Coffee Cake

Be sure and stop at http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/ for "Foodie Friday", there are some amazing food blogs to see. Join in the celebration of the '1st' Foodie Friday Anniversary.

Coffee Cake

This recipe is a "Blast from the Past" for this Coffee Cake..... it's a recipe that I grew up with that my Mom and Aunt use to make in the 60's [sounds ancient]. I remember they use to whip it up on Saturdays and then they would have some with a cup of coffee and me with some juice as I don't drink milk.
It came from a magazine from the 50's and it said that it had won 1st prize.........I have since lost that original cut/out article that I remember b/c as I got married I coped the recipe down and since then that recipe the original has been lost in the shuffle. So.......I'm glad that I copied it down years ago as I did. I also recall my Mom use to call it Jeanie's Cake, b/c I think that her good friend Jeanie had given her the recipe, that lady was one good baker.
My husband and daughter like to have a piece for breakfast if they are on the run or just in the evening with a cup of tea.
Baked and ready to cut and eat.

Someone couldn't wait to sample a piece while still warm.

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 cup cake flour, sifted

2 tsp. baking powder

Topping;

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

2 Tbsp. finely chopped walnuts

Directions;

Grease and flour an 8" square pan.

Preheat oven to 350 deg.

Combine sour cream and baking soda in a bowl separately........it will double.

In a mixing bowl blend butter and sugar thoroughly.

Add eggs and vanilla.......beat well.

Alternately add sifted dry ingredients and sour cream to butter and sugar.

Spread half of the batter into prepared pan.

Sprinkle with half the topping mixture.

Cover with remaining batter.

Sprinkle with remaining topping.

............Bake in a moderate oven of 350 for 45 to 50 min. til' done.

notes**** Sometime I double the recipe and use a 9 x 13 pan. this way I cut it up and freeze some for later. It is also great warm with a scoop of ice cream.

Ready to eat....................

Be sure and stop at http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/ for "Foodie friday", there are some amazing food blogs to see.

Blintzes

Be sure and stop at http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/ for "Foodie friday", there are some amazing food blogs to see.

I made these Blintzes the other day for my husband for a Valentine's Day treat........as I haven't cooked for over a month due to an illness. I got some skin infection on my leg and have been on antibiotics a 4th kind for a month with an intravenous stuck into my arm.....ouch! Finally I got a set of those meds orally and can now get my hands dirty so I decided to make these for him.

These Blintzes when I was small my Aunt Manya [RIP] use to turn out dozens at a a time. When she was lil' she said that her Grandma use to make hundreds of them for their large family, and they would all visit her she remembers and sit under this tree and enjoy them with cheese and sour cream on the side on Sunday afternoons...... in the old days they called them "Blini" and actually we still due in my home also.

Her are the Blintzes or Blini in my pan cooking away.

Stacked up high and ready to be filled........... :-)

Filled with a cheese filling and homemade strawberry preserves on the side.

Cheese Blintzes or Blini

1 1/2 cups milk OR 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup water

2 eggs, beaten

2 Tbsp. Butter melted and cooled

1 cup flour, all purpose or unbleached

pinch of salt

* additional butter or I use canola oil for greasing the pan.

Mix all the above ingredients in a blender until nice and smooth. you also may use a hand blender. I always let the batter rest for at least a good hour at room temperature.......or if refrigerated I usually let it sit overnight.

Heat a 6 or 7 inch skillet pan...........over heat that is moderately high.

Add about 2 Tbsp. of your batter, tilting the pan side to side and twirling as to cover the bottom. I usually brush before hand a bit of canola oil on the skillet so as it won't stick to the bottom or you may use butter if you prefer.

Cook the blini till the top looks dry..........and edges start to sort of curl. Most people don't flip over the Blini but I do as I like both sides cooked. If you cook both sides you don't need wax paper in between, but if you do one side you need wax paper in between.

I just use a spatula to flip them over and then on to a plate.

I have refrigerated these covered well in foil for up to 2 days in the refrigerature and filled them as I needed them.

To prevent cracking and tearing I bring them back to room temp.

For Filling the Blini............I usually spread about anywhere from 1 Tbsp. to 2 Tbsp. of filling. First I fold the sides and then roll in jelly roll fashion. Always plate them with the seams down as so they won't unwrap.

If I fill them up with cheese I melt butter in a skillet and cook them seam down first for about 3 to 4 min. on each side at a low heat so the butter doesn't burn.

I top them with some homemade preserves or sour cream on the side or some yummy applesauce........

Another favourite filling in my home is a mushroom filling, first I dip the filled Blini in an egg wash then into breadcrumbs and saute...........so yummy........... like a breaded crepe.

Ready to eat.

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Valentine's Day

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ALL

Flowers, flowers and flowers.

Visit our hostess, Mary T, at Work of the Poet, to see many more photos featuring a little or a lot of red......

"RED ROSES"

For "Ruby Tuesday" today I 'm showing some long stwm dozen red roses that my husband sent to me on our "22nd" Wedding Anniversary. Where has the time flown, seems like yesterday we just celebrated our first. They were so fragrant and had a very red vibrant colour.

These flowers I received from my good friend and neighbour after my surgery last week. I'm not sure of the name of them but they did come with some Bird-of-Paradise flowers though.

Birds-of-Paradise...........

I hope that you enjoyed my Ruby Red Tuesday and be sure and visit the other participants and see all the gorgeous reds.............

Happy Red Ruby Tuesday!!!!!!

Surgery

I haven't been Blogging because I had a Hernia Surgery. This was my second time. The first time was about 20 years ago and unfortunately it came back so this time they were doing it Lapriscopically but came into some complications so I ended up with a big surgical cut on top of the Laproscopic holes that they poked into me.........and on top of all this band I have to wear this big band around me like a huge elastic, very uncomfortable and sometimes itchy. I know I should stop whining things could be worse.

Making this a very painful healing time for me...............it's been about 10 days and I'm getting very bored hanging around the house as I can't do anything physically due to pain and I don't want to re/arrange something in that operation area. I can't even go shopping yet..........well I mean to the supermarkt as I yet can't handle any Malls.

..............but I've managed to do some cooking and baking these last couple of days. I love cooking and baking it relaxes me. My husband and daughter help with the prep work and cleaning. Did I mention that I love that my husband cleans the kitchen, and it's funny he tells me to rinse the glass and put it away or don't use too much cutlery as he will be cleaning the kitchen all day..........I hope that now he will understand me. So I feel like a Princess now with him doing most of the work. Don't get me wrong he did help before but it was kind of when he felt like it, and I know after this all will be forgotten for him. Men.....Ugh!

Well thanks for listening to my story and some whining.........hopefully with spring in the air I can go out and take some pictures for future Blogs............

Niagara Falls (Revisited)

Thanks to Suasan of A Southern Daydreamer for hosting "Outdoor Wednesday"

This is one of my fave spots in the world...........tomorow I'm going for surgery so to cheer myself up I'm doing Niagara Falls for "Outdoor Wednesday", I've done it in the past but here are some new pictures that I found.

Canadian side......

I was sittng in the car on the Rainbow Bridge going across when this picture was taken.

This is the Canadian side.

.......... this is the American side.

The Maid of the Mist boat...........for tours. It's a spectacular boat ride, a must see when visiting.

View of the Hotels and Casino on the Canadian side.

........."Maid of the Mist" on the Niagra Falls, New York side.

Niagara Falls, NY side........can you see all the people looking over the Falls.

This was from my Hotel room at The Seneca Casino on the NY side. can you see the mist coming from the Falls, on the right side of the picture.

Thank you for stopping by and be sure and visit the other participants.

Niagara Falls 'blues'

Thank you Hostess Sally for hosting "Blue Monday" for some fabulous inspirational ideas and fun!...

Be sure and visit the other participants at http://smilingsally.blogspot.





NIAGARA FALLS

This winter has been so cold and gloomy that I can hardly wait till summer.........so I put this pretty blue photo up of Niagara Falls trying to cheer myself up. We took this picture in the summer time when we visit there. It is only a bit over 1 hour from Toronto so we go quite often for a day.

This was taken from the Canadian side and the US is just on the left.

If you can see there is a lil' boat down there called The Maiden Mist.........they have those tours on both sides of the border. It looks like they have about a dozen of those boats together so you don't have to wait long to get on, b/c during the summer this whole Niagara Falls area is extremley crowded with tourists from all around.......remember it use to be 'The Honeymoon Capital'

Thank you for stopping by.....be sure to visit the other participants.

Have a great "BLUE MONDAY"!