Apple Streusel Muffins

Posted on 09.12.2012
Apple Muffins

One thing I love about September is the anticipation of autumn. There is something unique about transition from short to long sleeves, green to golden leaves, baseball to football, and vanilla to pumpkin spice lattes that makes my heart skip a beat. It’s time to welcome the harvest!

Apples are in their prime throughout September. Last year, we went to a local apple festival to celebrate the beauty of this simple fruit. We met farmers from all over North Carolina that came to this small town to sell their best pecks. Apple cider, apple doughnuts, caramel apples, and apple funnel cakes were some of the treats that enticed us as we wandered the crowded streets.

These apple streusel muffins are the perfect way to celebrate fall flavors. Bursting with cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey, these apple treats are super moist and delicious. Your kitchen will smell divine as they are coming out of the oven. Made with 100% whole wheat flour, you shouldn’t feel as guilty taking a second one for the road.

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 pinch ground clove

1 egg

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 apples, peeled and grated

Crumb Topping:

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (not melted)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Set aside.

In a separate large mixing bowl (or electric stand mixer), blend the egg, applesauce, honey, melted butter, and grated apples. Add dry mixture to this bowl in two additions, blending well each time between additions.

Prepare the crumb topping by combining all topping ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Mix using a fork to create some very small and some pea-sized pieces.

Line a muffin tin with paper liners and fill each about 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle topping liberally on each muffin.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick (or knife) inserted in the center of muffins comes out clean. Place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.

Makes 16 muffins.

8 comments
0

Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cake

Posted on 09.07.2012
Red Velvet Gooey Butter

Two of my coworkers had birthdays this week. Knowing that we have a food blog, one asked me to make gooey butter cake to celebrate. The other argued we make red velvet cake. I told them I’d pick one of the recipes and bring it to work on Monday. And then… it happened. I was driving home from work and like a heaven-sent bolt of lighting, the idea to combine the recipes struck me.

Kapow!

The only other place I’ve heard of red velvet gooey butter cake is at Park Avenue Coffee, the king of all gooey butter bakeries in St. Louis. As discussed in the original recipe, this sweet treat is perfect anytime of day, but is enjoyed for breakfast in the great city of St. Louis. Although this version is similar to a traditional gooey butter cake, it has one…shall we call it…”special” ingredient?

Indulgence, indeed. Here is a coupon for this ingredient! Enjoy, my dear friends!

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 package red velvet cake mix

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1 egg

Filling:

8 oz. dark chocolate cream cheese

2 eggs

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

3 cups confectioners sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare crust first. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, egg, and melted butter until well mixed. Transfer to a 13″x9″ ungreased baking pan, and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

Next, prepare the filling. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the eggs and melted butter and continue to mix. Add the confectioners sugar one cup at a time until all sugar is mixed in. Pour filling over the crust, and spread evenly with a spatula.

Bake gooey butter cake for 30-35 minutes until the edges are firm but the center still jiggles when you shake the pan. Cool for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with additional confectioners sugar and serve.

It’s hard to eat just one piece…

13 comments
0

Mussels with Andouille Sausage

Posted on 07.14.2012
Mussels

Nothing screams summer flavor more than fresh seafood cooked perfectly and complimented with the right seasonings. This is the perfect seaside meal. The nostalgic ocean flavor of the mussels paired with the spicy sausage will send you on a mini vacation at sea. If you’re not following the Paleo diet, you’ll want extra crusty bread (grilled slices are best) to soak up the savory broth. Remember to clean the mussels first by scrubbing off their beards, and discarding any mussels that opened in transit from the store to your fridge before cooking.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. mussels
2 andouille sausages
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red onion, diced
1 cup dry white wine
1 baguette, sliced in pieces for dipping (optional)

Preparation:

Place a large cast iron skillet over medium heat*. Saute andouille sausage for 3 minutes on each side. Place on cutting board to rest. Slice on the bias into 1/4″ pieces when cool enough to handle.

Using the same skillet over medium heat, add the red onion and cook 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute. Next, add the wine, sausage, and mussels. Cover and cook until mussels have opened, between 7-10 minutes. Discard any mussels that did not open. Serve mussels and broth family style in a large bowl with toasted crusty bread and a side of potatoes.

*This recipe also works great with the cast iron pan on the grill!

0 comments
1

Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Posted on 07.05.2012
Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Another wonderful recipe from Dad landed in my inbox not too long ago. Since fresh corn season is upon us, we were eager to fire up the grill and give this one a whirl. This summertime salsa is the perfect appetizer to serve with your favorite chips, but also works as a side on its own. The sweet taste from the balsamic reduction paired with the zing of the lime and cilantro makes it irresistible. It’s one of those dishes that you start out thinking, “Okay, I’ll just have a little…” but soon the whole bowl is gone…oops…

It’s a versatile recipe that can be tweaked to suit your fancy.  We subbed the can of Rotel Mexican Diced tomatoes with a fresh tomato, a small red onion, fresh cilantro, and lime juice. It’s fantastic!

Ingredients:

2 ears roasted corn, kernels cut off cob
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained
2 10-oz. cans Rotel Mexican Diced tomatoes w/ lime and cilantro, drained
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons balsamic reduction (heat the vinegar slowly until it is like a syrup)

Optional additions:

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
If good tomatoes are available, chop 1/2 cup of them

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients into a large bowl. That’s it!

4 comments
0

Whole Wheat Cheese Crackers

Posted on 06.21.2012
Whole Wheat Cheese Crackers

Okay, folks! Here’s the recipe you’ve been requesting via Facebook. We wanted to make a cheese cracker that is less processed but similar in taste to Cheez-Its. After trying recipes from other sites, we have created our own recipe that we are thrilled to share with you! These take a little time to make, (mostly because you need to hand cut each cracker) but if you take time to make them on a Sunday afternoon you’ll have enough crackers to munch on throughout the week. Not only did these get the coveted Neil stamp of approval (keep in mind Cheez-It crackers are one of Neil’s all time favorite snacks), but also the co-worker stamp of approval, which is pretty hard to come by!

The zing of the sharp cheddar cheese packs these crunchy crackers with flavor. Someday in the near future we’ll try new cheeses with this same recipe. Ideas so far include a parmesan rosemary cracker, and a pepper jack and fresh cilantro cracker. It’s fun to think of possible combinations. The baking time really effects the flavor of these crackers. Neil really likes these brown, but I like them a light golden color. Either way, I’d start at 10 minutes and go from there. Let us know what you think after you try these at home!

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (have more handy to add right before baking)

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined and large crumbs are sticking together.

Using your hands, create one large dough ball with the large crumbs (it should stick together easily). Roll dough very thin onto a cutting board. You will need to work in batches based on how big your cutting board is.

Cut rolled dough into small squares and gently lift squares using a knife to silicone baking mat atop a baking sheet. (If you don’t have one of these, try using non-stick spray on a baking sheet. Report back and let us know how that works!)

If you’d like, you can press the edge of a fork in each cracker to create the classic Cheez-It design.

Sprinkle crackers generously with salt.

Bake for 10 minutes or until firm and a golden color. Cool and add more salt if needed. Store in an air tight container.

Makes a whoooole lot!

11 comments
0

Trattoria Marcella and The Best Custard in the World

Posted on 06.06.2012

While visiting St. Louis, we were treated to a night out by foodies Jim and Linda Reed (who happen to be my parents). They suggested an Italian restaurant called Trattoria Marcella. It sounded good, and I was excited to try a new place in my hometown, but what I found there was beyond good.

You’ll have to excuse some of the food photography. The cozy atmosphere included low lighting and I took most of the pictures with my phone…but I just had to share this experience with you! You can find the menu describing all of these dishes here. To start, we feasted upon the best fritto misto in the world. Light, crisp, and delicately fried calamari and spinach dance with the flavors of lemon, garlic, and asiago. We also ordered a shaved brussels salad to share as an appetizer. These thinly shaved brussles sprouts were mixed with fontina and toasted almonds and tossed with a lemon rosemary vinaigrette. Both of these appetizers were outstanding.

And now, the entrées. We’ll start with the straw and hay dish. This pasta consists of two different noddles: egg (straw) and spinach (hay). The pasta sauce was so creamy and rich, and had a unique flavor from the marscapone cheese. This dish also included coppa ham, crimini mushrooms, and sugar snap peas.

Next up is the lobster risotto, one of their off the menu specialties. This risotto was velvety and packed with flavor with large pieces of lobster nestled throughout the dish.

The veal marsala was great. Thin and breaded veal complimented by mushrooms, roasted peppers, semolina gnocchi, and spinach. A little heavy on the tomato sauce but still delicious!

Finally, the lasagna napoletana. One of us had to get the lasagna, right? It’s how you classically judge a good Italian restaurant (that or eggplant parmesan). This lasagna was a BEAST! It was a few meals in one. The layers of housemade lasagna noodles, Italian sausage, lean ground beef, ricotta, mozzarella, balsamella, and tomato sauce came together to make an outstanding meal that sung Italy’s praises.

Phemonal. You can’t get closer to Italy when visiting St. Louis (and it’s not even on the Hill!). After dinner, we headed down a few blocks to the world famous Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. I don’t know how else to describe Ted Drewes other than that it’s the best custard in the world. People flock to this retro stand each summer to enjoy this St. Louis specialty. When my family had visitors from Germany visit St. Louis, they saw the large gathering of people and thought it must be a “political demonstration.” My mother calmly assured their guests that it was just ice cream!

It is the creamiest, smoothest, most decadent custard known to man. When you order a concrete, they turn the cup upside down with the custard inside to show how thick it is. I always get the banana-heath concrete, and Neil really likes their brownie concrete.

St. Louis is such a wonderful culinary city. Can’t wait to go back!

4 comments
0