Breakfast

Blogger CLUE: Greek Yogurt Apple Loaf

~ lk529 ~ 20 Comments

blogger CLUE

Before you get all wrapped up in the pumpkin craze, let’s not forget about the other great fall fruits, like apples and pears! Yes, pumpkin is technically a fruit, and I have no doubt that some of the CLUE players will be sharing pumpkin recipe. Be sure to stop by their pages, too!

This month I was assigned the blog That Skinny Chick Can Bake written by Liz. Liz helps keep our group organized and is a member of a few other blogging groups I’m also a part of. I’m not sure how she keeps up with everything! Her blog is a beautiful array of sweets (with some great savory options, too).

I was tempted by a couple of her fall salads (Spinach Salad with Pears and Cranberries or Apple Cherry Walnut Salad) but hey, “That Skinny Chick Can Bake” so I settled on a baked item. I altered her Sour Cream Pear Bread to utilize what I had in my fridge – Greek Yogurt and Apples.

Greek Yogurt Apple Loaf

Ingredients:

  • 6 tbsp butter, softened
  • 2/3 C sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 C plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 3/4 C cake flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 C peeled and diced apples
  • cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling

Steps:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until combined. Add the eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla extract and yogurt (or sour cream).
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and a pinch of salt. Add to the stand mixer in 2-3 installments.
  4. Fold in diced apples (or pears). Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
  5. Bake 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out cleanly. Allow loaf to cool 15 minutes before removing from pan onto a cooling rack.
  6. This loaf is best served warm/toasted with a little butter.

Greek Yogurt Apple Loaf for #BloggerCLUE from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Here’s a list of the other players of Blogger CLUE this month:

SRC: Strawberries and Cream Muffins

~ lk529 ~ 21 Comments

newsrcbanner

Good morning and welcome to another edition of The Secret Recipe Club. For a little “behind the scenes” information, The Secret Recipe Club (SRC) is divided into four group. Each group posts on a different Monday of the month. I am in Group D and always post on the 4th Monday of the month. This means that those special months with five Mondays there’s a week without any fun reveal day! That is all about to change, beginning with today. On the 5th Monday of the month there will now be a themed reveal and it’s a “free for all,” which means that there aren’t any group restrictions. I’m looking forward to getting to know some of the other bloggers in the club.

That being said, I’m very familiar with my assigned blog for today’s tailgating themed reveal. My assignment this month comes from Group B, but I’ve participated in many blogging events with her in the past. Quite conveniently, she was a member of the #10DaysofTailgate blog event two years ago! Needless to say I had a lot of recipes to choose from that fit with today’s theme.

So who is this mystery assignment? It’s Ashley from Cheese Curd in Paradise!

I promised myself that I would not pick a dip recipe because 5 of my last 8 reveals were a dip recipe. This meant her pizza dip, Mexican spinach dip, and loaded baked potato dip were off limits.

Auburn tailgatingInstead I thought about those morning games. Morning games are probably my favorite ones for tailgating. We would get to campus early and have a tailgate tent complete with fresh fruit, bagels, coffee, and muffins. Then after the game return back to the tent for more “traditional” tailgating fare of burgers, chips, dips, and beer. (I get pretty “home sick” during football season, wishing I could be back on the Plains cheering on my Auburn Tigers in person, throwing the football with family, and enjoying the atmosphere that is SEC football.)

I decided between Apple Strudel Muffins, Blueberry-Lemon Yogurt Muffins, and Strawberries and Cream Muffins. It’s a good thing I didn’t pick the apple ones because I ended up making Apple Cinnamon Muffins for my standard SRC reveal day (I made this tailgating muffin weeks before)! The only reason I picked strawberry over blueberry was because I had strawberries in my fridge that were reaching the end of their shelf life. Besides, there’s no way I can “waste” blueberries for baking – they’re my little man’s favorite food, he’d eat the whole pint if I let him!

We really liked these Strawberries and Cream Muffins – my only regret is that I misjudged how much of the cream cheese mixture to put in the muffins and there wasn’t nearly enough. My advice: use it all, it’s the best part! I loved having these muffins on hand for that mid-morning snack.

Strawberries and Cream Muffins 2 Sew You Think You Can Cook

This recipe makes 12-15 muffins.

Strawberries and Cream Muffins

Ingredients for filling:

  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 11/2 tbsp of beaten egg
  • 1/3 C sugar
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for muffin:

  • 2 C flour
  • 3/4 C sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 1 C milk
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp almond extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 C diced fresh strawberries

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line muffin tins with liners.
  2. Make the filling: Whisk together the cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla until lump free. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  4. In a small bowl (I actually did this in the glass measuring cup I used to melt the butter), whisk together the melted butter, milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. When slightly cooled, whisk in the eggs. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients.
  5. Fill prepared muffin tins halfway with the batter. Add a few strawberries, and top with a generous amount of cream cheese filling. Top the muffins with batter and stud with some more strawberries.
  6. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly. Allow muffins to cool 5 minutes in the tin before removing to a cooling rack.

*This recipe is adapted from Ashley at http://cheesecurdinparadise.blogspot.com/2012/08/recipe-swap-apple-strudel-muffins.html*

Strawberries and Cream Muffins Sew You Think You Can Cook

To see the other bloggers who participated in the themed Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

SRC: Apple Cinnamon Muffins

~ lk529 ~ 21 Comments

newsrcbanner

It’s Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! In the Secret Recipe Club, each participating blogger is assigned a blog from another participating blogger and secretly searches their site for something to recreate. The accompanying blog post then goes live on reveal day! So while I was immersed in my assigned blog, someone else was picking through mine! I’m so excited to be part of this group, to see what on my blog peaks other’s interests and to stumble upon new blogs and new recipes.

This month I was assigned the blog Life on Food written by Emily. (Emily was charged with my blog last month!) Emily has been blogging since 2008 so there was an incredible recipe index to search through. She has a few different ways to search through her files: by course, by key ingredient, alphabetically, and the most intriguing by cooking method.

I took the alphabetical route and almost stopped at “A”! I didn’t, though, and after making my way through I had 11 recipes to decide between! I was all set to make Maple Cinnamon Quick Bread until I realized it was a previous SRC post. As I had cinnamon on the brain, I wanted to make her Apple Cinnamon Donuts (although mine would have been mini muffins) but I couldn’t fine apple cider in stores just yet – don’t worry, it’s almost fall. As you can see I took the “next best thing” and went with Apple Cinnamon Muffins.

In retrospect I should’ve gone with a savory item on my list because the amount of baking that’s been happening in my kitchen is completely uncharacteristic of me! Caramelized Brussels Sprouts will definitely need to happen next time my in-laws are in town, Angel Hair with Corn, Feta, and Tomato would be perfect for this summer’s produce, and that 1905 Dressing sounds like a much healthier option to muffins…

IMG_5369But who doesn’t love muffins!? Especially when they’re bursting with apples! My little man definitely approved.

This recipe makes 12 large muffins.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 C sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 C flour
  • 1 C white whole wheat flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 C unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 apple, peeled and diced

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tray with liners.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  4. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the applesauce to the stand mixer, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Fold in the diced apple.
  5. Divide batter evenly between the 12 muffin tins. Bake 12-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly.

*This recipe is adapted from Emily at http://lifeonfood.blogspot.com/p/recipes.html?recipe_id=6043170*

Apple Cinnamon Muffins for Secret Recipe Club from Sew You Think You Can Cook

To see the other bloggers who participated in the Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

#SundaySupper: Back to School

~ lk529 ~ 21 Comments

Most schools are starting this coming week and some have even already been in class for a week or more! If you’re part of the lucky ones who wait until Labor Day to start the school year, enjoy the rest of your summer.

Today’s Sunday Sunday Supper menu will help you get ready for the school year, with plenty of ideas to get breakfast or dinner on the table quickly, lunches to make your kids happy, and snacks to keep you going. A big thank you to DB of Crazy Foodie Stunts and Caroline of Caroline’s Cooking for hosting this event and helping us stay organized this school year!

When I think “Back to School” I think of Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches. I don’t exactly need to give you a recipe for PB&J – unless it’s my grilled one! Instead I decided to make muffins! These PB&J muffins are a perfect busy weekday breakfast or after school snack.

PB&J Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 2 C flour
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 C creamy peanut butter
  • 1 C buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tbsp canola oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 C jam (I use all fruit grape spread)

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line muffin tins with liners (makes 18-20).
  2.  In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In another bowl stir peanut butter and buttermilk together until smooth. Add in the vanilla, oil, and eggs.
  4. Add peanut butter mixture to dry ingredients and stir until combined – it’s thick! Fold in the jam.
  5. Fill prepared muffin tins. Bake 15 – 17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly.

*This recipe is adapted from Renee at http://www.reneeskitchenadventures.com/2014/05/peanut-butter-and-jelly-muffins.html*

PB&J Muffins for #SundaySupper from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Getting Started On School Days

Ideas for the Lunchbox

After School Snacks and Beverages

School Night Suppers

Sweets to End the Day

8387592742_f6164fd5a8_oJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

#BundtBakers: Fruit and Nuts

~ lk529 ~ 34 Comments

4ae7b-bundtbakerspostThis month #BundtBakers are baking cakes with fruits and nuts! #BundtBakers is a group of bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient. This month creative host is Shilpi of Simply Veggies.

I almost didn’t make it this month. Even with a lovely planner I wrote the reveal date on the wrong Thursday! I thought I had an extra week to make my cake. That’s why you’re seeing an almost repeat recipe this week. I posted a beautiful Cherry Coffee Cake on Monday. I would have scheduled that post for later had I realized I’d be making another coffee cake for #BundtBakers. Originally I planned on a Blueberry Almond Cake I found in the latest edition of Food Network Magazine. Upon further investigation of the recipe I realized it wasn’t easily transferred to a bundt pan. I also didn’t have all of the ingredients needed. But I did have everything I needed for another coffee cake.

While I used my usual coffee cake recipe, I changed up the topping and made a walnut streusel. I don’t know if it’s the streusel or the magic of a bundt pan but this cake turned out differently. And it’s fantastic! It reminds me of the store bought coffee cakes my grandmother would buy to have at the lake.

I wasn’t sure how to put the streusel on the bundt because putting it on top of the batter like I normally do would mean it’s on the bottom. I took a risk and put it into the pan first. But I still had extra streusel left over so I put it on top/bottom too. Turned out beautifully, now every bite has some streusel!

Instead of using a large bundt pan I used my Bundt Duet Pan, now Stuart and I each get our own cake! If you don’t have smaller bundt pans feel free to use an 8×8″ cake pan and bake 65 minutes. If you try this in a regular bundt pan let me know if there’s enough batter to fill out the pan! I’d also suggest cooking 60-65 minutes.

Blueberry Cherry Coffee Cake with Walnut Streusel

Ingredients for streusel:

  • 1/4 C toasted walnuts (I used this method)
  • 1/2 C flour
  • 1/4 C dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 stick cold butter, cubed

Ingredients for cake:

  • 2 C flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 stick butter, at room temperature
  • 1 C sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla paste (I used Nielsen-Massey)
  • 1 C Greek yogurt (I used Stonyfield Organic)
  • 1/2 C pitted and chopped fresh cherries
  • 1/2 C fresh blueberries

Steps:

  1. Make the streusel: Place toasted walnuts, flour, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Pulse a couple of times. Add the cold cubed butter and pulse until a fine crumb is reached. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heavily grease two 2.5 C bundts.
  3. Make the cake: In a large bowl whisk together 2 C flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  4. In a the bowl of a stand mixer beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add in the vanilla paste.
  5. Incorporate a third of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Once combined add 1/2 C of yogurt. Add another third of the dry ingredients. Once combined add the last 1/2 C of yogurt. Add in the final third of the dry ingredients.
  6. Assemble the cake: Divide half of the streusel between the two bundts. Divide half of the cake batter in the prepared pans. Evenly distribute the blueberries and cherries, top with remaining batter, and the rest of the streusel.
  7. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a knife comes out cleanly.
  8. Allow cake to cool in the pan before turning out.

*The streusel recipe is adapted from http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/2947/walnut-streusel-topping/?locale=en_US*

Blueberry Cherry Coffee Cake with Walnut Streusel for #BundtBakers from Sew You Think You Can Cook

You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about #BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

And don’t forget to take a peek at what other talented bakers have baked this month:

Almond Rhubarb Bundt Cake from Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm

Aloha Bundt Cake from Olivia at Liv for Cake

Apple Pecan Bundt Cake from Bea and Mara at I Love Bundt Cakes

Apricot-Almond Bundt Cake from Cali at Cali’s Cuisine

Banana Peanut Butter Bundt Cake from Jana at Jenny and Sweets

Banana Monkey Bundt Cake from Los Chatos Chefs at Los Chatos Chefs

Banana Pecan Bundt with Bananas Foster Frosting from Stacy at Food Lust People Love

Banana Split Bundt Cake from Andrea at Adventures in All Things Food

Cherry and Almond Bundt Cake from Lara at Tartacadabra

Cherry and Nuts Bundt Cake from Diego at La Mejor Manera de Hacer

Cherry and Sliced Almond Mini Bundt Cakes from Teri at The Freshman Cook

Cherry Pistachio and Honey Bundt Cake from Ethel at eating in instead

Cinnamon Raisin Coffee Cake from Vonnie at My Catholic Kitchen

Eggless Mango Almond Bundt Cake from Shilpi at Simply Veggies

Generra Bundt Cake from Kelly at Passion Kneaded

Lemon Lime Pistachio Bundt Cake from Rocío at kidsandchic

Orange and Pecan Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache from Deepti at Baking Yummies

Orange Blossom Honey Nut and Blueberry Cake from Anshie at Spice Roots

Peach and Pecan Bundt from Catherine at Living The Gourmet

Peach Coffee Cake from Julie at Eat, Drink, Be Mighty

Pineapple-Pecan Bundt Cake from Kathya at Basic N Delicious

Pineapple Sundae Bundt Cake from Colleen at Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Pomegranate and Pistachio Kugelhopf from Laura at Baking in Pyjamas

Roasted Banana and Black Walnut Bundt Cake from Terri at Our Good Life

Summer Fig Bundt from Margaret at Tea and Scones

Vegan Orange Ripple Rhubarb Cake with Pistachio Sauce from June at How to Philosophize with Cake

A Breakfast Potluck

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Last week the gang got together for what has to be my favorite themed potluck yet – breakfast!

I was torn between making my cinnamon rolls (sans cranberries) and a new twist on my coffee cake. I decided on the latter simply because it’s a much easier dish to make, especially having just returned home from vacation.

I decided to try putting fresh cherries in the center of the coffee cake. Brilliant idea, if you ask me. I’ve really been on a cherry kick lately, and it’s a fruit my little man enjoys snacking on, too. (I was very close to adding blueberries to the filling as well – next time!) For the topping I decided to go with dark brown sugar and cocoa powder instead of my typical cinnamon. The subtle smokiness of the dark brown sugar and the hint of chocolate complimented the cherries beautifully. A perfect summer breakfast treat.

Be sure to scroll past my recipe to see what other creations joined the buffet line!

Cherry Coffee Cake

Ingredients for topping:

  • 3/8 C flour
  • 1/3 C dark brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 1/2 tbsp butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 C rolled oats

Ingredients for cake:

  • 2 C + 1 tbsp flour, divided use
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 stick butter, at room temperature
  • 1 C sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla paste (I used Nielsen-Massey)
  • 1 C Greek yogurt (I used Stonyfield Organic)
  • 1 1/4 C pitted and chopped fresh cherries

Steps:

  1. Make the topping: whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Using your fingers, break the butter into small pieces and combine with the topping. After combined add the oats. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8″ square cake pan with foil and grease.
  3. Make the cake: In a large bowl whisk together 2 C flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  4. In a the bowl of a stand mixer beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add in the vanilla paste.
  5. Incorporate a third of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Once combined add 1/2 C of yogurt. Add another third of the dry ingredients. Once combined add the last 1/2 C of yogurt. Add in the final third of the dry ingredients.
  6. Toss cherries in remaining flour.
  7. Assemble the cake: Place half of the cake batter in the prepared cake pan. Evenly distribute the cherries and top with remaining batter. Top the cake with the topping from step 1.
  8. Bake for 65 minutes, or until a knife comes out cleanly.
  9. Allow cake to cool for at least 5 minutes and remove the cake from the pan by the foil. I found this flavor of coffee cake to be best served warm.

cherry coffee cake Sew You Think You Can Cook

Here’s a sampling of the other dishes brought to the breakfast potluck:

The D.C. Zoo + Honey Aebleskiver

~ lk529 ~ 4 Comments

Yesterday I mentioned that over Memorial Day weekend we took a road trip to D.C. to visit Tara (of Tara’s Multicultural Table) and her family. We’ve known this wonderful family for almost 10 years! Tara’s husband went to Auburn with my husband and me. It wasn’t until we were both stationed in the FL panhandle together that we became close friends. This year will be the first 4th of July since 2010 when we won’t be together, so we had to fast forward that weekend to Memorial Weekend instead!

family photos

On Saturday we headed into the city to check out the zoo. Did you know that there are a LOT of people in D.C.?!

It was a beautiful, warm day and a lot of the animals were finding shelter away from prying eyes. The first half of the day was spent trying not to run over toes with the strollers and seeing empty habitats. But then all the frustration was forgotten when the tiger was highly active, running around his habitat and jumping in the water. We really felt sorry for him – as the only active animal at the zoo he received a lot of attention from “roaring” and yelling children. His tail was twitching and his gaze kept moving up towards the source of the noise. We were able to get some incredible pictures though and the little man woke up in time to see the tiger. I got the moment I was hoping to have watching him notice the tiger and like it! (War Eagle!)

tigerOn Sunday after a trip to the farmer’s market (documented yesterday) I got to do what I’ve missed most – cooking with a friend. I’ve been watching Evan help Tara in the kitchen via text messages and blog posts and it was so sweet to see him in action. He helped us whisk the eggs, pour the vanilla, and manned the stand mixer. All while my little man was being entertained by alphabetic fridge magnets.

cooking

During #BrunchWeek one of my fellow bloggers posted a recipe for Nutella Aebleskiver. I immediately shared the recipe with Tara because (a) she loves Nutella anything and (b) I thought she had one of those fancy aebleskiver pans. She didn’t… at the time. Within half an hour she’d ordered one, saying it’d been on her Amazon wish list for quite some time. Happy Mother’s Day to her!

aebleskiver pan

We made two different flavors, the suggested Nutella and honey. We decided that I’d photograph and blog the honey and she the Nutella. That was another fun moment for me, getting to use her photography set up! Their house doesn’t let in much light and the window that lets in the most light is upstairs. Right by the window she has a table set up and has made a few different painted boards. She has a butcher’s rack complete with different napkins, placemats, and other specialty cookware. Evan even has his own space out of the way where he can color while Tara takes her wonderful food photography. Tara has much more patience and dedication than I when it comes to photography (I just step outside, weather permitting, and snap up to 5 photos).

honey aebleskiver | sew you think you can cook

For the Aebleskiver recipe, please check out Tara’s post from yesterday.

BBQWe had such a great time going to visit Tara and her family, and getting to meet our Goddaughter, Claire! We’d been needed to get away and a road trip was just what we needed. The drive to Virginia was beautiful, lots of hills, mountains, and greenery. On the way back, in the middle-of-nowhere WV, we stopped for BBQ on the side of the road. It was so good, and it was the little man’s first BBQ – he absolutely loved it and ate about a quarter of my pulled pork.

girls and boys

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Waffles

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

I have been eyeing one of Tara‘s recipes ever since she posted it; I actually almost made them for #SundaySupper last week. When she posted this recipe for Strawberry Waffles I had JUST polished off a container of strawberries. But honestly, it’s very rare that we get through the entire carton before the strawberries start to go bad (unless I clean, chop, and put them in a container in the fridge when I get home from the grocery store… which is a rare occurrence). So I knew that next time I had strawberries that were starting to go I’d puree them up and make Tara’s waffles.

Turns out the next strawberries I had in my fridge were those from my Mother’s Day Edible Arrangement! So, instead of strawberry waffles, I had chocolate covered strawberry waffles! (I almost sat on this recipe until Valentine’s Day but I just couldn’t wait!)

imageI’ve always wanted an Edible Arrangement, I just thought they were so fun! It’s been over 5 years of me wanting one and in those 5 years I developed an allergy to melon. I thought my chances of getting an Edible Arrangement were history. But – they had one with pineapple, strawberries, and grapes. Perfect! These arrangements are HUGE though! Or at least this one was. I knew we couldn’t make it through all of that fruit before it went bad, so some of those strawberries were transformed into waffles. Win-win.

I halved the recipe because I wasn’t anywhere close to 2 C of pureed strawberries. As is I had to supplement some of the puree for milk. This amount of batter was perfect for just me – it made 5 waffles, which I enjoyed over the course of two days.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Waffles

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 very large chocolate covered strawberries
  • 1/4 C milk (if needed)
  • 1 tbsp agave
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 C flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Steps:

  1. Place strawberries in a blender and puree. If you have less than 1 C of puree use milk to reach 1 C of total liquid.
  2. In a bowl whisk eggs. Add the strawberry/milk mixture and the agave.
  3. In another bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Pour batter into a hot waffle iron and cook until golden. Serve with whipped cream.

*This recipe is adapted from Tara at http://www.tarasmulticulturaltable.com/strawberry-waffles/*

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Waffles Sew You Think You Can Cook

Blogger CLUE: Raspberry Muffins

~ lk529 ~ 21 Comments

blogger CLUE

This month Blogger CLUE had us searching for berry recipes on our assigned blogs. A task I was happy to oblige. After my diagnosis of melon (most seriously cantellope) allergies I had to revisit my love of berries – most specifically raspberries. I would typically not shell out the money for them until they were in season and on sale, but after my fruit selection was drastically reduced I no longer felt guilty paying the prices so that I could enjoy strawberries or blueberries. (Raspberries I still reserve for violent cravings and serious savings.) Raspberries have always been my favorite fruit though. My grandfather used to have a couple raspberry bushes at the lake house in Wisconsin. Nothing tastes better than a freshly picked raspberry. Now that my parents own the house I might have to encourage my mom to replant the raspberry bushes! To this day, if I get that perfect raspberry in that store-bought pint it’ll take me back to the summers I spent at the lake.

This month I was assigned the blog Eliot’s Eats. I’ve actually visited Debra’s blog before from other blogging events. Her blog is named after her cat (and favorite poet). I am completely in awe of her green thumb – she even has a green house! I can’t grow a THING – I even manage to kill the scallions I save in a cup of water. Someday I’d like to be able to grow fresh herbs – and a gardenia bush. If I get gutsy I’d love to have citrus trees, too. And maybe tomatoes. I’m actually laughing as I write this… ah well.

I decided to make Raspberry Muffins. I guess I didn’t get enough breakfast food during #BrunchWeek. I mean, is that seriously a thing – too much breakfast? No, I think not. And I only have two muffin recipes on my blog so I figured, why not!

1554466_10102949326697521_7393131514455485945_nI made these muffins to bring with me to a girl’s night out at a painting studio and they were met with rave reviews. I decided mini muffins would be easiest to eat with a paintbrush in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. I even got 4 regular sized muffins out of the batter and left those for my husband to enjoy. And enjoy he did! When I got home from creating my masterpiece, I asked if he tried the muffins. A shy look told me not only did he try them, but he ate all four!

I started making these muffins during my son’s morning nap – I got as far as melting the butter, whisking the eggs, and preheating the oven before the doorbell rang and he woke up. My son hates naps and he refused to go back down, so I had a crabby boy in the kitchen with me while I finished making these muffins. Unfortunately during my pause in baking, the milk and butter mixture started to cool and harden. When it came time to mix my wet ingredients into the dry it was impossible to incorporate so I kept adding milk until I reached what I thought was an acceptable consistency, adding my fresh raspberries, and crossed my fingers.

These muffins were fantastic. Not only did using fresh raspberries remind me of my grandfather, but the use of almond extract always reminds me of my grandmother! These muffins were a happy treat for me.

I didn’t make the topping (and honestly, these muffins don’t need it) because my sink required a visit from the plumber and I really didn’t want another dirty bowl. Besides, I could pretend they were healthier muffins without the extra butter and sugar.

This recipe yields 24 mini muffins and 4 regular muffins.

 Raspberry Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 C flour
  • 3/4 C sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 C milk
  • 6 tbsp melted butter
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • approx 4 oz fresh raspberries, chopped

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease or line muffin tin(s).
  2. In a bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  3. In another bowl beat the egg and egg yolk. Whisk in the milk, melted butter, and almond extract.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Gently fold in the raspberries.
  5. Spoon into muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake mini muffins for 12-14 minutes and regular sized muffins 18-20, or until a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly. Allow muffins to cool in pan.

*This recipe is adapted from Debra at http://eliotseats.com/2013/04/24/raspberry-muffins/*

raspberry muffins | sew you think you can cook

Here’s a list of the other players of Blogger CLUE this month:

#SundaySupper: Mother’s Day

~ lk529 ~ 40 Comments

It’s only fitting that today’s #SundaySupper is celebrating Mother’s Day. A big thank you to Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla for “working” on this holiday to make sure the rest of us have our act together. Looking at the list of offerings today, most of us think of sweets when it comes to celebrating Mom. Be sure to scroll past my recipe to check them all out!

IMG_2338Today is my first Mother’s Day! I’ve always known I wanted to be a mom and so far it’s been everything I could have dreamed of and more! Everyday I am thankful to have the opportunity to stay home with my little man and watch him grow and learn.

When I tried to decide on what to make for today my mom told me to simply make something I like. Well that wasn’t very helpful – pizza, pasta, breakfast, Mexican? I decided on breakfast (I could eat breakfast any and every meal of the day) because when I think Mother’s Day, I think brunch.

When I think brunch, I think mimosas. I won’t be partaking in that alcoholic breakfast drink this year though because I am thrilled to finally announce that next year I’ll be celebrating today as a mother of two! That’s right, my little man will become a big brother in early November!

To celebrate the occasion I decided to turn the classic mimosa into a waffle!

Mimosa Waffles

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 C flour
  • 1 C white whole wheat flour
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 C vegetable oil
  • 3/4 C prosecco
  • 1 3/4 C milk
  • 1 1/4 tsp orange extract

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl whisk together all dry ingredients.
  2. In a separate bowl whisk together the wet ingredients.
  3. Combine wet and dry ingredients and pour into a hot waffle iron and cook until golden. Serve with whipped cream and fresh orange slices, if desired.

*This recipe is modified from my gingerbread man waffles*

mimosa waffles | sew you think you can cook

Celebratory Sips

Starters and Salads

Hearty Mains

Treats and Sweets

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Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.