Delicious Autumn Spiced Apple Coffee Cake

Here's a delicious brunch treat for the fall! This is from the Spiced Apple Coffee Cake recipe in "The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook The Essential Recipe Collection for Today's Home Cook". I have to say that it can only be truly perfect with autumn apples straight from the orchard, and all the more rewarding if you pick them yourself.
The original recipe calls for a cinnamon bun-like icing. I made the one they recommended but wasn't overly thrilled. It's moist and sweet enough to serve without it. And, if you really need something, vanilla ice cream makes a perfect topper. Enjoy!

Williams-Sonoma Spiced Apple Coffee Cake
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tart baking apples (approx. 1 lb.) peeled, cored, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter
8 oz. cream cheese (secret ingredient makes it super dense and moist!) at room temp.
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease and flour a 9" round or square springform pan.

In the first small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a second small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cardamom, and cinnamon.
In a third bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice. Add the second bowl (brown sugar and spices) to the first and toss to coat.
In a fourth large bowl, mix the butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla using a mixer on medium-low. Add eggs one at a time mixing thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time, mixing until smooth. Fold in apples using rubber spatula. Do not over mix.
Spread evenly into pan. Bake 60-70 minutes until top is toasty brown and toothpick or knife comes out clean.
Enjoy!

Light dinner with good company

This is a great, quick and easy recipe - another one from my brother. Pick your favorite lettuce (I like to include a little red/purple), top it with mandarin oranges (straight out of a can), chicken (pick up a rotisserie) and crunchy chow mein noodles (right out of the can). And, Newman's Own Lighten Up Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing is the perfect finishing touch.

My friend, Tina, came over and we had a great evening catching up over this salad, a wheat baguette and red wine. Delish!

Thankful for Thanksgiving!

My lovely, long-time friends, Pete and Kathryn Hunter and their young son, Jay Wesley, were kind enough to have me to their home in London, Ontario, Canada to celebrate American Thanksgiving.

Despite the fact that there were only three of us eating the meal directly, we had a spread fit for an army. Our meal was traditional, including:

-Turkey (we ended up using a turkey breast due to a foibled grocery run in the States)
- Dressing
- Gravy
- Orange cranberry sauce (Kathryn's recipe)
- Mashed potatoes
- Green bean casserole
- Butternut squash, apple and cranberry bake (http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/006160butternut_squash_apple_cranberry_bake.php)
- Pumpkin pie
- Mince meat pie
- Cranberry nut pie (Kathryn's recipe)
- Whipped cream

Most of these recipes are very traditional, like I had in my childhood growing up. And, sometimes, that's the best.

The really interesting recipes were Kathryn's and I'm not telling. :) However, the Butternut squash, apple and cranberry bake is very easy and delicious (esp. if you get pre-cut squash). The recipe calls for butter and brown sugar, but they aren't really necessary if the apples are juicy, so it's an easy recipe to reinvent health-wise.

Kathryn did teach me how to roll a pie dough from scratch, a skill I'm looking forward to putting into action.

Stir fry (11-23-08)

Back in November '08, my brother came down and he cooked me a delicious chicken stir-fry. Never doubt the ability of a large wok, some chicken tenderloins and frozen veggies to provide a tasty, healthy, substantive meal that lasts.