Spring Blooms

Spring has come early everywhere it seems. And while I am terrified for July, I am loving it. Food related post tomorrow, but until then here is the St. Louis Spring loveliness we have been experiencing:

 

 

And a little bit of rain too....

 

Coffee Cake

One of the biggest reasons I love cooking and food in general is because of the associations I make with it. To a fault, I remember food. From eating Italian with my dad in Ireland, to lentils in Ecuador that remind me of my mom, to Robin's chocolate chip cookies, I place food with memories. And I love food with a story.

For all of these reasons, my mom's coffee cake is destined to always be a favorite. It is from the St. Peter's church cookbook, courtesy of my grandma Myrtle. I have eaten this many times, but this was my first time making it. And it is one of my favorite things I've made recently. So simple, so not good for you, and so delicious.

Cast of characters:
-2/3 cup butter
-1 cup white sugar
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-2 eggs
-2 cups flour
-1 tsp. baking powder
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 cup buttermilk
-1/2 cup dates (or chopped raisins, if you're like me and lack dates in your cupboard)
Topping:
-2/3 cup brown sugar
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp nutmeg
-1/2 cup nuts, chopped (I used pecans)

1. Cream the butter, brown and white sugars, and eggs.
2. Combine flour, baking soda and powder, and cinnamon.
3. Add alternating flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture. I used sour milk, because the few times we've bought buttermilk a) it's expensive and b) we end up with leftover that goes bad. And the milk/vinegar combo worked just fine.
4. Mix in dates/raisins, pour into greased 9x13 pan.
5. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and nuts. Sprinkle on top.
6. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. Note: the best part about this recipe (if you are organized, unlike me) is that you can make it all the night before and refrigerate it overnight. Then just put it straight in the heated oven, and bake 45-50 minutes.


Anyone else have great food memories? Care to share?

Easter Egg Bake

Growing up Lutheran and participating in years of sunrise service and serving brunch at church has resulted in my distinct association of egg bake and Easter. So when we had J and J and Mr. C over for Easter, I had to make an egg bake, and I added in my two go to ingredients: sweet potatoes and kale. This will only be informational if you've never made an egg bake, but here goes my Lutheran roots out into the world:

(Sorry for the terrible photo)...

Cast of characters:
-Cheap, crusty white bread
-Eggs (about 1 per person)
-Milk (I used a cup, maybe more)
-1/2 white onion, chopped
-Several kale leaves, washed and torn
-Cheddar cheese (to taste)

Sauce:
-Fresh cilantro
-Canned jalapeno slices and a tablespoon or so of the juice
-1 clove garlic
-basil
-Lemon juice (about a tablespoon)
-Olive oil (about 2 tablespoons)

1. First I sliced some sweet potatoes thin and sprayed with a bit of olive oil. I roasted them for 20 minutes at 400. When they were done, I added them to the bottom of the (greased) pan as a "crust" of sorts.
2. Then I used some crusty white bread, torn into pieces as the base. You can omit it for a gluten-free or just generally healthier option (it's just it is a frittata then in my world, and that's not Easter in my head. I know, my head is a scary place to be).
3. Top with kale onion, and cheese.
4. Mix eggs and milk, pour over the pan. The key here is the whole thing has to be moist.
5. Cover and bake at 350 for half an hour. Finish baking uncovered until the cheese is melted and egg is set.

For the sauce:
1. Purée fresh cilantro, jalapeno slices, jalapeno juice, olive oil, garlic and basil (I used the frozen Trader Joes variety).

Serve the egg bake with sauce. Or don't. But I happen to believe most things are better with sauce. So I did ;).

And Just Like That...

We have peonies! Overnight!

Simply amazing. Back to your regularly scheduled egg bake after some project work....

Lessons from Gertie

When resting after a beautiful, fun weekend, it's best to keep one's paws in a bundle.

Sweet Potato Pasta Sauce

Friday night my oldest friend Emily was in town for the evening. I was lazy on food, but I made some sweet potato sauce that was pretty good. Would be better with a few additions, but you have to start somewhere right?

 Without natural light, it doesn't look like much but hey. Here's how we made it:
1. Roast sweet potatoes (we sliced them into rounds, and 400 for about half an hour worked well).
2. Mix together garlic, basil, a bit of olive oil, pepper, and seasoning salt. Trader Joe's makes frozen mini-ice cube looking things of several different herbs, and I love them because you don't have to do anything at all.
3. Blend in roasted sweet potatoes. Add milk (I started with a cup, and ended up adding more) and some water until it is the texture and thickness you want.

 I think this would be really great with some roasted vegetables and a green salad. And some of Robin's homemade bread.

So my quest to add sweet potatoes to nearly everything continues....next up? An Easter quiche....

Happy Easter (or happy Sunday, depending on your background) to you and yours!

Lentil Burgers

Never again will I cook such a large amount of lentils for a meal for two. However, it has encouraged me to try some new things, and this one was pretty successful.

Cast of characters:
-1/2 cup lentils
-1 cup brown rice
-1/4 cup bread crumbs
-1/4 white onion
-1 egg
-A bit of cheese (I tried both cheddar and feta) - I used about 1/8 of a cup.
-spices (cayenne, seasoning salt, garlic, pepper, chili powder)
-Other veggies if you want: I added 1/4 cup of peas to some of them, and corn to others. 

Mix all the ingredients together in a food processor (or a stick blender, if you're lucky enough to own one of those) to your preferred texture.

Pan fry on medium, making sure the pan is hot before you start. I used a combination of olive oil and vegetable oil.  Use just olive oil spray if you are feeling healthy. Let them firm up for a couple of minutes before flipping. This part is the hardest for me. Patience is SUCH a strong suit of mine ;).

We served ours on Trader Joe's Ciabatta rolls, with lettuce and tomato. And some Lemonaise. Lemonaise will change your world, it's so good. Stalk your local food store for it.

I've tried these a variety of ways now, and here's what I think the keys to any home-made veggie burger are: an egg to help it hold together, spices, and a little bit of cheese (not much, a couple of tablespoons is fine). I tried it with no egg, and it tasted good but certainly not appetizing looking when it is a blob of lentils. Anyone made veggie burgers before? Any recommendations? Always love new ways to make delicious things!

Mr. C. approves. And if a toddler will eat it, it must be okay. He even asked me for more "hamburger". Winning!