Babka

Although a traditional Polish Easter bread, Mom always used to bake this bread for us around Christmas-time. Some of my favorite Christmas memories are of eating toasted Babka on Christmas morning. It was a bit of a daunting task, but once I had one batch done the rest seemed easy and fun. The entire apartment smelled delicious the entire day. Lots of butter, cream, golden raisins, lemon rind and a pinch of this and that went into each loaf. Aurora says "baka" and enjoyed helping me as well.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pecan Muffins

Yum Yum Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pecan Muffins.

1 cup canned or fresh pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup canola or veg oil
2 Teaspoons ground flax seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour OR unbleached white flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon each: baking soda, cinnamon, salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnut – optional
3 teaspoons raw sugar – optional

Homemade Bread

Mmmmm...the smell of baking bread is one of my favorites. It always makes me smile. That warm, cozy feeling is so friendly and welcoming. The smell of baking bread seems to waft freely throughout the house giving it a very down-to-earth, back to basics feel. I have never been able to bake bread, but my last few attempts have turned out better than any previous ones. I'm not sure what I'm doing differently...but the few times I've been able to make bread and have it turn out well have been while we were living in an apartment. Just after we got married, we lived in a little 1-bed apartment in Perrysburg. I made babka for Christmas that winter and it turned out beautifully. Every bread making attempt after that was in our house in Kansas. A home built in the late 1890s, aesthetically very beautiful and rich with history - however, the old windows and seams were drafty and not baker-friendly. Now that we are in our cozy little apartment here in Toledo, my bread making has once again been successful. I don't want to live in this apartment forever just to be able to bake good bread, but I'll keep practicing and improving while we're here! :)

Fall Dinner

Pork chops, roasted butternut squash and homemade applesauce. I decided to make a fall favorite for dinner tonight. After seasoning with salt and pepper, I seared two pork chops then finished cooking them on medium heat in a frying pan. I also cut up a butternut squash and onions and roasted them at 375 for about 45 minutes. The final dish was homemade applesauce, apples courtesy of Macqueen's Orchard. Aurora, Jeff and I went to pick apples a few weekends ago and I couldn't believe how many we ended up bringing home. I made two batches of applesauce and froze them. It defrosted really well and was delicious.

Boo-tiful Halloween Cookies!

Aurora and I had a fun time making these cookies. They definitely aren't professionally decorated, but we enjoyed trying. I used a rich roll cookie recipe from the Joy of Cooking. I made the dough in the food processor and then chilled it in the fridge overnight. It was a little sticky, so I added lots of flour while rolling.

Blueberries!!

Again, a little late. Aurora, Mom, Dad, Sarah and I headed out to blueberry hill to harvest the mini-blueberry farm...we lucked out and could eat as many as we picked. The blueberries went into pancakes, muffins, crisp and many other recipes!

Summer Cooking - a little late :)

Grilling in Grand Marais...can it get any better? Beautiful chicken and grilled caesar salad on the grill!

Broiled Salmon and Swiss Chard with Carmelized Onions

This turned out to be delicious. On my quest for healthier dinners, I decided to go with salmon tonight. I seasoned it with a little salt and pepper and olive oil and broiled it in the oven. We squeezed lemon on top and it was delicious and flaky! On the side, I carmelized onions and garlic in olive oil and added swiss chard. Served it all over a bed of rice.

Spaghetti Squash

I have been wanting to try this recipe for awhile and finally got around to it. It's a very simple recipe and I made it fairly quickly. Take a spaghetti squash and cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and place cut side down in a baking dish filled with an inch of water. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Flip the squash over and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until squash is completely tender. Take a fork and run it along the flesh to scoop out the "spaghetti". I served it with a jar of prego sauce jazzed up with sauteed onions and garlic, but you can go gourmet and make whatever spaghetti sauce you wish! Enjoy =)

Seared Scallops with Crispy Leeks

Yum! This dish was very good. It was a little overseasoned, I think I added a little too much right at the end. Overall, though, it turned out well and we really liked it.

Ingredients

* 1 medium leek, white and light green parts only
* 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
* 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
* 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 1 pound dry sea scallops, tough side muscle removed

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Cut leek in half lengthwise, then cut each piece in half crosswise. Cut each quarter into long, thin strips. Rinse the strips in hot water and pat dry. Toss in a medium bowl with 2 teaspoons oil. Sprinkle flour, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt over the leeks; toss well to combine. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake, stirring once or twice, until the leeks are crispy and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the baking sheet until the scallops are done.
3. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt with Italian seasoning, lemon zest and pepper in a small bowl. Pat scallops dry and sprinkle both sides with the seasoning mixture. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallops and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve the scallops with the crispy leeks on top.