Being thankful for just enough
Butter Pound Cake
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BUTTER POUND CAKE
11/4 cup unsalted butter (10 oz.) room temperature
21/2 cups cake flour
11/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
13/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
3 large eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
11/2 tsp. vanilla
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BUTTER POUND CAKE
11/4 cup unsalted butter (10 oz.) room temperature
21/2 cups cake flour
11/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
13/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
3 large eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
11/2 tsp. vanilla
Powder sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 12 cup Bundt pan, and dust with flour. Make sure you cover all areas which would result in the cake sticking to the sides.
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
In a separate bowl, add butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Butter will turn pale. This process will take about 2 minutes.
Beat in egg yolks and mix, and then add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Scrape sides of bowl and then add half of flour, half of milk and beat, and then remainder of both and beat once more. Add vanilla and mix until just combined.
Spoon batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until golden brown for about 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 20 minutes and then remove (invert) onto a wire rack. Cake will take about 30 minutes to cool.
You may wrap cake securely in foil and freeze at this point.
Thaw before serving.
Our world is a complicated place. There are so many things to be responsible for and not enough time in the day to do them.
We spend our days running in circles, trying to be everything to everyone. Yet we have most modern conveniences available to man. We have cars to drive instead of walking; we use vacuum cleaners instead of brooms; we have microwave ovens so we don't have to wait for meat to thaw or water to boil; and we have grocery stores that sell everything under one roof.
And yet we don't have enough time to spend time with family or friends.
My husband, Taylor, just returned from a week-long trip to Cuba. He went as a missionary. This is his second trip, having also gone in 2007.
He seems to love Cuba and the Cuban people. The cities are filled with beautiful, European-type buildings, which have been slowly decaying since Castro took over in 1959.
The land is a mix of fertile green hills, palm trees, beaches and vast sugarcane fields. There are large areas of grassy ranch lands, but not a lot of cows because the government has told the people that it is illegal to eat beef.
The farms are small because the work must be done by hand or with a plow pulled by oxen. There are few functioning tractors available.
In the cities, the people do jobs assigned to them by the communist government. The government owns virtually everything, including all businesses, industries, the majority of vehicles and most all buildings other than the small cinderblock homes.
Most folks must walk or ride bikes or depend on the irregular public transport, which may be a bus or a horse-drawn wagon. Most homes have electricity and small televisions, but few have running water.
For the work they do, the government pays them anywhere from $15 to $30 per month. The higher-end salary might go to doctors or bus drivers. The people are strongly discouraged from doing any sort of side jobs to make extra money. If they are lucky, they have relatives in the United States who will send them additional money.
Their diet mainly consists of rice and beans, supplemented by occasional chicken or pork. They do seem to have a fairly good educational system, and many of the citizens even have advanced college degrees. The literacy rate is extremely high.
The medical system is free and the people appear in fairly good health. Medications, when available, are mostly older generics. The hospitals are very simple and usually not air conditioned, but then again, there is almost nothing in Cuba other than tourist hotels that does have air conditioning.
Despite these hardships, Taylor says the people are fairly content.
Cubans are very much into their relationships with each other. They are often out in the street or sitting on their front porch visiting. They seem to love to get together to share what little food they have. Although they have very few possessions, they would give another person almost anything they had.
Crime rates are low, but part of that may be due to the fact that there is hardly anything to steal. Illegal drugs are uncommon, as the people don't have disposable income for such things.
Cuban people seem kind and respectful to each other. They are very trusting. They are quick to accept strangers into their home to visit. They are attentive listeners. They seldom complain, but rather seem to accept their lot in life. They love their kids and families and multiple generations often live in the same house.
They are generally fond of Americans and don't believe their government's propaganda that we are getting ready to invade them at any moment. In fact, I'm not sure that they believe much of anything that their government tells them.
Despite all of this, they demonstrate hope and a positive attitude.
When I listened to Taylor's story about his trip and the people he met there, I admit that I felt guilty. I find myself in the midst of plenty, and yet I am often unsatisfied.
Unlike my Cuban neighbors, I have more than enough of everything. The people who Taylor came into contact with were happy having just enough. They have just enough to eat, enough clothes to wear, a bed to sleep on and a roof over their heads.
Their lives are less complicated than mine, but they get by with a smile on their faces.
At this time of year, as the holidays approach, our lives should be about being thankful and sharing what we have. We should count our blessings and our freedoms.
I am going to try to live more simply, to love others more and be glad that I get to live in a free and prosperous country.
Take time to invite family and friends to share your table. Tell those around you how much you love them. Prepare foods for Thanksgiving that you are comfortable with so you can save precious time to visit with those you love. Start with dessert first and freeze until that special day.
This butter pound cake can be made from ingredients in your pantry and will be enjoyed by everyone. Pair it with strawberries or serve it alone.
Myra Starkey lives in Victoria. Write her in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901, or e-mail myra@vicad.com.
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