Pumpkin Coffee Cake

I know the "pumpkin season" is over. But my mom seems to have a tendency to buy a lot of one thing at a time, and then we're left with the remnants. Hoarding? Probably not. Extreme couponing? Maybe a little bit. In this case, it was canned pumpkin that was on sale after Halloween. Our pantry was looking a little crowded with the little jars of orange goodness, so I decided to bake something up that had that yummy fall flavor. Pumpkin is a fall staple, but honestly I think it's good any time of year.

This pumpkin coffee cake is sweet, cinnamon-y, and (of course) pumpkin-y! It's basically a pumpkin pie nestled between two layers of traditional yellow cake. Hello, yummy! I suppose if you wanted to make this recipe super fast, you could really just use box yellow cake mix. But I like to know just how much sugar and other stuff is in my food, so I'll probably stick to making the cake by hand. But whatever works!

I found this recipe via Pinterest (every chef/baker/crafter/person's best friend). Follow my Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/gabriellastrnad to find lots of other fun things! The coffee cake is so simple and so delicious! It's definitely going to become a fall/anytime favorite in this house!


Cake Batter:
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

Pumpkin Layer: 
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1/2 cup evaporated milk





Topping: 
1/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans


1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13" pan.

2. Combine first 8 ingredients (cake batter). Pour half the cake batter into the greased pan.

3. Combine the next 8 ingredients to make the pumpkin later. Pour the whole pumpkin mixture over the cake batter in the pan.

4. Pour the remaining half of the cake batter over the pumpkin layer. This was kinda tricky because the cake batter tends to stick to the pumpkin layer. It worked well for me to drop spoonfuls of batter onto the pumpkin layer and then go back and spread it out with a frosting spatula.

5. Bake for 50-60 minutes until fully set (not jiggly).

Mmmm a perfect taste of fall at the end of January. Perfection!

Peanut Butter Oat Cookies

Peanut butter is one of my favorite things. Ever. It's really every college student's best friend. I think my roommate and I went through five jars of peanut butter in our four-month semester. Whoa.

Peanut Butter all day, every day.

I love my Aunt Michelle, but being forced not to enjoy peanut butter because of a peanut allergy may be one of life's greatest tragedies. Of course, I'm exaggerating. Kind of.

Apparently I'm on a cookie kick, because when I went to open a new (giant) jar of peanut butter today, all I wanted (besides to just stick a spoon in it and start eating) was a gooey, moist, peanut buttery cookie. My mom used to make them all the time for my brother and I when we were little, and I always loved making the signature impressions with a fork. It was my one peanut-butter-cookie-making job, and I did it with gusto.

It's been years since I made peanut butter cookies, so when I whipped up a batch of these today, the smells that filled my house reminded me so much of childhood and school lunches. Adding the oats made them a little fuller and more chewy, which I like. I also like to use crunchy peanut butter because then every so often you get the little surprise nugget of nut and it's just so tasty!

The ingredients for this cookie are things that I always have on hand in the pantry, so I see many more batches in the future! Again, I'm using whole wheat flour as opposed to white flour, but either is perfect.

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats, divided
3/4 cups unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chunky peanut butter (I used Adam's)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup peanuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Make oat flour (pulse 1 cup of oats in food process for 30 seconds).

2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk oat and whole wheat flours, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In another medium bowl,  cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix. Add peanut butter. Add to previously prepared flour mixture. Stir in remaining oats and peanuts (if using).

4. Place two inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Now for my favorite part! Using a fork, press tops of cookies down, creating that signature crosshatch pattern.

5. Bake about 12 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges, rotating halfway through baking.

6. Enjoy the peanut buttery goodness!

And just for fun...a video of my dog getting a little sample of these cookies :)

The Countdown Begins

I leave for Prague in exactly ten days.

These are my thoughts:

1. OH MY GODDDDDDDDDD alsjdfsjdofiwrniohfsdaipfashdoifneoirneawionfwpsfonow
2. How am I supposed to get everything I need to get done in only ten days?!
3. TEN DAYS...maybe I could just leave now?
4. Am I going to turn to an icicle as soon as I get there? I mean, I know cold but not humid AND cold...
5. I really need to start packing.
6. How am I supposed to get around when all I really know how to say is "hello," "how are you," and (courtesy of dad) "kiss my ass"
7. Food. I don't have a meal plan, and will have to make all my own meals or buy them. I love to cook, but I'm not going to lie...having the college meal plan was quite nice when I felt lazy or not up to making dinner. 
8. I'm going to be in PRAGUE for five months!!!!
9. How am I going to deal with being homesick? I feel like I should be busy enough that I won't get too homesick, too often, but I'm kind of a homebody. And this is the longest I've ever been away from my family, boyfriend, and best friends. 
10. Will my house have decent heating? (I've heard apartments in Prague can be freezing)
11. Most importantly: will my flight have television because this girl really needs to see the Broncos win the Super Bowl. 

It's hard to believe that this time last year, I was submitting my application to even be considered for study abroad and in a mere ten days I'll be in a country I've wanted to visit my entire life. Really, in the scheme of things, my worries are mundane because I know it will all work out, and these five months will be some of the best of my life. 

Honestly, it hasn't quite hit me yet that I'll be in an entirely foreign place with (almost) entirely foreign people. Two girls from my school, Brittany and Caroline, are going as well, and we're all roommates! I also met a girl this summer, Katia, who is getting her graduate degree at the school I'll be studying at. It's surprisingly comforting knowing I'll have at least a couple people there who are either making this adventure with me, or can help me along the way. 

I know these ten days are going to zoom by, with me trying to tie up all my loose ends and say goodbye to my loved ones. I cant wait for February 2nd. 

Contact Me!

If you have any questions about my adventures or anything on this site, please feel free to email me at gabriellacstrnad@gmail.com.

About Me

Hi.

I'm Gaby and this is where I share my life.

My original intention with this blog was to document the comings and goings of my semester abroad in Prague, The Czech Republic. But then I figured, hey, why not just make it about everything I love? So that's what you'll find here. A little bit of everything that makes me, me.

I'm from a super-teeny town in Northern Colorado called Steamboat Springs. Some may recognize the name, as it's a pretty well known ski resort. Naturally, I grew up skiing and doing all sorts of other outdoors-y things. I love love love doing things outdoors. Every summer I take a backpacking trip (note: picture from last summer's excursion in the Zirkel Wilderness), and I get excited about everything from snowshoeing to canoeing.

I  now attend Chapman University in Orange, California where I'm studying nutrition and communication. While I do enjoy the ever-present sun and lounging on the beach, Colorado will always have my heart. There is truly something about the people and the mountains that will always keep me coming back.

The travel bug bit me when I was just thirteen years old and took a summer trip to France and Spain. I will never forget the feeling of being so completely disoriented and anonymous but so completely in awe. It is truly amazing what people and places can teach you, if you learn not to judge and to take it all in. My biggest travel inspiration is my best friend, Willow. We've known each other for 18 whopping years, and I can proudly say she's by far the BEST best-friend the world has ever seen. She keeps me young (I really am an old soul), inspires me to take risks, and always keeps me dreaming. Follow her blog at www.thewanderingwillow.com! Right now, I'm preparing for the longest trip I've taken thus far: 5 months in the Czech Republic. While I'm terrified, I have never been so excited for something in my life. Keep following me on here to hear all about my crazy adventures!

Willow and I before a Ying Yang Twins/Dillon
Francis concert 

Now. Let's talk about food. I don't think it's possible to describe my obsession with all things food. For a long time, I was very food "deprived." Technically, I have a pretty significant case of lactose intolerance. I tried (in vain) for a good three years to eliminate as much dairy as possible from my diet. But let's be real, what's a little discomfort when you can eat cheese and ice cream? I still don't drink milk, but other than that my relationship with food has expanded to the point where I'll pretty much eat anything and everything. Except mushrooms. But that's another story.

They say everyone should have at least one passion in life, and for me, that passion is food. The power of food amazes me. It can bring people together, create memories, and enrich our lives in so many unseen ways. I like to cook, but I love to bake. I think I inherited my super-sweet-tooth from my sugar loving dad. Baking is like stress-therapy for me...with the result being one tasty treat at the end!

While I create and prepare a variety of things, I try to stay health-conscious while I cook. It's easier than you think to make simple substitutions that make a recipe a thousand times better for you! Here you'll find a collection of my favorite treats and dishes, as well as some things I try out just for fun!

So much of my creativity and inspiration when it comes to cooking (and just life in general!) comes from my wonderful boyfriend, Mason. We met while we were both in high school, and will have been together for two years in April! Mason brings so much joy, laughter, and fun to my life that sometimes I wonder what I ever did with out him. He really just brings out the best in me! It's been incredibly challenging at times to do the "long-distance thing," but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do for love. We're really just two old souls who want to share a lifetime of adventure together. You'll probably hear a lot more about him on here!

Mason and I at Steamboat's Christmas
festivities 

Lastly, is reading. Yes. I am a book nerd. Since starting college, I haven't been able to spend as much "quality-time" with books, as I like, so I'm hoping this blog will help inspire me to make reading a priority again. It's so easy for me to get caught up in day-to-day life that I forget how calming and relaxing reading can be. Books have always been my friend, and I hope to inspire you to pick up a book and read as well!

Well, that's just about it! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you like what you see!

Cranberry, Maple, and Oatmeal Cookies

For those of you that don't know, my dad is an avid cookie connoisseur. Lunch, dinner (and sometimes even breakfast) usually consists of the normal meal followed by at least three cookies. You really could call him the cookie monster. He would be flattered.

He prefers his cookies loaded up with "the good stuff," aka: chocolate chips, coconut, oats, nuts, dried fruit, etc. So loaded up, in fact, that the cookies rarely ever become cookie shaped...they remain more like little dense balls of goodies with some dough in between.

When I came across this recipe, courtesy of Tate's Bake Shop's Baking With Friends I was a little apprehensive because, besides the basics needed to make the dough, there really are only three other ingredients: cranberries, maple syrup, and oats. That's not a lot of goodies. But I loved the idea of putting the tart cranberries into the cookies so I decided to give them a try. If the cookie monster didn't like them, then more for me right? Well let me just say, they are AMAZING. They are perfection in every way an oatmeal cookie should be. Chewy and moist and homey. With that little zing of cranberry. Yum. The original recipe calls for unbleached flour, but I'm trying to cook and bake with more whole grains this year, so I substituted whole wheat flour. You can't even tell the difference! These cookies are the perfect winter treat, if I do say so myself.

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (I like Bob's Red Mill)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks salted butter, at room temp
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (I only had "Honey Creme" in my pantry, but it was DELICIOUS)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (or whole fresh cranberries for a more tart flavor)
1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, salt, and baking soda. In another large bowl, beat the brown sugar, butter, and maple syrup with an electric mixer until well combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Using a spoon, stir in the oat mixture, just until combined. Mix in cranberries and pecans.

2. Drop about 2 tablespoons of dough about 2 inches apart onto baking sheets.

3. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges and still slightly soft, rotating the position of the baking sheets halfway through.

4. Try your hardest to wait 5 minutes while the cookies cool and set.

5. EAT EAT EAT EAT.


They're really addicting, so just a fair warning, you might eat about half the batch in one sitting. Which is fine. Because winter clothes are designed to expand anyway.