Eggnog Cake with Rum Glaze

I don't think the Holidays would be the same without Eggnog, and it's a tradition that most of us treasure. This is a cake that tastes like Eggnog. Get rid of your excess Eggnog with dignity. Happy Holidays!

Eggnog Cake with Rum Glaze

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 cup Eggnog
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tsp. rum extract
• 4 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. With a electric mixer cream together sugar and butter on high speed until well blended. Then add remaining ingredients and blend until mixed well on low speed, then raise to medium speed once dry ingredients have blended in well and mix for 2 minutes.

Spray a tube pan (or you may use two 9x5x3 inch pans) with Pam baking spray and evenly place batter into pan. Bake for 55 to 70 minutes or until tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Meanwhile about 15 minute before cake comes out of oven prepare Rum Glaze.

Rum Glaze

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 - 2 tsp. rum extract

In a small saucepan melt butter over low heat. Then combine sugar and water and raise heat to med/low whisking occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Turn off when all sugar crystals are dissolved. As soon as cake is removed fro m oven add rum extract and whisk well then pour immediately over hot cake.

Cool upright on wire rack for 30 minutes before removing from pan.

Optional garnishes: vanilla ice cream and whipped cream with a light sprinkle of nutmeg.

Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers

You are only three ingredients away, well, four if you count the olive oil spray from these delicious stuffed peppers. The first part that blew me away was that it only took me about 5 minutes to prepare these. Then we ate them and I realized that I nailed it on ease of preparation with limited ingredients, and the scrumptious level went through the roof. I served mine with risotto and kale but I could see these going well with mashed potatoes and a veggie. My goodness it would be so good served with spaghetti too. Let your mind wander about your possibilities as you savor the aroma of these babies baking on a cold day. 

I always try to cut back on fat without compromising flavor, and hence the use of turkey sausage. I have tried many brands and Shady Brooks Farms is by far my favorite. Parmesan cheese is a high calcium low fat cheese. So enjoy low fat, Italian style.

Of course if you may substitute an Italian Sausage of your choice.

Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers

• About 5 Cubanelle peppers
• 1 can Pizza sauce, 15oz.
• 1 pkg Shady Brook Farms Sweet or Hot Italian turkey Sausage, 1.25 lbs

Pick through peppers at store to find ones that will have a easier shape to stuff. Some are curly and others are more straight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut off the tops of peppers and remove seeds leaving a hollow pepper tube. Open package of sausage and slice through casing, then remove the meat. Gently stuff meat into hollowed out peppers, some will need a little more then one link and some will only take one link to fill up pepper. I found that the six links filled the five peppers generously. Just eye this because peppers will vary in shape and size.

Place in a rectangular glass pyrex dish sprayed with Pam Olive Oil spray, then spray tops of peppers too then cover peppers with pizza sauce. Cover peppers with foil and bake for 60 minutes. Optional garnish: Parmesan cheese.