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Written on November 29, 2011 by Kate

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving week! I am almost finished with day three of my detox from carbs and wine, and let me tell you how much it pains me to even look at this photo. It is only because I’m already past the withdrawal phase that I can post this. I think it was the stuffing, mashed potatoes, and this cinnamon roll cake that put me over the edge… carb overload! And don’t think this is a long-term thing, I only plan on torturing myself for a few more days.

My sister, brother-in-law, and my niece came and stayed with us last week and we had a great time. My sis and I stayed up late one night in our jammies laughing and watching Cupcake Wars. What a blessing to just hang out and catch up with her. She is also a master chef in the kitchen, so I loved cooking Thanksgiving dinner together. She didn’t even get mad at me when we had to run out to the grocery store a half an hour before the turkey was done.

This cinnamon roll cake is both a dessert and a breakfast, especially if you’re a fellow carb-addict. This recipe has made the rounds in the foodie blogosphere for good reason, and this will definitely become a repeat recipe in our house. The boy and family LOVED it! It really does taste like an ooey, gooey cinnamon roll, but it’s way easier than homemade cinnamon rolls. This would make the perfect breakfast for Christmas morning. You can even make it the day before and warm it up before serving.

On a totally unrelated note, thank you to my friends and readers who have let me know about my spam-posting impostor over the past few weeks. I was in denial, hoping it would go away. It didn’t! And no, that was not me trying to sell you false eyelashes, or whatever else was popping up here. The boy has a whole theory about the spam posting impostor and he could be right (he usually is and that completely frustrates me).

Jen from Swank Web Design, who created my blog design, has updated everything and I think the problem has been fixed. If you are looking for a blog designer, I cannot sing her praises enough. I love working with her! She is so creative and incredibly efficient. While Jen was updating things, I had her add a section to my sidebar called “The Essentials”. Many of you have asked for my frosting, sugar cookie, and gingerbread recipes, which I know have gotten buried in my blog posts. All of the essential recipes are now right there, just in time for holiday baking.

Hope you’re having a carb-indulgent week for me! More carbs next week… I promise!

Cinnamon Roll Cake (Posted by Holly at Life as a Lofthouse)

12 servings

CAKE:

3 cups Flour

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Sugar

4 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 1/2 cups Milk

2 Eggs

2 teaspoons Vanilla

1/2 cup ( 1 stick) Butter, melted

TOPPING:

1 cup ( 2 sticks) Butter, softened

1 cup Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Flour

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

GLAZE:

2 cups Powdered Sugar

5 Tablespoons Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 glass baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In an electric or stand mixer add the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Once combined well , slowly stir in the melted butter. Pour into the prepared 9×13 baking pan.

For topping, In a large bowl mix the 2 sticks of butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon together until well combined and creamy. Drop evenly over the batter by the tablespoonfuls and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake.

Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes or when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out nearly clean.

FOR GLAZE: In a medium bowl, mix the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla together with a whisk. Drizzle evenly over the warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Breads, Cakes, Desserts Galore, Pastries, Recipes

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Written on October 20, 2011 by Kate

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Last weekend we took our annual road trip to find our giant pumpkin. We’ve been driving out to Bate’s Nut Farm since Blake was a baby. It’s always a family affair. My BFF Keri and her family join in our adventure too. The Naughty One was part of the fun again this year (I think she was more excited than the boy!). It ended up being quite warm, so we alternated between me carrying the Naughty One and letting her ride in the wheel barrow (and we wonder why she is such a little sausage).

Here’s our pumpkin. There’s a whole system in place to move the giant pumpkin from field to wheel barrow to car to the doorstep. I keep the weight of the pumpkin a secret, and we reveal it the night of our annual pumpkin carving party. It always hits the triple digit mark. All of our guests get to guess the weight, and whoever is closest wins a prize. According to the boy, my prizes aren’t all that great so I’ve got to come up with something new this year. He used to think I was so cool. What has 5th grade done to him? I have a week before our party to come up with some 5th grade approved prizes (that the little ones like too). Any suggestions? The adult prizes are so much easier, no one ever seems to complain about winning a bottle of wine.

I made up a batch of pumpkin bread this week and decided to use up my stash of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. I chopped them up and folded them into the batter. These mini loaves, like the Reese’s Banana Bread turned out to be a great combo.

This recipe is very adaptable, and the loaves come out very moist. You can substitute the peanut butter cups for chocolate chips, toffee bits, chopped nuts, or any other kind of baking chips and I think it would still taste great. I haven’t tried it yet, but I think the batter would also work well for pumpkin muffins.

printable recipe

Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 ½ cups brown sugar

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup water

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 ½ cups chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease mini pumpkin pans*. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, vanilla, water, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Fold in peanut butter cups. Fill pans 1/2 to 3/4 full. Bake approximately 40 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Cool on wire racks for ten minutes before removing from pans.

* I made 10 mini loaves from one batch.

Have a GREAT weekend everyone!

Breads, Cakes, Recipes

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Written on October 4, 2011 by Kate

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I’m warning you, this isn’t your ordinary recipe make-over. In fact, some people might see this as politically-incorrect in the fight against obesity. Usually, a make-over means cutting the fat and reducing the calories… this make-over is quite the opposite. I baked banana bread this weekend and ~~adapted~~ fattened up a recipe from Cooking Light. I’m not opposed to making “light” desserts, as long as they keep the same texture and flavor of the original recipes (and quite often they don’t retain either), but having no plain yogurt or egg substitute on hand, I swapped them out for eggs and oil (a little backwards, I know).

I then took things a step further and fattened it up even more. Ever since my Kendall Jackson post last week, I’ve been craving Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and for some reason I felt compelled to add them to my batter. The peanut-butter/chocolate combo took the banana bread to a whole other level, and I’m proud of my politically-incorrect, added- fat recipe adaptation.

I may not be very good at making things “light”, but I am good at portion control. Instead of baking this up in one large loaf pan, I divided the batter into five mini loaf pans. I then proceeded to eat one for dinner, with my wine, and wrapped up the other four to share with friends… four politically-incorrect friends who I knew would appreciate my make-over.

And in case you’re wanting to fatten up other banana bread recipes, Cooking Light has put together a great collection of banana bread recipes, thirteen of their favorites.

printable recipe

Peanut Butter Cup Banana Bread (Adapted from Cooking Light)

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3-4 bananas)

3 large eggs

1/3 cup oil

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

20 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, chopped**

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add banana, eggs, and oil; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Gently fold peanut butter cups into the batter.

Place chocolate chips in a medium microwave-safe bowl, and microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly. Add 1 cup batter to chocolate, stirring until well combined. Spoon chocolate batter alternately with plain batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Swirl batters together using a knife. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes* or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

*Baking these in mini loaf pans took about 35 minutes.

** I folded these into the banana bread batter before adding the chocolate batter. I forgot to put this in the original post, but went back and added it into the recipe. Sorry for that. I’m always going in fast motion!

Breads, Cakes, Desserts Galore, Recipes

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Written on April 30, 2010 by Kate

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“Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort.”
~ Norman Kolpas

Comfort food was definitely on my menu this week. The past few days have been chaotic and stressful, but above all life-changing. I still haven’t processed all of it yet.

Monday night was a victory for students, teachers, and parents in the community. After a five-day strike, the school board finally caved and agreed to a fair contract for our teachers. This group of seven clearly had no idea what they were up against. In total, 92% of our 2,200 teachers walked the picket line. Thousands of parents and students joined in our stand-off and embraced our teachers whole-heartedly. Only 37% of our students attended school during the strike, with only 10% of our high schoolers showing up. What happens when a huge majority of your teachers and students walk out… a whole lot of media attention that the board never anticipated.

The moral of the story is this… if you plan on backing 2,000+ teachers into a corner, you better be prepared to deal with the consequences.

Not only am I a teacher, but also a parent in the district. My boy has been lucky enough to have had the same teacher for two years. She has been such a blessing in our lives. My son has grown tremendously because of her support and guidance.

What could we do to show her our support? Comfort food, yes that works! While I got ready for each strike day, my boy and his dad picked up Starbucks for the staff and delivered it, along with some comfort food I had made.

Comfort food for me usually is something sweet. I’m not much of a main meal or side dish kind of girl. In fact, I’m fine skipping dinner completely. Note to Prince Charming…Nachos and mashed potatoes are exceptions ~ feel free to deliver those in stressful times.

During the strike, I made two of my favorites, Starbuck’s copycat coffee cake and oatmeal blueberry bars. I also baked up two new recipes, which were loaded with comfort. I found a can of pumpkin puree in my pantry and made pumpkin bars with chocolate chips. I also made use of the ripe bananas on my counter, and the result was one of the moistest cakes I’ve ever tasted. It was iced with a cream cheese frosting. Let’s face it, life can never be too bad if you’ve got cream cheese icing.

We survived all of the chaos and are ready to rest up and recover this weekend! Have a great weekend!

Pumpkin Bars (Recipe from Realmomkitchen.com)

printable recipe

6 eggs 1 1/2 cup oil

3 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 large can (29 oz) pumpkin

3 1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin. Fold in dry ingredients and pour into jelly roll pan (13 x 18 pan) . (At this point I sprinkle half the pan with 1 cup of chocolate chips) Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not over bake.

Banana cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

(printable recipe)

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Breads, Brownies & Bars, Cakes, frosting, Recipes

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Written on October 23, 2009 by Lynda

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Planning on having a Halloween Cocktail Party? My friends got together for a girls night out last night. We were asked by the hostess to bring an appetizer and a drink. I purchased a small loaf of sourdough bread and cut it on the diagonal to create a larger surface. I cut into each bread slice with a pumpkin cookie cutter. Surprisingly it was quite easy! I dyed olive oil orange by adding yellow and red food coloring and whisking it until it turned orange, then brushed the pumpkin cutouts with the orange olive oil, and sprinkled them with small amount of garlic salt. I toasted the bread at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes until the edges a slightly browned. I cut a 4″ X 6″ piece of pate with mini Halloween cookie cutters. For the eyes on the ghost, the cat and the bat I used black sesame seeds. When the toast cooled I placed the pate on top.

For the second appetizer I tried to create a spider. I used 8 toothpicks and placed 3 pieces of shrimp on each toothpick. For the head I used baby bella mushrooms and stuffed them with crab (see my recipe for crab cakes). I baked the stuffed mushrooms at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. To assemble I placed two toothpicks of shrimp together to form the body (six legs). The stuffed mushrooms attach to the toothpicks and become the head. My simple recipe for shrimp sauce is catsup (1 cup) + horseradish (1 tablespoon) to taste.

Candy Corn Martini - 1 part Rose’s Mango + 2 parts candy corn infused vodka*

*1 cup candy corn + 2 cups vodka – mix and refrigerate for one day and up to 3 weeks.

Appetizer, Breads, Candy, Drinks, Gourmet Group, Holidays, Martinis, Parties, Recipes, Table Setting Ideas

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Written on August 31, 2009 by Lynda

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Last week we had our end of summer beach party with our friends. The kids put on their own episode of America’s Got Talent around the bonfire. Even the littlest one, who’s only two, participated with his “Where is Thumbkin?” singing debut. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. The kids told jokes, did some funky dances, and sang their hearts out. My boy and his best buddy even performed a stunt show act – let’s hope that’s not in his future. The older I get, the more I appreciate these moments. This is what makes all of the struggles in life worth it - being in the company of the ones you love, there’s nothing better than that!!

America’s Got Talent wasn’t the only highlight. My mom and dad are our official gourmet beach chefs, so we’re always happy when they can join us. We do the traditional hot dogs and smores, but the two of them put together these amazing, five-star, restaurant worthy chipolte chicken sandwiches, complete with crispy bacon and guacamole. We’re talking a beach bonfire – but even paper plates and plastic utensils won’t stop them from creating a gourmet menu. My mom now officially has her kitchen in working condition, except for the little things, which I think will take another year at the rate the workers are moving. But don’t expect her to be blogging anytime soon, she’s leaving for a cruise at the end of the week. The woman never stops! I’ll try to pin her down between vacations and coerce her into putting a few more of her secret recipes into print.

Chipolte Chicken Sandwich

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

6 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

8 chicken breasts, boned and skinned.

Chipotle Chili Sauce (see recipe)

Guacamole (See recipe)

16 slices bacon

8 slices red onion

8 cibatta rolls

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Written on June 2, 2009 by Lynda

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Is your glass half-full or half-empty? That is the subject we discussed at our May lunch group. It comes as no surprise that we are pretty much a “half-full” mentality. Every month when we assemble for good food, great wine and excellent conversation, I am amazed at the every day trials and tribulations we face with laughter and gratitude. Like so many, we face an economy that is in the toilet, retirement funds that allow us to retire at age 90 instead of 65, and health issues that come with the over 50 crowd. We discuss how unfair it is we now deal with thinning hair on our head and extra hair appearing in places we never anticipated. As much as we diet and exercise, our youthful bodies are a past memory.

In spite of everything, we have each other. We laugh until our sides hurt and tears are running down our cheeks. We vow whatever happens we will take care of each other and enjoy life no matter what comes our way. Inside we are always in our 20′s looking for the next crazy adventure, while outside we are searching for the perfect acid-reflux cure.

Check out Peggy’s table setting and the easy flower centerpieces. Our “take-away” favor doubled as part of the arrangement. Kate has trained me to measure for the recipes I submit, but I haven’t been able to train my BFF’s. Peggy did provide the recipes for the fish, potatoes and vegetables, but I’ll have to get back with you on the salad and dessert.

Don’t forget to check out the croissants at Trader Joe’s – AMAZING!!! Take them out of the freezer the night before and they bake like home-made.

BROCCOLINI AND GREEN BEANS

2 pounds broccolini

1/2 pound green beans, trimmed

1/2 cup garlic flavored olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccolini and boil for 2 minutes. Using tongs quickly add broccolini to a large bowl of ice water. drain and set aside.

In the same pot of boiling water add the green beans and cook for 4 minutes. Using tongs, quickly add green beans to another large bowl of ice water. Drain and set aside. (The vegetables can be made 8 hours ahead if you dry them and then refrigerate in a Ziplock.

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add vegetables and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Saute vegetables for about 5 minutes until vegetables are heated through. Taste and add additional red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste.

LEMON BUTTERED DILL POTATOES

4 large potatoes, baked

8 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped

4 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 tablespoon onion, finely minced

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

paprika for garnish

1. Preheat 400 degrees. Bake potatoes for 1 hour until fork tender.

2. Lower heat to 350 degrees.

3. Cut each baked potato in half lengthwise and scoop out pulp.

4. In a large bowl mix potato pulp with 5 tablespoons melted butter and remaining ingredients, except paprika.

5. Put mixture into casserole dish and drizzle with remaining 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Sprinkle with paprika. (Can be prepared a day ahead, cover and chill overnight.)

6. Bring to room temperature and bake 20 minutes until lightly browned.

GLO’S SALAD (TBA)

VEGETABLE TOPPED SALMON

8 6-ounce fillets

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 cups carrot, finely grated

2 cups tomato, finely chopped

3/4 cup green onions, chopped

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. Arrange fillets in a baking dish and drizzle with lemon juice.

2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

3. Mound on top of fillets, covering completely.

4. Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead, cover and chill overnight).

Baking Groups, Breads, Entrees, Gourmet Group, Recipes, Salads, Soups & Sides

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/BIGGEST LOSER PARTY RESULTS

Written on February 26, 2009 by Lynda

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The Paparazzi were out in full force at the annual Academy Awards/Biggest Loser Mystery Dinner. Guests were bombarded with photo flashes and celebrity reporters asking, “Who are you wearing?” and “Who do you think will win the Biggest Loser Award? ”

The Walk of Fame, down our driveway, was studded with stars displaying the names of the guests attending this major event. While lingering at their ”Stars” photos were snapped to remember the fun evening.

Andrea, Brian and Juli handed out flutes of champagne before the guests were whisked away to the dreaded weigh-in.

The horsd’eourves were inspired by Academy Award Nominees. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was Sausage Stuffed Button Mushrooms. Tropic Thunder was a Cheese Ball made with pineapple and peppers. Momma Mia was Roma Tomato Bruschetta.

Before finding their places at the tables and filling out their mystery dinner menu everyone mixed and mingled while checking off their picks for the Academy Award winners.

With my brilliant help in the kitchen, Andrea, Brian, Juli and Katie, it was like a mini version of Top Chef. We scrambled to get the food out warm, on time, and to the correct person. They really did an amazing job. Meanwhile in the dining room the guests were popping open their “Crackers.”

At almost every party I have I put together a “Cracker” that holds a lottery ticket, a penny to scratch off the ticket, a little gift – maybe lipstick or nail polish for the women and maybe a pen or miniature deck of cards for the men, and a question or joke or riddle each person can share at the table. At this party I chose trivia from past Academy Awards. It’s always a great way to start conversation while the food is being served.

Before the party I put a key to the menu on the web site. About half of the guests read the key, but unfortunately for the other half they did not, and some received their dessert first; or in the case of Linda, she received two courses without a knife or fork. It was hilarious to watch and also a reminder to be sure and check out Grin and Bake It!

Glo, who answered 13 out of 24 categories walked off with the Ken, my version of the Oscar, named after my husband Ken. It’s a Ken doll, spray painted gold, and usually glued to a hockey puck. This year because it was in honor of Jeanette, who died the week after the Golden Globe/Biggest Loser Party, the stand was a revolving stand that holds 4 pictures. Glo, who by the way, came as a Martini with her husband who came as James Bond, accepted the Ken in Jeanette’s memory. In the past Jeanette had won several “Kens.” Actually she was the Merryl Streep of our group–winning the most Kens.

The announcement that Ken won the Biggest Loser Contest came at the end of the evening. He lost 14 pounds and beat Andrea by 1/2 percent. When we viewed his before picture it was evident he didn’t cheat – thank goodness he didn’t have to weigh in after the three course meal!

Check out the recipes. Everything was made ahead of time and ready to pop into the oven right before the guests arrived. I even put the grilled lamb chops in a large crock pot. When they reached 100 degrees with a temperature fork, I cut them into individual chops and packed them in the pot with the bone facing up. I poured the sauce over the chops, covered the pot with the lid and let the meat soak up the flavor on low for 2 hours.

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Baking my way through the trials and triumphs of life!

Category Archives: Breads

/BIGGEST LOSER PARTY RESULTS