Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

This is a favorite on both sides of the family. At any family event where breakfast is being served, you can count on this dish being on the menu.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Serves: 9-12 Serving Size: 1 slice
Nutritional Info (per 1/12th cake): 437 calories, 24 g fat (13 g saturated fat), 97 mg cholesterol, 358 mg sodium, 49 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 6 g protein.


Ingredients
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup cold butter, cubed
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract

FILLING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Remove 1 cup and set aside. To the remaining crumbs, add the baking powder, baking soda and salt, sour cream, egg and almond extract and mix well. Spread in the bottom and 2 in. up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan.
2. For filling, beat the cream cheese, sugar and egg in a small bowl until smooth. Spoon over batter. Top with raspberry jam. Sprinkle with almonds and reserved crumb mixture.
3. Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Cool completely. Store in the refrigerator.

Source: Taste of Home

Autumn Pear Bread

It is so sad to say goodbye to many of the farmers' markets at the start of fall. So it is nice that pears hit their peak right about this time to keep us satisfied with some "fall fruit". I made this almost every week when Shane was in the academy. He and his carpool buddy would eat almost the entire loaf on their drive. Needless to say he really likes this bread. The original recipe calls to make it into 2 small loaf pans, but I always make it in a full-size.

Autumn Pear Bread
Serves: 16; Serving Size: 1/16th slice of loaf/ 1/8th in mini loaf pans
Nutritional Info (per serving): 173 calories, 7 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 42 mg cholesterol, 208 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup cold butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 cup finely chopped peeled ripe pears

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Combine the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla; stir into the flour mixture just until moistened. Fold in pears.
3. Spoon into two greased 5-3/4-in. x 3-in. x 2-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Source: Taste of Home

Oven Baked Denver Omelet

This is a super easy breakfast to make anytime. I try to keep a ham steak in the fridge or freezer so I can make this anytime. Leftover ham from holiday dinners are wonderful in this. You can also play around with the ingredients to make a new version. I have swapped all the mix-ins with tomato, basil, and mozzarella chunks before. Also, you can double this recipe to feed a large crowd, just allow an extra 10-15 minutes baking time (until the whole dish is set), in a 13 x 9 pan.

Oven Baked Denver Omelet
Serves: 6; Serving Size: 1/6th portion of pan
Nutrional Info (per serving): 235 calories, 16 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 326 mg cholesterol, 506 mg sodium, 4 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 17 g protein

8 eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup finely chopped fully cooked ham
1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped onion

Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk eggs and cream. Stir in the cheese, ham, green pepper and onion. Pour into a greased 8-in. square baking dish.
Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

*This dish can be lightened up by substituting egg whites for some or all of the eggs, using 1% milk for the half and half, and/or usually reduced fat cheese. I plan on making this soon using these substitutions. I will repost the egg-white version with exact amounts soon.

Source: Taste of Home

Baked Spinach Dip Loaf

This will convert any "anti-spinach" eater into a believer. I was never fond of the classic dip either, until I tried this version.

Baked Spinach Dip Loaf
Serves: 18 Serving Size: 1/4 c. dip (Nutrional info not including veggies/bread/crackers/dipping items)
Nutritional Info (per serving): 105 calories, 7 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 20 mg cholesterol, 303 mg sodium, 6 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 6 g protein

Ingredients:
2 packages (8 ounces each) reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup (4 ounces) reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (8 ounces) water chestnuts, drained and chopped
5 bacon strips, (low sodium variety), cooked and crumbled
1 green onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dill weed
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 unsliced round loaf (1 pound) sourdough bread
Raw vegetables

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and mayonnaise. Stir in the spinach, cheese, water chestnuts, bacon, onion and seasonings.
3. Cut a 1-1/2-in. slice off top of the bread; set aside. Carefully hollow out bottom, leaving a 1/2-in. shell. Cube removed bread and set aside. Fill the shell with spinach dip; replace top. Wrap in heavy-duty foil; place on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until dip is heated through. Open foil carefully. Serve warm with bread cubes and vegetables.

Yield: 4-1/2 cups.

Adapted from: Taste of Home

Martha's Modified Chicken Piccata

There was an Italian restaurant nearby where I grew up that had the best Chicken Piccata! I have never had anything close until I tried this recipe. Originally from Martha Stewart's site, I have modified it to make it a little lighter. Also, when making this the first time I didn't have any white wine on hand and decided to substitute with Mountain Dew. The citrus in the soda helps boost the lemon flavor. This is usually served with pasta; I typically use farfalle (bowtie) to mimic my restaurant favorite. Enjoy!

Chicken Piccata
Serves:4 Serving Size: 1 cutlet with 1/4 sauce-topping
Calories: Calories 119.5 Total Fat 6.3 g Saturated Fat 3.7 g Cholesterol 36.1 mg Sodium 156.6 mg Potassium 124.9 mg Total Carbohydrate 6.8 g Dietary Fiber 0.5 g Sugars 0.0 g Protein 9.2 g

Ingredients:
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
4 chicken cutlets, pounded to an even thickness (about 1/4-inch thick)
Nonstick Spray (i.e. Pam)
3 Tablespoons Diet Mountain Dew (or a dry white wine)
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 Tablespoons capers (soaked for 20 min in water, rinsed, drained)
1 Tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 Tablespoons butter

Directions:
1. Spread flour in a shallow dish; add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and whisk to combine. Place chicken in seasoned flour, turning to coat thoroughly, then tap off excess.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Spray a light coat of cooking spray. Cook the chicken in batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan (the cutlets should fit snugly in a single layer) until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes for each side. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the cutlet. Transfer the chicken to a platter.
3. Return pan to medium heat and add soda (or wine), scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 30 seconds. (If the liquid is reducing too quickly -- before all the browned bits have been incorporated -- take the pan off the heat.) Remove pan from heat. Add lemon juice, capers, and butter and swirl until melted and combined, then add parsley and season with salt as desired.
4.Serve

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living