When my parents and I were in Door County, the breakfast special at the Sister Bay Cafe was scrambled eggs with asparagus and tomatoes. I, having my mind set on something sweet, bypassed the special in favor of the bread pudding the cafe is known for. However, my mom and I shared each other’s meals. I have to say, her breakfast really hit the spot, and provided some much needed protein!

Though it’s fall, when I saw asparagus on sale at the grocery store yesterday, I simply had to pick up a bunch and recreate this breakfast. So I chopped and sauteed all of the asparagus – it’s nice to have it on hand for future meals, then scrambled my eggs and added a couple of chopped cherry tomatoes, along with a generous scoop of asparagus.

What I love best about this meal is it works for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.

Scrambled Eggs with Asparagus and Tomatoes

Print Recipe

2 large eggs
1 bunch asparagus
2-3 cherry tomatoes
butter
salt & pepper

Rinse asparagus and tomatoes. Chop asparagus just above the bottom band, then chop into 1/2 inch/1.5 cm pieces (slightly longer is fine if your spears are very thin).

Heat small frying pan over medium heat. Add a pat of butter; when the foam has subsided, add a generous handful of asparagus and saute until bright green. Remove to a bowl and continue with remaining asparagus, adding butter as needed.

Add another pat of butter, reduce heat to medium-low, and crack eggs into a small bowl; whisk lightly with a fork. When foam from butter has subsided, add eggs to pan. Stir occasionally to scramble.

Meanwhile, dice the tomatoes, separating the seeds and juice from the flesh. When the eggs are almost cooked to your liking, add the tomatoes to the pan. Add a generous scoop of asparagus to the pan, as well.

Season to taste with salt, and pepper if desired.

This past weekend, my parents and I drove through Door County, Wisconsin, to see the fall colors, take pictures, do some wine tasting, and spend some money on fun things. You know, like apple cider doughnuts, cherry strudel, rum fudge, caramels, and wine. And, um, the things we picked out after the wine tasting, which naturally seemed like best idea ever at the time. I am now the proud owner of a baseball cap with a picture of a corkscrew on it that reads “Screw It.” I love my hat, though I know I wouldn’t have had the nerve to pick it out if not for a little liquid courage.

We stopped at lookouts and boat landings, along the side of the road, and even snapped many pictures while driving. I was very excited when we stopped in Sister Bay, as it’s been close to 20 years since I’ve seen Al Johnson’s. What’s so special about this place, you wonder? I’ll let the pictures tell the story:

In case you’re wondering, yes, those goats are indeed on the roof.

I hadn’t originally intended to do a post about our trip but then thought, why not? If I’d planned on a post, there likely would have been even more pictures of the various shops, the Sister Bay Cafe where I had a delicious bread pudding swimming in warm lemon sauce, and dinner at Sonny’s Pizzeria where we enjoyed lasagna and fettuccine alfredo. (If you’re wondering why I didn’t have pizza at a pizzeria, refer to my last post; I simply couldn’t handle pizza again so soon.)

Instead, you’ll get lots of fall colors, followed by the doughnuts I tried to recreate.

During our travels, my mom spotted a couple of wild turkeys wandering through an orchard. I tried to zoom in as much as possible while maintaining some clarity in the picture…

I’ve heard about apple cider doughnuts before, and even went on a mission to try one during an apple orchard visit a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, they were sold out, my mission to try a cider doughnut abandoned.

But this time, this time there were not just one, but TWO doughnuts left. Yes, I grabbed them both, excited to finally be able to find out if the fuss was warranted.

It was. Oh, was it ever. I was sold at one bite, and frankly, I wanted to eat every last crumb then and there.

I attempted self restraint.

But I wanted more. I considered making a trip to an orchard upon my return home, but then thought, why not make them myself? So I looked up a recipe, realized I was only short two ingredients (the cider, and shortening for frying), and planned my breakfast around doughnuts.

I started boiling the cider to reduce it, and oops! I overreduced it to about 1/8 cup. So I reduced some more to get my 1/4 cup of syrupy cider. I figured a little extra sweetness and flavor never hurt anyone.

I made the dough, patted it out, and discovered my smallest circle cutter went missing. So, my doughnuts were slightly bigger than originally planned, with larger holes. But really, who cares if the doughnuts and doughnut holes are slightly larger than normal?

I’ve heard that for frying, shortening is preferable to oil, as it seeps less into the dough or coating, rendering the finished product crispy without being greasy. I’m not a fan of using hydrogenated fats, but I figured these doughnuts warranted an exception.

My Door County doughnuts were simply coated in sugar, as they needed no additional adornment. But, since I made the doughnuts for B and I, and I know how much he likes cinnamon sugar, I decided to do both.

As it turns out, that was a very good decision. With just one bite, we realized these doughnuts didn’t have a whole lot of apple flavor, so the cinnamon sugar helped give a little flavor boost. I may not have gotten my apple cider doughnut fix, but I do have to say these doughnuts turned out very, very good: browned and crispy, yet not at all greasy. Apparently, shortening really is the way to go for frying doughnuts. I later sampled the cider I had picked up from the grocery store, cider that came from a nearby orchard (one I had considered going to for doughnuts, no less), and discovered the cider wasn’t all that flavorful. I guess my poor doughnuts never really had a chance at bursting with apple cider flavor.

But can you ever really go wrong with fried dough? I think not.

Apple Cider Doughnuts
adapted from this farmers’ market recipe

Print Recipe

1 cup good apple cider
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
shortening for frying

Boil apple cider until it’s reduced to 1/4 cup; cool.

While cider is reducing, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl; stir to combine.

Beat butter and sugar in separate large bowl until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. Add buttermilk and cider, stir to combine.

Add dry ingredients to wet and SLOWLY mix at first to avoid being attacked by a flour bomb, increasing speed slightly until all ingredients are incorporated.

Line a baking sheet with parchment, sprinkle with flour, and pat dough with your hand to 1/2 inch thickness. Chill in freezer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, line a second baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle with flour.

Run a doughnut cutter or a 3 inch circle cutter under cold water, then cut doughuts/circles from chilled dough. If using circle cutters, run a 1 inch cutter under cold water, and cut holes out of the middle of the large circles. Use the 1 inch cutter to make additional holes with smaller areas of remaining dough. Transfer half the doughnuts and holes to second baking sheet. Place baking sheets in fridge for 10 minutes.

Line several large plates with paper towels. Set aside.

Melt shortening in heavy-duty deep pot (I like my cast iron Dutch oven for this) until a temperature of 375F is reached. Fry doughnuts a few at a time until deep brown, carefully flipping over with a heat-proof tongs or spider halfway through (about a minute or two total per doughnut – it goes fast, so don’t take your eye off them).

Remove to paper towel-lined plates to drain. While still warm, roll in sugar or cinnamon sugar* mixture, if desired.

*To make cinnamon sugar, combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; stir to combine.

With tomorrow marking the beginning of fall, it seems appropriate to post something, well, fall-ish. (I’m even drinking caramel apple coffee and burning a cinnamon-scented candle in the spirit of the season.)

I’ve been craving pumpkin bread for awhile now, and even had a can of pumpkin puree stashed away in the pantry from last year. Hey, I learned my lesson last year when I wanted to make pumpkin bars, only to find no grocery store around had any canned pumpkin! There was a pumpkin shortage, which I’ve heard is continuing this year.

So I made my bread, enjoyed the first loaf, and socked away the second loaf in the freezer. I also bought an extra can of pumpkin from a dwindling grocery store supply, just in case.

I have to say, the first loaf did not stick around very long, and I suspect the second won’t either.

Good thing I bought that spare can of pumpkin…

more pumpkin recipes on My Madison Bistro:
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Icing
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

around the web:
Pumpkin Crunch Cake from One Ordinary Day
Chipper Pumpkin Loaf from My Tasty Treasures
Pumpkin Brioche from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
Pumpkin Pie Muffins (Gluten-Free) from Elana’s Pantry
Pumpkin Cheesecake from Brown-Eyed Baker
Pumpkin Recipes from Pinch My Salt
Pumpkin Bread Pudding from smitten kitchen
Pumpkin Mousse from Cook 4 Seasons
Chocolate Pumpkin Mini-Muffins from Bake @ 350
Healthy Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake from Healthy Indulgences
Saffron Pumpkin Macarons from Tartelette
Pumpkin Muffins with Ginger Glaze from Union Street Eats
Spicy Coconut & Pumpkin Soup from Budget Bytes
Pumpkin Flan from Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

One year ago today: Key Lime Cupcakes
Two years ago today: Chocolate and Salted Peanut Butter Macarons

Pumpkin Bread
adapted from Epicurious

Print Recipe

1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup canola oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 15-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 9x5x3 or 8×4.5×3-inch loaf pans with cooking spray (or butter and flour). Stir sugar and oil in large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and vanilla, then stir in pumpkin. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder into another large bowl. Stir into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions. Do not overmix.

Divide batter equally between pans. Bake until tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 55-65 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool 10 minutes. Using a knife, cut around edge of loaves. Turn loaves out onto wire racks and cool completely.

There’s something very satisfying and rewarding about making your own croissants. It’s about knowing you put your own elbow grease into rolling out that cold, butter-filled dough, over and over. That the soreness you feel in your arms and upper back is a direct result of the chocolate-filled pastry you have baking in the oven.

I’m not going to lie. Rolling a pound of cold butter into a small amount of bread dough, without tearing the dough, isn’t as easy as say, making a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

However.

I’ve never thought twice about eating a croissant that was the result of my own work. I figure that’s the way it should be. I think Michael Pollan would be proud. (If you’re unfamiliar with his writings, the big take-away message from In Defense of Food is that you can eat whatever you want, as long as you’re willing to make it yourself. Want French Fries? Fine – cut up the potato, heat the oil, fry them up. Want a chocolate croissant? Fine – get started on the dough!)

I’m the first to admit that my croissants aren’t perfect. This is the second batch I’ve ever made, the first being regular croissants. But. They are still darn tasty, and I have the knowledge that I didn’t resort to buying them.

I tried to get pictures of each step, so I could photo-document the process for you. It’s really not as daunting a project as it may seem, but you do need to start at least a day ahead of time. I find the easiest thing to do is to make the dough on say, a weekend or vacation when you have the time, then freeze each rolled croissant on a baking sheet, and finally transfer the frozen croissants to a sealed plastic bag to store in the freezer. Then, simply remove the croissants you need before bedtime, let them sit overnight on a parchment/silpat lined baking sheet to thaw and rise, then pop them in the oven for breakfast. See? Easy and convenient.

Chocolate Croissants
recipe adapted from Secrets of Baking

Print Recipe

Ingredients

for the croissant dough
8 ounces cold 2% milk
3 teaspoons active dry yeast (or 1 ounce fresh)
2 cups (240 grams) bread flour
1 cup (110 grams) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (30 grams) granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 pound (115 grams) cold unsalted butter, diced

for the butter block
3/4 pound (345 grams) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour

for chocolate croissants
1 recipe croissant dough (instructions below)
1 egg + 1 egg yolk for egg wash
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Instructions

for the dough

Combine milk and yeast in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook; whisk to combine.

In separate medium bowl, combine flours, sugar, and salt; whisk or stir with a fork to combine. Add butter and work together with your fingers to a fine meal.

Add flour mixture to milk. Turn mixer on low and knead in pulses at first (so as not to end up covered in flour), then on low for 1 minute.

Increase speed to medium and knead until smooth, with a temperature of 70-75*F (21-24*C), about 4-5 minutes. (If dough is dry while mixing, add water 1 teaspoon at a time.) Be careful of overmixing – croissant dough will not have the same elasticity as bread dough.

Transfer dough to floured surface. Cut an X halfway through the dough with a very sharp knife.

This allows for expansion and easier rolling. Cover with plastic wrap and place on baking sheet (I wrap the entire sheet in plastic wrap).

Refrigerate 4 hours to overnight.

for the butter block

Lightly flour a sheet of parchment paper. Add butter and sprinkle with flour.

Whack the cold butter a few times with your rolling pin and shape into a 6 inch (15.25 cm) square, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.

to laminate the dough

Remove dough from fridge.

Unwrap and place on lightly floured work surface; sprinkle top of dough with flour. With a rolling pin, roll from center to corner, following the X shape. Roll 3 times in one direction, turn 180 degrees, then roll another 3 times. Turn 90 degrees, and repeat rolling pattern, sprinkling dough with flour as needed. Roll into a 12 inch (30.5 cm)square.

Place butter block in center of dough; it should look like a diamond on the square of dough.

Fold each corner of dough over the diamond; pinch and press to seal the edges to conceal the butter.

Sprinkle the work surface and dough lightly with flour. With your rolling pin, tap the top of the dough, working toward you to seal in the butter. Turn 90 degrees and tap again until the dough is 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Roll the dough in an X pattern from center to corner. Always roll the dough away from you, until you have an 8×18 inch (20.25×45.75 cm) rectangle.

Brush off any excess flour with a pastry brush. Measure the dough along the long end into thirds, then fold the right third over the center…

and fold the left third into the center.

This is the first “turn”.

To lock in the turn, place the rolling pin on an unsealed edge of dough and gently press down. Repeat with the two remaining unsealed edges. Roll over the dough in 4 strokes, 2 up, 2 down. Lock in again, then dust off any excess flour. Wrap in plastic, place on baking sheet, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes is up, remove the dough from the fridge. Place it lengthwise on your floured surface (open ends should be to the left and right). With your rolling pin, roll the dough into another rectangle, about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick. Fold the right third to the middle, followed by the left third. That’s the second turn. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes is up, remove the dough from the fridge. Place it lengthwise on your floured surface (open ends should be to the left and right). With your rolling pin, roll the dough into another rectangle, about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick. Fold the right third to the middle, followed by the left third. That’s the final turn.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap; place in the fridge for 5 hours to overnight.

to form croissants

Whisk egg and yolk in small bowl until thoroughly blended.

Remove dough from fridge and remove plastic. On lightly floured surface, roll dough into 18×20 inch (45.75 x 50.75 cm) rectangle. (If dough keeps springing back when rolling, let it rest 5 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.)

Using a ruler and pizza cutter or pastry wheel, cut the rectangle into 3 horizontal rectangles, measuring 6×20 inches (15.25 x 50.75 cm). Cut vertical strips every 5 inches (12.75 cm) to make smaller rectangles measuring 6×4 inches (15.25 x 10.15 cm).

Place unwrapped chocolate bar in microwave and nuke it in 5 second intervals (2-3 times should do it) until it’s pliable enough to cut with a sharp knife without splintering the chocolate. Each “baton” should weight about 1/4 ounce. Alternatively, finely chop chocolate.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper/silpat.

With a pastry brush, brush the top edge of each rectangle with egg wash.

Place 2 “batons” or 1/2 ounce chopped chocolate at opposite edges of each rectangle (along the short sides). Roll each croissant up (like a roulade or jellyroll) towards the egg washed end, then place on prepared baking sheet, edge facing down.

Leave about 2 inches (5 cm) space between croissants.

If baking immediately, proof at room temperature until doubled in size. If freezing dough, place baking sheet in freezer to individually freeze each croissant; when completely frozen, place all croissants in a sealed plastic bag, return to freezer.

to bake

Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Brush croissants with egg wash. Bake 12 minutes on middle rack, then reduce oven to 350F/175C for an additional 10-12 minutes or until a deep golden brown.

Cool and serve. Store remaining croissants in sealed plastic bag for up to 2 days.

to bake frozen croissant dough

Remove desired number of croissants from freezer the night before baking, right before you go to bed is fine. Place on parchment lined baking sheet to thaw and proof overnight. In the morning, follow baking instructions for fresh croissants.

During a hot summer, what could be better for breakfast than a cool fruit smoothie?

Recently, I’ve been partially to the combination of peaches and strawberries. It started when the peaches I picked up from the grocery store were small and quite hard. Not good for eating, but my blender could turn them into something delicious.

At the time, I also had some cut strawberries in the fridge that I had sprinkled with sugar. Sweet and juicy, they were the perfect complement to rock hard peaches and plain yogurt. Since that morning, I’ve taken to simply washing and trimming a handful of strawberries, slicing up a peach, and throwing them in the blender with some Fage greek yogurt. A quick taste lets me know if a dash of sweetener is needed.

Strawberry Peach Smoothie
serves 1

Print Recipe

4-5 medium strawberries
1 small peach
1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
2 ice cubes
sweetener of choice, if desired

Wash and remove stems from strawberries, toss in blender. Wash peach and cut slices; add to blender. Add yogurt and cover, blend.

Turn off blender and add ice cubes, blend again until liquified and frothy. Taste for sweetness, adding sweetener as needed.

I have to confess, I’ve inadvertently been holding out on you.

I first made these scones a couple of months ago, then made them again a few weeks later, and finally started thinking about them yet again. And I realized, oops, I never posted these. So, because I’m on the verge of celebrating the end of a heat wave, of which I haven’t been a fan, the dream of being able to comfortably use my oven again now not so far off in the future, I think it’s the perfect time to talk about these fantastic scones.

I suspect the use of sour cream is what makes them so absolutely delicious. They are flakey, tender, and moist – not always the easiest combination to achieve. Plus, scones have a mere fraction of the amount of sugar as muffins, so I feel better about enjoying one with my morning coffee or afternoon tea.

I like to freeze most of the batch as soon as they’ve cooled, so I can pull one out when the craving strikes. They do seem to dry out slightly in the freezer; I’ll start experimenting with adding a little more sour cream to see if that does the trick, because eating the entire batch within 36 hours simply is not an option.

Even with the slight freezer-issue, it’s still my new go-to basic scone recipe, gussied up just a little for this post.

White Chocolate Cherry Scones
adapted from All Recipes

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour*
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup dried cherries; chopped
1/2 cup white chocolate; chopped into large chunks
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

melted white chocolate or confectioners’ sugar, if desired

*I’ve used half while whole wheat flour with excellent results

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400*F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.

In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth; add vanilla.

In a large bowl (5-6 qt), mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Use your fingers to work in butter (you should still have pea-size pieces of butter and bits of loose flour), then stir in dried cherries and white chocolate.

Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (There may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough does come together.)

Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into an 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut into 8 triangles; place on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

If desired, drizzle with melted white chocolate or dust with confectioners’ sugar after the scones have cooled.

I’ve been determined to get Ina’s recipe for Easy Cheese Danish to work for awhile now. Oh, it always tasted good, but the cheese “filling” would always run all over the pan! Was I the only one to have this problem?

So I turned to the comments section, an invaluable resource. People loved the recipe, but I was far from the only person to have problems with the filling. I picked a few tips from the reviews, such as adding an extra egg yolk (yolks help to puff things up while baking – I should have figured to add an extra yolk on my own) and chilling the filling for a longer period of time. I also substituted sour cream for the ricotta, mostly because I always have sour cream on hand, but I never have ricotta hanging out in the fridge.

I also wanted to make these treats a little more interesting.

Though I adore lemon, I’m just not a fan of lemon zest added to cheesecake. But a cherry cheesecake pastry, on the other hand, now that sounded great. After making a cherry cheesecake galette a couple of years back, and pitting all of those cherries by hand…I just wanted the pie filling. And anyway, when it comes to cherry desserts, I prefer the canned pie filling with tons of high fructose corn syrup. There, I said it.

I love, love, LOVE how these turned out. The extended chilling time plus the extra yolk really made a difference – these pastries kept their filling! And the cherries and almond extract made them more fun, well, for me anyway. I’ve had a love affair with cherries as far back as I can remember.

Cherry Cheesecake Danish
adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

Print Recipe

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
1 can cherry pie filling

Almond Glaze (recipe below)

Beat cream cheese and sugar on low speed with paddle attachment until smooth. Add the egg yolks, sour cream, vanilla, and salt until just combined. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 400*F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured board, roll puff pastry with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 10×10 inch square. Cut into 4 squares with a sharp knife or bench scraper and transfer squares to baking sheet. Place a spoonful of cheese filling (I use a soup spoon) in the center of the square, then top with a spoonful (I use a dining teaspoon) of pie filling.

Brush the border of each square with the egg wash and fold opposite corners of pastry to the center, pinching between your thumb and index finger so they stick together. Brush the top with egg wash.

Refrigerate pastries for 15 minutes, then bake one pan at a time for 18-20 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve warm, topped with additional pie filling, if desired.

Almond Glaze
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Milk or Half and Half

Whisk confectioners’ sugar and almond extract in a small bowl. Add milk or half and half, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until reaching a consistency suitable for drizzling. (If drizzling on warm pastries, use a thicker glaze.)

So I’m a day early, but in case you’re looking for an idea for an easy Easter breakfast, I wanted to share a simple recipe that’s easy to customize.

I happen to love the cinnamon swirl in this bread, but you can very easily substitute some orange zest and dried cranberries, lemon zest and blueberries (fresh or frozen – don’t thaw if frozen), orange zest and chocolate chips, almond extract with white chocolate chunks & dried cherries…you get the idea. Have fun, and/or simply use what you have on hand for a fast, easy breakfast.

Or, if you’re like my family and going out to brunch on Easter, how about a slice of quick bread with a cup of afternoon tea or coffee?

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup buttermilk or soured milk*
1 large egg
1/4 cup neutral oil, such as canola
1 teaspoon flavored extract, such as vanilla or almond

Cinnamon Swirl
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

Glaze
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar (sifted)
1-2 teaspoons milk

Preheat oven to 350*F (177*C). Grease a 9×5 inch (23×13 centimeter) loaf pan and line with 2 strips of parchment cut to fit the pan lengthwise and widthwise. Grease in between the sheets and on the top piece as well. Be sure to cut the parchment long enough to hang over the pan edges to make removal easy.

In large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt to combine. Make a well in the center and set aside.

Lightly whisk milk, egg, oil, and extract to combine. Pour into well and stir until just mixed into a batter. The batter will be lumpy and may still show a few streaks of flour.

Pour 1/3 of batter to pan, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, add another 1/3 of batter, sprinkle with sugar, then add remaining batter and top with cinnamon sugar. Press lightly on the top of sugar to adhere. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely before slicing. Drizzle with glaze.

For the glaze: Slowly whisk confectioners’ sugar and half of the milk, adding more milk as needed to thin the glaze to the desired consistency.

*To make soured milk, combine 1 cup milk (227 mL) with 1 tablespoon (15 mL) vinegar or lemon juice and let sit for 10 minutes.

I have to admit, pretty much the only reason I made this cake was to try out a new bundt pan. I also made this cake on a whim one morning, when I wanted something sweet for breakfast but didn’t want to leave the house to obtain it elsewhere. I mostly had the ingredients I needed, except for the lemon, so I omitted it.

It was likely a mistake.

The cake was very moist, the blueberries quite packed with flavor, but overall, it could have used a little extra punch from the lemon. If I were to make this cake again, I would definitely keep the lemon. In the fall, orange and cranberries would be an excellent substitute.

Blueberry Bundt Cake
adapted from Martha Stewart

Print Recipe

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus 1/2 teaspoon for blueberries
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen – do not thaw)

Preheat oven to 350*F.

Sift dry ingredients into medium bowl. Toss blueberries with 1/2 teaspoon flour in a small bowl.

Cream butter and sugars on high until light and fluffy (use paddle attachment on a stand mixer). Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, then add vanilla.

Add flour and sour cream in 3 additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Fold in blueberries.

Spray 6 cup bundt pan with cooking spray and fill with batter. Bake 50-60 minutes or until inserted cake tester comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pan, then invert pan on serving platter to cool completely. If desired, dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Spring, where are you?!?!?!

Yesterday we were supposed to get 1-3 inches of snow. Instead, we received more than 5.

At times, spring seems to be on its way, but then winter has to rear its ugly head again, just to remind us that it’s still here for awhile.

So I pretend. I make a bright green smoothie for breakfast – it says spring more than winter, don’t you think? If I can’t look outside to see green, at least I can look in my glass.

Green Smoothie

3/4 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup water (if using Greek yogurt)
6-8 small strawberries
3 handfuls baby spinach
2-3 ice cubes
sweetener of choice

Combine cottage cheese, yogurt, water, strawberries, and spinach in a blender; blend until smooth. Sweeten to taste with whatever sweetener you like. With blender running, drop in ice cubes one at a time through the opening in the top, replacing the cap immediately after dropping in each cube to break it up a bit.

Enjoy.