Apple Walnut Coffee Cake

Today I have a semi-naughty coffee cake for your breakfast or brunch needs. It's naughty because I used full-fat ingredients and a fair amount of sugar. Here's how that happened: My 10-month old son has yogurt with his oatmeal most mornings. Because he's a growing baby, whole milk dairy products are recommended. (He's only eating cheese and yogurt at the moment.) Last week I mistakenly bought vanilla-flavored whole milk yogurt instead of plain. Although he didn't seem to mind the vanilla flavored, he gets quite enough sugar as it is from all the apple sauce he gulps down. Thus, I switched him back to plain yogurt as soon as I made it back to the store. That left me with nearly an entire quart of whole milk vanilla yogurt, which neither my husband nor I really needed to eat. (I make two batches of my vanilla yogurt using skim milk per week.)

I suppose I could have made frozen yogurt with the rich stuff, but just happened to notice the recipe on the back of the yogurt container: Glazed Apple Walnut Coffee Cake. It sounded rather tasty and as I had everything needed on hand last night I gave it a whirl. Quite tasty, as well as nice and moist! Next time I may add a little more cinnamon, but it was still very yummy. You'll notice that I did not make the glaze. My thinking was that the cake was so rich that we really didn't need a sugary glaze and I think I was right. However, I have included the glaze recipe below if you're interested.

Apple Walnut Coffee Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c butter, softened
1 c granulated sugar
1/4 c brown sugar (org. 1/2 c)
4 eggs (I used 2 egg whites in place of 1 egg)
1 c vanilla whole milk yogurt
2 apples, cored, peeled and diced
3/4 walnuts, chopped

Glaze
3/4 vanilla whole milk yogurt
3/4 c apple cider
1/2 confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour angel food or bundt cake pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a large bowl beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in 1 cup of yogurt.

With mixer on low, add flour mixture until just combined. Stir in apples and walnuts.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Rest in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack. Cool completely.

To make glaze, whisk together cider, 3/4 cup yogurt and confectioners' sugar. Pour over cake.

Serves 6

Butternut Squash Risotto

Happy Friday! I know it's practically summer, but I have another comfort food-type recipe for you today.

For dinner yesterday evening I had intended to make Butternut Squash Raviolis. Yet another post I will get around to writing one of these days. Basically, I roughly follow this Emeril recipe and make my own ravioli dough. Anyway, I intended to make raviolis, but by 5:30 p.m., it just wasn't happening. However, I had already defrosted the roasted butternut squash--typically I buy a sizeable butternut squash (2-3 lbs), roast the entire thing, use half for whatever recipe I'm making and then freeze the rest. So I hit the web for something easier I could make using the roasted/mashed squash.

I came across this slide show from Martha Stewart, which gave me a number of ideas, including butternut squash mac 'n cheese and these tasty-sounding pot stickers. Alas, I didn't have any wonton wrappers, which I also could have used to make raviolis had I had them. Then I came to her butternut squash risotto recipe. It looked quite tasty, but called for chunks of squash to be cooked with the rice whereas my veg was already roasted. I then found this recipe at All Recipes.com, which called for cooking and mashing the squash in the first step. Close enough! I switched up the method a little by adding in the roasted squash at the end instead, which I think made it a heartier or at least prettier dish, but either way works. This dish is great as a side or a meatless main.

Butternut Squash Risotto
1 lb butternut squash, roasted
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
5 cups chicken stock (I used beef as that was all I had)
1/4-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (a large handful works)
Salt and pepper to taste

If you're not familiar with preparing risotto, it's a two-pot process. In one saucepan you'll saute your veggies and then prepare the risotto. In a second, smaller pot, you'll keep the broth/stock simmering on low so it's warm when you add it to the rice, which allows it to be absorbed faster (I think). If you add cold liquid, I believe your end result will be mushy and not the nice Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir for 2 minutes until the onion begins to soften, then add in the rice. Continue cooking for another few minutes until the onions are beginning to brown.

Pour in the white wine; cook, stirring constantly, until it has been absorbed by the rice. Add 1 cup of the hot stock to the rice and cook, while stirring, until the liquid has been absorbed, 5 to 7 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium and add another cup of the remaining chicken stock. Continue stirring until the liquid has been absorbed. Keep adding the remaining liquid in 1 cup amounts, always waiting until the liquid is absorbed before you add more liquid. You will notice that the rice "drinks" the liquid quickly at the beginning, then slows down considerably. Continue this process until the risotto is creamy but still has a slight bite to the rice. You may not need all of the liquid. My total cooking time for the brand of arborio rice I buy is usually about 25-30 minutes.

Stir in the roasted squash and cheese until thoroughly incorporated and the squash is warm and the cheese melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4

Slow Cooker Corned Beef

As I just posted what I did with our St. Patty's Day leftovers, I should probably post the corned beef recipe I used this year, particularly since it was amazing! This was only my second time making corned beef and let's just say last year's attempt wasn't much of a success. So many recipes call for just using the included spice packet and water, which just doesn't do it for me.

This year, I started out with a pretty decently sized brisket, but by the time I was finished slicing it, we barely had enough for dinner, one sandwich, and this yummy flannel hash. Other than tossing the seasoning packet, an important step (for me) is to lightly rinse the beef before placing it in the slow cooker. I know corned beef is all about the salted meat, but trust me that you're not going to rinse it all away. This recipe is adapted from one at Taste of Home. Sorry there are no pictures!

Slow Cooker Corned Beef

2 cups potatoes, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 large onion, sliced
Up to 2 (3 lb) corned beef briskets (I only had one)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 TBS sugar
2 tsp ground coriander
1 TBS whole peppercorns
~4 cups water (see directions)

Discard the spice packets. Gently rinse the brisket and pat dry with a clean towel.

In the bowl of the slow cooker, toss potatoes, carrots and onion. Top with the brisket. Sprinkle the brown sugar, sugar, coriander and peppercorns over meat. Add about an inch or two of water. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender.

Slice brisket across the grain and serve with vegetables, on rye bread, or make flannel hash.

About 4 servings.

Flannel Hash

Wow, another month gone by without a post. I have no excuses for you, but I do have a super tasty recipe. Two years ago, my husband and I went to NYC for a long weekend. We caught three shows, did some shopping, and hung out with friends. On our last morning, we stopped for a quick breakfast at a diner around the corner from our hotel. On a whim and looking for something more nutritious than bacon, eggs, and flapjacks, I tried something I had never heard of before: Flannel Hash. When it came, it was a huge plate of different colored cubes ("flannel"). Since I'm not a fan of breakfast potatoes or hash browns, I was apprehensive. I LOVED it. This dish is super easy to make and is perfect for those St. Patty's Day leftover. (Yes, we had this after St. Patty's Day and I'm just getting around to posting it now.) But, trust me, this dish is good enough to take the trouble to make all by itself, any time you can find brisket in the store. It's hearty enough for any meal of the day!

Adapted from Simply Recipes.

2 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups chopped cooked corned beef
1-2 cups chopped cooked beets*
1-2 cups chopped cooked potatoes*
1-2 cups cooked sweet potatoes*
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried parsley
Salt and pepper

*I recommend roasting the beets, sweet potatoes, and potatoes for this dish. It brings out their natural sweetness. Cut into 1/2" cubes and toss on a sheet pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until fork-tender and slightly browned.

Melt butter in olive oil on medium high heat. Saute onion until translucent. Add corned beef, beets, sweet potatoes and potatoes to the pan. Drizzle with Worcestershire sauce and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parsley. Go easy on the salt if your potatoes are well-season as corned beef is salty.

Press mixture into even layer, reduce heat to medium and cook for a few minutes until a nice crust begins to form. (This step isn't really necessary for taste, just makes it prettier and adds a little more caramelization.)

Serve by itself or with eggs.

Makes about 4 servings.

Chicken Cacciatore (Slow Cooker)

One of my new year's resolutions, and possibly the only one I'm sticking to as I can't remember what any of the rest were at the moment, was to cook more from my cookbooks. I love trying recipes from blogs and other online sources so much that I neglect my more than decent cookbook collection far too much. One of the largest categories of cookbooks in my collection are dedicated to slow cooking. Today's recipe comes from The Italian Slow Cooker, which was an impulse by at an adorable little bookstore called Salt & Pepper located in historic Occoquan, Virginia. If you're in the DC/Northern Virginia area, I highly recommend a visit to this quaint little store. There aren't many independent bookstores out there anymore in general, let alone one dedicated to food, so it's nice to support the ones that are left.

Something interesting that this book recommends is to brown all the meat first, including the chicken. I regularly do that with beef in my slow cooker dishes, but for some reason never thought of doing that with chicken. It makes a difference! Often chicken is difficult in the slow cooker because it falls apart. Browning it first not only brings out extra flavor, but also makes the skin sturdier as to not melt away during cooking. One downside with chicken that is present in this dish is a much shorter cooking time than beef. However, it's perfect for a weekend meal that you don't have to get going until noon, then can leave cooking on the counter while you run a few errands and come home to a yummy smelling house. This dish was quite tasty too!

Chicken Cacciatore (Slow Cooker)

4 lbs chicken (I used thighs)
salt, pepper, olive oil
2 large red bell peppers, cut into strips
12 ounces button mushrooms, halved
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBS all purpose flour
1 TBS good tomato paste (use 2-3 if using cheap stuff)
3/4 c dry red wine

Dry chicken pieces gently with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Coat large skillet with oil, about 2 TBS, and heat over medium heat. Add chicken, skin-side down, and cook until nicely browned. Flip and brown other side. Transfer chicken to slow cooker.

Pour all but 2 TBS of fat from skillet and increase heat to medium high. Saute peppers and mushrooms until they begin to soften. Add onions, thyme, and garlic and cook for 3 more minutes.

Sprinkle flour over veggies. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add tomato paste and wine and bring to a simmer. Scrape the bottom of the pan to get the yummy brown bits of flavor. Pour over chicken.

Cook on low for 5 hours or on high for 2.5 hours.

Serves 4

Chocolate Chip Whole Wheat Muffins

I needed a quick dessert for a dinner with a crowd of fitness buffs so I didn't want to make anything that seemed too dessert-like. Chocolate cake wouldn't do, but I had a hunch that whole wheat muffins, albeit with chocolate chips might do that trick. And they did. Some of my guests had three muffins, and this was after a fairly hearty dinner. I love that these muffins are just sweet enough. Plus, there's texture and crunch thanks to the whole wheat flour and nuts. This recipe is slightly adapted from this one found at Food.com

Chocolate Chip Whole Wheat Muffins
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat or white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup light-brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk (I used skim)
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs, lightly beaten (I used 1 whole egg + 2 whites)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 c semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts or 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Whisk together dry ingredients, except chips and nuts, in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients until well-blended.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and incorporate milk mixture until just combined. Stir in chips and nuts.

Using a muffin scoop, fill prepared muffin pan 2/3rds of the way.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto wire rack.

Makes 15-18 muffins.

Butternut Squash and Kale Chicken Pot Pies

Wow, how did it get to be April already? Apparently, I missed the entire month of March. Fortunately, even though I didn't post at all last month, I tried a bunch of new recipes which I hope to share with you between now and . . . say, June? :) Just kidding (I hope)!

Today's recipe comes from the February 2013 issue of Bon Appetit and is perfect for winter or fall. We absolutely love butternut squash and chicken pot pies, so an excuse to put the two together couldn't be passed up. Plus, I've also been on the lookout for new ways to try kale, so again this recipe fits the bill. The recipe absolutely did not disappoint. I used my regular pie dough instead of the suggested puff pastry and chicken which I had in the freezer from the last time I roasted a whole bird for stock. These pot pies are fantastic right from the oven but also freeze well.

Butternut Squash and Kale Chicken Pot Pies

Pie dough for a 9" double-crust pie
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBS fresh sage (or 1 tsp dried)
1 small bunch kale, stem removed and leaves chopped (~2-3 cups)
1/4 c all purpose flour
3 c chicken broth
1.5 c butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1/2" pieces
1.5 cooked chicken, chopped or roughly shredded
1 egg, whisked with 1 tsp water
salt, pepper, olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Saute onion in olive oil until softened and beginning to brown. Add garlic and sage. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in kale and season with salt and pepper. Cook until kale is wilted, about 4 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 4 minutes. Whisk in broth and add squash. Bring to a boil, then simmer until squash is softened (fork-tender) and broth is thickened. Add chicken and adjust seasoning.

Roll and cut bottom and top rounds of pie dough appropriately sized for your pan(s). Grease and flour pie pan(s) and needed. Fill generously with mixture, allowing the filling to mound slightly. Add top layer of dough, crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork, and make a few slits to allow steam to escape Brush with egg mixture. I made individual pot pies and got 6 well-stuffed 4" pies with a little bit of both filling and dough to spare.

Bake 15-20 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake another 15-20 minutes until pies are a lovely golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes to allow filling to set before serving.

Makes 6 individual pot pies or 1 9" pie.

MS Simple Waffles

This bright and sunny morning called for some waffles. Though I intended to make buttermilk waffles as I had some leftover buttermilk to finish, this recipe from Martha Stewart was too simple to pass. I substituted white whole wheat flour for a healthier version and they turned out great! I also added a teaspoon of vanilla because that makes most breakfast items even better.

MS Simple Waffles
1 cup all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat waffle iron.

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk wet ingredients. Pour wet over dry ingredients and gently combine but do not overmix.

Pour into greased waffle maker and cook until golden brown.

Makes 3-4 waffles.

Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I found this recipe in January's Bon Apetit. It sounded like the perfect sweet and salty treat for a rainy afternoon like we had today. Since the issue is entitled "The Cooking School Issue," I suppose that accounts for the THREE different types of sugar required. I fortunately had them all on hand, however, I still have no idea why powdered sugar is necessary. Probably, if you didn't have any one hand, you might experiment with just a bit more granulated (~ 1/8 c) to achieve the same texture and taste. As has become my habit with cookies, I made a batch and froze the rest of the dough in little balls so whenever we next want cookies, I can pop them straight into the oven for a quick treat. This recipe makes large (3") relatively flat cookies with a nice crunch but also a little bit of chewiness. It's possible that the texture will be different when I bake the dough in the freezer, so I'll try to update this if that occurs. I halved the chocolate suggested by the recipe and thought the cookies plenty chocolatey. Very tasty cookie. Next time I might add some chopped walnuts, but these were great as is.

Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies
1.5 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 c butter, room temperature
3/4 c light brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/4 c powdered sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
4 oz (org recipe 8 oz) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (I used 70% cacao), coarsely chopped
Sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, except sea salt and chocolate.

In a separate medium bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, egg, and vanilla until mixture is pale and fluffy.

Reduce heat to low, slowly add dry ingredients. Mix until blended--do not over mix. Fold in chocolate.

Using a 1 TBS cookie scoop, place on parchment paper-lined cookie sheet at least 2" apart. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Cookies will still be very soft and will firm up during cooling.

Let cool for a few minutes on cookie sheet, then move to wire rack and cool completely.

Makes 2-3 dozen.

Homemade Spreadable Butter

Without really meaning to, I've really gotten into making commonly purchased items from scratch. There's my homemade pizza dough, pizza sauce, taco seasoning, yogurt, and numerous sandwich breads. Despite all this, it never occurred to me that I could make spreadable butter. I've struggled for a long time to find a spreadable butter I liked. I love the convenience of spreadable butter as I frequently eat toast for breakfast or make grilled cheese sandwiches and never have the patience to allow regular butter to get to room temperature first. However, I absolutely despise the fake flavors of products like Country Crock or I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. For awhile, I regularly purchased Smart Balance spreads. There are good coupons available and the taste isn't too bad, however it's definitely an oil-like taste as opposed to a buttery flavor. Plus, when you're doing a pantry challenge and trying only to purchase fresh produce and dairy each week, buying fake butter really seemed wrong. So I turned to Google and came across different variations of this recipe. It looked super easy and I had a stash of butter in my freezer, so I decided to try it.

Well, it was a super simple recipe that I made even easier by whisking by hand rather than breaking out the stand mixer. I simply allowed the butter to come to room temperature first, then used a little elbow grease, and viola(!) spreadable butter without the mystery ingredients. It works just like the fake stuff and tastes so much better.

Homemade Spreadable Butter
1/2 c butter, room temperature*
1/4 c canola oil
1-2 TBS water, if desired

*I used salted butter, but you could use unsalted and salt to taste.

Using a stand mixer or whisk, whisk together oil and butter. Add water to achieve desired consistency. Refrigerate and use as you would use the fake stuff.

Note: The fake stuff has food coloring in it to make it look more like butter. Adding oil to butter makes a pale-looking final product, but that's more an acceptable a trade-off.