Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Coffee Lovers' Coffee Cake

Finally!!! A day late and a dollar short. Actually, more like a week late and well, I'd hate to think how much short. :)

Here is the oh-so-wonderful coffee cake I've told you about. D-LISH! YUM! Yumm-o anyone?? I finally remembered to take a picture of them. I've been so busy with work and work and work and, need I go on? I've been baking brookies like crazy and trying out some new recipes. When I'm not baking I'm either at my full time job, messing with the dumb turkeys (stupid turkeys!!), or working outside.

I have FINALLY quit working at Fabio's. No more for me!! Yay! I did, however, tell them that I'll help out every now and then. I sure hope the won't need my help. Also, since it's Spring, I've been doing a lot of things outside. I've gotten all of my Spring veggies planted and started seeds for most of my Summer and Fall veggies and herbs. So can't wait!! E mowed the grass for the first time this year over the weekend. Sigh. I love the smell of fresh cut grass.

The weather has been beautiful, minus the rain on Friday and Saturday. The temps have been in the 60s to 70. I actually wore shorts Sunday! If I think about it, and I emphasize on "if", I'll take a pic of the green-ness (is that even a word??) of the farm. It's too late to get a pic of my plum tree flowering because all of the flowers have already fallen. The stinky pear tree is flowering, though, and the redbuds are starting. Anyway. Here is the recipe I've been promising:

Coffee Lovers' Coffee Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 rounded tsp instant coffee granules
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar (I prefer dark)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces*
8 oz sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1. Combine the flour and coffee granules in a large bowl. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt; stir well. Cut in butter w/a pastry blender until crumbly. *I soften the butter just a little bit and use my hands to blend it in. Press half of the crumb mixture into a lightly greased 9" square or 13x9" baking pan; set aside.

2. Combine sour cream and baking soda, stirring well. Add remaining crumb mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Add egg, stirring gently to combine. Pour sour cream mixture over crumb crust in pan. Sprinkle with pecans.

3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 - 50 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

Enjoy!

Monday, March 23, 2009

Spring at Last!

Yay! It's officially Spring. I love Spring. Don't get me wrong, Fall is my favorite season. There is just a feeling of renewal that comes with Spring, however. Everything is turning green again. Flowers are blooming. Birds are singing. Frogs are peeping. It's so refreshing.

I did a bit of baking this past week and this weekend. I'll try to remember to post the recipe for my Coffee Lover's Coffee Cake today or tomorrow. I'd like to post a pic with it, so tomorrow might be better. The restaurant has placed several big orders with me so I've been trying to keep up with that while also trying to get goodies down to the coffee shop. I only have one more day to work at Fabio's (**glee**) so that will give me two extra days to bake. Yes, two. I couldn't bake on Thursdays because I wasn't able to take anything to the coffee shop Friday evenings. Now I'll be able to bake Thursdays and Fridays if I want to. Of course I will be taking a couple of days off here and there. I don't want to get burnt out.

Now that Spring has finally sprung I have been able to plant spring veggies in my garden. This weekend I planted onions, leeks, spinach, lettuce, arugula, peas, and broccoli. I am soooo looking forward to having my own fresh veggies! I started peppers and tomatoes this weekend. I'm a couple of weeks behind, but that's okay. Once they get to the right size, the greenhouse will help them grow fast. Last year my plants may have been slightly too big to sell, although they sold quite well. This year they'll be the perfect size. I'll start some herbs this week. I plan to have a big herb garden if E helps me with getting the bed made.

It's about time to cut the grass for the first time. It could've used a cutting this weekend, but I was too busy with other things. I'll either do it later this week or Saturday morning. We're supposed to get rain Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Bummer for a weekend! The temps are staying pretty cool. I'm hoping this Spring will be like last Spring, long and cool. We had an actual Spring instead of bouncing right into Summer. I hate Summer. Feeling like you are melting in a bowl of pea soup is not fun. I probably wouldn't hate it so much if I lived in a different climate.

Okay. Enough for now. Gotta get back to work. :)

Monday, March 16, 2009

Snow and Spring

This is one of the best things about living on a mountain (granted it's a small foothill mountain, but it's still a mountain.)
Friday morning we woke up to snowfall. This picture was actually taken at lunch time. When I got to work, I was the only vehicle with snow on it! AND I had about a half inch of snow on my truck! I noticed there was hardly any snow sticking to the ground at work. By the time I left for work there was no snow left on the ground. Looking up the hill I could see the mountain range was still white with snow. When I got home, I decided to take this picture so you can see how cool it was! The white is what snow was left around 1pm and it was still snowing. Looking down the hill towards work (the big white building) you can see there is no snow. I love how we can be colder at the house and warmer down at work. One thing that makes me cringe is when we are in a drought and I can clearly see rain falling at work, but we are getting nothing. The mountain range will split storms and they will sometimes go around us.
About Spring....we were in the 70s/80s at the beginning of last week, then the cold front came in. You can see the green grass poking through the snow. As of today, there is green grass going all the way down to the bottom. Love seeing the green!!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Mocha Nut Scones

I made these yummy Mocha Nut Scones Tuesday night. I wanted something breakfast-y to take to the coffee shop and I was told by some customers that they needed better scones there. The ones they have now taste good, but they are too dry and a little on the sweet side. These are just right. They are biscuit-y like a real scone is supposed to be and they have the perfect touch of sweetness to them. I created this recipe by combining two recipes that I already had. I hope you enjoy them!

Mocha Nut Scones

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp instant coffee granules
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Whipping cream
Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl combine the flour, 2 Tbsp sugar, baking powder, instant coffee, and salt. Using a pastry blender or a mixer, cut butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in center of the flour mixture; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine eggs and 3/4 cup whipping cream. Add mixture, pecans, and chocolate chips all at once to the flour mixture. Using a fork, stir just until moistened. You can use a spoon if the fork is grabbing all of the flour.

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing it for 10 to 12 strokes or until dough is nearly smooth. Divide dough in half. Pat or lightly roll each dough half into a 6-inch circle. Cut each circle into six wedges.

4. Place dough wedges 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush wedges with whipping cream and sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden. Remove scones from baking sheet; serve warm.

Reheat by toasting in a toaster oven or regular oven for just a few minutes.

I'm trying to think up something to make for the coffee shop in honor of Saint Patty's Day. I'm scouring through recipes so hopefully I'll come up with something I can make tonight.

On another note, what is up with this weather??? I know, Spring will be here next week. This is perfectly normal to have 80 degree weather one day and 40 degree weather the next. It kind of sucks, though. I love Winter, but I love Spring even more. My poor plum tree is blooming and we are supposed to have snow and ice mix tomorrow!! I hope I have plums this year.

Friday, March 6, 2009

ROCKY ROAD OATMEAL DROPS

1 Tbsp instant coffee crystals
1 Tbsp warm water
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet choc chips
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

1. Lightly grease a cookie sheet; set aside. In a small bowl combine coffee crystals and warm water, stirring until coffee is dissolved. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugars, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and coffee until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Stir in rolled oats, chocolate chips, pecans, and marshmallows.

3. Drop dough using an ice cream scoop 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degrees F oven about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.
These were really good. If you want to taste more of the coffee, you can double the amount you put in.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

The. Best. Banana Bread. EVER!

Okay. I made this banana bread Sunday from I recipe I saw in Southern Living. I changed it around a little bit, one because I didn't have any nuts on hand, and two because I just didn't read the entire recipe! Nonetheless it turned out FABULOUS!!! E said I had to get rid of it because he couldn't stop eating it! I only have one bread pan (I know, it's a sin!) so I made one loaf and one in a cake pan.
This pic was taken not too long after I got it out of the oven. The next day there wasn't much left! I ended up putting the loaf in the freezer so sticky hands wouldn't eat it all up!
Coconut-topped Banana Bread
adapted from Southern Living

Bread:
3/4 cups butter, softened
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 medium)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
**1 cup chopped pecans, toasted** Optional
1. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
2. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanilla. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8 x 4-inch loafpans.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan. Remove from oven and place on wire rack.
Coconut Topping:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 cup sweetened flake coconut
2 tsp vanilla
**1 cup chopped, toasted pecans** Optional
1. When there is about 15 minutes left for the bread in the oven, stir together butter, sugars, and milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut, pecans, and vanilla. Spread hot mixture over banana bread when it comes out of the oven.
2. **I skipped this part but it would be great!** Broil loaves 5 1/2 inches from heat for 2 - 3 minutes or just until topping starts to lightly brown.
3. Cool in pans on wire racks for 20 minutes. Remove from pans and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.
This WILL NOT last long. It is soooo delicious. I didn't read all the way through the directions at first so I didn't toast the topping. It is still yummy! Enjoy!

Monday, March 2, 2009

It's a Marshmallow World in the Winter!

I love it!!! We haven't had snow like this in a looonnnggg time. It looks like we got about 8 inches, but it's a little hard to tell because of the snow drifts. As of right now it's still snowing, but the sun is out. Everything is so pretty. I think I'm going sleigh riding after work tonight!! We definitely have enough hill to do it! Here are some pics I took this morning before I went to work (and yes, I still have to go to work!)

This is looking up the hill at the leylands on the other side of our driveway circle. The grapevines and turkey houses are in the background.

Here is a bird on a piece of weed just off the porch.

This is looking on the other side of the hill. You can just barely see the water tower in the background.


This is the little grove of trees next to the house. My in-laws' house is on the otherside, but it kind of blends in right now.



We filled the bird feeder this morning. The birds are having a feast! I'll try to get pics of the kids later if I can. Dixie didn't want to have anything to do with the snow this morning. Rebel didn't mind and Linus was having a blast. E got to have the day off since they came and got his vehicle last night. There's only a couple of 4-wheel drives on the force and he has one of them. He's so lucky!! I can't take off since I just live right across the road!