I know this is late but here is a recipe for Starbucks Classic Coffee Cake and it's delicious! I got the recipe online several years ago. Starbucks Classic Coffee Cake You may find slight variations of the cake at different Starbucks locations. Sometimes there is a ribbon of cinnamon running through the middle of the cake, and sometimes the cake is dusted with a bit of powdered sugar. You'll also find some versions with a few chopped pecans in the topping; and that's the version here. Topping 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup light brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup chopped pecans Cake 1 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup milk 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Make topping by combining 1 cup flour with brown sugar, a stick of softened butter and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium bowl. Mixture should have the consistency of moist sand. Add 1/2 cup chopped pecans. In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup butter, 3/4 cup light brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add this dry mixture to the moist ingredients a little bit at a time. Add milk and mix well. Spoon the batter into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan that has been buttered and dusted with a light coating of flour. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the batter. Be sure the topping completely covers the batter. Bake cake for 50 minutes, or until the edges just begin to turn light brown. Cool and slice into 8 pieces.

I enjoy Hot Cross Buns and usually make a couple of different recipes each years. I buy extra citron during the holidays for the more traditional recipe. I also enjoy the dried cherry version. I'll just post my favorites so you can decide for yourself...which you might want to try. I have made all of these recipes. Hot Cross Buns: 1 cup (240 ml) milk 1 package (1/4 oz.) (7 grams) active dry yeast 1/2 teaspoon granulated white sugar 3 1/2 - 4 cups (455 - 520 grams) all purpose flour 1/4 cup (55 grams) light brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt 5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter, melted 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/3 cup (80 ml) candied fruit and peel mix 1/3 cup (80 ml) currants (or raisins) Glaze: 1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar 1 tablespoon milk or cream Hot Cross Buns: In a small saucepan, or in the microwave, heat the milk until lukewarm (about 100 degrees F or 38 degrees C). Add the yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar and stir to combine. Set aside for about 10 minutes or until the yeast is foamy. Meanwhile in the bowl of your electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, spices, and salt. Once the yeast is foamy, gradually add to the flour mixture and beat until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add the melted butter and egg and beat until incorporated. With the mixer on medium low speed, with the dough hook, gradually add the candied and dried fruit and continue to knead the dough until it is silky smooth and elastic. Add more flour if necessary. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning the dough once, so the top is lightly greased. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise until it has almost doubled in size (about 1 1/2 - 2 hours). When the dough has doubled in size, gently punch it down to release the air, and divide into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a small round ball and place on a parchment lined baking sheet (Place three buns to a row, four rows altogether. They should be spaced so they have enough room to double in size.) Make an egg wash of one beaten egg with 1 tablespoon milk, and brush the tops of the buns with the wash. Lightly spray a piece of plastic wrap with a nonstick cooking spray, and place lightly over the buns. Place in a warm spot until almost doubled in size (about 60 minutes). Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash, and with clean kitchen shears (or a a sharp, lightly greased knife), cut a 'cross' in the top of each bun. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the buns are nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool completely before glazing. Glaze: Combine the confectioners sugar and milk and mix until smooth. Place the glaze in a paper cone or a small plastic bag. Cut the end of the cone or bag and pipe a 'cross' on the top of each bun. Makes 12 buns. http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/HotCrossBuns.html#ixzz1oCQc7kPD Traditional Hot Cross Buns (source unknown) serves 12 3 cups flour Note: I hold out about 1/2 C of this flour and add if dough seems too soft) 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. all spice 1/2 tsp. nutmeg cinnamon 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 egg, beaten 3/4 cup raisins 1/3 cup candied citron fruit Yeast Mixture: 1 Tbs. dry yeast 1 Tbs. sugar 2/3 cup warm milk 1/2 cup warm water 1 cup flour Glaze: 2 Tbs. milk 2 Tbs. water 3 Tbs. sugar Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Mix all yeast ingredients in a bowl. Set aside and let it foam. Sift flour, salt, spice, and sugar in a second bowl. Add fruits and mix well. Mix butter, eggs and add to yeast mixture. Add yeast mixture to flour mixture. Knead dough on floured surface, 8\-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Divide into 12 equal pieces, shape into round buns. Place rolls close together in a baking pan. Cover and let rise at warm room temperature for 45 minutes. Use a sharp knife to cut an X\-shape on the dough surface. Bake in oven at 425 degrees F for 15\-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on rack. Make glaze by bringing ingredients to boil in a saucepan for 2 minutes. Brush glaze over buns thickly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hot Cross Buns with Dried Sour Cherries www ( ?? ) Yield: 16 buns For Buns: 6 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 cup milk 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves Grated zest of one lemon 1/4 cup warm water 2 packages (1/2 ounce or 4 1/2 tsp) active dry yeast 1 whole egg plus 2 egg yolks 3 1/3 cups all\-purpose unbleached flour, plus more for kneading 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup dried sour cherries 1/2 cup chopped pistachios (I omit) Melted unsalted butter for pan and brushing 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon milk (glaze) For Icing: 1 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar 1 to 2 teaspoons milk, heated Buns: Combine 5 tablespoons of the sugar, the milk, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and lemon zest in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the milk is hot and the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and pour into a large bowl. Let cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, combine the warm water with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes. Whisk the whole egg, the egg yolks, and the yeast into the cooled milk. In another bowl, stir together the 3 1/3 cups flour and the salt. Add the yeast mixture, stirring until a sticky dough forms. Stir in the sour cherries and pistachios. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board or countertop and knead until smooth and elastic, 10 to 15 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle with a little more flour. Transfer to a lightly buttered bowl and brush the surface with a little melted butter. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft\-free place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. Punch down and knead briefly. Re\-cover and let rise a second time, about 30 minutes. Punch the dough down again and knead briefly. Divide into quarters and divide each quarter into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball and place in a lightly buttered 9\-by\-13\-inch pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise a final time until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the buns with the egg glaze. Bake until golden brown and the buns sound hollow when rapped on the bottom, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon warm milk in a bowl. Stir until smooth, adding another 1 teaspoon milk if needed to achieve a smooth consistency. Spoon into a pastry bag or a lock\-top sandwich bag, seal, and snip off the tip of one corner. Squeeze the icing from the bag, piping a cross over each cooled bun. Serve the buns at room temperature. Nancy

As with most types of breads, there is appropriate bakeware or baking techniques for them and a pullman pan is the best tool for making sandwich breads. So why choose a pullman (Pain de Mie) pan... 1. If you are having trouble converting your family to homemade breads, the pullman pan loaf is like a commercial loaf of sandwich bread. Excellent choice for those "crust haters". This is the pan that helped us transition to ALL homemade bread. I haven't purchased commercial bread for many years now thanks to the pullman pans. 2. Sandwich breads are designed FOR sandwiches. They are crustless, square, and the close grain of the crumb is perfect for slicing (especially if slicing it in thin slices). It packs well in lunches and doesn't fall apart when held in your hands. No more old-fashioned crusty bread... I make at least one pullman pan loaf every week - usually a 1-pound loaf (100% whole wheat with multi-grain cereal) - because hubby takes sandwiches in his lunch at least 3 days a week. I have the 2-pound loaf size too, which works well when we have a house full of family or friends visiting and sandwiches are the go-to choice for lunches. I also make the 2-pound loaf and use half and freeze the other half - it just depends on how much dough I've made and what other uses I have for it. I can make a 1-pound pullman pan loaf and 6 sticky pecan rolls in jumbo muffin tins (or 12- mini-pecan rolls) from a 2-pound recipe of enriched dough. Or, instead of pecan rolls, an 8-inch pan of dinner rolls, or 6 hot dog buns, or 6 hamburger/sandwich buns... One baking day with more options than just a loaf of bread. One word of caution when using a pullman pan. Be sure to scale (weigh) the dough and only use the amount suggested for the pan. If you add too much dough, it will seep out any cracks available into "ribbons" of burned bread during baking. You'll have a nice mess on your hands - speaking from experience.... ;-). -Grainlady

I should be posting my crappy dinner on the WFD thread, but more important stuff going on here. "The inhaler was useless, the albuterol helped slightly at the time of treatment." Yep, lpink. I've found that with my Dad and my son. Both have nebulizers now (saga with my Dad) With this last go round with my Dad, he was on different courses of antibiotics/prednisone and albuterol breathing treatments over about 8 weeks still (coughing, coughing, coughing). Finally sent to a pulmonologist who added budesonide 2x a day to breathing treatments. Also breathing exercises (pickle, etc.) and changed his antibiotic to azythromycin because he had pneumonia. This is just some add'l info for you -- you know you and hopefully your immune system is going to kick butt here soon:) That's what I'm hoping. I'm sure you're exhausted both physically AND mentally! mamapinky0 -- wow! That's tough! Let's see ... activity and stress in a nine-year old? Um, yep. My goodness. I'm sure you've had your work cut out for you helping this little one recognize symptoms, triggers, etc. plus missing school, activities too, plus just being 9:) DS (25 now) came home from first grade basically coughing every 30 seconds (teacher kept sending him for water) Ended up in ER doing either 3 - 5 back-to-back breathing treatments, kid's eyes were all pupil. Went to Rite-Aid to get albuterol/meds. He was literally running laps up and down the aisles with my daughter trying to watch him. As the clerk told me it would be 30 minutes, I reached across, held her arm as he flew by and said "We don't have 30 minutes." DS always had trouble in fall but has been better in recent years, if that's any consolation. Agreed, 2Many! with your description of good doc! I don't want to get started (I mean look how long I've gone on) but I've said I gird myself for battle. I've actually watched a gastro back up out of the room while we were still asking questions -- sigh. I followed:) Wanted to add how difficult those years of caretaking must have been for you too, on so many levels. I'm glad that you were able to be with her. lpink -- I hope your next post says you're feeling better! CathyinSWPA