Jen’s Neighborhood

I decided that this years Christmas desserts would be "mini" since everyone is always so full at the end of the meal! I had Spiced Rum Balls, Assorted Mini Biscotti, Mini Ginger Cardamom Cookies, Chocolate Raspberry Tassies and Mini Lemon Meringue Pies in crisp phyllo shells. I used some frozen lemon curd that I had made earlier from Meyer Lemons from the back yard. I came up with the idea to use red and green giant gumdrops as stands for the little flags that tell you what each treat is called. Oh but wait, I also had another table set up with some miscellaneous baking that I had finished for the arrival of my sister from San Diego.... If i don't bake up a bunch of stuff she gets a little testy! :-) Clockwise starting from the top: Crispy Meringue Cookies (I made these at the last minute with the left over meringue from the Mini Lemon Meringue Pies), next are Caramel Crunch Bars (I will post about these! Really good!), Peanut Butter Cookies with Mini Peanut Butter Cups mixed in. I came across the cutest little peanut butter cup candies at Trader Joes, thought they would be a good mix-in for peanut butter cookies and they are terrific! Next: Ginger Cardamom Cookies, Maple Pecan Oatmeal Cookies, and a bowl full of my Maple Brown Sugar Bourbon Nut Brittle.... Can you feel the sugar rush coming on?? and to top it all off, we had a box of Trader Joe's Jo-Jo's on the table because what is Christmas without Jo-Jo's (right Annette??), if you've never experienced Jo-Jo's they are Trader Joe's Christmas-Only version of really good Oreo's... the inside cream is peppermint! Perfect for the holidays! What did you make for Christmas dessert this year?

Okay, so my cat has nothing to do with cookies or cakes but I think her pic is so sweet she deserved a spot on the blog! She is laying on my Christmas pajamas on the bed and i stuck one of my Christmas socks on her head! She is such a good kitty and her name is Baby! And Baby is 17 years old! I am wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday and a very Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays to you, your family, friends and neighbors from all of us at Vox.
See you in 2010!

Here is a picture of my new and improved gingerbread house....it's new and improved because when I took a look at it the other morning I noticed that my once enclosed house had become a convertible style house.....

yep, the whole back side of the roof slid right off! I am used to small losses, like icicles falling off and candies falling off- that's why I always keep a backup arsenal of icing to fix any mishaps but the roof falling off was kinda major. Luckily it fell off in one one piece! But wait.... then I noticed that all my sugar windows were falling off! They get kinda sticky and they just started sliding down the wall! Grrrrr..... I thought the windows were a lost cause but my dad suggested creating an icing "ledge" on the inside for them to sit on when they start melting again! Works great! To further seal them on I created "snow" on the front of all the windows which helped hide the windows that got broken. I figure with all that icing crammed on there it ought to last til Christmas! Then my dad and I re-glued the roof on with TONS of icing inside and out....and then I re-icicled the roof, filled in any holes and this is how it came out:

Actually, I like my new and improved gingerbread house better that before. You can't even tell where the "mistakes" are....I think the snow on the windows adds some nice detail and it make the lights on the inside glow even more nicely! Like i've said before, icing hides all mistakes!

What are you serving for Christmas morning? Everyone I know loves Cinnamon Rolls and Coffee Cake... so this year I am making a Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake! This recipe is terrific, you can mix up the topping, streusel, dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately in their own bowls the night before. Christmas morning all you need to do is preheat the oven, assemble the cake and bake. Everyone should be awake by the time its finished baking (and if they aren't the smell will surely wake them up!) ready to dig into a nice big slice with a cup of coffee or homemade hot cocoa and marshmallows! This cake has it all: toasted nuts, sticky caramel, warm soft coffee cake and spicy streusel filling! Its great warm and gooey outta the oven or try it at room temperature the next day (if there is any left!). This cake stays nice and moist. If you want to re-heat, use a 250 degree oven for 15 minutes. Note that you need a 9" round cake pan with 2" sides to accommodate all the batter (thanks for the new pans Gigi)! Here is how you can make your own:

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake adapted from Cuisine At Home Magazine
Makes one 9" cake
Total time: About 1 1/2 hours

For the Caramel-
Stir Together in a measuring cup:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
Pinch of salt

Sprinkle:
1 cup chopped toasted pecans (toast whole pecans in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly then chop)

For The Streusel-
Process:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons unsalted cold butter, diced
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

For The Cake-
Whisk Together in a measuring cup:
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt (I used plain with 2 tsp. vanilla extract)
2 eggs
Sift Together:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Cream:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; coat a 9" cake pan with 2" sides  with pam. Place pan on a cookie sheet. [Pan needs to have 2" sides or the cake may overflow.] Stir together brown sugar, cream, and salt for the caramel. Pour into prepared pan and spread to coat the bottom. Sprinkle pecans over the caramel. Process brown sugar, flour, butter, cinnamon, and salt for the streusel in a food processor. Pulse until it looks sandy; set aside Whisk buttermilk, yogurt, and eggs together for the cake in a measuring cup with a pour spout. Whisk flour, baking powder, soda, and salt into a bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer just until combined.

Alternate dry and wet ingredients by hand with spatula, starting and ending with the dry. Blend each addition just until incorporated. I blended by hand with a spatula so that I wouldn't over beat and get a tough cake. Spread half the batter over the caramel, then sprinkle with half the streusel. Carefully spread remaining batter over that and top with remaining steusel. I used my damp fingers to manipulate the batter smoothly over the nuts and streusel. Worked better than any spatula! Bake 50-60 minutes (make sure to keep the pan on a cookie sheet to catch any overflow), or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake for 5 minutes on a rack, then run a paring knife around the sides to loosen. Invert onto a serving platter while hot, then let cool slightly before slicing. Store at room temperature in air-tight Tupperware.