Streusel Coffee Cake

I have managed (so far) to keep it out of the blog, but my life has been recently turned upside down. A few months ago we put our house on the market, in preparation for a move to a home with a little more space for our family of 5. 

The catch was we hadn't exactly FOUND that home yet.

So here was the plan.....get our house on the market and hopefully under contract, so we'd ready to jump on the perfect new place when it came along. Buyers in our neck of the woods have been in huge competition with each other over relatively low inventory. So houses go fast and are most likely to go to buyers who don't require a home sale contingency. Long story short? Our house sold in less then 18 hours, and we found ourselves living with my mom and dad.

And we are in a great spot, really. My parents have been so awesome opening their home to me, my husband, 3 kids, 2 dogs, and a whole lot of stuff. My dad reads Hardy Boy books to my oldest son, and gets my little guy out of bed when he awakes pre-dawn. My mom does countless crafts and marathon coloring sessions with my daughter. As I keep reminding them when things do get a little chaotic, "we are making memories here, people!"

The other huge bonus to living here has been a chance to collaborate in the kitchen with my mom. It's way more fun to experiment with new recipes (and revisit childhood favorites) with a partner. Last weekend she made this coffee cake and I knew I had to share. Hands down, THE BEST after school snack I ever remember coming home to. It comes together very easily in a (larger sized) food processor. It's perfect for a breakfast or brunch....and a mid-afternoon snack.

~Erin

Streusel Coffee Cake

 

Author: Erin

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Ingredients

• Cake


• 3 c. flour


• 4 tsp. baking powder


• 1/2 tsp. salt


• 1 c. sugar


• 1 c. butter


• 2 eggs, lightly beaten


• 1 c. milk


• 2 tsp. vanilla


• Topping


• 1 c. brown sugar


• 4 T. flour


• 4 T. butter


• 4 tsp. cinnamon


• 1 c. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans are great, but could be optional)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 pan.


2. For topping, in food processor, pulse together brown sugar, flour, butter, cinnamon, and nuts until crumbly. Transfer to another bowl.


3. Add to food processor flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Pulse 2-3 times. Cut in butter and pulse until you have a corn meal consistancy (2-4 times).


4. In a small mixing bowl, mix eggs, milk, and vanilla together well. Add to flour mixture in processor and pulse 2-3 times just to mix.


5. Put half of batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of topping. Add rest of batter and sprinkle with remaining topping.


6. Bake 35-45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

 

Notes

The batter will be thick so spread it to corners of the pan with a scraper. I end up dolluping the second layer of batter into the pan, so as not to totally destroy that first sprinkle of topping. And I wouldn't judge if you decided to make double the streusel topping...I MAY have experimented pretty successfully with those proportions. :)

3.2.1230

Summer Quiche

As I've mentioned before I'm a big fan of breakfast for dinner. Unfortunately my husband is not. The only two things I can get away with are frittatas and quiche. In the summer (when I'm never in the mood for anything heavy at dinner) I sneak quiche onto the menu at least once a month. I usually throw whatever veggies I have at the time into them. This one I actually planned ahead! The zucchini, tomatoes and basil are a great combination. I served this alongside a chicken salad for dinner and felt plenty full. My husband ate the leftovers for breakfast the next two mornings, so I guess he liked it too! :)



Save yourself time and use a premade crust, or be an over-achiever and make your own, either will work. The only unique part of this quiche is that you don't add the tomato and zucchini until half way through the baking time. If you add them earlier they will sink to the bottom. The taste will likely be the same but it won't be as pretty!

~Wendy

Summer Quiche

Author: Wendy

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 9-inch pie crust


• 6 whole eggs


• 1/2 c. milk


• 1/2 c. half and half


• 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese


• 1/2 c. sliced zucchini


• 1 Roma tomato, sliced


• 1-2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped


• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


2. Press your pie crust into a pie pan, set aside.


3. In a large bowl beat the 6 eggs until fluffy, add in the milk and half & half. Stir until combined.


4. Add in the cheese and salt and pepper and stir.


5. Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust. Bake for 20 minutes.


6. Remove the quiche from the oven. Top the quiche with the sliced zucchini, tomato and basil.


7. Put the quiche back into the oven for another 20-30 minutes until set and cooked through.


8. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.

3.2.1230

 

Caponata

I have great memories of visiting my extended family in south Louisiana. I realize it sounds like I no longer have the opportunity, and my Aunt Liz assures me this is not the case. She has said the kids and I are welcome anytime...but there's the whole "traveling with 3 under age 7" that exhausts me. Taking kids on vacation = a whole lot of work.

It used to be that visiting New Iberia, LA meant breakfast in bed, complete with a flower on the tray. I do believe that ship has sailed...for now at least. I'll go back when the kids are older, perhaps even leaving them at home with Dad. Now there's an idea! I'm telling you, there is no better place to relax and recharge. Especially with the kind of food I have come to expect from Aunt Liz's kitchen and Louisiana in general.

My aunt's recipe for caponata makes an amazing, sweet-and-sour vegetarian appetizer to serve with good crackers. It comes from Franklin, Louisiana and St. Mary's Episcopal church's cook book, A Cook's Tour of the Bayou Country, courtesy of Mrs. Maunette Risher. This recipe makes a lot, and the good news is it freezes beautifully. Makes a great appetizer to have on hand for last minute company. Caponata is also delicious on fish or chicken so plan to use it that way too. Enjoy!

~Erin

Caponata

 

Author: Erin

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Serves: Lots!

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants


• 2 onions


• 2 bell peppers


• 3 stalks celery


• 1 can tomato sauce


• 1 can tomato paste


• 5 gloves garlic


• 1 1/2 c. olive oil


• 1 c. red wine vinegar


• 1/3 c. sugar


• oregano


• salt


• pepper


• 1 jar salad olives

Instructions

1. Steam and chop peeled eggplant.


2. Saute onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic in olive oil until soft.


3. Add eggplant, spices, tomato sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, and sugar. Blend well and cook for about 30 minutes.


4. Remove from heat, add olives, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

Notes

This recipe makes quite a bit. But good news is that it freezes wonderfully. Awesome to keep on hand for company.

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