Iced Pumpkin Crumb Cake

Ingredients:

CRUMB-TOPPING

• 1/2 cup (62 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons or 60 grams) unsalted butter, cold
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

PUMPKIN COFFEE CAKE

• 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour (careful not to overmeasure)
• 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 (244 grams) pure pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
• 1/4 cup (82 grams) pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup (60ml) milk*

VANILLA GLAZE

• 1 cup (120 grams) confectioners' sugar
• 1-2 Tablespoons Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer or milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Generously spray a 9x9 baking pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Make the crumb topping first: In a small bowl, toss the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon together.  Cut in the cold butter  using a pastry blender or a fork.   Mix to create clumps and crumbs. Set aside.

Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together in a large bowl until combined.  In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, maple syrup, and milk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until *just* combined. Try not to overmix the batter. It will be very thick.  Spoon/pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread to make an even surface.  Pour the crumb topping evenly on top and gently press them down into the batter.

Bake the cake for 30 minutes.  Check the cake's doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes on clean with a moist crumb or two, the cake is done.  If the toothpick has wet batter on it, bake the cake for 5 more minutes.  The cake takes 32 minutes in my oven.

Make the glaze:  Whisk the confectioners' sugar and 1 Tablespoon of creamer/milk together until smooth. Add more creamer/milk to thin, if desired. Drizzle over cake.  Enjoy cake warm or at room temperature. Cover cake tightly and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  Cake may be frozen for up to 2 months.

*Instead of nutmeg + ground cloves, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice can be used in addition to the cinnamon.

*I prefer to use buttermilk in this coffee cake.  Buttermilk makes the cake even moister than any other kind of milk.  I highly recommend it.  However, regular cow's milk or dairy-free milk would be just fine. 

Recipe Source: Sally's Baking Addiction

Peasant Bread

So Delicious!

http://www.alexandracooks.com/2012/11/07/my-mothers-peasant-bread-the-best-easiest-bread-you-will-ever-make/

Chicken Mozzarella Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 pound Penne Or Rigatoni
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Plus More For Drizzling
• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Small Bite-sized Pieces
•  Salt And Pepper
• 1 whole Large Onion, Finely Diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 jar (25 Ounce) Good Quality Marinara Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)
• 1/2 cup Water
• 2 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Parsley
• 8 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella, Cut Into Medium Cubes
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Shavings
•  Extra Parmesan, For Serving
• 12 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces in a single layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow to cook without stirring for 2 minutes, or until golden. Stir chicken around to brown on all sides. Remove to a plate.

In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the onions and garlic and stir immediately to start cooking. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deep golden.

Reduce the heat to low and pour in the marinara sauce, red pepper flakes, and the water. Stir until the onions and garlic are mixed in, then add the chicken back into the pan. Add the parsley, stir to combine, then allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 7-8 minutes.

Make sure the sauce is bubbly and very hot, then gently stir in the mozzarella. Let it sit, undisturbed, for 2 to 3 minutes, until you can see that the mozzarella is very soft.

Drain the pasta and pour it onto a platter. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Immediately sprinkle on 1/4 cup Parmesan shavings (or grated Parmesan.) Pour on the sauce, sprinkle with extra Parmesan and the chiffonade of Basil, and serve immediately!

* NOTE: The mozzarella should be very soft but should still be in visible chunks rather than distributed throughout the sauce. It's better for the chunks to be on the firm side than the falling-apart side! You can always heat it a little more to get the cheese to the consistency you want.

Recipe Source: The Pioneer Woman