blueberry coffee cake

Dee Dee's Blueberry Coffee Cake

BATTER INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup flour 
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ cup milk
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. melted butter
• 1½ cup fresh blueberries

TOPPING INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup butter
• ½ chopped walnuts

 RECIPE

Combine all batter ingredients except blueberries and beat for two minutes. Spread batter ingredients in a greased 8 x 8 x 2 pan and top with blueberries..
Mix topping ingredients into clumps. Sprinkle over berries. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.

More here.

sneek peak

Love this home.... 

more here.

Energy Bites Recipe

Energy Bites Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup oats
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds
• 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1/4 cup cashews
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 6 large medjool dates, seeds removed and roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/ 4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup dried cherries

Instructions

1. Pulse Oats, seeds, and nuts in a food processor until then are all a coarse meal. Add in chopped dates, then honey, then vanilla and salt. Pulse until the ingredients form a ball or until you can pinch the ingredients and they clump together easily. If it is too wet add more oats, or if it is too dry add more dates or honey. Add in the dried cherries with just a few pulses so they are still chunky in the bites. Roll the bites by the heaping teaspoonful. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. These will also be fine in your purse or a travel bag and are a great snack for skiing or hiking.

Recipe found here.

toddler food

Yogurt Recipes for toddlers here. Dinner Recipes for toddlers here.

brown eggs & jam jars

new book from Simple Bites blog:

eggnog cinnamon rolls

These eggnog cinnamon rolls via Local Milk look delicious!

Soft Brown Butter & Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups (500 g) flour, plus 1/4 cup for rolling out
• 1 1/4 cup (300 grams) eggnog, warm
• 1 packet (1/4 oz, 2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) creme fraiche
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp smoked salt (or regular kosher salt)
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted, browned, and warm
for filling
• 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon (can increase to taste or omit)
for icing
• 8 oz creme fraiche
• 1 tablespoon good whiskey (optional)
• beans from one vanilla bean
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon eggnog
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS

1. warm the eggnog gently in a small pot until about the temperature of bathwater. remove from heat and stir in the yeast. allow to proof for five to ten minutes. it should be bubbly. 
2. while the yeast proofs melt & brown the butter. in a stainless steel skillet (i prefer these for browning butter because you can clearly see as it starts to brown), melt one stick of butter (113 grams) over medium heat, swirling the pan often. the butter will bubble, foam, and then brown. this should take about 5-10 minutes. remember to swirl often. as soon as the butter is golden & smells toasty, pour it into a heat proof bowl. i pop this in the fridge for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, to take the heat off before adding it to my dough. it should be warm when you add it but not hot.
3. in a large mixing bowl combine the yeast & eggnog mixture, the eggs, creme fraiche, sugar, nutmeg, vanilla, brown butter, and salt. stir to combine well. 
4. stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. i add about half, work it in, then add the other half. stir pretty vigorously for about a minute or two. or until you tire out, which is what i do. make sure there are no dry bits left. cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap or a lightly floured kitchen towel. leave in a warm place to proof until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. i proof mine in my oven. i turn it on for about 30 second to a minute to warm up, then turn it off, put the dough in, and let it sit. 
5. after the dough has risen, sprinkle the additional 1/4 cup of flour onto a clean work surface. turn the dough out and gently knead just enough of the flour in to get a workable dough. pat it out into a rectangle about 9" x 12" with the narrow end facing away from you. 
6. in a bowl combine the dark brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon (if using, i leave the cinnamon out because i want my rolls to taste like pure eggnog & i think cinnamon dominates...they're excellent both ways!). 
7. smear the butter all over the surface of your rectangle, leaving about a 1" boarder. sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over the butter. gently & mindfully roll the dough from right to left (or left to right...), and use your hands to shape it into a nice log if it gets a bit wonky. this is a soft dough. 
8. using your finger pinch the dough to seal it well. squish the dough into a nice log before proceeding. 
9. using dental floss or fishing wire (i am serious here, don't use a knife...) cut the log into ten 1" or so rolls. place them in two pie plates or into a 9" x 13" baking dish. reshape rolls as needed after cutting as you place them. 
10. cover loosely with plastic or a lightly floured kitchen towel. allow to rise for about 45 minutes - 1 hour. at this point you can also cover them and place them in the fridge over night, up to about 16 hours. bring them to room temperature before proceeding if you do. 
11. halfway through the second rise, heat your oven to 350° f. when they are done rising, place them in the oven on the center rack and bake 20-25 minutes until golden (but not too dark!) and cooked through. mine took about 22-23 minutes. 
12. allow to cool fully before frosting. while they do said cooling...make your frosting! 
13. in a medium bowl whisk the creme fraiche together with the sifted powdered sugar, nutmeg, vanilla beans, whiskey, and eggnog. feel free to leave the whiskey out, but it's a fun touch. 
14. pour the icing generously over your cool rolls. enjoy, messily. with either more eggnog or a cold glass of milk....best if on christmas morning!

london fog shortbread

London Fog Shortbread /

Earl Grey & Vanilla Shortbread

Serves: approx 2 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• ⅔ cup powdered sugar
• 1¾ cup flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 vanilla bean split and scraped (1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste)
• 2 tbsp. Earl Grey Tea (about 3 tea bags)..i put the tea in my Magic Bullet and pulsed it until it was coarsely ground.

Instructions

1. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer.
2. Add the vanilla, vanilla bean, and the tea.
3. Add the flour and mix until the dough comes together.
4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 mins.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
6. Roll out the dough to a little less then ¼" on a well floured surface.
7. Cut out desired shapes.
8. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and chill the cut cookies for at least 20 mins. before baking.
9. Bake the cookies for about 12 mins. or until the edges are just barely brown.
10. Cool on wire racks.
11. These cookies freeze well in an air tight container.

Via Sugar Plum Sisters.