Almond Cream Rolls

How about a little lovin’ from the oven on a Sunday morning? This Pillsbury classic is an old favorite of mine. I’ve been making these for so long, they feel like my own recipe, though I think I must have found them in a magazine or on the label of a Pillsbury crescent roll can once upon a time.

The original recipe is doubled. I rarely feel the need to be surrounded by 8 danish, so here’s the recipe as I always make it: one can of crescents yields four yummy cream rolls.

ALMOND CREAM ROLLS
4 oz. cream cheese (I use reduced fat Neufchatel–nothing is lost in translation)
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar
sliced almonds for the tops
1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls
cinnamon to sprinkle over the inner cream layer

Egg wash
1 egg white + 1 teaspoon

Glaze
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 to 2 teaspoons milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In small bowl, beat cream cheese, almond extract and powdered sugar.

Separate crescents into four rectangles. Use your fingers to seal the dotted line that runs diagonally across each rectangle. Spread each rectangle with a quarter of the cream cheese filling to within a quarter inch of the edges. Sprinkle cinnamon over cream cheese. Starting at the longer side, roll up each rectangle into a long roll of dough. Gently stretch each long roll to approximately 10 inches long. Then coil each roll into a spiral with the seam on the inside. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

In small bowl, whisk together egg white and water, brush over roll. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Ready to bake!

Bake at 350 degrees F for 17 to 23 minutes.

Drizzle glaze over warm rolls. Enjoy your breakfast!

 

Katty Head (Cat Head) Biscuits

I’ve been loving cat head biscuits, as taught to me by Cook’s Country, since I first made them earlier this year. But biscuits big as a cat’s head are, well, BIG. Half a cup of dough BIG. That’s a lotta biscuit! I, for one, prefer something a bit smaller. Especially since I have a desk job and am not busily working on the railroad, as did those who ate real cat head biscuits back in the day!

The original recipe calls for unsalted butter, which, till now, I’ve dutifully purchased expressly for biscuit-making. When I do buy unsalted butter, by the way, I love Kate’s. But today, I’ve adapted these fine biscuits from cat head to katty head–just 1/3 cup of dough instead of 1/2–and adjusted the amount of salt so I can use salted butter, which I ALWAYS have in the fridge or freezer. HOORAY! Shall I show you the way?

KATTY HEAD (CAT HEAD) BISCUITS
adapted from Cook’s Country

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
3/8 teaspoon salt*
8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted* butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and softened
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch pieces
1¼ cups buttermilk (I’ve been buying Organic Valley lowfat cultured buttermilk)

*If you do use unsalted butter, use 1 teaspoon of salt instead of 3/8 teaspoon.

Adjust oven rack to the upper-middle position and preheat to 425 degrees. Meantime, butter a 10-inch round baking dish or cake pan. I just happen to have a covered baking dish, perfect for both baking (uncovered, of course!) then storing the katty heads!

Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Rub butter and shortening into flour mixture with your fingers until it’s the consistency of cornmeal or slightly wet sand. Give yourself a little time to do this; it’s a rather zen-like task. Stir in buttermilk just till combined.

Now, it just so happens my ice cream scoop is a 1/3 cup measure, but you could use a measuring cup if your ice cream scoop isn’t the same size. Scoop dough into prepared pan. In a 10″ dish, nine (9) scoops will go around the perimeter, with three (3) scoops in the middle. Like this!

Bake until puffed and golden brown. In my oven, that’s exactly 25 minutes, but check at 20 minutes in case it takes less time at your house.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Eat and enjoy!

“What kinda biscuits did you say these are, Mama?”

These biscuits are quite tasty with your favorite preserves. But my favorite, favorite way to enjoy them is as a sausage biscuit sandwich–with or without a slice of Land O’Lakes new 4 Cheese Italian Blend–Italian-American–just like me! HA HA HA!

Cook’s Country says the biscuits can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for two days, but for sure, I’ve stored them that way for longer. And I wouldn’t even say my covered baking dish is entirely airtight. They heat up beautifully with a quick ride around the microwave, too.

We sure do love these biscuits a Casa Katty–hope you do, too!

 

ABC Smoothie: Almond, Banana, Coconut…and Kale!

Why not go green with a tasty ABC smoothie: almond, banana, coconut…and kale! I know it sounds bizarre, but one of my nice neighbors brought this smoothie to me for lunch one day. Kale? I don’t even like kale in and of itself, but it’s a lovely secret ingredient–doesn’t add any particular taste, just the goodness of fresh, leafy greens. It tasted great and kept me full till dinner.

These smoothies sell for $7 down at our local farmers’ market. SEVEN DOLLARS? How hard could it be to replicate at home? Not hard at all if you have a blender–so let’s shake it up!

ABC SMOOTHIE: ALMOND, BANANA, COCONUT…AND KALE!
adapted from The New York Times

1 banana, sliced and frozen
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
1 tablespoon flaxseeds
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon coconut
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 stalk kale, ripped up into smaller pieces

Ready for how easy as ABC this is? Add all ingredients to your blender, put on the lid and blend! Serve with a bendy straw for additional fun and satisfaction.

See, Kermit the Frog was wrong. It IS that easy being green after all.

 

Katty’s Blueberry Corn Muffins

“Some people like cupcakes exclusively, while myself, I say there is not–nor ought there be–nothing so exalted on the face of God’s great earth as that prince of foods, the muffin!” (Frank  Zappa)

Then again, some people think they don’t like muffins. But those people (whoever they are!) really should try these, because if you like cornbread and you like blueberries, well, what’s not to like? They’re sweet little corn cakes with fresh blueberries baked inside, all sorts of golden on top, perfect for breakfast or snickity-snackin’!

Yeah, you want one right now. I completely understand, so sit down in that chair right there, let me show you how it’s done (fire on the mountain, run, boys, run!). If you had any idea how many versions of that song I had to click through to find the correct version (NOT the “son-of-a-gun” one!). HA HA!

KATTY’S BLUEBERRY CORN MUFFINS

¼ cup butter, softened
scant ¼ cup light brown sugar
scant ¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons orange juice
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornmeal
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ cup fresh blueberries

Cream butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Add milk and orange juice. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture, stir till moistened. Now stir in half to three quarters of the blueberries. Save a handful to sprinkle over the top of each muffin—the rest of the blues will sink to the bottom.

As usual, I love my Wilton silicone baking cups for making muffins, or any single-sized serving of something. Either brush them with melted butter, or use softened butter to coat them, then spoon the batter JUST UNDER the fill line. When you sprinkle the extra blueberries, you should hit the fill line.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 9-10 delicious muffins. Best that’s ever been? I dunno–maybe so. You tell me!

 

Blueberry Almond Cream Cake

Yesterday was a perfect day for baking here in the Land of Steady Habits–chilly with desperately needed pouring rain. What better time to let the oven help warm the house with something sweet and delicious?

When my #1 taster says, “That’s a keeper!” I know I’m onto something. This blueberry almond cream cake is a riff on my own favorite muffin recipe, but with blueberries, a layer of almond cream and a streusel topping. Whether you call it breakfast or dessert, I hope you might call it a keeper, too.

BLUEBERRY ALMOND CREAM CAKE

Streusel Topping
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold butter*

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl; cut in butter with a knife–or fork together. Set aside.

*I made my streusel with softened butter the second time and melted butter the first. It was the consistency of wet sand both times. Though it was rather Zen-like dropping pieces of streusel over the top of the cake, doing it properly with cold butter is probably a better bet. Hmm, a better butter bet!

Almond Cream
4 oz. cream cheese, softened (Neufchâtel is fine)
1 teaspoon almond extract
¼ cup powdered sugar

In a separate bowl, beat all ingredients until smooth. Set aside.

The Cake
½ cup butter, softened
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons orange juice
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
6 oz. fresh blueberries

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, vanilla and almond extracts; mix till smooth. Add sour cream and orange juice. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture gradually–I do so in 4 or 5 separate additions–till moistened.

Butter a 9″ pan. Layer half of the cake batter in pan. Top/spoon with almond cream…

Then top with blueberries…

Smooth remaining cake batter over blueberries…

Then sprinkle streusel evenly over the top…

Bake at 400 degrees F for 30-35 minutes–or till a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Like this!

I snagged the first corner piece while it was still piping hot. Please note the NOM NOM NOM factor of the melted brown sugar!

I love the pretty blues and purples. Kinda reminds me of a killer sunset I caught last week.

Wishing you a week filled with pretty colors–both in the kitchen and outside your windows!

 

Cranberry-Orange Muffins

Are you a morning person? It’s worth waking up a little early to make these cranberry-orange muffins. Then, no matter how your day goes after that, you’ll know at least you had a productive–and DELICIOUS–start.

Seeing a spectacular sunrise is an added bonus. I must share the view from Katty’s Kitchen early Monday morning.

“Rise and shine–let the sun hit your eyes!”

This recipe yields between 7 and 10 muffins–depending on whether you overfill a bit or not. Purr-fect for when you don’t have many people around to help you eat them. You can double the recipe to feed more of your friends and family.

CRANBERRY-ORANGE MUFFINS

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fresh cranberries, chopped (the mini-food processor is very helpful–and you can throw the candied orange peel in there, too!)
2 tablespoons candied orange peel, chopped

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and extracts; mix well. Add sour cream and orange juice. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture, stir till moistened. Now stir in the cranberries and orange peel.

I love (♥)  my Wilton silicone baking cups–what is not to love about heart-shaped baked goodies? A little extra lovin’ from the oven, if you will. I brush them with melted butter, then spoon the batter in till it reaches the fill line.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Buongiorno, amici! Make it a great day today!

 

Broccoli Cheddar Strata with Prosciutto

Got extra bread on hand?  I picked up a tasty ciabatta  at Whole Foods this weekend, which always brings to mind this song. What I didn’t use to make sandwiches is perfect for making strata. Of course, it would be divine for chocolate bread pudding, too, but that’s a story for another day.

I’ve categorized this as breakfast, but I love strata any time of day, really–breakfast, lunch or dinner. Hope you’ll love it, too. Know that this recipe is easily adaptable to include different meats or veggies, so it can be a framework for your own strata-fication!

BROCCOLI CHEDDAR STRATA WITH PROSCIUTTO

8 eggs
2 cups milk (I used 1% Over the Moon)
¼ cup whipping cream
1 cup shredded cheddar (plus additional ¼ cup or so to sprinkle on top)
4 cups of your favorite bread, cubed
2 teaspoons Penzey’s Sunny Paris seasoning
1 small bunch broccoli, maybe 1/4 pound or so, cut into small pieces
¼ pound prosciutto sliced thin, cut into strips
(I usually use pancetta, but either porky P works!)
1 shallot, chopped
6 mushrooms (I used baby bellas)

Beat eggs, milk and cream in L A R G E bowl–the big, blue bowl I use to serve pasta is the perfect size for this. Add shredded cheddar, Sunny Paris, salt and pepper. Stir bread cubes into egg mixture. This part of the recipe should hang out in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.

When you’re ready to complete the recipe, steam the broccoli for approximately 2 minutes, then set aside.

Get a sauté pan going on the stove with olive oil.  Add prosciutto, then shallots and continue to cook until the shallots are somewhat golden. Add mushrooms and let them  cook for a few minutes. It’ll look like this:

Stir prosciutto/shallots/mushrooms into the eggs, then add broccoli. Pour ingredients into a buttered 9″ square baking dish. Sprinkle top of strata with additional shredded cheddar.

Ready to bake!

Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 50 minutes or till top is lightly golden and eggs are set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Strata–it’s what’s for dinner again tonight in Katty’s Kitchen! Enjoy!

 

Iron Skillet Spinach ‘n Eggs with Fresh Mozzarella

Last week I was “prescribed” spinach prepared in a cast iron skillet, three times a week. As far as prescriptions go, this is a particularly tasty one. Native spinach is readily available at local farm stands and I’m ready to experiment with new/interesting ways to go green.

Native spinach in world's coolest colander--note grape cut-outs!--from Berruti's Harvest House (Main St., Glastonbury, CT)

I was never a fan of cooking in cast iron. It’s heavy as all get out and I never seemed to grow adult wrists (!), but using two hands helps. Best of all, cooking in cast iron can increase your iron intake.

"It's gettin', it's gettin', it's gettin' kinda heavy..."

So, here’s a quick ‘n easy breakfast idea. Sautee a clove of garlic in a little bit of butter, then add a generous handful of fresh spinach and squeeze a quarter of a fresh lemon.

When the spinach cooks down (just a few minutes), make a little “nest,” crack an egg into the nest, cover the pan and cook to your desired consistency. I let mine cook about 3 to 4 minutes so the yolk could run all over the plate. Mmmmmmmmmmm. Spoiler alert: serious food porn to follow!

Ready for the waterfall effect?

Once the yolk had set a little, I topped it with a slice of fresh mozzarella in the pan. I am determined not to waste one bite of that creamy, dreamy cheese I bought earlier this week for my Capellini Caprese. A sprinkle of Penzey’s California Seasoned Pepper over the mozz completed the dish, served atop buttered toast.

Ahh, yes, the cascade of yolky goodness! Dig in!

I am (iron) woman, hear me roar! “I’ve got the power!” Oh, and true confession? I cooked two strips of Bob Evans maple bacon in that same pan. Dessert, if you will, because I wholeheartedly agree: bacon is meat candy! Please don’t tell Dr. Buckley.

 

Almond French Toast

How about an almond-y twist on French toast? Talk about almond joy! I often make this just for me.

Almond French toast with "meat candy"

ALMOND FRENCH TOAST FOR ONE

1 egg
splash of milk
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon sugar

handful of sliced almonds
2 slices bread (I used a lovely sourdough boule)
butter for toasting
maple syrup

Whisk together egg, milk, almond and sugar; soak bread with egg mixture. Toast in a buttered pan over medium heat till golden brown. Aw, heck, you know what French toast is supposed to look like–kinda like faint tiger-stripes on each deliciously eggy slice (see above!).

Throw the almonds in to warm them up in some of the butter. You can simply sprinkle them over the top of the toast, but getting them buttery beforehand is an even better idea.

Serve with vanilla maple syrup–take a vanilla bean and let it hang out and infuse in your syrup bottle. Mmmmmmmmmmm! I had mine with candied bacon and blame Rick Bayless for wearing his “Bacon is meat candy” t-shirt when I saw him on Mexico: One Plate at a Time yesterday. It’s dangerous to be quite so suggestible…and dammit, I want that t-shirt.  

http://newsblaze.com/story/20080829153259rocc.nb/topstory.html

CANDIED BACON

Dredge bacon in brown sugar and cook as usual. My favorite way to do it is in the oven on foil (or parchment). Just about 10-12 minutes per side at 350 degrees F will do the trick. IMPORTANT: resist the temptation to blot or rest the bacon on a paper towel no matter how you cook it ’cause it will stick!