this is how the coffee cake crumbles...

morning blogland!

and happy easter to those that celebrate this day as such...and a beautiful day to everyone else too!

so, it's been awhile since my last post. what can i say, life has been mixin it up so much for me lately that i haven't had time to "mix it up" in my blog. and because i know that no one really wants to know of my trials and tribulations, i go to a rogue silence during frustrating times. i'm here now though and that's all that truly matters, right?

lately as far as food goes, i have been playing around with coffee cakes and all things struesel topped. just last week while camping out at joshua tree national park in the indian cove campground---which to me is like "heaven's playground," we made a most delicious blueberry cobbler cake with a walnut struesel topping over the campfire in our dutch oven. first, i must qualify this with the unequivocal truth that EVERYTHING TASTES GREAT WHEN YOU ARE CAMPING, but this cake was exception. with the help of my darling camp cook helpers, kiana and becca we concocted a warm & gooey sweet treat that we topped with whipped cream and then devoured within minutes. next time, we make a double batch---double dutch, that is!

another place i have been watching the coffee cake crumble is at my photolicious workshops. these are all day saturday events that start around 9am and go til 5pm. if you want to come out and work on archiving your family's best memories, this is the place for you. call me for upcoming dates...for my hard-croppin friends i like to keep them motivated with delicous sustenance starting with a yummy coffee cake. yes, i know they are working with photos and crumbs and powdered sugar dust do not go together. but so far, no one has complained when they have had to step away from their workstation to experience a bite of my moist banana coffee cake. this recent cake was amazing! of course, before the morning that i prepared it i had not even known about banana coffee cake but as i see "google" as an extention of my inner mind i thought for a moment, "hmmm i wonder if anyone makes banana coffee cake..." and before i knew it i was typing my search and low and behold turned up a simple yet delish morning treat. you can say what you want about the internet, i will just continue to worship everyday at the house of google. i cannot express how much i love having the world's largest library at my fingertips waiting for me to come and explore...

keeping on the tropical coffee cake theme, i have also dabbled in pineapples with struesel. on a recent weekend we were enjoying a "short" visit with our dear friend shortie and while i was making the morning joe i thought, "wow, some coffee cake would sure be nice. i wonder if i can make it with pineapples..." and lo and behold my darling "betty" did not disappoint. by the way, if you do not have an older edition of a betty crocker cookbook in your cookbook arsenal, run to a nearby yard sale or thrift store now cause one of these pre-1980 is truly a treasure trove of basic yet good eats! and, more importantly, appropriate portion sizes that have not been SUPERSIZED! but i digress...back to the pineapple upside down coffee cake, AMAZING! and, thankfully, with just four of us lasted for two conversation filled koffee klatches!

which brings me to this beautiful easter morning. i woke with a start around 625am when i realized that the "easter bunny" had not officially visited our house as his little bag of treats was still laying in bags hidden on the side of my bed. i knew with some fast hoppin "he" could still make a visit without awaking one of his biggest fans. so, i jumped up and hopped to the 1st job at hand of filling the basket and then laying the trail...shhhhh! don't tell on me ok?

next, i started thinking about the brunch we are invited to at our friends, the cranes, after church. (today we will sample presbyterian practices for the first time to mix it up spiritually too.) we are not required to bring anything but judith said in her message that she "knows i like to make desserts so if i want to bring something, that would be great." hey j, just say it: "if i'm making brunch you are expected to bring the dessert! hahaha! now, we spent a most amazing christmas dinner with these friends where we shared a dinner of foods from around the world. lydia and i went french and made a croche en bouche masterpiece that left everyone covered in powdered sugar and chocolate and filled to the brim with our fresh baked cream puffs. what could i bring today that will be on par with that? i mean, i do have a reputation to uphold...i looked around the kitchen uninspired and heard mark suggest i make something with strawberries and i thought, BORING until i had an afterthought of "strawberry struesel topped coffee cake???" now that sounds fresh!!!

so, it's in the oven as i write. (which has been so enjoyable in this early morning quiet.) lydia just woke up and is currently rummaging through the bunny trail and the cake is minutes away from coming out of the oven. all is well on this chilly easter morning in lalaland. i've gotta run and make myself pretty for church. so, however you mix it up with yours, take a moment to truly count your many blessings.
xoxox