Grandma's Coffee Cake

My mom just sent me this recipe for my grandma's coffee cake. It's timely because our grandparents always used to stay with us for a week each February, and the first thing Grandma would do was make this coffee cake, which was a highlight of my life! Good memories. Absolutely delicious with tea and gets more delicious as the days go on.

Preheat oven to 350.

1 stick (=1/2 c.) softened butter
1 c. granulated white sugar
2 eggs
2 c. sifted flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. sour cream or light sour cream or plain yogurt
1 t. real vanilla
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated white sugar
1 t. ground cinnamon

Grease but don’t flour a square baking dish (8x8 or 9x9) and set it aside.
Cream the softened butter and sugar until fluffy.
One at a time, add the eggs to incorporate well.
On a piece of waxed paper combine the dry ingredients.
Add one half of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix well.
Add half the sour cream/or yogurt and combine well.
Add rest of dry ingredients and mix.
Add rest of sour cream and mix.
Stir in vanilla.

Combine the sugar/brown sugar/cinnamon thoroughly.
Transfer half the cake batter to the buttered pan and smooth to reach the sides.
Sprinkle with half the cinnamon mixture. top with rest of cake batter, smoothed out, then add the remaining cinnamon sugar.
The recipe says to bake at 325 for 45 minutes. If using glass (pyrex) 325 is good, but anything else, do 350. The time is a guess - at around 40 minutes, start testing with a toothpick.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, Cilantro and Lime

Last night, we recreated my childhood experience of chicken satay at the great Thai place by the Seattle Center where I grew up eating with my family, right down to the quarters of white-bread toast that accompanied the dish.

The amounts below are designed to make 24 skewers and be served as a party appetizer; we made it our entree dish and were very full by the end.

• 1 cup plain yogurt (original recipe calls for 1.25 cups but I found this to be a bit much)
• 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1.5 pounds of large skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips (we cut down to just 2 large breasts)
• Vegetable oil (for grill)
• 2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
• Lime wedges, 2-3 per person
• White bread, 1-2 pieces per person

For peanut sauce:

• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 2 drops hot pepper sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup water

1. Combine yogurt, ginger, garlic and soy sauce in a bowl. Toss in chicken strips until well coated. (The original recipe calls for marination up to 2 hours, but it was late and we were hungry so we didn't do this - just tossed the chicken in there for a bit before throwing on the grill. It still turned out great.)

2. Preheat grill. When ready to grill, thread the chicken pieces onto skewers, working the skewer in and out of the meat, so that it stays in place. Place on perforated pan over medium heat and brush with oil to prevent sticking. Grill for 5 minutes on each side, until seared and cooked through. (We used a perforated pan but if you don't have one, we found that it worked better to just grill the pieces directly on the heat; do whatever works best for you.)

3. While chicken is grilling, make the 5-minute peanut sauce with ingredients above. In a small bowl, stir together peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, hot pepper sauce and garlic until well mixed. Transfer to a small skillet and over medium-low heat, gradually stir in water until texture is smooth and creamy.

4. Toast pieces of white bread and cut into quarters.

4. Remove skewers from grill and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve with peanut sauce, lime wedges, and toast. I find that the lime really gives it an extra kick with the peanut sauce especially.