Apple Walnut Carmel pull apart coffee cake ~

I needed a quick morning coffee cake to bring to friends.  I embellished one of those "monkey bread" recipe and my friends swooned over it.  Did I tell them it took me 5 minutes to throw together?  Nope!  One even said they wanted me to make it for their Birthday!  If they only knew....

It's a fabulous little cake that would be a great brunch item.  And it's quick to put together and as you can see, not so bad on the eyes either!

Here's the recipe:

1 large apple (baking, I used empire)
2 cans of regular size, refrigerator biscuits (I used Pillsbury)
1/3 cup of chopped walnuts
2/3 cup brown sugar, divided
6 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Peel, core and dice apple.  Take biscuits out of cans, pull apart each biscuit and cut in fourths.  Add 1/3 cup of brown sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl, mix together.  Add biscuit pieces, stir together well.  Set aside.

Put butter, 1/3 cup sugar and chopped walnuts in the bottom of a molded Bundt pan.  Put pan in the oven for 5 minutes to melt butter.  Take the pan out of the oven.  Pour about half of mixture over the bowl with the biscuits and stir well.  Spoon the biscuit mixture into the Bundt pan, pressing down at the top to distribute evenly.  Place Bundt pan in the middle rack in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, until top is golden brown.

Remove from oven, let sit for 5 minutes.  Place a large plate on top of the Bundt pan and invert the cake onto the plate.

Serve warm.   The apples and walnuts make this simple cake just smell and taste heavenly!

Enjoy.....

Spaghetti squash..... who knew?

 

My co-worker did.... she brought some in for me to try and it was delicious.  I decided to try to make some for myself.

And that it can be a very low calorie replacement for spaghetti.  I didn't believe it, but it can be.  And it's quite delicious on it's own.  But, I wanted to cut my calories/fat in half, while still enjoying a spaghetti dinner.  So, I made this spaghetti squash and replaced half of the amount of real spaghetti to my dinner and everyone loved it.

Just take one spaghetti squash (medium), and cut it in half length wise.  Pre-heat oven to 350 F.  Scrape out the seeds with a tablespoon and discard.  Spray a baking sheet with vegetable spray, sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the cut side of the squash.  Place cut side down on baking sheet and place in the oven uncovered for 45 minutes.  Remove from the oven and turn over.  Add 1 cup of chopped, fresh, diced roma tomatoes.  Sprinkle with  1/2 cup low fat cheddar cheese.  I used 1/2 cup for both halves.  Place back in the oven for 15 minutes on 375 degrees.  Now, you can serve this just as is.

Or, you can do what I did and serve it with roasted, baby eggplants, that were a fabulous accompaniment. Quite hardy too.  No meat needed for this meal!

 

 

And you can serve it like this....

 

 

 

Or you can scrape out the spaghetti squash with a fork after you bake it the second time (it comes out easily), and serve it along side of 1/2 cup cooked and tossed spaghetti (with a small amount of light spaghetti sauce). Add the roasted eggplant. And you have your Friday night spaghetti night with half the calories.  And you don't miss the meat either!

Just look at this dish.  Low calorie?  Yes.  Delicious? Yes. Did anyone feel deprived?  No, my guests loved it.  And most of all, I loved it and will make it again and again! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gloucester by the sea ~

 

Gloucester is another town by the sea, a real fishing community.  It's north of me, about 30 minutes, depending on the traffic.  I love the North Shore, rich in rocky shores.

It's beautiful town, but not a real wealthy town with mansions and little shops to see.  Although it has many artisans in the community, it's center is around the people who are fisherman by trade.  Many, many hard working people live here, mostly who try and make a living from the ocean.

I went to an artisan fair a couple of weeks ago and took a couple of pictures.  While not rich with money, this town proves it's richness of it's own.  I find it a very beautiful place to visit.  And there is much more to see than my very few pictures here.

The picture above is The Fisherman's Memorial, named The Old Man of the Sea.

Here are a couple of houses across the street from the ocean, nice but not quite as elegant as it's neighboring towns.  I love these streets though, just as much.

 

 

A few affordable seafood places.  Lobster in the summer is very reasonable too!

 

 

 

 



 

 

The further you travel north of Boston, the rockier the shores get.

 

 

 

Early morning fog...



 

 

Such lush forest surrounding this bay ~

 

 

 

Working the ocean is much nicer in these months of summer.

 

 

 

 

 

Now wouldn't you just love to live here?  Hmm, maybe not so much in the winter....

 

 

 

If you get a chance, be sure you visit here, you won't be disappointed.  It's a lovely place ~





A glut of lobster ~

We have had very cheap lobster here in New England recently.  The price is below the cost of even the cheapest cut of baloney!  The news reports that there is a glut of lobster this year.  Usually it's a rare treat for us even in summer, but this summer it's been even a midweek meal!  I love fresh lobster, so I am enjoying this summer's bounty very much.

I joined my friends last night feasting on this healthy dish (and I believe lobster healthy), even having more than one.  Just be stingy with the drawn butter if you want to keep it low cal!

I made a rice salad to go with dinner and everyone loved it.  It's a southwestern dish and here is a link to the recipe.  Well, the link is to make salsa.  But I added about 2 cups of cooled, cooked basmati rice.  Everyone thought it was fabulous.

 

 

Here's a link to the recipe, when I made it as a salsa.  I cut the ingredients down a bit, so it made a nice balance.

I used 1/4 chopped red onion, 1/4 chopped red pepper, 1/2 can black beans, 1 cooked ear of corn, shucked, 2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced, 1 avocado, chopped and 1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro.  I made the entire amount of lime and cumin dressing, because I save it and use it on my salads.  But I only dressed it with 3 tablespoons of it. 

http://saffron215.blogspot.com/2011/07/roasted-corn-and-black-bean-salsa.html

 

 

 

 

My summer spaghetti sauce ~ 30 minutes.... delicious and easy!

I love spaghetti any time, but with the heaviness of the air in the summer, it's too darn hot to cook most nights.  And with the fresh fruits and vegetables being so bountiful in the summer, why not have both?  Most times I just take a few tomatoes (any kind), chop and seed them, and use them.  However, so far this summer, not one tomato has come into fruition for me yet.  My garden is small, but it's filled with tomato and basil plants.  I have plenty of basil, but only a few green tomatoes.  We haven't had lots and lots of hot, sunny days here in Boston.  Just hot and humid.  Oh well, there is always next year!  So, I just substitute the fresh tomatoes with canned.  It's still delicious and pretty healthy too.  Quick and easy, out of the kitchen in no time flat.

Anyway, here is my quick and easy summer spaghetti sauce recipe, using just these three basic ingredients. 

And you can have healthy dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Here's how:

Mince a large clove of garlic.  Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat, in a sauté pan.  Add your garlic, stir.  Let simmer for 1 minute.

Add one 14 to 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes.  Stir.  Let simmer on low for 15 minutes, partially cover the pan.

While the tomatoes are simmering, bring a large stock pot, filled with water to a boil.  Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt.  Add 1 lb. of spaghetti or any pasta you like and cook as directed.  Drain and set aside.

Now with the back of the spatula, break down the tomatoes.  Add 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.  Simmer for 10 more minutes, with a cover ajar.

Place drained pasta back in stock pot and add sauce.  Voila, done, well almost.  To make this extra yummy, I add 6 large basil leaves, julienned.  One large handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese and a little drizzle of olive oil!  It's so good and easy too.  Add a little extra freshly ground black pepper if you want as well.

Eat up.

 

Shenandoah Valley Blueberry Cake ~ Nancie McDermott

 

 

 

 

 

I love fresh blueberries and I really like quick things to bake in the summer time.  But, I also want great tasting recipes and this little cake fit the bill.

 

 

I received Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott from a friend and have been wanting to bake something from it.  This is a darling cake, quite nice for breakfast, brunch or an afternoon tea.

 

 

I made it in an 8&1/2" springform pan, instead of a 9" round or square pan.  It baked in 36 minutes in my oven.  I took it to work, where it was literally gobbled up.

 

 

As you can see, lots of blueberries in the cake.  I did use 1/2 fresh and 1/2 frozen and think I hit on something.  I liked the tartness of the fresh ones and the juiciness of the frozen.

 

 



Shenandoah Valley Blueberry Cake

 

• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Servings: 6-8

 

"Southern Cakes, Nancie McDermott"

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar, plus
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (do not thaw) or 1 cup frozen blueberries ( do not thaw)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°, and generously grease a 9-inch square or round pan.
2. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir with a fork to mix well.
3. In another bowl, combine the butter and sugar, beat with a mixer at high speed until well combined.
4. Add in egg and beat well for 1-2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl, until the mixture is smooth and light.
5. Stir in half the flour mixture, then half the milk, mixing just enough to keep the batter fairly smooth and well combined.
6. Add the remaining flour, then the rest of the milk, mixing gently.
7. Stir in the blueberries.
8. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, bake for 30 minutes or until the cake is golden, springs back when touched gently in the center and is pulling away from the sides of the pan.
9. Serve a square cake right from the pan, warm or at room temperature; if it is round, let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; then turn it out to cool on a wire rack, top side up.

 

 

 

What a lovely and huge Hibiscus I found yesterday.  Isn't it gorgeous?

 

 

I love Hydrangea ~

Here in the Northeast, we can have long winters.  Some, so stark that for nearly ten months out of a year, we have very little greenery.  Only when spring arrives, do buds begin and then we bloom again.

And boy, do we bloom!  Summer is such a gorgeous time of the year, with the green trees and all the flowers glowing with beauty.

And my favorite?  Hydrangea.  Especially the mopheads.  I think it's because they are so huge and expansive.

Here on my walk today, I find myself engulfed in some real beauties.


These are purple ones, kind of rare here I think.  Some are very deep purple too.

They were quiet stunning ~

 

 

 

I have a friend who has this large blue mophead in her yard.  It's lovely too.



 

 

 

 

 

And this pink one, so gorgeous.  Sometimes, there are no words.....