Jan D'Atri

Jan D'Atri > Jan’s Recipes > butter, melted

butter, melted

St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake

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I’ve had the recipe for the famous St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake in my “must bake” folder for several years now. I didn’t really know anything about it. I just knew if it had gooey and butter in the title, it was destined for my oven. Then I forgot about it, until one of my cooking pals, Janne Mahan, moved to St. Louis, Missouri. There, she established a book club, and then the pandemic put a halt to group gatherings. Her book club then began to via Zoom video conferencing. Since the members of Janne’s book club were also foodies, I thought it might be fun to have her poll the group and let me know what their very favorite St. Louis foods are. As it turns out, top of the list was the St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake. It was the perfect excuse to pull out my folder, dig for the recipe and get to work. Holy Cow. No wonder it’s a favorite! This cake is one sweet St. Louis treat! It’s dense and rich and acts a bit like a brownie with a dusting of powdered sugar baked into the top. It has two distinct layers; the bottom one is the pound cake and the top is a blend of cream cheese, powdered sugar and eggs which provides the gooeyness. It’s perfect as a coffee or snack cake and is a great make-ahead treat to transport to a picnic or party. Not only is St. Louis the home of the world’s tallest arch known as the Gateway to the West, but also the city rich with ooey gooey goodness!

Watch my How To Video for St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake here!

Cheesy Pesto Crack Bread

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It’s a shareable cheesy, pull-apart round of ridiculously delicious bread! Oh, and that’s just the beginning of the experience you’ll have making and devouring this tasty appetizer! It’s really so simple to make—maybe ten minutes of prep time, then into the oven it goes until its golden brown, and the cheese is melted to perfection so when you pull a chunk of bread apart , the mozzarella just stretches and pulls just like those pizza commercials! I love this recipe because it’s fun to make, the ingredients are readily available and I always really enjoy dishes that you plop in the middle of the table and share! You can make this with a round sour dough bread boule, an oblong French or Italian loaf or even mini sour dough rounds for individual servings. For the pesto, it can be store bought or homemade, the recipe of which I have included here. Once you see the reaction to this tasty treat, you’ll be making it time and time again!

Watch my How To Video for Cheesy, Pesto Crack Bread here!

Skillet Chicken with Baked Apples

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Here’s a tasty combination: Pan grilled chicken and glazed baked apples. This is the sort of one skillet deliciousness that you would expect when you visit grandma’s house! Plus, it’s the perfect meal to bring us into the fall. Normally when apples are served with chicken or pork, they are softly sautéed and served on the side. I love the way these apples look and taste. They are called Hasselback apples, the method of making lots of thin slices three quarters of the way down the apple. The result is a baked apple that has lots of hidden places for the glaze to go and each slice is just the right size for each piece of chicken! Since you probably have most of the ingredients in your kitchen cabinets, I say pick up some fresh skinless boneless chicken thighs and make this comfort food meal for dinner this week!

Watch my how to video for Skillet Chicken with Baked Apples here!