My family makes something we call “Bubble”. Basically, it’s a Dutch Apple pancake, but growing up I never realized it had a real title and erroneously thought that we had invented it and that “bubble” was its true blue name. Kids are like that. I still am not sure why we called it a bubble…I think because it gets kind of puffy and airy when it bakes in the oven.

Bubble is a perfect answer to any, “What’s for Breakfast?” question. It has a good number of eggs and a fair amount of milk to make it healthful and it has just a bit of sugar to make it slightly sweet. It’s especially attractive to kids everyone when adorned with beautiful cinnamon sugar apples. How could it not be?

Apparently,  the thought of having to make dinner last night came as a complete and utter shock to me at 5:30 when dinner time was rolling around. Even though it’s something I do nightly and usually have a plan, yesterday was a, “I have been running in 1,000 directions”  kind of day and there was no plan in sight.

Looking around my kitchen, like I was on a scavenger hunt for our dinner, I opened the fridge hoping to find a surprise slab of meat or whole chicken….no, no surprise meats. Then I went to the pantry looking for noodles and a jar of pasta sauce. Nope…..no sauce….no tomato paste….no chopped tomatoes, no fresh tomatoes…let’s scratch off the idea of any kind of pasta dish. Hmmmmm……maybe a sandwich would have to suffice tonight…that would do the trick. Bread? Nada!!!

I was “0″ for “three”. Finally, while feeling totally defeated on my little game I like to call “What’s for dinner?”, I saw my two glistening peaches calling out to me as if they had been jumping up and down the whole time just waiting to be picked. Reminds me of kickball in second grade, but that’s a different story. What can one do with peaches for dinner and no meat or poultry?

Then it came to me….brinner! Brinner is dinner for breakfast around here and luckily for me my family usually is on board with this albeit most times it includes eggs and bacon. I had decided to revamp my delicious Dutch Apple Pancake to incorporate those lovely peaches.So that is what I did.

I changed up my recipe to include some nutmeg because that just seemed like the right thing to do for those bright and cheerful peaches. It turned out better than I had envisioned, and we all sat down to our peachy puffy pancake and happily ate away. There was not any pancake left, and our stomachs were full so one more dinner down, and maybe one score for me tonight on my battle with the week.

Peachy, Puffy Pancake
1 c. all purpose flour
2 T granulated sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. cinnamon
1 c. 2% milk
6 extra large eggs, beaten or 7-8 large eggs
1 c. sliced peaches
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
2 t. sugar
nonstick cooking spray

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 pan (or other similar dish) with cooking spray.

Put all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until all of the dry ingredients are adequately dispersed. Pour milk and beaten eggs into a large liquid measuring cup and SLOWLY add to the dry ingredients, beating with the whisk a little at a time so that you don’t end up with lumps. If you pour the milk mixture in all at once you end up with clumps of flour instead of a smooth batter.

Pour your combined batter into the prepared baking dish. Mix 2 t. sugar, 1/2 t. cinnamon and 1/4 t. nutmeg together in a small bowl. Mix in the sliced peaches, to evenly coat them with the sugar and nutmeg mixture. Place peach slices on top of the batter, equally distributing them. They will sink, but when it bakes, they will rise to the top again. Bake for about 25-30 minutes…until golden and slightly firm. Place a few slabs of butter on top to melt and slather over the pancake. Slice and serve with additional peaches.

Let’s reconsider that last statement. I am NOT calling all of my readers losers. Well, I don’t think so anyhow. I am actually just saying that if I have blown your trust to smithereens, although it may be my fault entirely, if you don’t believe me this time, you will be so, so sorry because this IS the BEST chocolate cake I have ever made (I am fairly certain).

This Chocolate Feather Cake from Rose Levy Beranbaum in Heavenly Cakes is actually heaven on earth and so aptly part of her well named book.

Part of the Kahlua cake photo shoot…white backdrop with external lighting.

But, of course, I Genified it. Basically, in layman’s terms, I got it good and drunk. It was a birthday cake for my cousin, and I was certain that a celebration cake warranted a little extra spirit. So I switched out most of the water for Kahlua, threw in some Espresso, added a Kahlua Ganache AND a Kahlua icing, and oh boy.  It literally might make you dance and sing—um— on the table tops mind you, preferably clothes still on.

See anything missing?

The texture is feathery as its original name implies, and the flavor is rich and so very chocolaty with the extra zing from the liqueur and Espresso, and the word, “mmmmmm” can’t help but escape from your mouth.  Perhaps that is the only logical explanation for why this cake was mysteriously missing two slices from the bundt ring that I made him.

Note that Sadie is waiting for one false move and it’s all hers.

—Which is why I decided to slice it up and place it on a platter instead of serving it as a whole cake. I don’t think he suspected a thing. But, in my defense, I HAD to taste it first before giving it away as a present. It was my first time making this cake and I had messed with the recipe so entirely that it didn’t really resemble the original version so I HAD to know that it was up to par. Right? Glad we agree.

Thanks for having my back. I will officially retract my original statement about you being a loser. Make the cake, eat the cake and  have a better life. That’s all folks.

Chocolate Kahlua Cake with Kahlua Ganache and Kahlua Icing

Inspired by Rose Levy Beranbaum’s recipe in Heavenly Cakes but totally Genified
Serves 12-14…it’s very rich
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (best quality avail. but not Dutch Process)
1/2 c. Kahlua
1/4 c. very hot water
2 1/4 c. cake flour
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
3 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1/2 c. + 6 T. of unsalted butter softened just a bit (one stick + 6 T),
3 eggs, room temperature
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. water
1 T. instant espresso granules
2 T. boiling water
1/4 c. Canola oil

To Make the Cake: Place Kahlua in a microwave safe dish and heat for one minute on high to boil it. Place your cocoa powder into the hot Kahlua and whisk until smooth. Add the 1/4 c. hot water to thin it out a bit. Let rest while doing all other steps.

Take one rack out of your oven and place the bottom rack in the bottom third of your oven. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour through salt and mix on low speed to adequately disperse the dry ingredients.

Add your butter and chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients and beat together on medium speed until fairly creamy. In a medium-sized mixing bowl beat together eggs, vanilla and 1/2 c. of water.

In a very small microwave safe dish, heat the 2 T. of water for 30 seconds. Add the 1 T. of espresso granules and mix together until espresso dissolves. If the espresso does not dissolve, heat it up for another 15 seconds or so. Add the espresso to the liquid ingredients. Pour the liquid ingredients into the chocolate batter and mix on medium-high speed for a minute or until creamy and smooth, scraping down the bowl now and then.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake on the bottom rack (which should be on the bottom third of your oven) for 45-55 minutes or until barely firm when touched and toothpick comes out clean. It may need longer with a silicone bundt pan but I have not used one so I wouldn’t know.

Kahlua Ganache
Taken from Mission Food Service (of all places?!)
7 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into small bits
1.5 oz butter (I used 3 T.)
3 oz . heavy whipping cream
2 oz. kahlua liqueur

To make the ganache: heat the chocolate pieces and butter in a microwave safe dish for one minute. Stir, and heat for another 45 seconds or until fairly melted. Stir until smooth.  In a microwave safe liquid measuring cup, heat the cream and Kahlua for 45 seconds or until hot but not boiling.  Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Let cool a few minutes before pouring over cake.  Use the liquid measuring cup to drizzle the ganache back and forth in a “v” pattern over the cake. Let the cake sit at least 30 minutes before pouring Kahlua Icing over, or refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Kahlua Icing
I measured nothing. I simply threw some powdered sugar in a liquid measuring cup (maybe 3/4 a c.) and poured in Kahlua until it was drizzle-able (is that a word?) Then I drizzled icing over ganache back and forth in a “v” pattern again.

BONUS RECIPE! Kahlua Truffles Save extra icing and ganache to serve as an added sauce with the cake if you like. They are DELICIOUS! Or, what I did, was combine them, refrigerate all day and later scoop them into balls using either a small spoon or mini ice cream scooper. I rolled them in unsweetened cocoa powder and voila, I had the most amazing Kahlua truffles in history!

This morning I woke up with that craving to invent, not follow a recipe, and haughtily threw caution to the wind. When I am being adventurous, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Muffins are the world’s easiest item to play crazy scientist with. They are fairly forgiving.

And if you haven’t been around these parts since way back in the dark ages of my blog (February of 2010), then you may have missed my “Create Your Own Muffin Template” post. At the time, I thought I was pretty ingenious and practically danced around the kitchen when I discovered a recipe that can be swapped out and in with whatever’s in the cupboard, fridge or in my head. Truthfully, I didn’t know at the time just how much fun it would be. It’s like one of those make your own yogurt bars where the toppings are endless.

So as summer is rounding the corner, I thought of peaches and blueberries and wouldn’t you know it, I had a handful of berries, and actually some frozen sliced peaches and just went for it today. I definitely was in the “throw everything in but the kitchen sink” mentality. I swapped in coconut oil for canola oil —WINNING!— pureed peaches for the usual apple sauce, almond extract instead of vanilla and a little freshly grated ginger went in…just because.

Ugly duckling blueberry cream cheese muffins alongside winners.

These peach muffins turned out sunny and glorious, and I was one very happy camper. The texture was spot on, the surprise hits of ginger and notes of almond were warm and inviting and I can’t help it, I got a little giddy when my spur-of -the-moment creation came out lightyears better than I ever had imagined. So humble, I am aware.

As you can see from my photo, I played around with various toppings trying to decide which I liked best. My daughter and I agreed that the blueberry cream cheese topped muffins were DIVINE but rather horrific looking, and I, personally, like the sliced almond topped ones the best for both taste and visual appeal.

If peaches and blueberries aren’t in your kitchen, then use my “create your own muffin template” and throw in what’s hanging out at your house. Be creative, go crazy, and you may just get to impress yourself too. After all, if you can’t impress yourself, who can you impress?

BTW…if you read this thoroughly and have been playing “Where’s Waldo” with the blueberries, you may be disappointed. There were literally like five blueberries added to the mix, but I thought, “Why not?”, the lucky winners who get the blueberry studded ones will feel quite special.

—Just a reminder, if you don’t want to be spammed and flooded with the thousands of comments that pour into Sweet and Crumby, please UNCHECK the box that says, “Notify me of future comments”. Okey dokey?

Just Peachy Summer Muffins

An S&C Original Recipe
Makes about a dozen muffins (mine actually made eleven but that sounded weird)
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. almond meal (you can use more all purpose flour if that’s what you have)
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. dried ground ginger
2/3 c. pureed peaches (I pureed defrosted slices in the Cuisinart…you can use freshly peeled peaches (1 large or 2 sml) and puree those instead.
1/2 c. + 2 T. milk (buttermilk would be fab)
1/4 c. coconut oil (melted) OR Canola Oil would be fine
1 T. agave nectar (or honey)
1 egg
1/2 t. almond extract, natural (vanilla would work too!)
1/2 t. grated fresh ginger, optional
2/3 c. diced peeled peaches ( about 2 small ones, and small pieces work best for baking)
1/2 c. blueberries
Toppings: I used pinches of turbinado sugar (regular granulated sugar is fine too) for some and toasted sliced almonds for others.

To make the muffins: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line your muffin pan with liners.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flours through salt.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat together pureed peaches through egg. Then add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture, 1/2 at a time, stirring in between to incorporate.

In a small bowl stir diced peaches and blueberries with 1 T. of all purpose flour. This will help your chopped fruits float in the muffins instead of sinking to the bottom. Gently, stir your fruits into the batter. Using a large icecream scoop, scoop the batter into the prepared liners.

Top with either a pinch of Turbinado sugar or sliced, toasted almonds or both…go crazy!  Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden on top, just barely firm to the touch and tooth pick is clean, however sometimes the toothpick test is difficult when working with fruited muffins. Just go with the touch test if I were you.

Enjoy these with a glass or orange juice or nice cup of coffee because they are just that much better that way.

Hopefully, you are sensing both my great devotion to my kids’ education and simultaneously my hatred of my great devotion to my kids’ education. It’s definitely a love hate type of relationship (not with my kids, with my time spent on my kids’ school work…hopefully you got that).

I am so late in posting that I have been to the LA Bloggers’ Bake Sale and back. It was a blast and I got to meet the famous Caroline of Sweet Caroline’s Cooking. She is even more fun, beautiful and charming in person than she is on screen.

Photo Courtesy of Sweet Caroline’s Cooking taken by my daughter, Zoie

We raised lots of money for Share Our Strength thanks to our fearless leader, Chung-ah of Damn Delicious, gabbed with fellow bloggers, Gerry of Foodness Gracious and Samantha of The Little Ferraro Kitchen, and ate at the locally known BLD restaurant where they are more than famous for their Blueberry Ricotta pancakes. We actually had the warm lentil salad with poached eggs and bacon lardons. It was scrape-my-plate-with-my-fork delicious and totally memorable. And all the while, we basked in the warm, California Sunshine and got to dine with a couple of other LA bloggers. So fun!

I had been craving the crazy delicious lentils (yes that is a thing and no not an oxymoron) and have decided to replicate them along with the poached egg because the runny yolk was the perfect pairing with the earthy lentils. This has become my breakfast of choice for the last two weeks. I have also perfected the whole poached egg thing which I had previously been an epic failure at. Follow along in the recipe below, and I’ll take you through that if you want THE WAY to poach an egg. Thank you Alton Brown. His way is honestly full proof, quick and easy.

Thanks for sticking with me these last few weeks of being MIA…I know I have many of your posts to catch up on and read…even if it’s when school ends and summer is finally here and I can officially and more appropriately eliminate “F’in” from my vernacular (my daughter would appreciate that greatly).

This service announcement was “borrowed” from Bits and Breadcrumbs: (We all LOVE comments to our posts, but I don’t think anyone wants to have their email box filled with every single comment someone makes on a post. To avoid this, you must uncheck the “Notify me of all comments made on this post” box just below the comment area when you start to comment…before you comment. WordPress is currently auto-checking this box as a default, and if you don’t uncheck it, the consequences are very annoying, but can be worked around.   )

Warm Lentils with Poached Egg

 Adapted from Cooking Light
Makes 6 side servings
1 c. of petite green lentils, rinsed
water (about 2 c.)
1 – 2 c. vegetable stock or no chicken stock  (a vegetarian product from Imagine Foods)
1 small yellow onion, peeled
4 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1 (2-inch) lemon rind strip
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
3/4 cup chopped red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

To make the lentils: Peel the yellow onion and push your whole cloves into the onion so the onion is studded with cloves.  Put the onion into a medium-sized pot. Peel about two inches of rind off the lemon so it’s ready.

 Rinse your lentils through a strainer and add your lentils to the pot, making sure they don’t sit on top of the onion. Next, add enough water to just barely cover the lentils. Now, pour in your vegetable stock so that there is two inches of liquid above the lentils. Add your lemon peel and two bay leaves. Turn the burner on high or medium-high depending on your stove and bring to a gentle boil. Stir every now and then. Once it is boiling, cover and turn down to low or medium-low and allow it so gently simmer (don’t stir while its covered). Cook for 20 minutes.

While your lentils are cooking, chop your red onions and garlic. About five minutes before your lentils are done cooking, pour about a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a medium-large sized saute pan. Saute your onions on a medium heat until they soften. Add the garlic and the ginger through the red pepper. Stir together and saute for a couple of minutes on medium.  Drain your lentils through a collander and then put the lentils into your pan with the onion mixture.

Stir the mixture together and add the lemon juice, cilantro and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. I ended up using more salt than the recipe called for.

How to Poach an Egg easy peasy Alton style.

You will need: FRESH eggs, water, 1-2 T. of white wine vinegar (I used champagne…it was perfection) and preferably a nonstick skillet with lid.

Here is the trick…USE a medium or large skillet  instead of a pot. This is where I always started out all wrong.  Fill the pan with water and add 1-2 T. of good wine vinegar (adds flavor), just an inch from the top of the pan.  Gently, crack a very fresh egg into a small cup or or dish. The fresher the egg, the more the white will stay together.

Heat your pan over  high and bring to a simmer, not a rolling boil. A boil is more likely to break your egg when you put it in.  Turn the pan down just a bit and carefully tip your cup over the water (low…close to the water) and let it slide into the pan. Cover your pan and turn off the burner.

Cook for four minutes if you want your egg like the one in the photos above…runny with just barely firm white.

]]> http://sweetandcrumby.com/2012/05/08/mia-and-a-perfect-breakfast-of-poached-egg-over-warm-lentils/feed/ 49 mszeezer IMG_0870 img_9980 IMG_0851 IMG_0859 :) IMG_0853 IMG_0854 http://sweetandcrumby.com/2012/04/30/well-hello-margarita-and-hello-zesty-lime-cookies-2/ http://sweetandcrumby.com/2012/04/30/well-hello-margarita-and-hello-zesty-lime-cookies-2/#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:02:37 +0000 Geni - Sweet and Crumby http://sweetandcrumby.com/?p=7942 ]]> Do you know what? I really don’t care if Cinco de Mayo is not truly a celebrated holiday in Mexico and seems to be more of an invention of the U.S.  I am just too darn happy to have a reason to enjoy some good tequila, take a bite of a spicy enchilada and end my meal with a couple of zesty lime cookies.

These cookies have two heaping tablespoons of lime zest, the juice of one lime and a little bit of sugar sprinkled atop to send them over the edge into, ”Mr. Lime Cookie, I am sooooo glad to have met you!”

Please, I know these cookies appear simple and might seem banal, but don’t underestimate the power of the lime my friends.  Afterall, what would a Margarita be without the lime?  So lime + sugar cookie = zesty heaven. Trust me. There was never a truer equation except maybe lime + tequila + salt (and maybe a few other things) = salty heaven.  Are you sensing a theme?

So, when you are planning your Mexican themed meal, think of these babies. They are easy to make (note the very few ingredients), are so tender but slightly crisp on the outside, and they have much more than a twist of lime in them to add to your meal’s happy ending.

Lime Sugar Cookies
S&C’s own recipe.
Makes about 24 cookies
1 1/2 sticks of butter, softened (3/4 c.)
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 T. lime zest (zest from two limes approximately)
2 egg yolks
1/2 c. sour cream (I used low-fat Greek yogurt, worked great)
1 T. lime juice
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. granulated  OR confectioners sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line two baking sheets with Silpat mats or parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter on sugar on medium speed.  Add the lime zest, egg yolks and lime juice and combine.  Then add your sour cream or Greek yogurt and combine on low until just incorporated.

In a medium-sized separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour through salt.  —*Bakers hint: When measuring flour it is NOT a good idea to use your measuring cup as a scoop, this packs your flour in too tight and you will use too much flour. Instead, lightly spoon flour into your measuring cup.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine on LOW speed until just mixed in.  Don’t over mix.  Place your 1/2 c. of sugar in a small bowl. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out balls of cookie dough and roll them in the sugar and then place on the cookie sheet OR leave off the excess granulated sugar and after they are baked sift powdered sugar on top.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until slightly golden on the outer edge.  The cookie should be just a little bit firm when touched lightly.  If you did not use the granulated sugar on top of your cookies, then sift powdered sugar on top of them while they are still warm.  This will help the powdered sugar stick onto the cookie.  Enjoy!

They aren’t a scone, so they are not overtly sweet. Infact, most of the sweetness comes from the honey you slather on. But they are fluffy, a tad crunchy from the turbinado sugar they have sprinkled on top, and they literally burst with lemon and strawberry flavors as you bite into them.

These biscuits were actually a little present to myself since I knew the day ahead would be “so fun”. Kindly note sarcasm.

It’s been a bear around here the last two weeks. Between the two of ‘em, my teenagers have been up to their eyeballs in monstrous projects and studying for AP Tests and finals, and I am either quizzing somebody or Googling research for the other kiddo. I am so tired of trying to simultaneously be taking both 8th and 11th grade. It’s a pain in my ______!.

If you toss the chopped strawberries in flour first, then they don't all fall to the bottom of the biscuit when they bake...try this with muffins or quickbreads too!

You would think helicopter parenting would end somewhere around middle school. But no, being a card carrying, badge wearing, annoying mom from he!!, I am proudly still hovering.

The biscuit dough is sticky and can easily form into drop biscuits

Stop rolling your eyeballs. No, I don’t do their projects for them and yes, you would think that magically these kids could get the work done without my foot being firmly planted on their backside, but around here, that just doesn’t happen.

Both kids are stellar students so there’s no complaining here about grades and such, BUT I think there’s no kid in existence who decides, “Hm, maybe I should get a jump start on finals and study AHEAD of time or finish my project early…or at least not at the stroke of midnight.”

If you find those kids, or have those kids, PLEASE DON’T SHARE that they exist with ME. I prefer to think of kids like that as urban legends, similar to unicorns and leprechauns. It works better for my psyche and definitely works better for my kids.

Luckily for me, I have good friends who all seem to be in the same boat, and who are all suffering from AP Finals’ emergency preparedness mode right about now. I am thinking a weekly daily happy hour is in order for us worn down and stressed out moms, don’t you? Maybe I’ll make more biscuits and deliver them to their doorsteps.

Hey, I think I am on to something…care packages for stressed out moms; just because.

Anyhow, even if you are not a stressed out mom (Greg, John and Jed come to mind), I think you will be more than happy to make these Strawberry Lemonade biscuits because they are just the perfect breakfast side note to scrambled eggs on one of these fine spring mornings, or perhaps with some tea  in the afternoon. Ah, yes, that would be perfect.

Low-Fat Strawberry Lemonade Biscuits

S&C’s own recipe
Makes 9-11 biscuits, depending on size
9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
3 tablespoons honey
1 T. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
zest from one lemon (no white pith…it’s so bitter)
1/2 t. natural lemon extract (this is optional BUT does add a punch of lemon flavor)
2/3 c. chopped strawberries
1 T. Turbinado sugar for topping the biscuit dough

To make the biscuits: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a cookie sheet with either a Silpat mat or parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl combine flour through salt and whisk together.  Cut the butter into small cubes and then place in the flour mixture. Honestly, the BEST way to combine the butter, is to crumble it between your fingers and mix it in with the flour. The batter should resemble course meal with bits of clumped butter.

In a large liquid measuring cup or small bowl, put in the buttermilk through the lemon extract. Whisk together. Then add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber scraper.

Chop hulled strawberries and toss them in 1 Tablespoon of flour to coat. Add the strawberries to the dough and gently stir them in. Using a medium-sized ice cream scooper, drop balls of biscuit dough onto prepared cookie sheet about 1.5 inches apart. Sprinkle each biscuit with a pinch of Turbinado sugar or regular granulated sugar for a little outside crunch.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until browned just a smidge and fairly firm to the touch.

My first attempt  to get the tortillas to hug the filling, by propping it up with sliced bananas, just didn’t work. Go figure.

Before photo with brilliantly place banana slices to “prop” up the tortilla sides.

And that scrawny taco you see there needed some heft, wouldn’t you say? So, we filled and filled those tacos, squeezed a couple of ‘em together for some good ol’ tortilla hugs and added the bowl of salsa to bolster the other side.

Then there was some artificial photo light involved (a birthday gift!), a few white cardboard thingies to bounce light off of and some extra, freshly snipped cilantro was added. I actually had to thin out my crema with lemon juice just for this shot… for drizzling over the tacos.

But all of these shenanigans don’t mean a THING, unless these fish tacos were really worth their salt. And oh my, if there were ever fish tacos worth their salt, it was these babies.

The beautiful wild cod got to just rest in between layers of chopped onions, garlic and cilantro while bathing in the tangy juices of lime, lemon and orange.

After the cod had its good hour soak or so (flipping once in between), it was grilled to perfection…thanks to my hubby. Then the bling was added; mango salsa, lime marinated cabbage and avocado crema were all invited to this party.

And quite a party it was…perhaps because we started with a margarita?

Grilled Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa and Avocado Crema

Taken from Epicurious 
2 cups chopped white onion, divided
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1/4 cup olive oil
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
1 pound tilapia, striped bass, or sturgeon fillets
Coarse kosher salt
Corn or flour tortillas
1/2 small head of red cabbage, cored, thinly sliced
Lime wedges

Mango Salsa, S$C’s own recipe
2 mangoes, peeled and diced
1/2 of a red pepper, finely diced
juice of one lime
2 T. chopped cilantro
1/2-1  a jalapeno pepper, very finely diced (I didn’t use any, my family doesn’t love it spicy)

Avocado Crema, S&C’s own recipe
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1/4 c. nonfat Greek Yogurt or sour cream
2 T. lemon juice
2 t. diced roasted chili peppers (canned is fine)
salt and pepper to taste

For the Tacos: Stir 1 cup onion, 1/4 cup cilantro, oil, 3 tablespoons lime juice, orange juice, garlic, and oregano in medium bowl. Sprinkle fish with coarse salt and pepper. Spread half of onion mixture over bottom of 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange fish atop onion mixture. Spoon remaining onion mixture over fish. Refrigerate. Marinate sliced cabbage in the juice of one lime, salt and pepper it very lightly.

After 30 minutes, turn fish; cover and chill 30 minutes longer. While fish is chillin’ make the salsa and crema.

For the Salsa: Mix together the chopped mango, peppers, cilantro and jalapeno. Squeeze lime juice over the top, stir.

For the crema: In a blender or food processor, pulverize avocado. Add lemon juice, roasted chili peppers, salt and pepper. Turn on blender smooth and all ingredients are incorporated. Salt and pepper should be to taste.

To Grill the fish: Brush grill grate with oil or we prefer to use a little foil on the grill; prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill fish with some marinade still clinging until just opaque in center, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Grill tortillas until slightly charred, about 10 seconds per side.

Coarsely chop fish; place on platter. Serve with mango salsa and avocado crema, tortillas, remaining 1 cup chopped onion, remaining 1/2 cup cilantro….and a margarita if you ask me.

Issues that our friends and family probably just can’t relate to and bores them to tears. Issues, that unless you are food blogger, you just couldn’t give a flying leap about. Hands down, the best topic of the luncheon was how Food Gawker hurts our feelings.

I have a long list of declined photos that have been tossed aside by these food porn sites.

Yes, my photos are often “too tight” and my composition does NOT include a toille napkin or a bamboo place mat with an icy glass of lemonade next to it, and I don’t own a light box, but how do so many people know how to execute such professional looking food styling or take such beautifully lit pictures? That boggles my mind even after reading photos books and taking a class.  Food photography was a popular topic at our table.

We all longed for better traffic and picked each other’s brains for the best referral sites; the most popular being Pinterest lately. Stumble Upon and Tumblr were also a discussion and it was interesting to note that others have also experienced a huge surge in traffic on obscure days for obscure posts from these sites.  Hmmm…

I now understand the huge draw of these blogger conferences sponsored by Food Buzz and the like because truly no one understands this cult phenomenon of food blogging quite like another blogger. Like a Trekkie, we have our own lingo, our favorite characters whether it’s Joy the Baker or Deb of the Smitten Kitchen or Rhee, The Pioneer Woman.   Maybe we need a hand signal or a button to wear so we can identify fellow food bloggers out in the world so we can say, “Was your post Pinned today?”  or “How about them lighting issues…what’s that about?”

Anyhow, I actually DID bake this morning, and truly this glorious, mind bending Chocolate Chip Yeasted Coffee Cake from Martha Stewart should have taken center stage here. It got served to our normal Sunday Dinner “focus group” and has been depleted hours ago. Rave reviews doesn’t even seem to touch how enamored people were with this bread. Me too. It is resplendent. Totally.

It is a time drain to make…no doubt ’bout it. But it’s SPECTACULAR! I would be remiss if I didn’t warn you that I believe it has a moderately high degree of difficulty if you are not typically a bread baker. I am not, but I do make some mean cinnamon rolls and that knowledge came in handy today. It was well worth the toil and trouble, and if you just dig in and get the job done,  you will not be disappointed. It will make you and everyone around you very happy.

Very, very happy indeed.

Chocolate Chip Yeasted Coffee Cake

Taken verbatim from Martha Stewart’s site
2 1/4 teaspoons (one 1/4-ounce envelope) active dry yeast
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons plus a pinch of granulated sugar
3/4 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
Coarse salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for bowl, pan, and parchment
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon heavy cream, for egg wash
For the filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces
For the crumb topping:
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Make the cake: Sprinkle yeast and a pinch of granulated sugar over milk in a medium bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Whisk together remaining 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, the egg, and yolk. Whisk into yeast mixture.Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a mixer. Add egg mixture. Beat on low speed until almost fully combined, about 30 seconds. Switch to the dough-hook attachment. Add butter. Beat until smooth, soft, and slightly sticky, about 10 minutes.

Butter a large bowl. Turn out dough onto a floured surface; knead a few times until smooth. Place in bowl, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Make the filling: Combine chocolate, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers until combined.Punch down dough. Transfer to a floured work surface. Let stand for 5 minutes. Roll out to an 18-inch square (about 1/8 inch thick). Brush edges with egg wash. Spread filling over dough, reserving 1/2 cup and leaving a 1-inch border. Tightly roll dough like a jelly roll. Pinch seam to seal, and fold in half to bring ends together to form a U. Twist 2 or 3 times to “braid.” Butter a 5-by-10-inch loaf pan, and line with parchment, leaving 1-inch overhangs; butter parchment. Transfer dough to pan. Brush top with egg wash.

Make the crumb topping: Combine confectioners’ sugar, flour, and butter. Sprinkle topping and reserved 1/2 cup filling over cake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drape plastic wrap over dough. Let stand in a warm place until risen by half, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove plastic wrap, and bake, rotating halfway through, until golden, about 55 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until deeply golden, 15 to 20 minutes more (cover with foil if top gets too dark). Transfer pan to a wire rack. Let cake cool.

Or…they can shine in all their glory in this soft maple spice cake.

I made this as an alternative to the carrot cupcakes I was planning for our Easter party for no reason at all except I was in the mood for them. If you must know the truth, sometimes I wake up thinking about this particular spice cake. This recipe is THAT good and it does not even contain CHOCOLATE! That says alot coming from the world’s biggest chocolate addict.

Taken from Kosher By Design site featuring Parsnip Bisque

Faith, of Edible Mosaic made this as a cake, and I have her to blame for my little addiction. But really, if you are going to be addicted to any baked good, this may as well be it. It has no refined sugars (without the frosting). Instead it uses maple syrup as the sweetener and most of the flour used is from almonds and finally a whole cup of packed parsnips makes it into this recipe.

I hope you can tell from my up close and personal shot that the crumb is as soft as any cake I have ever made. It’s not as dense as a carrot cake, a little lighter and fluffier. I ended up whipping up a cream cheese frosting with some maple syrup and almond extract added. It was the perfect creamy note to pair with this spicy cake.

Parsnip Spice Cake

Adapted from An Edible Mosaic and from the cookbook, Sweet Magic from Michel Richard
Makes either one, one layer cake or 15 cupcakes
1 c. pure maple syrup
1/2 c. canola oil
2 large eggs
1 T freshly grated ginger
2 c. (8 oz) almond meal/flour
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. fine salt
1 lb (about 4-6 medium) parsnips, peeled and shredded, preferably in a food processor using the shredding attachment (about 2 c lightly packed)
Sliced almonds, toasted (optional, for decoration)

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting – All Mine
1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, low-fat is fine (one whole brick of cream cheese)
3-4 c. confectioners sugar, depending on how thick you want your frosting (sifted if you want super smooth frosting)
2 T. Pure, all natural maple syrup
1/4 t. almond extract
dash of salt

To make the cake: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Either line a 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper  and grease and flour or line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.  In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the syrup through the eggs.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour through the salt. Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and then mix on low. Then add the other half and mix again until combined. Stir in the cup of shredded parsnips, lightly packed. Pour into cupcake liners or the cake pan. For cupcakes bake for about 20-25 minutes and for the cake bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool the cake for about 20 minutes and then loosen the sides and remove from the pan and cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter at medium speed in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Then beat on high speed until creamy. Add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and beat on low speed eat time. Add the almond extract, the syrup and salt and beat on medium or medium-high until very creamy. Frost and then sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds.

For appetizers, I have planned a fruit tray, some fresh veggies and hummus and this Heirloom Tomato Tart from S&C (Sweet and Crumby). It never, ever goes anywhere without rave reviews and is ridiculously easy if you choose to buy your pie crust.

Of course, there will be a Honey Baked Ham because at our house that IS a tradition. We have family bringing some delicious salads, but one that I can’t get my mind off of is this Warm Asparagus Potato Salad with Lemon Tarragon Vinaigrette I got off Bits and Breadcrumbs. Thanks Betsy! This will definitely be making it to our buffet table!

Photo taken from Betty Crocker's site.

I would love to serve this Egg Casserole from Misadventures in Cooking. It’s even Gluten-free, and if I leave out the sausage and add an extra veggie or two, it can be a hearty vegetarian offering as well.

Oh my, Angie’s Cantaloupe Ribbons Salad with Chorizo is breathtaking, and I will be amazed if I can pull this one off. But wouldn’t my guests be impressed?

After lots of salads and casserole eating, we will be ready for some decadent sweet treats. What a fun and festive cookie tray these Funfetti (Momofuku) Cookies would make from Just a Smidgen!

And how about these gorgeous puckeringly tart and spring-y Lemon Bars from Sweet Caroline’s Cooking? These would brighten up any dessert tray.

And what’s Easter without some Carrot Cake? I think these Carrot Cupcakes from Offally Tasty are just the right size for a dessert buffet, don’t you?

And finally, last but definitely NOT least, I will need to sit down, put my feet up and have some coffee and these Strawberry and White Chocolate Chip Biscotti from Linda’s Savoring Every Bite. Guests can nibble on these addicting cookies while I unwind.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this round up of delicious Easter inspired desserts! And for my readers who will be celebrating Passover, go to The Shiksa’s Passover Potluck for some amazing looking Kosher fare.