Cinnamon Babka

A lesser Babka, I think not! The Cinnamon Babka features prominently in "The Dinner Party" episode of Seinfeld, which also features George's overstuffed Gore-Tex coat that is the picture of a scary cold winter day. When Jerry and Elaine find out that there is no more Chocolate Babka at the bakery, they get a Cinnamon Babka instead. Chocolate Babka gets all the attention. But this Cinnamon Babka is an excellent alternative.

Babka takes some effort to make. It is a sweet yeast bread that requires a double rise and needs to be rolled out to get the cinnamon swirl. The result is a rich, sweet bread with cinnamon in every bite. While this babka takes more time to make, it is an excellent babka and worth the time.

Cinnamon Babka 

• 1/2 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
• 1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup + pinch sugar
• 1 whole egg + 1 yolk (save egg white for egg wash)
• 2 cups flour + more for work surface
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 10 Tbsps. butter, divided
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• Streusel topping (1/3 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 2 Tbsp. butter)

Pour warm milk into a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast and pinch of sugar over milk; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, and 1 egg yolk. Add egg mixture to yeast mixture. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add egg mixture and mix until flour is incorporated. Add 6 tablespoons softened butter and mix until flour and butter are completely incorporated and a soft dough is formed. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to double in bulk (about one hour).

Combine 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Blend in 4 tablespoons softened butter until well combined. Punch down dough and transfer to floured surface. Let rest for five minutes. Roll out dough into a 16-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. Brush edges with egg wash. Crumble most of the cinnamon filling evenly over dough, leave 1/4 inch border. Roll dough up tightly like a jelly roll. Pinch ends together to seal. Twist 5 or 6 times. Brush top of roll with egg wash. Crumble remaining cinnamon mixture on the left half. Fold right half of the roll over the left half. Fold ends under and pinch to seal. Twist roll two turns and fit into greased loaf pan. Brush top of loaf with egg wash. Crumble streusel topping over top. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 325 and bake until deep golden brown, about 5-15 minutes. Allow to cool in pan. Enjoy!

Lemon Wafers

I made these cookies for Meg's birthday party. The party was a fun time, with the highlight being a Choo Choo Cake in lovely shades of purple. These cookies are deliciously lemony and add brightness to a winter's day. I especially like the use of lemon peel to flavor the cookies. 

When I made these cookies, I used a little more lemon juice and a little less water than what the recipe calls for in order to make the cookies lemon flavor stronger. These easy cookies are a great option for any occasion or no special reason at all.

Lemon Wafers  

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup water

Mix and sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream butter; add sugar gradually and continue creaming until light and fluffy. Blend in egg, lemon peel, and vanilla. Beat well. Add dry ingredients alternately with lemon juice and water; blend until smooth after each addition. Dough will be very soft. Drop by teaspoon about 2 inches apart on greased sheets. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes of until edges are light brown. Enjoy!

Grits Pie

Continuing on my post of Cheesy Grits from earlier this month, this Grits Pie is inspired by our visit to Atlanta. Who knew grits could be so versatile? Grits pie is similar to the better known chess pie, which is often made using cornmeal rather than grits. The grits add a nice texture and flavor to the pie.

This Grits Pie is inspired by one of the many pies I sampled at Sway Pie Buffet while in Atlanta. Sway Restaurant is located in a nice downtown hotel. I am sure the regular food is good, but I only went for the pie buffet. On one hand, there should be more pie buffets, but on the other hand, I ate myself into such a food coma, it took me quite some time to recover from all the delicious pie. Maybe pie buffets should be a once in a lifetime experience. I have never seen grits pie anyplace else, so I had to try to make my own. This grits pie is a delicious custard pie. I highly recommend it.

Grits Pie 

• unbaked pie crust
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup quick cook grits
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup buttermilk or greek yogurt
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325. In a small saucepan, bring water to boil. Add grits and cook for 4 minutes. Add butter and cook for another 2 minutes. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, mix together the flour, sugar, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla. Slowly blend in the cooled grits. Pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until center is set. Serve warm or cold. Enjoy!

Succotash

I made this Succotash for Thanksgiving because I realized that I did not have any corn on the menu. While it is not a recipe from Mom's recipe box, I did use onions from Mom's garden. And Mom took home all the leftovers because she loved it.

Succotash is so easy to make. And if you make it ahead, it re-heats easily. Traditionally, succotash is made with lima beans. I used edamame instead. Some succotash recipes might add other items to suit your tastes, such as chili peppers or paprika, which could be a welcome addition. Frozen corn and edamame work well for this recipe, just thaw them well before cooking.

Succotash 

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup shelled edamame
• 2 cups corn kernels 
• 1/4 cup chopped chives or green onion

Heat butter in pan over medium heat. Saute onions for 5 minutes. Add red bell pepper; saute for 5 to 10 minutes. Add edamame and corn; cook until heated. Toss with chives or green onion. Enjoy!

Cheesy Grits

At the start of each year, I start to plan for the annual trip for Super Bowl week and recall past trips and good meals. This recipe is inspired by the last restaurant stop in New Orleans in February 2025--Mother's Restaurant. I had the very filling breakfast special which included cheesy grits. Grits are a hot cereal made from ground corn. Grits are more common in the South. Grits can be made sweet or savory.

When I made these grits, I made a thicker style, similar to my Grandmother's creamy polenta. Making grits at home makes it easy to make them thinner or thicker, based on your preference. Cheddar cheese is the classic cheese used in cheesy grits, but other cheeses work well. In addition to cheese, I added garlic powder and ground black pepper. Although oatmeal will remain my preferred breakfast cereal, grits may make an occasional appearance. And grits could be a good non-breakfast side dish.

Cheesy Grits 

• Grits
• Cheese
• ground black pepper
• garlic powder

Make the grits according to the package instructions in the quantity needed. When the grits reach the desired thickness, add cheese, pepper, and garlic powder. Enjoy!