Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt Cake

Sometimes I just want to bake a cake. Sometimes it is a layer cake. Sometimes it is a Bundt cake. The other night called for a fresh baked Bundt cake.

You will need:

• 3 eggs
• 2/3 c vegetable oil
• 1/3 c unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 6 oz plain Greek yogurt
• 1 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 3 c flour
• 1 c semisweet chocolate chunks, roughly chopped
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 T cinnamon

Then you will…

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a Bundt pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until light and fluffy.
3. Whisk in the oil, butter, vanilla, and yogurt.
4. Mix in the brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
5. Mix in the flour and chopped chocolate.
6. In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon.
7. Spread half of the batter in the Bundt pan.
8. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar.
9. Spread the remaining batter in the pan and top with the remaining sugar.
10. Bake 50-60 minutes or until golden and a tester inserted comes out clean.
11. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.
12. Optional: top with a little powdered sugar glaze.

Slow Cooked Pot Roast with Herbed Tomato-Wine Sauce

Slow cooking is a great way to have a lazy dinner. You prep it ahead of time, start the slow cooker in the morning, and have dinner waiting for you that night. This pot roast becomes pull-apart tender with a rich sauce. It is perfect with some roasted potatoes.

You will need:

• 1/2 c flour
• 1/2 t ground pepper
• 1/4 t salt
• 2-3 lb pot roast, trimmed of excess fat
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 c baby carrots
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into large chunks
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 1 c red wine (optional – if not using, add an extra cup of stock)
• 3 c low or no sodium beef stock
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 T fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 T fresh thyme, de-stemmed

Then you will…

1. On a large plate, mix together 1/4 cup of the flour with the salt and pepper.
2. Lightly coat the roast with the flour mixture. Shake off any excess.
3. In a nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
4. Sear the pot roast on each side.
5. Meanwhile, place the carrots and onion in your slow cooker.
6. Place the pot roast on top of the vegetables.
7. In the same skillet used to brown the roast, melt the butter.
8. Whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup of the flour.
9. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste. Allow to warm up for 1-2 minutes.
10. Whisk in the wine and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
11. Mix in the beef stock.
12. Stir in the bay leaves, rosemary and thyme.
13. Allow to simmer until starting to thicken.
14. Season with salt and pepper.
15. Pour the gravy over the pot roast.
16. Cook on LOW for 8 hours.
17. Shred the pot roast and serve to company!

Apple Butter Cake

One of my good friends gifted me some apple butter made by his mom. It is scrumptious, and I wanted to try my hand at showcasing it in something equally enticing. This is a simple cake that you can bake in a 9×13 dish or a bundt pan.

You will need:

• 1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 c sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
• 3/4 c apple butter
• 1 c sour cream
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 c ground almond meal (optional)
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 c whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground nutmeg

Then you will…

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch glass baking dish.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy.
3. Mix in the eggs until well combined and smooth.
4. Mix in the apple butter, sour cream and vanilla.
5. Stir in the almond meal (if using), baking soda, baking powder and salt.
6. Stir in the flour until incorporated.
7. Spread the batter in the prepared baking dish.
8. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar with the cinnamon and nutmeg.
9. Sprinkle the spiced brown sugar mixture on top of the cake.
10. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until golden and a tester in the middle comes out clean.

Rosemary-Mushroom Pasta Sauce with Chicken

This sauce was inspired by a recent trip to Eastern Market. We had a few friends in town from Chicago and lucked out with simply gorgeous weather, so we decided to walk around food stalls, artist stands and flea market tents. It was lovely. We spotted some amazing mushrooms and couldn’t resist a visit to our favorite fresh pasta vendor. This dinner was the result!

You will need:

• 3 T olive oil, divided
• 1/2 lb chicken breast, chopped
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 16 oz assorted mushrooms, cleaned and chopped (we used crimini, oyster, and shitaake)
• 5 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/4 c dry white wine (optional)
• 1/2 c stock (we used chicken)
• 2 T Dijon mustard
• 6 oz creme fraiche
• 1/3 c light cream
• 1 lb pasta (we used fresh egg bucatini)
• 1/2 c pasta water, reserved
• Salt and pepper

Then you will…

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the directions, straining 1-2 minutes before recommended cooking time. Be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water for the sauce. The pasta will continue cooking when you add it to the sauce.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.
3. Add the chicken and saute until cooked through and golden. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
4. Heat the remaining olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat.
5. Add the shallots, mushrooms and rosemary.
6. Saute until the mushrooms release their juices and start to turn golden.
7. Add the wine (if using) and stock, scraping up any browned bits into the sauce.
8. Stir in the mustard.
9. Allow to simmer until reduced by half.
10. Return the chicken to the skillet.
11. Stir in the creme fraiche, cream and reserved pasta water. Heat through.
12. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
13. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss until evenly coated.

Spinach Tortellini Tomato Soup

This soup is a quick on to put together. For an easy dinner, add a side salad and some crusty bread!

You will need:

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings (optional if you want a vegetarian soup)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomato with their juices
• 32 oz low sodium broth
• 1 t oregano
• 1 t dried basil
• 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 12 oz refrigerated spinach tortellini
• 9 oz fresh baby spinach

Then you will…

1. In a large stock/soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. If using, add the sausage. Cook stirring frequently until crumbled and starting to brown.
3. Add the onion and cook another 5 minutes, or until the onions are starting to soften and brown.
4. Meanwhile, blend together the garlic cloves and one can of the diced tomatoes with their juices until finely pureed.
5. Add the garlic-tomato mixture to the pot with the sausage and onions. Stir together.
6. Add the other can of tomatoes to the pot along with the broth, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Stir in the tortellini and allow to cook for time on the package.
9. With about one minute left, stir in the fresh spinach to wilt it.
10. Serve hot!