So when Eric made book shelves for our living room, he used his friend's shop. The family is one we met in our previous ward here in Virginia, and they are really nice and very good people. The wife is a convert to the church, and she's pretty devout, even taking into consideration some things I've never thought much about. For example, when Eric went back over to make a coffee table for our living room, he discovered that they have taught their kids that it's not a coffee table, it's a prayer table.
Lots of people think coffee cake has coffee in it, so I guess I should start calling it prayer cake.
Anyway, here's a link to Pioneer Woman's "prayer" cough* coffee* cake. I made it on Sunday for company, and it's absolutely divine. And the best part is, I bet most of you already have all the ingredients in your pantry.
The Best Coffee Cake. Ever.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Gooey Butter Cake: A St. Louis Tradition
Here is a healthy recipe to help you all with your diets.
Kaldi's Gooey Butter Cake
Kaldi's
Yield: 12 servings
For crust:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons water
1 (18- to 19-ounce) box yellow cake mix (I personally like to use lemon cake mix, but you pick your favorite)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
For topping:
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 pounds (about 5 1/2 cups) powdered sugar, plus more for garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch metal pan with foil; coat foil with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Prepare the crust. Combine butter, 1 egg and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla; beat with an electric mixer until well blended. Add water, cake mix and flour; beat until combined. Place dough into the prepared pan, and press into an even layer.
3. Prepare the topping. Beat cream cheese at medium speed about 2 minutes, until very smooth. (then realize the eggs you bought at Wlmart didn't make it home with you, so run & borrow some from the neighbors)Add 3 eggs and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla and beat until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating just until blended and smooth. Pour topping over crust and spread evenly.
4. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool completely. Just before serving, sift 3 to 4 tablespoons powdered sugar over cake.
Per serving: 630 calories (I wish I'd never read this part); 24g fat; 12g saturated fat; 125mg cholesterol; 7g protein; 96g carbohydrate; 75g sugar; 1g fiber; 400mg sodium; 100mg calcium.
Adapted for home kitchens by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Kaldi's Gooey Butter Cake
Kaldi's
Yield: 12 servings
For crust:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons water
1 (18- to 19-ounce) box yellow cake mix (I personally like to use lemon cake mix, but you pick your favorite)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
For topping:
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 pounds (about 5 1/2 cups) powdered sugar, plus more for garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch metal pan with foil; coat foil with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Prepare the crust. Combine butter, 1 egg and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla; beat with an electric mixer until well blended. Add water, cake mix and flour; beat until combined. Place dough into the prepared pan, and press into an even layer.
3. Prepare the topping. Beat cream cheese at medium speed about 2 minutes, until very smooth. (then realize the eggs you bought at Wlmart didn't make it home with you, so run & borrow some from the neighbors)Add 3 eggs and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla and beat until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating just until blended and smooth. Pour topping over crust and spread evenly.
4. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool completely. Just before serving, sift 3 to 4 tablespoons powdered sugar over cake.
Per serving: 630 calories (I wish I'd never read this part); 24g fat; 12g saturated fat; 125mg cholesterol; 7g protein; 96g carbohydrate; 75g sugar; 1g fiber; 400mg sodium; 100mg calcium.
Adapted for home kitchens by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Yummy shortbread
I got this recipe from Food Network Magazine and it's actually a lot easier than I thought it would be to make shortbread. Yum.
Oat-Walnut Thins
2 sticks butter
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 c flour
1 c ground oats
3/4 c finely ground walnuts
1 tsp salt
Beat butter, sugar and powdered sugar until fluffy. Whisk flour and salt together, add walnuts and oats, then combine with butter and sugar mixture. Divide in half and press into two 8-inch square pans, score and bake about 1 hour at 300 degrees. Cool and slice; drizzle with melted chocolate.
Oat-Walnut Thins
2 sticks butter
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 c flour
1 c ground oats
3/4 c finely ground walnuts
1 tsp salt
Beat butter, sugar and powdered sugar until fluffy. Whisk flour and salt together, add walnuts and oats, then combine with butter and sugar mixture. Divide in half and press into two 8-inch square pans, score and bake about 1 hour at 300 degrees. Cool and slice; drizzle with melted chocolate.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Perfect French Toast
This is not recipe, sorry.
I've put a lot of time into experimenting with my French toast recipe (and this explains my gut) & I have the following tips:
1. Instead of whisking the egg mixture, whip it with a hand mixer. The bread will get soaked through instead of getting coated with a slimy layer of eggs. And your french toast will have a much better consistency when it's done cooking.
2. Add some vanilla & cinnamon to the egg mixture for extra flavor or just sprinkle the cinnamon over the top of each slice as it is cooking.
3. Let the bread sit out overnight.
4. Use a crusty bread (although any bread will be fine, a nice, crusty bread will be better) & slice it into thick slices.
5. Fry the bread in whatever you like (oil or butter) as opposed to simply browning it.
6. Your syrup should be warm, not cold.
That is all.
I've put a lot of time into experimenting with my French toast recipe (and this explains my gut) & I have the following tips:
1. Instead of whisking the egg mixture, whip it with a hand mixer. The bread will get soaked through instead of getting coated with a slimy layer of eggs. And your french toast will have a much better consistency when it's done cooking.
2. Add some vanilla & cinnamon to the egg mixture for extra flavor or just sprinkle the cinnamon over the top of each slice as it is cooking.
3. Let the bread sit out overnight.
4. Use a crusty bread (although any bread will be fine, a nice, crusty bread will be better) & slice it into thick slices.
5. Fry the bread in whatever you like (oil or butter) as opposed to simply browning it.
6. Your syrup should be warm, not cold.
That is all.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Huckleberry Lemon Scones
I substituted frozen raspberries in this recipe because I already had some at home. They worked well. These were so yummy.....
(recipe from allrecipes.com)
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup half-and-half cream
3/4 teaspoon lemon zest
3/4 cup fresh huckleberries
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
2.Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter and lemon juice until evenly mixed and slightly crumbly. Whisk together the eggs and half-and-half in a small bowl; add 3/4 teaspoons lemon zest with the egg mixture to flour mixture, and mix gently just until well blended and forming a dough. Fold in the huckleberries.
3.Divide dough in half, and on a floured surface, shape each half into a ball, then flatten slightly. Cut each round into six wedges; place on prepared baking sheet.
4.Bake in the preheated oven until tops are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice to make a glaze. Drizzle glaze on cooled scones. Sprinkle with remaining lemon zest for garnish.
(recipe from allrecipes.com)
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup half-and-half cream
3/4 teaspoon lemon zest
3/4 cup fresh huckleberries
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
2.Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter and lemon juice until evenly mixed and slightly crumbly. Whisk together the eggs and half-and-half in a small bowl; add 3/4 teaspoons lemon zest with the egg mixture to flour mixture, and mix gently just until well blended and forming a dough. Fold in the huckleberries.
3.Divide dough in half, and on a floured surface, shape each half into a ball, then flatten slightly. Cut each round into six wedges; place on prepared baking sheet.
4.Bake in the preheated oven until tops are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice to make a glaze. Drizzle glaze on cooled scones. Sprinkle with remaining lemon zest for garnish.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Seriously?
What are we teaching our children about healthy foods if we have to have commercial after commercial about all the products that make fruits and vegetables "bearable." Seriously? You need to hide your veggies in spaghetti sauce? And fruits in a sugary drink?
Positive attitudes about healthy food will make a world of difference in our own diets as well as our children's. Fruits and vegetables are great, and I will celebrate eating them! :)
Positive attitudes about healthy food will make a world of difference in our own diets as well as our children's. Fruits and vegetables are great, and I will celebrate eating them! :)
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Spit pea soup
Do you guys remember that story that Mom always tells about how she accidentally called it spit pea soup? How embarrassing ;)
One night it was definitely time to go to bed, but Good Eats was starting and Alton Brown was talking about how to get people who don't like peas to eat their peas, and since my husband is one of those people, we decided to stick around.
I was glad we did, because he started out with a split pea soup recipe that sounded pretty easy--and would help me use up some of the split peas I'd gotten from WIC checks...anyway, it turned out really yummy, and even my dubious husband gulped down his share. Now the new mystery is how to make it look more appealing!
Click here for the recipe!
One night it was definitely time to go to bed, but Good Eats was starting and Alton Brown was talking about how to get people who don't like peas to eat their peas, and since my husband is one of those people, we decided to stick around.
I was glad we did, because he started out with a split pea soup recipe that sounded pretty easy--and would help me use up some of the split peas I'd gotten from WIC checks...anyway, it turned out really yummy, and even my dubious husband gulped down his share. Now the new mystery is how to make it look more appealing!
Click here for the recipe!
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