Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake

 I tried a new "Conference Cake" recipe this Sunday. It is a little more time consuming, but it's not as bad as the recipe appears at first lol. And the end result is SO SO good that it is worth it! 

Ingredients:

Crumb Topping:

1/2 cup butter melted

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup brown sugar packed

1 tsp vanilla

Cake:

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup oil

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup vanilla yogurt (plain or sour cream works as well)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons, zest them first)

zest from 2 lemons

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 container fresh blueberries (frozen can be used 1-2 cups)

Cream Cheese filling:

1 8oz package cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

zest from 1 lemon

Lemon Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbsp butter melted

1-2 Tbsp lemon juice

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan (can also use a 10" springform pan, bundt pan, etc)

Make the cake:

In large bowl, whisk butter, oil, and sugar together for 2-3 minutes. Add in the eggs, vanilla yogurt, lemon juice and zest and whisk until well combined. Add in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and stir until just combined. Gently mix in blueberries. Set aside.

Make cream cheese filling:

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and lemon zest until smooth.

Assemble and bake:

Spread 1/2 cake batter into the bottom of your prepared pan. Spread the cream cheese filling on top of cake batter, trying to avoid going to the edges. Top with remaining cake batter, spreading as best you can.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 min. Make the crumble now, you will top it and continue baking it after the initial 45 min is up.

Make the crumble:

In a small bowl, combine melted butter, flour, sugar, and vanilla until crumbly. Put into freezer while the cake is baking for 45 min.

Topping and finish baking:

Remove the cake from the oven and turn the heat up to 425 degrees. While it is heating up, sprinkle the crumble topping over the top of the cake. Return to the oven, uncovered, and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. If top starts burning you can cover for the last 5-10 min but you want a crisp top. 

Allow to cool slightly, and drizzle with the lemon glaze before serving. 

Creamy Tortellini Soup

1 lb sausage

1 brick cream cheese

1/2 sweet onion
1 garlic minced 
1 pkg tortellini 
1/3 bag spinach 
1 can tomato sauce (or diced tomatoes)
1 box chicken stock
Mozzarella cheese shredded
Pepper

Cook sausage with onion and garlic
Pour chicken stock in crock pot. Add cream cheese, tomato sauce, and cooked sausage. Cook on low for 4 hours. Add spinach and tortellini for 30 min. Serve with mozzarella cheese and pepper on top. 

Don’t skip the spinach. My husband and kids hate all things green. They still love it. 

Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps

Ingredients:

Cooked chicken, shredded or cubed

Chopped romaine lettuce

Fresh grated parmesan cheese

Croutons

Caesar dressing

Tortillas

Directions:

Fill tortilla with ingredients, wrap, and enjoy!

You can also mix everything together like a salad and then scoop into tortilla. My kids are picky and like to be able to choose what they want and how much on their wraps. 

You can also add in avocados or bacon. Both are yummy too!

The Best Blueberry Muffins (w/a hint of lemon)

Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt thinned slightly with water*

1.5-2 cups blueberries, washed and dry

Juice of 1/4 lemon

Crumble Topping

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar (white or brown or a mixture)

3 TB butter, softened

sprinkle of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar together using a hand mixer. Add in eggs one at a time, beating well in between. Add vanilla and mix.

Switch to a mixing spoon or fork and stir in flour, salt, baking powder, and yogurt. 

Crush 1/2 cup of blueberries with a fork, and mix into batter.  Toss remaining blueberries in a flour coating then fold into the batter. Squeeze in fresh lemon juice, about 1/4 of a lemon (or more or less to taste).

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners, and fill 3/4 with batter. 

Mix together the crumble topping,  and drop onto the tops of the muffins.

Bake for 25-30 min.  Allow to cool and enjoy!

*Note: You can substitute the vanilla yogurt for milk, buttermilk, or plain yogurt. 

Raspberry Lemon Sweet Rolls

 DOUGH:

4 1/2 tsps yeast (or 2 packets) dissolved in 1 cup very warm water

6 TBS shortening (butter is OK too)

1 cup sugar

9 cups unbleached all purpose flour

2 cups hot water

2 eggs, beaten

1 TBS salt

FILLING:

1/4 cup butter softened

1/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1/4 cup white sugar

    RASPBERRY PUREE:

    1-2 cartons raspberries, pressed through a fine strainer to make a puree

    3 TBS sugar

    Zest and a couple squeezes of juice of half a lemon

    1 1/2 tsp corn starch

FROSTING:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

Zest and a couple squeezes of juice of half a lemon

INSTRUCTIONS:

Add yeast to very warm water and let sit for 5-10 minutes until bubbly and poofy.

In stand mixer, add shortening, sugar, salt, and hot water and mix together.  Let cool slightly and then add in 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture and mix until well combined. Add in beaten eggs and mix.

Gradually mix in remaining flour and mix for about 2 minutes with the dough hooks. Remove dough from bowl and knead by hand until dough is satiny and smooth. Grease bowl and put the dough back into the bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise until double, about 30-60 min.

Remove dough from bowl and place on lightly floured counter. Divide dough in half.  (You will repeat these same steps with the second half of the dough. So only use half of the brown sugar mixture and half of the raspberry puree) Roll one half of the dough out into a rectangle shape. Spread softened butter on the dough (I just use my hands, it works the best!) and then sprinkle with the brown sugar/white sugar mix. It's ok to not use it all, just put as much as you like on. Take your raspberry puree and combine it with the sugar, lemon zest and juice and corn starch. Mix together until smooth. Pour a couple lines of raspberry puree on the dough.  

Gently roll up the dough into one long row.  Using dental floss, cut the rolls into pieces about 2" thick.  Place into a greased 9x13 pan. Drizzle tops of rolls with more raspberry puree, dripping into the middle of the roll.  

Repeat using the other half of the dough.

Let rolls rise until doubled, about an hour.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-32 minutes. Tops should be golden brown and middles cooked through.  

Allow to cool while making the frosting.

Combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice and beat with electric beaters until smooth.  Spread frosting on rolls and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from twopeasandtheirpod

Artisan Crusty Bread

This recipe uses an enameled Dutch Oven/cast iron pot with a lid.  You can also use a regular Dutch Oven if needed.  It also needs to raise for 12+ hours (I make it before bed and let it raise overnight until the next afternoon.)

In a plastic bowl, combine:

1 teaspoon active dry yeast (really any yeast should work)

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1 3/4 cups warm water

3 cups flour

Use a plastic or wooden spoon, mix the ingredients until dough forms and there are no longer dry patches of flour.  Do not over mix or knead the dough.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and double cover it with a lid.  Let the dough sit for at least 12 hours, up to 24 hours.   

Dump dough onto floured surface and shape into a ball.  Place on a sheet of parchment paper and let rise 1-2 hours.  

While it's rising, heat your oven to 450 degrees and heat your enameled dutch oven/cast iron for 30-40 min.  (Just put it in the oven empty while the dough is rising on the parchment paper.) 

Remove hot pot from oven and transfer the parchment paper holding the dough into the pot.  Cover with the lid and return to oven.  Bake for 30 min, then remove the lid and bake another 15 min.  Let cool, slice, and enjoy!

(recipe from Amber's Kitchen) 

This is what an enameled Dutch Oven pot looks like:

Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons regular sugar

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons brown sugar

3 eggs

1/2 Tablespoon vanilla

3 1/3 cups flour

1/2 Tablespoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups chocolate chips

Optional: mix in M&M's

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Beat butter and sugars until creamy and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat in-between.  Add vanilla, flour, salt, and baking soda.  Mix well.  

Gently mix in the chocolate chips and M&Ms.  

Spread batter into a 17x12 inch jelly roll cookie sheet.  Bake for 17-18 min, until golden brown.  Middle should still be slightly gooey, which is so yummy!  Cut and enjoy while warm.  Add vanilla ice cream to top it off!

(Original recipe from Amber's Kitchen)