Everything but the Kitchen Sink Muffins... and the Train Park.

This delicious recipe for "Morning Glory Muffins" came from King Arthur Flour.

They have carrots, pineapple, coconut, walnuts, almonds, granny smith apples, and golden raisins. I also exchanged a portion of the white flour for wheat flour. Basically everything but the kitchen sink!!

I used 5in squares of parchment paper for the wrappers. If you tied little bows around them they would make a sweet little gift : )

And if you want to indulge, add a sweet cream cheese spread... it's like a glorified carrot cake!

And this is McCormick Railroad Park in Scottsdale. It is such a wonderful place full of history and lots of fun! It has an old presidential train, and 100 year old train depots that are now cute little shops and restaurants. They have kept the prices very reasonable, and I think we are so lucky to have something like this in our city!

So long for now!

Morning Glory Muffins- King Arthur Flour
( I exchanged 3/4 cup of white flour with wheat flour, and added pineapple )

1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) raisins
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) white flour
1 cup (7 1/2 ounces)  white or brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (7 ounces) carrots, peeled and grated
1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and grated
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped walnuts
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) sunflower seeds or wheat germ, optional
3 large eggs
2/3 cup (4 5/8 ounces) vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or line it with papers and spray the insides of the papers.

To make the muffins: In a small bowl, cover the raisins with hot water, and set them aside to soak while you assemble the rest of the recipe. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, spices, and salt. Stir in the carrots, apple, coconut, nuts, and sunflower seeds or wheat germ, if using. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and orange juice. Add to the flour mixture, and stir until evenly moistened. Drain the raisins and stir them in. Divide the batter among the wells of the prepared pan (they'll be full almost to the top; that's OK).

To bake the muffins: Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until nicely domed and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes in their pan on a rack, then turn out of pans to finish cooling

Meyer Lemon Coffee Cake!

My favorite part about this coffee cake was the generous, crumbly, sugary topping. I also made a glaze with lemon juice, powdered sugar, and fresh basil.

And then I soaked it in it!

And I used lemons from my sister's own lemon tree.

Awesome!



Meyer Lemon Coffee Cake- MarthaStewart.com

For the Streusel-
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
6 ounces ( 3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter

For the Cake- ( I left out the lemon slices from the cake. )
5 Meyer lemons, cut into paper-thin slices, ends discarded
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
4 ounces (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons finely grated Meyer lemon zest (from 4 to 5 lemons)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

For the Glaze- ( I used a lot more lemon juice, added powdered sugar to taste, and also added chopped basil. )
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice

Directions-
1.Make the streusel: Mix together flour, brown sugar, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut butter into the flour mixture until small to medium clumps form. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to use (up to 3 days).

2.Make the cake: Cook lemon slices in a medium saucepan of simmering water for 1 minute. Drain, and repeat. Arrange lemon slices in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

3.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch angel food cake pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest with a mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer running, add eggs, 1 at a time, then the vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream.

4.Spoon 1/2 of the batter evenly into cake pan. Arrange 1/2 of the lemon slices in a single layer over the batter. Spread remaining batter evenly over the top. Cover with the remaining lemon slices in a single layer. Sprinkle the chilled streusel evenly over the batter.

5.Bake until cake is golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack set over a baking sheet, and let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan, and remove outer ring. Let cool on rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the center tube. Slide 2 wide spatulas between the bottom of the cake and the pan, and lift cake to remove from the center tube. Let cool completely on rack.

6.Make the glaze: Just before serving, stir together confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Drizzle over cooled cake, letting excess drip down the sides. Let glaze set before slicing, about 5 minutes. (Cake can be stored for up to 3 days. The lemon flavor will intensify with time.)

Gingerbread!

Christmas is on its way!

Just like a fresh snow ; )

Yes, there is gingerbread under that sugar!

This recipe is from King Arthur Flour and it was very good, but not great. The search is still on for an awesome recipe, does anyone have one?



With winter in Phoenix comes green green grass!

This was one of the warm days before the chill moved in, so nice!!!

I feel like the blog has been a little neglected. We recently moved into a two story house and the computer is all the way upstairs ;) It was easier when I had a few spare moments, now I have to go to the computer with purpose.

I'll get it figured out : ) 



Hee hee.   : )

Cardamom Crumb Cake, New Crayons, and a Sweet Rain.

Fresh muffins in the morning sun...

I wasn't familiar with cardamom.

So I gave it a shot.

It had a very nice, warm flavor. Similar to cinnamon. The crumb cake was very good. Next time I might add nectarines and lavender... now we're talkin'!

This recipe was also an experiment with parchment paper. I've been wanting to make muffins wrapped in parchment for forever, I think they're so pretty that way!

Just cut 5 inch squares of parchment paper. Then press each into the muffin pan. Press a crease into the paper wherever it seems to naturally want to fold. Filling them with batter will keep them down in the pan. It couldn't be easier, I love it!

Tie a bow around them and they are a perfect little gift.



This particular morning was a little slice of heaven. Bella and I found ourselves alone at home on a cozy, rainy, thundery Saturday morning. I turned on some classical music, we opened the door, and enjoyed new crayons.

Does this make you want to grab a coloring book or what?!

New markers too!

So long for now!

Cardamom Crumb Cake- Everyday Food
Ingredients- Serves 9
nonstick cooking spray
3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2/3 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 cups fresh berries, for serving

Directions-
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With a fork or dough cutter, cut in butter until crumbs form. Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture.

2.Whisk milk, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, cardamom, and lemon zest into remaining crumb mixture until combined. Pour batter into pan and sprinkle reserved crumb mixture on top. Bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack, 30 minutes. Serve cake warm or at room temperature with fresh berries. (Store cooled cake in an airtight container, at room temperature, up to 3 days.)







Sweet Potato Spice Cake and the First Day of Fall!

Happy Fall!!!

"It's the  m o s t  wonderful  t i m e  of the  y e a r ..."

While at the store this morning, I found my favorite magazine of the year sitting on the shelf.

I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself!

I had to make a spice cake to kick off the season right : )

This is a moist sweet potato spice cake with an orange juice, orange zest, and an orange liqueur glaze.

Ahh... Fall, you have at last arrived.

Sweet Potato Spice Cake - Emeril Legasse

Ingredients-

•1 teaspoon unsalted butter at room temperature, plus 1/2 pound (2 sticks)
•1 cup packed light brown sugar
•1 cup granulated sugar
•2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds raw sweet potatoes)
•4 large eggs
•3 cups all-purpose flour
•1 teaspoon baking soda
•1 teaspoon baking powder
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1 teaspoon ground ginger
•1/2 teaspoon allspice
•1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
•1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
•2 tablespoons fresh orange juice, or slightly more as needed

•1 teaspoon grated orange zest

( I added orange liqueur to the glaze )

Directions-

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 12-cup bundt pan with 1 teaspoon of the butter and set aside.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Add the sweet potatoes and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and beat after each addition.
Into a bowl, sift together the flour, soda, powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. Add to the sweet potato mixture a third at a time. Fold in the nuts and vanilla. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pan.
While the cake is resting in the pan, in a bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, orange juice, and orange zest. Stir well to combine and make a tight glaze, adding more orange juice 1/2 teaspoon at a time to achieve a pourable consistency.
Turn out onto a wire rack. While the cake is still warm, drizzle the orange-sugar glaze to evenly coat. Cool completely before cutting.

Apple Spice Cake!

This is a favorite of ours, from Cooking Light. It's a perfect afternoon snack with an iced coffee or cold glass of milk.

With cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg it makes the house smell really good!

So moist, and with chunks of apple... you'll love this one!

Apple Spice Cake- Cooking Light
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup (3 ounces) block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 cup chopped peeled Braeburn apple
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons powdered sugar

Preparation- (I use a 9" round pan with "bake-even" strips so that it is level at the end of the baking time.)


Preheat oven to 350°.

Place the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 5 ingredients (flour through nutmeg), stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition. Stir in the apple and brandy, if desired.

Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Blueberry Cheesecake Coffee Cake!

It's a little bit crunchy, a little bit cheesy, and a little bit oozing blueberry goodness!

This coffee cake is from Sunset Magazine's website, and it is delicious! It has a layer of coffee cake, topped with a layer of cheesecake filling, topped with fresh blueberry sauce, topped with crunchy sweet almonds!

The blueberries are cooked over the stove with apple juice and gelatin until they thicken and release all of their sweet juice.

As the cake rises the blueberries create a cool "sunken" look in the middle of the cake.

Get the forks ready and gather 'round! We had this at brunch after little Will's baptism...

It's pretty hard to get a normal picture with these pranksters!

Prep and Cook Time: About 1 hour

Yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed, or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) cold butter, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preparation:

1. In a 1- to 2-quart pan over medium heat, bring blueberries and apple juice to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until blueberries have released their juices, about 3 minutes. In a small bowl, blend cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water. Add to blueberry mixture; stir until it simmers and thickens, about 1 minute. Let cool to room temperature.
2. In a bowl or food processor, mix or whirl flour and 3/4 cup sugar. Add butter to flour mixture. Cut in with a pastry blender or pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1/2 cup; pour remaining into a large bowl. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon peel.
3. In a bowl, mix yogurt, vanilla, and 1 egg until blended; stir into flour-baking powder mixture until incorporated. Spread batter in a buttered 9-inch round cake pan with a removable rim.
4. In a bowl or food processor (no need to wash from step 2), beat with an electric mixer on high speed or whirl cream cheese, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, remaining egg, and lemon juice until smooth. Spread over batter in pan, leaving a 1/2-inch border bare. Gently spread blueberry mixture over cream cheese mixture, leaving some visible. Stir almonds into reserved flour mixture and sprinkle over cake, concentrating most around edge of batter.
5. Bake in a 350° oven until center of cake barely jiggles when pan is gently shaken and top of cake is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then remove pan rim. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cranberry Apple Crisp!

Mmm...This sweet and tart recipe is from Cooking Light. It's a quick and easy dessert which is great with a newborn in the house! It is also lower in calories (minus the fresh whipped cream on top), which is really great!

Just toss the apples and cranberries (I used dried cranberries because I didn't have fresh ones)...

Make the crumble topping... put it in the oven...

Have your coffee ready, and dig in!

Cranberry and Apple Crumble- Cooking Light

Prep: 15 min.

Cook: 40 min.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces

6 cups sliced peeled Braeburn apple

1 cup fresh cranberries ( I used dried )

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

2 T. granulated sugar

1 T. cornstarch

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. (I just used a pastry cutter instead.)

3. Combine apple and cranberries in a large bowl. Combine juice, 2 T. sugar, and cornstarch; pour over apple mixture. Toss well. Spoon apple mixture into a 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with flour mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve warm. Yield 8 servings.

Monkey Bread!

It's gooey and moist and a perfect dessert mascarading as a breakfast bread!

My friend Heather made this beautiful bread. She and her girls came over to play with the bread all ready. All we had to do was pop it in the oven to bake it. It was so delicious fresh out of the oven!

This is a picture of the baked Monkey Bread before it was flipped right-side up to reveal all of its delicious "gooey-ness!"

One monkey... Two monkey... Three monkey...

Four!

It's as delicious as it is fun to eat!

Happy Baking!

Caramel-Pecan Monkey Bread- Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast
1/4 cup water (110 to 115 degrees)
1-1/4 cups warm 2% milk (110 to 115 degrees)
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
5 cups all-purpose flour

CARAMEL:
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

ASSEMBLY:
3/4 cup chopped pecans (left out this time)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted

Method:
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, butter, sugar, eggs, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

For caramel, in a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter and cream to a boil. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Pour half into a greased 10-in. fluted pan; sprinkle with half of the pecans.
Punch dough down; shape into 40 balls (about 1-1/4-in. diameter). In a shallow bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Place melted butter in another bowl. Dip balls in butter, then roll in sugar mixture.
Place 20 balls in the tube pan; top with remaining caramel and pecans. Top with remaining balls. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. (Cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly.) Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Serve warm.

Tip: Save time by kneading the dough and refrigerating overnight. The next day, let the dough sit on the counter for 30 minutes, then continue as the recipe directs.