52 weeks of baking: 40 - pumpkin bread

Welcome October! I have been saving up pumpkin recipes just for you. I think I've got a full month planned out. Pumpkinfest 2013. We start the month-o-pumpkin out with a good ol' pumpkin bread. This recipe is from the October issue of Real Simple. It's a baked doughnut recipe, but I opted for the loaf option.

My loaf pan is a bit wider than the recipe called for, so I've got kind of a short loaf. But it's good! It's simple and so yummy, not overly spiced which I often find pumpkin flavored things can be. It's soft and fluffy and that icing? That icing is FANTASTIC. Bookmark this icing for later you guys, it's so easy and so good. Sour cream, powdered sugar, and lemon. That's it! It's a winner. I look forward to munching on this for breakfast. And snack time. And dessert.

52 weeks of baking: 24 - quick bread(s)

This week when brainstorming what to bake (it's getting harder you guys. (that's what she said?) suggestions, I need them!), I wasn't really in the mood for something sweet. I know, I know. SAY WHAT? And so it has been documented, at one point in her life, Marie was not in the mood for something sweet. Moving on. I decided on bread. Yes, we've discussed how I cannot seem to bake bread to save my life, but I think I've finally figured my oven out (lower baking temps! shorter cooking times!), so I was ready to tackle the bread monster again. And guess what? Success, y'all! And I even went cray cray and baked TWO loaves in one night. Because this recipe is awesome and so easy and bread is yummy so why not?

For the first loaf I stuck with the basic buttermilk version and got with wild the second. For loaf number two, I added some oregano, thyme, subbed olive oil for butter, milk and lemon for buttermilk (because I ran out of buttermilk), and wheat flour for half the all purpose. Oh and I lowered the sugar to one tablespoon. Even in the first version I lowered the sugar to about a third of a cup (and it could go lower for sure), because like I said, I wasn't in the mood for sweet.

The first loaf is delicious, a tad on the sweet side, but pretty dang good. Perfect for breakfast. The second loaf is a tad too herby for my taste, I'd cut back on the herbs and load up on the cheese next time. And maybe skip the whole wheat flour, I am trying to get on board with that, but it's so... wheaty! The second loaf was still good though! Had a slice with a couple eggs fried over easy for dinner. Odd dinner you say? Well, seriously, all I have in my fridge right now is eggs and cheese. And one Miller Lite. Classy!

I could go on and on about how easy this bread is. I've already got the recipe memorized. Mix your dry ingredients, mix your wet ingredients, combine, and bake! Boom, fresh bread whenever you want. Although, it is a quick bread, no yeast involved, so it's slightly dense, but still, it's good and it's bread. And so quick. I love quick. I have the patience of a two year old. Just ask Brendon.

Definitely not perfect, but these babies are miles from my last loaf of bread. The texture is perfect, it's just the magic combination of flavors I have to figure out. Yay for bread that isn't burnt on the outside and doughy on the inside!

BAKE ON.

52 weeks of baking: 14 - coconut bread

You guys. I feel like at this point, I'm a decent baker. Like... relatively experienced and most of the things I bake come out pretty good. But you guys. I cannot bake bread. For some reason, bread and loaves are my baking kryponite. I don't know what the deal is, but every bread I make comes out wrong. This was not an exception. I mean, it's not wrong, it's still bread after all, but it's not how it's meant to be, I'm positive. The crust is all kinds of over cooked, and it just straight up crumbles off in chunks when you cut it. My breads are always so... crumbly. I mean, this loaf is pretty delicious regardless, but it's a hot mess physically. I'm sorry Deb, I let you down. Your recipe was perfect I'm sure, bread just throws me for a loop.

Excuse the lameness of these photos, it was all rainy and gross out when I took them and I totally rely on my tiny kitchen window for natural light to illuminate my baking progress and shine through my images. Joking, but sunlight seriously beats that terrible florescent light circa 1981 I was working with.

Unknowingly (although I had my suspicions) pouring another flop of a loaf into a pan.

Like I said, this nonsense tastes good, just is not cute and the integrity of it is... laughable. But I suggest the recipe if you're not cursed with zero bread making abilities like I am. If you know any bread baking secrets (am I just an idiot? should I lower the temp and lengthen the cooking time? is my nonstick pan screwing me over? WHAT IS THE DEAL?), feel free to share. Because I really like eating bread.

Banana Chocolate Bread

Do you ever have bananas that you never get to eating and start turning brown? And get all smooshy? They are suuuper nasty to eat alone (I only like greenish baaarely ripe bananas), but they are fabulous in bread. In fact, they are the only kind of bananas to use in bread. We had a few that were about to take a turn for the worst chillin' on our counter, and I had a new banana bread recipe I wanted to try. It was simply meant to be.

This bread is good y'all. Real good. So of course I have to share the goodness.

The recipe is from my girl Martha's  Everyday Food Magazine:

Banana Chocolate Bread

You need:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temp
1 1/2 cups mashed overripe bananas (I used 3 bananas)
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped (I used chips)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 5"x9" bread pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy (3 minutes). Then add eggs, beating after each. Beat in bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Then beat in your premixed dry ingredients (flour etc) and chocolate. Pour into your pan and bake for 50-60 minutes (all while drooling over the aroma), or until a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean.

Once it's done, let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then on a wire rack until cooled completely. Snag a piece (or two) while it's still warm and enjoy the greatness.



When I first tried it I was kinda like, "mehhh?" because I was expecting it to taste like traditional banana bread (like this). But it doesn't (there's no cinnamon, nutmeg, etc) and after the second bite I was hooked. It's like a chocolate chip cookie, banana, and fluffy muffin had a delicious love child loaf. Is that a weird analogy? Whatever it's super yummy. Make it. Eat it. Love it.

Banana Bread

It's that time of the year again. Banana bread time! Yet another wonderful part of this upcoming season is the yummy food items that come with it. It's doesn't feel like it, it's still incredibly hot outside, but tomorrow is officially the first day of fall. Brendon needed something for a pharmacy group bake sale so I decided to make my banana bread. And thus was born another food blog post! I'm going to share this super easy but crazy yummy recipe with you guys. I've been using it for a few years now and I swear by it. Not sure where I found it, probably a blog or website somewhere, so if you recognize it let me know and I'll give the creator credit, because it is genius!

Here's whatcha need:

 (not pictured baking soda, and a greased and floured bread pan)

3 whole ripe bananas (and seriously RIPE, they need to be soft. I've made it with bananas that were a tad green and it's not nearly as good.)
1 stick of butter - softened
1 cup of granulated sugar (already got a stick of butter and a cup of sugar, you know it's going to be good.)
1 cup of flour
1 egg
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Greased and floured bread pan

You could totally add some nuts if you'd like. I like my banana bread pretty simple and not crunchy so I leave them out.

Now here's what you do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour your pan. Then mash up the bananas.

Now add all the other ingredients and mix together.

Pour it into the pan and bake for 1 hour. And let me tell you, this is going to make your kitchen and surrounding rooms smell amazing. It made our whole apartment smell divine. Your mouth is going to water. 

Once you're hour's up, take your bread out, let it cool for a bit, and enjoy!

Try not to eat it all at once. It was rough having to give all this away. I foresee another batch being baked in the near future.

Making stuff

First and foremost, I am effing sleepy. Getting off work before noon is lovely but getting up at 4 something in the AM is intense. Naps are a vital part of my life these days, I plan on taking one after this.

Moving on. I've been on a cooking spree lately. I really enjoy cooking, especially new recipes. Bread has been my latest endeavor.

Oatmeal bread, yum! This was my first and only successful attempt at bread. It came out pretty dang good. Now let me lay down some info for you. Our oven is ridiculous. It sucks so bad. I guess the temperature is super off or something because it cooks things way too fast and way too hot. I've tried setting the temp lower than recipes call for and it still cooks things fast and hot. I have to watch things bake like a hawk and just pray they don't burn. On my second attempt at bread I made white sandwich bread, which took 4.5 HOURS (!!!) to rise. After a third of the cook time the outside was almost burnt and the inside was still all doughy. SWEET. So I guess we're going to have to get a thermometer and figure out what's really going on in there. It's gotta be like 100 degrees off. Add this to the list of things I love about this apartment.

As well as liking to cook, I like to sew (how female of me). Actually I think I just like making things in general. Anything. But I have always enjoyed sewing and am so glad I learned how at an early age, thank you Mom! So I've got a new project going. IT'S A SECRET.

Jk y'all, it's a blanket. Or as Brendon calls it, a blankie. It's actually kind of a quilt-blanket combo. I have no idea what inspired me to make a blanket, but once I get an idea into my head I become a 5 year old and have to make it happen or someone (usually Brendon) gets it. So I went to Joann's yesterday and picked out 8 of the most random colors (Brendon and I both agree the colors remind us of Harry Potter, we're such weirdos) I could find, as seen above, to make this bad boy. And I spent a good 5 hours yesterday on it. I cut out 64 squares of fabric and sewed them all together. Now all I need to do is line it with some batting and sew a back onto it and we'll be in blanket business.

Can you tell I have a lot of time on my hands? I should sell these things.