Just Checking In

Hello all. I've been away from posting for a while, since we just went back to work last week. I've been really busy, since we hosted a breakfast for our 45 new teachers, then had a solidarity picnic that featured California Teachers Association President Barbara Kerr. What a blast that was! I've been cooking a lot at home, but it's all been recipes I've made before. Tonight, for example, I used some more barracuda from the freezer, and made the Parmesan Red Pepper coating I've used on mahi mahi. We had my smoky burgers last night. So I really haven't had anything new to write about except for yesterday morning's coffee cake. I got the recipe back in 1978 from Gladys Ellis. Gladys was a friend of my mother's, and was the mother of Godfrey Ellis, a young man I dated a while in college. Godfrey died about 14 years ago, and I remember him fondly. I've given the original recipe, plus the changes I made to lower the carbs and fat and make it a bit healthier.

Bohemian Coffee Cake
Gladys Ellis, Lubbock, Texas

2 1/2 c all-purpose flour (I used 1 c whole wheat and 1 1/2 c all-purpose)
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/8 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 c buttermilk
1 t baking soda
2 eggs
1 c granulated sugar (I used 1/2 c sugar ad 1/2 c Splenda)
1 c packed brown sugar (I used 1/2 c Splenda brown sugar blend)
1 c oil (I used 1/2 c oil and 1/2 c unsweetened applesauce)
1 t vanilla
1 c chopped pecans
2/3 c sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350˚. Mix flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder; set aside. Mix buttermilk and soda; set aside. Beat together eggs, sugars, oil, and vanilla until creamy. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to egg mixture until batter is well blended. Shake pecans with a little flour in a bag to coat. Add pecans and coconut to batter. Bake in greased Bundt pan for 45-50 minutes, till toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan; remove from pan to cake rack. Store covered.