Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Believe it or not, this Sour Cream Coffee Cake is actually a **lighter** version.  I found this in last months Cooking Light magazine, realized I had all the ingredients, and set out to make it as soon as I could.  I love coffee cake and I especially love anything sweet in the morning.  Makes that cup(or in my case 2, or 3...) of coffee so much more enjoyable!

This is what you will need for this recipe:

Oh, and this, too!

Start by creaming together the butter and the sugars:

Something a little different about this recipe...you toast the oats.  YUM!

Also, another difference is that you actually grind a portion of the oats and mix into the flour mixture.  Don't grind all the oats, though.  Reserve the rest for the topping!

Whisk together your dry ingredients:

Mmm...sour cream.  If you don't already bake with this stuff, you really should start now.  I make almost every cupcake of mine with sour cream. 

The batter...

Pour into a springform pan:

And my favorite part:  the topping!

Start by chopping up some walnuts

Put them on a baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes

Combine the walnuts with butter, oats, and brown sugar.  I used a pastry blender.

When it looks like this, it is ready to go on top of the cake

And when it is all done:

YUM!!

I couldn't wait to dig in the next morning...

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Adapted from Cooking Light

3/4 Cup old fashioned oats, divided

cooking spray

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar, divided

1/3 cup butter, room temperature

2 extra large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup light sour cream

2 TBSP finely chopped walnuts, toasted(in a 400 degree oven for about 8 minutes)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 TBSP chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread oats in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 6 minutes or until lightly golden.

Coat a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray; set aside.

Reserve 1/4 cup of the toasted oats and set aside.  Place remaining oats in the food processor, process until finely ground.  Combine the oats with the flours, baking soda, and salt.  Stir with a whisk.

Place granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, and 1/3 cup butter in a large bowl.  Beat with a mixer at medium speed for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla.  Add flour mixture to sugar mixture altearnately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the dry mixture.  Spoon batter into prepared pan; spread evenly.

Combine remaining 1/4 cup oats, remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, nuts and cinnamon in a bowl.  Cut in 1 TBSP butter with a pastry blender until combined.  Sprinkle top of batter with the nut mixture and bake at 350 for 35-38 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes clean.

Cool cake in pan for about 10 minutes; remove from pan.

This serves about 10 and each slice contains less than 300 calories!

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Lemon, Basil, and Salmon

I saw Giada make this on her Food Network show about 2 years ago and have been meaning to make it ever since.  My friend Heather actually beat me to it in her current quest to cook her way through Giada's cookbook this year.  She gave it great reviews so I knew it was finally time to make this dish!  And boy am I glad I did!  This is so light, healthy, and really very easy...not to mention delicious!  We are trying to eat more fish in our household(well, actually we're always trying to and then never quite get around to it) and having recipes like this one will certainly make it easier to accomplish that task. 

I am super tired tonight, and actually quite cranky, so I am going to skip all the usual photos and just go straight to the recipe this time.  In fact, I'm not even going to type up the recipe for you, instead I'll just leave you with the link:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/whole-wheat-spaghetti-with-lemon-basil-and-salmon-recipe/index.html

I promise to be back to my usual photo taking and talkative self next time around.  I will leave you with one last photo since I am quite pleased with the way they turned out(got my new Nikon, can you tell?).  Do try this recipe out if you are the salmon liking kind, though, it is REALLY good!

My Favorite Sandwich

This sandwich has given new meaning to "sandwiches for dinner" in our house.  My mom introduced this sandwich to me(thanks, mom) and now it works its way onto our table about once a month.  This can be a meal in itself, but you might be left a little hungry, so I usually serve it with my Butternut Squash Soup or Minestrone(this recipe is coming next week!!).

Sandwiches are always simple, but this one has a couple "gourmet" ingredients that really take it to a whole other level.  If you know me very well at all you know I love brie cheese.  I mean, I really love it.  If I could only live on one thing for the rest of my life it would be brie.  And maybe a good baguette.  Ok, and some wine.  Really, though, brie is my all time favorite food.  So, brie in a sandwich, slightly melted and oozing a tad-bit is pure heaven!!
My mom said she discovered this recipe on foodnetwork.com and is a Tyler Florence recipe.  I've yet to actually look up the recipe so I have no idea how much of what he calls for, but you really can't mess up a sandwich so I just use what looks good to me!

These are the ingredients you'll need for this recipe:

Start by spreading some apple butter on your bread.  You'll want it on both sides, but you can use as much or as little as you like.  The more you spread on, the sweeter it will be. 

Brie cheese.  I could just eat it like this and be happy. 

But I shall resist the temptation and practice some patience.  It will be even better when the sandwich is done, which is only in like, 5 minutes.   Arrange your sliced brie on one slice of bread for each sandwich.

Next up, turkey.  I like to use thinly sliced and only about 3 pieces.  Just a little hint of the turkey.  The star of the sandwich is the brie, after all, and I want it to really have its chance to shine!  You can use any kind of turkey you like.  I think my favorite is honey roasted.

Next up, arugula.  I don't think any substitutions should be made.  Arugula is peppery and bitter and goes quite nicely with the apple butter.

Make sure your arugula makes its way to the middle of your sandwich.  You don't want it to be touching the bread as you want it as far away from the heat source as possible.  There is nothing worse than soggy warm greens in your sandwich.

Butter both sides of the bread.  The more butter, the better.  Isn't this always the case?!?  I try to practice a little restraint, though, and use a somewhat moderate amount.

Grill until golden on both sides.  If you can remember, place the sandwich brie side down first.  It always takes a little longer for the first side to grill and the more time you have with the brie close to the heat source, the better.  The more meltier and oozier.  **I did NOT remember to do that this time**

Yum.  I might have to make this for lunch today..

Grilled Turkey and Brie Sanwiches

Adapted from Tyler Florence

Yield: 2 sandwiches

4 slices sliced french sandwich bread(do not use sourdough, it will overpower the flavors of the sandwich)

1 wedge brie cheese, any kind you like

6 slices thinly sliced turkey

apple butter

arugula

butter

Spread apple butter on the insides of both pieces of bread, for each sandwich.

Place sliced brie on one side of bread.  Place turkey slices on the other.  Top the brie cheese with a small handful of arugula and then put the sandwich together. 

Butter the outsides of both pieces of bread and grill until golden on both sides.  Serve warm.

Enjoy!!

Key Lime Pie

I have to admit that I did not go out and buy key limes for this recipe.  I picked up about a half dozen of regular old limes at Trader Joe's for this recipe.  I have seen places online where you can order bottles of key lime juice and I always intend to purchase some, but then I forget.  Regular limes work just fine in this recipe, but if you can get your hand on some key limes, by all means DO!  I'm sure there really is a difference in taste.

I tested this recipe once before, but the original crust it called for just didn't do it for me.  This time I used my mom's tried and true recipe for her graham cracker crust.  It really is the best!  I will now use it for all my recipes that call for a graham cracker crust, no doubt about it.

This pie is so, so, so simple!  This is all you will need for this recipe:

Ok, well, actually you will need some heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract so that you can also make homemade whipped cream to serve on top of your pie.  If you don't already make your own whipped cream, please start now.  It is one of the most simple things you can do in the kitchen and the reward is 100 times more than the effort put in.  Really, no more cans of whipped cream unless your kids are making ice cream sundaes or something, ok?  Your friends and family will thank you.

Before you start juicing your limes, grate some zest.  The amount called for in the recipe, as well as some extra to set aside to make your pie pretty.

Your crust should look like this when it comes out of the oven:

Pour in the filling, and when it comes out of the oven, it should look like this:

Now, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and it is ready to eat!  Of course, after you have prepared your homemade whipped cream...

...and don't forget the lime zest!

Key Lime Pie
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman and my mom


For the filling:
1 heaping TBSP lime zest, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup lime juice
2 egg YOLKS
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

For the crust:
24 squares graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

In the bowl of a food processor slightly break graham cracker squares.  Process until they become crumbs.  Add sugar and melted butter, pulse until combined.

Press graham cracker mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9" pie pan.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. 

For the filling:
Mix lime zest, lime juice, and egg yolks in a mixing bowl.  Add your condensed milk and mix on high until smooth and thick.  Pour mixture into crust and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or two.

Serve with (homemade) whipped cream and garnish with lime zest.

Enjoy!!

Pesto, Pasta, and Peas

Who doesn't love pesto, right?!?  My husband.  He doesn't hate it, but definitely thinks it is "chick food."  Whenever I tell him I am making something with pesto in it for dinner I get a long sigh followed by a "pestooooo....??"  much like the whiny "chiiicken...??" I have mentioned before.  I usually just tell him to get over it and be happy that he has a wife that cooks such delicious things and not just casseroles night after night.  But on this night, I said, "Don't worry, I'm taking this to bunco and there is a pizza in the oven for you guys."  I did have him taste test this, though, and surprisingly enough, he liked it.  This coming from the guy that hates pasta salads, too, was especially impressive!  Of course, all the girls at bunco loved it!  After all, it is chick food...

This is what you'll need for this recipe:

I wouldn't categorize this as a healthy recipe, but most of the fat in it is good fat.  I've made it healthier, too, by using multigrain pasta with added protein and canola oil based mayo.  Speaking of which, have you ever compared fat grams between that stuff and Best Foods original?  I'm pretty sure it saves you like 10g of fat per serving.  And I think it tastes great!

While the pasta is cooking, make your sauce:

The sauce consists of the spinach, pesto, mayo, and lemon juice

Toss the cooked pasta in some EVOO along with the pesto mixture, toasted pine nuts and defrosted peas and you've got yourself a delicious and easy pasta salad!

And don't forget the parmesan cheese, please!

Pesto, Pasta, and Peas
Adapted from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

1 pound fuilli or rotini pasta(I used Barilla Plus rotini)
2 TBSP EVOO
1 cup basil pesto, store bought or homemade
1 10oz package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry)
1 1/2 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
a little less than 1 cup mayonnaise.
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
kosher salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.  Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil.  Cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts on medium low heat in a small saucepan until they start to brown.  This usually takes 6-8 minutes, but keep your eye on them.  They burn fast!

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice.  Add the mayo and puree.  Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the parmesan, peas, pine nuts and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve at room temperature for the best flavor.

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Coconut Crispies

If you know me very well at all, you know that given the choice, I will almost always choose savory over sweet.  Unless I have these cookies anywhere in the near vicinity, that is.  I discovered this recipe a couple months before my youngest daughter, Claire, was born.  I do tend to have a major sweet tooth when I'm pregnant so I thought maybe these were so appealing for that reason.  Not true.  Not at all.  I made them last week and ate 8 in one day.  You HAVE to try these.  I know what you're thinking.  No chocolate?  After you eat these you are going to wonder why you even bother to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. 

One other thing, the name of this recipe speaks some truth.  These are crispy cookies.  In the world of cookies, there are 2 kinds--crispy and chewy.  I happen to be such a crispy cookie person so these especially float my boat.  They are even a little chewy on the inside for you chewy cookie people.

You will need the following ingredients for this recipe:

Those are pecans hiding over there in the left hand corner...

This is the only recipe I've seen that calls for you to whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and then stir in the vanilla.  I don't see how this could possibly change the outcome of the cookies, but I don't dare not try it.  If these cookies didn't come out exactly the way I love them I'd have to throw them out.  Or give them to my Stroller Strides friends as I always do.  And then make more for myself.

This is my secret ingredient:  coconut!

Pecans are my most favorite nut!

Instead of using these as drop cookies, divide the dough in half and form in the shape of a log on 2 sheets of wax paper.  I usually make one batch right away, and the other in 2 days when I've polished off all from the first batch. 

The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for a couple days and in the freezer for a long time.  I always freeze it because I never actually think I am going to be baking them again in 2 days.  But I always do.  And for some reason I always wrap up both of them even though I am baking one of them right away.  I'm a little weird like that.  And I'm obviously not very green.  Oops!

Then you just slice the dough with a knife and place on the baking sheet. 

And in exactly 12 minutes you will have the most perfectly crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, delicious cookie!  And in less than 12 hours, you will have none left. 

Oatmeal Coconut Crispies
Adapted from Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs(I like mine extra large and room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cups finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350.

In a lare mixing bowl, cream butter with both sugars until well combined.

In a separate bowl, bear eggs together.  Add vanilla and stir.  Add to the sugar/butter mixture and mix well.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt, and baking soda.  Mix carefully into the egg/butter mixture until well combined.  Now add the oats, pecans, and coconut and mix well to combine.

Divide the dough in half and place each half of the dough onto a sheet of waxed paper.  Roll the dough into a log and then wrap tightly in the waxed paper.  Now you can either chill or freeze one half of the dough and slice the other half into cookie rounds. 

Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for exactly 12 minutes if you like a crispy cookie, 10 if you like them chewy.  I also turn the baking sheet around at exactly 6 minutes to ensure even cooking.

Enjoy!