Vibrant Serenity

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Coffee Cake

Fall is just around the corner, technically speaking. Here in Denmark, it already feels like Fall. The trees are beginning to change, the air is much cooler, and of course we can't forget about the rain. It won't let us.

Because of the cooler weather, I've been in baking mode. (Thanks for passing that on to me, Mom.) Monday, I made my very first coffee cake. Yeah, I was a coffee cake virgin. You see, I've never been much of a baker. My family rarely ate cookies and cakes and pies, aside from when my brothers and I were quite young. We didn't even have flour or sugar in our house. I think the main reason was because if we made it, we had to eat it. We're a gluttonous bunch, so baking was a big no-no. Today, I thankfully have a husband who loves sweets and happens to have 2 VERY long, hollow legs. Now, if only I could keep myself from tasting along the way.

Anyway, I'll stop rambling and tell you about this cake.

My new friends Sarah and Kelli were going to come over for coffee on Monday. Unfortunately, Kelli couldn't make it, but Sarah, Hans, and I wore our fat pants and put a serious dent in that cake.

Recipe adapted from Food.com

Ingredients:

2/3 cup margarine

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup sugar (I used sugar substitute)

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 cup buttermilk

1 bar dark chocolate (about 100 grams), coarsely chopped

Topping

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Cream together margarine, 1/2 Cup brown sugar, and sugar.

2. Add the beaten eggs and mix well.

3. Sift together all dry ingredients, and add to creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk.

4. Stir in chocolate pieces

5. Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13-inch pan.

6. In a separate bowl, mix together and sprinkle topping over the batter.

7. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

8. Remove from fridge and preheat oven to 350F/176C.

9. Remove foil and bake for 35 minutes or until cake tests done.

I have only tried baking this cake after refrigeration, but I would think baking it immediately would yield similar results.

What are your favorite fall recipes?

Linking here:

Lady Behind the Curtain
This Chick Cooks
Crazy for Crust
Polka Dots on Parade
A Glimpse Inside
Bacon Time With The Hungry Hungry Hypo
While He Was Napping
Be Different Act Normal
Young & Crafty
The Sweet Details
Chef In Training
Confessions of a Stay At Home Mommy
Bella Before & After
Not Just A Housewife
Pinkapotamus

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Hoo Are You? #54

1. Do you prefer sweet or salty foods?Normally if I have the urge to eat either, it's sweet foods. I just make them as healthy as possible.
2. Name your 3 BEST personality traits!I'm caring, open minded, and passionate
3. Name your 3 worst personality traits!I'm bossy, controlling, temperamental
4. Do you collect anything?I used to collect picture frames and all things frog, but I got rid of almost everything when I moved to Denmark.
5. What is your favorite season of the year?Oh dear, this is a hard one! I adore them all.
Spring is a new beginning, a new life. The snow melts, the grass and trees become green, flowers bloom, birds chirp.
Summer is relaxed and slow, the sun is warm and smiling down on me. The air is fresh and we have a gentle breeze blowing through our house.
Fall is filled with beautiful colors, the weather is cooler, and it's officially 'kosher' to make hot soups and chili for dinner. It's the time of year I break out the cinnamon, ginger, white pepper, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves. I love the scent of fall. I crave the spicy richness of the tastes, smells, and colors of fall.
Winter is nice, night comes early, and I love curling up in a warm blanket while the glow of candlelight fills the living room. I love snow falling gently outside. I also love going for walks on snowy winter nights. Everything is so quiet and still, you can hear each snowflake hitting the ground. It's such a beautiful sight.

Monday, September 12, 2011

I'm a total slacker!

I know I've been a terrible blogger this past week, and I really have no excuse. I've been around, just haven't had a whole lot to say.

Don't worry, I promise to take the time and say hi, post a project or two, and possible even a recipe or two this week. I've got a few ideas in my head, I just have to just get to work on them!

Today, my new friends Sarah and Kelli will be coming over for coffee and plenty of sweet treats. If the coffee cake I made is a hit, I will be posting it very soon, so keep an eye out.

For now, I'm getting back in the kitchen for more baking! I hope y'all had a fabulous weekend, and and even better week ahead!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

At The Beach

Sunday, we went to Jonas' birthday party. While there, we decided to walk down to the beach for a bit. Of course, I left my camera in the summer house, but Hans loved me enough to go back and get it.

Here's what we saw.

Yeah, that's a blue flag, but we didn't go for a swim.

The beach had a lot of tar in it.

Martin was having a lot of fun.

Laura and Jonas enjoyed digging in the sand.

Hans and Jonas' stuffed dog "Vov vov" (I think I spelled it right, Danish for Bow-wow).

Since I was taking the pictures, I got one of myself.

This is my first Danish jellyfish.

This was a huge mushroom growing next to the path leading to the beach.

That concludes my weekend adventures.

How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun?

Monday, September 5, 2011

Anniversary and Birthday

Saturday was my anniversary. Hans and I have managed to survive our first year as a married couple without killing each other.

He wanted to take me out to dinner, but his plans didn't go as he'd hoped. So, I made dinner instead. I cooked steaks in a pan for the first time in my life, and surprisingly they turned out pretty darn tasty. I also made some fresh Spanish bread and a strawberry cheesecake. After dinner, we watched an episode of Grey's Anatomy, and by 10:45pm we were both worn out and in bed.

The flowers on the left are from Hans and the ones on the right are from his parents.

It's not the best picture, but the hearts are a gift from Hans' parents.

Saturday was also our nephew's Birthday!

Jonas turned 2, and we celebrated on Sunday. Jens and Mathilde rented a summer house (owned by Jens' and Hans' aunt and uncle) and everyone was there.

We had 3 cakes, some chocolate chip bread, and chocolate muffins!

This is the strawberry cheesecake I made the night before. (Every last bite was eaten.)

Being the oldest, Laura had to help Jonas blow out his candles.

Here's Jonas, his mom (Mathilde), and his aunt Maline playing Jonas' new guitar.

Shortly after, Laura and Jonas needed to inspect the pictures Jens was taking.

Then it was time for their pictures to be taken.

I'm pretty sure Rebecca (my new niece) was the only one who was still for this shoot.

Jonas was all over the place.

Martin was too!

Laura stayed pretty still, but she was holding the baby, and she's in love with the camera!

I'll post about the beach tomorrow, but before I go, I wanted to share these with you.

After the party was ending and most of the family had left, I heard Jonas and his farmor (father's mother/grandma) talking quietly. I couldn't see them, but I knew Jonas had been playing under the dining table.

When I got up to see where they were, I found them both laying on the floor. Enjoying each other's company.

This just makes my heart melt!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Organizing The Spice Rack

Ok, so by now most of you know that I OCD about a lot of things.

Well, recently it was my spices.

Yes.

My spices needed to look pretty, or at least presentable. So, I painted the spice rack, removed the original labels and replaced them with my own 'chalkboard' labels using contact paper and my favorite liquid chalk markers. Easy, fast, cheap, and uniform!