Candied Carrot Coffee Cake

  It's time for the Improv Cooking Challenge again.  I don't participate as often as I'd like.   This month the challenge was to combine Carrots and Cinnamon in a recipe.  And I may not even be included in the final HTML, cause I plain forgot to sign up.  I'm posting about it anyway. 

I am in the final list, yeah me.  And... I forgot to tell you who our hostess is. Nichole of Cookaholic Wife came up with the idea of incorporating two different food ingredients into a recipe. We get to play with different combinations every month that we care to participate. 

I came up with a doozy of a recipe.   At least I think it's pretty good.

At first I thought Muffins with a twist, but then decided I really wanted a piece of coffeecake, and that's when the inspiration hit.  And I had a little bit of fun too and decided that this recipe could also slip in under the wire for a Halloween Breakfast treat as well.     

You got the little orange bits in the cake, right?   

Here are a couple pictures of the process. 

The carrots in the bowl with the sugar and butter, before and after being zapped in the microwave for a minute or so.  I put a piece of cling wrap over the bowl before microwaving it. 

Look at the lovely 'juice' from the melted butter and sugar, I kept that and added it to the oat topping.  

Which went so nicely with the oat streusel topping. 

Print

Candied Carrot Coffee cake

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking -

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 45 Min

This is a light, lightly sweetened coffee cake, perfect for a quick snack but it only makes a few servings. Which is not a bad thing. This is also baked in a toaster oven.

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 carrots, diced fine, cooked with 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoon brown sugar in the microwave, drained and butter sauce reserved. (about 1cup total)
  
• 1 cup self rising flour
• 2 tablespoons cold butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup Créme Fräiche or Sour Cream
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• 1/2-3/4 cup quick cooking oats
• 2-3 tablespoons melted butter
• 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• butter sauce from the cooked carrots

Instructions

Cake

1. Heat the toaster oven to 375 degrees.    Grease a small pan, mine was 5x7 inches,  set aside.   Cook the carrots and drain the butter sauce, retaining the sauce.  Set aside to cool.
2. Rub the cold butter into the flour, add the sugar and the cooked, drained carrots.  Mix together, lightly.  Whisk the egg, creme fraiche, vanilla extract and milk together.  Add to the dry ingredients and mix together until just combined.
3. Spoon into the prepared pan and top with the Oat streusel topping.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. 

Topping

1. Mix the oats, brown sugar and cinnamon together.  Melt the butter and add the butter sauce.  Pour over the oats mixture and mix together and sprinkle or spread evenly on top of the cake batter.  bake the cake.

Created using The Recipes Generator

October Improv Cooking Challenge

Carrots and Cinnamon
• • El Salvadorian Pollo en Chicha by Pandemonium Noshery
  • Banana Carrot Muffins by Making Miracles
  • Curry Roasted Carrots by Palatable Pastime
  • Glazed Carrots With Cinnamon & Honey by Sneha’s Recipe
  • Candied Carrot Coffee Cake by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
  • Carrot Cake Overnight Oats by Cookaholic Wife

 

 

All recipes and their respective images are either original or adapted and credited, and are all the sole property of Sid's Sea Palm Cooking © 2011-2021, with all rights reserved thereof.

Check out my cookbooks on Amazon.  

All are available as paperbacks or as a downloadable e-book.  

All the ebooks are currently on sale.
 Simple Shrimp Recipes - 25 + Appetizer, Entree and Dipping Sauces.
 Nibbles and Bites - A Compilation of Appetizers, Canapes and Finger Foods. 
  Hygge - Danish Food and Recipes

Halloween's Coming... Are you ready?

I love making food for Halloween, but it's usually on the savory side.  There's so much sweet stuff out there and some really great ideas, but I'm more of a chips and dips sorta person. 

Here's a few ideas that I've made in the past.

And most of these ideas, work, they're mostly quick and easy.

First off, for those of you who like to decorate, but don't want a honking great big Jack o' Lantern on the table, cause you'd like to leave room for food. 

Get a orange pepper, carve it out a little, stick a battery operated light inside and
VOILA!
Here are the instructions. 


Now for the rest of the food...

How about this guy?  A Mummy Head all wrapped up in bacon.
A little gruesome looking, almost perfectly gruesome in fact, but totally delicious when cut into and eaten.  He's a Danish meatloaf called Forloren Hare.  
And you can even make the gravy a little on the red side, by adding some red current jelly to it.  


I love making dips and spreads and tapenades, so here's a couple to go with the Spicy Witchy Fingers.

In fact I made this one for the first time this year, and have to say it was amazing, and I kept on eating and eating and eating it. TMI?  Let me just say it was totally delicious.

The first one I'm calling Ogre's Blood and it goes perfectly with these Witch Fingers.  

Last year I made a really garlicky dip and called it Vampire's Blood. 

I'm not quite done with dips or spreads.  This Green Spider Dip is also fun.  

 Or if you're into Deviled Eggs, these 'Tate's Hell Snake Eyes are especially spooky as well as being delicious.

 For some added spice, how about some regular Tate's Hell Eggs?

And to totally confuse everyone, or not.   I love making this Spider Cake along with some Spider Eggs.  

Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade aka Ogre's Blood

Have you ever made something accidentally, that tasted so good that you just can't stop eating it?

That was me the other day.   I wanted to make something Halloween inspired for a potluck. I already knew I was going to make some Spicy Witchy Fingers, (a totally awesome cheese cracker), but wanted something to dip the 'fingers' into. 

I actually copied out the basic ingredients for two recipes, and was debating on which one I was going to make and then ended up accidentally combining the ingredients, and thought, oh what the heck, I'll just go ahead and see what happens.
Total deliciousness is what happened.  

Here are the two sites,I got the recipes from. 
The kitchn,
which has some great hints, tips and recipes
and this one Taste of Home  
which also has some tried and true recipes.
I basically combined both recipes, and then played with it.  I did not add either nuts or anchovies.
My mouth has been doing the happy dance ever since.   It keeps telling me to go ahead, scoop up a little more, in fact spread some on a piece of white bread, even, and see how it tastes.
 

I know, my mouth sometimes just doesn't know when to shut up, but that's OK for this.

Does it sound like I'm raving about the tapenade a  little much?

Tough!  I like it.

This does make quite a bit though, so you may want to halve the ingredients.  Otherwise you'll be in the predicament I'm in.  I've got lots left in the fridge. 
Every time I go into the kitchen I hear the siren song from the fridge, and it's starting to sound a little scary. 
"C'mon, just a taste, you know you want some, try it.  I know we've got more crackers in the cupboard, try it on some veggies, go ahead.  "

I have to admit to also getting a kick out of being able to go outside and harvest fresh basil and oregano from the pots in my back yard.

I served this with some Spicy Witchy Fingers for a spooky? delight.  Actually the fingers went so well with the Ogre's blood, I had to keep sampling.  All I can say is that, it was just lucky that some of it made its way to the Community Potluck the other night. 

BTW... I think this is a multi-holiday treat.
I can see serving this at Christmas even.  Just make some of my Spicy Witch Fingers into small square crackers and serve the tapenade with a touch of greenery on it.
And Voila!  you've got a nice red and green Christmas theme going.

Ogre's Blood Tapenade - Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade

Yield: 24-36 servings?

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking adapted from my mother's recipe

prep time: 5 Mcook time: total time: 5 M

This is a great tapenade, perfect for Halloween or any special occasion. The flavors are bright, beautifully layered and complex. Using fresh basil and oregano, along with the lemon juice, gives a lovely complexity to the tapenade.

ingredients:

• 3 finely minced garlic cloves
• 1 jar (7 oz.) roasted red peppers, drained
• 1 jar (7 oz.) red pimentos, drained
• 1 jar (7 oz.) pitted Kalamata Olives, drained
• juice from one lemon
• 2-3 tablespoons EVOO
• 1-2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves
• 1/3 cup concentrated Tomato Paste

instructions:

How to cook Ogre's Blood Tapenade - Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and process.   Place in fridge for at least 3-4 hours before serving so that the flavors can get acquainted and the garlic has a chance to mellow out a little.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Tapas for October

It's been a couple of month's since our last Tapas gathering, and everyone was ready to get together and share some food, some laughter, conversation, although at the beginning of the evening much of the conversations were about the close call from Hurricane Michael. 

I didn't host it this month, my friend Jill did and I'm very appreciative of her doing so.   Her house looked so festive with all the holiday fall decorations.  

As usual, lots and lots of food was brought and shared and enjoyed.

This dip was wonderful, and I noticed a lot of munching going on. 

 One thing I've noticed over the years is that sometimes a Tapas will seem to have an unspoken theme going on. 
This month it was dips, cheeses and crackers.  This goat cheese log was so good. 

 As I said - Cheese and Crackers

 More cheeses and crackers

And the dips and spreads

 These were some fish spreads from a little place in Panacea.  They were so good.

We also had some Bacon wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

 Of course the pineapple with the Santa toothpick holder

 I love meatballs and cocktail sausages, and these were so good.   They even had some pineapple in them

 We had ham and rolls,

 and of course, mustard's and mayo and cranberry relish to top them with.

I had fun playing with my food again, I made a Forloren Hare (Danish Meatloaf) and tried to make it look like a mummy face. 

 There was some Sesame Chicken bites

 This yummy baked pasta dish.

 I swear I thought I hit the jackpot last night, there were two pasta dishes, this Mac and Cheese was presented as well.

And there were desserts...
Rice Pudding 

 Apple Crisp

 Pumpkin dip with ginger snaps

 Brownies

 Mini Cheesecakes

 And I threw together this cake.  I had some cake in the freezer and some leftover black frosting so I whipped up a quick Orange Curd, sliced the cakes, slapped the orange curd in between the layers, and then frosted it. 
It tasted pretty good. 

And all in all, another successful Tapas Time.  

Worth the increase on the scale this morning.  
Best of all, spending time with friends, sharing stories and visiting.

Savory and some sweet Halloween Ideas

Halloween is almost here.
Although if you go in the stores you'd think that Christmas is just around the corner with all their decorations out, but, no, Halloween is first on the calendar. 
And I've got a few ideas for you.

I like the sweet stuff, but am also a big fan of savory foods. 
Every year, I make what my DH calls 'Eyeball' Stew.   This became a tradition many years ago during a Halloween potluck.    The small pickling onions do resemble peeled eyeballs, and the bacon in stew can also be called various things, and of course, what self respecting Halloween stew wouldn't have fungus in it as well.
All I know is, this tastes great with some crusty bread or rolls on the side.

I call this Vampire Blood Tapanade.   It sorta looks like coagulated blood or what might happen to a vampire who eats garlic.

Everyone's up for Deviled Eggs right?  Well, how about some Tate's Hell Snake Eye Deviled Eggs.  
These disappear fast when I make them.

Or just make some of my regular Tate's Hell Deviled Eggs

I admit it, I'm not into carving pumpkins.   But I like to decorate my table and these carved orange peppers work well,  Jack o' Lantern Peppers

I also like to dip things like oh, my Spicy Witchy Fingers, but when I dip them, I want something good to dip them in.  This Green Spider Dip works really well.  I guess you could also dip Pita Chips in there as well.
Or you also use these Garlic Twists for dipping purposes.  

And in the spirit of dipping, okay, so it's more like topping stuff.  How about serving a Spider Cake alongside some Spider Eggs
 I guarantee you'll get some second or third looks when you bring this to the party.

And finally for the people who have a sweet tooth.   May I offer you some Mice and Crunchy Eyeballs? 

Now I need to get busy, I've got a great idea for a new fun dish to make this year but I don't want to spoil the surprise just yet.

Gotta save something for later.

Anticipation is 90%.