Recipe Update: Cranberry Nut Muffins

It's a new year. 

2014. 

I often think of the new year as a time for updates. A time for fine-tuning what's already in place. A time for little tweaks that help perfect what's already going well.

This recipe has always been one of our family favorites, and this year, I felt that it needed a new year's update.  

I made the flavors more vibrant by adding freshly-grated nutmeg, fresh-squeezed orange juice and even more grated orange zest. I brought out the nuttiness by toasting the walnuts before chopping them up and throwing them in. I substituted half of the flour for whole wheat flour to make the muffins a bit healthier. 

Here's to a fabulous new year! 

Cranberry-Streusel Coffee Cake

There are advantages to living in Brooklyn. There are two 24 hour grocery stores within two blocks of my apartment. Within that same distance, there's another grocery store and a convenience store.

I pass no fewer than five food stores on my way home.

I should know. Last week I went in all of them to try to find frozen sour cherries.

I had my heart set on making Martha Stewart's sour cherry streusel coffee cake for brunch. It's just gorgeous, and I loved the idea of that burst of sour hidden within the typical sweetness of a coffee cake.

Not one of the stores I went in carried sour cherries. Not one. Most didn't even carry sweet cherries.

Yes, there are advantages to bring able to walk to the grocery store anytime you forget an ingredient, but their selections just aren't as varied as the Meijer's of my youth.

At this point, perhaps it would have been best for me to abandon ship and search for a new recipe, but instead I forged ahead. I pulled out some frozen cranberries and made a cranberry streusel coffee cake instead.

The cranberries produced a much thinner layer of filling than the cherries would have, but the taste combination was spot on. Each slice had bursts of contrast, both through the flavors and the textures provided by the streusel and the glaze.

A word of caution: a Hansel and Gretel bundt cake pan may not be ideal for this coffee cake. One: the turrets cook unevenly. Two: you can't really flip a cake shaped like a castle upside down to serve it so the streusel is on top. But, I live in a Brooklyn apartment. I have to be creative.

My only problem with this dish is that I made WAY too much streusel topping (I've adjusted the quantities appropriately for you) and I'm not sure what I do with the leftover streusel I froze. Any suggestions?

Brussels Sprouts and Apple-Cabbage Slaw Sandwich

As a kid, I didn't like brussels sprouts. I thought they were too bitter and boring. I quickly pushed them aside whenever they were served.


Today, I can't get enough of them (though I haven't ever blogged about them before). Chuko serves caramelized crispy brussels sprouts as one of its nightly appetizers, and they alone are worth the trip. I love them roasted in the oven, sauteed with butter and shallots and even raw when they're thinly sliced as salad.

Then, I found out that Endless Simmer rated the No. 7's Brussels Sprouts Sandwich as number two in its Top Ten Sandwiches of 2011. The sandwich featured brussels sprouts, apple slaw and peanuts atop a sandwich roll. Needless to say, I was intrigued.

This sandwich is a vegan paradise. It starts with a hearty base of sauteed brussels sprouts with dried cranberries and garlic. It's topped with a delicious apple-cabbage slaw that's got just a hint of cumin in it. A thick spread of roasted red pepper hummus finishes the sandwich off.

Delicious.

The components were addictive on their own, and after a day of brussels sprouts sandwiches, we eagerly enjoyed the leftovers.

Christmas and Cranberry Nut Muffins

It's (finally) beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. There's snow outside, for the first time since Halloween. I'm at my parents' house where there is a real, live, fully decorated Christmas tree and little bits of Christmas tucked everywhere. My Christmas presents are finally all purchased and wrapped. There's been Christmas music on all day, and we're headed to our family's annual Christmas Eve party in just a few minutes.

It's about time. Despite how long stores have been selling Christmas for, it took me much longer to really feel it this year.

These muffins, though, always make me feel festive. Unlike some muffins, with just a few mix-ins, these are just filled with goodies. You'll get cranberries and walnuts in every bite. There's just the right amount of sweet and tangy in each muffin.

I hope your Christmases are merry and bright!