Raspberry Coffee Cake, Brownies, Cheesy Bread and Salad oh, my!

So this cake I actually made about a month ago. It's really yummy! It's suppose to be a breakfast coffee cake and I really like the flavors. This is the same cake that I made last year and I was impatient and tried to get it out of the tube pan before it was totally cool (but the recipe does say to only "cool slightly") and I dumped the whole think out into a pile. A yummy pile but you couldn't serve that mess! Good thing that wasn't for something specific. Here's the Martha Steward recipe. Next time I make it, I want to add a little almond extract to the actual cake (it's only asked for in the topping) and I would use less blackberry jam for the filling.

I have some friends that are moving from ABQ and heading for Texas. They're a military family. I thought since they are in the middle of packing I would invite them over so they don't have to have sandwiches or cold cereal for dinner. We had steak, chicken, grilled asparagus, chips, Mom's Cheese Topped French Bread, a tomato salad (pictured on the bottom) and some delicious brownies with ice cream and hot fudge sauce on top (naked ice cream-less brownie above. Duh.) The brownie and this last bite of salad are the only things that remained in my house so you only get to see them. But I will give out the recipes for a few things.

This was the first time that I made Mom's cheese bread so I had to call Steph for the details. In case you don't have it and you would like it here it is:

Mom's Cheese Topped French Bread

1 Loaf French Bread cut lengthwise
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 c. Parmesan Cheese
1 c. Mayonnaise
2 tsp Paprika (optional)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (about 1-1 1/2 cups)

-Preheat oven at 450 degrees
-Warm bread for about 5 minutes in oven
-Mix garlic, Parmesan cheese, mayo, and paprika in a bowl
-Spread mixture on warmed bread
-Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top
-Toast at 450 for about 10 minutes or longer just check frequently
-For easy cutting, when done, cut with kitchen scissors on one side like a comb and then complete the cut on the other side of the bread. (Did that make sense?)


Double Chocolate Brownies-Maria W.

Maria is a good friend of mine here in Albuquerque. She's a great cook and I love these brownies! The are chocolaty and, with the vanilla, has a great taste. I doubled the recipe and it baked for about +/- 50 minutes. Thanks, Maria!

3/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
2 Tbps water
1 12oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 c. nuts (obviously optional)

Heat oven to 325. Combine flour, soda and salt in a bowl. In a sauce pan, combine butter, sugar and water and bring just to a boil. Add 1 c. chocolate chips and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Add eggs and then the flour mixture. Let cool and add the rest of the chocolate chips (if you add them too soon, they will melt into the batter). Place in a 9 in. well greased pan and cook 30-35 minutes. You can double this and put in a 9X13, but you have to increase the baking time slightly.

"It's all Greek to me" Tomato Salad

C'mon! Do you think that I would name a salad that?!? I tried this new recipe from a free magazine that was sent to me by Cook's Illustrated. Maybe you guys got it too. It was very good! I love kalamata olives. I have a big ol' container of 'em that I bought at Costco. Alot cheaper than at the grocery store. (Or as Emily puts it "the grocery":)) I didn't put the green peppers in the salad though because a.) I don't really like green peppers and 2.) (hee, hee) green peppers don't seem very Greek to me. I didn't core the tomatoes and I should have. It made the salad have a lot of liquid, so I would core them and let them drain for a while.

2 Tbps olive oil
1 Tbps red wine vinegar
1 Tbps lemon juice
1/ 2 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 pound tomatoes, cored and cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 green pepper, seeded and cut into thin slices
3/4 c. kalamata olives, chopped
1 1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese

Whisk oil, vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, and salt and peppa to taste in a small bowl. Place tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, and olives in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette and toss until evenly coated. Gently toss in cheese and adjust seasoning.

So those are the fun things I have been making and eating recently. What do you think?