A Recipe for You - Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Shortly after we moved, our new neighbor, Darlene, surprised us with a warm, delicious coffee cake. We enjoyed it so much all week, that I decided to bake one myself and take it to the kind folks that bought our house. Easy, pretty foolproof, and scrumptious...especially if you love all things cinnamon like me. For those of you looking for a sweet breakfast treat to go with your coffee this weekend, here ya go! I would say it serves 16-20, so it's a good recipe to keep in mind for a family gathering at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

 

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

 

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 cups flour

Topping ingredients (mix together):

¾ cup chopped nuts

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter, sugar, eggs and sour cream together with a mixer, adding one ingredient at a time for a fluffier cake. Beat in dry ingredients. In separate bowl, stir topping ingredients together. Grease an angel food cake or tube pan. Pour more than half the batter into pan. Spread with half the topping. Pour in remainder of batter and cover with remaining topping. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool a bit (20 minutes), then remove from pan keeping topping side up. Make your favorite vanilla glaze (confectioner’s sugar, milk and vanilla) and drizzle it over the cake when cool. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend everyone! I'll be back next week.

Time for Christmas Cookies...

Wanted to share two cookie recipes with you today; one that is fun for the kids or grandkids, and the other that is one of my holiday favorites, yet very simple and delicious. Made both of them this week and they definitely passed the taste test!

Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer Cookies

Idea from my Pampered Chef Consultant Lydia Martin

Ingredients:

Nutter Butter Cookies

Pretzel Twists

Brown and Red M&M's

White Frosting

 Instructions:

Assemble the ingredients and make your reindeer...it's that easy!

Ginger Spice Cookies
recipe from Paula Deen

Ingredients:
3/4 C Butter flavored Crisco
1 C sugar, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
1/4 C molasses
2 C flour
2 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t salt

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silpat...or don’t line them at all :) With an electric mixer, combine shortening and sugar and cream until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the egg and the molasses and beat until completely incorporated.

Sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt, then add to the mixture. Stir until combined. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place on cookie sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just set around the edges and you start to see “crackling” on the top.

Don’t overbake! You want to keep them nice and chewy-soft in the middle.

Yield: about 4 dozen

The Best Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

As the holidays draw near, I just had to share this recipe for the best loaded chocolate chip cookies I have ever tasted! A friend shared these with us as part of a meal she made during Ernie's recovery. The recipe came from Deede Hinson, Innkeeper at the Baird House Bed and Breakfast in Valle Crucis, NC, and they are delicious! I have made them for the sweet nurses and staff at the Duke Transplant Clinic and they rave about them every time we show up. Trust me, once you make them, you will never go back to plain old chocolate chip cookies again!

BAIRD HOUSE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

2 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 12 oz bag chocolate chips

1 12 oz bag of Reese's peanut butter chips

1 1/2 to 2 cups whole pecans

Combine sugars and butter, mixing well.  Gradually add eggs.  Add vanilla.

Combine flour, soda and salt, mixing well.  Gradually add dry ingredients to sugar/butter mixture, stirring just until blended.  Stir in chips and pecans.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 3-4 dozen cookies.

 

Monkey Bread

This recipe is used at least once a month in our family... Birthdays, Holidays, Saturdays, whatever! I recently realized that as much as I have pictured it on our blog, I have never posted the recipe, so here you go. Depending on how big you cut your pieces, it can serve 12-16 people, or you can simply pick at it, the way a monkey would! The step-by-step pictures are courtesy of our daughter Leah, when she posted it on her blog.

Ingredients:

For biscuit mixture:
3 tubes large refrigerated biscuits (Grands Jr. buttermilk flaky green can, or four tubes    
   smaller biscuits)
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup chopped pecans (optional... if you don't like nuts just leave them out)

For liquid mixture:
1 cup sugar (use any leftover sugar from the above mixture)
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter

Instructions:

Separate biscuits and cut into quarters. Mix cinnamon and sugar. Grease 10 inch tube pan or bundt pan. Roll each piece of quartered biscuit in cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place in pan. Layer nuts and biscuits alternately.

Bring to boil the sugar, evaporated milk, brown sugar and butter and boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour boiled mixture over layered biscuits. 

Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Let sit in pan for 2 minutes or so, then invert onto serving plate with lip to catch all the brown sugar glaze. Enjoy!

Monkey Bread...try it, you'll like it!

Pasta Carbonara...Pioneer Woman Style

So, what are you having for dinner tonight? I've made this recipe a couple of times and it's always a hit with our family and guests. Simple, tasty, not too many ingredients, and filling...especially if you love bacon like we do! I've been using thick cut bacon from Trader Joes (nitrate free), Dreamfield's pasta, and organic peas. I added a bit more of each than the recipe calls for. Feel free to check out PW's step by step pictures for this recipe here.

Pasta Carbonara

(Serves 4-6)

12 ounces pasta, any variety

8 pieces thick cut bacon, diced small

1/2 whole medium onion, diced small

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 whole eggs

3/4 cups finely grated parmesan

3/4 cups heavy cream

salt and plenty of black pepper

1/2 cup peas

Cook pasta according to package directions While pasta is cooking, fry the bacon until just barely crisp. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Pour off all of the bacon grease, but don't clean the pan. Return the pan to the stove over medium-low heat and throw in the onions and garlic. Cook until golden brown. Set aside.

In a bowl, mix together eggs, Parmesan, cream, and salt and pepper until smooth. When the pasta is done, drain and reserve a cup or two of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and place it in a bowl. While the pasta is still really hot, slowly drizzle in the egg mixture, stirring the pasta the whole time. The sauce will become thick and should coat the pasta. Splash in a little hot pasta water if needed for smoother consistency. Halfway through, add the peas, bacon and sauteed onion/garlic. Finish adding the sauce, stirring until it's all combined. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan. Enjoy!

Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

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A friend shared this delicious cake recipe from Pinterest, and I have made it for dessert many times now (thanks Shelley!). It's simple to make and a great way to use apples and satisfy the sweet tooth. I have to admit...I even ate a piece for breakfast one day and it tasted great with my coffee! A reader asked me to share, so here you go. I know you're gonna love it! (Feel free to double the recipe and use a 13 x 9 pan if you are feeding a larger crowd.)

Fresh Apple Cake w/ Brown Sugar Glaze adapted from Southern Cakes

Uploaded by Monica H at www.lickthebowlgood.blogspot.com

Apple Cake:

●      1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

●      1 cup sugar

●      1/2 teaspoon baking soda

●      1/2 teaspoon salt

●      1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

●      2 eggs

●      1/2 cup canola oil

●      1 teaspoon vanilla

●      1 1/2 cups finely chopped apples

●      1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)

Brown Sugar Glaze:

●      1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

●      3 Tablespoons butter

●      1/2 teaspoon vanilla

●      1 Tablespoon heavy cream

For the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch pan (round or square) and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.Stir with a whisk to mix everything together.

In a large bowl, mix the eggs with a hand mixer til light in color and foamy. Add the oil and vanilla and beat well.

Stir in the flour mixture with a spoon and continue stirring the batter til the flour disappears. Add the apples and nuts (if using) and stir to mix them into the batter.

Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Place the hot cake on a wire cake. While it's still hot, prepare the glaze.

For the glaze: Combine all the ingredients into a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Cook for 3-5 minutes.

Spoon the hot glaze over the still hot-from-the-oven cake. Let the glazed cake cool completely before serving straight from the pan.

Black Bean Confetti Salad

I recently found this salad recipe, gave it a try, and was really pleased with how delicious it was. So, I thought I would pass it along. Colorful, fresh, flavorful, and good for you...what more could you want on a hot summer day? Enjoy!

Black Bean Confetti Salad

One 15 oz. can black bean, rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen organic corn thawed and drained

12 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

½ cup chopped scallions

2 cloves garlic, pressed

½ cup diced red bell pepper

¼ cup chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, cover and let marinate in refrigerator for a few hours before serving.

Makes 2 large servings (1 ½ cup each) – 412 calories, 15 g fat, 0 chol, 18 g fiber, 18 g protein, 57 carb, 110 sodium.

Comfort Food - Perfect Pot Roast

Sometimes you just need a little comfort food! That was the case last Friday for me. So what recipe came to mind? Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast. So easy, so wonderful to smell cooking for 3 1/2 hours, and delicious once it is time to serve it up. Nick even gave it high ratings...10 out of 10! Temps in your neck of the woods might be a little cooler this week, so why not give it a try along with some homemade mashed potatoes? Just click the link above for her step by step pictorial instructions...you'll be glad you did!

The Best Strawberry Pie!

It's that time of year again...time for fresh strawberries! I love the fruit stands that are popping up all over town to sell fresh strawberries, but more than that, I love to go strawberry picking. I clearly remember the days when our three were young...seems like they always ate just about as many as made it to the scale, but that's the joy of going with children. Tara and I went along for the fun as we watched the Nats and Sams pick strawberries for our delicious strawberry pies! In spite of the many berries that were ingested, we came home with quite a haul. This first picture was probably taken just before Samuel took his first bite, after all who could resist such a big, beautiful strawberry?

And now for the Best Strawberry Pie, here is the easy recipe:

1 pie crust (homemade or in my case, the Pillsbury one you simply roll out onto the pie plate)

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

3 T cornstarch

4 cups sliced strawberries

3 oz. package of strawberry jello

Preheat oven to 450. Roll pie crust onto a deep pie plate, prick with fork and bake for 8 minutes. Set aside to cool. 

Heat water, sugar and cornstarch on medium until it begins to bubble. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly with a whisk. Make sure you get rid of all the lumps and it begins to resemble the consistency of pudding. 

Remove from heat and add jello and strawberries stirring well.

Pour strawberry mixture into cooled pie crust and chill until set (at least a couple of hours). Slice and garnish with whipped cream (or Cool Whip). Enjoy every morsel! Think I'll go make another one...

(Of course if you don't want to make a pie, you can't beat a nice bowl of sliced strawberries with a little whipped cream, yogurt, or ice cream for that matter!)

Linda

What's For Dinner? Shrimp Pasta in a Foil Package

(Take two on this post...I got it all done Sunday night, scheduled it for Monday morning and when I woke up it was nowhere to be found. Virus! Needless to say, very frustrating! Big EZ got me up and running again this morning, so here we go again. Anyone else ever had that happen?)

Seems like I have been on a Pioneer Woman recipe kick lately and this one was too good not to share. It's called Shrimp Pasta in a Foil Package and it was delicious. The sauce was tasty and the shrimp were very tender. I pretty much halved the recipe (except for using 2 cans of diced tomatoes, and 13.5 ounces of Dreamfield's pasta) and it still made 6-8 servings!

Shrimp Pasta in a Foil Package

1/2 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 whole 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes

1/2 cup white wine

2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

Salt and pepper, to taste

Fresh parsley, minced ( I used dried)

1 pound linguine, uncooked

Red pepper flakes, to taste

Cook pasta for half the recommended time (it should be somewhat firm), and drain. In a large skillet or pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for a minute. Dump in the tomatoes and wine. Stir the mixture together, season with salt and pepper, and allow to cook for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare a large parcel of heavy duty aluminum foil. It should be large enough to hold the entire pasta dish. Throw the shrimp on the top of the pasta sauce. Throw the drained pasta over the top, then pour the whole dish onto the foil. Tightly wrap the foil into a parcel. Get some good crusty rolls and wrap them in foil as well. Bake both packets at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil on top of pasta when opened (I didn't find this necessary). Unwrap your warm rolls, serve with a tossed salad, and enjoy!

PW Chili with Kim's Corny Cornbread

I don't know what else hits the spot on a chilly winter evening like chili. Just warms you up from the inside out, and when paired with some moist and delicious cornbread, chips, salsa and guacamole, you just can't go wrong! We even threw in a fruit salad just because we love fruit.

While at the cabin recently I decided to try Pioneer Woman's Chili recipe and it did not disappoint. Just the right amount of seasoning... thick and tasty. As for the cornbread, my all time favorite recipe came from my friend Kim. Unlike most cornbread, it is not dry and crumbly. It is moist and light like cake. Here are the recipes. Hope you enjoy!

Simple Perfect Chili

(Makes 6 servings)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained

1 teaspoon ground oregano

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 Tablespoons chili powder

One 8-oz. can tomato sauce (I used 15 ounce can)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup masa (corn flour, found in Mexican food section)

Optional Ingredients:

1 can pinto beans, drained

1 can kidney beans drained

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced

1 can diced tomatoes and chilies (Rotel)

(I added all the optional ingredients except the jalapeno. I may get brave next time I make it!)

Measure all the spices into a small bowl. Cook ground beef with garlic until brown, then drain off excess fat. Pour in spices, tomato sauce, and salt. Stir together well, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If mixture becomes overly dry, add 1/2 cup water as needed. After an hour, plce themasa in a small bowl. All 1/2 cup water and stir together with a fork. Dump the masa mixture into chili. Stir together well. Taste, adjust seasonings, and add more masa paste and/or water to get the chili to your preferred consistency, or to add more corn flavor. Add the beans, jalapeno and tomatoes if desired. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with shredded cheddar, chopped onion and Fritos or Tostitos.

Kim's Corny Cornbread

2 boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

1/2 cup oil

1 can creamed style corn

3 eggs

8 oz. sour cream

1 teaspoon salt

Mix ingredients together in a bowl hand. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

French Onion Soup and Blueberry Cobbler

When the weather turns cold, French Onion Soup accompanied by a fresh green salad seems to be the perfect dinner. Here is our favorite recipe from my really old Total Woman Cookbook published in 1980. My mom made this batch while Leah, Emery, EZ and I headed out to the park for a chilly walk. Believe me, it tasted as delicious as it looks and did it ever hit the spot when we got home!

French Onion Soup Gratin

5  cups thinly sliced sweet onions (about 5)

¼ Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp oil or bacon drippings

¼ cup sweet butter

1 Tbsp flour

3 10 ½ ounce cans condensed beef or chicken broth, undiluted (we used beef)

3 soup cans of water

1 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (*we used 3 tablespoons)

Dash of nutmeg

1 glove garlic, minced (*we used 2)

2 dozen slices French bread, cut very thin and toasted or dried in oven

1 ½ cup Swiss or Gruyere cheese, grated (*we used Swiss slices)

1.  Early in the day, sprinkle onion slices with sugar.(*No need to do this early in the day) Sauté slowly in oil and butter until golden. Sprinkle flour over onions and blend in. Add beef or chicken broth, water, salt, pepper, Worcestershire, nutmeg, and garlic. Cover and simmer gently 45 minutes.

2. Put 4 or 5 slices of bread in each individual 12-ounce ovenproof bowl. Fill bowls halfway with the liquid. This is important as bread will soften and absorb some liquid. Keep adding liquid gradually to the bowls, making sure they are filled evenly to the top with liquid. This is very important, as the cheese crust must not sink into the bowl. 

3. Sprinkle cheese on top, without pushing it into liquid, about ¼ cup of cheese per bowl. Press the cheese all around the edges of each bowl so that when it melts it sticks to the sides and forms a crust. Place bowls in 400 degree oven for approximately 35 minutes.

And now for dessert...

I had been wanting to try Pioneer Woman's Blackberry Cobbler. However, blueberries happened to be on sale, so I made Blueberry Cobbler (she also suggests peaches or raspberries). It was scrumptious served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A perfectly satisfying meal for a chilly night in Boone, or anywhere for that matter. You will have to give these recipes a try!

Soup's On!

The temperatures are once again dipping here in North Carolina, so why not warm up with Pasta E Fagioli soup! This is a recipe that caught my eye on the back of a box of Ronzoni Small Shells, and it did not disappoint. Filling, tasty and easy!

Here is the recipe with my modifications noted:

Pasta E Fagioli

1 cup Ronzoni Small Shells, uncooked

6 bacon slices, diced (I used two Mild Italian Sausage links, sliced and sauteed)

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

3 cups (two 14 oz cans) Great Northern Beans, drained

3 1/2 cups (two 14.5 oz. cans) chicken broth

3 1/2 cups (28 oz. can) whole plum tomatoes, undrained and chopped (I used two cans diced tomatoes)

1 (14 oz) can tomato sauce (my addition)

2 cups (19 oz. can) red kidney beans, drained

1 bay leaf

2 tsp. dried oregano leaves

Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cold water to cool quickly; drain well. Meanwhile in 5-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, cook bacon or Italian sausage until it starts to brown. Add onion, celery and garlic; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. meanwhile, with a fork, mash 1 can Great Northern beans. Add chicken broth, mashed beans, cooked pasta and remaining ingredients to bacon or sausage mixture, heat to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. (I actually put in my crock pot on low and cooked a few hours) Discard bay leaf. Makes 12 servings (1 cup each).

Have a wonderful weekend...make some soup and stay warm!