Cinnamon Blondies

I love cinnamon. The smell of cinnamon, the taste of cinnamon, anything (sweet or savory) with cinnamon in it. In fact, my next food post may be my Arabic Rice, which I swear,  is the reason my husband loves me, and guess what - yeah, cinnamon - main ingredient.

But for today, have these Cinnamon Blondies. 

That ooey gooey cinnamon ribbon in the middle cannot be topped. But if your on a diet, keep on moving because these ARE NOT waistline friendly. They are as rich as rich can be. Moist, flavorful, delicious. And if you love cinnamon like I do, a good quick cinnamon fix. I should call them Cinnamon Crack Blondies because you become quickly addicted and cannot stop at one.

Of course, I searched the 'ol Pinterest and came across Sally's Baking Addiction for a recipe that was quick and easily adaptable. But I did not use Sally's recipe as she had it. Oh no, you know how I love to make mischief and appropriate someone's good idea and mold it to suit me, right?

Ingredients for Cinnamon Blondies:

2 1/3 C flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

Pinch salt *see note

3/4 C salted butter, softened

3/4 C packed brown sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

Scant 1/2 C white chocolate chips (optional) **see note

Ingredients for Cinnamon Ribbon:

3 tsp cinnamon

1/2 C granulated sugar

Directions for Cinnamon Blondies:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 11x7 metal baking pan with Pam Baking. Alternatively, you can line the baking pan with parchment leaving enough overhang on the sides to easily pull the blondies out of the pan and cut. (This is the method Sally uses, but I'd rather not incur the hassle or the mess).
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 
3. Beat the butter on high speed in a large bowl until creamy. 
4. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed. 
5. Beat in the eggs and vanilla on high speed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients until just combined. 
6. With a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula, fold in the (optional) white chocolate chips.
7. Spoon half the batter into pan. It will be a relatively thin layer, but try to spread it across the pan evenly. 
8. Make your cinnamon ribbon mixture and sprinkle on top of bottom layer, reserving enough to cover the top as well.
9. Spread the remaining batter over top of bottom layer that has been sprinkled with the "ribbon mixture." 
10. Sprinkle the top with remaining cinnamon-sugar.
11. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
12. Cool completely.

*Just a pinch - literally. You already have salt in the butter.

**The white chocolate chips make these sweeties too sweet for me. I do not love a cloying mouth feel so all the subsequent times I have made these, I simply omit the white chocolate chips altogether. Feel free to do the same.

Toast and Jam Bundt Cake

For Easter I set out to make a great cake. I found an extraordinary white cake recipe here at Add A Pinch. Robyn actually calls it "The Best White Cake Recipe {EVER}!" And I have been making it for about a year, ever since I found this excellent resource. 

I use the EXACT recipe Robyn has on Add a Pinch. If you sway from it, it simply wont turn out how you want it. It won't rise just right, or it will be overly dense and not moist or any other combinations of imperfect. I make this when I entertain so perfection and excellence are my aim. You will not be sorry. On a side note, I am not a baker. As you've seen here at P&P, I can cook like a boss (I have quite a tribe of awesome cooks who guide me every step of the way - Mom, Berrin, Amy, Tara and Muberra) but a baker I am not. Nevertheless, this cake has never done me wrong!

Toast and Jam Bundt Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• ½ cup vegetable shortening
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 5 eggs, room temperature
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup whole milk, room temperature
• ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup jam, jelly or preserves (I like seedless Strawberry, but Amy suggests Lilikoi (Passion Fruit) curd. I looked high and low for Passion Fruit Curd. If you have some time before you make this cake, you can get it for yourself here or here). I, too, will use it next time. The Passion Fruit is a crowd pleaser in my house and I think it makes for a more exotic cake. 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare a bundt cake pan with nonstick baking spray or coated well with shortening or butter and floured, taking care to remove all excess flour.
2. Cream together butter and shortening until light and fluffy with an electric mixer. Slowly add sugar one cup at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each cup before adding another. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding another.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour milks and vanilla into measuring cup and whisk together with a fork. Add to butter and shortening mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
4. Gently stir all ingredients until well combined. Stop mixer and scrape down sides and bottom of bowl, making sure to have all ingredients mixed well.
5. Pour 2 cups of batter into pan, evenly distribute the jam on top of the batter you've put in the pan. Then continue to pour the remaining batter into the pan. But do not overfill pan or you will have some overflow.
6. Bake for 90 minutes (turning bundt pan several times while baking) or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. 
7. Remove and allow to cool a bit in the bundt pan (about 10 minutes), then cool completely on a wire rack.
8. Frost cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Buttercream (as pictured above - recipe follows) or a lemon glaze (as pictured below).

Srawberry Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup Strawberry Jam
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar 
• Heavy cream to thin to desired consistency

Instructions

1. Beat butter and cream cheese together until well combined
2. Add in the Strawberry Jam and continue to mix
3. Add the confectioners sugar 1 cup at a time
4. If consistency of frosting is too thick, add the heavy cream until it is thinned to a texture/consistency that you are happy with.

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People - heneedsfood.

As you all know, I fancy myself a gastronome. Unfortunately, I have been in the kitchen quite a bit but have not documented anything of late. I'm not sure why. I made an astounding Italian soup with Swiss Chard and white beans and delightful organic mild sausage. I made a mushroom and asparagus risotto - super satisfying and rich for our first al fresco dining of the season (I'll make both the soup and risotto again and post my recipes soon - so I've not included links here as I'd like to get my own recipes on here for those). And I made a couple Turkish meals while our niece (Ecem) visited us from Quinnipiac University, which included Kofte, Domates Pilavi, Karniyarik and Irmik Helvasi! Just last night I made Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. But none of them, sadly, did I record for P&P. And perhaps that is a good thing - maybe I haven't been terribly inspired to write things lately after my rejection from BlogHer. Or perhaps, my inspiration has waned or I should consider my lack of time - regardless of the reason, I have not discontinued my use of the good old Pinterest - a treasure of inspiration on every pinboard - and it did not disappoint today! I was wanting a clever supper for the husband and I this evening, heavy on "light fare" and heavy on taste. I was stumped until a photo came up "Oyster Mushrooms and Swedes on Toast." I swooned. If your not sure what a swede is, here in the states we call them Turnips. The recipe was created by John Bek, an extraordinary epicure and the founder of heneedsfood - a written account of his culinary delights. His recipes are different but not weird, his instructions are precise but not snooty and his photographs are amazing. And the website itself is a virtual holiday to somewhere else; it is so well done, you can get lost in heneedsfood pages for quite a while before checking to see how long you've waited before indulging in something delicious. It was only fair that I post about John and heneedsfood and catalog the post under "People" and "Gastronomy." He is not just an amazing former chef and current photographer but his roots are Croatian and he is a first generation Aussie. Go see, but do not visit him there if you are hungry.

Oyster Mushrooms and Swedes on Toast by John Bek at heneedsfood.

A Springtime Cocktail

My friend Manny and I have decided that this "in between seasons time" is a difficult place to be for many reasons...fashion, firstly, can be difficult but with a little cultivation can be really creative and cool.

I think cuisine and libations can be equally as challenging and we can get equally creative. For instance, A gin and tonic is strictly a Summertime drink for me, as is a Shandy (a nod to Sacramento Beer Week - I am more a hard cider girl, the perfect Autumn drink), Where a Hot Toddy or Mulled Wine are strictly Winter drinks. But what should we drink in the Spring? For me, I love the Antoinette. It's refreshing and it's got a no nonsense kick. It seems perfect for this time of year just before the time Springs forward. It's clever, unusual and a mixologist's idea of sophistication, I would guess. Try it. You might like ti. If you do, let me know what you think.

Sweet Winter Pie - A Pear Cranberry Treat

If you like pears and you like cranberries, you will really, really like this wintertime dessert.

Those succulent pears, the tart cranberries, the hint of Cardamom and the Streusel topping was like Christmas in my mouth!

It is a sweet I served after Christmas dinner but it is so easy you can serve it any old time you want. It's especially good with a dollop of whipped cream but my dad loved it with some vanilla ice cream. It's excellent warm or at room temp and keeps very well in the fridge.
I say, make a rich beef stew and follow it up with tea and this Sweet Winter Pie!

Sweet Winter Pie
(Pear and Cranberry Pie with Streusel Topping)

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

Streusel Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats (I use quick cook)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark - doesn't matter)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter melted

Assembly:
In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together until crumbly, set aside.

Pie Ingredients:

At grocery stores in the colder months there are typically bagged Anjou or Bartlett or Bosc Pears. Any of these varieties will work for this pie. I love the Bartletts and they were $2.69 at Trader Joe's, so there you have it. (If you cannot find the bagged pears, use about 7-8 medium sized ripe pears; not mushy but ripe).

Peel, core and chop all pears.
Rind and juice of 1 orange
1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 - 1 cup dried cranberries chopped
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch salt
And...Trader Joe's Pie Crust 

Directions:

Unroll 1 pie crust and lay it in the pie dish.
After mixing pears and the next 8 ingredients gently, add them to the pie crust.
With your fingers evenly crumble on the Streusel as if you were making a drip castle in the sand.
Place the assembled Winter Pie on a baking sheet.
Bake at 350 for one hour.

Domestic Sluttery

This holiday season has given me the busies. I have been overwhelmed with things I have (truth be told) done to myself. I have completed two rounds of baking, gotten all the shopping done, designed and sent the Christmas cards and sent all of the kids gifts too. I have made gingerbread (I am a connoisseur) and I have made baking boxes for the grandparents which included Alfajores, Hermits, Fig Thumbprints, Peppermint White Chocolate Fudge and the tried and true Chocolate Chip Cookies.

But I saved the best for last. My friend Clare sent me an extraordinary book irreverently titled Domestic Sluttery. And since I am indeed a domestic ho, I thought she chose a perfect tome to share with me. Not coincidentally there was a wicked cookie recipe in this book called "Sunny Honey Cookies." I immediately went to work slutting out in the kitchen to make a batch of these chewy, honey tinged delights.

Sunny Honey Cookies

Ingredients:

12 Tbs butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey (If it is too stiff, warm it in the microwave for 5 seconds).
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup almond meal flour (I like to use Bob's Red Mill)
Zest of 1 orange
1 cup currants

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Beat in honey.
Sift in flour and baking soda.
Stir in Almond flour and Orange zest.
Roll dough into 1 inch balls them on a baking sheet lined with parchment roughly 2 inches apart.
Squash each ball gently with your fingers so they form rounds.
Bake for 12-15 minutes.
They should be brown at the edges when they are done.
Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Eat with some gentle Lady Grey tea.

Pumpkin Coconut Quinoa

So it's that time of year when anything pumpkin sounds really tasty.
I mean, I love a pumpkin muffin or scone. I really like pumpkin risotto and Fettucine ai Zucca et Zenzero (Pasta with Pumpkin and Ginger - I'll post this recipe soon because it is unimaginably yummy). All those things however are super rich in carbs and in calories. This quinoa recipe is, on the other hand, rich in flavor but also rich in protein and taste without all the guilt. Plus, it's super easy to prepare and it can be served warm or cold. So if you like winter squash and you like coconut, then you'll love this hearty side dish. I'm dedicating this vegan recipe to Thug Kitchen!

Pumpkin Coconut Quinoa

Ingredients:
1 small, chopped, cooked sugar pumpkin
1 Cup Quinoa (rinse it first)
1 medium beet root
1/2 cup Edemame - shelled
1 Tbs. coconut oil
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 bunch chives, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cut the little pumpkin in half, clean out the seeds (reserve them) and bake the snot out of the pumpkin until it's tender - about 1 hour at 400 degrees. Let it cool and chop it into bite sized pieces.
2. Rinse the Quinoa and cook in 2 cups water or vegetable broth for about 20 minutes.
3. Boil the beet root for about 45 minutes until tender, peel it and chop it into cubes.
4. When the Quinoa is done cooking (it should have absorbed all or most of the liquid) take off the heat and transfer into a large bowl. 
5. Add coconut oil and stir well.
6. Add all the remaining ingredients and season well.
7. It is great served with a pork roast or all by itself for lunch.

Cozy Autumn Cocktails

Cardamom Hot Toddy

The smell of fallen leaves, a fire in the hearth, the scents of apples and pie crust, a slow cooked roast...These are the things that let us know that Autumn is edging ever closer to Winter. During these darkening months, comfort often comes in ways that are different than the ways we achieve comfort in, say, Spring or Summer.

One of the ways I feel soothed in the Autumn is by the occasional after work cocktail. My favorite drinks to get while I'm out at this time of year are The Whiskey Fig at the Pour House and The Drunken Butterfly at the Shady Lady Saloon. But in an effort to save money it's always fun and frugal to create our own adult beverages at home.

These are some goodies I have found!

The Jonathan Chapman Cocktail: I call it Spiked Cider. I really like Food Republic.

Nutella Melt with Frangelico from "Winter Cocktails": More a dessert than a beverage.

Boozy Pumpkin White Hot Chocolate

Pomegranate Vanilla Sangria

Pear and Ginger Sage Sipper

Fall: It's Decorative Gourd Season

By the way, it really is Decorative Gourd Season and we love McSweeney's!

On that note, ever made Roasted Pumpkin Seeds?

While it's not Halloween anymore, we are in the throws of the Autumn Season. That means pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie. I still love to clean out the inerts of a pumpkin - not just for the puree that is needed for all the pumpkin goodies but for the roasted seeds especially.

The following recipe is very easy but you must keep an eye on these guys or they'll burn to crisp.


Ingredients:

The seeds of one large pumpkin (put under the faucet in a strainer to remove all the pumpkin pulp)
2 Tbs Butter, melted
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp. garlic salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste (I like to use Trader Joe's Flower Pepper for these).

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Pat dry the seeds between two clean dish cloths or paper towels.
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients.
Stir well to coat all seeds with the seasonings and oils. (Fat is used in cooking because it carries flavor)!
Place the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Put in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Check the seeds about 5 minutes in and shake the pan around.
Lower the temperature of the oven to 300 and roast for another 15 minutes. You may hear some popping. When you do, go and shake the pan...
When the seeds are the color of brown you like, remove them from the oven and let them cool.
Transfer to a pretty bowl and serve.

Mom's Apple Pie

I love Apple Pie. And I love the fall. Thankfully, they both come at the same time. Now that the apple harvest is happening, I've been getting some great varieties at the farmers market. If you love apple pie, but have never endeavored to make it. It's a snap and I recommend trying it. Plus, it's a great thing to have on hand when the occasional autumn guest shows up! I love a friendly stop by especially once the holidays begin!

I always use Granny Smith apples. They are large and firm and tart. But if like a variety that is equally as firm, you can use those instead.

Ingredients (Pie Filling):

6-8 Large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbs. butter

Directions (Pie Filling):

Put sliced apples in a large bowl and allow to macerate in the sugar cinnamon combination for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the pie crust.

Ingredients (Pie Crust):

2 1/2 cups flour
2 sticks cold, cubed butter
1 Tbs sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 Cup water (roughly)

Directions (Pie Crust and Pie Completion):

Pre-heat oven to 350
Sift flour, sugar and salt together in a large bowl
Add the cold cubed butter and mix using your hands until the butter is combined with the flour mixture, resembling oatmeal
Add the water slowly, you may use less than the entire half cup. This is to form the dough.
Create a ball from the dough, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Remove the dough from the fridge and begin to roll into two round pie shaped forms...one for the bottom of the pie and one for the top.
Lay the first one in the bottom of the pie plate, add the apples, and dot the apples with the two tables spoons of butter.
Cover the pie filling with the second crust.
Seal the pie crust with your fork. (If you're my mom, you do really fancy stuff with the crust that seems to defy nature)
Poke holes in the crust for the steam to release (or if you want to be fancy, cut little shapes with tiny cookie cutters as I did here).
Place pie on a cookie sheet (in case of spill over)
Bake pie at 350 for 1 hour.
Serve hot or room temperature preferable with ice cream. ;)

My cute neighborhood. Someone got festive in the community garden.

The Cottage Diaries

Molly writes sweetly, her voice and style are down to earth and kind and her photographs are marvelous and her recipes are masterpieces! The Cottage Diaries is a place you can gain tons of inspiration and get all but lost in the images and the happiness there! The photos here are for Lavender Macarons with Honey Earl Grey Buttercream. The cookies themselves are her specialty. Simply delightful. I've included a few of her pics. When I make them, (if I am successful) I'll include my own photos as well.

The Inspired - A Girl Walked Into a Bar

The Inspired

So, a girl walked into a bar...

This Girl Walks Into a Bar

She wasn't sick until she walked in.

She immediately looked pale and felt thin.

Her health, rapidly declining, made her wonder

It was a little thing to take notice of, to ponder.

"Why did I walk into this bar after all?"

She held on to the greasy tables, trying not to fall.

If she hadn't walked into that place would she healthy be?

What she remembered is how she loves to be free.

But this is a shackle, this illness, the spackle

that it might take to mend before she can bend

the sickness in her chest 

you know, the one in her breast

Her head she inclined and simply sipped 

And waited, patiently, before she was stripped.
Maybe, she thought, I should quit drinking.
This ship, she looked around, is it sinking?

Visiting Friends

Here are a few blogs that I highly recommend visiting. I enjoy them anyhow...
Perhaps you will too. They always have:

• A fresh perspective
• Pretty pictures
• Clever ideas
• Good Vibes (which you know I like to proliferate)!

Also, they are portals to dream worlds. It's some good old fashioned escapism!

Hooked on Houses is on my Blogroll because I. LOVE. IT.  Julia's niche, all about awesome realestate, is remarkable. I love to go there and eat my heart out.

Bri Emery is the Founder/Director at Design Love Fest. It's a crisp clean blog and she is so charming. You can't help but become enraptured by her and her view.

Creatively Driven is rad. Loretta is real and wonderful. Down to earth and seems like a person you could have coffee with, during which meeting you'd likely learn all about the world.

Bekuh B. has a simple yet pretty blog full of daily inspiration and creative insight.

Sun and Soil

A friend told me recently, "You have got to try this new place."
So, Lori picked me up one day for lunch and we went over to Sun and Soil; a little haven of good for you, yummyness. They serve organic, made-from-home, tasting smoothies and juices that are truly delicious and healthful. Plus, drinking there is like visiting an old friend in their well appointed living room. It is bright, airy and clean. It's a progressive spin on the smoothie/organic culture. So refreshing. I do have one tiny criticism, however. Bring a load of cash. Each juice is roughly $9.00 and you have to pay a $2.00 refundable fee for the bottle. $11.00 for a juice is more than a bit dear! The smoothies are more affordable at around $7.00 for a 16 oz. selection. Nevertheless, taking care of our bodies seems worth the splurge.

Lori!

Peaches and Cream Bread Pudding

Peaches and Cream Bread Pudding is a recipe that is not only tasty it is also a snap to make. It's great as dessert but if you sort of mess around with the  ingredients you can create a sweet treat for a lazy Sunday morning too. When you bite into this steaming treat, it should be gooey and custardy and delicious. It's sure to be a crowd-pleaser as it is at my house! Can you think of any variations? Leave your suggestions in the comments!

Peaches and Cream Bread Pudding

Ingredients 

• 2 Cans peaches in heavy syrup drained, half cup of syrup reserved
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 4 Tbs. butter
• 2 cups half and half
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
•  Loaf of Hawaiian Bread, crusts removed

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cut bread into 1 inch squares.
3. Drain the peaches and spread on the bottom of an 8x8 pan or 9x9 pan.
4. Melt the butter with the brown sugar 
5. Pour over peaches
6. Sprinkle bread over peaches/brown sugar.
7. In a blender mix the sugar, half and half, eggs, vanilla extract and cinnamon.
8. Pour mixture over bread.
9. Bake at 350 for about 40-45 minutes.
10. Variations: instead of peaches cut up apples and instead of sugar use maple syrup for a breakfast treat.