CINNAMON STREUSEL COFFEE CAKE

I am always looking for a great coffee cake recipe.  I love to serve coffee cake and fresh fruit for a quick breakfast treat for guests and for my family over the week-end.  I already have a great blueberry coffee cake recipe and also a recipe for a great cranberry vanilla coffee cake.  This time around I was looking for a beyond good cinnamon coffee cake.  My main goal was to find a recipe where there was an awesome sweet and crunchy streusel on top.  I found what I was looking for with a Martha Stewart recipe.  Now, I don't want to "knock" Martha, but I usually find Martha's recipes a little too plain at times and her a bit "artsy crafty" for me.  To be honest I have never really been too interested in searching her recipes.  I just happened to put in a photo google search for "Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake" and a ton of pictures popped up.  I don't know about you, but I eat with my eyes!  This picture with a mile high streusel topping just jumped off the computer at me.  It just so happened that this picture belong to a recipe from Martha.  So....long story short...this recipe turned out to be a winner.  I have made it several times in the past few months.  I recently cooked for a family for a big 8th grade graduation party and they chose this coffee cake for me to make for their breakfast the next day.  It is a perfect wrapped package as it looks  beautiful, but it also tastes as good as it looks!

ITALIAN SAUSAGE, BELL PEPPER & PARMESAN CHEESE STRATA

I don't know about you guys, but when I have guests I really don't like to do alot of cooking in front of them.  I feel like when I am cooking and working in front of them I do not get to enjoy their company and then that defeats the purpose of inviting people over to your home.  This recipe, Italian Sausage, Bell Pepper and Parmesan Cheese Strata is awesome AND it can be made the night before OR the morning of.  I always try to have some sort of "bake" for breakfast on Christmas morning and my husband said he believes we have a new "winner" with this recipe...which is a major compliment.  I got the recipe from epicurious.com and it called for fontina cheese.  Fontina cheese is really soft and I did not believe it would taste as good as grated parmesan or romano.  Hey...who am I to argue with the pro's, but that was just my opinion. Also, I do agree with them not to use green bell pepper and to use red, orange or yellow instead.  I feel bad for the poor green pepper, but the other colors have a way better flavor. Anyway, try this recipe...it is easy to make and it tastes great!  The one tip that I learned from this recipe is to cook the peppers on the other side of the sausage in the same pan.  It really flavors the peppers and also carmalizes them from the oils in the sausage.

 

VANILLA BEAN & CRANBERRY COFFEECAKE

Ok everyone Easter is just about a week away!  With holidays come out of town guests. With out of town guests comes lots of cooking.  Let me help you!  I have two great recipes you can serve for breakfast or brunch.  And guess what I actually have found the time to post these recipes.  How?  You may ask.  Well, I was lucky enough to contract a kidney infection!  Yep, 104 temp. with pain so bad in my back, sides and abdominal region I could cry.  My husband and my mom have been great as they have taken over the job of taking care of the baby and the two three year olds.  So I have been laying in bed since Tuesday (with no t.v. in bedroom I may add).  Today I finally have the strength to check e-mails, pay some bills and post recipes on my blog while laying in bed.  So....the two recipes I have for you are: Vanilla Bean & Cranberry Coffeecake, which is in this post, and Italian Sausage, Pepper and Parmesan Cheese Strata ( which will be the next post).  When I say the coffee cake is to die for...it really is to die for...no lie!  Please do not substitute the vanilla bean for vanilla extract.  Recipes that include the seeds from the vanilla bean taste to dramatically different than recipes that use vanilla extract.  The vanilla bean really does make this recipe.  When I shopped at Caputos for ingredients they were out.  I found some at Jewel in the spice section.  If your local grocery store does not have them I am sure that Trader Joes or Whole Foods would carry them.  Also, it is not cranberry season.  Ask your local grocery store to point you in the direction of whole frozen cranberries.  They work just as well, just pat them dry as they tend to have excess water when the thaw.  This recipe is for sure a "make ahead" recipe so you can make it the day before your guests arrive...bonus!

YOGURT PARFAIT TRIFLE

I may not be able to catch you in time if you are having guests stay the night for Thanksgiving...but if you are having sleepover guests anytime this holiday season you have to try out this Yogurt Parfait Trifle.
 I love to make yogurt and berry trifles when I have breakfast or brunch guests.  They are so easy to make, they look pretty and everyone usually loves them.  Recently, I saw in a magazine (I believe it was Martha Stewart) where she made a large yogurt parfait but in a large trifle bowl.  Of course her recipe you made home-made granola and a cherry fruit compote....but who the heck has time to make all that when you are cooking for Thanksgiving of Christmas?  Not me!!!!  So I just bought store bought yogurt, granola, and fresh fruit.  I layered it in a clear glass trifle bowl.  I think I made this in about 5 minutes.  My guests and my family all loved it.  I served it with some cheesey scrambled, slices of canadian bacon and toasted bread.  Simple and easy....yet really good!

Planning Ahead for Easter - Walnut Citrus Twists

I very good friend of mine is hosting an Easter brunch for about 16 people.  She called me a few days ago and asked if I would help come up with a few recipes for her brunch menu.  I love...I absolutely love planning menu's.  I like to think of this as my specialty (so if anyone out there needs help with this...please call me.  I have hundreds if not thousands of books and recipes).  So that being said I hopped right to this task of finding some fun Easter brunch ideas.  I am thinking salads, breads and other baked goods, egg casseroles, yummy spring desserts and fun punches and mimosas! The next few weeks many of my posts will be dedicated to Easter menu ideas. The very first recipe I thought of is one of my very favorite sweet roll recipes:  Walnut Citrus Twists.  These are extremely easy to make since you purchase some frozen Rhodes dough, wrap and twirl it around some walnuts, sugar and cirtus rind and bake it to a puffy yumminess!  Slap a citrus glazed icing on top and you have heaven all wrapped up in a yummy citrus twist!  These Walnut Citrus Twists are a must....I repeat....a must for an Easter breakfast or brunch! 

Your Having A Thanksgiving Sleepover?!?!?!

Phew...you made it through the big turkey day....everyone is fed, dishes are done, time to relax right?  WRONG!  Did you forget that you invited people to sleep over?  No worries....this post is dedicated to the morning after Thanksgiving breakfast/brunch.  I have come up with a few different menus to help your day after run a bit smoother.  Hope this helps!  It has worked for me!

*Photo Courtesy of The Addison on Amelia