Old Town Spiced Chai Pound Cake

My kids have always preferred homemade birthday cakes, especially John. A few years ago, we were at our camp for his birthday. He asked for a pound cake or a coffee cake. He then explained that a coffee cake wasn't coffee flavored, but spicy and would be nice with a cup of coffee. I scrounged around and found a pound cake recipe online and it became our new favorite. I jotted down that recipe and headed to the nearest grocery store. When I decided to make a pound cake that was a little spicy and would be nice with a cup of coffee, I pulled out the old recipe card. After some online investigating, I found Paula Deen's Mama's Pound Cake. That was it!!! I do use unfiltered coconut oil instead of shortening and with a little help from The Spice House, a new favorite was whipped up.

Old Town Spiced Chai Pound Cake
by Melissa Cook
Adapted from Mama's Pound Cake by Paula Deen

2 sticks of room temperature butter
1/2 cup of unrefined coconut oil, plus extra to prepare bundt pan
2 1/2 cups of sugar
1/4 cup of The Spice House Chai
1/4 cup of The Spice House Chicago Old Town Premium Spiced Sugar
5 eggs
3 cups of all-purpose flour, plus extra to prepare bundt pan
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your bundt pan with oil and flour.

Cream the butter and coconut oil. Mix the sugar, chai and spiced sugar together and slowly add it to the butter and coconut oil. Add the eggs, one at a time. Stir flour, salt and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Add flour mixture to the mixture alternating with milk, making sure to start and end with the dry ingredients. Add vanilla extract.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until a tester comes out clean.

I used two 4-cup bundt pans instead of one 8-cup. The cooking time was just under 1 hour.

As an afterthought, I whipped one pint of heavy cream with 1 teaspoon of the chai and 1 teaspoon of the Chicago Old Town Spiced Sugar. Not only is it good on the cake, it's good in a cup of coffee too!!

Pulled Pork and Peach Quesadillas with Jay D's Louisiana Molasses Mustard

As soon as I tasted Jay D's Louisiana Molasses Mustard I though of Sid's smoked butt and Ruston peaches. I'm not sure if the weather has delayed the peach crop or if my memory of peaches in June is crazy. I drove through Ruston last weekend just hoping to see peaches for sale, no such luck. The ones I found in my favorite grocery store were still just fine. This recipe was really done to my taste and can be adjusted as you like. I'm keeping my eyes open for Ruston peaches and ordering some more of Jay's sauces. My boys are all thrilled because they had all been threatened if they touched them before I got my recipe done.

I started with a pork butt Sid smoked overnight. He rubbed it down with his favorite rub and smoked it 14 hours at 250°F. I reserved one pound to use for this recipe.

Pulled Pork and Peach Quesadillas with Jay D's Louisiana Molasses Mustard
by Melissa Cook

1 pound of pulled pork
1 1/2 peach, sliced 1/4-inch thick
Jay D's Louisiana Molasses Mustard - 1/3 cup plus 3 Tablespoons and 3 teaspoons, divided
6 corn tortillas
1 cup Cojita cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup Crema Mexicana
Purple onion, diced small
Cilantro
Lime wedges

While the smoker is still warm, toss the peach slices in 3 Tablespoons of Jay D's Louisiana Molasses Mustard. Place them in the smoker for 20 minutes. Shred the pork and toss it in 1/3 cup of the Molasses Mustard. Once the peaches are warm, dice them and add them to the pork. Mix 1/3 cup Crema Mexican and 3 teaspoons of the Molasses Mustard. Reserve to garnish.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and place a corn tortilla in it. Sprinkle a layer of Cojita cheese on the tortilla, place the peach and pork mixture over it and top it with a second corn tortilla. Once the cheese begins to melt and the tortilla becomes golden brown, flip the quesadilla and cook until cheese is melted and both sides are golden brown.

Cut in triangles and garnish with Crema, cilantro and purple onions.

Cuban Beef Stew

Several years ago we had dinner with friends. One friend told us about growing up in Miami and his large Cuban family. He made us a family favorite, Cuban Chicken. I remember olives, capers and onions. I could envision steak prepared like this too. When my Instant Pot arrived, all I could think about was those flavors. I decided to make a stew with all of the things I loved that night.

Cuban Beef Stew

By Melissa Cook

Prepared in my super cool Instant Pot

2 pounds stew meat

1/2 cup flour

2 teaspoons cumin, divided

2 teaspoons dried oregano, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup sherry

1 32-ounce carton beef stock

1 large onion, cut in 1/4" vertical slices

5 small golden potatoes, quartered

1 cup Spanish olives

4 Tablespoons capers 

Mix flour, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Dredge stew meat in seasoned flour. Using sauté feature on you instant pot, brown stew meat. Remove browned meat from your Instant Pot. Deglaze the pan with 1 cup of sherry.

Add meat, 1 teaspoon of cumin and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano to sherry and cover with 32 ounces of beef stock. Cook for 20 minutes using your Instant Pot's meat/stew feature. Allow pressure to release naturally. Once pressure has released, open and add onion, potatoes, olives and capers. Salt and pepper to taste. Put the lid back on your pot and cook 10 minutes on meat/stew feature. Release pressure naturally and enjoy.

Cheeriole’ Mole’ Stuffed Shrimp

In 2005, family friends came to stay with us to escape Hurricane Katrina. The returned home to freezers and refrigerators of lost food. In 2008, they returned to escape Hurricane Gustav. This time they came bearing ice chests full of Gulf Coast delicacies. One of my husband's favorite meals was Gram’s Crab Cakes. The official recipe was Maryland Crab Cakes from Inside America’s Test Kitchen, but he still affectionately refers to them as Gram's Crab Cakes. This recipe combined with a simple mole sauce to create another family favorite. My youngest did prefer his shrimp without stuffing. This would also be great with chicken instead of shrimp.

Cheeriole’ Mole’ Stuffed Shrimp
by Melissa Cook
Adapted from Mole Sauce by ciao and Maryland Crab Cakes from Inside America's Test Kitchen

Mole Sauce:
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
3 Tablespoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 Tablespoons chili powder
5 Tablespoons crushed Chocolate Cheerios
4 1/2 cups chicken broth

Heat your olive oil over medium-low heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. I like my cast iron chicken fryer for this. Add the onion, garlic, oregano, cumin and cinnamon to the oil. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the onion is tender. Add your chili powder and crushed Chocolate Cheerios.

Stir until incorporated into the onion mixture. Slowly add the chicken broth and increase the heat to medium-high. Boil until the sauce reduces. When reduced it should be similar in consistency to a hollandaise sauce. While the sauce reduces ,you can prepare the shrimp and stuffing.

Shrimp with Crabmeat Stuffing:
1 pound colossal shrimp, peeled, deveined and butterflied
1 pound premium lump crabmeat, check for cartilage and shell fragments
4 scallions, green part only, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
4 Tablespoons crushed Chocolate Cheerios
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl mix the crabmeat, scallions, cilantro, chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, Chocolate Cheerios, and mayonnaise.

Be careful not to break up the crabmeat. Gently fold in the egg. The mixture should hold together at this point. If it doesn’t, more crushed Cheerios can be added. Stuff each shrimp with the crabmeat mixture. Each should hold a golf ball-sized mound of stuffing.

In a separate bowl mix:
1/2 cup crushed Chocolate Cheerios
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Drizzle your stuffed shrimp with olive oil and lightly coat with the mixture of Cheerios and spices. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes, until shrimp is done.

Serve with mole sauce and enjoy!

Meet our newest cook, Melissa Cook!

Hey there, I am Melissa Cook. I live in Shreveport, Louisiana with my husband, Sid, and our two sons, Trey and John. I was born in Arkansas and have lived all over the southeastern United States. I have been in Shreveport all of my adult life. I worked in hospice before having kids and love helping people. I have been home with my boys for almost 17 years. In 2011, with some guidance from friends and the guys at the local welding supply company, I taught myself to weld. I make furniture and small decorative iron pieces. Having a high schooler and an 8th grader has slowed me down some, but I still get out and make things when my favorite decorators call.

I grew up with great cooks. I love the warmth and comfort of a home cooked meal. Some of my favorite memories include the gardens of my grandparents', shelling peas with cousins, and helping my grandmother put up vegetables for the winter. My dad and I still have contests every summer to see who can grow the best tomatoes. He usually wins. My go-to meals are classic, southern home cooking, but I also love to try foods from other regions and cultures. I'm fortunate to have a husband willing to try everything I cook and kids that are becoming more adventurous. While I grew up with good food, I didn't really cook until I was out on my own. I had a great group of neighbors when I first got out of school. We would plan meals and gather to cook. Everyone was responsible for their part of the meal, but it was a group effort. Those meals were always filled with laughter and love. That's what I like the most about being in the kitchen.

I'm always up for an challenge and pretty fearless. I am so excited to be one of 37.

My husband, Sid, loves to celebrate by having family over on Sunday evenings. This is usually something we decide on Saturday, but a few weeks ago we decided during lunch, after church. This left little time for preparation so we bought a caramel apple pie at Sam's Club for dessert. As we were eating the perfectly fine pie, I decided that it could be divine if it was made with homemade caramel and real butter in the crumb topping. So I pulled out my favorite caramel recipe and made it my own. We had it for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit!


Better than Sam's Caramel Apple Pie
by Melissa Cook
Adapted from Caramel Pecan Sundaes in Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa at Home" (I borrowed her caramel sauce)

1/3 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced 1/8-1/4 inch thick
1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust

1 stick salted butter, cold and diced to 1/2 inch
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Mix 1/3 cup of water and 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a heavy, medium saucepan. Cook over low heat 5-10 minutes, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat to medium. You may gently swirl the pan to stir the mixture. Cook until the sugar becomes a warm, golden brown. Turn off the heat or remove the pot from the burner. Carefully add the 1 1/4 cups of cream and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. This will cause some bubbling and steam so use care. The caramel will harden, but never fear! A couple of minutes over low heat with a gentle stir will soften the caramel and it will become smooth. Remove from heat. Add the sliced Granny Smith apples. 

Lightly grease a 9" tart pan or pie plate. Unroll your Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust and press gently into the pan. Fill the crust with pie weights or, my personal favorite, dried peas and bake for 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, add one stick of cold, cubed butter into the brown sugar and flour. I use a large fork to press the ingredients together. When the mixture is crumbly and forms pea sized bits it is ready. Remove the crust from the oven. Using a slotted spoon, fill the crust with the apples and caramel. Leave a little room for the crumb topping. Top with the crumbly butter, sugar and flour mixture. There should be some caramel left in the pot. Save it for later or drizzle over the pie when you serve it. It is really good on a spoon!

Bake in 350°F oven for 45 minutes. Make sure you let the pie rest long enough to set. I waited an hour and mine came out of the tart pan and sliced beautifully.