breakfast – mythankfultable.com

Big Crumb Strawberry Rhubarb Cake

February 6, 2022 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

While I write this entry, it is sleeting, and miserably cold. It was 40* earlier this week, and last weekend we had a big snow storm. So, there you go New England weather…Good times.

I don’t mind the cyclical movement of the seasons, there is something absolutely beautiful in each, and there is a reminder that things change. Winter brings about a certain type of darkness and quiet that I do not get in the summer.

Which is all a gift. I’m more apt to be comfortable in my own skin during the warmer productive months. Summertime brings long days outside working either in my own yard or my other job (which I love- working on a local flower farm). I am up really early, am outside later, and I go to bed tired. I like the long hours of sunlight. I like the sound of crickets and birds.

So during winter, I have found, I am not good at sitting still. I’m working on it, but it’s not something that comes naturally. I kind of envy the people that slowly ease into their day or sit on a sofa on a Saturday morning just to watch TV. It is just not who I am. I had a friend who could nap anywhere. What a talent! Winter is nice for a few weeks, but it is wearing out its welcome. Winter is just too quiet.

No matter the weather today, I have to remember that soon the days will get longer and the plants will send forth their shoots, and the world will be green again. It will happen, I mean, in a few months or so…but still. A girl can dream.

I planted four Rhubarb plants over the course of the last few years, and they are always a welcome reminder that spring is coming. They pop up with their little “hello world” selves and my heart is so happy. Four rhubarb plants provide enough for multiple recipes, even being newly established.

In Pennsylvania, my children’s great grandparents -affectionately called “Grandma and Grandpa Choo Choo” (because he had built an elaborate train set in his basement) had a real-deal victory garden. He had served overseas in WWII, they had known what it was like to live without during that time. He would tell stories of having to ration items, to make due with what they had. Every year their garden was sizable and productive.

They had rhubarb plants so big you could hide in them. Or maybe that’s just my memory.

What I loved most about that garden was, whenever you needed rhubarb, Grandpa would hold back the leaves, grab an old knife hidden/stuck in the ground near the base of the plant, and whack off a few stalks. It was genius. Maybe not super safe according to today’s standards, but it worked.

I know rhubarb isn’t an ingredient well loved by all. It’s a sour-celery sort of thing. But when it is baked into a cake with strawberries, it provides the moist, bursts of flavor that balance a sweet cake and definitely the cinnamon sugar buttery topping.

There are a few renditions of this recipe out there in the recipe world, the original one I found was the New York Times recipe that is straight up rhubarb. I added the strawberry. You can add or substitute as you see fit. It might be really good with blueberry or without anything extra.

The cake batter comes together quickly and is the top and bottom layer for a generous fruit filling.

Now, the crumb topping is out of this world. When you make it and set it aside as the cake bakes, you think…did I do this right? It may appear stiff and clumpy. The answer is yes, yes you did. The buttery cinnamon and sugar goodness is so complimentary to the strawberry rhubarb/cake part of this recipe. Don’t skimp.

When this bakes up the crumb topping stays in chunks, and it is glorious.

Now if we could just get the weather to agree and move on to spring. Soon, soon, soon.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, I thank you for coming to the table.

Love, Chrissy

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Big Crumb Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake

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This perfect spring dish combines the tart tangy rhubarb and the sweet bright taste of strawberry. Topped with a big crumb cinnamon brown sugar streusel, this coffee cake is a winner. Originally in the New York Times, my version is made in a bigger pan due to the increase in ingredients and addition of strawberries. I hope you enjoy it!

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Butter, for greasing pan

FOR THE STRAWBERRY RHUBARB FILLING:

2 Cups rhubarb, chopped into small dice
2 Cups sliced strawberries
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon ground ginger (I used fresh)

FOR THE CRUMBS:

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon salt
½ cup melted butter
1 ¾ cups flour (original recipe called for cake flour but I used all purpose)

FOR THE CAKE:

½ cup sour cream
3 large eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour (cake or All purpose)
3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons softened butter, cut into small pieces

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 9×11” baking pan.

For filling:

Slice rhubarb and strawberries 1/2 inch thick and toss with sugar, cornstarch and ginger. Set aside.

To make crumb topping, in a large bowl, whisk together sugars, spices, salt and butter until smooth. Stir in flour with a spatula. It will look and feel like a solid dough. Set aside.
To prepare cake, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla.
Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Add butter and a spoonful of sour cream mixture and mix on medium speed until flour is moistened. Increase speed and beat for 30 seconds. Add remaining sour cream mixture in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of bowl with a spatula. Scoop out about 1/2 of batter and set aside.
Scrape remaining batter into prepared pan. Spoon strawberry and rhubarb mixture over batter. Dollop set-aside batter over rhubarb; it does not have to be even.
Using your fingers, break topping mixture into big crumbs, about 1/2 inch in size. They do not have to be uniform, but make sure most are around that size. Sprinkle over cake. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean of batter (it might be moist from rhubarb), 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Banana Pecan Streusel Coffee Cake

February 5, 2022 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Recently while grocery shopping, my daughter asked me why we never buy coffee cake. It’s not that I don’t like coffee cake, I just always lean towards making it instead of purchasing it. Especially since it is an easy thing to put together.

This recipe is so good. It combines a lighter banana cake, a sweet crumble toping with pecans, and then an optional “Honey Bun” glaze…(as if that is an option). It’s from a cookbook entitled Big Bad Breakfasts, by John Currance, which I just had to check out. It has a tough guy book exterior, but actually the stories associated with each of the recipes is charming. I love that in a cookbook.

I’m the type of person who would rather go out for breakfast over any other meal. Find me a diner or a tiny cafe, I am in. There is something to having someone else make my breakfast it better.

This batter uses two ripe mashed bananas, which is either the amount hanging around or easy enough to find in the produce section. I like that the banana flavor is present without being overpowering. It comes together quickly, and the streusel topping is out of this world.

In the original recipe it calls for placing the pecans on top of the streusel- I just chopped mine up and added them in with all of the brown sugary goodness. If you wanted to do both, I am sure the larger pieces of pecan would add a special decorative quality as well as flavor boost. I figured since I was opting for the Honey Bun Glaze, I didn’t mind incorporating the pecans with the streusel mixture.

This recipe bakes up beautifully, combining the sweetness of cinnamon and brown sugar with the banana cake.

While your cake is cooling, prepare your glaze and drizzle away! You will not be disappointed!

While the winter season continues to keep us bundling up with warm sweaters and socks, there is something comforting in a recipe such as this. It isn’t just for breakfast either…I am pretty sure a slice of this cake is perfect any time of day.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table.

Love,

Chrissy

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Banana Pecan Streusel Coffee Cake

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Banana Pecan Coffee Cake with Honey Buns Glaze is originally from the cookbook Big Bad Breakfast by John Currance. This light banana coffee cake is topped with a generous streusel topping and another layer of sweet glaze!

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Cake:

· 1/3 cup granulated sugar

· 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

· 2 ripe bananas, mashed

· 1/4 cup sour cream

· 1 egg

· 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

· 1 tablespoon baking powder

· 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

· 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 1/4 cup milk

Streusel Topping:

· 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

· 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (I use dark brown sugar in my recipe)

· 2 tablespoon granulated sugar

· 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

· 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

· 1/3 cup toasted chopped pecans

Honey Glaze:

· 1/2 cup powdered sugar

· 2 tablespoons honey

· 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

· 1 tablespoon milk

· 1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

Cake:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish. Set aside. (I baked my recipe at 350*, you can also line your baking pan with parchment paper for easy lifting/cutting for serving).

Combine the sugar and butter in a large bowl and cream together in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, (about 5 minutes).

Add in the mashed bananas, sour cream, and egg. Mix until thoroughly combined.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt.

Add the dry ingredients into the banana mixture, then add the milk.

Beat until completely combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking 8 x 8 pan.

For the Streusel Topping:

In another bowl, combine the flour, both sugars, and the cinnamon. (I added my pecans at this point or you can add on top after the streusel is distributed).

Add the butter – using a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingertips, cut the butter into the mixture until coarse crumbs form.

Sprinkle the topping over the batter, then sprinkle the pecans on top.

Bake until the cake is golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Glaze:

While the cake is cooking, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, honey, vanilla, milk and melted butter.

Drizzle the cake with the glaze, then let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Coffee cake with last up to 2 days covered.

Mini Monkey Breads and Staff Breakfasts

February 19, 2021 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

So, you may know I am an educator. More specifically, a Language Arts Consultant in a K-2 building. Which means, I am a reading teacher, an interventionist, a staff resource, and data organizer/collector (Prior to this year I also got to do morning announcements and plan fun reading community activities like assemblies). It’s a pretty cool gig. I have told my children that no matter what they chose in this life, they need to love what they do. I figure the average person spends more consistent time in their work space (Pre-Covid, that is) than anywhere else. You might as well LOVE being there and what you do.

And I am just going to put this out there, educators across the world changed how they did things over a weekend. Literally. We were in person one day, and the next day we were virtual and learning platforms and transitioning how we did things ASAP. Amidst a pandemic. With grace, even when overwhelmed. We were one of the many heroes.

Well now we are considered by some to be lazy, and sitting on our couches, and not earning our pay. It’s nice how the world sways.

Yet, every educator I know is busting his/her rear end to get the job done. Whether it be hybrid, in person, asynchronous, remote, the amount of work put into making sure our learners learn is amazing. Whether we are home or in the building, it is getting done. Then add in the multitude of technology being handed out and utilized, breakfasts and lunches feeding families, emotional learning support, and just trying to be more than enough for our students in a time where yes, we are all doing our best to navigate everything from grocery shopping to Facebook posts.

Add in racial injustice of epic proportions and the political landscape that is USA at this point. If our point of view as educators hasn’t been touched and transformed yet…we need to do better.

For one small and quick second I want to talk about what it really looks like in some schools, including my own, right now. I preface this by saying I honestly feel like I work in one of the best districts. Our BOE and Union work together to keep us as safe as possible. I consider myself fortunate.

We are masked. We follow arrows on the hallway floor and we stay socially distanced. This means desks, supplies, everything. We are sanitizing and hand washing and minimizing contact. Breakfasts and lunches are served in classrooms. Recess and mask breaks happen outside, and we follow the rules. While still managing to keep our kiddos engaged and looking forward to a time when things will look differently. (I am done using the word “normal” when it comes to returning back to life. I don’t think we had “normal”).

As a specialist, if I get to be me (we sub a lot at this point), I am isolated in a sense that I am not mingling with staff daily except electronically. I am in the building, but I am not always seen in the building. Which I tell myself is fine, but it isn’t. I understand and fully believe in doing everything to keep everyone safe. I do my job. Like everyone else.

So when I go through the back log of blog posts I haven’t written yet and stumble across these photos, my heart breaks a little. Because, these Monkey Bread Muffins are a Friday Staff Breakfast staple. And they are not being made at all this year.

When I was newly married and a minister’s wife, an old pastor who attended our church during his retirement had a great saying, “If you feed them, they will come.”

This is true in just about everything. School activities. Church activities. Life activities. And our building does Friday Morning Breakfast like nobody’s business. I make a sign up sheet and you can count on one team or another (we do groups of four or five) providing a spread of sweet and savory. Everyone comes to the table. If you have bus duty you get in and out. If you don’t, you pull up a chair. You sit with colleagues who have a different lunch wave than you. You catch up with the faces you don’t normally see. It’s a great way to end the week, and let me tell you, it is a community builder.

In my emails to staff (and they are all signed from BREAKFAST BOSSY PANTS) I have one rule regarding sign ups (and if you don’t and show up to eat I know who you are) IF YOU FILL YOUR PLATE, PARTICIPATE. Somehow, most of the staff who eat, do.

And honestly at this point, 100 days into the school year, I think any of us would not complain about the “takers” just to have a breakfast around the table on a Friday morning.

That’s the gift of this year. We have seen what we need to change, toss, and what we need to keep going forward.

I vote for staff breakfasts once it is safe to return to this type of activity. That’s for darn sure.

If you love the idea of Monkey Bread but don’t necessarily like to commit to the messiness of pulling pieces off the bigger unit, and let’s face it these are the days where individualized anything is better, you need to try these mini versions.

You melt your brown sugar and butter until caramel-like, and fill your muffin tins, then add the pre-coated with cinnamon and sugar biscuit pieces. Bake until golden and bubbly and slightly crispy. Top with cream cheese glaze/frosting of your choice. I usually whip cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, and milk to desired consistency. These are super easy and there are never left overs. As in, never.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and as always, thank you for coming to the table. To my Big Cats, Friday breakfasts aren’t forever gone, just postponed for now. 🙂

Chrissy

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Mini Monkey Breads and Staff Breakfasts

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Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

3 Cans of Refrigerator Biscuits (I have used Pillsbury and Generic and both work)

½ Cup Butter, melted

½ Cup Brown Sugar

½ Cup White Sugar

2 ½ Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon (you can add more to taste)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350*

Spray two dozen muffin cups with nonstick spray.

In a skillet, mix melted butter and brown sugar and cook until bubbly and slightly caramel like.

Spoon 1 Tablespoon of mixture in the bottom of each muffin tin.

Place cinnamon and white sugar in a large Ziploc bag.

Cut up biscuits into fourths. Put the biscuits in the bag and shake to coat (I do this in small batches).

Place approximately 8 pieces in each muffin tin, or until full.

Bake in oven at 350* for 12-14 minutes, until browned and caramel is bubbly.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 1-2 minutes.

Turn upside down or scoop muffins out.

Top with cream cheese frosting, glaze, or eat as is! So yummy.

When Life Gives You Stale Bread…Make Bread Pudding ;)

March 27, 2020 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

I’ll say this…we are using what we have, and I am loving it. My children aren’t big fans of leftovers. Yet, here we are eating them. This momma made a fresh loaf of bread because, bread is life and therapy for me. I took the uneaten bread, cubed it up, along with the rest of the borderline-toss-bread and made this little treasure. You too can make this magic with whatever you have on hand.

Bread pudding is the ultimate comfort food. It is warm, and sweet. It has crunchy parts (my favorite) and the soft parts (my daughter’s favorite). This one is literally a hodgepodge of the stuff I had to use in my pantry. No complaints friends, no complaints.

The basics in the recipe are: old bread, eggs, milk, sugar. I used part 2% milk and part almond milk, because it is what I had. You can alter the recipe to suit your supplies. I also added Vanilla Bourbon because, why not add booze to your bread pudding? I threw in chocolate chunks because I always have some sort of bagged chocolate in my baking stash. I sprinkled straight brown sugar on top, without nuts or anything else mixed in. Think little rivers of melty brown sugar puddled in the mix. But, if you have walnuts or pecans on hand, add away. You can even melt some butter and add that to the topping, if you want. There is nothing spectacular in making bread pudding, and yet…it is glorious.

You could share your stale bread with the critters outside… or you could take a few minutes and make this dessert. Which, by the way, could also be considered a breakfast of sorts…think French toast casserole.

Cube up your older bread and leave to get stale overnight. Butter a casserole pan of choice. Mix together eggs, milk, bourbon, vanilla extract, sugar. Add your goodies, chocolate chunks, pecans, raisins (never in my world but you do you), what have you. Sprinkle a topping on top if you want. Then bake. It is that simple.

I find that depending on the size dish you use to bake, you may have to cook a little longer. I do not like the idea of raw egg mix hanging out in the middle of my bread pudding. I bake it for additional 5-7 minute increments based on how it looks. It should not be runny, it should not look done. The edges should be golden and it will smell like deliciousness.

I will say that in this time of being home the salty has called out to me, the sweet has not. I also just haven’t wanted to bake. One, I am taking this meal-by-meal. Two, I can’t have an abundance of sweets in this house to be divided by three people, two of whom are new to leftovers. That said, when I did pull this out of the oven the kids emerged from their spaces and we all had a dish, warm from the oven. It was lovely.

Right now life is imperfect and different. We are making some things up as we go. And there are soft bits and crunchy bits. We mix and match and do the best we can. So hey, why not give that crusty bread a second chance to be something warm and delicious? You won’t regret it. I promise.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always…thank you for coming to the table.

Love, Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe.

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When Life Gives You Stale Bread…Make Bread Pudding 😉

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This is a throw together, left over, waste-not-want-not dessert that is making the best of this time of COVID-19. There is no wrong path here…

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

5 Large Beaten Eggs
1 Cup White Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Almond Milk
3 Cups Cubed Stale Bread
1 Bag of Chocolate Chunks/Chips (or whatever you want to throw in)
Butter to coat inside of casserole paper
Additional Brown sugar to top

Instructions

Cube bread and leave out to get stale overnight.
Preheat oven to 350* and lightly butter a casserole dish (I used an oval Corelle ware white casserole, you can use anything up to a 13×9″ baking pan).
Mix together eggs, milk and vanilla in a bowl, incorporate sugars and mix thoroughly.
Pour egg mixture over bread mixture and combine. Let sit for 10 minutes to soak in.
Add chocolate chunks or other mix ins and put in casserole dish. (I actually poured the egg mixture over the bread in the casserole dish and let it sit…whatever is easier for you).
Sprinkle additional brown sugar over the top of the saturated bread.
Bake for 45 minutes minimally- check and continue to bake until it is set.

Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins

April 17, 2019 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

I know in the new year a lot of us make resolutions to do this or that. Some of those resolutions we keep, and some…well…let’s just say we get points for trying.

Muffins, even healthy muffins, still seem like an indulgent thing. So when I spy a recipe for a healthier muffin I of course am going to investigate. This muffin incorporates greek style yogurt, coconut oil and sugar, and in the original recipe on the www.bakerbynature.com website (which is gorgeous) whole wheat flour. I substituted bread flour, and I like the substantial chocolate chunks as well as the dusting of cookie or decorating sugar on top of muffins…which makes them less healthy…but still yummy.

I used bananas I had previously frozen, and let them defrost. I only used the banana itself not the thawed juice of the mix. (If you have ever frozen a ripe banana and then thawed it, you know what I mean). If you use a fresh ripe banana this won’t be an issue. I didn’t notice any difference in quality by using a frozen banana…and actually the combination of bread flour with the yogurt and baking powder gave these muffins a lift that was light and cake even though banana muffins are typically dense.

This is pretty much a one-bowl recipe, I melted the coconut oil and set it aside to cool a bit before adding it to the mix. There is just enough cinnamon to offset the chocolate and banana flavors. The muffins bake up rounded and puffy, they are sweet without being overly so. They are delicious warm out of the oven, and the next day. I froze half of the batch and they thawed out fine.

I am a big fan of a healthier anything, and if a muffin looks and tastes this good with the healthy substitutions it has, it’s a winner in my book.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Click on the link below for a printable recipe.

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Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins

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These banana muffins incorporate healthier ingredients such as yogurt and coconut oil, bananas and honey. Original recipe from www.bakerbynature.com

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com original recipe posted by Ashley Manila on the bakerbynature website

Ingredients

Scale

1 Cup mashed banana
3/4 Cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 Cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 Cup honey
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3 Tablespoons coconut sugar
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon salt
3 Teaspoons baking powder
2 Cups flour *original recipe called for whole wheat, I used bread flour.
1 Cup chocolate chunks
Decorating sugar for tops of muffins (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375*
Line muffin tins with liners and set aside.
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Combine mashed bananas, greek style yogurt, eggs, honey, and sugar until completely incorporated.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Add melted coconut oil and combine.
Fold in chocolate chunks until just combined.
Scoop batter into lined muffin tins, filling each almost full.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until muffins are puffed, light golden brown, and a tester comes out clean.

Mary’s (Sort of) Apple Cake

February 19, 2019 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

This past year we were blessed at our school with the best intern anyone could ask for. When you work in a team, you count yourself lucky when every one who comes to the table (figuratively) is a contributing member.

In the world of primary education, we wear a lot of hats. We aren’t just teachers, we are so much more…but more on that in another post. You have to jump in with both feet and hit the ground running a lot of the time. You get a lot of great stories, and loving children is a gift in itself, but it’s like the ocean; you don’t turn your back on it.

When a new member joins the team, there is always that time period where you lean in and wonder if it is going to work. Then, you have someone like Mary who just fits right in, right away. Mary not only was kind, but also always did more than was expected, got the job done, and just grafted right into our school family (she is actually a first grade teacher in our building this year). Oh! and she shared this cake…which I then stole the recipe and made myself.

This recipe is the quintessential apple cake. Loaded with chunks of crisp apple and surrounded with cinnamon cake-y goodness, it is not only for autumn when the apples are abundant. I actually made this recipe in the spring, when the final snows were melting and it was time for the freshness of strawberries. To commit to a fall-is recipe when you can dream of sunshine and fresh berries says something!

This cake is one of those recipes that could be served for dessert, but is just as wonderful for breakfast with a cup of your favorite warm beverage. It is sweet, but in a naturally apple-y way.

The original recipe is from Burdick Orchards of New Hartford, Connecticut. Some differences between the original and my changes…

The original called for for more than a cup of oil, which I reduced by reducing the amount and adding applesauce to make up the difference. It also calls for sliced apples and for the cake to be baked in a rectangular baking pan. I changed up the recipe a bit, adding more apples, tweaking the oil; I also baked my cake in a bundt pan and chunked my apples for more texture.

This cake is so moist and flavorful, it doesn’t require a glaze or frosting. It doesn’t even need a dusting of confectioner’s sugar…though any of those would work. I loved that this versatile cake celebrates one of the best parts of New England, the season of apple picking. Yet, it can be made year round.

Just like our Mary, when you encounter something so precious, you tuck it away in your heart and are thankful the universe brings it to you.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Thank you Mary for sharing! And as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Love,

Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe.

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Mary’s (Sort of) Apple Cake

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This delicious, apple and cinnamony cake brings together all of the wonders of fall, although truth be told, the first time I made this was spring! Original recipe is from Burdick’s Orchard, with some alterations by myself.

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

3 well-beaten Eggs
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup unsweetened Applesauce
2 Cups of Sugar
3 Cups AP Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
3 Teaspoons Cinnamon
4 Cups chopped Apples
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts (if desired)
2 Teaspoons Vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325*
Prepare either a Bundt Pan or a 8 X 12″ pan with non stick spray.
Combine Eggs, Vegetable Oil, Apple Sauce, and Sugar and Vanilla.
Sift together Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, Cinnamon.
Add Flour mixture to Egg mixture.
Add Chopped Apple, and Nuts (if desired).
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 325*
Bake for 45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
Serve plain or with whipped, sour, or vanilla ice cream.

Pumpkin Bread (Super Moist)

December 4, 2018 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

If for some reason you are not a fan of pie during the holidays, never fear, the world is filled with this fall-ish deliciousness. I have been whipping up pumpkin protein smoothies and muffins, and this spectacular bread made from the Key Ingredient Recipes website. This makes three full loaves or six smaller loaves, should you wish to share.

What I love about this bread is that it is super moist. As in, stays that way for a few days. It is fully cooked but somehow doesn’t dry out and get crumbly. I’m a fan. Another bonus is that even though I was reticent to add as many spices as the recipe called for, I followed the recipe to the letter and found it was just enough without being too much. I always consider myself heavy-handed in the spice department, but for some reason I shy away from cloves. Cloves seem to be a heavyweight and a bossy pants when added to a recipe. In this recipe, clove reigns supreme. It is enough to bring out the fall-ish celebration that is pumpkin bread.

And wait…did I mention it is EASY? As in one bowl throw together mix and pour into pans easy? It is. I know the directions say to add the dry ingredients at once, but I mixed my wet ingredients and moved from small to large in dry quantities (I ended with the flour) and did it all in one bowl. I have done this more than once, it has not impacted the quality of the bread. It is still delicious.

This bread freezes nicely, and the recipe makes enough to share. It’s perfect with a cup of coffee or tea, it is perfection still warm from the oven. I will tinker with the recipe to add less sugar, and maybe even a cream cheese swirl because, hello, cream cheese and pumpkin.

I am so thankful for the holidays and for a time to gather with the family you are born into and the family you are grafted into. The people you love and hold close to your heart. I am for sure adding this amazing bread recipe to my table.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe!

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Pumpkin Bread (Super Moist)

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This recipe from Key Ingredient Recipes is an amazing moist pumpkin bread full of flavor!

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

3 Cups Sugar
3 1/3 Cups Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
½ Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 ½ Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
4 Whole Eggs
15 Ounces *1 Can Pumpkin
1 Cup Oil
1 Cup Water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, set aside.
Combine eggs, oil, water, pumpkin in another bowl.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients all at once.
Mix well, prepare three 9×4 or six 3×5 bread pans.
Bake at 350* for 45 minutes -an hour (when knife or toothpick comes out clean).

Lemon Blueberry Zucchini Bread

July 21, 2018 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

I’m just going to put it out there, the word “moist” does not have a big following. But in a bread, loaded with freshly picked (I picked mine but hey picking a carton out at the grocery store counts too) blueberries, the zing of lemon, and a superhero ingredient of zucchini, this bread is so good, sweet and tart and yes, moist.

When you add zucchini to anything, even if you squeeze the liquid out before hand, it still adds to the texture of a bread. I shred mine on a box grater (actually it is a six-sided grater – so a hexagon grater) on the fine shred side. You can do this and pop it in the freezer or the refrigerator before hand. I give the shredded zucchini a squeeze to remove extra liquid but don’t make a big deal out of it. (There is no wringing it out in a towel or setting out overnight). Because I use a finer shred, not only is it barely detectable, the bread maintains the integrity of being lemony and blueberry without looking or tasting like a zucchini bread.

This recipe calls for two key ingredients that you can find in abundance right now where I live. The first round of berries (bigger and sweeter) are ready, and everybody who has a garden with squash has one or two or ten extra to give away. So bake it up into a bread and put some glaze on it.

The bread uses lemon extract as well as the punch of zest. I go overboard on the blueberries because that’s how I roll, but you can certainly reduce the berries, use vanilla extract, and switch up the oil as well. I used a mixture of vegetable oil and greek style yogurt (I like what it adds to the texture of the bread). I used Siggis Vanilla yogurt, but if I had Lemon flavored yogurt on hand I would have used that, or plain-no flavor yogurt.

If I am going to cave for a sweet at my local coffee shop, it will be for the glazed lemon loaf. It better taste like lemon. Not yellow bread. So, I will be heavy-handed in the zest. You will find it in the bread as well as the glaze.

The glaze…oh you sweet lemony goodness. Glaze is temperamental in the fact that you don’t want a mouthful of sugar. You want balance of sweet and tart. You want it to not be sticky and gross all over your bread. It’s not frosting. So, you play with it. If it needs more lemon juice or heavy cream, add it. Ideally, you want it loose enough to spoon into a plastic baggie, snip the end off, and drizzle. It will firm up after a bit and maintain it’s pretty design on the top of your bread.

In a world where I can not only be productive and useful, utilizing berries I picked and fresh zucchini from the farm stand, I want a little sweet. A bread with the tart of lemon, the jewel-like blueberries, which visually and taste wise are remarkable, and the ninja like skills of hidden zucchini will get my vote every time.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe!

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Lemon Blueberry Zucchini Bread

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This deliciously moist bread combines the flavors of lemon, blueberry, with finely shredded zucchini to combine the flavors of the season. Recipe yields two loaves, or one large loaf and three smaller loaves of bread.

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

2/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 container (5.3 ounce) Greek Style Yogurt
3 Eggs
3 Cups AP Flour
2 1/4 Cup White Sugar
2 Cups Finely Grated Zucchini
2 Teaspoons Lemon Extract
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Zest of one Lemon (OK- I use three lemons but it is because that is my thing)
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
4 Cups Blueberries

Lemon Glaze:

1 Cup Powdered Sugar
Zest of 1/2 Lemon
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Whipping Cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*
Prepare either 2 loaf pans or four small loaf pans with cooking spray or oil.
In a mixer with a paddle attachment, combine oil, yogurt, and sugar.
Add eggs and combine.
Add zuchinni, extracts, zest, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until combined.
Fold in blueberries.
Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 50 Minutes.

Coffee Cake Banana Bread

July 18, 2018 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

I don’t know if it is an age thing or a mom thing, but I tend to forget. I make lists and set reminders and own a large stock in post-its of every color and size to compensate for this, but the truth is, if I don’t write it down, I forget. I tell my kids to remind me when I am older that I did this when I was in my forties to make me feel better.

I forget the ingredient that I specifically went to the grocery store for, even though I buy other stuff I forgot to write down. I forget to put the card in the mail even though I bought it two weeks ago just so it wouldn’t be late (I am the worst auntie ever, sorry kids for the late birthday cards…).

I remember to pay my bills and feed and clothe my children and keep a house that’s clean and my yard is nice. I am kind to the dog and I do my job at work to the very best of my ability. So, for the most part, the forgetting is the other stuff.

Which includes myself. I forget to remember that exercise is important. That rest is necessary. That self-care is not only a priority but is essential to the people around me. I get caught up in not wanting to be selfish but the truth is, sometimes, in order to survive, we need to not forget ourselves.

Like anything you let slide, getting back into the remembering is hard at first. Remembering how good it feels to leave the gym after a workout. Remembering that meal prep and eating healthy is actually not as hard as you thought it was. Remembering how writing resonates deep within after not being able to string along sentences for a while. That taking the time to stop and enjoy life around you is worth remembering to do.

I would like to say I have found perfect balance and have achieved whatever zen I am looking for in my life, my kitchen, my table. I haven’t. I still want to eat a slice of banana bread or a cookie after I eat my salad with a protein. It is what it is. I am trying to remember balance, and kindness to myself, and indulge without going overboard. Like this Coffee Cake Banana Bread. (Creative stretch to segue into the recipe? Maybe?) It’s a stretch…but I’ll take it.

Banana bread is beautiful on its own. But combine it with a Coffee Cake Crumble topping and you have a healthy base with an indulgent flare that says, “YES PLEASE!” It is a moist tender bread with the crumbly crunch of cinnamon and sugar. It is worth the freezing of the ripe bananas. It is worth the effort to bake from scratch. It reminds me to stop. Sip the coffee. Eat the banana bread. Enjoy the view.

While I will continue to write post it notes and lists for myself, I will also remember to feed my soul, in whatever form that takes. Because healthy is important, as well as a generous portion of crumble topping.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe!

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Coffee Cake Banana Bread

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This moist banana bread is topped with a buttery crumb topping. Original recipe from www.alattefood.com.

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

½ Cup Butter, softened
1 Cup White Sugar
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Cups Flour
3–4 Mashed Ripe Bananas
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
¼ Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt

Crumb Topping:

1 Cup Flour
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1 Cup Brown Sugar
6 Tablespoons Butter, Cold and cubed

Instructions

To prepared the Crumb Topping:

Combine cinnamon, brown sugar, and flour.
Cut in butter until crumbly in texture.

To Prepare Banana Bread:

Preheat oven to 350*
Spray two 8 x 4 pans with non-stick spray, butter, or oil of choice. (I also make these in the smaller loaf pans and it makes approximately five loaves.
In a mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
Add in eggs, vanilla extract, and sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
Add in mashed bananas until combined.
Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Add dry ingredients until incorporated.
Divide batter between two prepared pans.
Sprinkle Crumb topping generously over both pans.
Bake at 350* for 35-40 minutes until tester comes out clean.

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Coffee Cake Banana Bread

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Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

½ Cup Butter, softened
1 Cup White Sugar
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Cups Flour
3–4 Mashed Ripe Bananas
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
¼ Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt

Crumb Topping:

1 Cup Flour
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1 Cup Brown Sugar
6 Tablespoons Butter, Cold and cubed

Instructions

To prepared the Crumb Topping:

Combine cinnamon, brown sugar, and flour.
Cut in butter until crumbly in texture.

To Prepare Banana Bread:

Preheat oven to 350*
Spray two 8 x 4 pans with non-stick spray, butter, or oil of choice. (I also make these in the smaller loaf pans and it makes approximately five loaves.
In a mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
Add in eggs, vanilla extract, and sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
Add in mashed bananas until combined.
Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Add dry ingredients until incorporated.
Divide batter between two prepared pans.
Sprinkle Crumb topping generously over both pans.
Bake at 350* for 35-40 minutes until tester comes out clean.

Welcome to the Circus and Dark Chocolate Chunk Greek Yogurt Banana Muffins

April 14, 2018 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Dark Chocolate Greek Yogurt Banana Muffins

My Spring Break is coming to a close, and while I did a ton of cleaning and purging and moving furniture around, etc… I am only now settling in to write. Why is it that the writing part is the hardest part?

Do you ever walk around composing in your brain? Letters you need to write or cards to send, emails to respond to, and for me, blog posts as well. It is what it is. If I am lucky, I get an opportunity to write it down. If I am not, I place a post it note somewhere and come back to it thinking, “huh?”

One of the best parts of my week off, besides the opportunity to stay at the Cape for a few days, (Thanks Aunty Cathy) was the chance to walk with friends. I mean early morning, after work, lunch break walks with people I don’t get to see in daily life. Walk, and listen, and share, and all while filling my lungs with fresh air and moving my body. To me, that is a gift. I did my first set of pull-ups this week as well (Thank you Erika) so hey, rock on. Forty-six, here I come.

We have been a predominantly vegetarian household for almost a month, and yet, I still have a list of recipes to share that are not necessarily super-healthy, but are in the works. The blog is about two weeks behind my real life. So when I post a batch of cookies, chances are they are long gone and the crumbs are already swept of the teacher’s lunch room table at school. It’s just reality.

We work. We have family. We have outside responsibilities. We feed and nurture and take care of our circle. So, the extra stuff waits for most of us. We don’t really get the chance to be selfish. It isn’t who we are.

I had the chance to grab coffee with a precious friend this week who shared some things, and she said, “Thanks for letting me look into your life.” My response was, “My life is a Sh8t Show!” and her response was, “But it makes me think I can do it too.”

To which I say, AMEN and YES. YES YOU CAN. Our lives are imperfect. We have kid issues and work issues. We have addictions and illnesses and death and loss. We have messy. We have step-over-this-part-of-my- life-and-no-one-needs-to-see-it stuff. We have the stuff we won’t put on Facebook.

You will never see me post my children’s report cards on social media. Not because they aren’t worthy. But because, it’s not my thing. You will see me post a picture of them laughing together, or playing their ukuleles together, because while I love that my children are smart, I love that my children have the capacity to be kind. Not to shame those who do. Like Amy Poehler says in her book, “Good for you, not for me.” I realize my parenting style is not the same. I am not raising free-range chickens or lab rats. I am not raising super heroes. I am raising children (technically young adults). I am sure they will need therapy for something. It won’t be because I didn’t try.

Yesterday I asked my son, “Do I stress too much and act really cranky when we travel?” He looked at me and said (carefully and only slightly sarcastically), “Ahhhh, yeah?” Point well taken. My response? “I’m really sorry. I’m working on it.” I’d rather they remember me identifying and apologizing and changing as a mom. At least they know I am trying and willing to work on stuff.

Truthfully, I suck at the circus. I can do this or that really well and the rest I am trying my best. Sometimes my best is not good enough for my standards. Sometimes my best still rocks but it isn’t enough. That’s where grace comes in.

No one has it all together. No one has a Facebook perfect life. We can’t compare or it will kill us slowly from the inside. Comparing is as bad as cancer in my book.

In the last year, I have slowly learned to unfold from years of this mindset of being the good parent, or the adult, or the martyr in some situations. I am not done. I am so not done. Every day I am trying to love this body and this soul inside my skin and forgive myself of all the shortcomings. This is hard. It is hard because I am great at finding the good outside of myself but not necessarily inside of myself.

What a slow process. I have said it before, I wish I wanted all the good for myself that my mom would want for me or I want for my kids. That I would breathe and say, “Chrissy, you’ve got this,” more. I am learning.

I am changing habits and while I think of cookies (recipe not posted yet) while I do pull ups for the first time, I am realizing that cookies are lovely and therapeutic to make, but not the only option.

Still, give me all the chocolate. (I am working on this too).

So. This recipe. It is a dark chocolate muffin and it uses banana, coconut oil, greek style yogurt, and it is still a muffin but it is a better choice muffin.

For the banana haters of the world…yes, it still does have a slight banana smell but it is not a banana muffin, if you get me. It also has dark chocolate chunks and is delicious. It has sugar but not a ton. It is decadent enough to be a cupcake- but it is dense. So it really is a muffin. I chose dark chocolate cocoa powder because it is my personal preference, but regular cocoa powder will work too.

My only wish for these muffins is that they would last longer, you need to share them and eat them within a few days or they toughen up. So make these and bless those around you with a healthier version of a breakfast treat. You can pop them in the microwave or a few seconds to heat them up and they are even better.

As for a glimpse into my circus. It is what it is. Hopefully it makes you think you can tame the tigers, unload the clowns out of the small car, hang from the trapeze, eat the popcorn and ride the camel too. We do the best we can, and take it one day at a time. We need to look at ourselves with kindness. We need to fall in love with ourselves a little bit more every day. Because, we are worth it. I’ll say it to you now, and tuck it into your heart: You’ve got this.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe.

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Dark Chocolate Chunk Greek Yogurt Banana Muffins

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Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

1 Cup extremely ripe mashed bananas (2–4 depending on banana size)
1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Large Egg
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/4 Cup melted coconut oil, cooled
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
4 Heaping Tablespoons Dark Cocoa Powder
1 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Flour
1 Tablespoon Corn starch
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*
Line a muffin tin with paper liners. If you want the added protection from muffin sticking to liner, lightly spray muffin liners with baking spray. You can dust liners with additional cocoa powder.
Mix dry ingredients and chocolate chips.
Mash bananas and combine with yogurt and egg.
Add melted and cooled coconut oil, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.
Add in brown sugar.
Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients, mixing until just combined, not overworking the batter.
Divide batter into muffin tins, this yielded 12 regular sized muffins.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
Allow to cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.