By Amy Larson

Emmy’s Cream Cake

Contributed by Melissa Jensen

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla (Mexican vanilla, if you have it on hand)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1 cup flour

PREPARATION

• Blend eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Then, add in the sugar. In separate bowl, combine cream of tartar, baking soda, and flour. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients slowly, mixing frequently. Pour batter into a buttered cake pan, then bake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Makes one cake. Recipe may be doubled for two cakes.
• Serve with fresh, sliced, sweetened strawberries and sweetened heavy cream.

NOTE: Melissa Jensen, assistant to Boise State University’s president and our cake recipe contributor, says:

“I grew up in Arizona, youngest of five. When I was eight, our family camped in the Sawtooths, what Mom called a “shining land” because of its sparkling rivers, glistening rocks, and star-filled nights. The trip instilled a love of Idaho in my heart, and thirty years later, I moved here with my husband and three children.

“My mom, Emma Lou Philabaum, was a wonderful cook and writer. After graduating from college, she was the Arizona Republic’s women’s page editor and magazine recipe page contributor for eight years. A stay-at-home mom who freelanced, her articles appeared in national publications, and two of them were memorialized in the Congressional Record (one was about our camping trip to Idaho). “Emmy’s” inspired recipes were printed in numerous national publications, including Sunset Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, and Reader’s Digest. She was a two-time finalist in the Pillsbury Bake Off, and won the Leisure Living Contest, the James Beard Creative Cookery Recipe Contest, and the Arizona Beef Cook Off.  The cream cake recipe was a family tradition, especially on warm, sunny days when strawberries were in season.”

“Da Bomb” Crockpot Mac and Cheese

Contributed by Jason Crowley

INGREDIENTS

Cooking spray

8 ounces cooked elbow macaroni

One 12-oz. can evap. milk

1 1/2 cups whole milk, or half-and-half

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter

1 teaspoon salt

Dash of pepper and/ or cayenne pepper

2 large eggs, beaten

2- 10-ounce bricks of extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 5 to 5 1/2 cups)

Dash of paprika

PREPARATION

• Prepare a large slow cooker by applying the cooking spray. Put in milk, evaporated milk, butter, eggs, macaroni, and 5 or so cups of the cheese, leaving approximately ½ c. set aside. Once all ingredients are combined, top mixture with the remaining cheese. Cover and allow to cook on “low” for approximately three hours, longer if necessary. Stir mixture before serving.

NOTE: Recipe contributor Jason Crowley is a sales and finance expert at a Boise car company (his friends call him “the Babe Ruth of Numbers”), but in another life he managed an extremely busy Boise restaurant. He’s a terrific cook, and has an enviable memory for both car stats and tasty recipes.

These recipes are brought to you by THE IDAHO DAIRY COUNCIL.