Chocolate Cinnamon Coffee Cake

I don't normally like coffee cake. Good coffee cake yes. But let's face it, not all coffee cake is good. The stuff with the brown sugary looking crumbles on top? While it's just not my personal taste, although I have had some that were really good, I usually will pass on it. Mention 'coffee cake' and I'm out.


This one caught my attention though as it doesn't have the crumbles on top. It has chuncks of chocolate and nuts instead. It was featured on the homepage of Yahoo! and linked to the page for it on Bon Appetit.


I haven't tried it yet, but I will soon. It looks too good to pass up.


Chocolate Cinnamon Coffee Cake


If you like, serve this with whipped cream or an extra dollop of yogurt. Servings: 12 


INGREDIENTS
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan 
½ cup blanched hazelnuts, chopped 
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped  
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1 cup sugar, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour 
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup plain whole Greek yogurt 


PREPARATION
8" square baking pan


Preheat oven to 350°. Butter 8” square baking pan; set aside. Toss hazelnuts, chocolate, cinnamon, and ¼ cup sugar in a bowl. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and remaining ¾ cup sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with yogurt in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.


Pour half of batter into prepared pan and smooth top; top with half of hazelnut mixture. Spoon remaining batter over and smooth top; top with remaining hazelnut mixture. Bake cake until top is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40–45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool in pan before turning out.


DO AHEAD: Cake can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Recipe by Duane Sorenson

Finding new things

Potica, or for those who know it's correct Slovenia pronounciation Po-teet-sah, looks like a tasty treat.  I found the following link for Potica for sale on the Gourmet Slueth website on the side of the recipe for the Vietnamese Salad Rolls.  I had a look, thought it looks tasty and went in search of a recipe.

Part of the problem with finding new things as stated when I found one for this, is the correct spelling and the pronounciations of the word(s). Sort of like another dish I will be trying for the first time and posting here too.  Once you know the spelling, looking it up is easy. 
From the AllRecipes.com website-

I give you Potica

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup milk, lukewarm
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup honey
• 1 1/2 cups raisins
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a small mixing bowl, dissolve yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 3 tablespoons of the flour in warm milk. Mix well, and let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter with the remaining sugar. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the yeast mixture, remaining milk, 4 cups of flour and the salt; mix well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3. Lightly grease one or two cookie sheets. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and roll Out to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Spread each piece with melted butter, honey, raisins, walnuts and cinnamon. Roll each piece up like a jelly roll and pinch the ends. Place seam side down onto the prepared baking sheets. Let rise until double in volume. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 60 minutes or until the top is golden brown.               

Pink Fudge

This was a Valentines Day thing that I found and since I LUV some good fudge, 2 ingredients and taa-daa, you're done? What's not to love?

Obviously you may not find the red and white, heart shaped sprinkles the rest of the year, but a different flavor of icing, different color and you can adapt this to each month if you are so inclined.


I found this on Crafty Staci, who found it on another blog Cookies & Cups

Two Ingredient Fudge-

1 package of white chocolate chips
1 can of strawberry frosting with sprinkles

Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave or on the stove and then stir in the frosting. Put the mixture into a lightly greased or lined 9X9 pan, pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes or so. Cut it into squares, hearts or whatever shape you like. Store in the fridge and enjoy.

This is one of the easiest fudge recipes I have made and it was good even though I bought pink colored vanilla icing instead of strawberry. I guess I need to read the labels a little more closely from now on.

Juice!

Recently a friend of mine turned me on to the documentary film, Fat Sick & Nearly Dead. Joe Cross was on the fast track in life and living it large, Literally, when he got sick. He traveled to the US and came here with the intent of finding a new way to live. "I'm here in the US, but I'm not going to eat your food."

He goes on to help a few people out with changing their eating habits. One person in particular is Phil, a truck driver he met in Winslow, AZ. Phil had the same autoimmune disease that Joe had. Yes, Had. Through consuming fruits and vegetables made into juice, Joe has changed not only his own life, but also Phil's and Phil went on to help out his brother and several other people too. What happened is that more people have joined in and they have a website, blog and post recipes... And int he recipe section, it is not just juice, but salads, soups, snacks and smoothies.

I had printed out a few of them and really wanted to try this one-

Joes favorite- watermelon, pineapple, ginger.

And if the link didn't come up, here it is below-

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This week’s recipe shines a spotlight on one of Joe’s personal favorite juice creations in honor of the “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead” launch in Australia. Even if it’s not summer where you live, this light juice is simple to make and refreshing all year round.

Nutritionally speaking, these ingredients offer many anti inflammatory compounds.

Watermelons are rich in lycopene- a member of the carotene family. Carotenes exert both anti inflammatory and anti oxidant activity in the human body.
Pineapple contains a phytonutrient called bromelain that is well known for its ability to help reduce inflammation.
Ginger root reduces inflammation as well as nausea, pain and provides heartburn relief. It also aids digestion and can help to encourage thermogenesis in the body which may boost metabolism.

This juice is perfect for active Rebooters. It is rich in electrolytes and anti oxidant nutrients like potassium, magnesium, Vitamin C (140% of your daily value), beta-carotene and contains some sodium. These nutrients are important before, during and after exercise. Rather than reaching for a commercial sports drink, you can make your own that’s even healthier!

Ingredients

• 1/3 pineapple, cored and skin removed
• 2 large watermelon slices
• 1 inch ginger root

Directions

1. Cut pineapple away from core and rind
2. Wash watermelon well and cut 2 large slices. You can juice the rind as well as the flesh of the watermelon
3. Wash ginger root and cut a 1 inch piece to juice
4. Place all ingredients into juicer
5. Juice
6. Pour over ice
7. Enjoy!

It was really good! I do not suggest eating a meal with the juice. The juice is enough to fill you up and adding a meal on top of it, I felt like I had eaten waaaay too much. Not good. I won't be doing that again! Lol Off to print out a few more to try later.

Rocky Road Pudding

I don't often do desserts. I have a sweet tooth now and then, but I just for whatever reason, don't make them all that often. Yesterday the girls wanted cake. Out of the blue they decided they wanted cake.  The closest I could come- was still not cake. But they love it anyways, because it is chocolate!

For a 9 X 13 pan-
2 boxes of instant chocolate pudding
4 cups of milk as directed on the package of pudding
2 packages of graham crackers- crushed
1 stick of butter melted
marshmellows and nuts (optional but then it wouldn't be rocky road)

For a 9X9 pan-
1 box instant chocolate pudding
2 cups milk as directed on the package of pudding
1 package of graham crackers- crushed
1/2 stick of butter melted
marshmellows and nuts (optional)

Start with smashing the graham crackers- now is a good time to get all of your pent up anger, frustration or aggression out. Use a rolling pin to smash it into fine bits in the package- then use a large ziploc to finish the job.



Dump the mashed graham crackers into the pan. melt the butter in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds. Pour over graham crackers, mix well to moisten and press cracker crumbs evenly across the bottom and up onto the sides of the pan. 



In a large bowl, mix the instant pudding and milk. I used a wire whisk. When mixed, you can add the marshmellows and nuts to your liking.



Pour into the pan on top of your graham cracker crust. I threw a few marshmellows on top to cover a few spots where it didn't look like there were many in the pudding.



Let chill in the fridge for a 1/2 hour or even overnight.
Enjoy!

 

 

Tortilla's

I have posted about making enchiladas and although I made them again recently, hubby has always been saying that the tortillas are too thick and too 'heavy'.  So I went searching for a recipe for home made tortillas. Because Heaven knows fresh home made tortillas are Da Bomb!

Growing up we had a neighbor down the street who would make dozens of tortillas and sell them. She made dozens because we ordered dozens. We also slathered them with butter and ate them while waiting for the next round to come... Fresh, warm tortillas with butter on them- my mouth waters and I drool.

I found a few recipes online, here, there and everywhere, each one calling for some of the same things... Last night I gave it a shot. The first one had cornstarch and baking powder in it. They turned out ok, but would seem to be better used in making chips. Granny's Corn Flour Tortillas In the comments there are a few people saying to add a little more water, etc. They were good with honey and I actually made a couple into bowls for taco salads.

Since these were coming out too crisp to use later as taco shells, I flipped a couple of pages and found another recipe. Easy enough and all the ingredients were on hand... I would provide a link, but forgot the website I found it on. Here it is though and I highly recommend this one. Very light, fluffy and easy to roll into burritos, make chimichangas, or even flautas or taquitos depending on the size you make to use.

3 cups of flour
1tsp of salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup warm water

Combine flour & salt, mixing well, then add oil. Combine until it is crumbly and begin adding water. Mix by hand until it forms a nice dough. Turn it out on a non-floured (or lightly floured) surface and knead 3-5 minutes until it is consistent & smooth. Return to the bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let it sit for at least an hour.

*This is a good time to go do something else like grate cheese, cook some chicken or beef, chop lettuce.... Get your stuff ready for putting in the tortillas.

For standard tortillas, cut dough into 10-12 pieces. Roll each piece out into 10"-12" thin tortillas. Heat a non-greased flat pan over medium heat. Place the tortillas on the pan for 30 seconds each side. This part goes really quick. If you have someone helping you, they are flipping tortillas about as fast as you can roll them out. I will try to get pictures tonight of the few leftover tortillas from both batches. They were good for soft tacos or what ended up being burritos and the first batch were much like Sopapilla's which if you have ever had these- they are very good too. I have a recipe for them I will be posting soon. Enjoy!

Alterations-

If you will be making flautas or taquitos- you will get more tortillas as they will be smaller in size. For larger tortillas (for those wonderful football sized burritos)- obviously you will not get as many.

For Chimichangas and flautas, you can either fry the tortillas filled with cheese, chicken, steak, shredded beef, shrimp, ceveche or whatever you like- or for a healthier, easier, cleaner alternative- bake them in the oven on a cookie sheet at about 350 degrees about 20 minutes or until the tortilla browns and hardens like a shell. These can all be frozen for later or eaten when cooled.

I am going to be making a bunch of these to take with us for lunch this week.
Fast, cheap, easy and tasty- I love it!

Pasta perfection

A few weeks ago I found a recipe online for Perfect Gnocchi. For anyone not familiar with Gnocchi, it is a pasta made from potato's. Chef Fabio Viviani makes it look incredibly easy and let me assure you- it is! I watched the video a few times repeatedly, so as to write down what he used to make the gnocchi and how he cooked it afterwards.

Chef Fabio's Perfect Gnocchi

3 lbs of potato's
2 cups of flour
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon nutmeg
optional- salt & pepper to taste

Cook the potato's and mash. Let them cool in the refrigerator overnight. I peeled, boiled and mashed them as if making regular mashed potato's- Fabio cooked them as if making baked potato's, then mashed them with the same result- do what works for you.

I do not have a wonderful Kitchen Aid mixer yet, so here is the version of doing it by hand. It still worked, but I think the mixer would make things go much faster and be a lot easier.

Mix cheese, flour (salt & pepper) and nutmeg in a large bowl. (I also threw in a generous dash of garlic salt.) Once mixed, add in the potato's. I mixed this with a wooden spoon for a while until finally just getting flour on my hands and mixing it by hand as if kneading the dough. Once mixed, turn it out onto the counter or a floured cloth and work the dough a little more. patting it as Fabio does to remove all air bubbles. 

Slice into pieces the size of your fist. (I quartered it. Just easier that way for me.)  Roll the ball out into a long rope about the diameter of your thumb.  (If your ropes start to fall apart, cut that part off and work with it later.  Working it by hand it will moisten up and you can then roll it out again. If they get too long to manage on the surface you are working on- cut them down to more manageable lengths.) Once the dough is in a rope about the diameter of your thumb, cut it into pieces about one inch in length. Some people will press a fork into it to give it lines for decoration, but you can skip this step if you'd like.  

Fabio then brings a large pot to water to a boil. Toss in your gnocchi and let them cook. While that is happening- it happens fast- put some olive oil in a frying pan, add some crushed red pepper and let it simmer. (I am not a fan of crushed red peppers on or in anything, but this was good and it heat was not a problem at all.)  As the first few gnocchi start to float, pull them out of the water and put them into the frying pan. Let them simmer until they begin to brown around the edges. Remove the gnocchi from the frying pan and place them on a plate. Sprinkle with some ground Parmesan and enjoy.    

I made gnocchi from this recipe over the weekend and the girls loved it. They both gave it their smile of approval! It was really good and easy to make, even without having the mixer to do most of the work for me. I still have half the dough left and will be making the rest of it tonight. It was that good.