Recipes

Maple Walnut Vinaigrette

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Now that we’ve closed the door on Halloween, it’s comfort food season.

You totally thought I was going to make some joke regarding Christmas.

Nope!

There won’t be a hint of Christmas (well, except for getting a start on my Christmas gift shopping) happening in my house until after Thanksgiving! That’s right people, there’s another holiday (at least in the US) before putting up that tree. (You hear me, Mom?!)

Sorry for that little rant there….

Back to salad.

Salad? What?

Yes. Salad.

Even amid the sea of hearty baked casseroles, you still need to eat something a bright and fresh and a salad with hints of fall is the perfect way to break up your weekly menu.

I served this walnut dressing over a salad of Brussels sprouts, spinach, and romaine lettuce. The “mix-ins” included walnuts, bacon, and apple. Dried cranberries or cooked chicken would work great, too!

Maple Walnut Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 C maple syrup
  • 1/2 C walnuts
  • 1/4 C apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • 1/8 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp canola oil

Steps:

  1. Place all ingredients except oils into a blender. Blend until smooth.
  2. With the blender running, pour in the oils. Add a little water, if needed.

*This recipe is adapted from Monica at http://www.theyummylife.com/recipes/38*

Maple Walnut Vinaigrette | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

Busia’s Sloppy Joes

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Happy Halloween!

And Happy 4th Annual Sloppy Joe Recipe on Sew You Think You Can Cook Day!

It’s totally a thing. We should make it the world’s longest hash tag. It’s that recognized.

Any…who….

img_1062Today’s sloppy joe recipe comes from my grandmother via my aunt. Last year or so, when my aunt finally got a computer, she was introduced to my blog and has been supporting me ever since! When she discovered that, for me, sloppy joes are synonymous with pre-trick-or-treating fare, she immediately sent me an email with Busia’s sloppy joe recipe.

I didn’t get a chance to make them last year as I was in the hospital with my then one-day old.  Seriously, how is my Treat a year old already!?

This sloppy joe recipe is as simple and comforting as it gets. It’s on a regular rotation at my aunt’s house and I can definitely see why. She enjoys hers with a slice of American cheese on top.

This recipe makes 6 sandwiches.

Busia’s Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 C diced onion
  • 1 1/2 lb ground beef or turkey
  • 3/4 C ketchup
  • 1/2 C water
  • 1/4 C lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • pepper, to taste
  • 6 hamburger buns
  • sliced American cheese (optional)

Steps:

  1. Saute onions in olive oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet. When translucent add the ground meat and brown until fully cooked. Drain.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together the kethcup, water, lemon juice, sugar, vinegar, salt, Worcestershire, chili powde,r and pepper. Add to the cooked, drained meat. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook 20 minutes.
  3. Serve on hamburger buns. Add American cheese, if desired.

Classic Sloppy Joes | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

#SundaySupper: Recipes That Use Leftover Halloween Candy

~ lk529 ~ 21 Comments

It’s October 30th, the day my Treat turns the big O-N-E! It also happens to be the day before Halloween, which is why our #SundaySupper team has gathered together over 20 recipe ideas for using up all of that leftover Halloween candy. Thank you to T.R. Crumbly of Gluten Free Crumbly for hosting this sweet event.

We have lived in 4 different homes since being married in 2010 and have yet to hand out candy to more than 10 kids on a Halloween. It makes me a little saddened. Growing up our neighborhood was a great trick-or-treating destination and my parents would had out tons of candy! As the years went on people stopped going down the middle streets of the block so my parents would set up shop at the end of the driveway to let trick-or-treaters know there were houses worth stopping for.

Our first home in NWFL was a townhome on the corner across from a gas station – not exactly kid friendly. Our second home in NWFL was in a real neighborhood, but we still didn’t get any trick-or-treaters! I chalked it up to living in the bible belt, the largest church in town always did a trunk-or-treat type of thing.

I had huge hopes when we moved to Ohio. Our long standing neighborhood home was a bus stop. How could we not get trick-or-treaters?! Halloween 1 in Ohio arrived with freezing rain. The handful of children who braved the elements earned more than their fair share of our Halloween candy!

I spent Halloween 2 in Ohio in the hospital with our family’s newest addition, Treat. The grandparents manned the house, handing out candy, and taking Firecracker for his first trick-or-treating.

12191540_10103327191278871_3778182514752255641_n
My 1 day old Treat – 2015

This year is our first in California and my hopes for trick-or-treaters is close to zero. My friend informed me that one of the main streets shuts down and does trick-or-treating for two hours on Halloween. So, like most families in our area, we’ll be heading that way. I will, of course, leave a bowl out of candy, just in case!

That long “sob story” of Halloweens as an adult means I’ve definitely experienced an over abundance of candy come November. Usually, the candy would make its way to the office.

This year, I bought one bag of KitKats and Reese’s. I wanted candy in the house that I wouldn’t mind eating should I be left with a bunch of it.

Turns out, I picked candy that lends itself nicely to post-Halloween baking, too!

Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Cake | Sew You Think You Can Cook (toddler)

Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

  • 1 C buttermilk
  • 3/4 C vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 2 1/2 C flour
  • 3/4 C brown sugar
  • 3/4 C sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 4-5 Reese’s peanut butter cups, chopped

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8″ cake pan with foil and lightly grease.
  2. Whisk together buttermilk, oil, and egg in a small bowl.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugars, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Remove 1/2 C of the mixture and set aside. Add in the baking soda, and mix to combine.
  4. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry. Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Top with chopped peanut butter cups and reserved flour mixture.
  5. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out cleanly.

*This recipe is adapted from Jocelyn at http://insidebrucrewlife.com/2014/05/peanut-butter-cup-coffee-cake/*

Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Cake for #SundaySupper from Sew You Think You Can Cook

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Sunday Supper MovementJoin 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

Butterbeer Blondies

~ lk529 ~ 4 Comments

A Harry Potter week wouldn’t be complete without a recipe playing off the iconic beverage of Hogsmeade!

Butterbeer.

Butterbeer is a favorite drink of all Hogwarts students and patrons of the Three Broomsticks. When Universal Orlando opened up their Wizarding World of Harry Potter, there was a lot of recipe development to bring J.K. Rowlings’s drink come to life for us Muggles to enjoy.

There are countless copy cat recipes floating around the internet, but I’ve yet to try my hand at any. The use of butter extract weirds me out a little bit to be honest. A lot of butterbeer insipred desserts also use the ingredient, so when I found this blondie recipe without even a splash of butter extract I knew I had to try it!

I’ve made these blondies twice now.

img_0765My sister-in-law came down from Northern California to spend a day with the boys and I put her and Firecracker to work baking!

I thought it’d be fun to bake them in the cast iron skillet. Unfortunately the edges puffed up a considerable amount and there weren’t really enough decent squares to be cut out of the center to take the effort of setting up my Harry Potter photo shoot.

We’re still not sure what to blame: over mixing, Firecracker’s enthusiastic dump of baking soda, the use of cast iron, or my pulverization of Boo-terscotch M&Ms instead of butterscotch chips.

The blondies were incredibly addictive though and every time I found myself in the kitchen (which is often when you’re a food blogger) I grabbed a bite or two.

I knew I had to make them again. I decided to use a 9×9″ square cake pan instead of my cast iron skillet. I also took the extra time to hand chop the M&Ms instead of using the food processor. Oh, and Firecracker didn’t get to help me with batch 2.

The edges still puffed up! But I did have more salvageable area to work with. I, again, ate the entire second batch of blondies all by myself.

Butterbeer Blondies | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

Last week I found a butterscotch soda, so I picked up another bag of those Halloween M&Ms. I will be making these blondies one more time! Maybe this time I’ll share?

Butterbeer Blondies

Ingredients:

  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 C brown sugar
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tbsp cream soda
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 C flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 bag (8 oz) white Boo-tterscotch M&Ms, chopped

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×9″ cake pan.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla, and cream soda, then mix until combined.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add to the stand mixer and mix until just incorporated.
  4. Fold in the chopped M&Ms. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake 45-50 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly. Allow blondies to cool before cutting.

*This recipe is adapted from Tracy at http://sugarcrafter.net/2011/07/14/butterbeer-blondies/*

Butterbeer Blondies | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

Felix Felices

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

Harry Potter Halloween week continues with something for the adult witch and wizard!

I found a Buzzfeed article on cocktails inspired by my favorite books and excitedly found one that looked like something I’d enjoy. A champagne based beverage!

For those of you unfamiliar with Harry Potter, Felix Felices is a potion mentioned in The Half Blood Prince. It is commonly referred to as “liquid luck.” The drinker can be expected to have a day in which all his endeavors come easily and successfully. (How was that for zero spoiler alerts!)

Felix Felices | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.comAfter making the cocktail, I ran into a problem. Felix Felices is supposed to be the color of molten gold. Mine was essentially clear. I thought about simply naming it as a different potion, but then my mom had the idea to add a splash of orange juice. The OJ gave it a nice golden hue and didn’t much alter the taste of the drink.

No joke – I think I’ve discovered my new favorite cocktail! My husband has been on a Moscow Mule kick so we always have ginger beer in the house, and with affordable mini bottles of champagne available in the grocery store, I know I’ll be making this time and time again!

Felix Felices

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 oz simple syrup (1/4 C sugar disovled in 1/4 C water over low heat)
  • 1/4 oz lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 oz ginger beer
  • champagne
  • orange juice

Steps:

  1. Pour simple syrup, lemon juice, and ginger beer in a champagne flute. Top with champagne. Add just a splash of orange juice to create a light golden color.

Felix Felices | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

Bangers and Mash

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

When I think about British cuisine the first thing that comes to my mind is Bangers and Mash. Don’t ask me why!

6 years ago I tried starting a Harry Potter book club with my friends and I remember making Bangers and Mash to serve everybody.

I was given The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook a while ago and I’ve enjoyed reading through it to discover more traditional British cuisine, but the first thing I made was the Bangers and Mash. I didn’t remember the onion gravy from my first experience with the meal, but it was probably my favorite part of our dinner!

The boys loved the sausages. Firecracker wouldn’t touch the mashed potatoes, though. If it’s not in French fry form – he won’t eat a potato… I served our bangers and mash with Brussels sprouts. We found a caterpillar on one of the sprouts and attempted to keep it as a pet. Yea, that lasted about a day – whether it died from lack of oxygen or being shaken by the toddler (picture Darla from Finding Nemo) I don’t know.

Bangers and Mash

Ingredients for bangers:

  • 1/2 lb ground pork
  • 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 C panko
  • 1 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • butter for frying

Ingredients for mash:

  • 3 russet potatoes, cubed
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3/4 C milk

Ingredients for gravy:

  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 2 C vegetable broth

Steps:

  1. Make the onion gravy: Cook the onions in butter over low heat, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes until the onions are golden. Stir in the flour until combined. Add the broth and cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring often. Season to taste with S+P.
  2. Make the mash: Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat, and cook until potatoes are fork tender. Drain. Mash with butter and milk until creamy. Season to taste with S+P.
  3. Make the bangers: Combine meat, egg yolks, panko, seasonings, and zest. Form into sausages. Fry bangers in the butter over medium-high heat, searing on all sides, and cooking until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F is reached.
  4. Serve the sausages atop the potatoes, finishing with the gravy.

*This recipe is adapted from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook*

Bangers and Mash | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

 

Treacle Tart

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Happy Halloween week everyone!

If you’ve followed along with Sew You Think You Can Cook over the past three years (Thank you) you’ll know that I love having a theme for the week leading up to Halloween. If you’re new here, I hope you’ll be excited about this year’s theme and stick with me all week!

We’ve celebrated candy corn, ghosts, and homemade candy. This year, we’re exploring the wizarding world of Harry Potter!

halloween-themes-on-sew-you-think-you-can-cook

To some (okay, most) of my friends I’m the biggest Harry Potter fan they know. But in this worldwide web I’ve quickly discovered that I have menial fan status compared to many!

Growing up my closet doors were plastered with Harry Potter pictures. Photos from those page-a-day calendars, movie posters, newspaper articles, soundtrack CD jackets, birthday cards, movie tickets, etc. I went to every midnight movie release (dressed up as Hermione) beginning with Prisoner of Azkaban and never settled for only seeing it once. It became the norm for me to leave the movie theater at 2 in the morning feeling let down by the screen play’s adaptation to the books I’d so adored that I came to expect and accept it. Knowing that I’d simply have to “adjust” to the movie version and simply see it again!

I own two copies of each book (hardcover and soft) as well as the new illustrated version of The Sorcerer’s Stone. I have read each book more times than I can count and have the audio books on CD in my car on constant repeat. (I’m currently near the end of book 6 if anyone wants to listen along.) I’m also already looking forward to delving into The Cursed Child again, too.

hp-book-collection

For our 1 year anniversary 5 years ago (wow that makes me feel a little old) we went to Orlando to experience Harry’s world first hand. We returned the following year for my birthday, too. hp-collectiblesDuring that birthday trip I was chosen by Ollivander to get my own personal wand. (Minute 1:20 of this vacation video.) Unfortunately, I never got the chance to experience the Diagon Alley expansion having delivered Firecracker opening week and moving to Ohio less than two months later. We do have plans to explore California’s Hogsmede and Hogwarts soon, though!

My Ollivander’s wand joined my collection of Harry Potter collectibles including a replica of Hermione’s wand and Time Turner.

As you can see… I’m easily distracted when it comes to Harry Potter…

To kick off the week I’m starting with Harry’s favorite dessert: Treacle Tart.

Esther of Why’d You Eat That? has a beautiful post describing the history of treacle – I highly recommend you read it!

This dessert is sticky, sweet, and tart. I found myself doing a lot of recipe searching and found large discrepancies for the amount of bread crumbs used in the filling but always the one cup of golden syrup. Some recipes included ginger while some stuck with just lemon. The tart crust was also a recipe that varied, as was what to do with the topping. The only consistencies were the use of golden syrup and fresh (not packaged) breadcrumbs.

Treacle Tart | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com (2)

Treacle Tart

Ingredients for crust:

  • 2 C flour
  • 1/4 C sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 sticks cold butter, cubed
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/4 – 1/2 C heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 whole egg, divided

Ingredients for filling:

  • 6 slices white bread
  • 1 C golden syrup
  • zest 1 lemon
  • juice 1/2 lemon
  • pinch ground ginger

Steps:

  1. Make the crust: Put flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor fitted with the dough blade and pulse to mix. Add in the cold cubed butter a little at a time pulsing to create crumbs.
  2. In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks, 1/4 C heavy cream, vanilla, and lemon juice. Pour into the food processor and blend until the dough comes together. Add up to another 1/4 C heavy cream one tablespoon at a time if needed.
  3. Divide dough into two disks, wrap, and refrigerate 2 hours.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bread on a baking sheet. Toast 10-15 minutes. Remove crusts and pulse, in batches if needed, in a food process until small crumbs. (Do not fill processor bowl more than half way.)
  5. Roll out one disk of dough on a heavily floured surface. Brush off excess flour before transferring to a tart or pie pan. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
  6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  7. Place golden syrup in a glass bowl over a double boiler. Heat until easily stirrable then add the bread crumbs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and ginger.
  8. Brush the tart crust with egg white before pouring in the filling.
  9. If using a top crust, roll out the second disk of dough and cut strips. Brush with an egg wash mixture of egg yolk and 1 tbsp heavy cream and create a lattice top to the tart.
  10. Bake 20-25 minutes until set. Allow tart to cool before serving with whipped cream or ice cream.

*This recipe is modified from Kathryn at http://www.instructables.com/id/Harry-Potters-Favorite-Treacle-Tart/?ALLSTEPS*

Treacle Tart | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

 

#ChoctoberFest: Cocoa Butter Granola

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Dislcaimer: I received products as part of #Choctoberfest for review. All opinions and statements are my own.

#Choctoberfest

I’m happy to be back for the final day of #ChoctoberFest to remind you it’s your last chance to enter the amazing giveaway thanks to our fabulous sponsors. One of those sponsors, Caveman Coffee, provided product that is the star of my recipe today.

caveman-coffee-logoCaveman Coffee was founded by three athletes (I can’t wait to share this information with my husband when we reunite this weekend!) who joined forces with a master coffee roaster from Albuquerque to create sustainable and naturally grown coffee. Their coffee beans are hand-picked and wet-processed before roasting.

In addition to coffee they have other paleo-friendly products, including Coconut Oil, Cocoa Butter, and Green Tea.

cc-packageI received a bag of White Gold coffee beans and a bag of cocoa butter as part of #Choctoberfest. I’d never worked with cocoa butter before and was quite excited to explore its possibilities. I honestly didn’t even know what to expect! In my mind I was picturing something along the lines of a nut or seed butter (after all, cocoa is a seed). Contrary to my perception, cocoa butter is better used as an oil or dairy butter substitute, with a slightly chocolaty aura. The best part is that it’s a healthy vegan option that doesn’t involve coconut which I’m allergic to!

I decided to make a granola using the cocoa butter, but my head is already reeling with more ways to use the product. I’m dreaming about some rice krispie treat action… Caveman Coffee suggest stirring it into their hot coffee for a mocha inspired beverage.

This granola is addicting and perfect for topping your morning yogurt with some fresh strawberries. It can be used in any way you’d use a sweet granola – in cookies or pancakes and atop ice cream. I tested it out as my morning cereal and while it does work, the min chocolate chips make it a little “odd,” but the oats were fantastic with the addition of cool milk.

Cocoa Butter Granola featuring Caveman Coffee Cocoa Butter for #Choctoberfest from Sew You Think You Can Cook

My boys quite enjoyed the granola as well. Even my Treat who doesn’t like oatmeal quite enjoyed the sweetened oats when paired with strawberries and vanilla yogurt. However, when given a cup to himself, Firecracker simply picked out the chocolate chips.

Cocoa Butter Granola

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 C cocoa butter
  • 1/2 C brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 C old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 C mini chocolate chips

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
  2. Place cocoa butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the oats, tossing to coat.
  3. Spread oats onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake 20 minutes, tossing halfway through. Allow oats to cool before tossing with the chocolate chips.

cocoa-butter-granola-for-choctboerfest-from-sew-you-think-you-can-cook

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more chocolate recipes today:

#BundtBakers: Happy Fall

~ lk529 ~ 13 Comments

4ae7b-bundtbakerspostIt’s that time of month for me to share a bundt cake with you alongside #BundtBakers. #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 Teri of The Freshman Cook is hosting and selected the theme “Happy Fall,” leaving it wide open for us to celebrate the season any way we desire – as long as it’s in bundt form, of course!

We have found a great church here in California and are starting to call it home. It’s a smaller congregation than the church we attended in Ohio and we’re slowly becoming a part of this church family.

Being far from family, we don’t get the opportunity to go on regular date nights and are never without the boys. One day we’ll trust someone other than grandparents to watch them, but for now, we’re not ready. Church is our opportunity to give us and the kids some time away. The first time we dropped them off at the nursery was a near disaster. Firecracker had a major meltdown and we were called to return and comfort him. The second visit was a complete 180 as he was calm enough to realize they had a train table and countless trains and cars to play with. Now, he runs in the door and doesn’t look back – he even asks to go to church throughout the week. Treat followed the same pattern, and while he still tries to follow me out the door, I haven’t gotten the message “the baby is crying” (a message they’ll only send if 10 minutes of consoling doesn’t do the trick) in weeks!

One of my favorite things about this church is their dedication to the community. Each Wednesday they provide dinner for the hungry and homeless and anyone who shows up. They feed over 100 people each week! I’d noticed a request for desserts in the bulletin and knew I had to help out. Physically volunteering hasn’t been possible with my husband away (see the no baby sitter scenario above), but baking I can do! Once our family is whole again we’re going to figure out how we can do more to help out while one of us stays home with the boys.

14705826_10104113714664701_304176535388205071_nThis week was my first week delivering dessert. To provide individually wrapped desserts I thought it’d be best to use my Garland Bundt Pan and my Bundt Duet Pan. Unfortunately, the 6 smaller cakes all stuck! So, while my donation of 15 slices from the duet pan wasn’t what I’d hoped to be delivering, it was a start.

The “broken” cakes didn’t go to waste though! I scraped the pan clean and have been eating it by the handful. Hey, crumbs don’t count, right? Firecracker enjoyed the cake, too. He listened to me when I told him he couldn’t touch the larger cakes, that we had to eat the broken cake. His response, was to bring a chair from his toddler table into the kitchen, climb up it, and eat the broken cake, declaring “I love broken cake!”

Poached Pear and Cranberry Bundt with Maple Marscapone Frosting

Ingredients for cake:

  • 2 C sugar, divided use
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 3 pears, peeled
  • 1 pkg (5 oz) dried cranberries
  • 1 stick softened butter
  • 1/2 C vegetable oil
  • 1 C brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 C flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp cloves

Ingredients for frosting:

  • 1/2 stick softened butter
  • 1/4 C softened marscapone cheese
  • 1 C powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tbsp real maple syrup

Steps:

  1. Poach the pears: Bring 4 C water, 1 C sugar, and the cinnamon stick to a boil. Add the whole pears and simmer 15 minutes, or until tender. Remove pears from poaching liquid, core them, and chop. Set aside. Reserve 1/4 of the liquid before discarding.
  2. Reconstitute the cranberries: Bring 1 1/2 C water to a boil. Add the cranberries. Remove from heat and allow cranberries to plump up, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heavily grease bundt pan(s).
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, oil, brown sugar, and remaining 1 C of white sugar. Add the eggs one at a time.
  5. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.
  6. Add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer, alternating with the reserved poaching liquid.
  7. Fold in the chopped pears and cranberries.
  8. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan(s). Bake 35-55 minutes depending on the size of your pan.

*This recipe is adapted from Tessa at http://thecakeblog.com/2013/11/pear-cranberry-cake.html*

Poached Pear and Cranberry Bundt with Maple Marscapone Frosting 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:

Apple, Pear and Honey Cider Bundt Cake by All That’s Left Are the Crumbs

Apple Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Drizzle by Cookaholic Wife

Bundt Cake de Chocolate Blanco y Moras by La Mejor Manera de hacer

Chestnut Cream Marbled Bundt Cake by I Love Bundt Cakes

Chocolate Caramel Apple Cake by The Freshman Cook

Ginger and Cinnamon Bundt Cake by Los Chatos Chefs

Impossible Pumpkin Pie Bundt by Faith, Hope, Love, and Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Jack O’Lantern Cake by Palatable Pastime

Persimmon Apple Bundt by Tea and Scones

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake by Patty’s Cake

Pumpkin Pie Bundt by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Caramel Drizzle by Living the Gourmet

Robert E. Lee Bundt Cakeby The Queen of Scones

Spiced Rum Pumpkin Bundt by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Sticky Pecan Pie Bundt by Food Lust People Love

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

SRC: Breakfast Quinoa

~ lk529 ~ 18 Comments

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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.

I almost didn’t participate this month. My husband has been gone for a month. Not gone gone, just on the other side of the country thanks to a 5 week course for work. We’re in the final stretch and will be reunited Friday! It’s been a long 4.5 weeks so far, but with visits from the boys’ aunt and grandmothers we’ve been making it through.

Cooking has been very minimal around here, limiting my culinary output to things I know the boys will eat. Aka cheese. We’ve been living off of cheese. Grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, nachos, and pizzas – all good means for “hiding” protein into their diets.

I knew signing up for SRC this month would force me to cook something other than waffles and sweets. I’m glad I did, too, because this month I was assigned The Gluten-Free Foodsmith written by Tina Marie. Tina Marie made the switch to gluten-free living after discovering it made a huge impact in restoring her to health following an illness. Tina Marie made the best of her gluten-free lifestyle and has developed an impressive arsenal of delicious recipes that everyone can enjoy!

Limiting my search of her blog to recipes I knew my kids would actually help me eat and that were healthy wasn’t too difficult! Apple Pineapple Muffins were going to be the winner until I found Warm Plum and Blueberry Quinoa Salad. Also added to my possibility list were: Pecan Walnut Chicken Salad (but I haven’t introduced nuts to Treat yet), Black Bean Salsa Wraps, and Lentil Chili Stew.

I had to make some adjustments to Tina Marie’s recipe due to dietary restrictions. I had to substitute agave for honey due to Treat being under one. I used butter instead of coconut oil because I’m allergic to coconut. And used regular cow’s milk instead of almond milk because I haven’t tested a nut allergy with Treat yet and was/am too anxious and nervous about doing so while I’m parenting solo. Obviously, I left the raw almonds out, too. Sounds like a lot, but it’s really not.

We loved this quinoa! I even made it again with strawberries when my mother-in-law was visiting. It was her first introduction to quinoa and she quite enjoyed it, too. What I love best is that it doesn’t take any longer than making oatmeal in the morning and is arguably healthier! Quinoa has almost double the amount of protein as oats do.

Treat loved the change in his breakfast from Greek yogurt to this quinoa. Firecracker, who does enjoy the seed, wasn’t as interested and simply picked out all of the fruit. I guess for him quinoa is supposed to stay savory. I enjoyed the sweet take to it and will continue explore its sweeter applications – I know Tina Maria had a couple cookie recipes on her blog using the seed!

Breakfast Quinoa

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 C uncooked quinoa
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp agave
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp real maple syrup
  • 1 plum, pitted and chopped
  • 1/4 C blueberries (I used frozen)

Steps:

  1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions.
  2. Add butter, agave, milk, cinnamon, and syrup to the cooked quinoa. Stir in the plum and blueberries. Keep over low heat until butter is melted, quinoa is evenly coated, and fruit is warmed through.

*This recipe is modified from Tina Maria at http://glutenfreefoodsmith.com/2015/05/warm-plum-and-blueberry-quinoa-salad/*

Breakfast Quinoa 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: