line for the last few weeks and so we are up and running again.  Enjoy this recipe my friend. MadJon, aikenstandard.tv "Cooking with MadJon & Friends.

National Soup Day another Italian Chili Recipe A Good One

Hello to all my foodie friends out there in Web Land its Madjon again and am bringing to your plates today a recipe for Italian Chili from my test Kitchen to yours.  After all this is suppose to be National Soup Day.  I have shown here two soups one is the Italian Chili and the other one is Butternut Squash which I have the recipe for that one on my blog as well.  I made that one up for the Les Marmitons  group at Sandy Springs.  Which I have been invited back to cook with the group from Canton this March, am much going to enjoy that.  We will be cooking up some Short Ribs in a Wine Sauce.  Any who I've been meaning to send this recipe along to you for about a month, time just slips away from me sometimes.  How did you like watching the Super Bowl, I told you that the Sea Hawks would win.  Oh well sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.   Its hard to lose nicely.  I hope that you are staying warm this winter and out of the snow.  My daughter had to go to Boston and she's in the snow right now and they are due another storm on Thursday.    So here is the chili recipe for you to try also if you don't have all the ingredients for a recipe just don't make it till you have the right ingredients.  Recipes are made like a formula and if you deviate from a formula it will not work.

Italian Chili
1 package sweet or hot Italian Sausage, Turkey Sausage may be used as well.
1 pound ground Beef 3 TBSP Flour
1 Onion, diced
1 Bell Pepper, diced
1 package sliced Mushrooms
6 cloves Garlic, minced
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 hot Pepper
1 can Rotel Tomatoes-Green Chili's
1 can diced Tomatoes
1 can Tomato Paste
1/4 Cup Chili Powder
1 tsp. Cumin
1 TBSP Sugar
1 tsp. Onion & Garlic Powders
1/2 tsp. Red Pepper
1 can Kidney & Black Beans
1 can Beer (optional)

Cook the onions, bell pepper, hot pepper, garlic cloves with the meats and brown.  Mix the flour with the meat.  Stir in all the spices. Stir in the sliced mushrooms.  Stir in the Rotel, tomatoes, and one can of water or a beer into the meat mix.  Add the Tomato paste. Add any spices you may have forgotten along with the beans into the pot and simmer for about 45 minutes on low.  Serve topped with Sour Cream and Cheese if you wish.

Happy trails to you until we meet again and also come watch the TV shows at aikenstandard.tv, you may buy the DVD's of the shows for the last 4 seasons.  Come like my fan page on that thing called Face Book at, Cooking With MadJon & Friends.

Gary's Bear Cheek Chili Mix Chili YUm Yum Super Bowl 48

Hello to all my food friend out there in web Land hope you are staying warm today and get-tin ready for that thing called the Super Bowl.  Yea it snowed here and shut us down for a couple days but I stayed home and baked and played some much needed Bridge and even won a game or two.  I know its an old game but I love to play it.  I wish more people would try and learn it.  I have a friend on face book who passed his recipe on to be name Gary and he introduced me a company that sells Soup mixes and I went and checked them out and they are all been given the five star treatment so you can goggle them the name to use if , Bear Cheek Soup Mixes.  So here is his recipe for Chili made with the Bear Cheek Chili Mix.  Go Super Bowl 48 and I think the Sea-hawks are going to surprise everyone with a win. Happy trail to you until we meet again.  Come like my fan page on Face Book called, Cooking With MadJon & Friends and come follow me on this thing called a blog.  Watch the cooking shows at aikenstandard.tv and DVD's can be bought for a price.  MadJon and stay warm out there will ya.

 Gary's Bear Cheek Chili

Gary

I developed this recipe by using Bear Creek (Darn Good) Chili Mix as a starter. Instructions on the package can be disregarded. My process calls for canned beans, to be added in the last 25 minutes of cooking. Pinto beans are recommended because they are the authentic chili bean. Red kidney beans or black beans can be substituted, or you can use a combination of two types. The recipe is spicy, somewhat hot, and very flavorful.



Ingredients



3 lbs coarse ground lean beef

1 teaspoon oil such as olive oil

2 large green peppers, chopped

2 packages of Bear Creek Chili Mix

2 12 oz.bottles of beer

2 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes

4 tablespoons of chili powder

3 tablespoons of cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons of paprika

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1 teaspoon of salt, or to taste

2 cups (approximately) of water

2 15.5 oz. cans of pinto beans, drained



Directions



Coat the bottom of a very large pot or Dutch oven with the oil. Brown the beef over medium heat. As the meat starts to brown, add the chopped peppers, and cook while stirring until the meat is browned and the peppers have softened slightly.



Add the contents of the Bear Creek mix. Stir and toss thoroughly. Continue cooking and add the beer. Stir some more as the beer foams and heats, and then add the tomatoes. Continue stirring.



Add the remaining spices, and stir. Continue on medium heat while adding the water. The mix should be slightly soupy. Bring to a boil.



Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for one hour, stirring frequently.


Add the beans, stir, and continue simmering for 25 more minutes.



Enjoy!

Thanks Gary can I blog on this we are expecting a bad winter storm so I don't know when I'll be bloging next. This sounds like a very good recipe and where do you

Superbowl 48 Seahawks VS Bronco's And Cajun Black-eyed Peas Salsa

Hello to all you foodies out in Web Land, I hope all is well its MadJon again and coo kin's my game.  Of coarse you all know what is scheduled for February 2 at the Met-life Stadium in New Jersey its the 48th Super Bowl for the NFL.  Of coarse you know we are all watching the weather as to a date change if they can't play.  So I say hang onto your food until then.  That is the part of the Super Bowl that I like is the foods your family and friends bring for all to try.  This year I made some Black-eyed Peas Salsa that I made for a International group that visited Aiken a few years back.  They wanted some Southern foods to taste along with Greens, Macaroni and Cheese with some Shrimp Boil which I did in spices and Beer.  Any who am passing along the Salsa recipe for you to try.  Did you know that the first Super bowl was held on January 5, 1967 in Los Angeles at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum between the Green Bay Packers VS AFL Kansas City Chiefs.  Green Bay Packers were the winners of that game.  It was called the first AFL-NFL Championship Game or Super-game. Later known as the Super Bowl. Football was a game played in ancient Greek times.  It was called a very rough and brutal game, I guess so, they didn't have any gear!  Now that must have been a real body sport if you know what I mean.  I still think its a really rough game to play but its a sport that you'd have to love to play and not to forget that they get paid very well play it.  Any who before we had the sport here the English played a sport called Rugby and it was very popular in the early 1800's.  Any who over here we were playing a game like Rugby and Soccer combined at our colleges  then about 1823 a man named Walter Camp's helped to write the rulebook as we know it into what we now call American Football. In 1920 the National Football League was formed. Now lets get to who may win the 2014 Super Bowl.  If you go by the betting being done in Vegas the Bronco's are set to win by a point or two.  If you go by manatee at the Aquarium at Mote Marine Laboratory he picks the Broncos to win as well, after all he has picked the last six winners.  However I think its going to be a very close game and any one of the these teams could win so can I bet that at least one of them will be the winner?  Any who give this recipe a try and enjoy the game boys and girls.

Cajun Black-eyed Peas Salsa

2 Cans Drained Black Eyed Peas
1 can Whole Corn ( Optional)
1 Onion Diced
8 Cloves Garlic Minced
2 fresh Hot Peppers,  Diced
2 ribs Celery Diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 bunch Cilantro, diced
2 tsp. Onion & Garlic Powders
1 tsp. Cumin
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 tsp. Chili Powder
3 TBSP Lime Juice
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 TBSP. Wine Vinegar

Mix all ingredients and serve cool with chips, bon'a Y'all.


Happy Super bowl to you and please email me with any recipes you'd like me to try.  My email address is madjon51@aol.com and watch the tv shows at aikenstandard.tv DVD's of the shows are available.  Happy trial to you until we meet again.  Come like my fan page on Face Book Cooking With MadJon & Friends.

Chapman Ranch Ghost Visit And Texas Venison Chili Yum Yum

Hello to all my foodie friends out there in web land again its MadJon and tonight we are going to be talking about some Ranch Chili made with some ranch Venison. We spent a few days at the ranch in Texas before the first of this year.  Its always fun to go to the ranch and see what's cooking and this visit we had the Mexican food and ranch breakfast packed full of all the breakfast meats like thick sliced Bacon and Venison pan sausage which is very tasty I might add.  We get up early to Debbie's Texas Coffee and its around 5:00 am in the morning.  At that time I need tooth picks to hold my eyes opened.  The hunt is on with the gays and dolls who hunt run out the door to sit in a blind and wait for their deer to come out in the open and claim the shot.  Any who you do have to hunt the deer or they will over ran the ranch and anything that you kill on the ranch has to be eaten no matter what it is.  I don't go and hunt, no way am I gonna take a chance on killing something wild that I have to eat not to mention me having to clean and dress it, no sir not this cookie.  Any who so I stay behind like a good cookie and help with the cooking of the breakfast meats, eggs, and gravy yum yum.  Makes me hungry just thinking about it like when your camping and you smell all the foods cooking in the morning air.  Food never tasted so good as when you are out doors camping, cooking. and eating.  Any who let's get back to my story. The second time I visited the Chapman ranch my hubby and I stayed in the front bedroom off the kitchen and we had settled in for the night and all was quite in the house.  Then when I was just about asleep I saw a light and then looked up and there was a black figure hovering over me I let out a death scream and it made me come right out of the bed and I ran over to my hubby's bed and tried to get in bed with him and he said Eileen what the hell is wrong with you he about jumped out of his skin and he told me to go back to my own bed and I said no I saw a figure and am not sleeping over there by myself so we put the beds together and I hardly slept that night but I had the blanket right up to my neck all night and you know no one came into the bedroom to check on why I screamed. So the next morning I got up as soon as I heard Debbie moving around and I said I saw a ghost or something last night.  She said yea we heard you scream and thought that's what may have happened.  His been seen a few times by guest in that room.  Once was with her daughter in law and she says she will never sleep in that room again he sat at the foot of her bed and she that it was her boyfriend and she let out a scream as well and also Debbie has experienced his presence.  One night one of the hands was staying in the bunk house and he was the only one on the ranch that night.  He was washing his dishes and saw that the light was on in the house so he went and cut the light off in the bedroom and then went back to the bunk house to finish his work and when he looked up again the light was back on and he thought well maybe there a problem so he did that about three times and he left the ranch that night to spend the night in town and he called and told them that he'd go back in the morning that the light kept coming on in the house and he knew he was the only one there. So anyway this is a true story I promise you and I have spent the night one other time in that room and in the middle of the night my hubby's phone and mine both made a noise and I woke up to the phones not being charged the next morning.  Any who that's my story and am sticking to it.  So are we ready for some chili?

Debbie's Venison Chili Recipe Texas Style

1 pound ground Venison
1 Onion Diced
1/2 Cup Chili Powder
2 cans diced Tomatoes
1 can Ranch Style Beans
3 TBSP Flour
3 TBSP Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 can water

Heat your oil in a pan and add the onions to start browning.  Add the meat and the flour and brown.  Salt and pepper the meat mixture.  Add the chili powder, tomatoes, and beans plus a can of water.  Simmer chili for about half an hour or so.  Serve with cheese and some Frito.  Now if you wish you could add some bacon, garlic, cumin and a can of beef broth to the mix.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and I hope you don't see any ghost reading this story.  You know the house was built in the 1800s so am sure the family members have enjoyed his visits in the past.  Remember if you have any recipes to share my email address is madjon51@aol.com and come like my fan page on face book Cooking With MadJon & Friends.  You may also watch the cooking shows at aikenstandard.tv  Happy trails to you until we meet again.  MadJon.  You can now buy DVD's of the TV Cooking With MadJon at http://www.northaugustastar.com/section/astv09