Apple Coffee Cake

My sister asked for an Apple Coffee Cake recipe and my Mom could only find one (untried) in her vast cookbook collection.   Coffee cake is denser than regular cake, but not so dense as pound cake.  I happened upon this one from Taste of Home and sure enough, they also had it online.  This is YUMMY!  It also turns out to taste very good without the apples. The second time Mom made it, she forgot to put the applies in, yet it was delicious! Just not apple flavored.  Mom also did not have butter flavored shortening, so used regular shortening with a little butter flavoring.  If you want to use butter, that should work fine, but be aware that it will be heavier than the original recipe intended.  The recipe also makes TWO coffee cakes. One for now and one to be frozen and used later.  Remember TWO coffee cakes (or perhaps a 9x 13 pan). [current photo compliments of Taste of Home]

Apple Coffee Cake

1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
2 cups chopped peeled tart apples (3 medium)

Topping:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture alternately wiht sour cream, mixing well after each addition.  Stir in apples.  Transfer to TWO greased 8 inch square baking dishes.

For the topping, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in nuts; sprinkle over batter.  Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Cover and freeze for up to 6 months.

To use frozen coffee cake. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.  Yield: 2 coffee cakes (6-9 servings each).

Here's a link to the original recipe online. They have some other apple coffee cakes, but this was the best one.
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/apple-coffee-cake

Chili

Here's a Chili recipe

I am including this recipe 'as is' because overall, the flavor was GREAT with ground beef.  Add more spice if you like it.  Leave out the meat if you want it vegetarian.  However, I gotta tell you, I would never use turkey or chicken in chili.  In addition, there is no reason to drain the fat if you have 95% lean ground beef - talk about taking out flavor (my Mom and I differ on this opinion).

In addition, I have to say that mom had some additions to this chili.  She added about 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce plus a handful of dried tomatoes - both things she had on hand. Dried cherry tomatoes add a really strong tomato flavor punch to chili.

This recipe is from the book The Weeknight Survival Cookbook by Dena Irwin.  I like the setup of the recipes and menus and the flavor of the recipes. However, this is yet another author from the 90s who thinks that the way to deal with overweight or diabetic people is to eliminate fat and pack on the carbohydrates (which obviously, doesn't work).    So, if you are interested in this book, go for it. Just roll your eyes whenever you see the beef-chicken-no fat substitutions and use what you like.

Chili

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
2 green bell peppers, cored and chopped
2 pounds ground turkey breast or 95% lean ground beef
2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
2 14 oz packages frozen kidney beans
2 6 oz. cans tomato paste
2 to 4 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons crushed oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt to taste, optional
Black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

In a large pot, saute the vegetables in olive oil over medium-high heat for a few minutes to soften. Add ground beef and continue cooking over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until done.  Drain extra fat by draining in a colander and then return to the pot.  Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes until thickened.

Makes 12 servings

Corn Chowder

Suddenly, blogger has changed their format for entering things, so if things are weird, it's because I haven't figured it out yet.

Today is Corn Chowder.  This chowder recipe can be done without ham and even without chicken broth (if for a vegetarian).  I'd like to try it again with sliced, fried bacon. The recipe is from the book The Weeknight Survival Cookbook by Dena Irwin. This book has menus for 12 weeks and focuses on making stuff one day and then using part of that to make the meal the next day. 

Very yummy chowder. While high in overall carbohydrates (78 g), by using a baked potato, the actual blood sugar effect is much lower, which is an issue if you are diabetic.

Corn Chowder

2 baked potatoes, diced
16 ounce package frozen kernel corn
16 oz. can cream-style corn
1 (15 oz) can reduced-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
4 ounces lean ham steak, diced
1/2 cup frozen diced onion
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed thyme
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup evaporated skim milk

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes until heated through.

Makes 4 servings