T.W.O. had a wonderful Christmas spending it with family last week. We were fortunate to have been able to celebrate for an entire week with our family. Check out some of the highlights of our holiday.
Pre-Christmas
Chrismtas Eve
Christmas
Tag: lifestyle blogger
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Pancakes, Pumpkin Greek Yogurt…why not add Pumpkin Coffee Cake to the mix? T.W.O. just did that. Check out this savory coffee cake recipe that tastes like the holiday season in every bite! It’s a moist cake that can be enjoyed for breakfast, a snack and even dessert!
Crumb Layer
– ½ cup sugar
– 2 teaspoon cinnamon
– ½ teaspoon nutmeg
– 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
– 1 ½ cups unbleached flour
– Confectioner’s sugar (optional, to sprinkle on top of the cake when done)
Cake Layer
– 1 ½ cups unbleached flour
– 2 teaspoons baking powder
– ½ teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1 teaspoon nutmeg
– 1 teaspoon cloves
– 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
-1 cup sugar
– 2 eggs
-1 Tablespoon vanilla
-½ cup sour cream
– ¾ cups Libby’s canned pumpkin
Preheat oven to 350ᴼF.
To Make the Crumb Topping:
Combine sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Slowly add the melted butter and flour into the mixture. Mix well and set aside.
To Make the Cake:
Cream the butter, sugar in a bowl. (T.W.O. uses a KitchenAid mixer!) Add the eggs, pumpkin, vanilla and sour cream. Make sure all the ingredients are mixed well before adding in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Once combined, get ready to assemble!
Pour the cake batter into a greased 9” round pan (or a spring-form pan, which makes for a better presentation of the cake!). Make sure the batter is evenly distributed. Add the crumble to the top of the batter and bake for 45 minutes or until a butter knife comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes before taking it out of the pan.
Is it done yet? Sure is!!!!
Grab yourself some coffee, tea or even a glass of vino to enjoy this delectable, seasonal dessert!
Cheers
Roasted Butternut Squash with Swiss Chard
Picture this: A cold autumn’s night with green vegetables, toasted pine nuts, butternut squash and goat cheese. Sounds T.W.O. perfect, right? Well it is! Check out how to make this dish below.
Ingredients:
– 1 large butternut squash
– 2 large shallots, quartered
-4 gloves of garlic, skinned and halved
– 1 ½ Tablespoon cinnamon
– 1 ½ Tablespoon nutmeg
-1 large head Swiss chard, stems and leaves chopped separately
-¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
-¾ cups dried cranberries
– ¼ cup honey goat cheese, crumbled
– balsamic vinegar, to drizzle
Preheat oven to 375ᴼ. Peel the squash and cut in half lengthwise. Seed the squash and cut into bite-size cubes. Spray/brush the squash with olive oil and mix in cinnamon and nutmeg. Once the squash is coated, place on a baking sheet and cook for about 30-40 minutes until soft. Check the squash periodically and mix.
At the 20 minute mark, add the garlic and the shallots to the butternut squash on the baking pan in the oven.
While the squash medley is cooking, chop the Swish chard stems and sauté in a fry pan for 3 minutes with a drixzle of balsamic vinegar. After 2 minutes, add the Swish chard leaves.
Mix in the cranberries and the roasted pine nuts.
Remove the squash, shallots and garlic from the oven and add to the Swish chard mixture. Once mixed, remove from stove and plate the ingredients. Add the goat cheese to the top for garnish. Serve immediately.
T.W.O. enjoys having this for leftovers for lunch the next day. Just heat it up in the microwave or on the stove and you will have another tasty meal!
Happy cooking!!!
T.W.O. 