Welcome to another issue of Around the Kitchen Table!

The birds are singing and the flowers are blooming. Spring showers remind me of hope, life, cleansing, and renewal. A new cycle of life begins in the plant and animal world.

I’ve started my spring cleaning. I’m sorting through and cleaning out those odds and ends that seem to pile up over the winter months. I’m cleaning under my kitchen and bathroom sinks, painting, and then putting in new shelf paper. Watkins has a complete line of natural and safe cleaning products. No worrying about toxic fumes or residue that can harm your family.

Recipes this issue include Blueberry Peach Fool for April Fool’s Day, Asparagus and Cheese Frittata, Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake, and Rhubard Strawberry Dessert.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
This golden breakfast coffee cake is tender and moist, with a middle layer of cinnamon filling and a crumbly streusel topping.

Streusel Topping
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (if you use unsalted butter)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Watkins Ground Cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling
1 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1 1/2 tablespoons Watkins Ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Watkins Baking Cocoa

Cake
3/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt (1 1/4 teaspoons if you use unsalted butter)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons Watkins Baking Powder
2 teaspoons Watkins Vanilla Extract
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 1/4 cups milk
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan, or two 9 inch round cake pans.
2. Make the topping by whisking together the sugar, salt, flour, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter, stirring till well combined. Set the topping aside.
3. Make the filling by mixing together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
4. To make the cake: In a large bowl, beat together the butter, salt, sugars, baking powder, and vanilla until well combined and smooth.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream or yogurt and milk till well combined. You don’t need to whisk out all the lumps.
7. Add the flour to the butter mixture alternately with the milk/sour cream mixture, beating gently to combine.
8. Pour/spread half the batter (a scant 3 cups) into the prepared pan(s), spreading all the way to the edges. If you’re using two 9 inch round pans, spread 1 1/3 cups batter in each pan.
9. Sprinkle the filling evenly atop the batter.
10. Spread the remaining batter atop the filling. Use a table knife to gently swirl the filling into the batter, as though you were making a marble cake. Don’t combine filling and batter thoroughly; just swirl the filling through the batter.
11. Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the pan.
12. Bake the cake until it’s a dark golden brown around the edges; medium-golden with no light patches showing on top, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes for the 9 x 13 inch pan, 50 to 55 minutes for the 9 inch round pans. When pressed gently in the middle, the cake should spring back.
13. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve cake right from the pan. Makes 24 servings.

I made this coffee cake and there is way too much streusel topping! I recommend cutting all ingredients in the streusel topping in half or you will have a sugar high. Using the ingredients stated in the recipe above gives a very thick layer of cinnamon sugar that does not stick to the cake. I baked the cake in a 9 x 13 pan and had to bake the coffee cake 15 minutes longer. This may be due to the temperature variations of ovens.

Enter April’s Giveaway! Win a tin of Mango Hand and Cuticle Salve. Protect and indulge your hands with J.R. Watkins natural hand and cuticle salve. The natural oils moisturize and nourish your skin and nails. Apply before and after cleaning and gardening. Sign up for my newsletter or place an order and your name will be entered in a random drawing.

If you are considering a home based business please take a look at Watkins. I will give you a $30 gift certificate to buy products for yourself. Just join with me as your sponsor, Eleisia Whitney ID# 335001. Sign up at my business information web site http://www.vanillasage.com , at http://www.watkinsonline.com/eleisiawhitney under Join Us – As an Associate, or by calling Watkins at 1-800-928-5467. Give my name and ID# as your sponsor.

Read this issue now
http://www.everydaynecessities.com/april1-10newsletter.htm

Until next month,

Eleisia
http://www.watkinsonline.com/eleisiawhitney

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