Lemon Blueberry Crumb Cake

One of my favorite desserts/breakfast recipes, I discovered last summer from one of my all time favorite cooks, Ina Garten aka The Barefoot Contessa. I modified it a bit to suit my love of extra lemon, but either way it tastes excellent!

 

For the cake you will need the following:

 

1 c. Sugar

3/4 c. Butter at room temperature

3 Eggs

1 tsp. Lemon Zest

2 tsp. Lemon Juice

1tsp. Pure Vanilla

1 c. Sour Cream

1 1/2 c. Flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

2 c. Fresh Blueberries

 

For the topping:

 

1/4 c. Sugar

1/3 c. Light Brown Sugar

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1/8 tsp. Nutmeg

1 stick of butter, melted

1 1/3 c. Flour

 

 

 

 

Before I start, I'm just want to follow up on a previous post regarding my Professional Series 6qt. Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. I had stated that I felt it was too large for smaller batches. My friends, Randy and Amanda, found the answer for that:

While it's not made by Kitchenaid, the batter paddle on the left is amazing!! They let me use theirs and now I'm hooked!!!! It gathers all the batter equally regardless of the size of the batch!

 

 

Begin by combining the sugar and butter.

 

I love these little 1/4 c. pieces for baking! They're cute!

Continue by adding the vanilla and eggs (one egg at a time)

Look at that batter paddle work her magic! You can see the ingredients are blending evenly. The smell of vanilla and sugar is incredible. It gets better once you add the lemon juice and zest!

Finally, add the cup of sour cream! Light and fluffy !!

 

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Whisk thoroughly.

Gradually add to the wet mixture. Mix on medium for approx. 2 minutes. Finally, dredge the blueberries in a bowl of flour prior to adding. This helps them not to settle to the bottom of the pan.

Fold them into the cake batter on low speed until blended.

 

 

Pour into a greased 10 inch spring form pan (8 or 9"is fine too).  Now its time to make the topping.

Very simple. No need to fret. ONE NOTE of CAUTION: always remember that cinnamon and nutmeg are not equals. Nutmeg is very strong and over-powering. Always use much less than cinnamon. Follow the ratios!! Combine the sugars, spices, and melted butter.

It should look like soup!!

Now, using your fingers blend in the flour gradually.

Our hands are the best tools we have. Continue to work into crumbs until it is looks like this:

Generously spread over the top and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

This is one of my favorite, favorite dishes. I'm sure once you try it, you'll make it over and over again. Whether summer, spring, fall, or winter this works anytime!!

 

The hardest part is the clean up!! Days like this, I wish I had a dishwasher!!

 

Bruschetta and then Some

 

The past few months have been crazy busy for us. Our sons moved to Nicaragua, I started a new job, we've been inundated with home repairs, and we went on a family trip to Nicaragua to visit our sons and our daughter in-law!! Whew, no wonder I'm tired!!

 

I really wanted to write about the Nicaraguan cuisine, but unfortunately, all of my photos were destroyed when my phone went for a swim in the pool!!!

Now that things have settled down, I wanted to get together and catch up with friend over dinner. One of the things I decided to make was bruschetta.  It's fresh and simple.

 

 

 

 

Bruschetta is basically four ingredients: Fresh Basil, Tomatoes, Garlic & Olive Oil

As well as a sprinkle of salt and pepper!

 

In just a few minutes, it's done. I recommend chilling it for an hour or so before serving. In the meantime, take a nice loaf of French bread and slice into thin pieces. Dab with olive oil on each side and bake until golden. 

They taste wonderful with the bruschetta alone, but if you really want to kick it up a notch, add FRESH mozzarella the last five minutes of the toasting the bread. So delicious!

I also made mini beef wellington with puff pastry. I'll post about those another time, but I did want to share the best way to caramelize onions. They add much flavor to many dishes. It took me a while to figure out what I was doing wrong:  I wasn't cooking them long enough!!! It takes a solid 35 -45 minutes!! With that in mind, make a huge batch that you can store in the fridge!!

First, take 1/2 stick of butter (not margarine) and melt in a fry pan. Next, slice onions into thin strips and add to the pan.

Stir over medium heat for approximately 20 minutes. Add a couple of tablespoons of red wine vinegar to deglaze the pan.

Continue to sauté another 10 minutes and then add 2 tablespoons of honey!

Continue to sauté until the onions turn a deep amber.

Worth all the wait!

 

I served them, along with mushrooms, for mini beef wellingtons.

Now, let me take a few minutes to share my few pictures of  our trip!

First, I want to say I love Nicaraguan hospitality!! We were welcomed with open arms and they threw us a party. Our son, Sam, made  their signature meal, Gallo  Pinto, along with some friends.

 

Our daughter, Kayla, took the spoon over for a bit.

We want to return because we only scratched the surface , so to speak, and then we left.

 

David was a proud dad to work in the ministry alongside Ben.

We caught up with a great brother, Jefte, who visited us in Maine.

The rest of the time was spent enjoying the house we rented.

Yes, I believe my phone was in the pool with me in this picture!!!!

Vacation is over and back to the reality of a Maine winter. It's a good time to cook and stay warm!!

 

 

We Get By With A Little From Our Friends

September was a month of growth and reflection for me on every level of my life while dealing with the loss of my longtime job. Thankfully, with Jehovah God, and a little help from my friends, I am coming out of it stronger and happier.

This entry of my blog isn't going to feature culinary recipes, but a tried and true human recipe to enable you to cultivate friendships and maintain them for life.  Simply put, if you want a friend, you need to be one first.

Two events in September, highlighted how friends come together and will put themselves 'all in' for those they love. 

The first example of this was my niece, Crystal's, wedding. Like her dad, she's always put herself out for people.  I think it's trait that runs in my family because we have many others that are just like them.  The support she and her husband, Todd, received was unbelievable. From the photographer to makeup, people stepped up happily and willingly. Why? Because good friends are there for each other.

Mrs. and Mr. Emery

 

 

 

I volunteered to make the wedding cake, but relied on an old friend to make these gorgeous fondant flowers!

 

Another highlight of the wedding was seeing my 86 year-old mother taking in all of the excitement of being with her family and sharing in the fun. She initially thought it might be too much for her to attend because of her health, but she was one of the last to leave!!! Rumor has it, she caught the bouquet!

The father of the bride , Alan, and my mom, Evelyn

 

The second event that resonated the value of true friends was last weekend. Our son, Ben, and his wife , Bree are joining my youngest son as full time ministers serving in Nicaragua.  They will be gone for six months. We threw them a going away party and the support we received was off the charts. First, some sweet girls came to help with the set up the night before. The theme was a country hoe down!!

 

 

 

 

                                         A good friend donated and delivered 10 bales of hay!!

 

Friends came with drinks!

Friends came with crockpots!

Friends came with desserts!

 

With everyone's help, it made for an evening of laughter and great food.

 

 

 

I even had a friend bring me a private hostess gift .....a bottle Gnarly Head red wine!!!! 

 

At the end of the day, I became more convinced that I truly have the some of the best friends a person could want.  It made me think of a question on a job application I filled out recently. The question was 'how many people can you count on in case of an emergency?'  I checked off the box that had 10 or more.  If it would of asked for more, I could have honestly checked it.  I mentioned that to one of my girlfriends that night and she said , 'People are giving back to you what you do for them'. Bottom line, the kind of friend we want, we need to be THAT kind of friend to others.  Simple statement. Offer ourselves willingly and out of love, expecting nothing in return. If we do that, we will reap a lifetime friendships.

 

 

Ben and Bree had about 70 friends, young and old, who came to send them off on their 6 month journey. We look forward to hearing about their experiences, along with our son, Sam.

 We are planning a trip to visit in November. I'm hoping to learn a few new recipes to share with you.

 

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to making more memories. Regardless of life's challenges, my goal is to continue to strive to be a better Christian, friend, mother, wife, sister, daughter, etc., never forgetting to give plenty of love and laughter along the way.

 

Ben, Bree, Me, David, Kayla, Sam, and granddaughter, Ashle