Ginger Pound Cake by curly

2 ½ C flour
2 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 sticks butter (1/2 lb.) softened
4 lg eggs
3 lg egg yolks
½ C milk
1/3 C grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp lemon peel, grated
1 tsp vanilla


Set rack in bottom 1/3 of oven and preheat to 325. Grease and flour a 12 C bundt or tube pan.

Place flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in mixer with paddle beater and add butter. Beat on low speed until well combined.
Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl.
Increase mixer speed to medium and add 1/3 of liquid ingredients.
Mix on medium for 2 minutes, then stop and scrape bowl. Add another 1/3 of liquid ingredients, mix 2 minutes and scrape.
Add remaining 1/3 of liquid, mix 2 minutes, scrape and give batter a last vigorous mix by hand. Pour into pan and smooth top.
Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in thickest part of cake comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes in pan on rack, then invert onto rack and cool completely.

Lemon glaze:

3 C confectioner’s sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp white rum or water


Stir ingredients together in medium saucepan until smooth. Add sprinkles of water as needed. Heat until just lukewarm and drizzle over cake.

Drunken Clams by Grizzled Adams

Top neck clams are the size clams in between littlenecks and cherrystones.

Serving: 10 to 12 as appetizer

INGREDIENTS:

3 dozen top neck clams
8 quarts water
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 (12-ounce) bottle beer

DIRECTIONS: 1. Upon bringing clams home from the fish market, set them in a large bowl or pot with water; sprinkle cornmeal over water. Keep in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or until ready to cook.

2. Heat gas grill to high. Drain and rinse clams. Place on grilling rack.

3. As clams open, flip each one using tongs, so that the meat of the clam is on the bottom half shell. (As clams cook, they will naturally go to the top shell.) Pour 1 tablespoon of beer over each clam. Let sizzle 1 minute, then remove, using tongs, to large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes (clamshells will be too hot to handle immediately) and serve.

A Very Simple Creme Fraiche Topping by Kat167

Chill a pint of heavy cream with a good healthy spoonful or two of sour cream and a tablespoon of sugar for at least 15 minutes. Then mix it for a tangy whipped cream suitable for strawberries and pound cake. Or, you know, Thin Mints.

Spicy Beef Lettuce Wraps by Bibbety

You saute 1 lb ground beef (or lamb or turkey) with one or two minced garlic cloves, then add some hoisin, some garlic chili paste and a slug of sherry. Simmer, adjust the seasoning, and add chopped green scallions and peanuts.

Serve hot with lettuce and extra hoisin. I use butter lettuce but I know many people use good old cruncy iceberg. You can also steam some rice and put a little hoisin, a little rice, and a little beef mixture in your (very messy) lettuce taco. Delicious.