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Michelle and Sammy

Resilience

Michelle’s family is from Germany, she got Sammy the parakette when she was 8 yrs old. She loved how smart he was and listening to his friendly chirp. 

As a child she enjoyed being outside, climbing trees and playing games with her siblings. She got her first camera at 7yo old and cherishes that memory and love for photography. As a young woman she participated in her high school swim team, but also enjoyed softball and gymnastics.  She began her love of running being in the NY Cities Leggs mini marathon.  She also loved the beach, getting tan and taking photo’s. In college she loved being with friends and going on hikes. While there she met her husband and they had 5 children.      

As an adult, she continued her joy for swimming and running by participating in her first triathlon while living in NY. She still loves triathlons and completed her first Iron Man in her 50's.  She has also remodeled multiple homes having a creative eye with ability to problem solve.  As a college graduate, she values education and currently is a Dyslexia teacher helping others with their ability to read and increasing their confidence in accomplishing goals. 

Purchase Book

Favorite Recipe - German Plum Cake (Zwetschgenkuchen)

German Plum Cake is a juicy coffee cake made with a simple batter, fresh plums, and a sweet, crumbly streusel topping! So easy to make from scratch.

Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 50 mins
Total Time 1hour 10 mins

  • 1.5 lbs plums pitted and quartered

  • ·      1 cup all-purpose flour

    ·      1 teaspoon baking powder

    ·      ¾ cup granulated sugar

    ·      1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla sugar

    ·      ½ teaspoon lemon zest freshly grated (optional)

    ·      ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature

    ·      2 large eggs room temperature

  • ·      1 cup all-purpose flour

    ·      ½ cup sugar

    ·      ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

    ·      ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature

  • 1.    Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray with cooking spray or lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

    2.    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine flour and baking powder. Add sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, butter, and eggs to the bowl and beat on low speed until combined then increase speed to medium-high and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.

    3.    Spread the batter evenly into the cake pan. Gently place the plums in a concentric pattern on top of the batter, slightly overlapping each other (see picture).

    4.    Make the streusel: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Add soft butter and beat until everything is combined and your crumbs have a coarse and crumbly texture about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

    5.    Using your hands sprinkle the streusel evenly on top of the plums.

    6.    Bake for about 50 minutes or until the top of the cake is lightly golden. Test with a skewer for doneness. Let the cake sit in the pan for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and remove the outer ring of the springform. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

  • ·      Traditionally this cake is made with Italian Prune Plums. They are also often called Empress plums, prune plums, or "Zwetschgen" in German. But any other kind of plum work too!

    ·      You could also use any other stone fruit for this recipe. Peaches, apricots, or nectarines are all a great choice just make sure to not overload the cake with juicy fruit otherwise it might not bake all the way through.

    ·      A springform works best for this recipe. It makes it easier to get the cake out of the pan and is also great for storing the cake.

    ·      You can double this recipe and bake it in a 9x13-inch cake pan. The cake will need a few more minutes to bake so keep an eye on it and test it with a skewer before taking it out of the oven.

    ·      When making the streusel make sure to beat until coarse crumbs form and all the flour has been incorporated. You don't want tiny, floury crumbs but big crumbs!

    ·      Every oven is different so the baking time can vary by a few minutes! Extra juicy fruit will also influence the cooking time.

  • Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 80mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 710IU | Vitamin C: 5.5mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1.2mg