Let Them Eat Cake

This afternoon, my coworkers and I wandered up (aka road up the elevator) to a Mississippi Arts Commission staff reception, which we know is a sure thing:  good company, good food and great art. 

The MAC not only supports talented artists, but they have on staff many talented artists who create textiles, mosaic designs, paintings, music and more.  

My friend Mary Margaret is the Heritage Director there.  She and I (along with our co-workers) attended the Barefoot workshop session last summer, got to know each other better and had such a great time making our foodie films.

Her corn hole sets were on display and they are fabulous!

As she describes it, "...It's a backyard game much like horseshoes, only safer. The point is to toss a bean bag across the yard and into the hole on the board. Most often folks play in teams of two."  

But I digress, because the purpose of this particular post is not about playin' corn hole, it's about filling your pie hole.  (I'm still not sure that sounds very nice)

Long story sorta short, this afternoon's reception had a food theme and to our delight, there were two very particular homemade food items on the table:  a sweet potato pie and a lovely King Cake.  The King Cake has a special place in my heart because it's just that time of year AND it had cream cheese in the middle, my personal fav.  We were also excited because recipes accompanied the treats on the table, and Mary Margaret said I could share her recipe with y'all.  You are going to love it!

She and her mother adapted this from a cinnamon roll recipe they have in the family vault...which makes it even more special when someone shares!  And I have to add, there wasn't much left by the time I headed back to my office.

photo courtesy of Mary Margaret Miller

Sunflower County King Cake

by Sandra and Mary Margaret Miller

(makes 2-3 cakes: more the better!)

Dough:

1 C shortening

¾ C sugar (heaping)

1 C boiling water

2 pkg yeast dissolved in lukewarm water (115-120 degrees)

2 eggs beaten + 1 t. salt

6 C flour

Cream Cheese Filling:

2 8 oz. blocks cream cheese, softened

1 t. vanilla flavoring

1 t. almond flavoring

½ t. salt

1 egg beaten

¾ C sugar

In a mixer, combine shortening and sugar until dissolved. Add boiling water and beat until cool. Add yeast and eggs. Beat until combined. Stir in flour. Beat until combined. Spray dough with butter flavored spray and cover with a damp cloth. Refrigerate overnight to rise.

Place half of the dough mixture on a floured surface. Knead and roll into a rectangle, about ¼ inch thick. Ice with a thin layer of cream cheese filling and roll, jelly-roll style, into a long tube. Place on a buttered pan in an oval shape, connecting the ends.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until cake is golden. Remove from oven and cool completely. Before icing, cut a small slit in the bottom of the cake and insert a plastic baby or other festive trinket. Make sure to use an object that is easily noticeable and not too small.

Icing:

2-3 C sifted powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla flavoring

1 t. almond flavoring

3-4 T milk

Combine all ingredients with a hand mixer until smooth and glossy. Divide icing into three cups and color with green, purple and yellow/gold food coloring. Decorate cake with the icing in any fashion you see fit! Green, gold and purple sprinkles are a nice addition.

  

This will be your new favorite King Cake recipe during Mardi Gras.  Enjoy!  And most of all, thank you Mary Margaret :)

So, have you found any good King Cake Recipes out there or do you leave it to the professionals?

Back on Monday!

Hey everybody - I'll be back on Monday.  It was time to take a little break and rest up while I could.  Hope your August has been a good one so far! 

No doubt you've heard about the recent heat advisories in Mississippi and other parts of the South.  (And we thought June and July were bad.)  These temperatures  will melt most anything that stands still in one place for too long. 

There are so many fun and cool foodie bloggers out there these days.     

Y'all get a "Bless your heart!" (the good kind) from me because I'm glad you're there:

Have you heard of Phickles yet? It's an Athens, GA-based company with Angie Tillman at the helm, making and selling - like gangbusters - pickled okra, jalapenos - and most everything else! I'm on board.

The Hungry Southerner. A blogger who has paved the way straight into my heart with a special post about AMC's Mad Men premiere (among other things including this post about biscuits and gravy like my Daddy always made on Sunday mornings). Her blog includes recipes and fantastic food photos that have been taste-tested and approved. Drool-worthy!

Deep South Dish is a great stop for Southern recipes -  and you know "visiting" Ginger at Deep Fried Kudzu is almost always a daily stop for me.  I am dying to try her recipe for strawberry pretzel salad!

Thank you to The Runaway Spoon - a Memphis gal - for your post about watermelon sweet tea.  It will be a fixture this Monday night at our 3rd annual watermelon party.  Actually, it will be more of a supper with a smaller group this time around because we decided on low-key this year.

Also, don't forget to stop by Deep South Magazine.  Erin does a fantastic job covering anything and everything worth knowing about in the South!  From giving Southern writers a voice to sharing great stories of Southern people and places.  

Stay tuned for two upcoming interviews for Hymnal.  The first is my interview with Southern singer-songwriter Kate Campbell.  We talked about the South, food, funerals, literature and music.  It was so much fun - she even got me a terrific recipe for tomato gravy from her friend!  Something else to look forward to on Hymnal will be my interview with the one and only Mr. Van Dyke Parks who is a man of tremendous talent, a lovely soul (born in Hattiesburg) with a Southern-style double name.  I've also been working on some new songs, too.

Have a great weekend!

On Highway 51 between Hazlehurst and Crystal Springs.