Bundt Pan Love

Yup, I love my Bundt pan. Maybe they were popular more than 30 years ago, but I still love mine...even in 2007. My original Bundt pan is long gone. It was a Nordicware Bundt, a lovely (not!) olive green, and served me well for many years. In it's place is a sleek grey Bundt pan with a super non-stick coating that assures every cake or bread will pop right out...whole! Why do I love my Bundt pan? Simple, it works. It cooks quick breads or cakes evenly since the heat can circulate into the center. The cakes look awesome plated. Nothing prettier than a fancy looking Bundt cake on a pretty plate to impress the diners. It's easy to cut uniform pieces with very little breakage. Come on...you know I'm right. We all know what that first piece of cake looks like that you tried to pry out of the corner of a 9x13 inch cake pan. And most of all, it's a fun way to bake and serve your families favorites! Today my little Bundt pan got to be the happy bake ware for a new recipe I tried. I had printed this recipe off the net awhile ago, but couldn't seem to remember to buy the dang evaporated milk it called for. I made a list...since this bread calls for cream cheese and evaporated milk. The bread just came out of the oven and I "painted" the lemon/sugar wash over it and now I'm waiting for it to cool enough to taste test! Smells good, looks good, I think it will taste good! Be sure to check out the Nordicware website. They have some interesting recipes, contests, and best of all...the history of the famous Bundt Pan. Anyway, here's the recipe I tried sans the pecans. Nuts just didn't sound like they belonged. Plus, no one here likes nuts in anything sweet...cookies, brownies, etc. The recipe is called Lemon Cream Bread. All right...I couldn't wait any longer. I just ate a slice and I would call the finished result...divine! Very good. The bread has a nice texture: dense, moist but not crumbly. The flavor is excellent. I probably should confess that I substituted lemon juice for the 1/4 cup of water the recipe calls for. We like our lemon recipes to actually taste like LEMON! This will be a hit with all but the hubby. He doesn't like anything lemon...oh well, his loss.

Tomorrow is the 4th of July! Happy Birthday to the USA! The greatest place on Mother Earth! Yes, we've got our problems, but there still isn't any better place to be than here. I still live by the old saying "America, love her, or leave her." Like my daughter is quick to point out after living in third world countries for 5 years, "Americans have no idea what it's like to truly be poor, or needy. Our poorest citizens are rich by most of the world's standards. We are truly blessed and don't usually appreciate how lucky we are." She is a teacher and taught in the Middle East and Africa before she got married. She saw it all, and it has given her a new appreciation for all we have in our country. So let's all say a prayer for our country and her leaders, and remember to be thankful that we are citizens of the United States of America.