.raspberry coffee cake.

I had a meeting the other morning for church and I thought I would take a little treat for us to enjoy. When I got there, I discovered my friend, Leesa also made a coffee cake! Hers was cinnamon sugar... mine was a really moist raspberry coffee cake. Absolutely delicious. Rather funny that we both had coffee cake on the brain though!

You can use any berry you want. I had raspberries in the freezer and wanted to use them up. The perfect choice, in my opinion!

There are three steps to making this cake: Batter. Berries. Crumb topping.




Put 1 lb of berries in a bowl and add 1/3 cup sugar.











In a mixing bowl, put 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt.










In another bowl, mix together 2/3 cup sour cream, 2 eggs + 2 egg yolks, and 3 tsp vanilla. Set aside.

Cut up 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter into 12 pieces
and set aside.







With your mixer on low, alternate adding some of the egg/sour cream mixture and 1-2 pieces of butter until it's all combined.











For the topping, put in a bowl: 2/3 cup brown sugar, 2/3 cup sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp salt, 3 1/2 cups flour and 1 cup melted butter. Mix it well together.








Butter a 9x13 baking dish and spread out 1/2 of the cake batter. Sprinkle the berries over the top evenly so that the entire surface has berries. Dollop the rest of the cake batter on top of the berries. Don't worry about spreading it out.

Spread out the crumb mixture over the entire top. Bake in a 325* oven for about an hour. I had to cook a little longer because the center was a little jiggly. If your center is jiggly, then keep on baking! When the center is set, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Make sure it's completely cool before serving.

Bon appetite!


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AZ-Z_fQXybIkZGcydmZqcW1fMTY3aGJiOG1iY2I&hl=en

Cheese Blintz

Happy Summer! I have been so bad about updating and will try to keep posting new things as often as I possibly can. I haven't posted this yet, but guess what? I'M GOING TO CULINARY SCHOOL! I was accepted to The Culinary Institute of America and will start classes October 20th! I should have some awesome things to post once I start. I can't WAIT!



The girls and I were in Seattle visiting my family most of July. We just got back a few days ago and are slowly trying to re-adjust to East Coast time. Not easy my friends.. not easy. Thankfully, we have no commitments so we can sleep late. While I was there, I made crazy amounts of food for my family. I think they're going to miss my cooking more than me! (Okay, maybe not.)



A few days before we flew back East, my oldest sister, with whom I was staying, made cheese blintzes. They were *SO* good with some fresh berries and a yummy cream cheese/cottage cheese filling. She found the recipe here, but I will post it on my blog for convenience sake. I'm definitely going to make these... probably for my husband's birthday next week! He'll love that.



Keep your eyes peeled for some new things coming your way! Hope you all have a wonderful summer.



Suzanne

Cheese Blintzes

Crepe Batter

1 cup flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg

1 cup milk

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1/4 tsp vanilla



Cheese filling

2 cups cottage cheese

3 oz cream cheese

2 Tbsp sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

• Sift the flour, sugar, and salt into a bowl. Set aside. In another bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Mix together until everything is smooth and there are no lumps. Let the batter rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. It can be held in the fridge for up to 12 hours.




• Heat a crepe pan or small skillet over medium heat. You don't want the heat too hot. Brush the pan with melted butter (or use Pam spray). pour a cup of batter into the crepe pan and swirl around to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook the first side until it's set (about 2 minutes, then using a rubber spatula, loosen the edges and flip it over. Cook the other side for another minute. Remove from pan and repeat until all the batter has been cooked up.




• Spoon some filling down the center of the crepe, roll up, and top with fresh whipped cream and fruit. You can use whatever fruit you like. We had blueberries and strawberries on hand but you can use cherries, peaches, or apples. Yummy!

Thanks Ronda for such a great time and for letting the girls and I stay at your place. Love you!

.salmon dill eggs benedict.

With my husband working nights (he goes back to days this week! WAHOO!!!) I have felt so guilty because he doesn't get nearly as many homecooked meals because he has to go in so early.  One of his favorite things is eggs benedict.  When we were first married, we would always hit this awesome brunch buffet at this nice hotel by our home on  the weekend.    Eggs benedict would be the first thing on his plate.  So the other day I thought I would surprise him by making this for him.  He loved it!

Eggs benedict is usually made with a toasted english muffin, a slice of canadian bacon, a poached egg, and hollandaise sauce.  Mine is made with the english muffin, a slice of smoked salmon, poached egg, and a dill hollandaise sauce.  Yummy. If you're looking for something new to make for breakfast this coming Easter Sunday, you should try this!

Hollandaise sauce is a rich, egg sauce.  Not difficult to make.  First you need to cut up 4 Tbsp butter and set to the side.

In a bowl put 3 egg yolks, 1 Tbsp water, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, a dash pepper, and 1 pat of butter.  Put over a pot of boiling water in a double boiler method.  Stir with a rubber spatula consistently so the eggs don't turn into scrambled eggs.  When the pat of butter melts, add another pat and repeat until all the butter has been incorporated.  By this time, the eggs should start cooking and thickening the sauce.  When it's thick and coats the spatula, remove from the top of the pot.

Add some fresh chopped dill (or dried dill) (about 1/2 tsp).

This is the smoked salmon I used.  It's usually found in the deli section of your grocery store.  Do not buy the kind down the tuna aisle.  It's not the same kind.

Now we need to poach the eggs.  Poaching means to let the egg cook in water or steam.  An easy way to do this is to first break an egg into a bowl and then pour into a skillet of hot water.

Repeat.  I made 3 eggs... you keep adding for however many you're making this for.  Let poach for 3 minutes.

Use a serrated spoon to scoop from the water. 

Plate everything and serve with fruit and sausage or bacon.

Printable version:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_152fwzxtrhp

.german pancakes with pears.

This recipe was found in a Martha Stewart KIDS magazine I bought years ago. While packing things up for our move, I found my stash upstairs and gleefully went through each issue page by page taking all of the craft and food projects in. I really miss this publication and wish Martha would bring it back! (Perhaps we should start a campaign?)

Today I wanted to make breakfast one last time for my husband before we separate for a couple of weeks. Sounds dire, doesn't it? I thought this would be the perfect thing and man.. it sure was. The original recipe calls for apples, but I bought pears instead because I love the sweetness they give, especially to this type of baked treat.

I imagine these would be a great breakfast for your holiday mornings, either Thanksgiving or Christmas. They don't take horribly long and you can make as many or as few as you want. Throw in some fruit, cottage potatoes and sausage and you've got a breakfast your family will love you for.


Here are your ingredients. I doubled the recipe from the magazine which I will post here. If you want less, just cut the recipe in half.

1 1/2 c. flour, 1/2 c. sugar + more for dusting pan, 3/4 c. milk, 3 Tbsp butter(melted), 5 eggs, 3 Bosc pears (peeled and diced), 3 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, 2 Tbsp butter, 1/4 c. honey or brown sugar.


Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a skillet. Dump in the diced pears. Stir to coat and fry for a couple minutes.


Add the lemon juice, cinnamon, and honey. Cook over medium high heat, stirring often until the liquid evaporates and the pears and nice and caramelized.


This is what they should look like. Yummy. You could eat them just like this, but I really suggest you put them in these pancakes. They are SO GOOD!


Brush giant muffin tins with the melted butter.


Sprinkle in teaspoons of sugar and coat each muffin cup. My pancakes stuck a little and so if I were to do this again? I would probably skip this and spray with Pam so they release better.


I got my big helper involved. She loves to cook with me and I appreciate her interest and help.

In a large bowl, dump in the sugar, flour, and salt. Mix together with a whisk.













Using one of those empty bowls, break your eggs. Paige will not let me crack the eggs. She must do them herself. She's so independent!















Mix the eggs with a fork and pour into the dry ingredients. Pour the milk into the bowl as well.

Whisk all the ingredients together then transfer the batter into a bowl with a pourable spout. This will make it easier to fill the muffin tins.












Hmph... look who I caught sneaking some pears? See, I TOLD you these were really good!

You might want to hide them from the family because you might find a thief doing something like this in your home.













Spoon some of the pears into the bottom of each tin. Pour the batter on top of the pears and fill each cup up halfway.

Once the batter is all used up, put the pans in a pre-heated 450* oven. Once you put them in, lower the heat to 400* and bake for 15 minutes.

The last 5 minutes these will puff way up.










When you pull from the oven, see how they are all puffy and pretty? Take a knife and run the blade around the edge of each pancake. Place a tray on top and then flip it over to release the pancakes from the pan.

Plate and then dust lightly with powdered sugar and a dollop of whipped cream. Or you could drizzle with maple syrup like my husband. Enjoy!


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_121vpgbccc9

.blueberry scones.

I admit I was never a big scone lover. It wasn't until I came across a recipe years ago that I truly become a convert. These are slightly sweet, light biscuits. I like putting a light lemon glaze on top to give them added flavor. You can't go wrong with these.

You can add whatever kind of fruit and spices you want. One of my favorite things to add is a triple berry mix you can find at Costco. It has blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Mmmm hmm. Perfection!

You can make these scones up ahead of time if you're wanting these first thing in the morning. Make them up, pat them out and cut into circles or wedges. Place on a cookie sheet and put in the freezer. Allow them to freeze all the way and then store in baggies. When it's time to bake, put down a Silpat or parchment paper to keep from sticking to the pan. Brush with eggwash and throw in the oven.


In a large bowl put 4 cups flour (self rising works great for scones). Add 1 Tbsp baking powder.


Add 1/2 tsp salt.

And add 1/3 cup sugar.


Cut in 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 c) cold butter.


In a measuring cup, mix 1 1/4 cup milk and 2 eggs. Use a fork to whisk them together.


Dump all of the wet into the bowl of dry ingredients.


Use a fork to mix everything together. If you need to add a little more water then do so. Just make sure you don't get the dough too wet.


Add whatever berries or fruit or whatever you want to add. Mix in.


Flour the counter and press the dough flat. Not too thin. About 1 1/2" to 2" thick.


Cut into wedges, or use a biscuit cutter.


Place the scones on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam.


In a bowl, whisk together 1 egg and a little water. This is your eggwash.


Brush the tops of the scones lightly then put in a 425* oven and bake until golden brown.


Pull from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes. You need them to cool a little before glazing.


Put some powdered sugar in a bowl. Add a tiny bit of water and work with a fork to get rid of any lumps. You want this semi thick. You don't want it runny or else it will not hold it's shape well when you drizzle on top of the scones.


Drizzle scones lightly.

Nevermind my blog of glaze. Hard to take pics while doing this. ;)

Serve immediately!


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_115hj7mhrcr

.huevos a la flamenca.

Back in June, I stole Jim away for Father's Day to St. Augustine, Florida. We had a wonderful, spontaneous family trip with the girls seeing the sights, and tasting the local flavor.

One of the restaurants we went to was La Pentola. A quaint, upscale restaurant down on Charlotte Street. We stopped in for brunch and I ordered Huevos a la Flamenca, or Spanish Eggs. I had never had them before and was a little surprised by what I got. Surprised in the sense that they were delicious!

I'm a fan of huevos rancheros which is the mexican version.. these have spicy chorizo sausage and ham in the dish too. YUM! Oh and you could easily put seafood in this dish too (crab or shrimp) to make it authentic to the coastal spanish villages.

When I came home, I went in search of a recipe to make for my family. I found one that looked great, bookmarked it, and then forgot about it. We aren't always big breakfast eaters, but Jim's been on leave for his job search and before he flew off to New York this morning, I made these for him.

These only take 15-20 minutes to bake. If you're in a hurry in the morning, make the tomato sauce the night before, and chop all of the meat ahead of time. That way all you have to do is crack some eggs, and throw it in the oven. This recipe is great for you low-carb dieters out there too. So try it and enjoy!


Remove the seeds and ribbing from one jalapeno (you can keep some of the seeds/ribbing if you want more heat) and then dice the pepper finely.


Mince 1 clove garlic.


Chop 3 green onion.


Finely chop some green bell pepper. I chopped about 1/4 cup.


Dice 1/2 cup ham.


This is chorizo sausage. It's a Spanish/Portugese sausage that gets its red color from dried smoked red pepper. It's really flavorful. You can find it down the ethnic aisle in your grocery store. You could use fresh, but traditional requires a smoked sausage.


Dice up that chorizo. (1/4 cup)

Before we start making the tomato sauce/salsa, turn your oven to 200* and put the dish you plan on using into the oven. You want to heat up the dish, whether it's a baker, or ramekins to help speed the poaching process along.


Heat a little olive oil in a skillet and add the garlic, jalapeno, and green bell pepper. Saute for a minute.


It's amazing how different the lighting in my kitchen varies from one side to the other. Sorry for the bad picture! Add the green onion. Again, saute for another minute.


Pop open a can of diced tomatoes. Add those directly to the skillet.


Season with salt and pepper then let this cook for a minute, bringing the tomatoes to temp.


Remove the baker from the oven and pour the tomato sauce/salsa in. Turn the oven up to 350*.


Dump in the ham.


Then add the chorizo.

Break in 8 eggs.

Season the top with salt and pepper, and a few remaining slices of green onion.

Put the dish back into the oven (at 350* and bake 15-20 minutes. If the egg whites aren't cooked through, keep it in there. I didn't catch mine in time and the yolks did get a little overcooked. You want them still very soft or even slightly runny.

Serve immediately with some fresh fruit and crusty bread.


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_117kcf24jdz