Polka Dot Coffeecake

 Uses a biscuit mix as a base, without apology. An oldie and a goodie.

POLKA DOT COFFEECAKE

OVEN 350

grease a 9 x 9 square pan

 

1 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons room temperature butter

1 large egg

3/4 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

a 6 ounce bag of mini chocolate chips, divided in half

For the coffeecake: 

Combine the Bisquick, sugar, butter, egg and sour cream and vanilla and mix on medium low speed of a mixer for two minutes, making sure all ingredients are combined. Add HALF the mini chips and stir in by hand to evenly distribute. Spread the batter into a greased 9 x 9 pan, then make the streusel topping, below. 

Streusal Topping

3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into bits

3 tablespoons flour

large pinch of salt

3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

remaining half of the mini chocolate chips

Combine all the streusal ingredients except the mini chips and the pecans and work with a pastry blender to combine until crumbly and well mixed. Stir in the mini chips and nuts by hand, incorporating well. Sprinkle streusal on top of the coffeecake batter.  

Bake the coffeecake in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out with a few crumbs. 

Allow to cool in pan, serve cut into squares. 

Oh boy oh boy! Waffles

Waffles! Best breakfast treat for a wintery weekend.  This is the recipe my mom used, and I have used it as well. That's a lot of waffles over a lot years.

Oh Boy Waffles

Preheat a waffle iron.

Sift together:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking POWDER
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
Set aside.

Beat together in the bowl of an electric mixer:
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups milk
1/2 vegetable oil or corn oil
Beat eggs well, then slowly add the milk and oil until mixed. Add the sifted dry ingredients slowly to the egg mixture and stir only long enough to combine. Don't overmix.

Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter onto the waffle grid. Close the lid and bake until the steaming stops, about 2 minutes or so, or until golden brown.

Keep the finished waffles warm on plates in the oven and continue baking the remaining batter, then enjoy with you favorite toppings. Butter and maple syrup for us!

Orange Nut Bread

My mom would make this bread the day before we would go down to our camp in north central Pennsylvania for a weekend. It's moist and orange-y, and the walnuts round it out perfectly.  It's better the day after it's baked and had time to develop the flavor. We would have slices with sweet butter. It was a real treat, and still is. Luckily, I found the recipe among the bits of paper in a drawer in mom's kitchen.

ORANGE NUT BREAD

the juice of 1 large orange + additional fresh juice (or water) to make 1 cup total
the zest from the orange (about a tablespoon)
4 tablespoons softened butter (1/2 stick)
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
Grease a loaf pan with shortening.

Bring the orange juice to a boil, then immediately turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly. Set aside.

Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and blend, then add the orange zest and vanilla and stir well.

Stir together the flour, salt,  baking powder, soda in another bowl -- add alternately with the orange juice to the butter/sugar mixture, and stir just until mixed well.  Add the walnuts, stir well, then scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend again. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out barely clean. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Loosen and remove from the loaf pan after it cools to room temperature. Wrap tightly in foil and allow to mellow overnight. Slice and serve with sweet butter. Great with hot tea!
Makes one loaf.

Memory Lane: The Inn at Manchester Brunchcakes

I have been making this recipe as my go-to pancake recipe for decades now. We stayed at the Inn at Manchester, in Manchester, VT sometime in the 1980s, and they served these yummy pancakes with locally made maple syrup. I'm not much of a fan of pancakes: they lie leaden in my stomach, and leave me with a heavy, overly cake-y feel and soak up syrup too quickly. These heavenly discs are light, slightly tangy, and definitely not cake-y or overly sweet. Best of all, maple syrup lies on top, so you get just the right amount with each bite without going into a sugar coma.

The Inn at Manchester Brunchcakes

Sift together:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add to sifted ingredients, in the order given:

1 cup sour cream
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
4 WELL BEATEN eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend until well combined. Don't overmix; batter will be slightly lumpy.

Drop by large tablespoons onto a well greased hot griddle; when bubbles form and the edge begins to look a little dry, flip and cook the other side. Place on a warm plate in a warm oven to hold while making the rest of the batter. Serve with butter, maple syrup or your favorite fruit syrup.  Serves 2 or 3 breakfasters. (When I made these for our entire family of 6 I would double the recipe.)

Yummy Winter Breakfast: Baked Pumpkin Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Claire, forever on the hunt for flavorful recipes and food ideas, hit on a new winner: Baked Pumpkin Steel-Cut Oatmeal. I've never been a fan of oatmeal as a stand-alone menu item, but this piqued my interest. As she read the list of ingredients, I could already smell it wafting from the oven. We tend to love sweet spices and most things pumpkin, so this was a 'must try'. 

So try we did. In two words, it's absolutely delicious.

We are having a prolonged cold spell (read: long visit from the Artic Express), and this is the perfect antidote to short days, long winter nights, and icy cold windy weather. Try it. You'll love it. Guaranteed to keep you feeling warm and full of goodness.

Baked Pumpkin Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

1 tblsp. butter
1 1/2 cups steel cut oats

1 tblsp. butter
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. mace
2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. salt

Optional nut topping:
1 tblsp. butter
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup pecan halves
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of ginger

In a dutch oven, melt 1 tablespoon of butter at medium heat; add 1 1/2 cups steel cut oats (we used Bob's Red Mill) and saute the oats about 3 minutes or until toasted. 

Push the oats to one side of the pot and add another tablespoon of butter to melt. Add the pumpkin and saute it, stirring after a minute. Add the brown sugar and spices. Saute for 3 to 4 more minutes. Add the milk, water, vanilla and salt and whisk everything together to combine. Place a lid on the dutch oven and bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees. 

Drizzle with cream or maple syrup. (We used both: A little maple syrup and then a little cream.) Top with a couple of tablespoons of the nut topping, if desired.

While the oatmeal bakes, prepare the nut topping: 
In a saute pan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the almonds and pecans, stirring frequently. After a minute, reduce the heat to low, keep stirring, and allow the almonds to turn a very pale golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the cayenne and ginger and toss well. Serve over individual servings of the oatmeal.

Serves 4 - 5 generously.