apple streusel coffee cake

(pic via Instagram)

I really super hate grocery shopping, so I seem to always run into the problem of, "I want to bake something, but I am out of ingredients x, y, and z, but dangit, I really want to bake something!" So, when I'm looking for a treat to concoct, I tend to look for recipes where I can easily swap ingredients— or that call for items that I already have on-hand. Recently, I was gifted a few cookbooks (lucky me!) and one of these wonderful new books is a breakfast cookbook called, The Perfect Start To Your Day. My friend who gave this to me knows me very well. My friends can attest that I think breakfast is pretty much the best. Always n' forever. Me + breakfast = true love, etc. So, this cookbook led me to this recipe for Apple Streusel Coffee Cake. I easily adapted the recipe to fit my pantry-deficit needs and here you have it! Awesome breakfast cake in no time! It's a win for us all.

Apple Streusel Coffee Cake, adapted from The Perfect Start To Your Day

10 tablespoons softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 beaten eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup almond meal
1/2 cup greek yogurt
2 golden delicious apples, thinly sliced

topping:
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons softened butter
1 tablespoon water
2/3 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°, grease and line 8" round pound with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and almond meal in a small bowl. Add to butter mixture. Stir in greek yogurt until incorporated. Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the sliced apples on top. Spoon remaining batter on top. 

To make the topping, combing the flour, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and incorporate the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Add the water and pecans and break into lumps. Sprinkle over the cake evenly. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake should come out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

vacation: re-visited

It's time for my obligatory Christmas vacation trip re-cap. Of course, the food was incredible, and amazing and was one of the main focuses of my trip. I'm going to post all the photos and names below. If you guys want any of the recipes that aren't linked, let me know which ones, and I'll try to coax them from my Mom. The only one I know for sure that she won't give up is the Special Christmas Torte She Holds Sacred So Don't Even Ask. (All the photos taken by my phone, mostly with Instagram.)

Whole Wheat Waffles with fruit and yogurt and a sauce from the Clinton Street Baking Company cookbook (which I covet greatly - remember how I ate there in New York?). 

 Citrus Wassail (recipe here)

My adorable Mom writes out a menu for the time that I'm home.  

Winter Fruit Salad with Pomegranates (recipe here) 

Butterhorn Dinner Rolls (recipe here) 

Roasted Beets 

 Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Compote

Special Christmas Torte She Holds Sacred So Don't Even Ask 

The best Eggs Benedict In The World, made by my Mom. 

Fig Prosciutto Pizza with Spinach, adapted from this recipe 

Prosciutto wrapped Water Chestnuts

Chocolate Dipped Salted Caramels with Fluer De Sel, adapted from this recipe

Apple Pan Dore. Recipe adapted from Mama's Cafe 

Fancy Hot Chocolate. (You whip cream with cocoa and chocolate syrup then put in in warm milk then drink it!)

One of my favorite things to eat of all time. Croque Madame from Cafe De La Presse in San Francisco.

Chocolate Malted Crunch Ice Cream from Thrifty's. (My favorite!) 

Blackberry Cobbler, made by 2.0. Recipe from Joy of Cooking.

apple butter

Remember my influx of apples? Well, this is part two of Apple Fest, 2011. I've talked about apple butter before, and it's delightful. This apple butter turned out different than the last batch. I may have cooked it too long, but this stuff is much thicker. I was nervous about that, but then I tried it. It is almost like bread candy. Cinnamon apple bread candy. Yep, I just blew your mind. Now go blow someone else's mind. (Also! This makes a wonderful Christmas gift.)

Ingredients:
5 1/2 pounds apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped
4 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix well. Cover and cook on high 1 hour.
Reduce heat to low and cook 9 to 11 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown. Uncover and continue cooking on low 1 hour. Stir with a whisk, if desired, to increase smoothness. Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate or freeze.

(I found the recipe found here) 

**PS- if anyone has any diabetes or celiac friendly recipes or sites they can recommend, can you send them my way? 

apple coffee cake with crumble topping and brown sugar glaze

 (photo from my instagram)

Recently, I had an influx of apples, thanks to an awesome neighbor, and I was looking for yummy ways to use them up. I was talking to my sister-in-law (2.0) and she suggested a cake that my oldest sis likes to make. So, like the homegirl she is, she emailed me this recipe so I could try it. Well, I sure am glad I did. It's definitely not low in sugar, but it's high in awesome. It's a great holiday party cake, so bring this with your ugly Christmas sweater to your next party!

Apple Coffee Cake with Crumble Topping and Brown Sugar Glaze

Cake: 
1 stick plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples
 
Crumble Topping:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
 
Brown Sugar Glaze:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter. 

In a large bowl, cream together the remaining stick of butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after the addition of each. In a separate bowl or on a piece of parchment, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the apples. Pour into the prepared baking dish, spreading out to the edges.

To make the topping, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake until golden brown and set, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

To make the glaze, in a bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla, and water and mix until smooth. Drizzle the cake with the glaze and let harden slightly.

family foods

I was just in Southern California to see family for a last minute, much needed getaway. I really wanted to hang out with this girl (and the rest of my family, too).

I'm sure it goes without saying, that when I'm around my family, the food is always in delicious abundance. Here are a few things we ate/made.

 

My sister made homemade chicken noodle soup (homemade noodles, too!), and My sister-in-law made this amazing sourdough artisan bread, which she's been working on perfecting for a bit. I'd say she hit the mark. My goodness, it was fantastic! I will see if she'll do a guest post and give us all her secrets.

 

Sis-in-law, will heretofore be known as 2.0 (that's my nickname as her, seeing as how we have the exact same name, but she's more awesome than me, hence the v.2.0). Anywho, 2.0 made some awesome sourdough pancakes and put shredded apples in them. They were a delight.

 Here is a photo of the start. I'll share the sourdough recipe at the end of the post. You're welcome. (You'll need a sourdough starter to make this)

And one of my favorites, and 2.0's as well, Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cake.

Now for the Sourdough Pancakes recipe:

1 egg

2 T. oil

¼ c. milk

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

2 T. sugar

Add 2 cups warm water and 2 ½ cup flour to 1 cup start. Mix together and let sit overnight. In morning, put one cup in with starter again, leaving you with 4 ½ cup batter. Add any fruit or other lil' nuggets you like to the pancakes. For shredded apples, you add it to the whole batter, if you add chocolate chips or blueberries, add them to freshly poured batter. Griddle or pan should be at medium heat, flip when doughy side bubbles. When pancakes are cooked as golden as you like, EAT THEM UP.

              

***For Sourdough Waffles, add 2 more tablespoons of oil.

foods from my trip, part ii

More deliciousness...






Fresh garden tomatoes. (Yellow is my favorite!)






Freshly juiced apple juice from homegrown apples in my parent's yard. (One of the best things I've ever had!)






Mint It's-It!! Yummy. The real San Francisco treat.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

all-day apple butter

 The first thing I made in my crock pot is this "All-Day Apple Butter", from this cookbook my parents gave me called, "Fresh From The Vegetarian Slow Cooker". I've been wanting to make crock-pot apple butter for so long, ever since my old, super crappy crock-pot burned a first attempt a few years ago. Burned apples are just sad. So, I went for it right away with my shiny and new crock-pot. Apple butter is such a comfort food, so of course I want to eat it in mass quantity. Also, it makes a delicious gift, which is always helpful this time of year. I highly recommend this fantastic recipe.

3 pounds cooking apples, such as Granny Smith, Rome Beauty or Gala, cored, left unreeled, and cut into eighths

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup apple juice

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 ground cloves

Combine apples, brown sugar, apple juice, and lemon juice in a 4-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours, until the apples are very soft.

Remove the lid, turn the heat setting to High, and stir in the spices. Continue to cook, uncovered, for 2 hours (I did this about 3 hours because it didn't look thick enough), stirring once about halfway through, if possible, until the mixture thickens.

Press the apples through a metal strainer into a large mixing bowl to remove the peels, or process the apples through a food mill. (I actually just used my immersion blender blend everything together, and that worked perfectly)

After cooling to room temperature, the apple butter may be stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator in clean jars, where it will keep for several weeks.

ok, i've been crazy swamped so i haven't had time to make things and blog and take pictures, etc. but i did make this pumpkin black bean soup last night and it's delish! i highly recommend it. all i want to eat is soup lately, so i love finding new recipes.

also, i really, really want to make/eat this gingerbread apple upside cake. but i think i'll try it with pears. dreamy!

ok, i'll try to blog soon. i'm already dreaming of all the christmas food that is awaiting me when i visit home later this month.

halloween 2009: doughnuts and wassail

it seems as if i've become a bit of a party pooper in my old age. the last thing on the planet i want to do is don a costume and party hop on halloween. i want to make the traditional doughnuts and wassail and watch cheesy movies with friends. i really wanted to re-learn the thriller dance but that was as festive as i was feeling. the thing is, it was a ridiculously enjoyable day and night. which goes to show, it's not where you are but who you are with, and what you are eating. that's sort of a saying, right? i didn't get a chance to take images of these recipes last year so here is some photographic evidence of doughnuts and wassail.

the doughnuts actually turned out better than they ever have before, which was a nice treat for me.


here is the recipe:

beat till frothy:
3 eggs

add, beating well:
1 1/4 c. sugar

add, stirring well:
2 T. melted butter
1 c. milk

stir in:
1 t. baking soda
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 t. nutmeg
2 t. cinnamon (i like to add a little more)
4 c. flour (probably added more like 5 1/2 cups when all was said and done)

mix well—can chill for easier handling. Fry at 375° (i tried that first but it seemed too hot so i dropped it about 100°) until done.


here is the wassail recipe:

1 quart water
2 1/4 c. sugar
10 cloves
8 allspice berries
2 sticks cinnamon
1 piece of candied ginger
2 quarts apple cider or juice
1 quart orange juice (i like the extra pulp kind)
2 c. lemon juice

mix water and sugar; boil for 5 minutes. remove from heat. stir in cloves, allspice berries, cinnamon and ginger. let stand 1 hour or more. strain. stir in apple cider, orange juice, and lemon juice. serve warm.

pumpkin cake with apple crisp topping

i've been thinking for a while now that apples and pumpkin should make friends. they use the same spices and they are both fall friendly. so i decided i needed this. pumpkin cake, caramelized apples, and a crispy topping. so that's what i did.

here is the cake recipe:
2 cups flour
2 tsps ground cinnamon
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground giner
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 15 oz. can pumpkin

grease a 13 by 9 inch baking pan. whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, allspice, and ginger together in a medium bowl.

in a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, and eggs together with an electric mixer on medium high speed until thick & fluffy, about 5 minutes. reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the pumpkin puree until combined, about 1 minute. slowly beat in the flour mixture until just incorporated, about 30 seconds.

give the batter a final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure it is thoroughly combined. scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and gently tap the pan on the work surface to settle the batter. bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 30-35 minutes. (bake at 350°)

but i baked it for about 20 minutes, then added caramelized apples. for this, i sliced up two golden delicious apples, and sauteed them in about a tablespoon of butter and added cinnamon and cloves and dark brown sugar to taste.

and to top it off, i made the crisp topping from this recipe (but halved it, as shown below).
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1/2 c. butter
2 t. cinnamon

then i baked it another 15 minutes. until a knife inserted in the center came out clean. and voila! you have yourself a fall dessert with two of my favorite ingredients.

dutch apple pancake

so this doesn't fall in with any of your requests, which i will get to. for sure. but in the meantime, i wanted breakfast for dinner and this is what came out.



4 T. butter
2 medium apples, cored and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 T. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
powdered sugar for dusting

preheat oven to 400° and butter a deep pie dish. in a frypan over medium heat, melt 2 T. butter. Add apple slices, cinnamon and sugar and sauté, stirring occasionally, until apples begin to soften and brown, 5-6 minutes; set aside. in a bowl, beat eggs with a whisk, add milk and beat mixture until blended. sift flour and salt into egg mixture and beat just until blended. melt remaining 2 T. butter, add to flour-egg mixture, adn beat until smooth. pour batter into prepared pan and arrange apples evenly over batter. bake until pancake is browned adn puffed up, 25-30 minutes. dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately. serves 4.

wassail party

so, i had a wassail party and made my mom's insanely good citrus wassail. i didn't get a chance to take a picture of it but i found something online that looks pretty close.

this recipe gets RAVE reviews and is very much one of my favorite things about the holiday season. my mom always keeps some on hand for me.

1 quart water
2 1/4 c. sugar
10 cloves
8 allspice berries
2 sticks cinnamon
1 piece of candied ginger
2 quarts apple cider or juice
1 quart orange juice (i like the extra pulp kind)
2 c. lemon juice

mix water and sugar; boil for 5 minutes. remove from heat. stir in cloves, allspice berries, cinnamon and ginger. let stand 1 hour or more. strain. stir in apple cider, orange juice, and lemon juice. serve warm. yield: 16 servings.

great grandma's apple crisp

this is the recipe from the apple crisp i made last week. thanks to great grandma julia for passing this recipe down.


slice peeled and cored apples to fill a 9x13" pan (i used 6 medium sized granny smith apples.) mix together the following and sprinkle over apples:

2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1 c. butter
4 t. cinnamon

Bake at 375° for one hour. goes well with vanilla bean ice cream.
mmmmmm, deee-lish.