Shrimp Linguine with Green Olives & Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

I have two mini cookbooks now frequenting our kitchen counter very often. Surprisingly, even my young tots are busy perusing these books, each spotting his/her own choice of food for request. Simultaneously, I hear cute pleads echoing through out the entire house "mommy, gawa ka nito, mommy gusto ko bake ka nito". Later, these culinary petitions made my weekends busily spent in the kitchen.

Perfect Italian and Gifts from the Kitchen both by Parragon are great foodie companion. They are affordable, handy and rich in delectable dishes to prepare at home. The following recipes were taken from these books but I added some twists to suit the flavor to our palate more.

Shrimp Linguine with Green Olives

What you need:

400g linguine, 1/2 cup green olives, 250 g shrimps (shell removed and deveined), 4 small tomatoes (diced), 500g italian spaghetti sauce, 1 small onion (chopped), 4 cloves garlic (chopped), 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 tsp ground dried basil leaves, salt and pepper to taste

How to make:

Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain, wash in cold water and set aside. Heat olive oil in a pan. Cook shrimps until just tender. Set aside. In the same pan, sauté onion and garlic until fragrant. Add tomatoes, olives and italian spaghetti sauce. Season with salt, pepper and ground dried basil leaves. Boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in cooked linguine and shrimps.

I partenered this pasta dish with a yummy Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel Topping. This is a very easy to prepare baked goodie. It has a mild, buttery taste with distinct cinnamon top note. The chunks of cinnamon and nut mixture sprinkled on top of the cake provided an enjoyable texture. Instead of pecan nuts, I subsituted it with our local Pili Nut. It added a good caramelized flavor and creamy, nutty taste. Perfect for an afternoon nibble!

Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

What you need:

175 g butter, 215 g all purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 200 g granulated sugar, 4 tbsps full cream milk, 2 large eggs, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 5 tbsps brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon powder, 100 g coarsely chopped pili nuts

How to make:

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C. Grease a 9 x 2 inch round tin. Sift flour and baking powder. Melt 115 g butter then leave to cool. Cream sugar and melted butter in an electric mixer. Add milk, eggs & vanilla. Gradually add in flour mix. Blend well and pour into the prepared tin. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, pili nuts and remaining butter in a bowl. Mix until crumbly. Distribute chunks of cinnamon and nut mixture over the batter. Bake for 40 minutes or until the center comes out clean when inserted with a cocktail stick or tester. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Cool before serving.

When you run out of a gift idea, home made edible gift such as this is the next best choice. What could be more rewarding than showing your recipient that you went the extra mile by preparing deliciously enjoyable present? Isn't the one especially made for you more heart warming?