Apple Oatmeal Coffee Cake Muffins

I used to not be much of a baker. Something about measuring things precisely always intimidated me; I much preferred the creativity in cooking. But lately something has shifted. Somehow, I’ve found myself really enjoying following directions and always (almost) getting perfect results. Maybe I’m finally growing up.

The boys have started enjoying it too. They wake up on Saturday or Sunday mornings and ask me to make muffins, waffles, or banana bread. Ansen’s favorite was Amish Friendship Bread and I was really good about keeping a starter going for a while and then I finally failed at keeping it alive. So one morning when he woke up and asked for Friendship Bread, I had to break the news. No more friendship bread. But it got me looking through my Betty Crocker Cookbook for something Ansen would accept in its place and I found this amaze-ball recipe. I’ve made it several time since and I’m proud to say it has now taken the place of the Friendship Bread. And there’s no starter to babysit and keep cool but not too cool and massage/squash every day.

Apple Oatmeal Coffee Cake Muffins
(recipe from Betty Crocker)
Prep: 25 min; Bake: 20-25 Min for Muffins, 55 Min. for Cake

Ingredients
Oat-Streusel Topping (below)
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup old-fashioned oats
½ cup stick butter, softened
1 cup buttermilk
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1 ½ cups chopped apples (2 small)

Directions

1.      Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of two muffin tins (or for cake 9 x 9 x 2 inches)

2.      Prepare Oat-Streusel Topping; set aside

3.      Beat remaining ingredients except apples in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in apples. Pour batter in muffin tins (3/4 full) or in pan. Sprinkle with topping.

4.      Bake 20-25 minutes for muffins or 55 minutes for cake until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm.

Oat-Streusel Topping

Ingredients 2 tablespoons butter, firm
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup old-fashioned oats

Directions

1.      Cut margarine into flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives until crumbly. Stir in oats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thirsty Thursday: Skinny Chai Tea Latte

Spoiler Alert:  This post is not about alcohol

Sorry about that - are you still with me?  Recently, I decided to make a concentrated effort to cut refined sugar out of my diet.  No fun right?  In my job,  I am currently faced with this on a day to day basis:

Yep ladies and gentleman, in the world of yachting we always have a candy drawer.  Guess who gets to stock it?  This girl.   I know that you all believe that I live a glamourous life but when I have worked 18 hours for a few days in a row, my ability to resist the allure of this is tough.

I really have tried to cut foods like this out and when I lived a "normal" life I did not buy this kind of junk food.  I much prefer to splurge on  "amazing" dessert.  I like to stock something like dark chocolate almonds and some fantastic gelato.  I feel like I live a very "healthy" lifestyle in general but when you really start looking at sugar hidden in food it really gets you.  I could dedicate an entire blog on our ability as Americans to allow our food companies to blatantly lie to us about healthy foods and what our food contains but I will skip the lecture and get to the point!   It is crazy when you realize that things like cereals, breads, and even certain "healthy" foods have so much sugar.  Before I lose you and you get depressed like I just made myself by writing this I am here to give you a Thirsty Thursday afternoon pick up!   Yeah!

I spend lots of time shopping and as many of you know Target & Starbucks joined forces to lead you into temptation.  I walk into Target and I want something to sip on for a little pick me up while I stroll down the aisles.   Unfortunately, you realize you are only supposed to take in 25 grams of sugar a day (this is not talking about naturally occurring sugar from fruit & veggies - I also include sugar in Red wine as naturally occuring).  You will be shocked to learn shaken ice tea/ lemonade has 33 grams and a Chai Tea Latte has a whopping 42 Grams of sugar.  It is enough to make this girl throw herself in the ocean (I know how to swim).

Here it is FINALLY!  I am getting to the point I promise.  I know we all like a little sweet pick me up in the afternoons and maybe even a tiny bit of caffeine.  I have stumbled on the answer (cue music).  A Skinny Chai Tea Latte without that fake sugar crap.  Yes!!!  

I stumbled on this beauty at the grocery store the other day.  I have already been a huge fan of Green Tea Blueberry Slim Life but this is the new addition.   I brew this tea bag, add honey (which has been getting rave reviews about weight loss), and put in a splash of unsweetened Almond Milk (I am sure skim milk would work the same) and then I pour it on ice.  Delish!

This drink was approved by my resident Sugar Addict on the boat (amazing I know) but he wants me to put a nice Spiced Rum in it for happy hour one day.   I realize this defeats the purpose of the drink and the cutting out of sugar that I just blabbed on about for way too long.  But one of these days I will need that kind of afternoon pick me up too…….

How to make Big-Ass Belgian Waffles

My husband is a huge fan of Belgian Waffles. I never thought I could make them because we had a ‘normal’ sized waffle maker. So he asked for a legitimate Belgian Waffle maker for Christmas. His parents bought us a really nice one so I got to cooking one Saturday morning. While the bacon sizzled I looked up my usual waffle recipe in my Betty Crocker Cookbook and made waffles. Poor Andy wondered why they tasted the same as my regular waffles, only thicker and harder. Then he asked the question, “Aren’t Belgian Waffles made with like, different batter or something?” Doh.
Yes, my friends. They are. Turns out there’s more to a Belgian Waffle than a big-ass waffle maker.

The Belgian Waffle is formally called the Brussels Waffle, based on its origins from Brussels, Belgium. It was introduced at the World’s Fair in Seattle in 1962 but the Seattleites didn’t somehow know what or where Brussels was so they named it the Belgian Waffle instead. Its soft, crispy melty-in-your-mouthness has been taking North America by storm ever since.

So, after a lot of tries I found a great recipe that I then modified just a little bit to make it easier (this one doesn't require yeast) and healthier (really, two whole sticks of butter?) than some of the others. We think it tastes really delicious and authentic so I think you should try it and let me know what you think.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs, separated
1 ½ cups milk
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sliced fresh strawberries or syrup

Directions
In a bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking powder. In another bowl, lightly beat egg yolks. Add milk, butter and vanilla; mix well. Sit into dry ingredients just until combined. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form (this is the hard part. If you figure out a genius way to do this without making your forearm feel like falling off please let me know) fold into batter. Bake in preheated big-ass waffle iron until golden brown

 

 

Brownie Cookies with Salted Caramel Creme Filling for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day gave me the perfect excuse to make these beauties. And since my Valentine doesn't do back flips for chocolate and salted caramel quite like I do, I'll also be baking a pan of Meyer lemon bars. The things we do for love. 

The original recipe for these brownie cookies had a peanut butter filling so I'm sure you could get creative and adapt this recipe to make a raspberry filling, mint or whatever your favorite flavor combination is! 

Brownie Cookies with Salted Caramel Creme Filling

Recipe slightly adapted from Bakers Royale

Makes 24 one inch sandwich cookies (I only ended up with 14 sandwich cookies, and I promise I didn't eat that much of the dough) | Preparation: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line bake sheet with parchment paper.

Ingredients:

Brownie Cookies (adapted from Donna Hay)

• 12 oz. chocolate, chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 large eggs
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder, sifted

Salted Caramel Creme Filling (This made a lot more than I needed, probably could have doubled the above brownie cookie recipe)

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups confectioner sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup caramel (I used Trader Joe's fleur de sel caramel but if you're an ambitious super star, you can make your own caramel. Click here.) 

Instructions:

To make brownie cookies:

1. Place 7oz. of the chocolate and the butter in a saucepan over low heat and gently stir until melted and smooth. Set aside.
2. Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat for 15 minutes or until pale and creamy. Add in flour, baking powder, melted chocolate mixture, remaining 5 oz. of chocolate and mix to combine. Set aside to to stand for 10 minutes. Spoon a little under a 1 tablespoonful of the mixture, onto parchment lined bake sheet. Bake for about 8–10 minutes or until puffed and cracked. Allow to cool completely on trays.

To make caramel creme filling:

1. Place butter in a bowl and beat until creamed. Add in confectioner sugar and salt and beat until light combined. Add in caramel and beat until combined (since my caramel was already salted, I only put in a few more sprinkles of salt, not the 1/4 tsp. it calls for). 

Assembly:

1. Spread a  tablespoon and a half of caramel creme on underside of one brownie cookie and place a second brownie cookie bottom side down on top frosting.

Mexican Shepherds Pie

I looked in my fridge yesterday to get inspired for dinner when I discovered leftover homemade bean dip and homemade garden salsa a friend brought over for our Super Bowl bash. On my counter I found the leftover tortilla chips and decided we needed to go round two with these delicious ingredients. I made up a pound of taco beef, chopped up some red lettuce and cherry tomatoes I needed to use up, and decided to wing it...

I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the bean dip and salsa were already really yummy and had a bunch of good stuff in them, but this Mexican Shepherds Pie turned out amazing! You could call it a "touchdown." Pretty sure I ate half the pie myself. Here's how I put it together:

Bottom layer - Spread crushed tortilla chips on the bottom, the really good restaurant style.

Next layer - Spread your bean dip over the chips as best as possible. It'll be messy and totally fine if it's not a perfect layer. My bean dip already had cheese, jalapeno, and I think sour cream in it...so some add-ins you might consider mixing in to yours.

Next layer - Spread the chunky salsa over the bean dip. My salsa had all the good stuff in it like onions, peppers, herbs, even corn...so more good stuff to consider adding for flavor.

Next layer - Spread your taco beef over top, straight from the skillet so it's hot.

Top layer - Top with a healthy amount of Mexican shredded cheese.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Top with chopped lettuce, diced tomato, and a few heaps of sour cream to complete this fiesta.

Watching the game inside while hanging outside - best seat in the house!

Emily's son, Grahambo, and I putting on our best game faces.
Not bad experiencing your team's first Super Bowl win at just 1 year old!

How to Make Kale Salad

Kale is like, the most popular vegetable on the planet right now. If it could get an academy award it would. In fact, it deserves its own cover on People. Do you know why it’s so popular? Because it’s like, the best thing you could ever put in your body. But if you’re like most people, you might be wondering why you can’t jump on the kale bandwagon. What is it about this leafy green and purple that even tastes remotely good? I’m here to save the day and let you know there are lots of ways to make kale delicious—the easiest and one of the healthiest of which is to make a kale salad. And here’s how you do it.

1)      Grab a bushel of green or purple kale. I like to mix green and purple so I get one of each

2)      Wash

3)      Peel kale from the spines

4)      Mush kale all together on a cutting board and slice very thinly, as if you were making shredded iceberg lettuce (which has like, no nutritional value by the way)

5)      Put in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil

6)      Add the juice of half a lemon (or whole, depending on how much you’re making)

7)      Add course sea salt and pepper

8)      Take off your rings and get your hands in there. Massage that kale like you love it. Get the oil and lemon juice all up in those leaves. (This makes sure the kale is not dry and gross, and is a very important step in the process)

9)      Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (freshly shaved is the best but as you see from my picture I used (gasp!) Kraft)

10)   To make a real meal out of it and be like an incredibly delicious restaurant my sister Linde takes me to in Reno called Campo, pile salad high on a plate and top with an over-medium fried egg. You have to trust me on this.
 

 

 

 

Other Kale Recipes on BATF:

Kale Recipes

Where's the Kale?

Vegan Kale Dish (and fantasy dessert)

All Kale Bacon!

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Recipe

Obviously we love our Kale.

And, the top 10 reasons Kale is so damn good for you, according to www.mindbodygreen.com :

Kale is being called “the new beef”, “the queen of greens” and “a nutritional powerhouse.” Here are ten great benefits of adding more kale to your diet:

 

1. Kale is low in calorie, high in fiber and has zero fat. One cup of kale has only 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of fat. It is great for aiding in digestion and elimination with its great fiber content. It’s also filled with so many nutrients, vitamins, folate and magnesium as well as those listed below.

 

2. Kale is high in iron. Per calorie, kale has more iron than beef. Iron is essential for good health, such as the formation of hemoglobin and enzymes, transporting oxygen to various parts of the body, cell growth, proper liver function and more.

 

3. Kale is high in Vitamin K. Eating a diet high in Vitamin K can help protect against various cancers. It is also necessary for a wide variety of bodily functions including normal bone health and the prevention of blood clotting. Also increased levels of vitamin K can help people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

 

4. Kale is filled with powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants, such as carotenoids and flavonoids help protect against various cancers.

 

5. Kale is a great anti-inflammatory food. One cup of kale is filled with 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids, which help, fight against arthritis, asthma and autoimmune disorders.

 

6. Kale is great for cardiovascular support. Eating more kale can help lower cholesterol levels.

 

7. Kale is high in Vitamin A. Vitamin A is great for your vision, your skin as well as helping to prevent lung and oral cavity cancers.

 

8. Kale is high in Vitamin C. This is very helpful for your immune system, your metabolism and your hydration.

 

9. Kale is high in calcium. Per calorie, kale has more calcium than milk, which aids in preventing bone loss, preventing osteoporosis and maintaining a healthy metabolism. Vitamin C is also helpful to maintain cartilage and joint flexibility

 

10. Kale is a great detox food. Kale is filled with fiber and sulfur, both great for detoxifying your body and keeping your liver healthy.

 

Holiday Side Dish: Butternut squash with pear, pecans & blue cheese

Here's Kirsten's delicious side dish!

For the side dish, I slightly adapted a recipe I found on Pinterest by adding pear. It just seemed like it needed a little something extra! This recipe comes together really quickly, especially if you prep the squash in advance. Enjoy & happy holidays!

Butternut squash with pear, pecans & blue cheese

(adapted from Nigella Express)

serves 6-8

4 1/2 cups butternut squash

4 pears

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 stalks fresh thyme

1 cup pecans

1 cup blue cheese

1. Preheat oven 425° F

2. Peel the squash, cut it half and scoop out the seeds. Cut the squash into 1-inch pieces. Cut the pears into 1-inch pieces.

3. Put the squash and pears into a roasting pan with oil and strip about 4 stalks of thyme of their leaves and sprinkle over. Roast for about 30-45 minutes or until tender.

4. Once out of the oven, remove to a bowl and scatter the pecans and crumble the cheese over top, tossing everything together gently.

5. Check the seasonings and add the last couple stalks of thyme, torn into small sprigs to decorate.

So yummy and festive!