fresh blueberry coconut coffee cake

Yesterday I woke up to beautiful swirling snowflakes.

Yes, it's March...  and it felt a little funny...  but snow is snow, and we love it!

I just can't let a snow-day pass buy without baking some comfort food.

And since I knew the flakes wouldn't last long, I quickly threw together this simple, delicious blueberry coffee cake to celebrate!

The coconut oil in this cake adds a very light layer of flavor...  this is definitely not a "coconut" coffee cake, but the coconut oil does make it a tad bit healthier!

Fresh Blueberry Coconut Coffee Cake Recipe
adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
for the cake:
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 cups fresh blueberries (if using frozen, do not thaw!)
for the crumb topping:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup butter, cold & diced
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.  Grease a 9" square baking dish.

In your mixer bowl, cream together the coconut oil and sugar until smooth.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until well mixed.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add this flour mixture to the batter, alternating with the milk.  (Flour, milk, flour, milk, flour).

Gently fold in the blueberries and spread the batter into the greased baking dish.

For the topping:  In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon & nutmeg until combined.  Cut in the diced butter and the coconut oil with a pastry cutter or a fork until crumbly and moistened.

Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter in the pan and bake for 30-45 minutes, until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean!

more pregnancy cravings...

This time we are heading over to the very unhealthy side of things.

No more blueberry cravings for this girl.  Nope.

Now, I am craving buffalo wings!

(image source)

More specifically...  Applebee's buffalo wings.  Why?  I have no idea.

Last night Andrew spoiled me by making sautéed buffalo chicken breasts for dinner, and man were they good!

I had this craving at the very end with Haakon...  and I wasn't too surprised to see it come back.  Even though I don't really understand it!

What were some of your pregnancy cravings?

Oh, and if you like buffalo chicken as much as I do, try one of these recipes some time...

Buffalo Chicken Chili...

Buffalo Chicken Corn Chowder...

 & Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese.

You're cravings will be satisfied...  I promise!!

berry peach crisp

We all know I love a good crisp (or crumble, or crunch... whatever you want to call it!).

[By the way, I've given up on calling it a crumble.  I like the way that sounds much better than a 'crisp', but years of programming are hard to break...  so 'crisp' it is!]

Anyways, a fruit crisp is one of my favorite go-to desserts, all year long.  I use fresh berries in the summer and stock up my freezer with frozen berries for the winter.

There is never a time not to have a hot crisp fresh out of the oven, and I must say...  my family is never disappointed when they see (or smell!) one!

(Fruit crisps also makes a great breakfast the next day...  just sayin'!)

You can easily throw together a crisp into the oven in a few minutes, so try this next time you have some unexpected company or some unexpected cravings!

(Random thought of the day:  Am I the only one who thinks of Strawberry Shortcake when I say "Berry Peach Crisp"??  Maybe because it's my boys' favorite show right now, but I just can't help but hear her voice in my head when I say it!)

Also, my husband reminded me that I should warn you:  I tend to make my fruit crisps/crumbles more on the tart side because I like to balance out the sweet ice cream or whipped cream that always goes with it.  Please feel free to up the sugar in the filling, if you like a sweeter crisp to begin with!

Berry Peach Crisp Recipe

Ingredients:
for the filling:
6 cups frozen berries (I like raspberries & blackberries mixed!)
2 cups diced frozen peaches
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
fresh-squeezed juice from 1/2 of a large orange
for the topping:
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of ginger
1/2 cup cold butter, diced

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Lightly grease a 9x9" square baking dish.

Place all the filling ingredients into a large bowl and toss well to coat evenly;  Set aside.

In another large bowl, combine all of the topping ingredients, except for the butter.  Stir together with a fork until well combined.

Toss in the diced butter and then cut in with a pastry blender, two forks or your fingers until the mixture is all moistened and resembles coarse crumbs.

Give the filling a good stir and dump it into your prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle the topping mixture all over the top.

Place the baking dish on a foil-lined baking sheet to catch any accidental spills, and place in the oven to bake for 1 hour or so, until the fruit is bubbling and the top is golden brown.

Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream!