Favorite recipes are hard to come by. I’ve been compiling recipes (the tried and true ones) since who knows when. It seems that when I was a little girl growing up in the bar, the kitchen was the place to be.  Everything smelled good. The hustle and bustle of my grandma cooking and my aunt serving tables was a way of life. My job was to stay out of everyone’s way. Dad would come in and call out orders from the bar or grab wrapped packages of food for customers who had come in to pick up their orders. The bar was a very busy place. It was a local tavern and restaurant that served good old fashion home cooked meals – mostly Polish cooking, but my family could cook just about anything. Fridays were fish fry days and boy, could we move fish!  Breaded, fried fillets of haddock were served with stacks of French fries and homemade Cole slaw. My grandma and aunt would put the food on thick cardboard plates (none of this thin paper plates of today), add the tartar sauce for the fish, cover it with waxed paper, wrap it in sheets of newspaper, and slip it into brown paper bags. God, I loved those fish fries.

     Today’s recipe is one of my favorites. Easy to make and delicious with a cup of coffee.

Alternate:        1 cup sour cream

Bake at 350º for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown or toothpick comes out clean. 

This coffee cake can be made ahead and frozen. Drizzle confectionary sugar frosting over cake or sprinkle with confectionary sugar.  The coffee cake is good enough to serve without the sugar frosting.  Enjoy!