Spiced Summer Squash Bread

The end of summer is upon us. Can you feel the crispness in the morning air? See the leaves starting to change colors? Or maybe noticed Starbucks has pumpkin flavored everything again in season? However you notice it, its happening. And fast! For us gardeners, that means it's time to use up summer fruit and vegetables before the frosts start in a few weeks.

A few weeks ago I noticed a plethora of summer squash in the garden, and hopped to it. Realizing I hadn't made any breakfast breads in a spell, I opted to try my hand with a squash bread (which is fairly similar to a zucchini bread). And what an easy recipe! I think the most tedious part is shredding the squash, although if you have a food processor you can save some time here. But all in all this is an easy recipe, and a hit with the taste testers. Happy fall, y'all!

Spiced Summer Squash Bread

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs, room temp. 
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or replace it with applesauce for a healthier version)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups yellow summer squash, shredded
• Chopped walnuts, for topping (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Butter and flour a loaf pan.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Next gently stir in the yellow squash (watch out, it may splash out of your mixer at this point). Then mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and combine until mixed.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, sprinkle with chopped walnuts, and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a test stick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 mins, then carefully remove the loaf from the pan and continue to let cool. Slice and serve!

Apple Beer Bread

It's almost St. Patrick's Day! In my world, this is reason to celebrate. I rank St. P's Day as my third favorite holiday to celebrate behind Halloween and Cinco de Mayo (I like the costume and drinking holidays best). In honor of this green, beer-fueled holiday I whipped up a batch of Apple Beer Bread last Sunday.

Starting your Sunday morning off with a Guinness is highly preferred, just saying.

I found a base recipe to work from over at A Spicy Perspective, modifying a few things as I went along. I used two kinds of sugar in place of one as I also replaced the molasses with honey, I didn't have enough apple butter so I went with a mix of apple butter and apple sauce (delicious results), and I opted for Guinness as my beer of choice. So far the feedback from taste testers has been positive! I know I ate nearly a half a loaf the first day I may this bread.

As my buddy here helped me get in the festive spirit last year with a whiskey tasting (omg was that a lot of whiskey!), I encourage you all to find a bit of Irish fever and have (safe) fun this year! Happy St. Patrick's Day from foodie land!

Apple Beer Bread
Adapted from: Irish Apple Beer Bread

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup Apple Butter
• 1 cup Apple Sauce 
• 12 oz. Guinness
• 1 tbsp honey
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two standard loaf pans. If using the dark style pans, you may end up shaving 10 minutes off of your baking time so be aware while baking. 

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs, apple butter, apple sauce, beer and honey then mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Slowly add to the wet mixture. Beat to combine.

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pans. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf, comes out clean. I checked mine every 20 minutes, and rotated halfway through. 

Cool in the loaf pans for 10 minutes before gently inverting to release the loaves. Once completely cool, wrap well to store.

Spiced Pear Banana Bread

Last weekend I escaped. No, not from jail. From the monotony of my daily life. And headed for the coast.

Ah yes, the Oregon coast. How I adore thee!

Windy beaches free of crowds, an amazing local aquarium, local breweries - what's not to like?

Of course I had to bring some baked goods for the road. The pear tree out back finally got the message this year and has been producing like crazy! Even after gifting away 10 lbs. of pears, I still found myself with an abundance to use up and fast. So as a treat to myself, I brought along a freshly baked loaf of Spiced Pear Banana Bread.

Try not to drool on the keyboard, which you would be doing if computers had the ability to release scents (omg, did this recipe smell great during the baking process).

Using the pears from the yard, the eggs from our feathered ladies, and a few bananas I had stowed away in the freezer, this was a fairly easy recipe. I adapted it from Banana Bread Recipes, using shredded pears in place of mashed ones and adding almond extract (my secret weapon).

It did brown a bit around the edges, but made for some amazing flavor. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Enjoy!

Spiced Pear Banana Bread
Adapted from: Banana Bread Recipes

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 mashed bananas
• 2 cups shredded pears
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 
• 1/4 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1/2 tsp almond extract 

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan and coat with flour to prevent sticking.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

In another mixing bowl, cream together the white sugar, brown sugar and butter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and make sure everything is well incorporated. 

Mash the bananas in another bowl. Shred the pears into another small bowl. 

Stir the banana into the sugar and butter mixture. Then add in the eggs, vanilla and almond extracts, stirring well. Next stir in the yogurt, again mixing well. And finally add the shredded pears. 

Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, stirring constantly. Mix really throughly until everything is perfectly blended together.

Spoon the mixture into your prepared loaf pan. You can place a few slices of pear on top and sprinkle with a little brown sugar for decoration if you desire.

Place the loaf pan in the center of preheated oven and bake on 350F for 1 hour to an 1 hour 20 mins. Cooking times may vary, so check if the bread is done by inserting a toothpick or knife into the middle of the loaf. As soon as that toothpick comes out clean, take the loaf out! You don't want to overcook it.  

Allow the banana bread to cool in the loaf pan for about 10-20 minutes. The cooling is important because the loaf will solidify fully as it cools. Then remove it from the pan and let stand for another 20 minutes or so until it has cooled. Slice and enjoy! 

Bananas Foster Bread

Why yes, this bread is just as delicious as it looks! My new fad - add yummy (alcoholic) flavors to breakfast breads. Someone had already thought of this one, over at Sweetpea's Kitchen, however I still had to try my own take on it.

This is yet another example of why I MUST distribute my baked goods immediately or else I run the risk of being the human vacuum cleaner of food. I think I literally ate half a loaf of one of these bad boys. And it was worth every bite!

I didn't change much with the receipt other than to double it and modify a few ingredient amounts; it honestly didn't need it. And with the leftover rum, I am jumping into a few cupcake ideas which I plan to share with you lovely folk soon. Enjoy! And happy summer!!

Bananas Foster Bread
Adapted from: Sweetpea's Kitchen 

1. 2 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
2. 2 cup packed brown sugar, divided
3. 12 tablespoons butter (3/4 cup), melted and divided
4. 1/2 cup dark rum, divided
5. 2/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
6. 4 large eggs
7. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
8. 3 cups all-purpose flour
9. 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
10. 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
11. 1 teaspoon salt
12. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
13. 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
14. 2/3 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of two 9 x 5-inch loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out excess.

In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, combine banana, 1 cup brown sugar, 10 tablespoons butter, and 6 tablespoons rum. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat; cool. Place banana mixture in stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add yogurt, remaining 1 cup brown sugar, and eggs. Beat at medium speed until combined.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, flaxseed, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice. With the mixer on low, add flour mixture to banana mixture and beat just until blended. Pour batter into the prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pans; place on wire rack.

While the bread is cooling, make the glaze by combining remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter, remaining 2 tablespoons rum, and powdered sugar; stir until well blended. Drizzle over the warm bread. Try not to eat it all at once! 

Easy Breezy Cornbread

On the fly, on the go - my motto during weeks of travel. And a week of travel awaits me! While I may be wandering off to the edge of the Midwest this next while, my heart and thoughts will be with baking. Sometimes I lay in an anonymous hotel room daydreaming of the next dish I plan to whip up upon my return home or showcase at an upcoming Shire-inspired event (Shire being my pet nickname for Eugene). This batch of cornbread was a very last minute idea, based off of a friend's amazing vegan cornbread recipe utilizing coconut milk and a sale on Bob's Red Mill products as my local grocery store.
 

What can I say? Yes, it is very much what I call a cheat recipe. Cheating in that the main staple isn't made from scratch, in this case being the cornbread mix. While I am a big supporter of eating the least processed food possible, especially packaged mixes, I trust Bob's Red Mill products to deliver good results. And I was pressed for time (who isn't these days??). The end result was scrumptious! And transformed into perfect cornbread stuffing as an upcycled leftovers dish. Enjoy!

Easy Breezy Cornbread
1 package of Cornbread Mix, such as Bob's Red Mill
1 1/2 c light coconut milk
2 tbsp canned diced green chilis
2 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
1/4 c corn, frozen or fresh

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8"x8" or 9"x9" baking dish.

Loosely following the directions for the cornbread mix, mix eggs, olive oil, coconut milk and green chilis together. Then incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, adding the corn along the way, and stir until mixed.

Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake as directed by the cornbread mix (usually around 30 minutes) or until a tester comes out clean when tested in the center.

Races & Easy Homemade Croutons

Happy Kentucky Derby Day! Err, a few days late. My time keeping has been off this last while, which I partially blame upon races. Races as in which you run, not the other kinds. This past week or two have been filled with several races for me.

First off, the Eugene Half Marathon which I did splendidly in. A giant heartfelt thanks to the stellar friends, fans, and volunteers who made this race the best one of my life. My runner's high lasted me a week, finally crashing this past Sunday.

Riding a week-long high kept me far from doing my usual chores, such as grocery shopping. I suddenly found myself with quite a bit of stale or day-old bread to use up, and quickly. Hence queue the Easy Homemade Croutons. Instead of doing a lot of hardcore baking, I spent the week making croutons and daydreaming of running another race...or two. On my mind are the Butte To Butte race this July and the Eugene Women's Half Marathon in September. I'm still undecided at the moment, however I am really digging the idea of having a solid goal for this summer.

Which then leads me to the final race of this past week - the Kentucky Derby. After spending all of Saturday (race day) at a kickball tournament, a friend came through for me by recording the Derby and airing it post-tourney. Needless to say none of my horses won, or at least not the in any order that would have led to a good payout. However, Animal Kingdom's comeback was pretty impressive!

So after rambling on about races and whatnot, I should spend a few moments talking about these tasty croutons. Making homemade croutons is easy as pie (ha) and saves you from wasting food. Depending upon the salads or planned uses for the croutons, you can alter the flavor matrix to suit your tastes. I tend to like to use a lot of garlic, fresh herbs, maybe a little parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Homemade Croutons

• Leftover day-old bread: french, sourdough, sandwich, any works
• 1/2-1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped 
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the bread into cubes about 1” square. Place the bread cubes in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, powders and spices. Drizzle olive oil over bread.

Toss bread cubes until evenly coated with seasonings and oil. Place the seasoned bread cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer.

Cook for 25-30 minutes or until croutons are nicely golden brown. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Store in an airtight container.

Easy Soft Pretzels

Last weekend marked the second round of the Beer Olympics! Needless to say, I didn't win anything other than a hangover. Boy oh boy, did we have a blast. Check out the scoreboard!

In order to combat the excessive amount of beer drinking, I opted to make soft pretzels for the Olympians. With time running out, I went the cheater's route and used pre-made store dough to make the soft pretzels. Taking a cue from Ms. Martha, I followed her recipe and discovered how simple it is to make homemade soft pretzels.

The hardest part for me was the actual pretzel knot tying. I couldn't follow Martha's instructions for the life of me, so I simply started making an assortment of knots, ties, and bows to see what would work best. Note to self for next time - make sure your knots and ties are solid or else they will come undone during the quick boil process (learned this the hard way).

All in all though, it was a very easy recipe and is going to make a comeback soon! Enjoy!

Easy Soft Pretzels
Adapted from: Soft Pretzels

• 1-2 bags of pre-made pizza dough from the local store
• 3-6 tbsp baking soda
• oil for baking sheets
• Coarse rock salt  

Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape. Cut dough into 12 pieces (per bag), and roll each into an 18-inch rope. I found that twirling the dough in the air helped.

Form a U shape with 1 rope, and twist ends together twice. Fold twisted portion backward along center of U shape to form a circle, then gently press ends of rope onto dough to seal. Or simply make your own twist/knot/tie. Transfer to an oiled baking sheet, and repeat. Let rise for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add baking soda. Boil pretzels in batches until puffed and slightly shiny, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to wire racks to drain. Sprinkle with the rock salt while still damp (this will help the salt stick).

Return to baking sheet and bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Pretzels will keep, uncovered, at room temperature for up to 12 hours. Rewarm in a 250-degree oven if desired, and serve with mustards.

Foodie Fest - Pie & Bread Edition

This past Saturday, I had the joy and pleasure to share food, drink, and warmth with a handful of foodie friends. What a lovely day! If I could do this more often (especially getting paid to do it), I would be the baking hostess of renowned success. :)

On the menu this Foodie Fest - pie and bread. Specifically crafted for a pair of friends, the general gist of the event included showing up ready to assemble/bake/eat a favorite bread or pie (dough) recipe. And of course, enjoy a mimosa or two.

We also sampled a flyer of IPA beer, which was most fun discussing and arguing the subtle taste differences between each label. 

One friend brought seed bread (oh so delicious). Two loaves, which we pretty much decimated.

Another made empanadas + potatoes = empotatoes! With gruyère cheese...needless to say I sampled MANY of these little babies.

A local bread baker pal made his first attempt at rye bread with pink himalayan salt dusted on top. Wow, like a little bite of heaven in my mouth.

As for me, I might have made a contribution or two...first up were the pesto pinwheels. These were a cross between my garlic cheese pinwheel rolls and garlic knots made last year. Needless to say they were instantly gone.

My other contribution - banana pudding pie. There is barely a sliver remaining the morning after. Obviously a sign of a smashing hit with the foodies. Click here if you would like the recipe. Easy as pie to make (ha, couldn't help myself) and well worth the wait!

Am currently taking ideas for the next round of Foodie Fest. Feel free to leave me a comment or two with your suggestions. Happy baking!

Chinese 5 Spice Pumpkin Bread

Before I get down to baking, give me a moment to rave about a few shows I recently saw. First off, earlier last week while in Chicago I had the chance to see Reel Big Fish play with the Aquabats and Suburban Legends at the House of Blues (or House of Rules as my friends refer to it). Seriously fun! If you don't know of any of these bands, do some homework and check them out. They are all part of the third wave of ska from the last '90s. All of these bands are awesome. Secondly, I had the chance to catch Pretty Lights here in my hometown of Eugene. Best. Show. Of. The. Year. And I go to a lot of them. I danced until my legs no longer felt attached to my body. Describing his sound is a bit hard so I am borrowing from Wikipedia here in saying it's kind of like "glitchy hip-hop beats, buzzing synth lines, and vintage funk and soul samples." Again, go educate yourself on his stuff. You can thank me later. (Sorry, no pics of the Pretty Lights Show...dancing took precedence)

Now, finally down to baking business.

Tis the season for pumpkin, wouldn't you agree? Recently, I had a hankering for pumpkin bread however I wanted to stray from the traditional flavor. After wandering the bulk aisle at my local grocery store...I encountered Chinese 5 Spice. Bingo!

(Total ham shot of me baking...)

Using an old pumpkin bread recipe, I concocted the following recipe. Again, half of the loaf disappeared immediately out of the oven before I could stop myself. So damn good. Enjoy!

Chinese 5 Spice Pumpkin Bread

• 2 cups sugar (1 brown, 1 white)
• 1 cup applesauce 
• 3 eggs 
• 2/3 cup orange juice 
• 1 - 14 oz. can of pumpkin puree (about 2 cups)
• 1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts work great)
• 3 cups flour 
• 1 1/2 tsp salt 
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp Chinese 5 Spice blend 
• 1/2 tsp allspice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease (2) loaf pans.

Mix the sugars, applesauce, and eggs in a bowl (I used a mixer). Stir in the orange juice, pumpkin, and nuts.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and all spices. (see how messy I am?)

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, in stages, until incorporated.

Pour batter evenly into the prepared loaf pans. Bake for approximately 70 minutes or until a toothpick cleanly comes out of the center of a loaf.

Cool for 10 minutes in the pans. Transfer to a rack to completely cool. I dusted mine with some powdered sugar and cocoa to make the spices stand out (suggested). Slice into pieces and hope you don't eat it all at once.

Banana Bread

Every so often, after an excessive trip to the grocery store, my kitchen reveals its over abundance of food. Almost like I am hoarding delicious treats in the unlikely event I am visited by a troupe of circus performers with insatiable appetites. Usually some bananas fall into this extra stock, over ripe and in desperate need of use. 

This week I decided to make some traditional banana bread (again to help in the weight gain attempts... which is failing thus far). With the help of Joy of Baking's recipe as my starting point, I managed to create a loaf of some of the tastiest banana bread to enter my mouth in a long time. The only major change I made to the recipe was using both dark brown sugar and white sugar to give the bread more flavor. Enjoy!

Banana Bread Recipe

1 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 ripe large bananas, mashed well (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place oven rack to middle position. Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch bread loaf pan. Set aside.   

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nuts. Set aside. 

In a medium-sized bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. 

With a wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients just until combined and the batter is thick and chunky. (The important thing is not to over mix the batter. You do not want it smooth. Over mixing the batter will yield tough, rubbery bread.) Scrape batter into prepared pan. 

Bake until bread is golden brown and a  toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. I suggest serving it warm, then eating more of it shortly thereafter.