Cuisine Archives - Page 3 of 3

November 18, 2014

Holiday Recipe: Apple Coffee Cake

I had picked apples at the pumpkin patch during Halloween time, and knew I wanted to bake something with the apples! So I began my search on Pinterest and finally found a delicious Apple Coffee Cake recipe. Just to let you know before hand, I did not create this recipe. I am simply sharing with you all a fabulous holiday recipe that you can share with all of your family and friends!Here are my beautiful fresh apples from upstate New York! They were perfectly ripe for this recipe. I mean how beautiful is that red? Almost too pretty to eat!I peeled three apples and cut them up into small pieces, then placed them in a bowl for later. Find the full recipe down below!

*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.*

Crumb portion:

3 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large (or 3 small) tart apples (such as honeycrisp, granny smith, or pink lady), peeled and chopped

For the crumb: In a mixing bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the melted butter and vanilla extracts and stir until the mixture is evenly moist. Set aside.

Cake batter:

8 Tablespoons butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

For the batter: In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and sour cream. Meanwhile, in another bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Add this to the butter mixture, stirring until the ingredients are just combined.

Assembling the crumb cake:

Spread half the batter into a thin layer at the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the apple chunks evenly over the batter. Top with about 1 cup of the crumble mixture. Spread the remaining batter over top followed by the rest of the crumble.
Bake the mixture for 35-40 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top gets too brown, cover with foil for the last 10-15 minutes.
While the coffee cake bakes, whisk together the powdered sugar, cider, milk, and salt. Serve the cake warm with the cider drizzle. This recipe can be made up to two days in advance. Store in an airtight container or in the pan with saran wrap on top.

Please note that the batter is quite thick and will have to be spread thin to fit the 9 x 13 inch pan. It will rise in the oven.

And here is the final product! I have to tell you, I brought this crumb cake into work for my coworkers and I also packed some for my boyfriends coworkers, and I received rave reviews! So for the holidays, give this recipe a try! A special thank you to the NeighborFoodBlog for this delicious recipe. Be sure to visit their site!

July 31, 2014

Ciroc Summer School Of Mixology

On Monday, I had the pleasure of attending the Ciroc Summer School of Mixology class hosted by Ocean Drive Magazine! I brought my friend Lorena with me to the Mondrian South Beach, and to say that we had a great time is an understatement. We learned how to make delicious cocktails, we socialized, snacked on hor d’oeuvres, and of course, drank all of the amazing Ciroc mixed drinks we learned from the amazing bartenders.

I am not one for alcohol by nature at all. Honestly, I don’t even like the taste, so if I ever do have one drink, the alcohol taste has to be masked. The Ciroc drinks we learned to make were all perfect, and believe me, I am not just saying that. Many of them featured juices like pineapple juice, lemon and lime juice, and other fruity elements that I really enjoyed. My favorite was definitely the Ciroc Martini. It was the Ciroc take on the Cosmopolitan. And of course, the bartender brought up how Carrie Bradshaw made the Cosmo so chic and fashionable, so I was sold at the description.

To end the night, we all went outside to take a group photo of the graduating class of Ciroc Mixology, and saw the beautiful sunset (last photo featured). It was the perfect event. A huge thank you to Ocean Drive Magazine and Ciroc for a beautiful event!

May 10, 2014

Martha’s Banana Bread

Somehow, I always have extra bananas in my house that start to get too ripe to eat. So what does that leave me doing: making banana breads or muffins. This weekend, I tried Martha Stewart’s recipe for banana bread, and it is slightly different from the other recipes I have come across because it calls for sour cream. But, since I love Martha Stewart and all of her recipes, I will trust her!

Let me tell you, this banana bread smells so delicious while it is cooking. It makes your home smell so cozy, so I definitely recommend you try it just for the smell.

You can find the recipe from her site here, but I have also included it below! I definitely recommend you going to her site in general. I always find the best ideas for recipes there.

What you will need:

o 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan

o 1 cup granulated sugar

o 2 large eggs

o 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

o 1 teaspoon baking soda

o 1 teaspoon salt

o 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas

o 1/2 cup sour cream

o 1 teaspoon vanilla

o 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (Optional… I did not put any)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and beat to incorporate.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla mix to combine. Stir in nuts, and pour into prepared pan.

3) Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.

Thank you all for stopping by, and thank you Martha Stewart for such a delicious recipe!

February 11, 2014

Les Cinq Amandes

Have you ever wanted to personalize a party that you were throwing? Are you looking for a beautiful party favor for your birthday, wedding or anything in between? A great way to make your event unique is by visiting Les Cinq Amandes for great personalized candies that are perfect for any type of party, gathering or special event. This company offers hand painted chocolates, chic carmel candies, variety of candied almonds, and much more. The best part about this company is that you can customize a gift or party favor for your event. You can create a Custom Baguette, which is what I tried and highly recommend, and they are beautiful and delicious. You pick up to three different colors in your Baguette, and Les Cinq Amandes offers such a lovely array of colors that you can find the perfect color scheme to go with your event. Make sure to check them out today if you are planning a party and want to add a touch of chicness! Their website is: http://the5almonds.com/ and I have a special offer for you! Input HOLIDAY10 at the check out and get 10% off of your order!

Thank you for visiting with me today and have a wonderful week!

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