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.

pumpkin bread, pumpkin latte

it's pumpkin season

it's autumn, finally! it's october, thank goodness! it's my favorite time of year - the season of pumpkin everything! i forced myself to wait for october, but this weekend, after a visit to the mountains and the botanical gardens to take in some of the already turning leaves, dinah and i made pumpkin bread.

we've been waiting all year for this. it was even a healthy pumpkin bread! it was so moist and delicious and very sweet, even without white sugar.

honey maple pumpkin bread

3.5 c whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking soda

1.5 tsp salt

2 TBS pumpkin pie spice

1 15 oz can organic pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1/2 c melted butter

1/2 c melted coconut oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 c raw organic honey

1/2 c real maple syrup

2/3 c unsweetened applesauce

1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350 degrees. prepare two loaf pans. mix dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. combine eggs, pumpkin puree, butter, oil, vanilla, honey, maple syrup, and applesauce. once combined add in dry ingredients. mix until combined, then add chocolate chips and gently stir in with a spoon. pour batter evenly into both loaf pans. bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. let cool before serving.

~~~

as the aroma of baking pumpkin goodness wafted through my home, i wanted nothing more than a starbucks pumpkin latte to sip on as we waited. i know, i know, i guess i'm one of those typical white girls who loves fall. i wear yoga pants, take photos of my feet standing on leaves, and i really love pumpkin spice lattes, but i don't love all the icky stuff that goes into your typical fall latte. so, i made my own!

pumpkin spice latte

2 cups steamed milk

2 TBS organic pumpkin puree

1 TBS sugar

1 TBS vanilla extract

1 cup hot strong coffee

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

combine milk, puree, and sugar. heat until very warm, but not boiling. remove from heat add hot coffee, vanilla, and spice. makes three cups. yummm!

see? a photo of my feet...on leaves. happy fall!

healthy zucchini bread

with its cool crisp mornings and hot afternoon rain showers, late summer also brings a bounty of zucchini. the end of summer is one of my favorite times of year. not just for all the squash, but for the turning of the seasons and the relief and comfort that brings me. i can still enjoy the easy-breezy feeling of summer, but the days are growing shorter and less stifling and the nights are becoming cooler and more quiet.

with the abundance of zucchini, dinah and i have been cooking and baking with it often. we made skinny chocolate muffins last week (that were just meh, so I didn't keep the recipe), and we made calabacitas, minestrone, and ratatouille earlier this month as well. this week though, we made my favorite: zucchini bread. there are a million zucchini bread recipes out there and it's a bread that's pretty difficult to screw up, but following our trend of healthy snacking this summer, i found a healthy, but also delicious and very moist zucchini bread recipe. it turned out great. i got the recipe here, but made a few changes, like using less honey and adding extra cinnamon and a handful of chocolate chips.

healthy zucchini bread

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon (mine were heaping, i really like cinnamon)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 c. plain whole milk yogurt
1/4 c. coconut oil
1/4 c. organic raw honey
2 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. grated zucchini, be sure to squeeze ALL the water out
1/4-1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan. in a large bowl, combine flours, and other dry ingredients. in a different bowl, whisk the egg into the yogurt, then mix in oil, honey, brown sugar and vanilla. add in grated zucchini, then fold in flour mixture. once combined, throw in a handful (or two) of chocolate chips. pour into prepared pan. bake for 45-60 minutes. mine took an hour and ten minutes, or so. just bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. remove bread from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack. apparently, there are only like 150 calories per slice, so eat up!

skinny no-bake cookies

dinah's been going through some big emotional crud lately. i think it's a combination of a lot of things: adjusting to real life after vacation, missing her best friend (who is now gone on vacation with her family), jealous of baby brother, hot weather discomfort, and as far as i can tell, being three, in general, just ain't easy.

she's always been prone to meltdowns and big feelings (a girl after my own heart), but they have grown bigger and stronger this year than in the past. her meltdowns take many forms and they're always a delightful surprise :), but usually, they come in the form of anger. abrupt, intense, and violent rage. it starts with an ear piercing, blood curdling scream. then comes the grinding of her teeth, red face, tense body, throwing of objects, kicking whatever (or whoever) is nearby, and then finally, she ends by flinging herself facedown wherever she is and sobs and sobs. then she'll look up to make sure i'm still paying attention and dramatically pleads for me to "puh-leeeeze be nice" to her, even though i was never mean to her in the first place. well, unless turning off the tv or suggesting she tidy up her things or asking her to please not draw on the furniture or not cutting her toast properly is being mean? totally.

i understand meltdowns and big feelings are inevitable, she's only three after all. they are also a normal part of her brain development. these meltdowns will occur no matter what i do to avoid them. however, how i react and how i help her navigate these big emotions is very important for her longterm emotional intelligence.

when she has these angry outbursts they are a signal to me that she needs some connection and a little extra one-on-one care from her mama. a quick snuggle is all it takes some days. other days, the process is a little more heavy and demanding. sometimes i can't do it and i yell too. other days, like today, i'm calm and respectful of her and i'm able to hold her until she calms down. today as i wiped away her tears for the umpteenth time, i asked what might help her feel better. "cookies." duh. they make everyone feel better. good answer, dinah. but in reality, does my already emotionally wrecked little girl need loads of white flour or refined white sugar? umm, noooo. our oven is also on the fritz and we needed something simple and quick, since my girl was extra fragile today. so we made healthy no-bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies. no refined sugar, high in protein (from the peanuts) and high in fiber (from the oats). and super yummy. win-win-win.

skinny no-bake cookies

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1 small very ripe banana

1/3 c. honey

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa

1/4 c. milk

2.5 c. oats

line a baking sheet with wax paper. melt peanut butter and mashed banana toether in a large pot over low heat until fully melted and combined. remove from heat. add honey, cocoa powder, milk, and oats. mix until fully combined and then drop on the baking sheet with a spoon and mold into the desired shape. refrigerate for about two hours. or if you're like me and dinah, just enjoy right away, but they'll be crumbly!

tahini buddha bowl

we are home from a long trip to visit family all around the country. as is typical of being on vacation and out of my own kitchen, i ended up eating a lot less healthy than i usually do. not that the food wasn't good on our trip. no, no, most of it was very delicious, and a lot of it was even quite healthy. but i indulged in a lot of sweets and overate at every meal and snacked on crap in between.

now that we are home, my husband and i agree it's a good time to start detoxing our bodies a bit. i don't mean one of those awful starvation detoxifications, you know the kind where you're only allowed to drink lemon cayenne pepper water for five months. no, no, i just mean filling our bodies with healthy clean food to drive out all the not-so-healthy-and-clean stuff we've been eating this month.

well, that's what we discussed. and then the day after we got home, i got strep throat, and have been surviving on broth, watermelon, bananas, and chicken pho from our favorite vietnamese restaurant for the last week. before my body shut down on me, i did, however, make this deliciousness:

tahini buddha bowl

i used this recipe from minimalist baker, but tweaked it a bit and added a few things to make it a little heartier and higher in protein. you could easily leave out the chicken and the chicken broth and have a hearty, delicious vegan meal. (i also forgot to add the tahini sauce before i took the photo, pretend there is tahini sauce drizzled all over this pile of yum.)

for the roasted vegetables:

olive oil

1/2 red onion, cut in small wedges

2 large sweet potatoes, cubed

1 large bundle of broccoli, chopped

2 large handfuls of kale

salt and pepper

preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place sweet potatoes and onions on a cookie sheet. drizzle with olive oil and then bake for about 10 minutes. remove from the oven and add broccoli. drizzle with more olive oil and toss with other vegetables. bake another 8-10 minutes. remove from the oven and add handfuls of kale. drizzle with olive oil and toss with other veggies, then sprinkle everything with salt and pepper. bake another 5 minutes.

for the quinoa:

1 cup of dry quinoa (i used red)

2 cups of chicken broth

as the vegetables are roasting, bring quinoa and broth to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the liquid has been completely absorbed.

for the chicken and chickpeas:

1 cup of cubed chicken tenders

1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tsp cumin

1.5 tsp chili powder

1.5 tsp garlic powder

.5 tsp salt

.5 tsp pepper

1 tsp. oregano

as the vegetables are roasting and the quinoa is simmering. mix the spices in a small bowl. drizzle olive oil in a pan and fry the chicken over medium heat. sprinkle half the spice mixture over the chicken. while it is frying, place the chickpeas in a medium sized bowl and coat them with the remaining spicemixture. when the chicken is nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes, add the chickpeas to the pan and combine with chicken. once the chickpeas are hot and fragrant, about 5 minutes, set aside.

for the tahini sauce:

1/4 c. tahini

1 TBS maple syrup

1/2 lemon, juiced

3-6 TBS hot water to thin

prepare sauce by adding tahini, maple syrup and lemon juice in a bowl and whisk to combine. add water until sauce is thin enough to pour. set aside.

to serve:

place a spoonful of quinoa at the bottom of a large bowl (i used a plate instead), place a rather large spoonful of roasted vegetables on top of quinoa, and then top with a scoop of the chicken and chickpea mixture and drizzle the tahini sauce liberally over everything. enjoy warm or cool.