Baked Pumpkin Donuts

It's been a while since I initially made these, but my children have not forgotten them!  Nearly every Saturday morning since then they have asked for "those donuts you made that time."  They were really good, as is just about anything sweet straight from the oven.  

I appreciate that Nicole reduced the oil and sugar from the original recipe and, like her, we didn't miss either.    I changed from her butterscotch icing to a simple sugar glaze, but I'm sure the butterscotch icing would be heavenly.  

Just seeing the pictures again makes me want to whip up a batch this weekend.  It's just as quick to whip up a batch of these as it is to get in the car and drive to our local donut shop, but these are definitely healthier!

Baked Pumpkin Donuts
adapted slightly from Prevention RD
{Print recipe}

Ingredients:

1 3/4 C. whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla

For the glaze:

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1-2 T. almond milk or water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a donut pan with non-stick cooking spray.  

In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (flour through spices).  In a separate bowl, combine oil, buttermilk, brown sugar, egg, pumpkin, and vanilla, whisking to combine.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, being careful not to overmix.  Fill the donut pan with batter, filling each one 2/3rds full. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the donuts comes out clean.  Let cool while you make the glaze.  

For the glaze, sift confectioners' sugar into a small bowl.  With a whisk or fork, whisk the almond milk (or water) until smooth, adding more liquid as needed to reach your desired consistency.

Drizzle the glaze over the warm donuts.  If you don't want it to absorb as quickly, wait until the donuts have cooled completely before icing.

Easter Breakfast Inspirations

With Easter right around the corner, I'd thought I'd share some breakfast inspiration.  Whether you're having a house full of guests, feeding your immediate family, or travelling to someone else's house, one of these breakfast items is sure to fit your needs.  Happy Easter!

Blueberry Muffins 

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls 

Quick Breakfast Cake

Breakfast Hash

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

Breakfast Sandwiches

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

There are few things better than breakfast foods.  Well, okay, maybe family, friends, and sunshine are a little better, but on the food spectrum I'll take breakfast over other meals any old day.

I'm a half and half kind of girl when it comes to sweet and savory.  I like to start with something savory that has some sustenance to counteract the sugar from the sweet.  I love going to breakfast with my mom because she's exactly the same (probably where I got it), so one of us orders savory, the other orders sweet and we split.  For a few sweet hours, it's perfection!

Last weekend I was in the mood to make something sweet for breakfast.  I pulled up some of my bookmarked recipes and let the kids pick which one looked the best to them.  Sawyer is easily swayed by his super cool, do-no-wrong, big brother, so really it was up to Colin.  These cinnamon rolls beat out donuts!  I have to admit I was surprised.  But I'm glad they did because they were delicious.  Just the right amount of sweetness, with just the right amount of dough.  These aren't going to be Cinnabon knock-offs, but I promise you'll feel much better after eating one of these than you would with one of those!

I opted for the icing because cinnamon rolls just aren't cinnamon rolls without a little glaze or icing.  The glaze absorbed right into the dough, making them even softer and moist.

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15-17 minutes
Yield: 8 rolls
{print recipe}

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 T. sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cup "buttermilk" (Mix 1 T vinegar with almond milk to make 1 1/4 cups. Let sit for 5 minutes.)
• 6 T melted vegan margarine
• 2 T melted vegan margarine
• 2 T sugar
• 2 T cinnamon
• 2 T water
• 3/4 -1 cup powdered sugar

Cooking Directions:

1. First, make your "buttermilk". Measure 1 Tbsp of white or apple cider vinegar into a 2 cup measuring cup. Fill the measuring cup to 1 1/4 cups with almond milk. Let sit for 5 minutes.
2. Mix all of dry ingredients together in a large bowl; then add in the melted margarine and the "buttermilk".
3. Kneading it for a few minutes, it should become a bit smooth and more elastic than wet. If it still seems wet, go ahead and add some more flour.
4. Once it's a bit neater, roll it out into a roughly 12x9 rectangle, about a 1/2-thick. It doesn't need to be perfect. After that, top the dough rectangle with melted margarine and your mixture of cinnamon and sugar and roll it up.
5. Cut the roll into 8 pieces. (A great tip: use some dental floss to cut the rolls. Just wrap it around the roll and pull the two ends across and it will cut the rolls very nice and neatly.)
6. Put your perfectly-cut rolls in a greased baking pan and bake at 425 degrees for about 15 - 17 minutes.
7. While they're in the oven, you can mix your glaze with however much powdered sugar you want, thinned with just a bit of water. Pour it over the rolls while they're fresh out of the oven, so it gives them a nice caramelized layer and absorbs into the roll.

**Linking up with Jam Hands, What's Cookin' Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesdays, and Healthy Vegan Friday.

Weekly Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Donuts

How is it already Monday?  Our first weekend since school started absolutely flew by!  Colin enjoyed getting to sleep in a little both morning, but would have gladly slept longer if not for his loud brother.  Being woken before you're really ready to get up is never a good thing.  Unfortunately, all of our moods were affected because of it.  Such is the life with a I'll-make-up-my-own-schedule toddler! Had I been in the right frame of mind, these pumpkin donuts I made a month or so ago, sure would have tasted great hot from the oven this fall-ish weekend!  Instead, we settled on pancakes but I still dream about these donuts (:  They are soft and tender, they have just the right amount of pumpkin (or sweet potato in my case) flavor, and the buttery cinnamon sugar topping gives them that extra decadence and a little crunch.  Seriously addictive and loved by even non-pumpkin fans (Wes!).   I did make a few minor adjustments to the recipe but not enough to call it my own.  I did indicate my attempt at a few healthy(er) changes in red.

Pumpkin Spice Donuts from:  Jam Hands 1¾ cups flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I used 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp nutmeg)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
⅓ cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
½ cup brown sugar (I used slightly less)
1 egg
1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup pumpkin (canned) (I used sweet potato.)
½ cup milk

For Topping:
½ cup melted butter (I used 1/4 cup)
⅔ cup sugar (I used about 1/3 cup)
3 tablespoons cinnamon (I used about 1 T.)
1. In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon.  Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer at medium-high speed, mix together oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until combined.

3. Pour dry ingredients into liquid ingredients and mix on low speed until moistened.  Do not over mix.  Fill each donut reservoir with about 2 tablespoons of batter.

4. Bake about 4 to 5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into donut comes out clean.

5. Melt butter in a small bowl and combine the sugar and cinnamon in a paper bag.  While donuts are still hot, dip each one in melted butter, then shake in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to add topping.

Weekly Recipe: Blueberry Muffins

A few weeks ago we visited a nearby farm for their annual Blueberry Festival.  We've gone a couple times in the past and Colin always looks forward to it so that he gets to pick his own blueberries!  The timing couldn't be more perfect because it's always the last Saturday in June, meaning it's always near his birthday.  He likes to think they're throwing him a special blueberry birthday party and who am I to doubt him?!

This year we came home with more berries than ever before because I was determined to do more than just eat them by the handful.  I wanted to bake, freeze, blend, and pop a few in my mouth along the way.  Well, unfortunately the heat had other plans and while we still got more than last year, we weren't able to get enough to freeze.  

We did get enough to bake with and even though I voted for a pie, muffins won out by a landslide 3-1 vote.  Luckily, I had discovered my new go-to blueberry muffin recipe back in May for my Mother's Day brunch, so I was set.  This is really the only blueberry muffin recipe you need.  It's versatile in that I swap out at least half of the all-purpose flour with 50/50 white-wheat blend, I don't use quite as much sugar as called for, and the blueberries can either be fresh or frozen.  The best part is that you can whip up the batter ahead of time and then just bake up fresh, hot muffins whenever you want!  There's nothing better than a piping hot baked good!

Blueberry Muffins

source:  King Arthur Flour

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
• coarse white sparkling sugar for garnish (optional)

1) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with papers, and grease the papers.

2) In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside.

3) In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand-held or stand mixer, until light, fluffy, and almost white in color. Start the mixer at low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, then gradually increase speed to medium-high until the desired color and texture are reached.

4) Scrape down the bowl to make sure all the butter is incorporated, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5) Add the vanilla and sour cream or yogurt, and mix until incorporated.

6) Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until the batter is smooth. It will be thick.

7) Fold in the berries by hand.

8) Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, using a heaping 1/4-cup for each. Sprinkle with regular granulated or coarse white sugar, if desired.

9) Bake the muffins for 18 to 24 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Remove them from the oven, cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan to finish cooling on a rack.

A few tips from King Arthur:

• If you're using frozen berries, mix them into the batter while still frozen. They'll turn the batter a streaky blue color. They'll also increase the baking time by as much as 5 minutes.
• Take the muffins out of the baking pan as soon as you can. Leaving hot muffins in the pan creates steam that will toughen the muffins as they sit.
• To make handling baked muffins easier, use a potholder to tilt the hot pan at a 45° angle. The muffins will tilt enough that you can lift them out of the cups easily. Place them on a rack to finish cooling.
• You can use any kind of fresh berry, dried fruit, diced peaches, bananas, or nectarines in this recipe. Canned blueberries are fine, but drain them well first and make sure you have 1 3/4 cups of berries.
• Substitute a flavored yogurt, like vanilla or strawberry, in place of the sour cream

I hosted a little brunch for my mom and sister this year for Mother's Day.  Like me, breakfast is my mom's favorite meal, so I knew this would be the way to her heart!  It was nice to have everyone together, minus my dad and LC, and I think good times were had by all - certainly by the cousins!

It's hard to see the menu items from this picture but here's what was on the menu:

Blueberry Muffins (thanks Nicole!)
Pumpkin Scones
Roasted Asparagus with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Fresh Fruit with Granola topping
Frittata with Bacon and White Cheddar
Frittata with Red Peppers, Mushrooms, and Goat Cheese
Hash Brown Casserole (not worth repeating)
Mimosas
Fresh OJ
Southern Pecan Coffee

My sister and her beautiful girls!

And her handsome ham!

Our attempt at getting the whole family together.  I forgot to switch the setting to automatic for Wes, so it's a bit blurry, but a great photo nonetheless!

I hope you had a terrific Mother's Day as well!

Eggnog Two Ways

One of the tell-tale signs the Christmas season is upon us is when I spot eggnog in the grocery stores.  I can take it or leave it but Wes loves it.  Our Whole Foods has been known to keep a running sample station of it up around the holidays and you better believe Wes takes them up on their free sample every time he goes (and that's once a week for those of you keeping track, since he does the shopping).

Well this year was no exception.  The bartering began early and I caved pretty quickly.  He eagerly sipped that first glass and then it sat.  And sat.  All alone in the fridge.  Not being one to let it go to waste and see that money go down the drain, I set out to use every drop.

First, something the whole family could enjoy, Eggnog Waffles!  The eggnog flavor was there just enough to provide a little extra spice.  I had hoped to freeze some leftovers but alas, they were all eaten before I could stash any away.

The second recipe was more for my mom and I but when served with a breakfast for dinner meal, everyone eagerly gobbled up these Eggnog Scones.  I'm a biscuity scone lover.  I prefer the flaky layers to the coarse crumb texture and these fit the bill.  The eggnog flavor was more pronounced in these little treats than the waffles but that eliminated the need to adding any butter, jelly, or other condiment to them.  I opted to leave out the cinnamon chips and while I think they'd be a good addition, I really didn't miss them either.  I also made these the day before and froze them until I was ready to bake them for dinner the next night.

Both of these recipes were ones I'd want to make again.  You could probably get some eggnog on sale right now and whip up your own tasty treats! 

Eggnog Waffles

adapted slightly from Pink Parsley

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup eggnog (low-fat is fine)
• 1/3 cup sunflower oil
• 1 egg

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.  Add the dry to the wet, and stir until just combined - be sure not to over mix!

Allow the batter to sit for 30 minutes.  Preheat the waffle iron and cook the waffles according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Serve immediately with maple syrup.

Eggnog Scones
adapted slightly from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup cold eggnog

Topping
1 tablespoon eggnog
1 tablespoon sugar

Combine the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder and nutmeg in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the cubed butter and mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter pieces are roughly the size of peas (some may be slightly bigger or smaller, that's fine).

In a medium measuring cup, whisk together the egg, vanilla extract and eggnog. Add to the mixer bowl and beat on low speed just until the dry ingredients are moistened and the dough comes together - don't overmix.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide it in half and shape each half into a circle that's roughly 6 inches in diameter and 3/4-inch thick. You can either slice each circle into 6 wedges, or use a 2 1/4-inch round cutter to cut 6 rounds from each (you'll have to reroll the scraps if you go this route). Transfer your scones to a parchment-lined baking sheet. If you've cut rounds, put them close together (about 1/2-inch between them). If you've cut wedges, leave them in the circular shape and just slightly pull them from the center to separate the edges about 1/2-inch.

Brush the tops of the scones with eggnog using a pastry brush, then sprinkle with the sparkling sugar. Freeze, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 F. (Note:  If you are making these ahead, freeze on cookie sheet for 30 minutes then wrap individually and place in a freezer bag.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425 and proceed to next step.)

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown and feel firm to the touch. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the scones cool for a few minutes before removing them to the rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 scones

Linking up to A Little Nosh and This Chick Cooks.

Weekly Recipe: Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls with Butterscotch Glaze

I couldn't get motivated to post much last week.  I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and decided to retreat into my shell.  I apologize for my absence but I want to make it up to you with these delicious cinnamon rolls!

If you remember back to Thanksgiving, I had a heavy hand with yeast, trying things never done before in my kitchen.  I had such great success, I've almost been scared to chance fate a second time.  Thankfully both the yeast rolls and these cinnamon rolls freeze well and I've been sampling here and there ever since!

I adapted the original recipe slightly, in that I subbed sweet potato for the pumpkin.  I had baked Sawyer a sweet potato thinking that would be easy on his gums while he was teething but he wanted no part of it, or most any food.  I certainly didn't want you to fear that I was out of pumpkin.  Tisk, tisk.  I have no fewer than 2 cans in my pantry right now (As a side note, don't stray from Libby!  I've tried both Whole Foods and Trader Joe's canned pumpkin and it pales in comparison to Libby.).

These cinnamon rolls come together fairly quickly once they've risen.  I would increase the amount of filling the next time but because of my Thanksgiving timing, I appreciated the calories that were spared!  The butterscotch glaze is delicious but also very sweet, which may be why she decreased the filling.  Either way, these are winners in my book.

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls with Butterscotch Glaze
adapted from:  Sugar Plum

1/3 cup warm milk (not hot) (around 100-110 degrees F)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
2 T. oil (I used sunflower oil)
1 egg
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
3 1/2 cups 50/50 blend flour

2 T. unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 T. butterscotch chips
2 T. cream cheese
1 T. sweet potato puree
1 T. milk
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

To make the dough, in a large mixing bowl whisk together 1/3 cup milk, yeast and granulated sugar until well combined. Allow to sit for 10 minutes until yeast is activated and bubbly. Whisk in sweet potato, oil, egg, baking powder, salt, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice until well combined. Stir in flour until combined, and a dough ball forms. Lightly cover and allow to rise in a warm area for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. (I used my oven. I preheated it on the lowest temperature, turned it off, then allowed my dough to rise in there.)

On a floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/4-inch thickness, into a rectangle. In a medium bowl, stir together butter, brown sugar and 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon until well combined; evenly spread on top of dough. Roll up dough, jelly-roll style. Slice into 10 equal pieces. Place in a greased 9-inch cake pan. Lightly cover and allow to rise in a warm area for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake rolls for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool pan on a wire rack. To make the glaze, in a medium bowl, stir together butterscotch chips, cream cheese, 1 tablespoon sweet potato and 1 tablespoon milk until combined. Microwave for 30-60 seconds, stirring frequently until melted (It doesn't take long! Don't scorch your butterscotch!). Whisk in confectioners' sugar and vanilla until well combined and smooth. Drizzle glaze over cinnamon rolls.

Makes 10 cinnamon rolls

The Thanksgiving That Never Was

Before you get all sad and weepy, I assure you my Thanksgiving was just fine.  No matter where I am, I have plenty to be thankful for.  The fact that we were all safe and healthy (relatively), is more than I could ever ask for.

On to the story.  Sawyer woke up at about 1 a.m. Thanksgiving morning.  I went in to quickly soothe him (we've recently reverted back to the cry-it-out method after some bad habits had started to develop).  I rubbed his back and noticed he was a bit warm but I didn't think too much about it.

Not 5 minutes after I left his room, he started crying again.  This time Wes went it.  Well Wes being the more phobic one of us, immediately felt his warm body and brought him in our room for me to feel him.  I played along and agreed he felt warm.  Wes was having no part of "warm," he was "on fire" and he began pacing nervously.  I rolled over - such a caring mother - and attempted to go back to sleep. 

I then hear Wes in the bathroom running water.  I deduce that he is getting a cold rag for Sawyer - just what you want when you're trying to go back to sleep!  Sawyer cries.  Surprise!  Feeling compelled to do something, I go and rifle through the drawer of random medicine.  I find a Tylenol equivalent and read the label.  "Children under 2; consult your physician."  Super.

At this point, the only thing I could think to do is let Sawyer sleep on me.  That may or may not have worked if Wes would have stopped rubbing his back every 3 minutes or so.  I know he was just a concerned parent but again, who wants to be rubbed when you're trying to go to sleep?!  After a few minutes of realizing this was going nowhere fast, I took Sawyer back to his bed.  He slept until 6:30 a.m.

Somewhere in the midst of all this, I mentioned to Wes that Sawyer and I might not be able to go with him and Colin to his parents' house.  He said, "We'll see."

Long story short, Sawyer and I opted to stay at home and let Colin and Wes make the trek by themselves.  I was going to have to come back that night anyway to go to work on Friday, so this actually seemed to simplify things a bit.  I told Colin we wouldn't be going, thinking he might be a little sad.  Wrong.  He said, "Ok" and went about his packing (that he had been working on for 3 days).

Sawyer and I enjoyed a great day of doing nothing.  I shouldn't say nothing.  While he took a marathon nap, I got to work in the kitchen making the one thing I knew I'd miss most about not going to Wes' family's meal - yeast rolls!  It should be noted that I have a love-hate relationship with yeast.  However, something came over me and I decided that I would win and I would be successful in making rolls.  You know, sometimes a positive attitude is all you need.

I couldn't stop on my yeasting frenzy.  I also decided to make Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls.  I was a baking fool and I loved every minute of it!  Additional posts to come with my delightful carb overload.

A local health food grocery store was having a Thanksgiving buffet and me and about 100 others decided that sounded just fine.  Take a look at this spread.  I was in heaven.  It was healthy...er and it had things I wasn't using to having on Thanksgiving - caramelized Brussels sprouts anyone?  Squash gratin?  Yum!

To round out my great meal, my yeast rolls were some of the best I've ever made.  Success!  And the cinnamon rolls weren't too shabby either.  And yes, I may have eaten both.  If ever there's a day for a free pass, this has to be the day.

I'm also happy to report that Sawyer is on the mend.  It looks like those pesky eye-teeth are to blame.  He was doing all sorts of crazy things with his tongue and I felt around in there and felt 2 little shards of glass breaking through on the top row.  Poor little guy.  I'll just have to make a post-Thanksgiving meal for him to enjoy (:

Weekly Recipe: Quick Breakfast Cake

I love coffee cake for breakfast (or anytime) but rarely make it because of the amount of butter most recipes call for.  I have a general rule that I try to steer clear of recipes that call for more than 1 stick of butter.  The exceptions to that rule are cakes because I know I won't be eating the whole thing (hopefully) and I feel like the butter is more spread out.  It's not but just humor me.

As I was making my weekly menu a week or so ago, I knew I wanted to have breakfast one night.  I love pancakes but Wes often thinks we have too much food when I pair pancakes with another breakfast item for dinner.  Tisk, tisk.  So I looked for a way to get my sweet fix without lugging out the griddle.  It's not lighter than pancakes would have been but because it was different, he didn't notice.  Hee, hee!

This coffee cake is exceptional.  With only 1 stick of butter, it fits into my boundaries, yet it tastes equally as delicious as the full fat versions.  And with only 7 ingredients, you can whip this up in a jiffy!  I added a couple blobs of cream cheese to the top for some extra calories and that proved to be a worthy decision (my waistline thanked me). 

Quick Cream Cheese Breakfast Cake

adapted from Southern Living

Cake:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 oz cream cheese, softened

1 T. powdered sugar

Streusel:

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 T. melted butter

1 T. flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup almonds, toasted

1. Combine brown sugar, butter, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir in almonds.

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 400°. Beat butter and 1/2 cup sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
• 2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition.
• 3. Pour batter into a lightly greased 9-inch round cake pan. Stir together cream cheese and 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar. Dollop cream cheese mixture, 1 tsp. at a time, over batter. and top with Streusel.
• 4. Bake at 400° for 22 to 24 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Drizzle with Vanilla Glaze, if desired.

Optional Vanilla Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 T. milk

Stir together powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 T. milk, adding additional milk if necessary.  Stir until smooth.

      Linking up to Remodelholic, Lady Behind the Curtain, Crazy for Crust and This Chick Cooks!

Friday Feature: Pull Apart Pumpkin Cinnamon Bread

When I agreed to co-host the Holiday Sweet Swap for October, I couldn't wait to see some of the entries and get the chance to highlight a few throughout the month.  I knew there would be tons of pumpkin, apples, and other fall goodies throughout and boy was I right! 

It didn't take long for me to find one that made me drool.  As a matter of fact, I honestly haven't stopped thinking about this recipe ever since.  I had seen it elsewhere on someone else's blog but as I told Sweet Pea from Newlyweds, her photo tutorial was awesome!  Sometimes I get bored of the step-by-step pictures when you're just combining everyday ingredients, but when it comes to something a little more involved and different than I'm used to, I appreciate the visuals. 

This bread makes me want to jump through the computer screen every time I see it.  If I could squeeze another hour or two into the day, this would be the first thing on my list to do.  I may have to carve out some time to tackle this just to get it out of my head.  See for yourself, doesn't it look amazing with all it's glorious layers and ooey goodness?!!

Pull-Apart Cinnamon Pumpkin Bread
Adapted from Sunny Side in San Diego, original recipe Willow Bird Baking
Dough
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour
Filling
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
Buttered Rum Glaze
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon rum (or Vanilla)
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn (turn black) about 2-3 minutes. Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to stove and heat through. Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook) and allow to cool so it is no longer hot but also not cool (about 100-110 degrees F). Once it has reached a warm but not hot temperature add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to proof about 10 minutes. Then add the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.
While dough is rising, brown another 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well.** Making sure sugar evenly absorbs the butter. Set aside. Next, grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.
When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20×12 inch rectangle.*** Evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.
In the meantime preheat an oven to 350 degrees. After rising in the pan bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is a very deep golden brown.
To prepare the glaze, heat the butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum and powdered sugar.
**I forgot to add the cinnamon sugar mixture to the dough before I cut it, so I just dipped each piece in the dough, both sides, and sprinkled the remaining on top. 
*** If dough is difficult to roll out, cover with a towel and allow to relax for a few minutes then try again.

Weekly Recipe: Breakfast Hash

There's a local restaurant that Wes loves for one reason, their Corned Beef Hash.  Being someone adverse to salt, I am not a fan.  The premise is fine but when it all comes together, the saltiness of the corned beef and the grease from the fried potatoes is just too much for me to stomach at 9am.  But he loves it and being the good wife that I am, I like to please my husband.

I won a cookbook from Taste and Tell several months ago entitled, "Second Helpings" by Johnnie Gabriel.  I eagerly cracked it open and was pleased to find recipe after recipe that I wanted to try.  I also appreciate that there were tons of pictures and easy to find ingredients that I typically have on hand.

One of the recipes I eyed was for Red Potato and Vegetable Hash.  Anytime I see the word 'hash' I almost feel compelled to stop and give it a second look.  I like the concept of hash with the veggies and such but I just don't like the idea of the fat and sodium content.  After looking at this particular recipe, I knew I could use this as a starting point to lighten the load, if you will.

The end result was quite tasty and likely something I'll be creating time and time again on a weekend morning.  I added bacon for the meat - a requirement for most men - and an egg on top to make it feel more like breakfast.  I paired mine with corn pancakes on the side for a FULL meal.

Breakfast Hash
adapted from Second Helpings

4-6 small to medium sized red potatoes
1/2 green pepper, roughly chopped
1/2 red pepper, roughly chopped
1 small zucchini, roughly chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
4 slices of bacon
4 eggs

Place whole, unpeeled potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, cooking al dente.  Drain potatoes in a colander and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile fry your bacon.  Remove from pan to a paper towel to absorb some of the grease.  Allow to cool slightly and crumble.  Wipe skillet and reserve for later use.

Cut the potatoes into a 1/4-inch dice.  Heat the same skillet you used for the bacon on medium-high until hot and add the olive oil.  Add the potatoes and saute until they have a nice brown color.  Don't stir too much or they will get mushy instead of browning.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  When the potatoes are browned, turn the heat down to medium and add the diced onion to the pan.  Saute the onions and potatoes until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

When the potato and onion mixture is ready, add the peppers.  Saute and stir just enough to slightly cook the added vegetable and heat them through.  Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.  Mix in your crumbled bacon.

Fry eggs individually.  Top each serving of hash with a fried egg.  Enjoy!

I'm linking up with Remodelholic,  The Lady Behind the Curtain, and This Chick Cooks.  TONS of great looking recipes there today!

Recipes, recipes, and more recipes

I promise my kitchen has been seeing a lot of me.  Unfortunately, Old Man Winter covers up the precious sunshine well before I can get dinner on the table and thus, a photograph taken.  I fear until spring comes, there will be more posts like this without my own images.

Pulled Pork - used for both enchiladas and bbq, both of which were superb.  The bbq got a little help from my friend, Montgomery Inn, but the pork was pretty darn tasty by itself.  I just bought 1 pork shoulder and was able to get 2+ meals out it.  Way to go me on the budget-friendly meals!  I made up my own rub but I think the important part is allowing the flavors to soak in overnight.  The enchilada sauce wasn't my favorite of all time but it was good enough.  I actually think the next time I might just use the pork and make more like pork carnitas. 

Mushroom and Bacon Frittata with Roasted Tomatoes - We are lovers of all things breakfast and therefore, we know our breakfast!  This is one of my all-time favorite dishes.  Seriously, Wes said "this is really good" no fewer than 10 times while eating this.  Even though it'd be easy to swap out ingredients, the way it's written is pretty darn near perfect.  It's the perfect blend of flavors, all complimenting each other quite nicely.  Sorry, it was so yummy I couldn't put my fork down long enough to snap a picture.

Sesame Salad - Even though this seems like a good spring/summer dish, I was just in the mood for something lighter.  This fit the bill perfectly.  I will warn you the dressing makes A LOT.  I had read a comment that the dressing was the star, and while it is, you don't have to go crazy like I did and attempt to use it all!  I would halve it next time and add a few veggies, for a more complete meal.  I served it over a bed of lettuce to attempt to get some greens in there. 

Baked Potato Soup - Quick & easy!  You can set your oven to bake the potatoes while you're at work and then come home and finish this soup in about 15 minutes.  If you do this, please make sure to pierce the potatoes a few times before placing them in the oven.  My accidental science project proved that an unpierced baked potato explodes upon touch after being baked for an hour.  Not so fun to clean up said science project.  I only used 3 baking potatoes and that was more than enough for my liking.  I opted to use No-Chicken Chicken Broth and about 1 1/2 cups of half and half.  I forgot the cheese topping but really do you need it with that much cream?  We didn't miss it at all. 

Chicken and Artichokes in a White Wine Sauce - I love Annie.  I really could just end there but I'll give my narrative of the dish since I know you're dying for it.  The slight coating on the chicken kicks it up a bit.  The sauce, while delicious, had all but evaporated by the time I went to plate it.  I would double up on the sauce because it was tasty.  I served it over brown rice and I would have liked to have had some more sauce to jazz it up.  Otherwise, yummy.

Mexican Taco Stew - We love Mexican food but even I get tired of tortilla shells!  There's a ton of ways to jazz up flour/corn tortillas but sometimes it's nice to venture away from the flour.  This soup was warm and hearty on a frigid winter night.  We enjoyed it with cornbread (so I didn't get too far from the flour - cornmeal!) but it wasn't worth repeating.