Classic Pound Cake

"We have to start teaching ourselves not to be afraid." - William Faulkner

It's funny how sometimes you can be get so involved with something that you forget how things were before it. As of late, everything's been crashing down and overwhelming me, making me forget how things were before the downpour of work and school. I generally manage stress pretty well, but for some reason I didn't handle it so well this time around. I was a huge wreck and couldn't manage my time well, I've been bitter and mean to some people, grouchy in general, and very very tired. All it took was one brief 20 second phone call to bring me back down to reality. That one phone call put me at ease with myself, and it was a major reality check. I calmed down, breathed, looked around, and continued with business but with a better perspective of things. I think that can happen to a lot of people. Life just sometimes gets so hectic that breathing and being in the moment is kind of kicked to the side and becomes something forgotten. Also, everyone seems to be in a crazy super-hectic world around the holidays, so why not take a quick break, bake something, cook something, watch a quick movie, read a chapter or two from a good book, or just sit and people-watch? You'd be surprised at rejuvenated you'll feel after that little break from your fast-paced life.

Waddad Habeeb Buttross's Classic Pound Cake
adapted from: Southern Cakes: Sweet & Irresistible Recipes For Everyday Celebrations

"This recipe comes from Mrs. Waddad Habeeb Buttross of Natchez, Mississippi. Her cookbook, Waddad's Kitchen: Lebanese Zest & Southern Best, blossomed from a family keepsake collection into a handsome book reflecting both her Lebanese ancestry and her family's deep roots in Mississippi's fertile soil. Fried corn bread and turkey-bone gumbo share the pages with lamb kibbi, fresh pita bread, and homemade feta cheese. A world-class desserts chapter opens with this genuine pound cake, composed of equal weights of butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. Mrs. Buttross's six children say it is excellent, and they are correct."

serves 8 to 10

Ingredients:
1/2 lb salted butter, softened
1/2 lb unsalted butter, softened
1 lb confectioners' sugar
6 eggs
1 lb sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1) Heat the oven to 325F, and generously grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.
2) In a large mixing bowl, beat the butters with a mixer at high speed, scraping down the bowl once, until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners' sugar and continue beating to combine well, scraping down the bowl often, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just enough each time to mix the egg into the batter.
3) Add the flour and beat at low speed, or stir with a large spoon, until it disappears. Stir in the vanilla, and then scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
4) Bake at 325F for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the cake is golden and springs back when touched lightly in the center, and until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
5) Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack or a folded kitchen towel for 10 minutes. Use a table knife to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan. Carefully turn out the cake onto a wire rack or a plate to cool completely, top side up.