no one complained.....

[Kitchen Witch]

Since no one complained - I will be nice tomorrow.

Did some grocery shopping today and got a beautiful top round - so I'll do it in the crockpot; make gravy; classic mashed potatoes (milk, butter, salt, pepper) and corn on the cob.

I may even break down and make some cakes in my Xpress 101 - then I don't have to turn the oven on in this heat!

YELLOW CAKE

1 cup Crisco or other good shortening
2 cups sugar
4 eggs (at room temperature)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 3 9-inch cake pans, a 10-inch tube pan, muffin tins or an 11x17-inch sheet cake pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and mace. Set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream the shortening and sugar for 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beginning and ending with dry ingredients, add the dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk and vanilla. Pour into the prepared pan.
For cake pans: Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks to finish cooling.
For tube pan: Bake at 350°F for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Check at 1 hour with wooden pick or cake tester. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire rack to finish cooling.
For Muffins: Makes approximately 4 dozen. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes in greased muffin tins or paper liners in muffin tins, filling half full.
For Sheet Cake: Pour into greased and floured 17 x 11-1/2 x 2-1/4-inch pan. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

I've included the baking directions - but it will only take 7 minutes in the Xpress 101! And I should get about 12 to 14 cakes out of it. I can then fill them with raspberry jam and dust the tops with confectioners' sugar.