Blueberry Crumb Cake

Ever wonder why they call it Crumb Cake?  Could it be because you take a bite and all these glorious little crumbs drop all over your plate for that perfect treat when it's all gone?  You take your fork and press down and make sure you don't miss any?   Oh who are we kidding here? Crumbs are made for fingers so you don't miss any! You will love this wonderfully moist cake with just a hint of lemon and lots of blueberries!  And the crumb topping makes it perfect!  In this recipe, I made it in a 13 x 9 baking dish.....but I also make individual small loaves too, as show in the picture.

Blueberry Crumb Cake

Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter (3/4 cups)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup sour cream

¼ cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

3 cups fresh blueberries (you can use frozen but do not thaw first)

Crumb Topping 

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray  a 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan with non stick spray and then line it with parchment paper. Leave extra paper hanging over so you can use it as handles to lift the cake later.  

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Next cut the butter into dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine crumbs and there are no chunks of butter left. You can use a pastry cutter, two knives or your fingers. 

In a separate bowl, whisk egg, sour cream, milk and vanilla and add to flour mixture, stirring until combined.  Fold blueberries and lemon extract into the batter. Pour batter into the pan, shaking pan to smooth it out to the corners.

Finally, make your crumb topping: blend butter with flour until crumbly. Add sugar. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers.  Mix all ingredients together and spoon your crumb topping over batter. 

Bake until the cake is golden brown...about 40 minutes. Cool cake for 20 minutes before serving.

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home.

        

 

 

  

 

 

It’s fast.  It’s easy. It’s simply awesome!

Bright, juicy tomatoes, sweet niblets of corn and tender chicken are the epitome of summer scrumptiousness. The tomatoes soften and burst in the heat and their juices mingle with the light creamy sauce.  Made in a single skillet this dish is healthy and happy.

 

Skillet Chicken with Creamy Corn and Tomatoes

 

4-6  chicken tenderloins, cut into pieces

O1 teaspoon kosher salt

¾ teaspoon ground pepper

1 to 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, diced (~1 ½ cups)

4 cups cherry or grape tomatoes

2 (15oz) cans corn, drained and patted dry

¼ cup cream

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ to ½ cup chopped basil 

 

Add the olive oil to a large skillet and warm over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium high and sear the chicken until light golden brown.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. It’s okay if the chicken is not fully cooked, as it will continue to cook later when it’s added back to the pan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the diced onion to the skillet and sauté until soft and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the corn and stir until onions are mixed in.  Heat for 5 minutes stirring constantly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the tomatoes to the pan. Cover with a lid and allow them to cook for 12 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Towards the end, you can press some of the tomatoes with a wooden spoon to gently burst them and release their juices into the sauce.   Add the cooked chicken and stir to mix.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Reduce the  heat to medium-low, and let the mixture mingle and simmer for about 5 minutes; the liquid will slightly reduce and the chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 to ensure its cooked through. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toss in fresh basil and serve!

 

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How To Make A Perfect Poached Egg

 

Let me begin this little cooking lesson by telling you that I love poached eggs.  I love eggs made any way but I am especially fond of poached because I love runny egg yolks!  Some of you may already know how to poach eggs....there are how to's all over the Internet that's for sure.  And if you watch cooking shows, you are sure to see a TV chef making them at one point.  But my way is simple. It's tried and true and fail proof.  Nothing special like making little ripples in the water or adding vinegar.  No need to buy special poaching pans or tools. You don't need any of that.  Just follow my simple instructions. 

How To Make A Perfect Poached Egg 

1 large fresh egg 
salt and pepper 
toast for serving 

First crack your egg in a small bowl. We want to slip the egg slowly into the water, rather than dropping it right in and running the risk of breaking that beautiful yolk. 















Next you want to add about 3 inches of water to a skillet with deep sides.  Turn the heat to medium and bring it to a nice simmer.  You do not want your water to boil.  You want just tiny bubbles all over the bottom of the skillet. A gentle simmer.  

Once you have those nice tiny bubbles in your water, slip the egg in by gently pouring it out of the glass bowl.  The outside edges of the egg white may swirl around a little in the water but don't worry, the main part of the egg white will be just fine. Don't panic.  If you want you can take a wooden spoon or rubber spatula and nudge the white closer to the yolk but it's really not necessary.  You'll see. 























Next cover your skillet and turn off your heat. Let the egg sit in the water for about 4 minutes with the lid on.  If you like your yolk even runnier you can leave it there for 3 minutes but four minutes will give you a perfect poached egg. 

After 4 minutes, get a slotted spoon and scoop out your perfect poached egg.  Any loose white will fall off as you scoop, giving you a nicely shaped egg.  

Got your buttered toast ready?  























There’s nothing quite so wonderfully comforting as a piece of warm buttered toast with a poached egg on top.  

So how'd we do?   Look at that yolk.  Perfection! 

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