Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

In honor of Mother's Day last week, and because I don't want to lose the recipe again, I'm putting up the recipe for a family favorite, and my grandmother's all-time-favorite dessert--at breakfast, lunch, dinner, or in between. This cream cheese coffee cake really is amazing, if only you can get the layer of dough to spread out on top of the cream cheese. But don't take my word for it; try making it yourself. And after you've given up, then get someone close to you with more patience to pick up the baton, and stick around for the results... (any takers, Red Red Potato readers?) :)

First, the filling:

• 1 lb. cream cheese, softened (Yes, that's "lb." as in "pound". But you're gonna share, right?)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs

Mix these ingredients well & set aside. ("Aside" can be a refrigerator overnight, if you want to get ahead of the game)

Next, prepare the streusel topping ingredients: (Does anyone know where "streusel" comes from? I suppose I should google it, but I'm kind of glad to leave in the realm of the vague...)

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup flour (ooh, look, something healthy!)

Mix these well and set them aside (for novices like me: don't set them aside in the same bowl you're using to set aside the filling). Add a handful of oatmeal, and a little cinnamon, too, if you like. How much? "A little," says Gran. Just try it.

Next, prepare the cake ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 eggs (Yes, that's two more eggs)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp. baking powder (still can't keep straight in my head what the difference is between baking soda and baking powder, but apparently they're different ;)
• 1/2 cup butter (that's a full stick)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup sugar

Start preheating your oven to 350 degrees.

Sift the dry ingredients together in a big mixing bowl (but notice that sugar is not considered a "dry ingredient" just yet). Cream the sugar, butter and eggs together separately ("cream" basically means "mix", as far as I can tell). Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix well. Then add this concoction to the dry ingredients and mix (slowly at first or you're going to have a flourstorm on your hands).

Pour half of the cake batter into a greased and floured 9" X 13" baking pan. Pour in the filling, then the remainder of the cake batter (it will be very thick to spread). Then sprinkle with streusel topping.

Bake at 350 deg. for 45 min and...  voilà!! It's munching time. And don't wait...this one is good warm, while the inside is soft and warm and the topping crunchy...

Salmon steak with Sesame sauce

Servings: 2
Ingredients:
2 Salmon steaks
1/2 tsp salt
1/5 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 little pieces of lemon

Sesame sauce
2 tbsp plain yogurt
3 tbsp sesame
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp water

Directions:
1. Spread salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp olive oil on salmon steaks.
2. Place all the gradients of the souce in a blender and grind them.
3. Heat a pan on high, spray 1 tbsp olive oil, place salmon steaks.
4. Grill steaks turning once halfway through until browned about 30 seconds.
5. lower the heat medium and continue grilling 3-5 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat, season with lemon (juice).
7. Serve the steaks with the sesame sauce.

I love this sesame sauce. Try it! ^^

Tofu Salad

Ingredients:
1 box of soft (silken) tofu
3 strings of artificial crab (meat)
1 leaf of iceberg lettuce
1/8 piece of onion

Dressing
1 tbsp Korean Soybean Paste
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
3/4 tbsp honey

Directions:
1. Mix the ingredients of dressing in a bowl and put it in a refrigerator to make it cool.
2. Take apart the artificial crab (meat), cut the iceberg lettuce and onion as big as the artificial crab.
3. Place the tofu on a plate, put the artificial crab, the lettuce and onion on the tofu, and spread the dressing on it.

Sorry, I don't have a picture of this.
I love the taste of the dressing! It tastes very fresh! Try it!