Simple Everyday Food

glazed pumpkin coffee cake

Posted by :Amy On : October 18, 2013

Have you ever looked at a recipe and just knew it was going to turn out to be delicious?

Well, a few weeks ago I got that feeling and it took me by surprise – I never like to get too overconfident when I’m in the kitchen just to avoid the disappointing letdown if something doesn’t turn out the way I had it pictured in my head. However…. when I saw this recipe, something in my head told me it was going to turn out great – so great that I needed to make two of them so I can bring one to work to share with my coworkers.

I’m glad to tell you that that little voice in my head was right, and I’m sooooo incredibly glad that I made two coffee cakes. I know those coworkers that got to try it were glad I made two also!

Enter Part 4 of my latest obsession with pumpkin desserts – a rich, moist pumpkin coffee cake complete with a thick, crumbly layer of streusel topping and a vanilla glaze.

When I had my mind set on making two of these cakes, I pre-measured the streusel ingredients (minus the butter) and dry ingredients into separate tupperware bowls the night before, just to make my life easier when I’m ready to make them the next day. I have to say, it really did save me quite a bit of time on baking day, because all I had left to do was to measure out the wet ingredients and add the two together. I’m totally going to be prepping this way from now on!

These cakes were also made with a little love from Brian… here’s the story: when I decided on making two cakes, I realized that we would be short of pumpkin puree and ground cloves. The syrup we had on hand also expired August of 2011… so I sent him to Target to pick things up for me while I got things ready. You know baking season is in full swing when Target has absolutely no ground cloves whatsoever. None. So being the loving husband that he is, he drove to Wal-Mart just to get me the ground cloves that I needed. That deserves a pat on the back in my book :)

glazed pumpkin coffee cake

2013-10-02 15:24:14

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For the streusel

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the cake

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup milk

For the glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons pumpkin spice coffee creamer or milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x9 baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

Make the streusel

Combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Using a pastry cutter or a fork, add in the cold butter and mix until you get pea-sized clumps of butter. Set aside.

Make the cake

In a large bowl, add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Mix until combined. Using a medium bowl, add in the pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, maple syrup, and milk. Mix. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the baking pan, spreading out the batter with a spatula to create an even surface. Generously sprinkle the streusel topping onto the cake, pressing them slightly down into the batter.
Bake the cake for 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool.

Make the glaze

While the cake is cooling, make the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of creamer/milk together until smooth. If it's too thick, add another tablespoon of creamer/milk. Add more creamer/milk until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over cake and enjoy!
Store cake in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

By Simple Everyday Food

Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/

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When you mix everything up, the batter will be thick – don’t panic! That’s totally normal and it’ll turn out great in the end, trust me. What makes the dessert over-the-top amazing is the thick layer of streusel topping. I think I could probably bake a whole cake pan of the streusel and be okay with it. If you have pumpkin spice creamer on hand (which I did), use that instead of milk to make the glaze for a more intense pumpkin flavor! If you don’t have pumpkin creamer, you don’t have to go out and buy a whole bottle of it – using milk would work just fine too. Depending on how thick/thin you like your icing, add less/more milk to the powdered sugar accordingly. I went a little pumpkin-creamer-happy on one and the glaze turned out to be a little thinner than I would’ve liked. Either way, it’s not going to affect the taste or texture of your cake – it’s just a matter of personal preference.

Vanilla glaze dripping down the sides… don’t you want to just reach through the screen and catch some of that glaze with your finger?!

This cake can either be served warm or at room temperature, so there’s no need to wait for it to cool! It’s a good thing no cooling is required, otherwise I would probably have to leave the house for an hour so I wouldn’t be tormented by constant wafts of delicious smells!

Happy baking!

Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

© Simple Everyday Food. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use any of my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or kindly link back to this post for the recipe.

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chicken fajita mac and cheese

Posted by :Amy On : October 14, 2013

Category: Casseroles/Comfort Foods, International, Pasta

Tags:casseroles, chicken, comfort food, mexican, Pasta

Now that fall is in the air, all I crave for are comfort foods. Usually this means some sort of soup or casserole dish when it comes to dinner. Don’t even get me started on the numerous desserts that are on my comfort food list – you’d be here for a while, and I’m sure your time is valuable.

Mac & cheese in casserole form is perhaps one of the best comfort foods ever. What’s better than a ooey gooey spiced up mac & cheese with onions, peppers, and seasoned chicken?!

Okay, I know a warm brownie with a molten chocolate center served with a side of vanilla bean ice cream probably comes to mind, but stay with me here – right now we’re talking about dinner.

You’re going to laugh at me, but this is the first time I’ve ever bought a block of cheese and shredded it myself with a grater. Yep, first time. I’ve always been lazy and used pre-shredded cheese, but I was told those are usually coated with some sort of a flour-y substance that can change the texture of your dish. So this time I put my grater to use and shredded two blocks of cheese myself, and let me tell you what, I don’t think I’m ever going back to the bagged kind anymore. There’s something about fresh shredded cheese that tastes so much better!

The two cheeses we use for this dish are Wisconsin sharp cheddar and pepperjack cheese. Pepperjack is perhaps one of my favorite cheeses ever, and it gives the dish a nice little kick that pairs well with the paprika, cumin, and green chiles.

chicken fajita mac and cheese

2013-10-02 18:32:09

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Ingredients

12 oz of your favorite pasta
2 tablespoons EVOO
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
A pinch of cayenne pepper, more if desired
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles, drained
½ cup sour cream
6 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
6 oz shredded pepper jack cheese
Toppings such as diced tomatoes and cilantro, if desired

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO over medium high heat. Add the chicken, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper, stir until chicken is coated with the spice mixture. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
In the same skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of EVOO. Saute the garlic, green peppers, and onion over medium high heat until onions turn translucent. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in the green chiles and cook for another minute or two.
Pour the vegetable mixture into the large bowl containing the chicken. Stir until combined. Add in the sour cream and the two cheese. Stir some more until everything is thoroughly mixed and there are no clumps of cheese.
Transfer the chicken/vegetable mixture into a 3 quart baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until pasta is slightly brown and bubbly.
Serve immediately. If desired, top with diced tomatoes, cilantro, or other garnishes.
Serves 6

By Simple Everyday Food

Adapted from Annie's Eats

Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/

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If you’re a fan of bell peppers, you can also add in a red and yellow bell pepper to the mix. I’m not a big fan of the red and yellow peppers, so I chose to leave them out of the recipe. However, I do like fresh tomatoes with my fajitas, so I diced up some tomatoes and added them to my bowl. A little bit of chopped up cilantro is also highly recommended – it really brings out the Mexican flavors and it gives the dish a nice bright flavor.

I also chose to use rotisserie chicken to save some time – it’s a good way to get rid of leftover rotisserie chicken! If you prefer to cook your chicken yourself, just substitute the rotisserie chicken with two diced up chicken breasts instead.

On a totally different subject, I really shouldn’t have mentioned that warm brownie. Now I need to go make myself a brownie in a mug…

What’s your favorite comfort food?

Recipe adapted from Annie’s Eats

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orange creamsicle cookies

Posted by :Amy On : October 9, 2013

Category: Desserts

Tags:cookies, creamsicle, dessert

Have you ever set a list of goals of what you need to accomplish by a certain day, only to realize that you’ve gotten little to none of it done when the day comes?

Here’s the thing: When my quarter break started, I wrote down a list of things that I wanted to get done before the new quarter started. Well, my break has been over for almost a week, the new quarter has started already, and more than half of the things on my list still hasn’t been crossed off yet. The garage is still a mess, the vacuum and Keurig filters haven’t been cleaned, I have piles and piles of laundry that needs to be done, and I haven’t gotten a chance to spend quality time with my Kindle (i.e. read a book).

Where the heck did my time go? More importantly, what have I been doing with my time?! Well, I guess having a list of 3-4 recipes I wanted to make during break doesn’t really make matters better either.

Oh well. Baking comes first. Studying and laundry can come second (until I run out of socks).

Good thing these cookies are super easy to make! And what’s even better is that they taste great too!! Remember about a month ago I made these orange creamsicle puppy chow? Well, I turned them into a cookie, and they taste equally as good – or in Brian’s words, “the best cookie [I’ve] ever made”.

These cookies are soft and chewy, bursting with bright citrus-y flavors, and white chocolate chips are guaranteed in every single bite. Seriously, when I was rolling these into little dough balls, there were times I thought I was rolling balls of white chocolate rather than balls of cookie dough… As with my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, I baked these for 8 minutes, slightly flattened them out with the back of a spoon, and baked them for another 1-2 minutes. Flattening the cookies out in between gives them the cracks and crinkles that I adore so much in cookies.

soft and chewy orange creamsicle cookies

2013-10-02 19:44:31

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Ingredients

2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 light brown sugar
1 large egg, to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 (12 oz) bag white chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, then gradually add in the dry ingredients. Mix under medium speed until combined. Stir in the orange zest and chocolate chips.
Using a medium cookie scoop (I used one that holds about 1.5 tablespoons of dough), scoop dough out onto the prepared baking sheet. Roll into balls with your hands.
Bake cookies for about 8 minutes, take them out of the oven, slightly flatten them with the back of a spoon, then bake for another 1-2 minutes or until they start to slightly brown around the edges. Let cool on baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wired cooling rack for them to completely cool.
Store in airtight container for up to 7 days.
Yields 30-32 cookies.

By Simple Everyday Food

Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/

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So when you’re missing summer this fall/winter season, make these! Or you can make these too. Or you can make both, because you can never have too many cookies, right?

Recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything

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pumpkin peanut butter dog biscuits

Posted by :Amy On : October 6, 2013

Category: Puppy treats

Tags:dog treats, peanut butter, pumpkin, puppies

Warning: the following post contains A LOT of pictures.

So not only are my coworkers and Brian benefiting from my latest baking-with-pumpkin spree, even Bentley got lucky today and got some homemade pumpkin treats as well!

Can’t forget my little guy, right?

I figured I should get all the baking I want to get done here the next few weeks, since once my internship goes into full swing, who knows when I’m going to be able to bake “just because”?

I have to say though, although I’m a little nervous and anxious about starting this internship, the anxiousness is also mixed with ~~a little bit~~ a lot of excitement. I’m excited to start utilizing all the skills I’ve learned in class into everyday practice and to see how much I’ve learned (and retained) within the past two years. And it also means I’m that much closer to graduating! Wish me luck – I hope I make everyone proud :)

These biscuits do not require any special ingredients (other than the pumpkin), and I bet you have most of them in your cupboards already! They was inspired by a very simple biscuit recipe I used to make for Bentley, but instead of adding bananas, I substituted them with pumpkin puree instead – you know, ever since Bentley discovered the yummy goodness of canned pumpkin a few weeks ago, he’s just as big of a fan of it as I am.

pumpkin peanut butter dog biscuits

2013-10-06 16:06:02

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Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or you can use whole wheat flour)
1 large egg
1/8 cup all natural creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
A pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
Add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl, whisk until thoroughly combined.
Transfer dough onto a floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll dough out until it's about 1/2" thick.
Cut into desired shapes and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until biscuits are dry and hard. Transfer to wired cooling rack and let cool. Store in airtight container for 7 days.

By Simple Everyday Food

Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/

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These are way healthier and cheaper than buying those store-bought doggie treats! No preservatives, no artificial flavors. They’re made with all natural ingredients that you can pronounce and you can feel good about giving them to your favorite pup.. or pups :)

Bentley had to check them out during my photoshoot session…

“Ooops… BUSTED!”

“I’m gonna try again….”

“Almost there!”

“YESSSS!! I got one!!”

“Mwahahahahaha…. I’m sneaky. Mommy didn’t even notice.”

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10/2/13 this week in review

Posted by :Amy On : October 2, 2013

Category: Life's Randoms

Tags:this week in review

In case you’ve noticed, I didn’t write a “review” post last week. The past few weeks have been crazy. It was finals week, and it seemed like all our big projects were due all at the same time. I figured studying for finals and getting another quarter of straight A’s was a little bit more important and that you guys would understand :)

Now that I’m on quarter break, it’s weird to have all this time on my hands. I’m so used to being busy that I don’t quite know what to do with myself… I did plan out my break ahead of time and made a to-do list.

1. When I was little, I’ve always dreamt of having a fireplace. To me, a fireplace is one of the things that made a house an “traditional all-American house” (a white picket fence and a front porch with rocking chairs were the other must-haves). Growing up in apartments in Taiwan, I never got to experience what having a fireplace was like. A few weeks ago, my dream came true when we bought a new entertainment center complete with a gas fireplace.

I’m totally in love with it. I even opened the windows to make it colder in the house, just so I can turn it on (what a nerd). I think there’s someone else in the house that’s just as big of a fan of it as I am….

2. Also a few weeks ago, I received my first Nature Box.

I’m already a fan – what’s even more awesome is that you can go online and choose what snacks you want in your next box. Even Brian liked most of the snacks I got this month!

3. My last quarter of vet tech school consists of doing a 12-week full-time internship. I was fortunate enough to be able to do mine at the Animal Emergency Clinic just a few miles down the road from our house. I’m excited, but a little nervous at the same time! It’ll be a lot of work but I know it’ll totally be worth it!

4. Because this internship is a full-time gig, I gave work my two-week notice two weeks ago and worked my last day two days ago. My weekend crew threw me a fabulous surprise party! Although I’m excited to start my new adventure, I’m a little sad that I have to leave those that I’ve gotten so close with over the past four years.. it’s a bittersweet feeling.

I had a total of 4 cakes all day! Is it obvious that my coworkers knew I love cake?!

Erika even came up with the idea of making it into an “animal” theme in honor of my future career :) It was complete with Scooby bones, animal crackers, and drawings/colorings of animals from her girls. Even my card had animals on it lol. It was perfect.

I’m going to miss seeing those faces I’m so used to seeing every other weekend.

5. Quarter break with no homework, no studying, and no work means more time for me to spend in the kitchen! I’ve got a few recipes planned out that I want to make by the end of the week already… I’m going to try my best to make myself spend a night (or two) sitting on the couch relaxing and doing absolutely nothing and be perfectly okay with it – we’ll see how long that’ll last before I get up to do something productive….

6. I saw these on the shelves of Target yesterday and I wasn’t thrilled about the packaging AT ALL.

Someone tell me why there are snowflakes on cake mix boxes on October 1st?! Winter-related items (or packaging relating to winter) should not be allowed to be on the shelves at least until Halloween is over. It should be a universal rule – just sayin’.

© Simple Everyday Food. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use any of my images without prior permission.

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