Sour Cream Coffee Cake Bread

Happy Memorial Day! I hope the weather is warm where you are, and you are outside enjoying it! We have a few outdoor home projects that we've been wanting to get done, so we are certainly taking advantage of this weather to get them done. In addition to Memorial Day, today is also Secret Recipe Club reveal day, one of my favorite days of the month! This month, I was assigned to Burnt Apple, a wonderful blog written by a busy mom of 3! While I searched the whole blog looking for recipes, as soon as I saw this one, I knew I'd be making it. For Mother's Day, my aunt hosted a brunch to also celebrate my Grandma's 80th birthday, and I was asked to bring a sweet breakfast treat. This was that breakfast treat. Everybody loved it, and it was gone in a matter of minutes! Even Joel, who isn't much of a sweet-treat lover, said he really liked this bread. I think we have found a new family favorite!

 For the Topping:
1/4 cup Oats
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 tablespoon Butter, cold and quartered
2 tablespoons Walnuts, finely chopped (optional; I used pecans)

In a small bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender (or your fingers, if you work fast) until the mixture is coarse. Set aside until the batter is ready.

For the Bread:
1/2 cup Oats
1 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Butter, softened
2 Eggs (I used flax eggs)
1 teaspoon Vanilla
8 ounces Sour Cream 
Crumb Topping, recipe above
Glaze, recipe below (I omitted)

In a blender or food processor, pulse the oats until they become finely ground. Place the ground oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl and mix until well blended. In a separate bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and continue to beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the yogurt and continue mixing until well incorporated. Slowly add the flour mixture and blend until no large lumps remain in the batter. Pour the batter into a lightly greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the top of the bread evenly with the topping mixture (recipe above). Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan and continuing to cool on a wire rack. 

For the Glaze (I omitted): 
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons Milk
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla

Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl. Drizzle evenly over the cooled bread. 

SOURCE: Burnt Apple

Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana Smoothie

My blender spends most of it's life in a cabinet in our kitchen, but this month, it has found a permanent spot on the counter top. I've been going smoothie crazy, thanks to a little help from Laura at A Healthy Jalapeño, my assignment for this month's Secret Recipe Club! Laura is an Army wife who likes to live a healthy lifestyle. She has tons of delicious smoothie recipes on her site, and while I planned to try them all, I fell in love with the first one I tried and have been enjoying it regularly ever since! Now that the weather is warmer, a hot mug of tea doesn't sound appetizing in the morning. This smoothie is such an easy grab-and-go breakfast that keeps you full until lunch. I look forward to trying many more of Laura's appetizing flavor combinations in my morning smoothies throughout the spring and summer! Thanks for getting me out of my breakfast rut, Laura!!

1 cup Chocolate Almond Milk
2 tablespoons Peanut Butter
1 Banana
1/4 cup Ground Flax Seet
Handful of Ice Cubes

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Makes one large or 2 small smoothie. 

SOURCE: A Healthy Jalapeno

*Sorry my posting time was a bit off. I apparantly had a few glitches with my scheduling.

Quinoa Cakes with Poached Eggs

Another month has come and gone, and that means it's time for another Secret Recipe Club reveal day! This month, I was assigned to Fran's Favs, written by Fran, of course, who describes herself an "Italian Foodie" who seems to be winning the contest of who can collect the most cookbooks (she has over 300)! A mother of 4 grown children, Fran seems to have one of the coolest jobs around; she works with flavor scientists and technologists who develop flavors for food companies! If that isn't the best fit for a food blogger, I don't know what is! Anyway, as soon as I got the assignment this month, I went right to her blog and read it from beginning to end, just as I always do. I found many different recipes that I thought sounded great, but this one stuck out the most. Since Joel and I have been wanting to incorporate different grains into our diet, I figured it was a sign to give quinoa a try (again). See, me and quinoa got off to a rocky start. The first time I made it a few years ago, it was super mushy and kind of gross. The next time I made it a few months ago, it burned and stuck to the bottom of the pan, forcing us to go out for dinner. The third time, I made Joel do it, and I am convinced it wasn't cooked quite well enough because it was slightly crunchy. So, fourth time's a charm? Yes, it was! I cooked the quinoa according to package directions using chicken broth (I know that doesn't make it vegetarian, but you can substitute water or vegetable broth) and it turned out perfectly! I am officially a quinoa lover. After mixing these patties and pan frying them, the first batch came out perfectly. They had such a great flavor, and with the egg on top, it gave the quinoa patties a richness when the yolk broke. I enjoyed how quickly this meal came together, and how simple, yet delicious, it was! Thank you for sharing, Fran! 

2 cups cooked Quinoa, cooled to room temperature
2 Eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/3 cup Chives or Scallions, minced (I didn't have any, but I subbed parsley)
2 Shallots, finely chopped (I omitted)
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs, plus more if needed
Olive Oil, for frying (I used vegetable oil)

For Serving:
Shaved Parmesan
6 Poached Eggs (one for each patty)
Salt and Pepper, to taste 

In a medium bowl, combine the quinoa, eggs, salt, chives, shallots, parmesan, and garlic. Stir to blend. Mix in the bread crumbs and stir gently until evenly incorporated. Form the mixture into six evenly sized patties, about 3-4 inches in diameter. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and swirl to coat. Add the patties to the pan so that they are not touching (it is best to do this in batches). Cook for about 4 minutes, or until the first side is lightly browned. Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and cook the second side until it is golden brown, about 3-4 more minutes. Repeat with remaining patties, using additional oil if needed. 

To serve patties, top with shaved parmesan, a poached egg, and salt and pepper.

SOURCE: Fran's Favs

Pickled Jalapeño Peppers

It's Secret Recipe Club reveal day. How has it been a month already? This past month, I was assigned to Jane's wonderful blog, The Healthy Beehive.  I enjoyed reading about her healthy way of life up in the mountains of Colorado, and her cheese making skills! While I would have loved to make a cheese recipe, I wasn't sure where I could find the ingredients around here, so I started searching for something else to try. I ended up choosing these jalapeños because we tend to eat a lot of Mexican food, and I thought it would be a great added touch to those dishes. A great added touch is quite the understatement! These jalapeños took about 10 minutes to throw together and cost about $1 to make! That's my kind of recipe! SInce making these, we have enjoyed them on burgers, tacos, on top of nachos, and even just out of the jar. When I get an overabundance of jalapeño peppers from my garden this summer, I am coming right back to this recipe so I can enjoy it again! Thanks for sharing, Jane!

8-10 Jalapeño Peppers, sliced
1/2 Red Onion, cut into slices
5-10 Garlic Cloves, depending on your tastes
2 cups White Vinegar
1 teaspoon Oregano
2 tablespoons Salt

Mix the vinegar, oregano, and salt in a pan over medium heat. Cook until the salt dissolves, then let it cool. Meanwhile, layer the jalapeños, onion, and garlic in a quart-sized jar. Pour the cooled vinegar over the top, cover the jar, and put it in the fridge for at least 24 hours. Enjoy!  (I successfully halved the recipe and it fit perfectly in a 12 ounce jar)

SOURCE: The Healthy Beehive

Denver Omelet Pie

Breakfast food is my favorite kind of food. I enjoy weekends when we go out for a big breakfast that fills me up until dinner. Wherever we go, I almost always get some kind of omelet with a side of hash browns. Typically, I'll get a spinach and feta omelet, but I do like to switch it up every now and again. A few weeks ago, we went to a little local greasy spoon diner and I ordered a western omelet. Full of peppers, onions, cheese, and chunks of ham, it was much different than my normal go-to filling, but it was delicious, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. Enter this recipe. After what seems to be an eternity, the Secret Recipe Club is back in action after the holidays. This month, I was introduced to Cindy from Everyday Insanity. I enjoyed reading through her posts of delicious recipes and sweet stories about her family. While she had many great recipes that I would have loved to try, after reading the ingredients for this recipe, I knew right away that this Denver Omelet Pie was the winner. I made it on a Saturday morning and it made more than enough to enjoy again on our lazy Sunday, and again for a quick breakfast before work on Monday. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe, Cindy. We enjoyed every last bite and look forward to eating it again in the future!

6 Eggs (I used 9 because 6 just didn't look like enough)
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Pepper
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Ham, diced (we used 5 slices of cooked bacon)
1/2 cup Green Bell Pepper
4 cups Frozen Shredded Hash Browns
Hot Sauce, for serving, if desired

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and seasonings. Add the cheese, bacon, pepper, and hash browns and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a greased 9-inch pie plate or 9x9 inch glass dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean (mine took almost an hour). Allow to cool, slice, and serve. *Recipe can easily be doubled for a crowd--just put it in a 9x13 dish.

SOURCE: Everyday Insanity