Thursday, October 19, 2006
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
To help celebrate Boss's Day, I baked my boss this coffee cake since she loves the Starbucks Cinnamon Coffee cake...this looked similar and had rave reviews. Well, I think it was a hit and the crumbs I tasted were delicious. (I cooked it for 45-50 minutes to make sure it wasn't dry.)
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
From Barefoot Contessa Parties
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the streusel:
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional
For the glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed. (Don't overstir. Keeps the cake from being dense!)
For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts, if desired.
Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.Labels: Breads and pastries
Posted by Jeannie ::
10:46 AM ::
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Friday, October 13, 2006
Pumpkin Crisp
My dear friend, Caroline Motley, shared this recipe. I made it for a table full of boys who said it was amazing (and finished it the next morning for breakfast!) and then my friend and neighbor, Greg Justice, (who didn't even own cinnamon!) made it for friends who said, "This is the best pumpkin dessert ever!"
It's a quick and easy dessert to keep ingredients on hand...you can bake it while you're eating dinner!
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (18.25-ounce) package butter-flavored yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter, melted (i used only a stick and 1/2 of butter and it was great)
Stir together first 5 ingredients. Pour into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture; sprinkle evenly with pecans. Drizzle butter evenly over pecans.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle with nutmeg, if desired.Labels: Sweet tooth
Posted by Jeannie ::
10:33 AM ::
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Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Broiled Eggplant with Provolone
In honor of my mother, here's a photo of some of her fresh cut flowers from this past weekend. And here is a recipe that she made for me (because I LOVE eggplant) when I was home visiting. Similar to eggplant parmigiana, but healthier and I thought overall a better taste!
1 large eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
3/4 to 1 cup bottled Italian salad dressing
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 cup (about) purchased marinara sauce
12 slices (about) provolone cheese
12 tablespoons (about) grated Parmesan cheese
Lightly oil heavy large baking sheet. Brush both sides of 12 eggplant rounds generously with dressing; arrange on prepared sheet. Sprinkle rosemary and oregano over. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
Preheat broiler. Broil eggplant on baking sheet until brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. (Can be prepared 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
Preheat oven to 450°F. Top each eggplant slice with 1 rounded tablespoon sauce. Place 1 provolone slice atop each eggplant round and trim to fit. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Bake until cheeses melt and eggplant is heated through, about 5 minutes.
4 SIDE-DISH SERVINGS 
Labels: Sides
Posted by Jeannie ::
11:12 AM ::
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Friday, October 06, 2006
Cast-Iron Skillet Apple Pie with Walnut Streusel
It's fall! and that means apples! I found a version of this recipe online, and I tweaked just a little to reduce the butter and make sure there was plenty of the streusel, and the roomates and I loved it! [Note that the crust is meant to be rolled out very thin so it can fold over the top of the pie.]
For crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water
For topping:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
For filling:
3 pounds baking apples (about 8 medium)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar (1/4 C light brown and ¼ C dark brown)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
To make crust:
In a large bowl with a pastry fork blend flour, sugar, salt, and butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and toss with a fork. Add enough remaining ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing to incorporate, until mixture begins to form a dough. On counter, smear dough in 3 or 4 forward motions with heel of hand to make dough easier to work with. Form dough into a ball and flatten to form a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.
To make topping:
In a small bowl with your fingertips blend butter, brown sugar, and flour until smooth and blend in nuts. Chill topping, covered.
To make filling:
Peel and core apples. Cut apples into 1/2-inch wedges and in a bowl toss with remaining filling ingredients to coat. Preheat oven to 350°F.
On a lightly floured surface roll out dough into a 15-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and fold into quarters for ease of handling. (Note: Roll out to very thin—you'll need a large surface.) Unfold dough in a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet (or 10-inch deep-dish (1 1/2-quart) pie plate), easing to fit and letting dough overhang rim of skillet or pie plate . Spoon filling into shell and fold pastry overhang over filling, leaving center uncovered. Bake pie in middle of oven 1 hour (pie will not be completely cooked) and remove from oven.
Crumble topping over center of pie, breaking up any large chunks. Brush crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake pie in middle of oven 30 minutes more, or until crust is golden and filling is bubbling. Cool pie on a rack.
Serve pie warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.Labels: Sweet tooth
Posted by Jeannie ::
10:48 AM ::
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Thursday, October 05, 2006
Macaroni-and-Cheese Florentine
A healthier version and since the spinach scare, the frozen spinach fed our cravings. This recipe is from October 06 Southern Living.) Great for leftovers too!
1 (8-oz.) package multigrain or whole wheat elbow macaroni
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of ground red pepper
2 (8-oz.) blocks 2% reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
shredded 1 (10-oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup soft whole grain white breadcrumbs (about 1 oz.)
1. Prepare macaroni according to package directions, omitting salt and butter; drain well.
2. Place milk and next 4 ingredients in a quart jar; cover tightly, and shake vigorously 1 minute. Stir together milk mixture, cheese, spinach, and macaroni.
3. Pour macaroni mixture into a 13- x 9-inch baking dish coated with butter-flavored cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs; lightly coat breadcrumbs with cooking spray.
4. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.Labels: Sides
Posted by Jeannie ::
2:59 PM ::
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Bourbon Brie
1/4 cup firmly packed Brown Sugar 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts 2 tablespoons bourbon
1 tablespoon butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 C dried cranberries
1/2 (17.3-ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
1 (13.2-ounce) round Brie
baguette slices, apple and pear slices, assorted crackers, grapes.
Preheat over to 400. Melt butter in a saucepan, stir in bourbon and nuts and to toast nuts slightly. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and cranberries.
Place puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface; roll out fold lines. Spread brown sugar mixture in a 5-inch circle in center of puff pastry sheet. Cut top rind off cheese; discard rind. Place cheese, rindless side up, in center of pastry on top of brown sugar mixture. (You can also put the brie down first and pour the brown sugar mixture on top of that.)
Wrap puff pastry around Brie, pinching to seal tightly, and place on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet, folded side down.
Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until pastry is lightly brown. Cool 10 minutes on baking sheet. Serve warm with French baguette slices, apple and pear slices, and assorted crackers.Labels: Dips and Appetizers
Posted by Jeannie ::
11:47 AM ::
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Maple Glazed Pork Chops
Maple Glazed Pork Chops
6 bone-in pork loin chops, about 1-inch thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat until hot but not browned. Brown pork chops on each side. Add maple syrup and coat lightly. Transfer meat to baking dish. Bake until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Bourbon Buttered Apple Slices:
1/2 cup butter
2 large golden delicious apples, peeled, sliced 1/4-inch thick
3 tablespoons chopped shallots
3 tablespoons bourbon or apple cider
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup apple cider
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Heat 1/4 cup of the butter in large skillet. Add apples and shallots and cook over medium heat until apples are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add Bourbon and cook 2 minutes. Add maple syrup; cook 1 minute. Add cider and cook over medium-high heat until most of liquid has evaporated. Reduce heat and stir in remaining butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir in sage, nutmeg and cloves. Serve over pork chops.Labels: Main Dishes
Posted by Jeannie ::
11:32 AM ::
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My dad is a beekeeper (that's him checking his hives in the photo above) and he has introduced the great benefits of honey to us all. Honestly, there's so much to learn. http://www.honey.com/consumers/honeyinfo/general.asp
