Cinnamon Oat Cake with Roasted Peaches & Honey

 Tasty warm comforting goodness.

This is kind of like breakfast and kind of like dessert so basically you can eat it any time! The cake itself is not too sweet to complement the natural sugar in the peaches and the extra honey. I actually wouldn't even call it a cake - more like baked oatmeal bread pudding.

Cinnamon Oat Cake with Roasted Peaches & Honey Recipe:

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp milk
• pinch of salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp chopped dried cranberries (or raisins)
• 1/2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 cup chopped peaches
• 1 tbsp honey (for drizzling)

Combine all your ingredients in a bowl (sans peaches and extra honey) and transfer to a 1-cup ramekin (this is a single serving recipe). Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Wrap your peaches in a foil packet and throw in the oven as well. After 20 minutes,  set oven to broil to brown the top of the cake. By this time your peaches should also be soft, sweet and juicy. Remove the cake, let cool for a few minutes then remove from ramekin. Top with peaches, juice and extra honey. Yum!

No-Bake Fruit Cake Squares

Happy Holidays!

 Geez Louise, it's been awhile since I've posted anything. Sigh, this time of year is so wonderful, yet so busy. 

Speaking of being too busy to do ANYTHING, these no-bake fruit cake squares are the solution to any holiday baking dilemma. That is, if you like fruit cake, which I know a lot of people don't. In fact, I have no idea when I started liking it. These squares aren't really fruit cake though so I definitely recommend trying them out even if you're skeptical. And they're freakishly easy! The recipe I made fit into an 8x8 inch pan, but you can double for a 9x13 to feed a larger crowd.

No-Bake Fruit Cake Squares Recipe:

• 1/2 box graham crackers, crushed (about 2 whole sleeves of crackers)
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds (or walnuts, pecans, etc.)
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut flakes
• 1 container of candied fruit (the mix comes with green and red cherries, candied lemon peel, candied ginger and pineapple)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (I added just to balance out all the sweetness)
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• dash of salt
• 1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk

Combine everything in a large bowl until well mixed. Yup, that's it.
Line an 8x8 inch square pan with plastic wrap so that it comes over the sides. Spray the plastic wrap with a little non-stick oil. Also, spray your hands with the oil too so the fruit cake mixture doesn't adhere to your skin. Spoon the mixture into the pan and spread evenly using your hands. Cover with the extra plastic wrap and place in freezer for about an hour. Then move to fridge until ready to cut and eat! Serve room temperature.





Ho ho ho. Noms noms noms.

Pumpkin Mole Enchiladas

I would consider myself a pretty humble person who doesn't boast often or enjoy a lot of attention. Sigh, middle child syndrome. But holy mole (har har) this dish is freaking fantastic. I am tooting my own horn all the way back to the kitchen to get seconds. It was a pretty laborious recipe, but all the careful details really made a difference in the final product. As usual, I didn't measure any of my dry seasonings so I'll try to guesstimate. Yay for fall + pumpkin + smoky Aztec-inspired flavors!

Pumpkin Mole Enchiladas Recipe:

• 1 large split chicken breast (bone-in and skin removed)
• salt, black pepper, Oregano, smoked Spanish paprika, cumin, roasted garlic powder

• 1 tomato
• 2 jalapenos
• 3 green onion bulbs + stalks
• 2 garlic cloves
• handful of mushrooms

• 1/2 can pumpkin puree
• chicken broth (didn't measure but about 1/4-1/2 cup)
• salt, black pepper
• 1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp allspice
• 2 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika

• 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed
• 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp pumpkin mole sauce
• 2 tsp cumin

• 1 cup grated mozzerella and Asiago cheese blend
• corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your chicken breast in a casserole dish and season generously with first set of spices. Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit covered to retain all the juices.

Crank up the oven to broil. Place the next set of veggies on a baking tray and roast in 2 minute increments, checking and rotating often to prevent burning. Took about 6-8 minutes total.

Remove veggies and let cool for a couple minutes. Turn oven back to 350 degrees. Slice up the roasted garlic, remove the onion bulbs (save stalks for later) and de-stem the jalapenos. Add all the trimmed roasted veggies (except for mushrooms) in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree and chicken broth and blend. Finally add all of the dry seasonings, blend and pour into a bowl when you have your desired taste and texture.

By this time your chicken should be well-rested. Hand pull the meat off of the bone (laborious, right?). Combine in a bowl with spinach, chopped roasted mushrooms, diced roasted green onion stalk, cumin, Greek yogurt and 1 tbsp of pumpkin sauce. 

Warm tortillas in damp paper towel in microwave for about 45 seconds. Pour a little chicken broth and pumpkin sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish (I used the same one I roasted the chicken in so all the little chicken bits and gravy were in there too). Now start rolling enchiladas! Fill tortilla with chicken mixture and cheese and place in dish. Cover everything with the heavenly pumpkin mole sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove foil, grate some fresh nutmeg on top and bake again for 5 minutes. BAM! Done. Enjoy these perfect fall enchiladas and smile :)

Mini Berry Pies

Happy Birthday, Steven!

Every year, my fiancee asks for a German Chocolate Cake for his birthday. This year, however, the first thing out of his mouth when posed with the "which dessert" question was a berry pie. Eager to bake something new, I jumped on it. We were having a party to celebrate so instead of making one big pie that would be a mess to cut, I made mini individual pies in a muffin tin. Super cute, easy and well-received by everyone! 

Mini Berry Pie Recipe:

• 1 pint blueberries
• 1 lb carton strawberries, sliced
• 1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Pie crust (cheated and used pre-made)
• milk to brush and sugar to sprinkle on top

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine everything but the crust, milk and extra sugar in a large bowl and set aside to allow maceration (a.k.a juices to seep out of fruit).

Roll out your pie crust and cut out circles about the size of a standard glass (or use a biscuit cutter). Ideally you want to be able to press the bottom crust down in the muffin tin cup and have extra crust up over the edges to seal tops. To make 12 mini pies with tops, you'll need about 3 9-inch pie crusts. The recipe will actually make a lot more than 12 mini pies so I just used the rest to make one big pie and stored in the freezer.

Grease the muffin tin, place the dough circles down in the cups and fill with berry mixture. Cover the pies with a crust top (be sure to cut slits) or make lattices. Place in freezer until ready to bake - this will ensure that the fruit doesn't boil too quickly before the crust is finished baking.

When ready to bake, brush the tops with milk or cream, sprinkle with sugar and bake in oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

No-Bake Pumpkin Pudding Pie

You know the problem with seasonal dishes?

We think we can ONLY eat them during that particular time of year.

I don't know about you, but I crave roast turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie ALL the time. But I guess if I indulged in that craving all the time, Thanksgiving would no longer be so awesome.

Well anyway, this is a pumpkin pie recipe that's perfect for summer. It's cool, refreshing and requires no oven time (well excluding the crust, but you could totally just serve this in a bowl).

Obviously the pudding to crust ratio is overwhelmingly uneven, but I swear there is a crust under there!

No-Bake Pumpkin Pudding Pie Recipe:

• 1 can solid packed pumpkin
• 1 package vanilla pudding mix
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp cinnamon + more for topping
• 1/2 tsp all-spice
• 1 pre-made crust (I made a weird one that I'll share, but you can use store-bought)

Mix pumpkin with milk in a medium bowl. Add in the pudding mix and spices and whisk together until smooth (no grainy pudding lumps, people!). Pour into prepared crust in a pie dish and refrigerate at least for 4 hours to set (overnight is best). Enjoy with whipped cream or by itself!

Crust:

• 2 packages instant cinnamon oatmeal
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp margarine
• 1 tbsp applesauce
• 1 tsp honey

So I wasn't originally going to use a crust, which is why I kind of panicked and threw together something from on-hand ingredients. But it actually turned out quite delicious! Because I used instant oatmeal that was already chock full of cinnamon and sugar, I only added a little bit of honey. If you use plain oats, you'll need to add more sugar. 

Basically just mix it all together, pat evenly into a 9-inch pie pan (greased) and bake for about 10 minutes in 425-degree oven or until browned. 

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Save yourself a second trip to the kitchen and cut a big ol' slice of this cake.

Moist and fluffy swirled with brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped toasty almonds. Mmm mmm. Perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning or for a delicious dessert. 

This really is one of the best cakes I've made. The use of cake flour and addition of sour cream does wonders for the texture, and in my opinion, there's not a more comforting scent than warm cinnamon sugar. 

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe:

• 1/2 cup butter/margarine (or fruit butter substitute)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup light sour cream
• 2 cups cake flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Cream together butter, white sugar, 2/3 cup brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift cake flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet until well-incorporated and smooth. 

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped almonds. Pour half of the batter in a greased 9-inch cake pan (or Bundt pan), sprinkle 2/3 of the cinnamon sugar nut mixture over the top. Then add the remaining batter and top with the rest of the nut mixture. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the cake is set and knife comes out clean.

Voila! Beautiful, golden brown and the best smell (and taste) in the world!

French Toast Donuts

These really do taste just like French toast. It's crazy!

I guess it's not actually that crazy, given the ingredients lend themselves to the taste of French toast.

So tasty; give them a try!

French Toast Donuts Recipe:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg or allspice
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
  

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease your donut pan. If you don't have one, well then you can't make French toast donuts. But you could make French toast bread in a loaf pan or muffins!

Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, combine all the wet ingredients including maple syrup. Mix the wet into the dry until well combined. Spoon the mixture into your donut pan. This recipe makes about 6 donuts with a little batter left over (throw it in a ramekin or silicone muffin cup). Bake for about 10 minutes.

Let cool slightly and then dredge in powdered sugar.

The donut will absorb most of the sugar by the time it's completely cooled, so you'll probably want to sprinkle more when you serve.

This looks more like French toast anyway, right??