Temptation Thursday

What do you get if you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by its diameter? Pumpkin pi.

Hello! I hope you are enjoying your week. Today I would like to share a simple, yet delicious recipe. It is a great side dish, that is sure to please. Enjoy!

What vegetable did Noah not take on the ark? Leeks.


Yam Tsimmes
(Adapted from Wegman's)

Ingredients:

* 2 cups yams, cut into 1" pieces
* 2 cups baby carrots
* 1 cup onions, chopped
* 1 turnip, peeled, cut in 1/2" slices
* 1 parsnip, peeled, cut in 1/2-inch slices
* 12 oz figs, stems removed, halved
* 2 cups chicken stock
* 6 Tbsp brown sugar

Equipment Needed:

* Medium Bowl
* Oven proof casserole
* Aluminum foil

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350°.
2.) Mix yams, carrots, onions, turnips, parsnips & figs in medium bowl.
3.) Transfer to large casserole dish.
4.) Add chicken broth to vegetables.
5.) Cover with foil and bake 50-60 min, until tender.
6.) Uncover and sprinkle with brown sugar.
7.) Bake 30 minutes more, until well glazed.


Why do potatoes make good detectives?
Because they keep their eyes peeled.

Have a great day and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!

Friday Favorites: 8/27/2010

Hello! I know I have said this before (and I am sure I will say it again!), I have a problem! This time it is my wreath fetish. Wreaths? you say, as you chuckle aloud - YES, WREATHS! I collect wreaths like other people collect shells, or jewelry boxes, etc... I love beautiful wreaths, and I love looking at my front door with a wreath hanging on it! Wreaths just add a special touch to your home, they say, "Come on in and stay awhile!"

“Symbolizing eternal hope, the wreath goes 'round and 'round, and where it starts or ends cannot be found."
-Author Unknown



1.) Tuscan Autumn Copper Berry Feather Wreath
2.) Fall Tuscan Harvest Country Door Wreath
3.) Yarn Wreath Felt Handmade Door Decoration
4.) Fall Grapevine Wreath with Paper Leaves & Autumn Color Paper Flowers
5.) Leaves of Fall Wreath
6.) Honeysuckle Blaze Fall Vine Wreath
7.) Preserved Autumn Oak Leaf Wreath
8.) Fall Wreath

"A crown, golden in show is but a wreath of thorns."
-John Milton


Have a great day and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!

Tasty Tuesday!

"I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert."
-Jason Love

Hello! I REALLY LOVE coffee cake! This recipe that I am sharing with you is an absolute favorite! The steps look long and maybe even daunting - no worries! It is very easy once you have all the ingredients. I broke the steps down (therefore there are more of them) to make it easier to understand the recipe. Enjoy!

"Seize the moment! Remember all the women on the Titanic who waved off dessert."
-Erma Bombeck


Brown Sugar & Macadamia Nut Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

Topping:
* 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
* 6 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Cake:
* 1 cup unsalted macadamia nuts
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup cake flour
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
* 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
* 1 tsp. baking soda
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 1 cup sour cream
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup canola oil
* 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 350°F.
2.) Grease a 9-inch round springform pan.
3.) Line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper and grease the paper.

To make the topping:
1.) In a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and ginger.
2.) Add the butter and using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut or rub in the butter until coarse crumbs form.
3.) Set aside.

To make the cake:
1.) Coarsely chop the macadamia nuts and set aside.
2.) In a bowl, stir together the all-purpose and cake flours, granulated and brown sugars, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3.) In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, oil and vanilla until well blended.
4.) Stir the sour cream mixture into the flour mixture.
5.) Using an electric mixer on medium speed beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
6.) Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
7.) Sprinkle evenly with half of the topping.
8.) Cover evenly with the remaining batter.
9.) Sprinkle evenly with the nuts, gently pressing them into the batter, then cover with the remaining topping.
10.) Bake until the topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
11.) Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 20 minutes.
12.) Remove the sides of the springform pan.
13.) Serve the cake warm or at room temperature.

"Fudge is a noun, a verb, an interjection, and delicious!"
-Jessi Lane Adams

Silly Joke of the Day:

What do you do when your chair breaks?
....Call a chairman.

Have a great day and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!

Tasty Tuesday!

Hello Tuesday! Wishing everyone a wonderful day!

If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.
-George Bernard Shaw


Apple Crisp



Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

* 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
* 1-1/2 sticks chilled, butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
* 6 apples (honey crisp) peeled, cored, sliced thin
* Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Directions:

1.) Blend 1 1/2 cups flour and brown sugar together in medium bowl.
2.) Add butter and blend in with fingers until moist clumps form.
3.) Mix in pecans and cover topping.
4.) Refrigerate until ready to use.
5.) Blend sugar, 3 Tbsp flour, cinnamon and nutmeg in large bowl.
6.) Mix in apples to form filling mixture.
7.) Spray 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
8.) Place filling mixture into baking dish and cover with the topping.
9.) Bake until apples are tender and top is golden, about 1 hour.
10.) Let rest 8-10 min and serve warm.


It is, in my view, the duty of an apple to be crisp and crunchable, but a pear should have such a texture as leads to silent consumption.
-Edward Bunyard



Honey Crisp Apples:



Honey crisp apples are very crisp and juicy. The flesh of this is cream colored and coarse. Honey crisp apples have scents that are mild to strongly aromatic, depending on how long they have aged on the tree. This apple has consistently ranked as one of the highest quality apples in sensory evaluations. Honey crisp apples can be stored up to four months in the refrigerator.