Coffee Cake in a Mug

November 11, 2011 by · 9 Comments

Right now I am icing my shin. About an hour ago, Jim and I were walking around our yard with our dog, Bailey because we thought that we smelled gas (Jim later determined we didn’t.) When we were in the back by my deck I kicked the door of our chimnea with my shin. Our chimnea is solid and it was the type of pain that hurts so bad that you feel like you need to throw up. I didn’t move for a minute or so and I limped inside to take a look. I have a huge bruise running up and down the bone on my shin and a cut running up and down the same area. It is still really sore now so I have ice on it hoping that will help and take some of the swelling down. I’m sure I will be fine, but I just wanted to whine for a minute. It really hurt. Anywhoooo…. let’s talk about this recipe!

This is really just a fun recipe. It’s for those days when you really want a slice of your favorite coffee cake, but you don’t want to make the whole thing. Because you will eat it all. You know what I am talking about, right?

I found this on Pinterest (which I love, BTW) and it was originally from a cute blog called Prudent Baby. My Aunt Ruth used to make a sour cream coffee cake with a crumb topping and to this day it is the best coffee cake I have ever had. I have the recipe in one of my books, but I haven’t made it in a while because honestly, I am afraid that I would eat a lot of it. I do have some restraint and I wouldn’t eat the whole thing, but I would definitely eat more than I should. So when I saw this recipe my day got a little brighter. I literally got up from my chair, got my favorite coffee mug out of the cabinet and made this in about 5 minutes. I’m not kidding, it takes no longer than that.

I lightened this up a bit by using Smart Balance instead of butter, white whole wheat flour instead of AP, low-fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and egg white instead of the yolk. It probably affected the cake a bit, but the beauty of this cake is that since you will probably eat it warm it hides some of the imperfections that a lightened up recipe like I did might have. Believe me though, it was still awesome lightened up and it tasted A LOT like my Aunt’s coffee cake. You could probably play around with this basic idea a lot, too. I was thinking about making a pumpkin coffee cake or even adding some berries to this cake. I will definitely let you know if either of these turn out.

So, if you are longing for some coffee cake, but don’t want to tempt yourself by making the entire thing, definitely, definitely try this one out. Enjoy!

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Coffee Cake in a Mug
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast

Ingredients
  • 1 Tablespoon Butter (I used smart balance)
  • 2 Tablespoons of Sugar
  • ½ egg (I used the white only)
  • 2 Tablespoons sour cream (I used low fat greek yogurt)
  • Vanilla – a few drops
  • ¼ cup flour (I used white whole wheat)
  • ⅛ tsp baking powder
  • 1 Tablespoon Butter (again, I used Smart Balance)
  • 2 Tablespoons Flour
  • 1 Tablepoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions
  1. Soften the butter in the bottom of your microwaveable coffee mug (don’t melt, just soften.)
  2. Add sugar and mix with a fork until the sugar and butter are nicely creamed together.
  3. Add your egg (whisk it for a few seconds if you are using part of the yolk.)
  4. Stir in sour cream (or yogurt) and vanilla until combined
  5. Add flour and baking powder and stir until combined.
  6. Mix the remaining flour,butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until combined and crumbly. Pour over the cake mixture.
  7. Microwave for 1 minute and then give it 10 second increments until it is done to your liking. (I probably went for 1 minute and 30 seconds total.) You definitely do not want to overcook it.
  8. ***This is best served while it’s still warm in your mug***

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Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

September 26, 2011 by · 6 Comments

Pumpkin was probably my first ever favorite pie and it still ranks pretty high on the list. Aren’t you excited to see all the pumpkin recipes out now? I for one, can’t get enough of them…and I will have no problem eating pumpkin “whatever” until winter.

Pumpkin to me is very much like the white potato. It gets a bad rap because it is usually paired with things that aren’t as healthy…like cream cheese frosting and ice cream. However, pumpkin is actually one of the healthiest foods that you can eat – very much like it’s orange friend the sweet potato. Both are very rich in antioxidants including beta-carotene (which gives them the orange color) and vitamins A and C. It also has lots of fiber and potassium. The vitamins A, C and zinc are great for your skin, too. So,just like the potato – eat your pumpkin – just try to eat it in the healthy form every once in a while. Plus, I always say, if you are going to have a dessert it is great if you can include some type of nutrition among the sugar and butter. I am not a nutritionist so I could be totally off on that, but I like that whole school of thought:-)

So this smoothie is a great option for an afternoon snack and a great treat for the kiddos when they get off the bus. I wanted it to have some pumpkin pie flavor so not only did I use the pumpkin pie filling, but I also added some graham crackers right into the blender with the other ingredients. The cracker kind of melts right into the smoothie and gives it a little different texture. I like it.

I use non-fat plain yogurt and add my own sweetness with the honey and the pumpkin pie filling is already pretty sweet. I have to admit, I normally would not use the filling because I like to spice and sweeten things myself, but my store only had the filling left so that is what I bought. It is still not a bad option. Oh yes, and Libby’s pumpkin is the best (right mom?)

So try this smoothie today – it is a great one for fall. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Snack

Ingredients
  • ¼ cup pumpkin pie filling
  • ½ cup plain non-fat yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons skim milk
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 graham crackers
  • 1 good handful of ice cubes

Instructions
  1. Put all ingredients in the food processor and blend well until the ice cubes are completely crushed and blended into the smoothie.

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Beer Steamed Shrimp with Spicy Cocktail Sauce

September 21, 2011 by · 7 Comments

I never tried peel and eat shrimp until I moved to Maryland right after college. Growing up in Upstate New York, the seafood we ate was usually fried in a beer batter on Friday night or combined with mayo between two slices of bread. Not that either of those are bad:-) We did do our occasional fishing trips and we would eat whatever we caught, but quite honestly I was never a huge fan.

But now you will find seafood in some of my very favorite recipes like this, this and this. I have  a few more to share including two fabulous crab dips so you just wait:-). So anyways, moral of the story – I wasn’t a fan, but now I am a HUGE fan of seafood.

My girls on the other hand can tear up some shrimp. I am always so amazed at their love for any seafood we throw at them. They get giddy when we go to the seafood counter and they point and beg for this or that. I remember one time I took Taylor to the store when she was really small and she stood at the seafood case yelling at the top of her lungs “Shrimp!! Shrimp!! I want Shrimp!!.” They even like Sushi, although they will usually dissect it and then eat the fish and then the rice separately so I’m not completely sure it counts.

I love steamed shrimp and I especially love eating it at the beach…ideally with a cold beer overlooking the water:-)

This cocktail sauce is great and you really will never need to buy your own if you have these ingredients handy. Just make sure you always have some fresh horseradish in the fridge (it does go bad so make sure you check the expiration dates.) The great thing is that you can kick up the heat in the sauce or tone it down if you aren’t feeling so spicy one day. I make a crab dip with this sauce that I will post shortly…it’s wonderful and a bit different than the typical hot crab meat dip (that I will also share at some point.)

We usually buy medium-sized shrimp for this and unless you want to stand there and devein the shrimp yourself (gross) make sure you get it or buy it deveined at the store. I am not really an expert in buying shrimp but do make sure it smells nice and fresh, (not fishy) and has a nice look to it. It is ok to buy frozen shrimp because shrimp goes bad quickly. So if you can get it super fresh, that would be my first choice, if not get something that has been frozen. They thaw real quick.  A lot of times the stuff you see in the seafood case at your store has been frozen.   Those are my tips, but I certainly wouldn’t call myself an expert on shrimp (See paragraph #1.)

So if you want a great snack at half-time or any time, you can whip up these shrimp in no time. You will be happy you did!

Enjoy!

Beer Steamed Shrimp with Spicy Cocktail Sauce
 
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Jim usually steams the shrimp while I whip up the cocktail sauce. We enjoyed this during an afternoon of football!
Author:
Recipe type: Appetizer

Ingredients
  • 1 bottle of beer (we used Sam Adams Oktoberfest)
  • 1 lb deveined shrimp
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
  • 2-3 Bay Leaves
  • 1 cup Ketchup
  • 3 Tablespoons Horseradish
  • 1Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp Old Bay Seasoning
  • Salt to taste

Instructions
  1. Put Beer and Bay Leaves in the bottom of a pot that has a steamer basket. If you don’t have a pot with a steamer basket you can also boil the shrimp right in the beer. Bring to a good simmer.
  2. Sprinkle Old Bay over shrimp and add to the steamer basket or into the simmering beer mixture.
  3. Steam or boil shrimp until they turn pink and become firm. Probably about 6 minutes.
  4. For the Cocktail sauce, combine all ingredients from Ketchup to the Old Bay Seasoning. Combine and enjoy!

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Potato Chip Potatoes

August 26, 2011 by · 7 Comments


****As I type this we are watching the weather closely to see how Hurricane Irene is going to affect the Raleigh area. I hope everyone stays safe this weekend and that this thing drifts back out to sea (although that probably will not happen.) If you are in the line of this storm, please be safe and listen to what the authorities are advising. Like our governor said, we can rebuild houses but we can’t bring back a life.****

This is a great easy weeknight side dish and I really liked it for a couple of reasons. I got to use up some potato chips that were sitting in the bottom of a bag. The potatoes also cook right in the dish so no need to boil them ahead of time (score!) The other fun thing about this recipe is that you can change the flavor of the recipe slightly depending on what types of chips you have available. We happened to have some sour cream and onion chips (my personal favorite right next to the Utz Crab chips…) We really don’t eat chips very often but when we do the bag seems to go quick!

This is another Taste of Home Simple and Delicious recipe and definitely a hit in this house!

Potato Chip Potatoes

Taste of Home Simple and Delicious

Ingredients

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 cup crushed potato chips, divided
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, 1/2 cup of potato chips,onion, butter, salt and pepper; toss to combine.

Transfer to a greased shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining potato chips. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-50 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Yield: 6-8 servings.

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Dijon Chicken

August 23, 2011 by · 7 Comments

The girls and I just got back from our trip to New York.  Although it was great to see everyone, it’s always nice to be home, isn’t it?  It’s an eleven hour trip each way and when it’s just me and the girls that can make for a long two days of driving.  We always stop in the middle to break it up, but it’s still a lot of driving.

I have to tell you my sad story.  My 20th high school reunion was the Friday before we were supposed to leave.  On Thursday, however, I got super sick and I ended up missing my reunion.  I couldn’t even pick my head up off the pillow.  Now how sad is that?  Plus, I wasted a vacation day being sick and it was the last day I had to spend with my mom.  She took good care of me, though and like someone said to me today, “If you are going to be sick where else would you rather be but at your mom’s house??”  So true.   As a matter of fact, when I unpacked all of the suitcases today I realized that all the clothes were clean…thanks mom:-).  On top of everything, I got my new phone wet and killed it (don’t ask how I did it.)  Luckily, I am pretty sure that it was just the battery and not the phone that died – whew!

So, I was back working today and on Saturday we are celebrating Taylor’s birthday at our house with all of her buddies.  We are doing a painting party so it should be lots of fun!  I am going to make pink cupcakes and most likely will do something strawberry flavored – we will see.  She is obsessed with anything strawberry or pink.

For my first night of normal dinners I thought I would make something I haven’t made before.  I turned to my reliable friends over at Southern Living for this easy chicken recipe.  They have some really good easy weeknight dinners so I very often turn to SL when I need a quick idea for dinner.  This recipe did not disappoint.  I love the Dijon flavor with the chicken and I am a huge fan of red peppers so that sold me.  I also tend to like chicken or pork recipes that have some type of sauce.  We had this over whole wheat cous cous so it was also a pretty healthy meal.  I used TJ’s coarse Dijon mustard but you could use the Dijon without the seeds and it would be great.  The whole dish probably took about 30-40 minutes total so it’s definitely doable for a work night meal.  The only change I made was to add a bit more Dijon that then original recipe called for.  I really like the flavor so if you aren’t sure you can always scale it back by a tablespoon.

Enjoy!

Dijon Chicken

Southern Living

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts trimmed and pounded
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium-size red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 medium-size sweet onion, cut into strips
1 (14 1/2-oz.) can chicken broth
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Pound your chicken breasts out to about 1/2-3/4 inches thick and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken, and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove chicken from skillet; add bell pepper and onion, and cook, stirring often, 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Return chicken to skillet.

Whisk together broth and next 2 ingredients, and pour over chicken. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes or until chicken is done.

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