All About Accessories

I'm obsessed with head accessories. By that statement, I mean anything relating to the head, whether it's a hat, a hair clip, a head band, a hair doughnut, or a random scrap of fabric I tie around my head and call good.

With this obsession of mine, what I wore as a veil/headdress on my wedding day was incredibly important. It couldn't be just anything. I'm incredibly picky, which can be good but can also mean everything I like lies well outside my budget. 

To make matters worse, I have a very  thick head of hair. It makes wearing women's hats nearly impossible. For instance, my husband brought home an adorable XL men's hat the other day. Pretty sure I kissed him in excitement. The hat fit perfectly. Yup. I have that much hair.

So for my wedding, my fate was pretty much determined the day I inherited my dad's thick hair. If I wanted a fitted 20s style headdress (which I did) that I could afford, then I needed to make it myself.

Please ignore the hubby's facial hair here. I promise he isn't as creepy as he looks!

Thus, began the journey. I made my veil, then made a fun black headdress for a special event months later, and made my best friend's veil last September.

Now, I'm feeling the head accessory itch again (and no, I don't have lice). I'm feeling something fun . . . for everyday . . . with feathers. What do you think?

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pumpkin Coffeecake

A few weeks ago we had some extra pumpkin puree sitting in the fridge, just waiting to be used. For some reason, I had a craving for a whole wheat pumpkin coffeecake. So began my usual google recipe search. I found several recipes and then combined ideas to create my own. This recipe is based off one by Two Peas and Their Pod and a few other recipes I chanced upon.

The trick to cooking with whole wheat is extra moistness. Add-ins like pumpkin make that job just a little bit easier. A little secret? If you're cooking with pumpkin and whole wheat, double the pumpkin. Here, I use a whole cup instead of the 1/2 cup recommended in most recipes. It allows the pumpkin to shine instead of being drowned out by the stronger wheat flavor.

Another secret? Buttermilk makes everything taste better!

Ingredients:

streusel

• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour


• 1/2 cup brown sugar


• 1 tsp cinnamon


• 1/8 tsp salt


• 6 TB unsalted butter, cold

cake

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour


• 2 tsp baking powder


• 1/2 tsp baking soda


• 2 tsp cinnamon


• 1/2 tsp ginger


• 1/4 tsp nutmeg


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1 cup sugar


• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, very cold


• 2 large eggs


• 1 tsp vanilla extract


• 1 cup pumpkin puree, homemade or store bought


• 1/2 cup buttermilk

glaze

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted


• 1/2 tsp cinnamon


• 2 tsp cinnamon


• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

to make the streusel

Whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut the butter in till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside

to make the coffeecake

1) Preheat oven to 35o and butter a 9 inch cake pan.

2) Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt). Cut in butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3) In a stand mixer, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, and buttermilk. Add in the dry mixture. Be careful not to overmix.

4) Add batter to prepared pan. Top with prepared streusel. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

5) Allow cake to cool in pan for 10-15 minutes. Then, remove cake from pan and transfer to a cooling rack.

to make the glaze

Sift powdered sugar to remove any lumps. Whisk together all ingredients. While coffeecake is still warm but not hot, drizzle glaze over it. Enjoy!

Don't forget to enjoy any leftovers for breakfast throughout the week.