friday links

Happy Happy Friday!

First day of summer this Saturday!

Do they have to park at the end of my driveway?

Are you coming to the Cape this weekend?
It's going to be beautiful weather.

Why can't we have summer year round?
Winter is so.....pointless.

I hope to do a little stand up paddle boarding this weekend.
What are your plans?

Did I tell you yet that Cape Cod has it's own Whole Foods now?
I might have mentioned it a couple times.  LOL
They have really good pizza.

White peaches are in season--let's make a tart!

Chubby wifey ice cream?

peanut butter-oreo ice cream

peanut butter-fudge puddle cookies are DANGEROUS!

around the web:

black coffee stops your teeth from rotting? hmm
scary symptoms of stress
strawberry shortcake ice cream bars
make your own electrolyte drink
cantaloupe-mint caipirinah cocktail
key lime cheesecake milkshakes!
warning signs you're dealing with a toxic person
will ferrell & chad smith drum off (I love this!)
5 ways to improve your day
banana & brown sugar popsicles
armpit cleanse: to reduce breast cancer risk
artsy craftsy sequin projects!
overcoming excuses & believing in what you can do!
yep spiders that eat fish exist!
America's happiest seaside towns (yay to p-town!)
how to freeze baked goods by alice medrich
sriracha crab salad rolls
watermelon painted donuts
healthy obesity?
NY style paleo pizza crust
can intermittent fasting help you?
your favorite carby foods made healthy & delicious
6 superfoods for a healthy prostate
common insecticides may be linked to child behavior problems
runaway juno: she's living the dream I want--traveling!
high levels of cancer-causing compounds found in hairdressers blood
breast cancer risk factors connected to 102 chemicals
bacon & avocado macaroni salad
anatomy of a starbucks beverage
fruits, foods & drinks that revitalize & restore
6 tips to get you motivated when you're feeling depressed
Globe Trekker fans!
people who overshare on Facebook just want to belong
the difference between rolled oats, steel-cut oats & quick oats
hair perfume?
DIY beehive cake
world cup themed cakes & cupcakes
22 tricks to avoid bloating
Oh Joy goes to London!
easy focaccia made in your skillet
sriacha bacon wrapped onions rings
quick & easy berry jam
grilled middle eastern lamb burgers w/ garlic sauce
chocolate swirl paleo banana bread

Have a wonderful weekend!

lemon crumb cake

Have any clue how many crumb cakes I've made over the years?

I've made a lot. Some people love cupcakes, I love crumb cakes.
I think it's the crumb I'm drawn to; I tend to make 'double' the crumb than the average crumb cake.
Why? It's the best part if done right.
I mean I could just make a crumb cake, made of crumb, and would be totally fine with that;
do we really need the cake part? Yes, no we don't.
About the mid 1980's I went to NYC a lot to visit friends, shop, and eat.
And that's when I discovered crumb cake; mile high crumb cake.
It was sold everywhere, a small company made the cake, can't remember the name, but their little see through packages filled with most cake and about three inches of cake were sold at almost every store, pizza joint, coffee shop, etc...
I was drawn to it because it wasn't the "norm" crumb cake that you'd see everywhere.
Normal crumb cake was a mile-high cake with tiny bits of crumb on top.  Yuck!  What's the point?
So that is what started my obsession creating crumb cakes at home with hints of flavor and texture.
How many have I made?  I didn't answer that yet did I?
Here's the list:

eggnog crumb cake (my fav)
banana cream crumb cake
cookie butter crumb cake
pumpkin crumb cake
NY style-pumpkin crumb cake
key lime crumb cake
blackberry-cream cheese crumb cake
NYC style crumb cake
banana-espresso crumb cake
raspberry-buttermilk crumb cake
pb & jelly crumb cake

Any guess on the next crumb cake creation?


This lemon crumb cake is based off my eggnog crumb cake, pretty much the same base recipe.
It's very moist, the crumb is just right, and the lemon glaze has the right amount of sourness to give it a little extra punch.
It's keeps well for about 4 days. I think the longer it sits wrapped the better it tastes.
You don't have to use a bundt pan, you can also use a 9x13 pan.







lemon crumb cake
print recipe

crumb topping
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
¾ ts salt
2-3 TB fresh lemon zest
10 TB unsalted butter, melted & cooled a bit

cake
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 ts baking soda
¾ ts baking powder
½ ts salt
2-3 TB fresh lemon zest
12 TB unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
juice of 1 lemon (or more)

glaze
3/4 cup of powdered sugar
2TB (or more) of fresh lemon zest
juice of about 1-2 lemons, depending on how thick/thin you want your glaze

cook notes:  
grease up your bundt cake pan well!
You can also use a 9x13 cake pan, but cake might be a bit thinner, so watch the baking times.
The cake batter is very thick.
Do a taste test on the batter to see if it has enough lemon flavor for you; mine was weak on lemon, so I used a whole lemon. Just added more in at the last minute.
To avoid lumps in your icing, just run the powdered sugar through a sifter before using it.
The glaze is fairly strong/sour, which is great, so that said, you don’t need a lot.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray or grease up with butter. Set aside.
For the crumb topping:
In a medium bowl, mix the sugars, lemon zest, salt, and flour.
Add the melted butter and stir with spatula until combined. Set aside.
For the Cake:
Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt into medium bowl.
Using electric mixer, or mixer or by hand (me) beat the butter and sugar in large bowl until smooth.
Add in the eggs, beating until well blended after each addition.
Next add in the sour cream and lemon juice; mix until just blended. Lastly add in the flour mixture in batches—I did two batches, until all is just combined. Do not overmix once the flour is added; lumps are good!
Pour the batter into the greased pan, spread batter evenly.  Next add on the crumb topping by dropping clumps (2-3 inch clumps) of it on to the top. Do not push crumbs down!
Bake the cake for 30-40 minutes or until tester inserted into center comes out FAIRLY clean (mine was done at the 33-minute mark).
Please rotate the pan halfway through baking time.  You will know cake is done when there is no more jiggle in the middle of the cake.
Once cake is cooled, remove from pan carefully and place on a large plate or cake stand.
Mix up the icing ingredients in a small bowl and drizzle over cake
Keep cake covered.  Should only last 3-4 days at room temperature.

friday links

Happy Friday kids!

Just a quick note of gratitude:
my facebook page for vanilla sugar is almost at 5K likes.
2 years ago at this time I had 77 likes and was estatic.
So thank you, very much, for liking & loving my little creative food blog.


Should you ever want a homemade cheez it recipe that has far less chemicals than the boxed version,
then keep this recipe handy. It's really good.

Craving something lemon? Lemon crunch bars.  Seriously.

Or maybe a lemon-vanilla oreo ice cream?

In case you haven't heard me scream from the rooftops....cape cod has a Whole Foods Market now.
AND they have a breakfast buffet in the mornings!
It's really good, but it gets really packed--fast.

Can't tell you how many people liked my profound statement on Facebook.

Rain & humidity--why do they have to go hand in hand in the summer?

Goodbye winter, hello summertime.

Ocean temp as of today, about 63-64 degrees. Better than 50, right?

Best seat on the beach.
Don't you love that brightness? After months and months of a dark winter here on cape cod.

Even my neighbors chickens are happy to be out for their morning walks again.

Fancy a root beer bundt cake?
Yes root beer!

Peach season is here.
Make peach shortcake with white chocolate-whipped cream!

Blueberry compote for blueberry shortcake is one of my weaknesses.

My blueberry shortcake is made with a nice easy to make donut cake.

Can you stuff brownies with s'mores?
Yes!

around the web:

slow cooker spiced cashews
app snaps photo of alleged smartphone thief
imaging advance detects free radicals in brain injury
how to negotiate with someone more powerful than you (MUST READ!)
best yoga poses for better sleep & less stress
the other salt: foods high in potassium
strawberry italian cream cake
snicker layer bars (paleo & vegan)
7 things your hair says about your health
10 best clam shacks in New England!! (Clam Box is the best!)
17 incredible things you didn't know about whole foods market
a day at the office with Boston Red Sox's Wally the Green Monster
nutshell dioramas of death
rhubarb punch
right before I die (warning this is intense)
Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts (handy little page)
everything you need to know about B12 deficiency
10 health & fitness instagram must follows (LOVE Alan!)
liver detoxifying green juice drink
2-ingredient nutella brownies!
5 ways to make everyone be around you
bourbon-bacon brownies!
DIY wrapped gladiator sandals
Love these! fortune "cakes" cupcake molds
handy full moon finder
orange creamsicle ricotta cookies
rhubarb-cardamon custard pie
DIY pre-shave oil for men
20 epic alternatives to peanut butter
how to turn confetti into monogram wall art (so cute!)
how exercise slows aging
the effect of 1-night of sleep deprivation
the science of the best sorbet
7 things men really want in a relationship
10 most comfortable dining chairs
DIY ladder wardrobe
york peppermint patty chocolate popsicles
how much GMO food are you really eating?
getting a good nights sleep really does help boost your brain
homemade snickers (printed!)
counter the effects of menopause
breakfast pizza!
when did this generation become so obsessed with itself?
wonderful roundup of backyard crafts for the summer
22 tricks to avoid bloating

**coming to Boston this summer?  Sign up for the Boston Foodie Tours.
Award-winning best eats throughout Boston. 2014 & 2013 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence!
All tours feature fun, historical facts, with a focus on award-winning best eats, including those of Best of Boston winners, James Beard Award winners, celebrity chefs, and food institutions.
Our tour guides not only "love" food, they "know" food, often having graduated from Boston University's Gastronomy Program, founded by Julia Child & Jacque Pepin, and the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts**

Have a wonderful weekend!

sweet potato hash (made with frozen fries)

I get a lot of emails asking for more one bowl easy recipes and one "frying" pan easy recipes.
I'm more than happy to share a one-fry pan easy recipe using frozen sweet potato fries.
Can one make a great hash using frozen sweet potatoes?
YES!

Actually, you'll be hard pressed to notice the difference in the hash between normal sweet potato vs. frozen sweet potato fries.
How did I get that nice char, crisp crust on the hash?
Easy, just defrost the sweet potatoes a bit before using.
Simply place the frozen fries on paper towels, let them defrost a bit (about 20 minutes, shorter if your kitchen runs hot). Don't skip this step, it helps take out some of the moisture in the fries which will help them crisp up better during frying.
Look for almost defrosted, with soft outside, but still frozen middle.
Then chop up into 1-inch pieces, try and keep them a uniform size.
Add olive oil to a frying pan, saute onions till a little brown, then place in the chopped sweet potato fries. Place them in as one layer, pushing down a bit, and let them cook till brown and crisp, then turn over.  At the very end I like to add in a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce and a couple pats of butter, stir, mix, until ready.
If you want spicy then a few dashes of tabasco sauce too.
Remove hash from pan and use the same pan for frying the eggs--don't clean it!
Since there is still a lot of flavor in the pan leftover from the hash.




quick & easy sweet potato hash (made with frozen fries)
print recipe

1 bag of sweet potato fries (12 - 15 ounce bag)
1 small/medium onion, chopped
2-3 TB of unsalted butter
a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste

cook notes:
Use peppers instead of onions or sundried tomatoes.
Feel free to add a bit of garlic as well.
Adding in cooked sausage is a nice addition as well.

Simply place the frozen fries on paper towels, let them defrost a bit (about 20 minutes, shorter if your kitchen runs hot). Don't skip this step, it helps take out some of the moisture in the fries which will help them crisp up better during frying.
Look for almost defrosted, with soft outside, but still frozen middle.
Next chop up into 1-inch pieces, try and keep them a uniform size.
Add olive oil to a frying pan, and over medium heat, saute onions till a little brown, then place in the chopped sweet potato fries. Place them in as one layer, pushing down a bit, and let them cook till brown and crisp, then turn over and fry the other side.
Don't keep flipping the hash browns, let them be and get nice and brown.
At the very end I like to add in a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce and a couple pats of butter, stir, mix, until ready.
If you want spicy then a few dashes of tabasco sauce.
This should make enough for 2-3 servings.

friday links

Happy Friday kids!


my homemade granola thins have been most downloaded for the week.

my copycat peanut butter twix bars are also very popular.

I'm ashamed to say, cookies & milk was dinner one night this week.

This is Roger.
He lives under my back deck, he loves sitting in the sun, swimming, and will eat a bite or two of my strawberries.
He's kind of friendly and I'm totally digging it.
I think he's a Libra :-)

I think the cape is finally having a decent spring in years.  It's been sunny, not humid, but cool.
AND not a lot of rain, thank goodness!
Normally the cape only gets winter then boom, right into summer with heat, so this is a blessing.

And this was dinner another night.  Better choices.

In an attempt to un-do damage from said chocolate chip cookie dinners dinner, I am having raw food
juices made fresh at Whole Foods Cape Cod.
This is a beet, kale, lawn clippings, apple, and lemon juice.

around the web:

summer cabin escapes
your brain on healthy food
fascinating photos of the changes on the cape cod coastline over the years
DIY lemon cups!
9 easy DIY popsicles
brain benefits of meditation
greek garlic sauce
health benefits of onions
7 habits of happy people
13 accidental inventions that changed the world
caramelized banana-peanut butter BLENDER ice cream
tick situations & solutions
puff pastry prosciutto wrapped asparagus
butter | opusculum
DIY maleficent glitter slime
ice baths: myth or recovery?
osteoporosis risk for men?  yes!
8 DIY medical treatments
the best looking greek salad I've seen in a while
your body on anxiety
macaron making advice
best way to soften butter fast
swedish butterscotch & sea salt cookies
what really causes obesity?
grow your own strawberries
cinnamon toast crunch raw pie
tangerine sour cream pound cake
perfect iced coffee
meditation is the key to success
why we choose to eat a clean diet
coconut-brown butter cookies
sea salt & honey ice cream (no machine needed)
one very epic selfie!
instagram 6.0 with adjustable filters & 9 new effects
15 hilarious attempts to make horrifying food look fancy
10 healthy morning pick-me-ups
giving nutrition it's due in bipolar disorder treatment
don't throw away your strawberry tops!
10 worst processed foods for people with diabetes

Have a wonderful weekend.