Vanilla Donut Holes

Who doesn't like a sweet breakfast? We've made these quite a few times in the past. They came back around because we're on spring break from homeschooling this week! This mama has been sleeping in and feeling much more indulgent with our breakfasts. Yum!

Donut
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk (more or less to desired consistency)

Mix together all the dry ingredients then incorporate the wet until well blended. Put tablespoon size drops into your cake pop/ donut hole machine.
While they're cooking, stire together glaze ingredients. Dip warm balls into the glaze and dry until crusted.

Nutella Cupcakes

I teach cake decorating at our local craft store. It's a pretty fun little side job that gives me a reason to get me out of the house for a little bit each week. Part of the curriculum I teach requires me to make cupcakes one week and a cake the next week. Being generally opposed to settling for cake mixes and bored of the usual vanilla and chocolate options, I am often on the look out for new recipes to take to class with me. This week was no different. I got it into mind that I wanted to have Nutella cupcakes to take with me. Who doesn't like Nutella, right?
After much searching I didn't find anything I was satisfied with so I revamped a recipe myself and got this! Oh my goodness! You have to try them! For class I covered them with the class buttercream but at home I just put a dollop of extra Nutella on top. Amazing! Try them! You'll love them.

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup  nutella
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix in the oil, Nutella, eggs and vanilla until completely incorporated. Should be nice and thick at this point. Slowly mix in the sour cream and milk until a uniform consistency. Pour into liner-filled cupcake pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, using a toothpick test to check for done-ness. Top with whatever sounds great and enjoy!

Upside-down Plum Cake

3/4 cup butter, softened (divided)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
4 large plums, cut into segments
1 1/2  cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-in pan with 2-in sides.

In a skillet melt HALF the butter with honey and sugar over medium heat, stirring until smooth sauce forms. Pour sauce into prepared cake pan, arrange plum segments on top.

Mix flour, baking powder, spices and salt in a medium bowl, set aside. With a mixer, whip remaining butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs and both extracts and whip until white and fluffy. Add 1/3 flour mixture, mix until just blended. Add 1/2 milk, then 1/3 flour, the rest of milk and flour, mixing until just combined.

Pour batter over plums, bake until golden, about 1 hr. Let cool in pan for about 15 min, run a knife around the edges and carefully invert onto serving platter.

Coffee-Crusted Pork Chops with Bourbon Cream Sauce

Good friends bought us Weber's "Real Cooking" book several years ago. We have never been disappointed with a recipe we tried from it. This particular recipe is one of the best yet! As usual, I changed the recipe quite a bit while I was cooking it so this is my version.

Sauce:
1T butter
1t minced garlic
1t onion powder
1/4c bourbon (we used Jack Daniels)
1c low-sodium beef stock
6T heavy cream
1/2t dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Rub:
1t dark-roasted coffee
1/2t dried thyme
1t kosher salt
1/2t fresh ground pepper

4 boneless pork loin chops about 1 inch thick
Olive oil

For the sauce:
In a saucepan over medium heat melt the butter and cook garlic for just a minute. Add onion powder then remove from heat. Carefully add bourbon then return to the heat (it may flame up). Reduce heat to medium and add stock and cream. Simmer until reduced to about 1/3c stirring occasionally. Add remaining seasoning to desired taste and serve over the cooked pork chops. We found this was delicious with our steamed broccoli as well!

For the chops:
Make the rub in a small bowl, mixing together all the ingredients. Spray or brush both sides of pork chops with olive oil then rub seasoning into the pork chops and let them come to room temperature for about 20-30 minutes.
 Grill over direct medium heat until barely pink in the center of the meat, about 8-10 minutes, turning once. Rest for a few minutes then serve.

Spent Grain Beer Bread

Since recently my hubbie has gotten into making his own beer I've tried to find a few recipes of things I could make with the things leftover from it. One of the big ones is the "spent grain" or the grains that are leftover after they've been boiled. I have read that they are still quite nutritious and they give a unique flavor to this bread that I've made twice now. The bread tastes different depending on the type of grain you use so it's always new!

3/4c warm water
2T active dry yeast
3/4c milk
1/4c unsalted butter
4 1/2T sugar
1T salt
1c apple juice
1/4c honey
1 1/2c spent grain
1c wheat flour
4-5c unbleached all purpose flour
oil to coat bowl
1 egg, lightly beaten

Pour the warm water into the bowl of your electric mixer. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let set for a few minutes. Heat milk and butter until the butter melts, either in the microwave or on the stove. Add in sugar, salt, apple juice and honey. Add into the mixing bowl.
Add the spent grain reserving 2T if you'd like to put some on top to decorate at the end. Add whole wheat flour and mix thoroughly. Add all-purpose flour a little at a time until no longer sticky. Knead for several minutes with the dough hook attachment. Oil the bowl and let rise for 30-60 minutes or until doubled in size.
Form into 2 loaves and brush on the egg wash and rise again until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake loaves for 45 minutes or until a toothpick test comes out clean.

Fresh Strawberry Pecan Cookies

I took this batch of cookies to a mom's night out ages ago. Even recently I've had people ask for the recipe!

1 1/2c white sugar
1c butter
1/2T baking soda
2 eggs
1 pint strawberries, pureed
3c flour
1t salt
3/4c pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease or line cookie sheets.
Cream together butter and sugar then mix in eggs and strawberry puree until just blended. Stir in the rest of the dry ingredients. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheets and back for 8-10 minutes.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

1c butter softened
1 1/2c white sugar
2 eggs
2t vanilla
2 3/4c flour
2t cream of tartar
1t baking soda
1/4t salt
2T white sugar
2t ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Blend in flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. In a separate ball mix together 2T sugar and cinnamon. Shape dough into balls and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets. Remove from sheets immediately.