friday links

Happy Friday kids!

What's on tap for this wonderful summer weekend?


I shall try every flavor this summer.

When it's just too hot cook, I love to fix up a condiment salad with plenty of Catalina dressing.

It's blueberry pie season!

The buffalo chicken pizza at Whole Foods is so good!

Yummy hot dogs at the "walk up food bar" at Whole Foods Cape Cod.

I'm so glad winter is gone.

Ocean temp is about 65 degrees, feels much warmer when the sun is out though.

Tomato season is coming!
I've got a quick & easy recipe for tomato & cheddar hand pies.

One bowl caramel-pecan brownies!
Easy peasy for the weekend.

around the web:

brownie waffle cookies (I wish I had a waffle iron still)
this is your body without water
cauliflower rice (this looks so easy!)
waffle + falafel = wafalafel
why iron rich foods are important
20 mantras to help you feel more confident
what a literary agent wants to see when they google you
why eating a big breakfast helps you lose weight
DIY wind chimes--great for the kids this summer
man wears Mentos coated suit & jumps in vat of diet coke (I know, I know!)
peanut butter waffles (I'm on a waffles kick)
hummus salad dressing! (brilliant)
natural remedies for sunburns
20 cancer symptoms women are most likely to ignore
empathic people are natural targets for sociopaths
s'mores pop tart slab pie
four foods rich in magnesium
how to get rid of writers block
best superfood for detoxing
cat in the bag! (I wasn't sure if this was real, but it is)
how to use google analytics (very helpful!)
the many healing wonders of turmeric
exercise & protein may help good gut bacteria
peony care: tips to grow healthy plants
conch shell headphones
rainbow tie-dye surprise cake (excellent tutorial)
vietnamese coffee ice cream (no cook)
a list of the best hair conditioners (what do you use?)
chocolate chip cookie milk shooters
grains & your joints
rose-infused lemonade
5 "not so super foods"?
diet or exercise? 'energy balance' is real key to disease prevention
DIY treat & candy wrappers
DIY fortune teller (the ones you made as a kid)
how to make pancakes with your rice cooker
tips for growing your hair
are you a "word nerd"? follow these twitter accounts to improve your vocab
the genesis of genius
cut your cake & keep it fresh too
decaying mansion of antiques
the rotting rothschild mansion
mike tyson's deserted 1980's mansion
food ingredient fears
16 things that affect your gut bacteria
more great uses & health benefits of turmeric
overcoming stress by saying thanks
15 mind blowing ways your body heals after quitting smoking



Have a wonderful weekend!

oatmeal-coconut crisps (flourless & GF)

If I had my way, and gaining weight was never a factor, I'd eat cookies for breakfast every day.
They're portable, tasty, quick, no fuss, ready to eat, and require no assembly when you're waiting for the espresso to kick in and make you human.
I love breakfast, but I hate making food that early in the day.
I would love to have a private chef feed me in the morning rather than at night. I mean, if I had to choose between morning or night...you know.  LOL
Some nights, I'll take my laziness  efficiency to a new level by making my breakfast ahead of time, so it's ready to go in the morning.
Perhaps that's why I'll always be creating cookies that are "breakfast" suitable.
Not a lot of sugar, not a lot of starch, or gluten, and hopefully some protein, if that's possible?
Kashi made some cookies that were healthier and suitable for breakfast; they were good, pricey though, little too much starch and sugar for me though, and I'm just not sure about the list of "natural" ingredients, so I'd prefer to make my own.
In the past, I've made a couple of cookies that are semi suitable for breakfast consumption.

These are tasty!
Nice and crisp, lightweight, not starchy, very flavorful!
Almost one bowl easy.
You do have to pull out the food processor to grind up half the rolled oats.
You could try to skip that step; I am curious to see what happens if  you do.
Cookie might not hold together though.
The first batch I made I did NOT flatten them, Second batch I did and the cookies came out
much better; crispier. So basically, the thinner you flatten them the crispier they get--just watch the baking times if you go the really thin route.




oatmeal-coconut crisps (flourless & GF)
print recipe

2 cups rolled oats (aka old-fashioned oats), divided
¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
¾ ts sea salt
1 TB cornstarch
½ ts baking powder
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
⅓ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 ts pure vanilla extract

cook notes: 
use rolled aka old fashioned oats, not quick cooking.
Most oats are gluten free, make sure the oats you are using are 100% gluten free.
Make sure to flatten cookie dough balls before baking as they will not spread or flatten on their own.
You could add chocolate chips or raisins to the dough.  This is not a dough that you can cover and use the next day. The dough does dry out fairly quickly. With that said, I highly doubt it freezes well.
The flatter you make the cookies the crispier they get; but watch the baking times if you go really flat.
This dough makes about 24 small cookies or 15-20 bigger ones.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a food processor or other grinder, pulse 1 cup of the oats until finely ground.
In a medium bowl mix the grinded oats, shredded coconut, the remaining 1 cup of oats, cornstarch, baking powder and salt; mix well and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy; add in the egg, vanilla extract.
Next add in the dry ingredients and mix till just combined.
If your kitchen runs really hot, place in fridge for 10 minutes to firm up. No longer than 20 minutes as the dough will start to dry out.
On parchment lined baking sheets, drop cookie dough size into tablespoon or larger.  Gently flatten cookies. Cookies will not spread much during baking and will not flatten either, so it’s important to flatten before baking.
Bake until edges are deep golden brown, about 15-18 minutes.
Please let these cookies cool a bit before removing, they are super fragile when straight out of the oven.

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!