What I'm Loving
1) Bobby's home! He's been gone for two months doing away rotations in South Carolina and Florida and now he is back home, in the cold, with ME! And Gus and Shadow. No, it did not go quickly, and do not suggest anything otherwise to me. I really did try to cook in his absence...for about a week. And then I gave up and spent the following 7 weeks eating stir-fried veggies, Healthy Pop and apples, cheese and crackers, carrots and celery with hummus, etc. I'm going to have to be very careful not to balloon now that he's back and I'm cooking again. It's Thanksgiving week so I'll be a little lenient on my diet this week, but next week--back to it!
2) These two, for obvious reasons.
3) Baby Lily is going to be born today! Bobby's sweet cousin Katie, and her husband Noah, are at the hospital and in labor right now. They will be the most amazing parents and cannot wait to meet the new addition to the family! The question remains...will she be blonde? or a redhead?
4) Apples. I love fall because I get the best apples. I'm *kind of* an apple snob, and I'm extremely picky...but I can't help it! I'm from Washington! What do you expect? But I love going to Kroger or Whole Foods these days (mostly Kroger, the budget is super-tight right now) and stocking up for the week on Braeburns, Granny Smiths, Fujis, Cameos...the list goes on. I want them cold and crisp. Don't give me a mushy apple. If you do, I'll just feed it to Bobby.
5) Pandora. Obviously not a new thing, but I've got it on almost all the time now. It's great with headphones for work when people are clipping their nails over the cube wall. Dis.Gus.Ting.
6) My Mariah Carey All I Want For Christmas Is You ringtone! I don't think this requires explanation. And just the fact that we're entering the Christmas season...just love it! Christmas music, lights, scents, gingerbread! All of it!
7) And finally, the best (seriously best) Spiced Apple Coffee Cake in the world. I got this recipe from one of my cooking technique classes at Williams-Sonoma. So you know it's delicious! When I tried the sample in class, I nearly melted. And at the time, had no one to make it for! So I waited patiently and made it for Bobby on Monday evening so the whole apartment would smell like spiced apples when he came home, and that way he'd have yummy breakfast all week long. I can't stop "trimming the edges" as my dad would say. And do you know why? Because it has the best ingredient in the world. And I'm not talking about butter, Julie Powell. Although butter, real butter, is in there too. The best ingredient in the world, in my opinion, is: Cream Cheese. Have you ever had anything with cream cheese that you didn't swoon over? I didn't think so. It gives it the perfect texture. So I know we're on the tail end of Fall, but please make this ASAP! You won't regret it.
Williams-Sonoma Spiced Apple Coffee Cake
For the cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tart cooking apples, such as Granny Smith or Braeburn, 1 lb. total, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped (I used Granny Smiths...yum-o)
2 Tbs. strained fresh orange juice, lemon juice or apple juice (I used lemon, because that's what I had on hand)
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
For the vanilla glaze:
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted2 Tbs. condensed skim milk, warmed, plus more as needed
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or square baking pan. If using a glass baking dish, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, toss the apples with the juice. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sug ar, cardamom and cinnamon. Add to the apples and toss to coat. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture in 2 or 3 additions and beat well until smooth. Using a large rubber sp atula, gently fold in the apples just until evenly distributed, no more than a few strokes. Do not overmix. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let co ol for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners sugar, the 2 Tbs. milk and the vanilla until smooth and pourable. Adjust the consistency of the glaze by adding more milk, a few drops at a time, if needed.
Flip the cake on a wire rack set to cool. While the cake is warm, drizzle with the glaze. Let the cake cool to room temperature. Cut into wedges or squares to serve.
Delicious! OK here's a photo of our cake (minus one piece...) and a photo from Williams-Sonoma. More recipes coming soon!
