Friends Food Family

Cinnamon Raisin Buttermilk Coffee Cake

(Delicious Cinnamon Raisin Buttermilk Coffee Cake)

On Mother's Day, we serve a big breakfast for both the Sankey and White families. We open it up to all siblings and their families to enjoy a big breakfast with their mother.

As I was shopping for all the breakfast supplies, I knew I wanted to make one of our family favorites, Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberries. I picked up a large container of buttermilk and upon arriving home, realized I already had buttermilk. So, with two containers of buttermilk, I knew I would be making more than Buttermilk Pancakes. 

Usually, when our family comes for a holiday or special occasion meal, we make a coffee cake. People will snack on it prior to the meal with a cup of coffee. I decided to look for a recipe that had buttermilk and found this Raisin Buttermilk Coffee Cake from Taste of Home. There weren't many ingredients and I knew I could mix it, get it in the pan and basically have it coming out of the oven just prior to guests arriving for breakfast.

We served our cinnamon raisin buttermilk cake warm from the oven. Our mothers got the first taste and I always know that when it ends with, "Could I have just a little bit more?", it's good! Everyone grabbed pieces to enjoy with their coffee as we finished the bacon, eggs and pancakes. My favorite part to making a quick coffee cake is being able to send a little sweetness home with our guests. My daughter enjoyed the biggest piece of cake as she left to go back to her apartment in South Boston, "My roommates will love this, they like everything you make!" I guess as a mother, knowing your kids (and their friends) love what you make, it's worth every recipe.

This works as a great breakfast cake as well as a snack cake, it was very light and melted in your mouth. The cinnamon topping added just enough sweetness to not overpower the cake. There are times I love a bread or cake that has lots of topping but for something light before our breakfast, it was perfect. I even got my nephew, Matthew, to try it and he doesn't like raisins. He said he really liked it.

Try a pan full of cinnamon raisin buttermilk coffee cake, it's easy and your family will love it.

Cinnamon Raisin Buttermilk Coffee Cake (Adapted from Taste of Home)

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Topping
1 cup of brown sugar, packed
1 cup of chopped walnuts (we toasted ours, slightly)
1/3 cup of butter, melted
2 tablespoons of flour
4 teaspoons of cinnamon

In a small bowl, using a fork, combine the 5 topping ingredients and mix until you have a coarse crumb consistency. Put aside.

Coffee Cake Batter
1/2 cup of butter, softened
1-1/2 cups of sugar
2 eggs
3 cups of flour
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 cups of buttermilk
1 cup of raisins

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

1. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together using a mixer (hand or stand alone).
3. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating them into the butter and sugar mixture.
4. Add half the flour mixture and then half of the buttermilk mixture, alternating until the mixture is completely combined.
5. Mix in the raisins.
6. Place 1/2 the batter in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 the cinnamon brown sugar topping. Put remaining batter on top, finish with the remaining topping.
7. Bake in oven for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool slightly and depending on whether you want to enjoy a warm piece or cooled, slice and serve.
Feeds 12-15 people.

 

Williams-Sonoma's Blackberry Muffins

I must confess, I have fallen in love with blackberries. Not because we pick numerous cups of them every other day from our garden, but because they are...DELICIOUS. Over the past month, we have been adding and substituting blackberries in many of our favorite dishes. To date, I think the best use of our blackberries was in our Sunday morning pancakes. We have made blackberry (and peach) cobbler, blackberry jam and blackberry breakfast bars. I will end this obsession with blackberry muffins.

I knew I had a few cups of blackberries in the refrigerator that I needed to use. We are almost out of blackberry breakfast bars which I made at the beginning of the week, so why not one more breakfast food. (The breakfast bars were a big hit at home as well as at work!) I googled blackberry muffins and this Williams-Sonoma Blackberry Muffin recipe was at the top of the feed. The ingredients looked simple and I liked that there was a hint of lemon in the recipe. I pressed print, with recipe in hand, I was off to pick a few more blackberries and make these wonderful breakfast goodies.

When I'm baking I love any recipe that has an ease of use. The topping was basic, melt your better, add a few basic ingredients and put it aside. The muffin batter was even easier. When a recipe says, mix all the dry ingredients, make a well, pour in the egg, buttermilk and melted butter, stir until blended...that's my kind of recipe. The other side to this recipe is that it makes "just enough" muffins. Many times, I double recipes and freeze the excess. This time, I was looking for something everyone could enjoy and they wouldn't be sitting around for days. As I get ready to leave for work, 6 have already been eaten.

Since I made them last night, my first thoughts this morning were 1. coffee and 2. blackberry muffins. I said to Jeff, "I think I have a new found love, these are better than blueberry muffins." He agreed. I don't know if it is the freshness of the berries or that we don't normally eat blackberries. Having them in our garden has been such a fun experience and we have gotten to enjoy all sorts of blackberry recipes.

So, grab a pint of blackberries and try a different spin on your favorite muffin. You may have a new found love.

Blackberry Muffin recipe was adapted from Williams-Sonoma. 

For the topping:
1⁄3 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of flour
Grated zest of 1⁄2 lemon
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
1/3 cup of pecans, finely chopped

For the muffins:
2 cups of flour
3/4 cup of white sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon of cinnamon
Grated zest of 1⁄2 lemon
1⁄4 teaspoon of salt
1 egg, beaten
5 tablespoons of butter, melted
1 cup of buttermilk

1 pint of blackberries

Preparation:
Preheat an oven to 375°F. Grease 12 standard muffin cups with butter or nonstick cooking spray.

To make the topping- In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, flour and lemon zest. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture is crumbly. Add the pecans and stir to combine. Set aside.

To make the muffins- In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, lemon zest and salt. Make a well in the center and add the egg, melted butter and buttermilk. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Sprinkle with the blackberries and gently fold in with a large rubber spatula just until evenly distributed, no more than a few strokes. Take care not to break up the fruit. Do not over mix.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each to a bit above the rim of the cup. Top each muffin with the topping, dividing it evenly (the sugar will melt and produce a glaze effect).

Bake until the muffins are golden, dry and springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove the muffins. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 12 muffins.

Sarabeth's Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

We were laughing this morning about how Easter was last weekend, yet it seems like we celebrated it weeks ago. We are still eating ham, and ham related dishes along with the last of the desserts which include biscotti, brownies and carrot cake.

When my kids were little, one of our favorite desserts at Easter was carrot cake. That was one of my signature desserts. But somewhere between the move to Easton, MA 9 years ago, then a second move and a basement flooding, I lost a few of my community cookbooks. You know, those great cookbooks put together through non-profit organizations that always include an old family favorite.

Between the carrot cake and the spinach squares (another one of our favorites), I've never really looked to find another recipe. 

Last year, Jeff and I bought Sarabeth's Bakery - From My Hands to Yours. It truly has become one of our staple cookbooks, especially where dessert is my favorite dish. I found a great carrot cake recipe, but she didn't frost hers. I definitely wanted something with frosting and I knew I could whip something together once the cake was made. It had all the ingredients from my old recipe...carrots, pineapple, walnuts, raisins and cinnamon. The rest of the ingredients were simple and I had the cake mixed and in the oven in about 10 minutes. The toughest part was shredding the carrots, which the food processor did quite well.

As the cake baked, I pulled together some ingredients which I knew would produce a tasty frosting. I used a stick of butter to one package of cream cheese, some vanilla, powdered sugar and milk...it was the perfect mixture as well as the perfect amount to frost a two layer cake. I made the cake a day ahead and frosted it once the layers were cooled.

We served two favorite desserts, my mother's famous cheesecake with strawberries and the carrot cake...along with some homemade biscotti and some fudgy shortbread brownies (the next blog article). You always need finger food desserts, no matter how many rich desserts you serve. ;) The carrot cake was moist and flavorful with hints of cinnamon and toasted walnuts. The frosting was perfect and the responses were a riot. We had 18 people for dinner on Easter and most tried the carrot cake. They would come up to me after and say, "Ya know, that was really good carrot cake"...as if it were a secret. Even Jeff, who only tasted a bite on Easter, reminded me a few days later of how good the carrot cake was.

I'm glad I re-discovered carrot cake. It's been too long to go without this gooey, moist, sweet and ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS cake. Thank you Sarabeth, you truly make the BEST carrot cake.

Ingredients:

Carrot Cake:

1 cup of all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

½ teaspoon of kosher salt

1 cup of superfine sugar (we couldn’t find it so we used regular white sugar and put it through a food processor for 2 minutes)

2/3 cup of vegetable oil

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1½ cups of shredded carrots

1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple, well drained (½ cup)

½ cup of walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

½ cup of seedless raisins

Frosting:

½ cup of butter, at room temperature

1 (8-oz.) package of cream cheese, at room temperature

1 teaspoon of vanilla

A pinch of salt

2 cups of confectioner’s sugar (plus or minus for your desired sweetness)

2 tablespoons of milk

½ cup of walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

 

Preparation:

1. Preheat to 350°F. Butter and flour the inside of 2 8 inch cake pans and tap out the excess flour.

2. Mix the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl.

3. Combine the sugar, oil, and eggs in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until the mixture has thickened slightly and is light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low.

4. In thirds, add the flour mixture and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, just until the batter is smooth. Add the carrots, pineapple, walnuts, and raisins and mix until combined.

5. Pour into the prepared pans and smooth the top with a spatula.

6. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert and un-mold the cakes onto the rack and let cool completely.

7. Using the mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and salt.

8. Add one cup of confectioner’s sugar, as it thickens, add milk to bring it to a spreading consistency.

9. Add the second cup, repeating like the first cup. Taste to see if the mix is sweet enough. I used about 2-1/4 cups of confectioner’s sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk. If the consistency is a little dry, add more milk by the teaspoon.

10. When the taste is to your liking. Place the first layer cake on a plate, frost the top. Place second layer on top, frosting the top and sides. Decorate with toasted walnuts.

Serves 8-10

 

Maple Honey Granola with Pecans, Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds

Over the past 6-8 months, I have become a granola freak. I've tried everything from commercially boxed to 100% natural. I've had crunchy and sweet to chewy and nutty. As I have eaten through many bags and boxes, I realized I like my granola slightly sweet, really crunchy with nuts and fruits.

I started investigating different recipes and found some with sugar, others with honey, some with maple syrup. After combining a few different recipes, I came up with my first homemade - Maple Honey Granola with Pecans, Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds.

Let's start with some of my usual (or unusual) ingredients...

1. Maple Syrup - I used pure Maple Syrup (straight from Maine). If you use commercially packaged maple syrup, you might want to eliminate the brown sugar.

2. Honey - I used Orange Blossom Honey (straight from Maine...again).  I am lucky, we visited Maine last month and I was able to by these products fresh. They definitely have a richer flavor than the store bought versions.

3. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds - You can use raw or salted seeds. Mine were salted so I didn't add any salt to the mixture. If you use raw products, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the recipe.

My granola mixing started last week with a few trials and the results were great. As much as my family walked around saying they weren't hungry enough to try the granola, I found numerous people taste-testing the batch. After delivering a few samples to friends and co-workers, we finished 4+ cups of granola in two days, with the request to make more. Batch # 2 is upon us.

The maple honey granola is crunchy and slightly sweet. It has hints of maple, cinnamon and orange with tanginess from the dried cranberries. The variety of nuts ties the flavor together. We have been eating it as a snack, and sprinkling it on ice cream and hot oatmeal. I haven't add it to milk but I have a bowl set for breakfast tomorrow morning.

If you like granola and want to try homemade, this is a fairly easy recipe to put together. Now that I have started, I don't want to stop. I'm off to mix another batch of granola...maybe it will be with a combination of vanilla, walnuts and apples.

So, what's you favorite granola flavor?

Ingredients:

3 cups of old-fashioned oats (not instant)

2/3 cup of chopped pecans

1/3 cup of salted pumpkin seeds

1/3 cup of salted sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon of wheat germ

1-1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon

2 tablespoons of canola oil

1 tablespoon of  brown sugar 

1/2 cup of pure maple syrup 

Rind from 1/2 an orange

3/4 cup of dried cranberries

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Line a cookies sheet with aluminum foil.

3. In a large bowl, mix oatmeal, pecans, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds together.

4. In a small bowl, mix cinnamon, oil, brown sugar, maple syrup and orange rind together.

5. Pour liquid mixture into dry mixture, once blended, pour onto cookie sheet. Spread oat mixture across the sheet.

6. Bake for 15 minutes, stir the granola and then bake for another 1o minutes. Once it is slightly golden, shut off the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the dried cranberries and let it sit in the cooling oven for another 10 minutes.

7. Take out of oven, cool and enjoy!

 

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies with Chocolate Frosting

Zucchini, zucchini and more zucchini. Yes, we have lots of zucchini. We have made a few loaves of zucchini bread, mixed zucchini in an amazing ratatouille and have grilled it as a side dish with dinner. I will be sharing these recipes with you in the upcoming weeks.

While I was looking for recipes for zucchini and summer squash, I came upon this recipe in Allrecipes.com. Hmm...dessert with zucchini, better yet, chocolate dessert with zucchini. I need to try this zucchini brownie recipe.

As I started to make the recipe I noticed there were no eggs, first sign that there is something wrong with the recipe. For me, it was perfect! I love taking recipes and adding new and exciting twists so I needed to figure out something with the liquid and consistency. I started byadding 2 eggs, using to different types of sugar and adding kahlua rather than vanilla. When I made the frosting, I added half and half instead of milk and got a fudgier frosting that was amazing.

The cake was moist and fudgy and the frosting was rich and delicious. It doesn't have the consistency of a brownie but the cake does have somewhat of a denseness. The chocolate zucchini brownies didn't last long at our house, but then again, do any? It's great as a snack cake and even better with ice cream...coffee ice cream for me!

Too much zucchini, looking for something tempting, this is the best of both worlds...eating your vegetables as dessert.

Ingredients:

Zucchini Brownies
1/2 cup of canola oil
1 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of Demerara sugar (washed raw cane sugar - light brown granular)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of Kahlua
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
2 cups of shredded zucchini
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Frosting
6 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup of butter
2 cups of confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup of half and half
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or kahlua...depending on the audience)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugars, eggs and kahlua until well blended.
Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. This mixture will be thick and a bit stiff. Add zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until brownies spring back when gently touched.

To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and butter; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, half and half and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Cake

Now that farm season is in full swing, atleast in New England, there are great opportunities for strawberries, zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, raspberries and soon blueberries. As you enter the supermarkets, there are plenty of blueberries to be had...locally we will be able to pick our own in about a month. So, now is the time to test some amazing blueberry recipes which you can enjoy for the remainder of the summer. 

The Boston Globe recently ran an article on 6 delicious blueberry cakes. After reading the ingredients of each, I decided to go with the Glazed Blueberry Cake. Why this recipe? First, it had a lemon glaze for the cake. I love when blueberries and lemons are showcased in a dessert. It gives a refreshing flavor to the dish. Second, I had a container of buttermilk which I wanted to use and the recipe called for milk. Perfect substitution.

The cake came together quickly and I was really intrigued by the separation of egg yolks and egg whites. I was wondering if it would make a difference in the lightness of the cake, especially if I was adding buttermilk which can be heavy.

Well, the results were delicious. The cake was very moist and even though there was a denseness to the cake, it was light. Jeff thought it was one of the best cakes he has ever eaten. The sweet and sourness of the glaze with the moist cake with flavors of buttermilk and fresh blueberries was melt in your mouth AMAZING! Because it is made in a 9 x 13 baking pan, it allowed for everyone to grab chunks of blueberry cake for breakfast all week long. This is definitely on my short list of recipes to make again. It is perfect for breakfast, snack time or dessert, but I enjoyed it best when it was still warm from the oven. Probably might taste good as a cupcake, too...just a suggestion.

Ingredients:

1 pint (2 cups) of fresh blueberries
3 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, at room temperature
2 cups of white sugar
1 cup of whole milk (we used buttermilk)

Preparation:

Set the oven at 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Dust it with flour, tapping out the excess.

In a bowl, toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of the flour.

In another bowl, whisk the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a third bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff.

In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the yolks, one at a time.

With the mixer set on its lowest speed, beat the flour mixture into the batter alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour.

Remove the bowl from the mixer stand. Fold in the whites, then fold in the blueberries.

Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes or until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and the top springs back when pressed with a fingertip.

GLAZE

1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

In a bowl, sift the confectioners’ sugar. Stir in the lemon juice and rind. Add enough additional lemon juice to make a mixture that pours easily.

Drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Banana Bread with Streusel Topping

I'm not sure why but we have had quite a few rotting bananas sitting at our house. With peaches, strawberries and blueberries becoming more available, our favorite staple "the banana" hasn't made it to the breakfast table.

Last week, after another round of fruit flies and rotten bananas, Jeff took out the New England Bed and Breakfast Cookbook and found this recipe for banana bread with a streusel topping. It sounded very interesting adding a sugary topping to a basic banana nut bread. It was submitted by the Morrison House Bed & Breakfast located in Somerville, MA. It's amazing what you can do to a banana bread recipe with a little bit of leftover streusel topping.

Let's start from the smell in the house while it was cooking...HEAVENLY! The bread baked and rose over the sides of the pan. (NOTE - You can split the recipe into two loaves or use a bigger pan.) The streusel topping browned perfectly and gave the bread a wonderfully golden crust...and the bread was absolutely delicious. I am not a banana or a banana nut bread fan. I'll always try a piece but it is not something I typically eat but I will admit...I took a second slice. Whether I wanted to eat it or not, it was a huge hit at our house. Large slabs of banana bread were sliced, toasted, and microwaved before it disappeared as a breakfast favorite.

If you are a fan of banana bread, try this recipe. It's a very different twist that adds some character to an old favorite. 

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1-1/4 teaspoons of cream of tartar
3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
5-1/3 tablespoons of butter, softened
2/3 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 large eggs, well beaten
3 very ripe, large bananas, mashed
1/2 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts
 
Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
For streusel topping: Combine all streusel ingredients until crumbly.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and vanilla. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time. Add bananas and mix well.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda; add to butter mixture and mix just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into 9x5x2¾ inch loaf pan. Sprinkle streusel topping over batter. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Makes 1 loaf.

Jammin' Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

 
Jammin' Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (cooling)

 
(jam inside with icing)

As Valentine's Day nears, I was trying to come up with some easy baking ideas for next weekend. Whether breakfast in bed or a nice romantic dinner, sometimes little things mean alot!

Jeff started the morning making Boo Boo Chase's Banana Bread, which will follow this blog. Since I'm not a big fan of banana nut bread, I felt like I had to make something, too. There were packages of lemon poppy seed mix, but I thought I'd rather have something from scratch. I found a recipe on Epicurious for Pint Size Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. It had buttermilk in it, which I love because it gives muffins and breads a great moistness and I think enhances the flavor. Fresh grated lemon zest and lemon juice made this recipe much more appealing than the mix.

As I was getting ready to put the batter in the muffin tins, I remembered making muffins and adding jam. I grabbed some raspberry jam and put a teaspoonful in each cup. My only regret is that jelly sinks to the bottom, as you can see in the second photo.

The recipe didn't call for icing but I like just a little bit of lemony sweetness on the top. The muffins have a mild lemon flavor and the icing just helps to round out the taste. The little bit of jam in the middle (or at the bottom) makes these delightfully tasty. If you aren't a jam fan, eliminate the jam or put in your flavor of choice (blueberry, strawberry, cherry).

Anyway you bake it...they are great for breakfast, a midday snack or afternoon tea. An easy and great treat for your special Valentine.

Ingredients

2 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of buttermilk
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon (packed) of finely grated lemon peel
2 large eggs
1/4 cup of poppy seeds

raspberry, strawberry or blueberry jam

Icing

1 cup of confectioner's sugar
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter and flour muffin pans or line with paper liners. Whisk flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and baking soda in medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk and lemon juice in small bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and lemon peel in large bowl to blend. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until mixture is light and fluffy, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Beat in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk mixture in 2 additions. Mix just until blended. Mix in poppy seeds. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups to 1/2 full. Add a teaspoon of jam, cover with additional batter to 3/4 full.

Bake muffins until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 22 to 24 minutes. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove muffins from pans and cool on rack.

Mix confectioner's sugar with lemon juice in a small bowl. Drizzle over cooled muffins. Makes 18 muffins (or 36 mini muffins).

Move over CUPCAKES, make room for CAKE BALLS!

 

About a month ago, I found this ebook through my iPad apps. It was called Cakeballs!by J. Brentzel. It was this great little recipe book that teaches you how to make cake balls. It was pretty funny and as I read through the introduction there was a

WARNING**** Cake Truffles can be (and usually will be) addictive****

They must be good if the warning mentions the word addictive. So, off to the grocery store to get the two main ingredients 1. A Cake Mix and 2. Frosting.

These were going to be easy...make the cake according to the instructions, let it cool, crumble it up, mix with frosting, shape into balls, dip in chocolate and voila! CAKE BALLS. This is almost to easy to be true. The only issues I had was dipping the balls. They were a bit time consuming but once you got the process down the cake balls got easier to dip. One thing which was time consuming was when everyone wanted to help. On a first time trial, I become a bit of a perfectionist. Jeff and my son, Brian, couldn't understand why a cake ball that rolled over after being frosted didn't constitute a mess. Off with your heads, eat the messy ball and get out of here!Once they cleared out of the kitchen, things ran a bit smoother.

As we were making and eating the defects, I wasn't sure that they were as good as expected, I didn't seem to be addicted. I think part of the problem was I didn't wait for them to fully set. I was able to really get a better taste the following morning as I taste tested them for breakfast. Yes, they were incredible. Yes, they were addicting and yes, I needed to get an audience's reaction.

On Tuesday morning, I packed a container of cake balls and brought them to my Women's Business Network meeting, this could be my audience. Half way through the meeting, someone asked who made the little cake desserts, I raised my hand and she said they were incredible. That was a good sign. During coffee break more people began to taste the cake balls, I deemed them a great success.

I made triple chocolate cake balls, chocolate cake, chocolate frosting and chocolate icing. They tasted like little Ring Dings, but better. They were rich and creamy with a nice chocolate shell. Very easy to eat, and continue to eat. I found myself in the land of "just-one-more". My in-laws (who live next door) absolutely loved them. My father-in-law was eating them un-frosted. He thought they were amazing.

I'm sharing this recipe with you before the holidays so you can try them out before you showcase them. Be the hit of the next party. Don't bring a cake, or cupcakes for that matter...bring cake balls and watch them disappear.

Ingredients:

1 Box of your favorite cake mix

1 can of store-bought frosting or 2 cups of homemade frosting

1 package of dipping chocolate or 1 (12 ounce) package of chocolate chips

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Cake decorations: sugar crystals, nonpareils, colored sprinkles, chocolate jimmies

Preparation:

Make and bake the cake according to directions. When baking, use a  13 x 9 inch baking pan. Once you have removed the cake from the oven, allow it to cool completely, about an hour.

Once the cake is cooled, using your hands, break the cake into small (fine) crumbs. Add the frosting and mix until incorporated. Don't over mix or mash the crumbs.

 

Note: This was my second batch and I used french vanilla cake mix and chocolate frosting. This is what the consistency should look like. (And the combination was delicious!)

 

Using a small melon ball or cookie scoop begin scooping the cake mixture and creating balls. Place the balls in the freezer for at least 1 hour. They need to be frozen to be able to with stand the dipping.

Melt your dipping chocolate in a double boiler or using your bag of chocolate chips (they can be vanilla, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter or your choice). If you use the regular bag of chips, you need to add vegetable oil to get a smooth consistency. That has been a big issue for me. I read one book that suggested I used vegetable shortening and that made the chocolate creamy not smooth and slightly runny. Look at both the dark chocolate balls and the vanilla balls which are shown. They are really creamy and didn't frost well. They tasted great, but don't necessarily look appetizing.

Dipping can be a work in progress.

 

See, I was using crisco...use vegetable oil instead and get a dipping loose consistency. Not creamy like below. I promise to post some different flavor combinations as well as better dipped cake balls.

Using a toothpick or dipping fork, dip each cake ball and place on wax paper to dry. Add toppings such as sprinkles, sugar crystal or leave plain. I was dipping and had extra chocolate so the balls got laced with dark chocolate.

 

Last picture...wish it was clearer. Enjoy!

 

Chocolate Covered Football Oreos (and chocolate dipped pretzels!)

 

In honor of National Chocolate Week in the UK, I decided I would start this week with a quick chocolate dessert. While at the market, picking up some last minute items for dinner, I came across Football Oreos. With football season in full swing, why not add some chocolate to these limited edition cookies and use them for my next football party.

They were very easy to make:

1. I melted one 12 ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (over a double boiler).

2. I also melted 2- 8 ounce bars of Hershey Symphony Bar with Toffee and Almond Bits (over another double boiler).

3. 1 package of Football Oreos

I dipped 1/2 the cookies in the milk chocolate mixture and half in the semi-sweet chocolate.

Then I drizzled addition dark chocolate over all the cookies.

When I was finished, I had some milk chocolate and dark chocolate left over. I mixed a handful of pretzel nuggets into the dark chocolate, coated them well and turned them onto a tray covered in parchment paper. I took the last of the milk chocolate and added that along with a few sprinkles of Heath Bar English Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits. As the chocolate hardened, I broke them into three nuggets apiece.

The responses so far:

1. My nephew Matthew ate the milk chocolate covered oreo and text, "The cookie was amazing!"

2. My daughter, Danielle, "Mom, I ate one for breakfast, they were delicious!"

3. My son, Stephen, "I shared them with some friends, they thought they were great!"

4. I love Symphony Bars so the milk chocolate ones worked for me. My own response...why didn't I make more of the milk chocolate ones?

My suggestion...buy as many packages of football oreos as possible, start dipping them and bring them to the next football party. They are guaranteed to score a touchdown!

 

Sticky Chicken Wings

 

Are you looking for a great appetizer to serve at your next football gathering, tailgate party or family cookout? I have a recipe that has three ingredients and is guaranteed to become a party favorite...STICKY CHICKEN WINGS.

I can't remember where the actual recipe came from but, I think it was Cousin Dave who borrowed it from his mother, Auntie Ree-Ree. I probably cook mine a bit differently than they do, but the results are still the same...(sticky) finger lickin' good!

They are so good, they fall into the category of addicting. Sweet and Salty, a perfect balance. It's like the old Lay's potato chip commercial, "Nobody eats just one". It's really one after another after another!

To start:

5-6 pounds of frozen chicken wing parts

Place these in a large roaster pan.

Mix:

3 cups of brown sugar

3 cups of soy sauce

Place these ingredients in the bowl and mix well. It will be very thick and syrupy. Pour this over the chicken wings. Stir the wings so that they are evenly covered with the marinade. Cover with aluminum foil.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place in oven for one hour.

At the end of the first hour, remove the foil. Turn all the chicken wings over. They will be floating in the sauce. Cook for 30-45 minutes or until the wings become golden or slightly blackened. remove from oven and pour 1/2 of the liquid from the pan. Turn over the wings and cook for another 30-45 minutes to a dark golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

And no fighting over the last wing!

Apologizes for the picture which is a bit blurry....maybe it was my sticky fingers taking the picture!

 

Cook's Charcoal-Grilled Lemon Chicken

 

For the past two weeks I have hesitated to post this recipe. Not because we didn't like it, but I am the slowest typist and the recipe was quite detailed. Things have been a bit crazy around here and until we get into our September "back to school" routine, I feel like I am pressed for time. So, tonight I talked my son, Stephen, into typing the recipe and then I could add the storyline. (Thank you, Stephen!)

I am now very excited to tell you about this recipe because many of the chicken recipes we create and report on are made with boneless chicken breasts. This can get a bit boring. You forget how good the whole chicken really is...thighs, wings, drumsticks and breasts.

Having quite a few mouths to feed, we decided to try this recipe. It was in the Cook's Illustrated, Summer Entertaining 2010 Magazine. Jeff made it the first time with the Pasta and Squash with Tomatoes, Basil and Pine Nuts recipe which I blogged about two weeks ago.

To begin...huge, huge, hit! Charcoal grilled, lemony, garlicky...finger lickin' good!

Not only were people grabbing for different pieces, everyone remarked at how nice it was to have something other than the chicken breasts. Then, the leftovers turned out to be even better the next day. The lemon-garlic flavor was more pronounced than the night before. Whether eating the chicken cold off the bone or peeled to make sandwiches, our family talked about that meal for days.

As summer is winding down and cook-outs become less and less, I thought I could share this recipe with you for two reasons: 1. The weather is supposed to be wonderful this weekend, giving you an opportunity to give this recipe a try. 2. You can serve this hot or cold, meaning...great for Fall tailgating.

Check out the recipe and give it a try...be the hit of the gathering!

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup kosher or 1/2 cup table salt

2 whole chickens (about 3 1/2 pounds each), cut into drumsticks, thighs, breasts, and wings; backs reversed for another use

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 large garlic cloves, minced and made into paste

1 cup juice from 5-6 lemons

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried

Preparation:

1. Dissolve salt in 2 quarts water, in large bowl or two gallon-size zip lock plastic bags. Add chicken parts (seal zip-lock bags, if using), and refrigerate until fully seasoned, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove chicken from brine, rinse very well, dry thoroughly with paper towels, and season with pepper.

2. About 30 minutes before cooking, light large chimney starter filled with charcoal (6 quarts, about 100 briquettes) and burn until coals are fully ignited and partially covered with thin layer of ash, about 20 minutes. Build modified 2-level fire, arranging coals over two-thirds of grill, leaving one-third empty. Position cooking grate over coals, cover grill, and heat grate until hot, about 5 minutes. Grill is ready when coals are medium-hot. Scrape grate clean with grill brush. Lightly dip wad of paper towels in oil; holding wad with tongs, wipe cooking grate.

3. Heat olive oil and garlic in small saucepan over low heat until garlic starts to sizzle but not color, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat; combine garlic and lemon juice in large, shallow, nonreactive 13 by 9-inch baking dish or similar pan; set aside. (Dry herbs may be added to garlic-lemon mixture at this point; fresh herbs should not be added until just before coating chicken.)

4. Grill chicken skin side down on hotter side of grill, pulling chicken over to cooler side if flare-ups occur or if skin starts to char, and flipping and moving pieces to ensure even cooking, until chicken is dark golden brown and registers between 160 and 165 degrees on instant-read thermometer for breasts and 170 and 175 degrees for thighs, drumsticks, and wings (about 15 to 20 minutes). Transfer chicken pieces to lemon sauce and roll to coat completely. Return pieces to cooler side of grill; heat until lemon sauce flavors meat, about 5 minutes longer, turning each piece and brushing with sauce once or twice more. Return chicken to pan and coat in lemon sauce once more; serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy!

Looking for a COOL summer treat? Try Muddy Buddies

 

Here, try one...they're really good. They are a sweet, chocolate-peanut butter treat that's addictive and I bet you can't eat just one. Especially when they have been frozen.

Muddy Buddies have been a long time favorite at our house. When my son, Brian, started taking "home ec" in middle school, the recipe made its way home. Because I tend to freeze extra treats for future events, we froze a few bags after we had doubled one of our first batches. The next thing I knew, the bags were disappearing, one handful at a time. You didn't have to let them thaw, they tasted great frozen.

Brian made some yesterday and when I arrived home I opened the freezer to the delight of...bags of muddy buddies. It put a smile on my face. With no one looking, I opened the bag and popped a few in my mouth...DEE-LICIOUS!

If you need a great little "pick-me-up" snack, try making a batch of muddy buddies, then freeze them. Bet they don't stay around too long.

Ingredients: 

• 9 cups Corn Chex®, Rice Chex®, Wheat Chex®or Chocolate Chex® cereal (or combination)
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation:

• Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
• In 1-quart microwavable bowl, stir together chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Microwave uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
• Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.
• Place in freezer for one or more hours. Enjoy straight from the freezer!

Note: We use Rice Chex® when we make ours, I could also be talked into using Chocolate Chex®.

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