Just the cake for you.

Yep, it's as good as it looks.

So much for not being a cake person. Growing up I avoided cake at most birthday parties. Dry flavorless crumbs, almost always in the vanilla or chocolate variety never got me very excited. Sure I would lick the icing, but you were way more likely to find me sitting at the pizza table, than sitting by the cake. I've always preferred salty over sweet, which may also explain my salty personality :)

As I've gotten older I've realized that a good quality cake is one of the best things you can put in your mouth. You just have to use quality ingredients. No box mixes for me, they are bland and dry disasters. For my birthday a friend got me a wonderful book, called Cake Ladies that is all about delicious cakes and the stories and women who make them. The author owns a bake shop in town so it's neat to be reading from a local chef. She also makes a salted caramel cupcake that is like heaven in your mouth.

Currently I don't have a lot of occasions that warrant making an entire cake, so I mostly just look at the beautiful recipes in this book and dream. But every now and then I just break down and have to make a cake. Sure I wish I HAD to run a marathon or eat a big salad, but mostly I just want to bake cake. Strangely enough I don't even want to eat that much of it, just bake it. Baking is very calming and cathartic for me. Baking is much different from cooking, baking cannot be rushed and the ingredients must be exact.
In general I like fruit desserts, so when I saw this recipe for banana cake I knew I found something great. Basically it's punched up banana bread with a cream cheese frosting. If you wanted to make a cake, but wanted something a bit different than the traditional chocolate or white cake, this is a easy all purpose cake that sings with flavor. The orange zest really bumps up the flavor and is the perfect compliment to the banana flavor. I may just have to start using orange zest in my banana bread. I rushed the decorating part of the cake, but there are lots of options. Most of the ingredients you should have in your pantry and this is a great way to use up ripe bananas while also making the people around you very happy! Hope you enjoy!

Very easy to make, just prepare batter

Pour into cake pan. Bake and enjoy! 

Banana Cake

The Goods: 
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1 orange
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)
Walnuts halves, for decorating

The Deal: 
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 2-inch round cake pan. In the bowl of the electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the bananas, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on low speed until combined. With the mixer on still on low, add the oil, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and orange zest. Mix until smooth.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the chopped walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Spread the frosting thickly on the top of the cake and decorate with walnut halves.


Cream Cheese Frosting: For one 9-inch cake
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sifted confectioners sugar

Mix the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on low speed until just combined. Don't whip. Add the sugar and mix until smooth.

This cake has been Kirstin Approved. 

Excuse me? Is it Muffin:30? I thought so.

Breakfast. Such a wonderful meal when you have the time. I think Saturdays exist simply so you have plently of time to glide around your kitchen, scrambling eggs, roasting sweet potatoes, and juicing an orange as to enjoy a slow and delicious breakfast. But many of us do not get several hours each day to enjoy a leisurely breakfast in the morning. Most of us have a general plan for the morning grub, which often consists of whatever we can shove in our mouths the quickest, or possibly just coffee. Everyone has heard breakfast is the most important meal of the day; it makes sense, it's the first thing we put in our bodies, which often dictates how we will feel by lunch. If we eat nothing or crap for breakfast, by lunch we feel awful, beginning a cycle of sluggish energy the whole day through.
I wanted to find something simple I could make on Sunday and have a week of breakfasts that were healthy, filling and required no thought. BOOM, healthy muffins to the rescue! These puppies are quick, simple and full of healthy stuff for those beautiful bodies we are so fond of. Wheat germ, chia seeds, and walnuts, to keep you full and energized, along with raisins and a blend of spices certain to entertain your palate.  I tried two variations so far, but really these are a great base for whatever you like. Last week I made them Sunday, then just grabbed one each morning on my way out the door. When I had a little more time I would slice one in half, toast it and throw a dab of butter on it for a delicious variation on the same ole treat. Hope yall enjoy them!

Wet Mixture

Combine Wet and Dry. Then fold in nuts and fruit

Spoon into muffin tin and sprinkle topping

Spicy Pumpkin Muffins 

Adapted from "Quick Vegetarian Pleasures"

This is a healthy base for many muffin varieties. I think I liked the banana blueberry the best, but try different ingredients. Other additions could include flaxseeds, prunes, lemon zest, and pecans. 
The Goods: Makes 12 muffins
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
4 tablespoons chia seeds
1 large egg
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
1/2 cup grapeseed oil (any flavorless oil will do)
1/2 cup 2 % milk
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Topping (optional)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For a DELICIOUS variation try Banana Blueberry Muffins:
Omit the pumpkin and raisins. Add 1 cup ripe bananas, mashed but not pureed when you would normally add the pumpkin. Also add zest from one orange at this step. Sub 3/4 cup fresh blueberries for the raisins, GENTLY folding into the dough last.

The Deal: 
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a regular sized muffin pan. In a large bowl throughly combine the first 10 ingredients. If using the topping, in a small bowl mix the cinnamon and sugar together.

2. In a medium bowl beat the egg. Beat in the brown sugar then stir in pumpkin puree, oil, and milk until well mixed.

3. Gently add the wet pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients, until just combined. Don't overmix. Stir in the raisins and all but 2 tablespoons of the walnuts. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, then sprinkle remaining walnuts on top on the muffins. If desired sprinkle the topping over each muffin. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let sit for 2 minutes before removing from the pan.
Serve warm or at room temperature. These can be kept in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Ginger Apple Cake

I love the red and green peels peaking through

I seem to be on an apple binge. I suppose in trying to cook seasonally I may go a little overboard sometimes. I will also admit, I'm a fruit-aholic. It's rare for me to find a fruit I don't like, and by like I mean eat in ridiculous portions. During strawberry season I believe I ate enough strawberries to be part one. So as fall approaches with its squash and root vegetables the fruit selection is fairly slim. Sure there are pears, but there aren't a ton of those around these parts. Then of course there are the incredibly non local bananas, mangos and my personal favorite pomegranates. Apples are the local fruit at the market, so I'm doing my best try as many different recipes as I can. Trying to figure out which type I like best  Jona Gold, Pink Lady, Stayman, Winesap, is a task I am happy to take on.

I love how earthy it looks. Or is that just me? 

When I saw this recipe on 101 Cookbooks, I knew I had to try it. A cake that has only half a cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of butter, whole wheat flour and no frosting? Might I even dare say a healthy cake? I do! I dare! This is about as healthy a cake you can make while still using standard ingredients. This cake really knocked my pants down (Not that hard to do given I'm such a food newbie. Or if you are healthy boyfriend....) It was moist and had a lovely apple fall flavor. The bits of apple chunks were a treat in my mouth, a juicy surprise surrounded by moist cake and subtle ginger flavor. If you are not a fan of ginger, you can just omit it, as it was not in the original recipe. Though you may want to ask yourself why you don't like ginger, what is WRONG with you?! Along with apples, I'm also on a ginger binge tossing it in any recipe I can. I think the ginger and apple pair beautifully together, but the cake will still be delicious without it. This adorable cake would be a great one to bring to a fall party, and I know kids love it too. The cinnamon and apple chunks make it sweet enough that it doesn't taste "healthy". The kids don't need to know it only has half a cup of sugar.
The recipe calls for only red apples, but I did not have enough red ones so I used one green apple. I liked the multi-colored touch, but use all the same type of apple if possible.

Ginger Apple Cake

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour, feel free to substitute all purpose flour. Make sure to leave the peels on the apples, it won't be nearly as pretty without that touch of color.
The Goods: Makes one cake
2 cups sweet crisp red apples, cut into 1/4 inch cubes (peels on)
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
Dash Nutmeg (optional)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, lump free
1/2 teaspoon fine grain salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup walnuts, lightly toasted* and roughly chopped (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled a bit
3 tablespoons large grain sugar
1 lemon, juiced

The Deal:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees, racks in the middle. Butter and flour one 9-inch square baking dish or tart pan. Place chopped apples in a bowl of water and lemon juice, set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and salt in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. Then whisk in butter and ginger. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the flour mixture and stir until barely combined-careful not to over mix. Drain the apples, then fold apples and half of the walnuts into the cake batter.

Making your batter

Folding in your drained apples and nuts

2. Spoon batter into the prepared pan, pushing it out toward the edges. Sprinkle with most of the large sugar and the remaining nuts. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the cake is just set and a touch golden on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Ready for the oven

*To toast walnuts, place in a skillet on medium heat. Heat until VERY lightly browned, about 5-10 minutes. They should smell toasted. Watch carefully, it's very easy to burn your nuts. (Insert nut joke of your choice here)

Blondies with Chia Seeds

A blond making blondies, now THAT'S a Sunday! Any of my regular readers (aka my Mother and Christine) probably notice my desire to cook desserts on Sundays. This ensures I have a dessert to eat all week, and helps keep me away from a gummy bear massacre. It can get ugly, and full of red dye.

Good friends of mine make these little guys all the time, and I always have a hard time stopping at just one. I must confess I am not the hugest fan of brownies, I know how could I, but of all the incredible desserts out there, I think I can do better than brownies. Give me a brownie ice cream sunday and Ill grab a spoon, but I don't crave them.

Using chia gel again, which turned out beautifully. It cuts the amount of butter you have to use in half, which cuts out a lot of the fat. Of course making a dessert will almost never be "healthy", but these are healthier than any packaged cookie or candy bar you buy in the store. I find if I try to go all week without any sweets, I end up not being so...sweet, as it were, so I just keep working on moderation. Tis the key.

You can use 12 tablespoons of butter if you do not have chia gel, but I again encourage yall to try it. Look for Chia seeds in health food stores in the bulk section. A pound can be anywhere from $20-$30 bucks so if you can find it in a bulk section you can purchase a small amount and give it a try.


To make Chia Gel: To make 9 tablespoons or 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon of chia gel, you put 9 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of chia seeds in a bowl. Mix the seeds slightly, and then let rest for at least 20 minutes. It will create a gel, that looks grayish. It doesn't look appetizing, but doesn't taste bad. Try it, its mostly taste like water, with funny squishy things floating in it. To see pictures, view my previous post: chocolate chip cookies with chia seeds

Chocolate Note: You can really use any chocolate you want, just make sure its 6 ounces or 1 cup. I wanted  to try white and dark chocolate together, but you could use dark and milk, dark and peanut butter, all dark, all milk, the possibilities are what you make them. Chocolate possibilities.....yummy.....
Same thing with nuts, I used walnuts but pecans would be just as tasty. As always make sure you toast them first, it makes a big difference in the final outcome of your blondies. 

Blondies with Chia Seeds

The Goods: Makes about 20 big squares

1 cup walnuts or pecans

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon table salt

6 tablespoons butter or earth balance, melted and cooled

6 tablespoons chia seed gel(see note)

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 ounces white chocolate bar, roughly chopped

3 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped(see note)

The Deal:

1. Heat a saute pan on medium heat, add nuts to pan and toast until they omit a nutty smell, about 8-10 minutes. Do NOT let them burn, they burn quickly, so flip the nuts frequently. 

2. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 13 by 9 inch baking pan with butter or spray. 

3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl, set aside. 

4. Whisk melted butter, chia seed gel, and brown sugar together in a large bowl until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold flour mixture into egg mixture until just combined, do not over mix. Fold in chocolate and nuts and turn batter into prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula. 

melted butter, chia gel, and sugar

Adding flour slowly into wet mixture

Adding chocolate and nuts

5. Bake until top is shiny, cracked and light golden brown, about 22 to 25 minutes. Careful not to overbake, once you are close to time, check every few minutes to ensure you do not over bake. 

6. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving, and cut into squares. 

Rugelach (A jewish pastry)

This may be my new favorite dessert. I am literally having daydreams about these suckers. I am not sure if I have ever had Rulelach before, perhaps I have, but nothing like this.

I stumbled on this recipe on one of my nightly readings of Barefoot Contessa's, "Barefoot Parties". After reading the ingredients and seeing the pictures I just had to make it. The next morning I woke up telling healthy boyfriend,
"I have to make rugelach, I have to." Confused he replied,
"What. What Arugela?"
"No baby, Rugelach."
"What, Arugela, WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?"
Finally I had to break open the book and show him what I meant. The name may be funny, but this dish is no laughing matter. I mean, laugh if you want, but they are so tasty, I would be surprised if you can speak.

Are they healthy? They are as healthy as cookies are, which is healthy for the spirit and healthy for the body, in moderation.

I used a electric mixer but you can mix this by hand, it just takes some muscle. Though I think working for sweets is probably a good idea, know what Im sayin!

A few notes to make sure you get it right. This is not a difficult dish to make, but unfortunately it's time consuming. You have to make the dough, then let it rest an hour. Then you assemble them and have to let them chill for an additional 30 minutes. So it aint no quick cookie, and is probably a weekend project.   Because it's pastry you cannot cut corners, the temperature of the dough effects the way it bakes. So let your dough rest, it works hard :)

Freezing Note: Luckily they freeze well, and you can make a bunch and then save some for later. Simply freeze the unbaked cookies, and defrost them completely before baking them.

Jam Note: Make sure you blend the preserves in a food processor, they are too thick right out of the jar.

Room Temp Note: Do make sure your cream cheese and butter are at room temperature. They will not cream together properly if they are not soft.

Rugelach (A jewish pastry)

The Goods: 
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 pound(2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 9 tablespoons
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
3/4 cup apricot preserves, pureed in food processor
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk(or water) for egg wash

The Deal: 
1. Cream the cheese and butter in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt and vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add the flour slowly and mix until just combined.

2. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and roll into a ball. Cut the ball into quarters, and create a small ball out of each quarter. Wrap each quarter in plastic wrap(or ziplock bag) and refrigerate for 1 hour.

dough in quarters, roll each into balls

3. To make the filling combine 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the raisins and walnuts.

4. Once your dough has rested roll out each ball into a 9 inch circle(which is the same size as a standard pie plate). Spread the dough with 2-3 tablespoons of apricot preserves, making sure all the dough is covered. Then sprinkle 1/2 cup of the filling on each circle, again making sure its fully covered. Lightly press the filling into the dough.

healthy boyfriend rolling out the dough!

5. Cut each circle into 12 equal wedges, first cutting the circle into quarters, and then cutting each quarter into thirds. They will look like crescent rolls before you roll them. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.

Not a pizza, but just as tasty!

make sure to refrigerate them before baking

6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

7. Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Brush each cookie with egg wash and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browed. Remove from heat and serve warm or place on a rack to cool.

Spinach Salad with Toasted Walnuts

Ever eaten a walnut and thought, MY GOODNESS that is a toasty nut! Well this week I am eating salads again, with spinach and strawberries per usual, but I am also using walnuts this week. I discovered when you toast walnuts, and most nuts, they taste SOOO much better and are not any less healthy for you. Nut score!

The trick with toasting nuts is NOT TO FORGET them. Nuts can go from toasty to burned in minutes. This is not the kind of thing you should throw in the oven and forget about. Find something in the kitchen to do while they are toasting, because while a toasted nut gives you have a happy face, a burned nut is all frowney face.

Spinach Salad with Toasted Walnuts

Serves 1, increases as needed

Ingredients: 

2-3 cups baby spinach, washed 

2-3 medium strawberries, chopped

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted(See below)

1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

1-2 tablespoons Annies Balsamic Vinegrette(Be VERY careful with dressings, they can make a salad bad for you with just a flick of the wrist)

Directions: 

Place all ingredients in a bowl, putting the dressing on last. Toss and enjoy! 

I usually have a whole wheat english muffin or slice of toast with a salad, just to make sure Im getting some fiber.

Toasting Walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place walnuts on a baking sheet and bake 5-10 minutes. Cooking time may vary, I find a layer of nuts covering a baking sheet takes about 6 minutes, but I ere on the side of caution. They wont look any different, unless they are burned, I often taste mine to see if they are ready. The taste, well nuttier. You'll see!