Gwen Arrendale, a pecan grower in Quitman, Ga., is famous for her cream cheese pound cake with pecans. This is a classic Southern recipe, it smells divine baking and tastes even better. 

Makes 18 servings
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 1/2 hours

1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups cake flour, divided
1 cup finely chopped Georgia pecans

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.
With electric mixer, beat together butter, cream cheese and sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Add vanilla and almond extracts and stir. Reserve 1/4 cup of the flour and use to dredge pecans. Add remaining flour to batter a little at a time, beating on low speed with mixer. Fold in pecans.
Turn batter into prepared pan and bake about 1-1/2 hours, or until cake begins to come away from the sides of the pan and tests done. Let cool before inverting on cake rack to finish cooling.