Coffee Cake

I got this tasty recipe from a cookbook put together by my oncologist's office.  Hey, one never knows where a good recipe will turn up. I love a good coffee cake that doesn't require a bucket of coffee to wash it down.  




Coffee Cake
Batter:
1/2 cup soft butter
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 pint of sour cream


Combine butter, sugar and eggs.  Beat well.  In sifter, combine salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flour.  Mix to the above mixture along with the sour cream.  


Crumbs: (the best part!)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup chopped 
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon


Combine sugar, cinnamon and nuts.  Put 1/2 batter in a greased tube pan and put 1/2 of the crumb mixture on top.  Then the remaining batter and top with the remaining crumbs.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  Allow to cool for 10 min and flip onto cake plate.
ENJOY!

I was honored to share this cake with my friends at the YMCA who participate in my water aerobics class.  On this particular day we were celebrating the 80th birthday of one of the participants.  

Noodle Soup

I love Chicken Noodle Soup, but there's just one little problem--I don't eat chicken!  Here is my "recipe" for the soup.  Everything is an approximation because you can add more or less of the things that you like!

"Chicken" Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
Egg Noodles (Betty Crocker Cookbook):

• 2 cups of white or whole wheat flour
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water

Soup:

• chopped Garlic (I used about 2 cloves)
• 2 Tbl olive oil
• Quart of vegetarian vegetable stock, I used organic Swanson
• chopped up vegetables:
  carrots
  celery
  onion
  green pepper
  beans--I used Chinese Noodle Beans
  any other veggies that you like!  Just make sure you try to chop everything the same size so that they cook the same.
• 3/4-1 1/2 cups water
• salt, pepper to taste

Instructions:

Make the noodles earlier in the day so that they have time to dry (at least 2 hours). 

Noodles:

Pour the flour into a medium sized bowl.  Make a well in the flour.  Add the egg yolks, egg, and salt to the flour, and mix well.  Mix in water 1 tablespoon one teaspoon at a time until dough is stiff but easy to roll out.  Divide dough up into 3-4 parts so that it is easier to roll out.  Roll the dough out on a floured surface until it's about paper thin.  I cut my noodles about 1/2 inch wide using a ruler and pizza cutter.  Lay aside on a cloth to dry for at least 2 hours.  

Soup:

Place the onions, any garlic, and olive oil in a medium sized pot on medium heat.  Cook until the onions are tender.  Add the broth, water, and chopped veggies to simmer over medium heat until the veggies are soft, but not falling apart.  Add the noodles and cook for about 5-10 more min.  Add salt or pepper to taste.  Voila!  Your soup is done.  

I chopped everything up further and gave some to Jack...he loved it!