Raspberry Almond Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

I love how children shed light on things by questioning what we adults sometimes don't think to question.  

Like why is a hamburger called a "hamburger" instead of a "beefburger"?

Or why is  a "step parent" called a "step" parent?

Or is he a 2nd cousin, or a cousin-in-law, or a cousin twice-removed,  and why?

Or why is coffee cake called "coffee cake" if it's not coffee-flavored?

I made this yummy coffee cake recently, that my friend, Haley introduced me to at church. 

When I made it I asked the kids if they wanted to try it, and Lainey said, “No, thanks, I don’t like coffee.”  

I said, “Oh no, there’s no coffee in it, it’s almond raspberry cream cheese! You love all of those things!”

To which she replied, “Then why is it called coffee cake?” 

I said, “Well, you eat it with coffee.”

"But I don't drink coffee."

"True, but you don't have to drink coffee with it, you just could."

“Why?”, she asked. 

“Because it’s like breakfast cake, kinda, I guess, or afternoon cake with coffee…you know, I am not sure.  It’s kinda confusing, huh?”

So I did what any good mom would do.  I googled:  “Origin of Coffee Cake”.

And here’s what I discovered:

According to Wikipedia: (bold my addition)

Coffee cake is a common cake or sweetbread available in many countries.  The term “coffee cake” can refer to any of the following: 

A class of cakes intended to be eaten alongside coffee (for example, as part of a breakfast meal) or that may be eaten during a “coffee break” or offered to guests as a gesture of hospitality on or around a coffee table.  Under this definition, a coffee cake does not necessarily contain coffee.  They are typically single layer cakes that may be square or rectangular like a Stollen or loaf shaped rectangular cakes, or they may be ring shaped.   Coffee cakes may be flavored with cinnamon or other spices, seeds, nuts and fruits.  These cakes sometimes have a crumbly or crumb topping called streusel and/or light glaze drizzle.

Since I love coffee, and would choose to drink it morning, mid day and evening.  I could, by this definition, eat this cake 3 times a day! Fabulous! 

And since this definition doesn’t narrow down things very much, my suggestion is that we come up with a definition of what’s NOT a coffee cake. 

A coffee cake is a cake that is NOT covered with thick frosting, served at a wedding or with candles on top for a birthday. Pretty much, that’s what’s I surmise is not a coffee cake.  Most everything else could potentialy qualify.  

This coffee cake is one of the yummiest I have ever had.  The day Haley brought it to church,  I tasted a sliver, and proceeded to walk around the crowd, asking people if they knew who made this cake!? I found out it was Haley and in the next few minutes, people started asking me about the cake – if I knew who made it!  By the end of the morning, 3 or 4 of us had requested the recipe.  She said she got it from a Cookbook from her daughter's school.  My mom has a theory that church cookbooks/school/neighborhood cookbooks, etc. where people submit their favorite and best recipes, you find winning dishes.  Individuals have taken their best, tried and true recipes, and put their name beside it and put them in the cookbook.  This qualifies.

 It’s like an almond crumble cake– meets a raspberry cream cheese danish.

Raspberry Almond CreamCheese Coffee Cake

 

2 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter, cold and diced into pieces

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup sour cream

1 tsp almond extract

1 egg

8 oz softened cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

 

1/2 cup raspberry preserves (I prefer a little more than this)

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat 350. Grease and flour 10" spring form pan.

Combine flour and ¾ cup sugar; cut in butter to make coarse crumb. Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture. To remaining crumbs add baking powder, baking soda, salt, sour cream, almond extract and egg. Blend well. Spread over bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan.

Combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 egg. Blend well. Pour into batter prepared pan. Carefully spoon preserves over batter. Combine reserved crumbs and almonds and sprinkle over preserves. Bake 45-55 minutes; or until cream cheese is set and crust is golden.

So if you have a need for a sweet treat for breakfast with coffee, or for "coffee break" (if your workplace has those), or to serve at your coffee table, I highly recommend this one.  

(Oh, and this almond shortbread,  and almond poundcake, or this gorilla bread, or plum cake,  or apple cake,  or lemon berry poundcake , and my go-to-sour cream poundcake.  I think these all might qualify for coffee cake! )

Finding Your Menu-Planning Groove

This is the signature bumper sticker from the great blog, Dinner A Love Story

I have had several conversations with people lately about MENU PLANNING.  I think people have to find their own personal style and the system that works for them.  We have finally found a system that works for us.  The challenge is staying on my game and being disciplined to keep it in motion. But when I do…boy, does it pay off!

There is nothing more overwhelming than coming home from work/school, getting stuff put away, homework assessed, and then trying to think about WHAT’S FOR DINNER!?!?! If I were left to decide at 5:00 what was for dinner every night, we would be having pasta or cereal or ordering pizza 7 days a week. You too?

Here is my “formula” for successful menu planning:

1.  Do a personal inventory.  

I think it’s important that you know your values when it comes to dinner.

Consider what things you value most about meals:

Health?

Simplicity (not a lot of complex recipes/ easy to prepare)?

Cost?

Crowd Pleasing?

Dietary Restrictions- Accommodating?

Creativity?

I have some friends who subscribe to online menu-planning resources and love getting new recipes (with grocery lists included) for each week.   Other friends feel overwhelmed by weekly “risks” and new recipes to navigate.   

You have to know yourself and your needs.

Meat-focused meals are not what I desire (for health and budget) and therefore a crockpot type of approach isn’t usually the best for my household.  For others, it is their go-to technique.

You need to consider what your priorities are and let them lead you.

We have made a list of meals that we know "work", are successful and meet our "qualifications" in our home. We add to that list when we find a new winning meal.  When I feel stuck in meal planning, I look to my list to remind me. 

2. Be practical.  
I think it’s really important to think about how much time you are able/willing to devote to meal preparation each night. Some evenings I have more time than others.  If I know we have a busy night, or I’m going to be coming home later from work, then I plan to keep it simple.  I am not going to try a new recipe, or plan something that will take a long time to prepare on those nights.  I will plan to have something the night prior that we can have as leftovers, or choose something that is a fast prep (or can be prepped the night before) for the menu. 

Also, as another matter of practicality, use things you have on hand.  (This may be obvious, but I have to remind myself to do this). Every week, I go through my refrigerator, freezer and pantry and “take inventory” of what we have and try to plan some upcoming meals to use up what we have on hand. 

3.   Let the seasons inspire you.
Not only is produce best when in season (cost, availability, and quality) but the seasons can also inspire what meals sound appealing.  In the winter I make soup.  At least once a week.  And sweet potatoes, and apples inspire dishes in the fall.  In the summer, we have “farmer’s market meals” where we see what’s at the market and create a prep-and-serve meal from it (sliced tomatoes, corn on the cob, melons, grilled zucchini, and fresh peaches and ice cream for dessert)!  And we usually grill at least once a week during warm weather months.

 

4.  Plan out your meals for the week. (I usually try to do it on Sunday for the week ahead, or at least a tentative plan of the meals I plan to prepare at some point during the week, and make my grocery list based on the plan.) 

Then POST IT somewhere visible. 

my week's menu plan on the fridge

Place that list where you will see it.  I put it on the dry erase board that hangs on our fridge and by doing this we are all on the same page – people can know ahead of time what's for dinner, I don't feel so lost and there is built-in accountability.

I try to cook 3 or 4 meals each week, we eat leftovers at least one night, and eat out (or bring in food from a restaurant) once or twice each week.   I plan according to what we have scheduled for each day of that week – considering when I have more time to prepare, and what perishable ingredients (like produce and meat) that I purchased need to be used more speedily .

On my board I also list recipes that I have been wanting to make, new things to try, and foods I have been craving.

5.  Have your groceries on hand! If you don't, your motivation to stick to your menu planning will drasticallly dwindle!  I think having your ingredients at home is half the battle won.

A couple of weeks ago, I was having my friend Ashley over for dinner.  She lives in South Africa and is visiting Nashville for several weeks. I wanted to make a meal that was seasonal, fresh, special, but simple. I wanted to be able to focus on her instead of fumbling with new recipes, stressing, preoccupied while she was hanging out.

Our menu was:

Salmon

Bruschetta

Corn on the Cob

Sliced Watermelon

and for dessert- Chewy M & M bars

 I had on my list of "things to make" the Bruschetta that Pioneer Woman had inspired me to make the other day. (My mom TiVoed the episode and showed it to me and it made my mouth water.) I had seen corn on the cob in the store for a good price and we all love corn on the cob at my house, and watermelons have been delicious the past few weeks.  I bought some Salmon, thinking it would make the meal feel special.  I made a batch of the Chewy M & M bars, because I was newly in love with them!

It was a super simple and yummy meal.  Best of all, we got to enjoy focusing on being together.


DISCLAIMER: Please know that though I love to cook (and love to eat even more), and though I have a strategy in motion for menu planning, I don't have this down pat.  Some weeks we start off whompyjawed and don't have a good plan.  Sometimes we have lack-luster meals, I'm unmotivated and weary and sometimes we eat out more than we should.  However, I am thankful to have a system that works when we work it!

Find your groove and hopefully take some of the angst out of "what's for dinner"?

My "Here Comes Summer " List

Sometimes when I haven't gotten to talk to a friend for a while and we have lots of things to catch up on, I start a list before we get together of topics I don't want to forget to discuss.  I don't know if you are like me when you start talking with people you love, and one conversation leads to another, and you realize that you have 2 or 3 (or 8) conversations going at once.

Making a list prior to getting together is sometimes helpful for me. My brain is too full to have a mental list so I usually have to have a written down list.  These lists usually include things about which I need to hear an update, or things I want to share with a friend (something I learned, or tasted or cooked that I want to pass along), or sometimes it's advice I need about something.  Most of the time it includes sharing, collaborating and passing along.

I've been thinking about this blogging hobby and there are times that it seems pointless in the midst of the 3,000 other food blogs out there and the little amount of "hobby time" that I have.  But one of the main reasons I do this is to share the things from life (and kitchen) and the tips and pitfalls I'm discovering along the way.  This feels fun and purposeful.  This week as I was thinking about what I wanted to write on the Blog, I kept adding to a list of what has inspired me, or things I enjoyed and wanted to pass along.

So, here are a few of the things that are on my mind this week, as I am preparing for the end of the school year and beginning of summer.  (They range from a book I'm loving, to a beauty product I've found, to a summer parenting tool, to yummy treats).

1.  I love that during summer I have more time to read!  I have been reading a book that has been so centering that I wanted to share with you.  It is called  Here and Now: Living in the Spirit, by  Henri Nouwen. I have quoted him on this blog before.  He was an incredible writer, thinker and man of God.  I am continually blessed by his writing.  I find that no matter what I read of his, it is fresh, relatable, honest, deep, simple and yet profound.  I am sad that I am near the end of this book.  Thankfully, he wrote about 40 books!

One quote from the book about Living in the Present is, "God is always in the moment, be that moment hard or easy, joyful or painful."  I need that reminder.







2. I made Brazilian 
Limonada this week for a Fish Taco Fiesta we had.  Zippy and refreshing! Summer in a glass! I posted about it a couple of years ago, but wanted to mention it again.

3.  Summer refreshment makes me think about a great skin product that  I have recently discovered: Origins VitaZing Cream.  Do you know about it?  It's pretty amazing! It is 15 SPF sunscreen, moisturizer AND it is tinted-by-chemical reaction to your skin.  So, it works with your skin. I don't get it, but it is pretty great. (The employee told me it was what other product companies are calling BB Cream - I trust Origins more, and they have a money back guarantee that drug store brands don't).   It was recommended to my friend Amy, when we went to Origins in January, and then for Mother's Day, Dave bought me an Origins gift card with a couple of samples, one of the VitaZing.  I am sold! It's a great product for this time of year!

4. My friend Sharon has been posting on Instagram this month "Milkshake Mondays" at her house.  Every week they make a different flavor.  How fun is that?? Last week was Lemon Meringue, the week before was Chocolate Peanut Butter, I think.   I love it.  This is a tradition my household would really appreciate.  Sharon told me today that this week might be Strawberry because she went Strawberry Picking and has some berries on hand.

4. (part 2) (see what I mean? one topic leads to another topic)

In our part of the country it's Strawberry Picking Time!  I really hope I get to go this week.  I was supposed to go with a couple of friends last week, but one of the friend's sons got sick and we had to cancel.  If you haven't been picking, I encourage you to do it.  I talk about it HERE.  My sister got some and made some fun recipes this week with her berries: muffins and pop tarts!

5.  Speaking of friends with great ideas,  my friend Laura brought these delicious M & M Cookie Bars to a college lunch we had and they were the winning dessert- hands down! I asked for the recipe and she sent it to me.  It is simple and super delicious!  I made them for the end of the year party for my 5 year old's Preschool class - they look like a celebration and are easy to transport.  I then made them again when a friend came for dinner for my family to enjoy.  They were the "Goody on the Cake Stand" or Featured Dessert at our house this week.

5. (part 2)  By the way, this "Goody on the Cake Stand" is referencing the domed cake stand on the end of my counter that contains whatever the baked good of the day/week is.  It keeps the goody covered, and yet visible to those in the house.  My mother started doing this years ago and I adopted it. There are some people (including my father in law who claims to not be a "dessert person") who after coming into the house and exchanging greetings, make their way over to see what's under the dome.

6.  And one last thing. As summer is on our heels, I needed to get a system in place to help manage the pending chaos, positively motivate the troops to do their tasks (chores sounds so dreadful, I like to call them tasks), and do some brainwork this summer.  Lainey has had a system in her class at school this year that has been very effective that we are adopting.  It's a reward cards system and they get a "punch" with each action that is deemed worthy.  When the card of 20 spots is filled, they can choose a reward. We are calling it Summer Rewards.  I made a list of Punch-Earning Items and Rewards.  We will continue to add to the lists, I'm sure.  I unveiled it to them this weekend and so far they are pretty excited and motivated.

I love that they added "pillow fight" to the list of rewards!
(I got the punch cards at the Parent-Teacher store- 35 for less than $4, though you could absolutely make them from card stock.  I just thought the printed ones might make it seem more "official".)

Oh and another thing I forgot...meal planning strategies! I'll have to wait on that one- too much to say! Maybe next week, I'll write about my plan for getting dinner on the table every night.


I'm thankful for the summer days ahead and the change of pace from the breakneck speed, homework, choir, basketball, lunch packing to; more time to be with my kids, read books, cook tasty food, take lots of walks and hopefully, relax.

Crispy Baked Onion Rings

In 1991, the spring of my freshman year of college, I had a memorable encounter with onion rings and baby back ribs. I was thrilled to be asked out on dates with guys in college, as this dating thing was a new experience for me.  I was invited to dinner by this guy that I had become acquainted with at school.  He was a nice guy and I was happy that he wanted to take me out.  When he picked me up he said he wanted to take me to Tony Roma’s (a Ribs Restaurant) because it was his favorite.  I had never been there and actually I had never had ribs.  I had tasted a bite of my dad’s before, but I had certainly never ordered them at a restaurant.  I'm not really a ribs kinda gal. 

The restaurant is a sit-down, glassware and cloth napkin kind of an establishment. My date said, “You have to order ribs. It’s my treat and I insist!”  As I looked at the menu I became a little overwhelmed with the rib options.  I told him I didn’t know what kind to order and he advised me to order the baby back ribs. I followed his suggestion.  He also said that we must order an onion ring loaf to share.

(Have you ever had an onion ring loaf? It’s amazing! It’s like a pile of skinny crisp onion rings all pressed into a loaf that you pull apart to eat.)  

I agreed. I had experience with onion ring eating.
The onion loaf came as an appetizer and it was delicious.
Crispy and thin, salty and savory.  I dug in!

Then the ribs came.

I realized that this is not the most polite, lovely, feminine food to eat and that I didn’t quite know what I was doing.  So, I just watched him eat his first rib, and I tried to replicate his technique. This went okay.  I certainly was making a mess of my face and hands, but really enjoying the meal. (I am already a pretty messy eater and use a lot of napkins). 

I couldn’t tell you a thing we talked about, for I was too focused on eating the ribs correctly and not embarrassing myself. It began to dawn on me that I better speed up my eating because there was a good chance that he would finish his food before me (as men often do) and then he would WATCH me eat the rest of my ribs.  My parents diligently taught me to not waste food, and therefore I felt like it was appropriate to clean my plate – especially when someone else was paying for it.

So, with this dilemma swirling in my head, I decided to switch it into high gear and pick up the pace.  I ate and ate and discreetly licked my fingers, and piled bones on the “discard stack” until I looked up and realized that I had eaten my entire platter of food and he still had half of his meal yet to be eaten.

Oh no! In my fear of being watched while eating this very messy meal, I had overdone it and had beaten his time on cleaning his plate.  He replied with a jolly and a little surprised reaction, “Wow! I would say you liked your meal!?”  I grinned and said, “Yes! I did. I might have paced myself a little wrong in my attempt to keep up with you! (nervous laughter…awkward smile…)"  

Interestingly (and perhaps not so surprising) he never asked me out again.  I don't think we were each other's type anyway.  And I have actually never ordered ribs again.  
However, I have eaten many, many onion rings since then.  I really, really like them.
I have never, though, made onion rings.  I think I was intimidated by them as I don't have a deep fryer and don't like to make fried food at home, and I couldn't imagine they would be any good baked. But now I know it's possible!

Everyone in my house likes onions. A lot.  Therefore everyone loves onion rings! As far as eating onion rings out at a restaurant, there is quite the variety of onion ring quality. I love an onion ring loaf, though it’s hard to find probably because I like thin and crispy ones, and I like for them to not be so densely breaded. 

I pulled this recipe from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food  magazine years ago in the "Eat Smart- Healthy Toolbox section" and have had it in my notebook to try.  I saw them the other day and was driven to go buy the ingredients and make them, along with some Turkey Burgers.  They are baked, not fried (healthier and less messy).  They are really, really delicious!

Crispy Baked Onion Rings
borrowed from Everyday Food
(serves 4)

1 large sweet onion (like Vidalia) thinly sliced into circles, separated into rings
1 1/2 cups cornflakes
1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
coarse salt and pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 450˚. In a food processor, pulse cornflakes and breadcrumbs until fine crumbs form, then transfer to a medium bowl.  In another medium bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, flour, and cayenne and season with salt and pepper.

Dip onion rings into egg mixture (letting excess drip off) and dredge in crumb mixture; place on a large plate or tray. 

(I found that the crumb mixture quickly becomes gummy with the egg mixture, so it is wise to split the crumb mixture in half and just use part of the mixture at a time so as to not waste it- I learned this the hard way.)

Pour oil onto a rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven and heat 2 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and tilt to coat evenly with oil.  

Arrange onion rings on sheet.  Bake, turning once, until onion rings are golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Place on a paper towel lined plate and season with salt.

dipped in ketchup – served with a turkey burger

My "take aways" are: don't eat ribs on a first date, do try these onion rings and set aside some of the crumb mixture so it doesn't get all gummy, and accept the reality that messy rib-eating can't make or break a relationship.  If it's not "meant to be" it's not meant to be.