pumpkin streusel coffeecake

pumpkin streusel coffeecake

we woke up to a cloudy and chilly late fall day. i turned up the thermostat, but it was still pretty shivery in the house. dinah and i pulled on warm socks and wrapped ourselves in a blanket as we rubbed our eyes and began waking up. charlie, however, seemed totally unfazed by the chill and kept ripping off his socks and padding around on the cold wood floors barefoot while dinah and i cuddled in her bed reading about all the children killed in the "amphigorey" abc book (dinah's choice...her granny tonda would be so proud). 

anyway, i love cold weather, so does dinah. this is just how the last few weeks of fall should feel. we even had a few snow flurries this morning. the chill in the air makes me feel nostalgic for my youth growing up in western montana. such a comfy cozy feeling. the cold weather also gives me a good excuse to stay home and do nothing but cuddle my babies and really savor this special time in my life when i get to be at home with my two little ones. and, of course, it also puts me in the mood for baking! 

dinah and i decided to make a cake, but it was still very early in the morning, so we needed to make something appropriate for breakfast. so, we decided on a coffeecake. and since it's still fall, we made a pumpkin coffeecake. because duh, we are, in dinah's words: "super-duper crazy for pumpkin" this time of year. 

dinah adding in the pumpkin

charlie has figured out this is the best part of baking

i tried a recipe from king arthur flour and it turned out perfect. fluffy and delicious, but not too sweet, probably because i changed a few things. i'm sure it's fine with all the sugar called for, but i don't really like super sweet coffeecakes, so i used way less sugar than the recipe calls for, i used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil, and halfed the streusel topping ingredients. also, i should add, the quality of butter makes a big difference in a good streusel topping. we use kerrygold. yummm.

buttery streusel topping

after i took the coffeecake out of the oven, we decided to have an impromptu tea party, with fancy hats. dinah even invited mr. bear.

tea party

now, as I write this entry, both dinah and charlie are squealing and laughing and dancing like crazy to really loud christmas music in the living room. sometimes, those two make me so happy. so full and complete. mornings like this reaffirm just how much i love being the mama to these two wonderful little humans.

pumpkin streusel coffeecake

topping:

1/3 c white sugar

6 TBS all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 TBS melted butter

filling:

3 TBS brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cocoa powder

cake:

1/3 c melted coconut oil

2 large eggs

1/4 c sugar

1 c pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin)

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9 inch round pan (i used coconut oil cooking spray). 

topping:

whisk together sugar, flour, spice, and nuts if you're using them. add melted butter, stirring just until well combined. set aside.

filling:

in a small bowl, whisk together sugar, spice, and cocoa powder. set aside.

cake:

in a mixing bowl, beat together oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree, spices, salt, and baking powder until smooth. add flour and mix until smooth. pour half the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it to the edges. sprinkle the filling evenly on top of the first layer of batter. spread the remaining batter on top of the filling (carefully, it's very sticky). use a butter knife to gently swirl the filling into the batter, just like you would for a marble cake. then sprinkle the topping over the swirled batter. bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. allow cake to cool for about 20 minutes before serving.

cake layers

buttermilk roasted chicken

roasted buttermilk chicken

there are a few dinners that are always popping up on my monthly menu, like buddha bowls, potato soup, black bean chili, chicken tacos, and meatloaf, among other favorites. this recipe is so ridiculously easy, quick, inexpensive, and so freaking good, I won't be surprised if it makes an appearance weekly for the rest of the winter. we all love it, and even my picky dinah-girl asked for seconds. 

it's inexpensive. i bought three pounds of organic chicken legs at trader joe's for less than eight bucks, i tend to always have buttermilk in the fridge (doesn't everyone have buttermilk on hand? oh no, just me? ha ha). and who doesn't already have paprika, salt, sugar, and garlic on hand? and it feeds my family of four for at least two days, so it makes for a very affordable dinner option.

it's quick and easy. this is perfect for a no-fuss midweek meal or if you're having friends over for dinner. it just takes a teeny bit of forethought, because you need to let the chicken legs soak in the buttermilk brine for at least 24 hours. but other than that, it's so quick and roasts in only 30 minutes.

it's delicious. it's flavorful and tender and juicy. both my 13 month old and almost four year old asked for more, which is a very rare occurrence around here.

charlie loved it

we made this last week while my little brother was visiting. the day before he arrived, dinah helped me mix up the brine and toss the legs in a ziplock bag before we let it sit in the fridge for 24+ hours.

dinah mixing the brine

swishing the chicken legs

my brother and i took a long hike the day i made it, so by the time i made it home to cook supper, i was pretty tired and was thankful i didn't have a big meal ahead of me. i chose two easy sides (rice and green beans) to serve with it, so that i could spend as little time in the kitchen as possible.

view of our hike in the sandia mountains

i pulled the legs from the buttermilk brine, arranged them in a baking dish, sprinkled paprika and salt over them, and drizzled with olive oil. as the rice and green beans cooked, the chicken roasted quietly in the oven and i was able to barely pay attention to supper and instead enjoy a glass of wine and conversation while everything cooked. 

raw chicken, sprinkled in paprika and drizzled in olive oil

i served it with green beans and wild rice this time, but have served it with mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts or just a salad and bread too. this chicken would taste great with literally any side. or no sides. and it makes great leftovers. i got the recipe is from smitten kitchen, and i don't think i changed much on this one. 

buttermilk roasted chicken

2 cups buttermilk 

5 cloves garlic, mashed and diced

1 TBS kosher table salt

1 TBS sugar

1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

ground pepper 

3 pounds of chicken parts (i used legs)

Drizzle of olive oil 

whisk buttermilk with garlic, salt, sugar, paprika, and ground black pepper in a bowl. place the chicken legs in a gallon size freezer bag and pour buttermilk brine over them. swish it around all the parts and seal. refrigerate for 24-48 hours.

when ready to roast, preheat oven to 425 degrees. line a baking dish with foil or parchment paper (optional, but makes for easy clean-up). remove chicken from buttermilk brine and arrange in your dish. drizzle lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle paprika and sea salt to taste. roast 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is browned and lightly scorched in some spots. serve immediately.

autumn spice banana bread

autumn spice banana bread with cinnamon crumble

i realized that i'm becoming somewhat of an old brown frozen banana hoarder the other day when i opened my freezer and three came tumbling out. (does anybody else do this? freeze old bananas instead of toss them in the trash?) 

old bananas taking up space in my freezer

i had two other bananas going squishy and brown in the fruit bowl, so dinah and i decided to whip up a quick loaf of banana bread. I'm so glad we did!

to be honest, bananas just aren't my favorite. banana flavored desserts, sweets, and baked goods are never my first choice. i throw half of one in my kale and blueberry smoothie and the kids make a sticky mess with the rest, but other than that and sometimes thrown in my purse as an easy kid snack on the go, bananas really aren't popular around here. so, we rarely make banana bread and i definitely didn't have a recipe on hand that i loved.

yesterday when we made this, we woke up too early and it was so chilly in the house! frost on the ground, steamed up windows, and icy cold wood floors. it felt just like an early morning in late november should feel. and i was so happy. we threw on some wool socks and cozy sweaters, turned the oven up to 375, and did a quick internet search for a recipe. we happened to stumble on a keeper. i made minor adjustments, but essentially used the one found here. sweet, but not too sweet, moist, and full of robust fall spice flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. honestly, it was so good, it may compete with my beloved chocolate chip pumpkin bread as the favorite fall loaf of yum. and I have to admit, the house smelled like heaven all day. a perfect warm autumn treat. dinah seemed to agree.

autumn spice banana bread

for the bread:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 heaping tsp cinnamon

dash of cloves

3 ripe mashed bananas

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup melted butter

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (i didn't do this, but wish i had!)

for the crumb topping:

2 TBS flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

dash of nutmeg

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 TBS cold butter

preheat oven to 375 degrees, spray one loaf pan with coconut oil cooking spray. in a small bowl, combine crumb topping ingredients. cut in cold butter and set aside. in a mixer, combine bananas, eggs, melted butter, and sugar. in a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. once mixed slowly add to wet ingredients. stir in chopped optional walnuts. sprinkle crumb topping on top of loaf. bake for 45-50 minutes.