Pear Streusel Coffee Cake

When I was a kid there were two memorable instances that I came in contact with pears. First, the bad: those grainy, sandy squares of pear in cans of fruit cocktail. Needless to say I picked those out (along with the tough pineapple chunks.) Second, the good: my Great Aunt Maggie's pear preserves, which I don't know how to make and haven't eaten in more years that I care to admit. (Am I really that old? That I can think in years?) Yes, we occasionally ate fresh pears, but we were more apple and banana people. That's probably because pears go from rock hard to slurpy mess too quickly. But this characterisitic also makes them lovely to bake with, as I've found before. And now I can add this pear coffee cake to my bed-and-breakfast file. (Or my welcome-fall file. Or my must-make-again file.) Because it's good. Really good.



Every time I make a coffee cake I expect it to turn out too dry. I think that's an effect of eating too many store-bought coffee cakes, which probably languish in trucks and on shelves too long before they make their way to our homes. I think that's also why I'm not much of a cake eater; the texture of cake is just too easy to mess up, and life is too short to eat dry cake. But this coffee cake is made with yogurt, and I've never made a yogurt cake that turned out poorly. This cake was just moist enough to hold together on a fork and not at all so dry that you need a cup of hot coffee to choke down a piece. Of course I recommend that you do drink coffee with it - or tea - because as I've said before it's the coffee that makes eating cake for breakfast acceptable. If you need a reason, that is.




Spiced Pear Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar & Oat Streusel by Cookin' Canuck

Tuna Casserole From Scratch

I don't think I ever had tuna casserole growing up. In fact, other than summer fish fries in my Great Aunt Maggie's cookout* I don't remember eating much fish at all. My mom doesn't like fish if it tastes ... fishy ... which means she likes flounder if it's battered, deep-fried and served with Maw Maw's Company Cornbread and sweet mayonnaise slaw on the side. But my dad loves fish. He and I always check out the fish dishes on menus, and if there's some kind of fish, say, grouper, breaded with pecans, you better believe we'll be ordering it.

But tuna fish? Tuna salad? Tuna casserole? Neither of my parents much care for those dishes so I didn't really have tuna that way until I got to college. I think one of my college roommates made it occasionally, and now I make it ever so often. This is my favorite recipe so far, and it's the only one I've felt like sharing with y'all. It's flavorful and creamy and homey, perfect for busy, cool, fall nights, which are on the horizon. (I'm okay saying that word now - fall - because it officially arrives this week! Even if it is 92 degrees here today. Yeah, fall can't come any faster.)

I'm okay with occasionally making dishes and casseroles that have canned cream soups in them, but this tuna casserole is made completely from scratch. (I know that's important to many of you.) That's as it should be, in my opinion, because cream soups definitely have a flavor that shines through anything they're served in, which doesn't work for me when it comes to tuna. I like tuna casserole simple, with big chunks of tuna and bites of celery, and that's exactly what this is. Unfussy, family-friendly comfort food.



Tuna Casserole from Scratch
Adapted from Allrecipes
Makes about 6 servings
Printer-friendly version

I served this with a pile of green peas scattered over the top. Since my husband doesn't like peas I don't mix them in, but I think that blanched green peas and shredded carrots would make a great, healthy addition to this casserole. These ingredients are reflected in the recipe below.

Ingredients
1 8-ounce package of egg noodles
7 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper to taste
2 6-ounce cans or packages of tuna, drained and flaked
1 cup green peas, blanched, optional
1/2 cup grated carrot, optional
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a large baking dish and set aside.
2. Cook noodles until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large skillet melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add onion, garlic and celery and cook until onion is translucent and celery is soft, just a few minutes. Remove vegetables and return skillet to stovetop.
4. Melt four tablespoons of butter in skillet. Whisk in flour and let cook about a minute to remove the flour taste. Gradually whisk in milk, stirring until thick. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in tuna and sauteed vegetables (plus blanched peas and grated carrots, if using). Stir in noodles. Transfer to prepared baking dish.
5. Melt two tablespoons of butter in microwave. Pour into small bowl and add breadcrumbs. Stir to combine then sprinkle over casserole. Top crumbs with cheese. Bake about 30 minutes, or until gold and bubbly.

* My Great Aunt Maggie had - and still has, though we use it less - a covered patio in the back of her yard. It has a huge built-in fireplace, a sink and cabinet, several picnic tables, and a swing inside. We had countless fish fries and get-togethers out back, and some of my fondest summer memories are from the time we spent out there as a big, extended family. One sound I'll never forget is the cookout's screen door slamming, and the choruses of "watch your fingers!" that followed every single slam....

Back To School Blackboard Cupcakes

I have a preschooler now, and boy do I feel like a parent. On the very first day I was asked to bring Cash to a party, sign up as an occasional substitute, sell coupon books as a fundraiser, and help at a few class parties throughout the year. I (think) I chose Christmas, Valentine's Day and the End-of-the-Year party. I really wanted Halloween - until I found out that we can't actually bring in any home-baked goods for the children. Yes, it's because of allergies, and I can understand. If my son was allergic to nuts or dairy or some other all-too-common ingredient I'd be all over that banned food list. But he's not. And I love to bake. So I'm kind of heartbroken because how cute are these blackboard cupcakes?

They aren't exactly what I pictured in my mind, but mostly that's because their original source led me to plan things on a grander scale. But you know what they say about the best-laid plans, right? I took a simpler approach, which makes these cupcakes a great activity to get your kids involved with. And if they can't enjoy these cupcakes at school at least they can dig into them at home.



I don't think I've mentioned it here, but I'm losing my job at the end of the year. I work in a tough industry, and my line of expertise is growing more and more rare (an expendable). It's okay, though. I'm at peace with it, thanks to a year to prepare (and save money), and I really think it will end up being a blessing for my family (and my sanity, but that's another story for another time.) I've enjoyed my career and have learned so much about the world and writing and grammar, and I'll definitely miss the camraderie found in a newsroom. I'll also miss having a room full of willing cake, cookie and overall goodie testers! That's where I thought preschool might come in handy. At first I thought I was going to have to eat all my future goodies myself - what a travesty - but it turns out that the preschool staff openly welcomes any and all homebaked treats. When God closes a door he opens a window, right?



Back To School Blackboard Cupcakes
* I was inspired by these (over-the-top cute) cupcakes at Disney's Family Fun magazine website.
* The blackboards are chocolate-covered graham crackers.
* I used a tube of white decorators' icing to write the letters, and I let them harden over night.
* The chalk is white Good and Plentys.
* My cupcakes were chocolate with vanilla frosting, which I colored red and yellow, but any flavor cake or frosting will work.

So Long, Summer Nectarine Crisp

I've made cobblers and pies and buckles, but this was my first crisp. Well this specific crisp wasn't my first, because I made this recipe three times to, you know, make sure it was good enough to share. (It is.) I've been using up the few late-summer fruits still hanging around my kitchen, and these nectarines were the last of my goodies. I'm sad to see such glorious fresh fruit go, but I know there are exciting things around the corner. And that means specifically that I can bring out this recipe no matter what fruit is in season.



Crisps, with their buttery, sugary, oatmeal topping and warm, fruity fillings, are a good way to ease out of one season and into another. This crisp made a good dessert one day and perhaps a good midnight snack, too, but I'll never tell. I'm just glad that it's an easy dessert and one that you can fill with any fruit you may have around your house. Apples? Why, yes. It is September afterall. A bowl filled with crumble, and maybe topped with vanilla ice cream, may make homework time a bit more bearable.



So Long, Summer Nectarine Crisp
Adapted from Mark Bittman
Makes about 9 servings
Printer-friendly recipe

If you go with a very juicy fruit, such as the nectarines I used, you'll want to toss them with about a tablespoon of flour. (This is reflected in the recipe below. If you use apples or pears simply subtract the tablespoon of flour from the ingredients and directions.) Increase the sugar for such tangy fruits as rhubarb. And of course replace the nectarines with any fruit you wish: apples, berries or pears.

Ingredients
6 cups peeled, sliced nectarines
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon plus 2/3 cups brown sugar, packed
5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup oats
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
Pinch of salt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss fruit with one tablespoon of flour, cinnamon, lemon juice and one tablespoon of the brown sugar. Spread in buttered 8- or 9-inch square baking pan or glass dish.
2. Combine all other ingredients and mix, using a pastry blender, until everything is incorporated but not in uniform size.
3. Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit and bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until topping is golden and fruit is bubbly. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is a recipe I've had bookmarked forever. As in a three years kind of forever. And in an effort to stop myself from digging a spoon into a jar of peanut butter, then dredging it through a pile of M&Ms, I finally baked a batch of these crack-a-licious muffins. My love for the glorious pairing of peanut butter and chocolate is well-documented, and I'm not at all ashamed to say that I ate these muffins all by myself. Lest you think I'm a piglet, however, I will tell you that I baked then froze them and ate them for breakfast over a couple of days. I kid; a couple of months is more like it. (At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

I'm hard-pressed to find a moment alone in the kitchen these days to bake. If you have a toddler in your life you understand what I mean. The clang of bowls and spoons brings a certain someone running to the heart of our home, where he sings out "I make, Mama? I help make?" Whipping up these muffins was no exception. For awhile I worried that there may be no chocolate chips in this recipe, because as you can see a couple of chubby little fingers kept finding their way into the batter bowl. But he gets it honestly. Chocolate calls out to me, too. And if its sweet song worms its way into your ear I highly recommend you make a batch of these crack-a-licious treats for yourself.



Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Muffins, by Baking Bites

I'd like to take a moment to thank all of you lovely people who visit me daily. I passed the 100-follower mark yesterday on Blogger, and that surprises me to no end. While I do have more followers it's you 100-plus kind souls who reveal yourselves to me. When I started blogging way back in 2001 (in a more personal way) I never expected that one day I'd have a group of online friends who would enjoy reading about the joy I find in the kitchen. This is not a place where you'll ever find reviews or giveaways, and it means so much to me that you're still interested in what I have to say. What you will find here are stories about my family and how food has shaped my life and memories. Thank you for your comments and emails and overall encouragement to keep this little corner of the Internet free of dust bunnies. It means so much to have you here! If I could have you all over for biscuits, honey and sweet tea I would.