Thanksgiving Menu 2010

That picture is, unfortunately, not mine.  I don't have any current pictures of my Thanksgiving food, but I promise that after Thanksgiving, I will post many of the recipes I used up here.  About a week ago I finalized my Thanksgiving menu.  If you can't tell, I'm really excited about it.  It's the first time I will host Thanksgiving, and although it will be small, it will be awesome.  Here's the menu:

Appetizers

My Mother-in-Law's Cheese Ball

Main Course

Roasted Turkey and Gravy - my husband is the one who cooks the turkey, so we'll see what he comes up with this year!

Sides

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

Green Bean Casserole

Mashed Potatoes

Stuffing (I'm still trying to decide between 2 recipes for this)

My Grandmother's Snail Rolls with Compound Herb Butter and Honey Butter

Dessert

Pumpkin Pie with Sweetened Whipped Cream

What can you not live without on your Thanksgiving table?  I would love to know!  Any other traditions that you really enjoy?  What about ideas for leftovers?

Halloween Cupcakes

I help out with activities for the 8-11 year old girls at my church, and last night we had a daddy/daughter pumpkin carving night.  All the girls and dads came dressed in costume and we had a great time carving pumpkins, giving out prizes, wrapping the dads up like mummies (and then watching them hop around in a mummy parade), and eating some scary food.  There were deviled eggs that looked like eyeballs, breadsticks that looked like bones, and dip that looked like spiderwebs.  My contribution?  Vampire cupcakes and slime-filled cupcakes.  They were both absolutely delicious, and the vampire cupcakes are by far the best cupcake I've ever made.  It's a light almond vanilla cake with marshmallow frosting filled with cherry pie filling.



They even bleed when you bite into them.  The slime-filled cupcakes were also wonderful.  Vanilla cake with a simple frosting, but the filling really made these cupcakes.  A tangy and surprising lime curd.  They were both fabulous and the girls just ate them up.  Having a Halloween party this weekend?  Whip up a batch of these cupcakes!

Vampire Cupcakes

from Baking Bites

2 cups cake flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 large egg whites
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin tins (you will need 18 cups total) with paper liners and set aside.  Sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add sugar and blend, using the paddle attachment.  Cut butter into 4 or 5 chunks and drop into the bowl with the flour mixture.  Blend on low speed until mixture looks sandy and no large chunks of butter remain, 1-2 minutes.
In a large measuring cup, combine eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat lightly with a fork until combined. With the mixer on low, pour 1 cup of the buttermilk mixture into the bowl. Turn speed up to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Reduce speed back to low and pour in the rest of the buttermilk mixture. Continue to beat at low speed for an additional 30 seconds, until liquid is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for a few more seconds, if necessary.
Divide evenly into prepared muffin tins, filling 18 cups as equally as possible.  Bake for 16-20 minutes, until cupcakes are light golden and a toothpick inserted into their centers comes out clean. The cake should spring back when lightly pressed.  Turn cupcakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Makes 18 cupcakes.

Filling
1 can cherry pie filling

Puree cherry pie filling in a food processor until fairly smooth. Very small pieces of cherries are ok.
(A photo how-to of the assembly method can be found on the Baking Bites blog.) Take a cooled cupcake and, using a small pairing knife, cut a cone of cake (1-inch across by 1-inch deep) out of the top. Trim off the pointy end of the cone, leaving a flat circle of cake. Set aside and repeat this process for all the cupcakes.
Take the cherry filling and spoon about tablespoon or so into each cupcake cavity, filling it almost to the top with filling. Top off with the flat circle of cake you just removed to seal the hole and hold the “blood” filling in place. (On these cupcakes the cake was too soft for me to keep a circle to put back on top, but they turned out fine anyway.)

Marshmallow Frosting
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large egg whites, room temperature
1/3 cup water
2 tsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk sugar, egg whites, 1/3 cup water, light corn syrup, and cream of tartar in large metal bowl to blend. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch simmering water). Using handheld electric mixer, beat on medium speed until mixture resembles soft marshmallow fluff, about 5-7 minutes.  Increase mixer speed to high and beat until mixture is very smooth and thick, about 3 minutes longer. Remove bowl from over simmering water. Add vanilla extract and continue beating until marshmallow frosting is completely cool, about 5-7 minutes longer. (I don't have a hand mixer, so my husband and I switched off whisking this by hand.  It took a little bit longer, and was very tiring, but worked just fine.  We used the whisk attachment on our Kitchen Aid for the last 5-7 minutes.)

Using a butter knife or a small offset spatula, frost each cupcake with a layer of the cooled marshmallow frosting by placing a dollop of icing in the center of the cupcake (on top of the cut out circle of cake) and spreading from the center to the sides of the cupcake.
Dip a wooden toothpick or skewer into some leftover cherry pie filling and poke two fang-holes, about 3/4 inch apart, in the frosting on one side of the cupcake. Dribble a little extra filling from the holes for effect.
Repeat until all cupcakes are frosted and decorated. You will probably have frosting leftover for another batch if you are baking more.


Slime-Filled Cupcakes
also from Baking Bites

Slime (Lime Curd) Filling:
2/3 cup strained fresh lime juice
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
10-12 drops green food coloring

In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, dissolve sugar into lime juice.
Lightly beat eggs in a small/medium bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly trickle hot lime/sugar syrup into the eggs. Beat for about 1 minute, until well combined, then transfer back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until curd starts to bubble and is thick. Stir in the food coloring while the curd is cooking. Remove from heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.  Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

Vanilla Cupcakes
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk (low fat is ok)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  In a medium bowl, whisk together cooled, melted butter, eggs, vanilla and milk. Pour into flour mixture and stir until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.  Distribute batter evenly into prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 16-19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.  Cool completely on a wire rack before filling and frosting.  Makes 12-cupcakes.

(A photo how-to of the assembly method can be found on the Baking Bites blog.)  Take a cooled cupcake and, using a small pairing knife, cut a cone of cake (1-inch across by 1-inch deep) out of the top. Trim off the pointy end of the cone, leaving a flat circle of cake. Set aside the circle and discard (or eat) the rest of the cone. Repeat this process for all the cupcakes.
Take the slime filling and spoon about tablespoon into each cupcake cavity, filling it almost to the top with lime curd. Top off with the flat circle of cake you just removed to seal the hole and hold the “black lagoon” filling in place.  Once all the cupcakes are filled, they can be frosted just as ordinary cupcakes.

Swampy Vanilla Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2-4 tablespoons milk
green food coloring

Cream butter with an electric mixer until soft. Add vanilla and gradually add in sugar until most has been incorporated. Mixture will look a bit sandy. Add in milk as necessary (start with 2 tbsp), along with any remaining sugar, until frosting reaches a thick, but easy-to-spread consistency. Add green food coloring until desired green color is reached. Add in a few drops of red with the green for a brownish color, or a drop or two of blue to deepen the green.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

These are the most delicious pumpkin muffins ever.  EVER.  They are super easy, but because you have to layer the muffins, they do take a little bit longer than your average muffin.  They really taste more like a cupcake than a muffin.  The cream cheese layer is wonderfully creamy and tangy to offset the sweetness of the pumpkin, and the streusel gives a great crunch.  These need to go on your fall baking list.  I'm so glad I was in a Halloween mood yesterday and put this recipe to use.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

from Annie's Eats

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the muffins:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1¼ cups vegetable oil

For the topping:
½ cup sugar
5 tbsp. flour
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1½-inches in diameter. Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil. Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours.
To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix on medium-low speed until blended. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.
To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.
To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons). Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces. Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well. Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving. (It may be hard to resist immediate consumption, but the cream cheese filling gets very hot!)  Makes 24 muffins.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These treats are the essence of fall and taste like Halloween to me.  I've made them twice already this month and will probably make it again before Halloween comes our way.  This is by far the best recipe I've ever had.  They have the perfect blend of autumn spices and they will just plain make you happy.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Delightful Delicacies

Cream together:

½ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup puréed pumpkin
1½ teaspoons vanilla

Mix together in separate bowl:
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon nutmeg (fresh is best)
½ teaspoon ginger
A pinch of cardamom
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder

Combine the two mixes completely.  Add 1 cup of chocolate chips.  Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes on greased baking sheets.

BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

I usually love the 4th of July.  We get together with family, eat tons of fabulous food, and watch fireworks, which are always thrilling.  When I was still living with my parents, we would go to my grandparents' house, sit on the golf course they lived above, and watch the fireflies and fireworks after a whole day of swimming.  After I got married, we went to my husband's parents house for their block party and had a great barbecue potluck, and then set off fireworks on the street.  This year, however, was very different.  My husband joined the Coast Guard almost 6 months ago, and as such, we moved to southern Oregon, which is far away from any family.  My husband also just happened to be on duty the whole holiday weekend, including Sunday.  With two very small children, it just didn't work out to get to see any fireworks.  But I will be darned if I won't get good food on the 4th!  I made these delicious Pulled Chicken Sandwiches from Cooking Light, paired them with corn and watermelon, and took dinner to the hubs down at the station.  Even though I saw one measly firework that day, at least I got some good barbecue.

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

from Cooking Light, June 2006

Chicken:

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper (I just used a little extra chili powder)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs (I used breasts)

Cooking spray

Sauce:

2 teaspoons canola oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion (which I omitted, since my husband has onion issues)

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons cider vinegar (I used white vinegar)

1 tablespoon molasses

Remaining Ingredients:

8 sandwich rolls, toasted

16 hamburger dill chips

(Note: I halved this recipe, which was really easy to do.)  Prepare grill.  (I just cooked the chicken in a pan on my stove on medium-high heat.)  To prepare chicken, combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl.  Rub spice mixture evenly over chicken.  Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; cover and grill 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 180, turning occasionally.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Shred with 2 forks.

To prepare sauce, heat canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.  Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar and next 5 ingredients (through pepper); cook 30 seconds.  Stir in ketchup, vinegar, and molasses; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.  Stir in chicken; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Place about 1/3 cup chicken mixture on bottom halves of sandwich rolls; top each serving with 2 pickle chips and top roll half.

Christmas Cookies

These are the cookies that I made during my baking extravaganza yesterday. Between being pregnant and taking care of a toddler, this literally took me all day. I started at about 7:45 am and finished at about 5:30 pm. As you can see, there are 3 different kinds and they are all delicious. I made two of them last year and tried another for the first time yesterday. They all turned out wonderfully. It was a long day on my feet, but it was worth it for the yummy cookies! Enjoy!

Chocolate Snowballs

by Mary Lou Welsh from Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies and Bars 2008

3/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Powdered sugar

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, milk and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Shape into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes or until the tops or crackled. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Roll cookies in the powdered sugar.

Peppermint Snowballs

by Judith Scholovich from Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies and Bars 2008

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

Filling:

2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons finely crushed peppermint candy or candy canes

Topping:

1/4 cup powdered sugar

6 tablespoons finely crushed peppermint candy or candy canes

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar; add vanilla. Stir in flour; knead until mixed well. Reserve 1/2 cup of dough; shape remaining dough into 1-inch balls.

For filling, combine cream cheese and milk in a small bowl. Stir in sugar and candy; mix well. Make a deep well in the center of each ball; fill with 1/4 teaspoon filling. Use reserved dough to cover filling. Reshape if necessary into smooth balls.

Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes. Combine topping ingredients; roll cookies in mixture while still warm. Cool on wire racks.

Fudge-Filled Sandies

by Jeanette Ray from Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies and Bars 2009

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 cup finely chopped pecans

Additional powdered sugar

Filling:

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon shortening

In a large bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and pecans; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Roll into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle (I used my finger), make an indentation in the center of each.

Bake at 325 for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Roll warm cookies in additional powdered sugar; cool on wire racks.

In a microwave (or in a double boiler) melt chocolate chips, stir until smooth. Stir in the corn syrup, water and shortening. Spoon or pipe into cooled cookies.

Frosted Brown Sugar Cookies

I made these cookies last year while I was experimenting for Christmas traditions, and as you can see, they've made a comeback this year. They are delicious. They are soft and the frosting is to die for. The frosting requires some cooling time, but even with that I had these cookies completely done within an hour and a half. They have a very deep flavor and are just wonderful. I hope you try them and share them! Enjoy!

Frosted Brown Sugar Cookies

by Loretta Patterson from Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies and Bars

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup sour cream

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup powdered sugar

In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in egg and sour cream; mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

For frosting, in a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat; add brown sugar. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar. Cool for 20-30 minutes. Frost cooled cookies.

Chips Galore Cookies

And they mean chips galore. I was surprised by how much we could pack in these cookies! They are absolutely delicious. I prefer them straight out of the oven, but they are still good with milk a few days after. I messed with the "chip" proportions on this because I didn't like some of the things, and others I just didn't have enough of, but they turned out wonderfully all the same. I'm sure that you could substitute pretty much anything you wanted to in the chip part of this. These are huge, rich and satisfying cookies that will certainly be making a comeback next holiday season! Enjoy!

Chips Galore Cookies

by Bennet Barlean from Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies and Bars

1 cup butter flavored shortening

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped pecans (I used 1/2 cup)

1 cup milk chocolate chips (I used semisweet and upped it to 1 1/2 cups)

3/4 cup peanut butter chips

3/4 cup English toffee bits or almond brickle chips

3/4 cup flaked coconut

2/3 cup vanilla or white chips (I only used about 1/4 cup)

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Drop by 1/4 cupfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks.

Pumpkin Scones with Autumn Spiced Glaze

I got this recipe from one of my favorite cooking blogs, Baking and Books. The girl who runs the site is interested in much of what I am interested in, and she always writes about interesting food facts. Although she is a vegetarian Jew who keeps kosher, and I am not she gives some awesome recipes. Including these pumpkin scones!

They turned out beautifully and the glaze is just delicious. The recipe makes 6 scones, so it is perfect if you are cooking for two or if you are having a small get together. I ate them for breakfast, but they would be great for a girly breakfast or tea party. For the recipe on Baking and Books, click here. Enjoy! I will be making two recipes today that I will post in the next few days, and one of them is actually a savory recipe!

Lemon Meltaways

Brett's request was that I make the Chocolate Caramel Thumprints. These were the ones I chose to make. And they aren't kidding when they say meltaways. They are a crumbly little cookie, which gives the impression that they are melting in your mouth. The frosting is the star of this one. It is lemony and delicious. These cookies take hardly any time, and you can make the dough ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it. They are really pretty too, and would be a perfect addition to a holiday cookie tray. Enjoy!

Lemon Meltaways

from Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies and Bars

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

Frosting:

1/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1-3 drops yellow food coloring (optional, I did not use this)

In a large bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy; beat in lemon juice. Combine the flour and cornstarch; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Shape into two 8-inch rolls; wrap each roll in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.

Unwrap and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Place 2-inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes or until the cookies are firm to the touch. Remove to wire racks to cool.

For frosting, in a small bowl, beat the butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon peel, and food coloring, if using. Frost cooled cookies.

Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

Let the holiday baking extravaganza begin! Last year I tested out several cookie recipes in search of the best to make our Christmas traditions. I found 4 winners: Frosted Brown Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Snowballs, Peppermint Snowballs, and Frosted Chocolate Cookies. This year I am continuing the search. At Brett's request, I began with Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints.

These cookies are not hard to make, but they require time and many dishes. :) But they are delicious! I think we may have already found a winner to add to the collection.

Next week I'll be making Lemon Meltaways, so look out for that post. Enjoy!

Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

from Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies and Bars

1/2 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg, separated

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1/3 cup baking cocoa

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup finely chopped pecans

Filling:

12-14 caramels

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon shortening

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk, milk and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa and salt; add to the creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until easy to handle.

Roll into 1-inch balls. Beat egg white. Dip balls into egg white and coat with nuts. Place 2-inches apart on greased baking sheets. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make a 3/8- to 1/2-inch indentation in the center of each ball. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy saucepan, melt caramels with cream over low heat; stir until smooth. Using about 1/2 teaspoon caramel mixture, fill each cookie. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening. Drizzle over cookies.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Yes, I failed to put something savory on here once again.  But you will understand when you see it.  Chefs sit around and talk about what they would eat for their last meal.  Some have elaborate fancy meals, some have home cooked favorites.  I don't know exactly what my meal would consist of, but I know without a doubt that it would include this.

This is my ultimate comfort food.  I can't remember ever having a Christmas morning without my grandma making it, and that's what it makes me think of.  I have to make it when I'm not at home for Christmas, which is so worth it.  Sometime in June or July I need a fix of my coffee cake.  And that happened last night.  I wanted something sweet, and this popped into my head.  Once that happened, I had to have it.  It's so easy, that I think you should go and make it.  Right now.  And fall in love with it.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

from Glenda Emigh

1 box yellow cake mix

1 large box instant vanilla pudding

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup pecans (optional, I never use them)

In a mixer, combine cake mix, pudding, sour cream, oil, and eggs.  Do not over mix.  In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and nuts, if using.  Pour half of the cake mix into a greased angel food cake pan.  Pour a little more than half of the sugar mixture over the top.  Pour in the rest of the cake mix and top with the rest of the sugar mixture.  Bake at 350 for about an hour.  Enjoy!