Coffee Cake...but where's the coffee?

Does anyone else feel like they might melt away at any moment due to this horrible summer heat?  I'm only a few hours from CANADA for goodness sake, shouldn't it be just a little bit more comfortable around here?  I never thought I would be missing Boston's winter...

Even though it has been terribly hot I probably shouldn't be complaining because...it was only 75 degrees today!  And the beautiful weather caused me to be incredibly productive.  I woke up early, had a healthy breakfast, did pilates, booked campgrounds for the upcoming great adventure (more on this later), went to the pool to read for a while, and then went on a run.  All of which I accomplished before 1:00.

Now you are wondering, "why in the world did she just tell me all that...I don't care what she accomplished."  Well I have an answer for you.  There is only one reason I found this necessary.  It is for my mental health.  I am justifying the fact that after this healthy morning, I whipped up and devoured the coffee cake that I am about to give you the recipe for.  The coffee cake that has about 12 pounds of butter in it.  And about 5 pound of sugar.

But boy, oh boy was it delicious...and totally worth it.

Ready to indulge and love every second of it?

The Best Coffee Cake. Ever. -from the wonderful Pioneer Woman
 THE CAKE: 

• 1-1/2 stick Butter, Softened
• 2 cups Scant Sugar
• 3 cups Flour, Sifted
• 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1-1/4 cup Whole Milk
• 3 whole Egg Whites, Beaten Until Stiff

 THE TOPPING:

• 1-1/2 stick Butter, Softened
• 3/4 cups Flour
• 1-1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• 1-1/2 cup Pecans, Chopped

 -Seriously don't be alarmed by the amount of butter.  Butter is wonderful.

1. This is my antique sifter that I am in love with.  That probably didn't require a "step 1" but oh well.

2. But really step 1...Sift flour, baking powder, and salt.  And set aside.

3. Beat egg whites until stiff.  Set aside.

4. Cream butter and sugar.  When smooth alternately add flour mixture and milk until combined.

5. Fold in egg whites.

6. Combine topping ingredients in a large bowl.

7. Pour batter into a well greased 9 x 13 baking dish.

8. Spread topping over batter.  Pop it into the oven and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

9. Let it cool for a couple of minutes.

10. EAT!

11. Eat more!  And grab a cup of coffee...it is coffee cake after all!

 I should probably go on another run...but maybe I'll go get another piece...

A little heads up...
In about 14 days time Kaston, Nick, and I will be heading out on an epic adventure from Boston to Ozark.  Not only is this a road trip back home...it is also going to be a mini My Politic tour!  We will  be stopping in Philidelphia PA, Staunton VA, Asheville NC, Atlanta GA, Nashville TN, and Memphis TN.  The plan is to drive, play shows, eat good food, camp, explore, eat more and so on.  I will be documenting the trip via videos and this blog so check in occasionally to see what town we are in and what we are up to!  In the mean time check out their youtube page! My Politic Music

Remnants of an Edible Flag...Pancakes with Blueberry Butter.

Do you remember back in April/May when I told you school was almost over and that meant I would be able to blog my way through the summer?

Do you also remember when I've been laying by the pool, reading books, going on adventures, having visitors and basically just not blogging?  Oh, wait no!  That couldn't be me. 

Moving on.  A week or so ago I started to plan the 4th of July festivities and of course what food we would be eating.  I must admit I was somewhat heartbroken about not spending the 4th on a boat on Table Rock Lake like I've done the last 19 years of my life.  But I went into it with an open mind, even though I had very high expectations.  And you know what?  Boston's 4th of July pulled through for me.  It was such a great day full of friends, grilling, playing games, eating, and then of course the epic Boston fireworks (which are the ones shown on T.V. every year!).

I of course had every intention of blogging about all of my festive 4th of July dishes but...I ended up using recipes that aren't mine to give out.  Sorry!  Do you at least want me to torture you and tell you what we had?  Okay.

• Grilled hot dogs and corn on the cob (done by grill master Kaston)
• Kaston's mom Annette's famous potato salad
• Spring Creek Tea Room white chocolate cheesecake (which was of course decorated in American fashion with a blueberry and raspberry flag)
• Ms. Ashley Fear's delicious turkey-dill roll up things.
• Blueberry Lemonade

That was rude wasn't it?  I'm sorry.  But guess what?  I bought way too many blueberries and raspberries for the occasion (I didn't know when the opportunity would pop up to put a blueberry and raspberry flag on something and I wanted to be well prepared).  And that means that I had a ton of leftovers that I needed to do something with.  So.....this is what happened....

Pancakes with Blueberry Butter

for the batter:

3 tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup + 3 tablespoons milk

for the butter:

1 stick butter, salted and softened

1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar

3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Gather all of those yummy ingredients.  And probably a cup of coffee if you're into that kind of thing in the mornings.

Throw the sugar, eggs, and vanilla into a bowl and whisk until foamy.

Stir in the melted butter.  And then the flour.

Mix in the salt and baking powder.

Now the milk.

Whisk like crazy until you have a smooth batter with no lumps.

Okay here is where I failed.  I forgot to take pictures of the actual pancake making process.  Who am I?  I'm sorry it was early and I was only on my first cup of coffee.  Forgive me.

Here is what you do...Use a skillet that is lightly greased with butter, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto the pan when the butter has started sizziling.  Fry until bubbles appear on the surface and then flip.  Cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side until golden.

Now for the buddah. (That's Boston for "butter")

Combine the softened butter and powdered sugar.

Measure out 3/4 a cup of blueberries.

Combine the two.  Mash some of the blueberries up so the butter turns a light purple.

And now.....pay attention.  This is important.

Step 1: Put pancake #1 on the plate.

Step 2: Slather pancake #1 with blueberry butter.

Step 3: Place pancake #2 on top of pancake #1.

Step 4: Now slather pancake #2 with blueberry butter. (See where this is going?)

Step 5: No?  Okay I'll keep going.  Place pancake #3 on top of pancake #2.

Step 6: You'll never believe this step.  Slather pancake #3 with blueberry butter.

Step 7: Drench pancakes #1, 2, & 3 with warm maple syrup.

Step 8: Now grab a handful of fresh blueberries.

Step 9: Throw those fresh blueberries on the plate.

Step 10: This is the best step.  You'll like it.  Take a bite of those pancakes that are so perfectly stacked, slathered with blueberry butter and drenched in maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Country Roads Take Me Home.

A month to the day since my last post and it is time my friends.  Time for you to hear about Ireland and get a recipe for some Irish Soda Bread.  Are you excited?  Or just frustrated with me for being such a lazy blogger?

In preparation for writing this I went back through all of the pictures from Ireland.  And I have to tell you, it pulled at my heart strings a bit (too cheesy?) but really, I loved that place.  I could ramble on for days telling you about the trip and trying to convince you to go there...right now, do it, go!  But, I won't do that I promise.  I'll just give you the highlights so you can see why we had to be drug out of the country kicking and screaming.  Just kidding that didn't happen.  But maybe if it would have I could have stayed a bit longer...

We flew into Dublin and spent the evening pub hopping and meeting some really neat people from the states.  The next morning we rented a car and headed out for our journey through the Irish country side...on the wrong side of the road.  The whole driving thing was scary at first but Kaston got used to it in no time.  He's a champion.  We basically did a clockwise loop starting in Dublin and heading south.  We stayed in Kilkenny, Killarney, Ennis, Galway, Connemara, Athlone, and Dublin.  Look these places up.  They are beautiful.  We saw most of the touristy sites, we ate a lot of delicious food, listened to some great music, visited a pub or two (or way more than that) and basically just explored until we could no longer walk another step.

Kilkenny won the prize for being our favorite city that we stayed in.  It was full of friendly locals, great food, fun pubs, and a lot of places to explore.  Not that any of the other cities were lacking in these areas but...this one just stood out for some reason.  Another favorite happened to be Connemara.  We actually ventured outside of staying in hostels for a night and stayed in a castle!  Talk about an upgrade.  It was a lovely change of pace.  We got to sit and relax instead of running around trying to see every single bit of Ireland as quick as possible.  Not to mention the five course meal we had that night was to die for.  Also an upgrade from the pub fish and chips we ate almost every day.  Note: I am in no way snobbishly dogging on hostels or fish and chips.  I love both.  Just as much (if not more) than a castle and a five course meal.

Needless to say this trip convinced me that I want to move to Ireland, become a sheep farmer, and knit/cook/bake my life away.  Anyone else want to join?  I may be leaving soon...(Just kidding Mom.  Stop packing your bags.)

Now for the pictures.  Like I said I'm not going to overdo this.  But I have to show you some right?  I mean I was in Ireland for Pete's sake!

The first day in the mountains.  Straight out of a fairy tale.

Some of our new friends playing music in Kilkenny.

There is a mountain under that foggy mass.  One of the many beautiful drives on the coast.

The Cliffs of Moher and O'brien's Castle.

Sheep on the road!  I begged Kaston to stop the car every time we saw one.  Such tourists.

Oh the castle.  Love the ivy.

So, to ease the pain of being back in the states I decided I needed to incorporate a bit of Ireland in my own kitchen.  And what better to bake than some of the delicious soda bread slathered with Irish butter that they delightfully served with every meal?

You'll need:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper plus some for topping
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 egg white beaten

Gather the goods and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Stir butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted and golden brown.  It takes about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Grab the fresh herbs you want to use.  And a knife.  And a cutting board.

Chop those babies up.

Stir flour, oats, sugar, herbs, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper in large bowl to blend.

Pour in buttermilk.

Then the butter.

Knead gently until dough comes together. 

Divide dough in half, shape each into a ball, and flatten into a 6-inch round.  Place on ungreased baking sheet and brush the tops with beaten egg white.  (Don't be alarmed...I only made half the recipe so there is only one loaf in the pictures.)

Cut a 1/2 inch deep X in the top and sprinkle with black pepper.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and delicious looking.

Try to let it cool for a while...if you can resist.

How perfect right?  Irish butter to go with the Irish Soda Bread.  Thanks Trader Joes!

Slather on the butter and eat, eat, eat!

P.S. - I never explained the incredibly random title.  Fail.  Country Roads is apparently the unofficial anthem of Ireland.  It was playing 24-7.  And it was especially favored as the song to sing as everyone was walking home from the pubs.  So interesting.