Crunchy Peach Coffee Cake

My absolute favorite time of year is spring. The weather is perfect here in NC, and every week there's a new flower ready to bloom. I just love to see colorful blossoms! 

A few years ago, my husband wanted to plant a new tree in the yard to replace one that had died. My only request was that he come home with something that flowers in the spring. I wasn't too picky because I love all the flowering trees--redbuds, cherry trees, crab apples, dogwoods, even Bradford pear trees. My husband, being practical as ever, came home with a peach tree the size of a twig that looked half dead. I'm pretty sure he found it on the clearance rack.

The first year, we got no flowers and no peaches. The second year, we got a few pathetic blossoms, and a handful of inedible peaches as small and hard as golf balls. The next year wasn't much better. I was unimpressed to say the least.

But this spring, the whole tree was covered with tiny but beautiful blossoms, and soon after, peaches! We waited impatiently while they grew from hard, green knobs to large, peachy globes. Much to my delight, the first one I picked was soft, juicy, and totally delicious! Right away, I started browsing peach recipes. This one looked the best, so I couldn't resist making it first. It turned out just as amazing as it looks, and it is great for breakfast, dessert, or anytime snacking!

Crunchy Peach Coffee Cake

Prep time: 20 min Bake time: 45 min

Serves 20

BATTER:

4 cups baking mix (such as Bisquick)

1 1/3 cups milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

4 cups peaches, peeled and diced (about 6 peaches)

STREUSEL TOPPING:

1 1/3 cups baking mix

1 1/3 cups brown sugar, packed

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, chilled, diced 

GLAZE:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbs milk or cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13” glass baking dish. (This barely fit in my pan after baking, so use as tall of a dish as possible!)

In a large bowl, mix batter ingredients: baking mix, milk, sugar and eggs. Stir just until smooth.

In another large bowl, mix streusel ingredients: baking mix, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or fork.

Spread half of the batter into the prepared baking dish. Top with half the peaches. Sprinkle half the streusel topping over the peaches. Repeat layers. Sprinkle pecans or walnuts over top.

Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake completely.

In a small bowl, mix glaze ingredients: powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake.

322 calories per serving. Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Peanut Crunch Donuts

Have I mentioned before how much I love donuts? I might have posted a recipe (or ten) of my favorites. You can check out my chocolate glazed donut holes, or this super quick recipe, or this trio of tempting treats.

It's really impossible for me to pick an ultimate favorite, but one of my favorites is the peanut-covered cake donut Dunkin' Donuts makes. I don't know if it's because they're more expensive to produce or because Dunkin' wants to avoid a common allergen, but lately it's harder and harder to find these treasures. Desperately craving them the other day, I decided to figure out a way to make them myself.

This was not the easiest or quickest recipe I've ever made, but it was totally worth the effort. These things were GOOD, and the recipe made a ton, so there's plenty to share (or not, I won't judge!) Even better, while most donuts taste stale the next day, these still tasted fine a week later (stored in an airtight container). When I finally finished them off, I was ready to make another batch!

If you can enlist an assistant to help, the process goes smoother and quicker, especially when it comes to the glazing and peanut-ing.

Peanut Crunch Donuts 
Total time: 90 min
Serves 20

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 1/2 Tbs butter, softened
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
6 cups all-purpose flour
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups of peanuts, finely chopped(
(plus oil for frying)

For the glaze:
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar


With a mixer, cream 1 1/2 cups sugar and softened butter. Add milk, egg, 3 cups flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; mix well. Mix in an additional 2 1/2 to 3 cups flour to form a soft dough that can be rolled out.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness. (Make sure it's 1/2-inch thick--thinner doesn't develop a tender cakey inside, and thicker will lead to insides being undercooked.) Use a donut cutter to cut rounds, flouring the cutter between each cut. Gather up dough scraps and re-roll; cut additional donuts. (Re-roll only once, as over-worked dough results in tough donuts.)

Preheat deep fryer or large Dutch oven filled with at least 1 inch of oil to 360°F. Once oil is at temperature, carefully drop in three to five donuts. Fry until light golden brown all over, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side, turning with tongs or a slotted spoon once or twice during cooking. Line a baking sheet or wire rack with a double thickness of paper towels. Remove cooked donuts from oil and place on the paper towels to drain and cool. Repeat in small batches. Don't forget the donut holes!

For the glaze, combine the milk and vanilla in a saucepan and heat on low until warm. Gradually sift the sugar into the milk mixture, whisking gently and continuously, until well-combined. Remove the saucepan from the stove and place in a bowl of warm-hot water so that just the base of the saucepan is submerged in the water. If the glaze is so thick that it is starting to harden in parts, continue whisking it while very slowly dropping in hot water using a spoon until the glaze is just smooth without clumping or hardening as you whisk.

Take each donut and quickly dip it in the glaze on both sides and immediately roll the donut in the peanuts. Let cool then store in an airtight container.

Alternately, you could leave some donuts plain, dip some in glaze but not peanuts, or roll some in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. I did some of each, and they were all great.

386 calories per serving. Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Summer Squash Lemon Bread

Ah, squash. That tasteless, mushy vegetable that grows in abundance in every neighborhood garden. Does anybody really like that stuff?  Not me, that's for sure. Believe me, I've tried to like it.  I've baked it, sautéed it, even breaded and fried it. I've seasoned it with every spice in my cupboard. I've even hidden it in casseroles and skillet dishes. But no matter what I do with it, I still find it disgusting.

Well, then why do I keep buying it, you ask? I don't! People keep giving it to me! Friends, neighbors, coworkers, clients--everyone seems to think squash is an appropriate gift for a girl like me. I don't know what I do to give them this impression.  Do my fashion choices say, "squash enthusiast?" I do not understand this.

Did you know there's even a national "Leave some zucchini on your neighbor's porch day?"  I think that's because nobody likes squash, and everyone is trying to get rid of it!

Now, I can accept that a nice, buttered slice of zucchini bread is a good use of that particular variety, but what about the bland, yellow squash? What are you supposed to do with that? Well, turns out, you can do pretty much the exact same thing!

Now, I'm over 40 years old, and I've eaten a lot of zucchini bread in my time, but never once have I even heard of summer squash bread. But it's a thing! And it tastes amazing! The method and final outcome are similar to zucchini bread, but the taste is very different. With the addition of lemon juice and zest, this gives lemon pound cake a run for its money.

Have it for breakfast, have it for dessert, have it for a midday snack. Don't worry if you eat it up fast. More squash is coming.

Summer Squash Lemon Bread
Prep time: 15 min  Bake time: 60 min
Serves 16 (makes 2 loaves)

1 cup melted butter
2 ¼ cups sugar
¼ cup plus 2 Tbs lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 ½ cups grated summer squash

Glaze
2 Tbs butter
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbs lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two loaf pans with baking spray.
Combine the sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a mixing bowl. Melt the butter. Add the butter and mix to combine. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until the batter is light and fluffy, (about 2-3 minutes.)
Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and barely combine into a batter. Add the grated squash and mix until just combined.
Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour.
Let cool until the pan is just cool enough to handle, then remove from pans.
While the bread is cooling, make the glaze. Melt 2 Tbs of butter. Add the 3 Tbs of lemon juice. Whisk to combine. Add the powdered sugar and whisk to combine. Add water to thin to the desired consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the loaves.

370 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Homemade BoBerry Biscuits

My coworker was talking about making homemade apple fritters all week, and they sounded so good I decided to make some, too. I searched Pinterest for my favorite apple fritter recipe, but you know how it first shows you all the results and then you have to click on "your pins" to find the recipe you saved? Well, right next to all the yummy apple fritter recipes was a recipe for blueberry fritters!

They looked awesome, so I decided to give them a try. Only problem was, the recipe called for 2 eggs and I had no eggs, because I used them all for some delicious egg salad the day before. Bummed, I decided to go back to my apple fritter recipe, only to discover it called for an egg, too! Double-bummed, I went back to Pinterest and saw the blueberry fritter recipe again, which reminded me of the BoBerry Biscuits they sell at Bojangles.

If you don't know what Bojangles is, well, I am so sorry!  Bojangles is a Charlotte, NC-based fast food restaurant with franchise locations pretty much everywhere south of the Mason-Dixon. They specialize in chicken and biscuits, and sticking with the theme, for dessert they offer their amazing buttery biscuits, speckled with blueberries and drizzled with glaze. I decided to search for a copycat recipe for those, and low and behold, I found one--and it didn't even call for eggs!

These turned out great and took about as long to make as it would've taken me to drive to my local Bojangles and buy some. I used some frozen blueberries, but fresh or even dried would be just fine.


Homemade BoBerry Biscuits

Prep time: 10 min  Bake time: 10 min
Serves 12

2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups buttermilk*
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbs shortening
1/2 cup butter, cut into 1/4 in cubes
5 oz blueberries

Glaze
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
4 tsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450F.

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in shortening and butter. Add buttermilk and stir till just combined.  Fold in blueberries.  Add additional flour if dough is too sticky.

Place dough on floured cutting board, rub rolling pin with flour, and roll dough out to desired thickness. (I like 3/4 inch)

Use a cookie or biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits.

Bake for 8-10 minutes till desired brownness.

Combine glaze ingredients and drizzle over biscuits. These are great warm or cool!

*If you don't have buttermilk and can't be bothered to go get some, just add 1-2 Tbs of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of milk and let it sit for 5 minutes till it starts to curdle. Voila! You have buttermilk.

244 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Apple Fritter Casserole

It's Labor Day weekend, and that means September has arrived--time for back to school, (slightly) cooler temps, and apples! It doesn't really start to feel like fall here until about November, but I start craving apple recipes just as soon as I see all those shiny, new school supplies.

I love a good apple pie as much as the next guy, and I have some nice recipes for apple cakes, breads and donuts, but this recipe is an interesting combination of all of those. I can't decide if it's breakfast or dessert, so I ate it for both!

Apple Fritter Casserole
Prep time: 20 min  Bake time: 25 min
Serves 12

5 apples, peeled & chopped
6 Tbs butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbs water

5 large croissants (about 12 oz)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup apple butter
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup powdered sugar
4 Tbs heavy cream

Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and stir until completely incorporated. Transfer chopped apples to pan and stir until coated with sugar mixture. Cook for 5 minutes while stirring frequently. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and warm water. Add the cornstarch mixture to apples and continue to cook/stir for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside while prepping the other ingredients. The apples should be soft and the liquid will be a syrup consistency.

Preheat oven to 375°F
Whisk together the heavy cream, apple butter, eggs and cinnamon. Spray 9x11 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Slice the croissants in half across middle. Place the bottom halves of the croissants in an even layer. Pour half of the apple butter/cream mixture over the croissants. Top with half of the caramelized apple mixture. Arrange the croissant tops in an even layer. Top with the remaining cream mixture and apples. Pour all of the syrupy apple mixture over the casserole. Gently press down on the top with a wooden spoon or spatula. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, or till lightly browned on top.

Mix powdered sugar and heavy cream together with a fork until smooth. Drizzle over the finished casserole.


320 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!
 

Easy No-Wait Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

Last weekend was CrAzY around here!  For some insane reason, I decided to host a dinner party on Saturday, so I spent every spare minute of the weekend cleaning, shopping, and cooking in preparation.  Don't get me wrong, the party was nice, but boy was that a lot of work!  This weekend, I vowed to do absolutely nothing that I didn't have to do.  Unfortunately, I'm kind of an overachiever, so it's hard for me to actually follow through on that kind of plan, but so far I'm doing pretty good.  Since I had all this spare time on my hands, of course my first thoughts went to the kitchen!  Lazy Saturdays always make me want to bake something sinfully delicious for breakfast, but in keeping with my no-work vow, I wanted to make something really quick and easy.  Heck, who am I kidding - I ALWAYS want my recipes to be quick and easy!  There should be a special word to describe these kinds of fabulous recipes - quick, easy....queasy?  Okay, maybe not.  But seriously, why make something that takes forever when there are so many great things out there that don't?!

Cinnamon rolls are a perfect example of this.  Most recipes call for lots of yeast, kneading, rising, and worst of all, waiting.  Who wants to wait hours for breakfast? Definitely not this girl.  This recipes going from a counter-full of ingredients to a plateful of gooey cinnamon rolls in less than 40 minutes.  Now that's what I'm talking about!  Plus, these are chocolate, cuz, why not?!!

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
Prep: 20min  Bake: 20 min
Serves 9

For the chocolate dough:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 Tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream
7 Tbs butter, melted and divided

For the Cinnamon Filling:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbs butter, melted
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

For the Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp milk, if needed
2 Tbs mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat in the buttermilk, sour cream, and 2 tablespoons melted butter until a soft dough forms. Do not over mix.

Place the dough ball on a well floured surface. Knead the dough 4-5 times to get a little flour into it. The dough will be a little sticky. Try not to add to much extra flour, though. Very carefully press the dough evenly into a 10x14 rectangle. Use a little bit of flour to keep it from sticking. Spread 2 tablespoons melted butter on top of the rectangle.

In a small bowl stir together the filling ingredients. Spoon the filling mixture over the butter. Leave about a 1/2 inch around the edge. Carefully roll the dough into a log from the shortest side up. If the dough sticks, use a knife or spatula to gently loosen as you roll it up. Cut the log into 9 even pieces.

Grease an 8x8 baking dish with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Place the 9 rolls in the pan. Drizzle with the last 2 tablespoons melted butter. Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly.

Whisk together the cream cheese and powdered sugar with a fork. If it is too thick, you can thin it out with a little milk. Spread over the tops of the warm cinnamon rolls and sprinkle with a few mini chocolate chips. Store covered in the refrigerator.

471 calories per serving. Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Perfect for Every Occasion Panini

Have you ever noticed the labels at the bottom of each of my recipes?  They are a handy way to help you find the kind of recipe you want.  If you look on the lower right side of each page, you should see a list of all the different categories of recipes on this site.  Looking for a side dish?  I have 14 to choose from and you can see them all by clicking on "side dishes."  Obviously, some recipes are going to fall into more than one category; in fact, most do, but this recipe wins the prize, hands down, for the most!  This scrumptious sandwich would be great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, a late night snack or dessert.  It's meatless, so it's good for vegetarians and Lent-observing Catholics, it's quick and easy, so it's great for the lazy, and it's kind of fancy, so even the highbrow can appreciate it.  For you simpler folk, don't be turned off by the word "panini," it's nothing but a hot sandwich that's been squished into deliciousness.  You can make this in a gourmet panini press, in a pan on the stove like a grilled cheese, or even in a George Foreman grill, like I usually do.  However, and whenever, you make it, it will be great!

Apple Pie Panini
Prep time: 5 min   Cook time: 5 min
Serves 4

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese (you can get this at Wal-Mart near the deli section with the fancy cheeses)
1 1/2 Tbs honey
4 Tbs (1/2 stick) butter, softened
8 slices cinnamon raisin bread
1 apple, cored and thinly sliced
2 Tbs brown sugar 

Heat a panini press to medium-high heat.  Whisk the mascarpone and honey together until it’s well combined and fluffy.
 
Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread to flavor the outside of the sandwich. Flip over and spread 1 tablespoon sweetened mascarpone on each. Top 4 of the bread slices with a layer of apples and close the sandwiches with the other slices, buttered side up. Sprinkle some brown sugar on top.

Grill two panini at a time, with the lid closed, until the fillings are warmed and the bread is toasted, with a sweet crust, 3 to 5 minutes. Top each sandwich with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, if desired. 

328 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Do-It-Yourself Dunkins - Glazed Chocolate Donut Holes

I used to work at Dunkin' Donuts a lifetime ago and had donuts for dinner every day.  Not once did I get tired of them. My favorite? Well, that's kind of hard to decide because I love them all, but I always go back to the chocolate glazed. On just about any given day you can bet I've got a hankerin' for them, but up until recently I was limited by the scarcity of nearby donut shops. Now, of course, there are more donut shops in this town than my figure can afford to know about, but I have since mastered the art of making my own donuts whenever I desire them. That is probably a lot more dangerous for my diet, but awfully satisfying to my sweet tooth.

I tried this recipe for the first time today and was thrilled with the similarity to my favorite little Munchkins. These are baked, not fried, so they are presumably a little healthier, but when you're eating donuts, who the heck is counting? This recipe makes a ton, so feel free to half it if you don't like donuts quite as much as me.

Glazed Chocolate Donut Holes
Prep time: 10 min  Bake time: 15 min
Makes 48

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt (or sour cream)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbs unsalted butter, melted

Glaze:
1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray two 24-count mini muffin pans with nonstick spray. 

Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Sifting is important; you want to remove any clumps of cocoa.  

In a medium bowl, whisk the beaten eggs, milk, yogurt, and vanilla together until completely smooth.  Whisk in the melted butter until combined.  Slowly fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, careful not to overmix. Over-handling this batter will make your donut holes dense and tough.

Spoon batter into the mini muffin tins, only about 3/4 of the way full.  Be careful not to overfill or your donut holes will end up looking more like mushrooms!  Bake for 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake them; they burn easily.  Allow the donuts to cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool for 5 more minutes before glazing.
 
While the donuts are cooling, make the glaze by sifting the confectioner's sugar into a medium bowl. Stir in the milk, vanilla, and lemon juice until smooth.  Add more confectioners' sugar to make it thicker if desired; add more milk to make it thinner.  Dunk each slightly warm donut hole into the glaze and place on a wire rack on top of a large baking sheet to let the glaze drip down. Let glaze harden before serving--if you can wait that long!

69 calories per donut hole.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Quicker than a Biscuit - Donuts

I'm supposed to be on a diet.  Problem is, I have very low self control.  All it takes is a free Saturday and a good-looking Pinterest recipe to blow my whole week's worth of effort.  Actually, sometimes all it takes is a poorly-timed food commercial, but that makes me sound really bad!  I have been trying hard not to indulge myself in all the yummy recipes I run across (and trying to avoid Pinterest altogether) but when I saw how reasonable the calorie count was on these little beauties, and realized that I could be eating them in about 10 minutes, yeah, the self control was out the door.  I was really skeptical at first that these would taste like a donut and not like a biscuit, but they were great!  I coated them with cinnamon sugar as the recipe says, but I think they would also taste fabulous with a glaze or a flavored icing.  I'll try that next time and let you know how it turns out.  Just like at Krispy Kreme, these are best when they're warm, but they were still good several hours later.  Just ask Rachel - I made them around 9am, but she didn't get out of the bed and try one till 1 o'clock!  She's lucky there were some left!

Biscuit Donuts

Prep time: 5 min  Cook time: 5 min
Serves 10

1 can biscuits (any kind, just not flaky layers)
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs cinnamon
1/4 cup margarine
Vegetable oil for frying

Pour oil into skillet to the depth of a little less than 1/2 an inch and heat on medium to medium high for about five minutes.

In a bowl, melt margarine. In a separate bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar.  Cut the center out of each biscuit (a plastic bottle cap works great for this.)

Drop dough into hot oil, watching carefully and turning when golden, less than a minute per side. Once donuts are golden on both sides, remove to a draining rack (see example here.) Repeat until all dough is cooked, including donut holes.

Dip both sides of each donut into melted margarine, then press both sides into cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve warm.

159 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Pumpkin Scones

It seems like everyone is in love with fall: the autumnal colors, the cool crisp air, the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte.  The excitement in the air when October rolls around is practically palpable.

I, however, am not the least bit happy to see the arrival of autumn.  To me, fall means cold weather, dead grass, and trading my comfy shorts and tees for bulky jackets and heavy jeans.  Disliking the taste of coffee in any form, I can't even appreciate the highly-acclaimed Starbucks PSL!

Ah, but the pumpkin, that perfectly piquant pathway to pleasure, THAT I can appreciate.  I could fill an entire cookbook with the preponderance of pumpkin recipes I would like to try.  I suppose you could make pumpkin repasts any time of the year, but it just seems weird to eat pumpkin in the summer, so instead I save up all my recipes and flood my family with pumpkin come fall.

Previously, I posted one of my favorite pumpkin breakfast recipes, Pumpkin Poppers, and I'm anxious to make those again, but several months ago I pinned a pumpkin scone recipe, and it's been taunting me ever since.  Today, the first free Saturday morning I've had all month, seemed like the perfect time to try them out.  I've heard that Starbucks sells a similar pastry, but never having tried it, I can't tell you how it compares.  What I can tell you it that the kid and I each ate 3 of them before Allen even had a chance.  Fortunately, the recipe makes 12, so he can still have some--if he hurries!

The original recipe calls for two separate glazes, a plain one to cover the scone and a spiced one to drizzle decoratively over top.  In the picture it looks really pretty, but I was anxious to eat them, so I just made the spiced glaze and spread it all over, and it tasted great.

Pumpkin Scones
link to original recipe 
Prep time: 15 min  Bake: 15 min 
Serves 12 

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
6 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
4 Tbs half-and-half

Glaze:
1 cup plus 2 Tbs powdered sugar
4 tsp milk

Spiced Glaze:
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
pinch ginger
2 tsp milk


Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, both sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Add in the cold butter, and using a pastry cutter or 2 forks, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture, and no large lumps remain.

In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, egg, and half-and-half. Pour into the flour mixture and fold to combine.

Form the dough into a ball. On a lightly floured work surface, pat the dough into a long rectangle, about 4x13-inches, and about 1-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough in half lengthwise, then cut into 6 equal pieces. Cut each of the pieces once, on the diagonal, to make 2 triangles. You will end up with 12 triangles.
 
Place the cut pieces of dough on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about an inch of space around. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until golden brown. Place on a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Using a pastry brush, paint the glaze onto the cooled scones. Allow to dry for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until the icing is not wet, before topping with the spiced glaze.

For the Spiced Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Whisk in the milk until smooth. Put the icing into a small zip-lock bag and cut a small hole into one corner and use it as a piping bag to make the zigzag pattern on top.

178 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

How 'Bout Them Apples?

You'd never guess it based on this weekend, but I appreciate the simple things in life: a good book, a catchy song, simple flavors.  This weekend was complicated.  I took my daughter to her very first concert - the Taylor Swift Red Tour.  That doesn't sound like it should be so complicated, but it required buying the tickets a year in advance, prepping dinner in the Crock-Pot so we could be out the door 20 minutes after I got off work, driving an hour to Raleigh, detouring around the city when a car accident blocked the highway, idling in line for 30 minutes to get a parking spot, forcing our way through a massive throng of people while circling the arena twice in order to find our seats, enduring the nonstop screaming of 14,000 teenage girls, and spending more than $500 on 2 tickets, parking, 2 souvenir shirts and a bucket of popcorn.  All that for a few hours of entertainment!  And, of course, some priceless memories with my munchkin.  After all that, I needed something simple to soothe my frazzled nerves.  What could be simpler than butter, sugar, and apples, simmered for a couple minutes on the stove and sprinkled with a few spices.  These apples are great served up as a side dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner, as a topping for ice cream or pancakes, or even as a simple dessert - call it crustless apple pie and it sounds like health food!  My momma taught me better, but these were so good I couldn't help but lick the plate.

Skillet Fried Apples
link to original recipe
Prep time: 5 min  Cook time: 15 min
Serves 4
 
3 large Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and cut into wedges
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 
1/4 cup light brown sugar, well packed
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the brown sugar. Add the apples and cook over medium until apples begin to release juices. Reduce to medium low and simmer for about 15 minutes or until apples are tender. Sprinkle spices on top and toss until well blended.

207 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Blueberry Breakfast Bliss

Well, I did it again. I bought WAY too much fruit at the grocery store yesterday. But how can I resist when the blueberries are big and beautiful and only $1.29?!

Blueberries are my hubby's favorite fruit, probably because the tiny town he grew up in had no less than five blueberry farms and you could buy a 10 lb box of them for just a couple dollars in the summer. But he's more of a fruit purist and rarely wants me to waste his precious berries by baking them in a muffin. He likes them plain, sometimes floating in a little cream and sugar, and occasionally in a pie. The problem is he forgets we have them and before we know it they have turned into a pile of blueberry mush.

Well, there's not much you can do with them once they reach the mush stage, but if you find them buried in the fridge just a few minutes before total mushiness, they are still in fine shape to shine in this blueberry delight. Of course, I barely got this week's bounty of berries unpacked before I decided to bake up a pan of this scrumptiousness for breakfast because I prefer my fruit surrounded by cake!

This recipe is called a breakfast cake, probably because it's not super sweet and there's no frosting, but it could totally fill in for dessert in a pinch because the buttermilk keeps it extra moist and rich-tasting. It tastes better than a muffin, and it's easier! In fact, this whips up so fast, I wouldn't even mind waiting for it to bake on a weekday. The kid likes it, the hubs likes it, and occasionally I even save some for them.

Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake 
Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 35 min
16 servings

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp lemon zest (zest from 1 lemon)
1 cup + 1 Tbs sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour, divided
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ cup buttermilk*
2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 1 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy. 

Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt. 

Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.

Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes.  Let cool before serving. (Yeah, I just ate it right away.)

* I like to buy a half gallon of buttermilk, freeze it in ice cube trays, and then just thaw a few cubes as I need them.  To make homemade buttermilk, place 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Fill cup with milk until it reaches the 1-cup line. Let stand for five minutes. Use only 1/2 cup of the prepared mixture for this recipe. 

126 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list! 

Strawberry Flop

Yay for strawberry season!  Everybody in my family loves those tasty red berries, so when they're at their prime I buy way too many of them because they're cheap and look so good.  But the darn things go bad so fast, I usually end up throwing a few of them away.  There's a link circulating the Pinterest world that recommends pre-soaking your berries in diluted vinegar to prolong their life, and I keep meaning to try that, but it just hasn't happened yet.  So, once again, I have a container full of almost spoiled strawberries sitting in my fridge, silently screaming, "I'm dying!  Please eat me!"  Of course, my go-to recipe for berries that are almost gone is strawberry shortcake, but when I saw this beautiful strawberry-studded Bundt cake I knew I had to try it.  Plus, it's sort of like a coffee cake, which is breakfast food, and I am all about cake for breakfast.

Now I like to think of myself as a decent cook, maybe even a pretty good cook, but for some reason I have gained a reputation amongst my friends for being some kind of super chef who can do no wrong.  While I enjoy the admiration, I don't really think I deserve all of it.  So, lest my faithful followers develop the same level of veneration, I thought I would share one of my less-successful cooking experiences with you.

This recipe calls for the cake to be baked in a Bundt pan to attain a pretty shape since it is not frosted, but I don't own a Bundt pan.  Creative cook that I am, I decided to use an angel food cake pan instead.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves as to how well that worked out.  Nevertheless, this cake is super tasty, and a great use of extra strawberries, and it might even be pretty, if you follow the directions a little better than I did!

My attempt

How it's supposed to look = )

Strawberry Yogurt Cake 
Prep time: 20 min  Bake time: 60 min
Serves 12

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups sugar
3 eggs

3 Tbs lemon juice, divided

Zest of 1 lemon

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

8 oz plain or vanilla Greek yogurt

12 oz fresh strawberries, diced

1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan (10-15 cup pan.) Sift together the 2 ¼ cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 Tbs lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.

Toss the strawberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter. Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Place in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool at least 20 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Once cooled, whisk together the remaining 2 Tb. of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

346 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Fluffy Balls of Heaven

I absolutely adore donuts, and especially eating them on lazy Saturday mornings.  If the Saturday is lazy enough, I even love making my own donuts.  I'm usually too vain to drive to the bakery in pj's with messy hair and bad breath, too hungry to wait till I get myself cleaned up, and I haven't yet mastered the art of convincing my husband to go out and buy them for me on Saturdays, so making them myself is about the only way I'm going to get them.

Well, I guess I could buy them the day before, but I always manage to convince myself that I don't need them when I'm at the store.  Somehow my self control seems to disappear on Saturdays and my desire for donuts blooms into full blown necessity - especially on lazy Saturdays, which don't happen too often around here. It seems like there's always a million chores and errands begging for attention on the typical Saturday, so donut making is a luxury I rarely indulge. This Saturday, however, blossomed chore-free and full of promise, mainly because I had Good Friday off and got all those pesky chores done already.

Thanks to Pinterest, I have plenty of tasty donut recipes to choose from, and so far every one I've tried has turned out great.  I haven't tried making any yeast donuts yet, mainly because I don't want to wait for them to rise, but there are lots of good quick donut recipes out there. Because this is one of those rare lazy Saturdays and my belly is full and happy, I'm giving you a bonus and posting three tried and true donut recipes that whip up in no time and taste divine. Plus, they all make donut hole sized goodies, which I never feel quite as guilty about popping into my mouth.

Apple Fritters
1 heaping cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1 – 2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs butter, melted
1 egg
1/3 cup milk + plus more if needed
1 – 1 1/2 cups chopped apple
oil for frying
milk and powdered sugar glaze for dipping (About 1 cup pwd. sugar + 1 Tbs milk or more) 


Mix all dry ingredients together; slowly add the wet ingredients minus the apple. Carefully mix until well combined but not overly beat, gently fold in apple pieces. The batter should be the consistency of a light cake mix.

 Once the oil is ready (when a test drop of dough floats to the top of the oil, a drop of water sizzles, or a piece of white bread browns in 60 seconds) then using a cookie scooper or soup spoon, place a 4-5 balls of dough into the oil. Be careful not to overcrowd and watch carefully for the underside to turn golden brown, then gently flip over and continue frying until done. I cooked mine about 35 seconds per side, but they were the size of golf balls – adjust cooking times based on size of fritters and temperature of your oil, ideally around 365° F. It is always a good idea to test one to ensure it comes out like you are expecting.  Let cool on paper towels then glaze.

 Pumpkin Poppers
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup pumpkin

1/2 cup milk

For Coating:
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbs cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350F and spray mini muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine flour, baking powder ,salt, and spices in a bowl and whisk until combined.

In another bowl, mix oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin, and milk.  Pour in flour mixture and mix until just combined.  Fill mini muffin tins until almost full and bake 10-12 minutes.

Melt butter in small bowl.  Mix sugar and cinnamon in a separate small bowl.  After poppers cool for a few minutes, LIGHTLY coat them in butter and roll them in the sugar mixture.

 15 Minute Donuts
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbs melted butter
2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
Granulated sugar, cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar, for coating


Preheat oil to 360 over medium heat in a 10 inch non-stick fry-pan or deep fryer. 

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. 

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together milk, buttermilk, sugar and melted butter.

Using a fork, stir in dry ingredients and mix just until combined (think of making biscuit dough, you just want to incorporate the ingredients).

Measure out tablespoonfuls of dough, and, using OILED hands(trust me on this), gently roll into a ball (gently rolling to keep them fluffy, think of rolling something really fragile. Again this is like a biscuit dough you don't want to overwork it). Gently place dough ball into oil and fry until golden brown on bottom then flip and cook reverse side until golden brown. Carefully remove and drain onto a paper towel lined plate. Roll in sugar.