Cheddar Beer Bread

I keep watching things on the news about the East Coast and the Midwest and even the Eastern Rockies getting pounded with snow and here in Utah (where we generally want the snow), we just had the most mild February on record.

I have worn a cardigan more times than I've worn a coat in the past three weeks.  Sometimes even the sweater has been too heavy.

That changed this weekend when we were working on our teardrop trailer out in the garage.  It was only 20˚ and it was miserable to be outside.  (That, and the fact that I caught the flu).

Part of me is ok with having a little more actual winter and part of me was really liking the fact that spring came early.  This is the time of year when I start to really wish that I lived in Arizona or Florida, but then I remember that I absolutely hate being too hot and I know I could never survive a summer in the south.  

So, it looks like I'm just going to have to trade in my sweaters for winter coats for a while longer and I'll also be trading in my light, fruit-filled meals for carb-heavy snacks like beer bread.

Bread Machine Beer Bread

I like beer and I like bread, so this recipe makes all the sense in the world.  Also, when you drink beer, you want to eat bread, right (hello, pretzels)?

One other thing that links the two is that people really like to compare the carb content. 'One of these beers is the equivalent of eating an entire loaf of bread.'  We've all heard that before, right?

Personally, I couldn't care less about the carb content or how unhealthy it is or how you 'should' reduce your carb and alcohol intake.  I like bread and I like beer so I'm going to keep on eating and drinking the stuff.

This beer bread is not like this beer bread.

That beer bread is pretty easy, but this one is even easier.  This one just has one step and one tool.  Throw all of the ingredients into your bread machine and walk away.

Honey Beer Bread

If you asked me what my favorite thing to make is (and I've been asked this question a lot), the answer is probably bread.  It's just so satisfying.  Take the most simple ingredients and they turn into bread!  It's like magic.  Magic that smells good.  Magic that tastes good.  Magic that makes you feel like a genius.

This bread is even more satisfying than most because it is so easy.  There's no kneading or waiting for the dough to rise.  No punching down.  Basically nothing hard.

Beer bread is like a quick bread that gets airy and doughy like a yeast bread.  It's best straight out of the oven with a generous slathering of butter on top.

I made this with an India Pale Ale (IPA) which gave the bread a little bit of a bitter flavor that contrasted really well with the honey, but you can use whatever beer you have on hand.  I can't wait to try it with a lot of different types and flavors of beer.

You Only Need These 6 Pumpkin Recipes This Season

It's true.  You make these 6 recipes with that big, orange gourd and you'll be totally set.

Although I wouldn't blame you if you tapped into your inner mixologist and created a fall, pumpkin cocktail too.  But who would blame you for that?

1. Pumpkin Soup with Cranberry Apple Relish (to bring in all the fall flavors!).

2. Pumpkin Pie (it has to be included...it just has to).

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze

Ok, I might pretend that I'm not into the whole pumpkin craze, but...

I'm a liar.

Basically, that's it.  I actually love pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bars and even those candy corn that are shaped like pumpkins.

I've only had roasted pumpkin seeds once but those were addicting too!

Sorry, I'm such a liar.  I'll make it up to you with this pumpkin bread dripping with cream cheese glaze.  How's that?  Let's not mention my misguided posts of the past, k?

Cheddar Chive Overnight Bread

I'm never going to get sick of this recipe.  It's so easy and it always turns out perfectly...well, except that one time.  But 'that one time' was my fault.  I thought, "Baking's not like a science or anything, I'll just completely disregard the directions and not let it rise properly or bake long enough."

So, that's not the recipe's fault.  Pretty sure that's the definition of 'operator error.'

Also, I'm never going to get sick of the smell of bread baking in the oven.  That's just not going to happen.

I think everyone loves the smell of fresh-baked bread.  And the taste.  But the kneading?  Ain't nobody got time for that!

This recipe gives you the smells and the flavors without the sore fingers, wrists and arms.

Pizza Crust

For being a person who spends a lot of her time thinking about food, I'm really not all that picky of an eater.  Besides not eating seafood, I'm pretty much happy with anything edible.

The same cannot be said of people who fancy themselves "pizza aficionados."  I'm not talking about people that like to eat pizza often.  I'm talking about people who make their own dough.  They've developed their recipes and tested and redeveloped and retested.  They have notes that go on for pages about the temperature of the water and exactly how many times the dough should be kneaded at each step.

I can't be tied down to something like that.  I need the process to be much more forgiving.  Also, I don't think I'll ever call myself an aficionado of anything.  Maybe sarcastically.

Sour Cream Bread (Bread Machine Recipe)

Last Thursday, Austin and I tried to set up our wedding gift registry at Macy's.  We found some china we liked and a mini muffin pan.  That's about where it stopped.

You'd think that a food blogger would really be looking forward to this part of the wedding planning, but it was so hard!  Sure, I love kitchen gadgets and cute dishes, BUT I also have a lot of kitchen gadgets and dishes.

Literally, the only kitchen appliance that we didn't have was a big food processor (I use my immersion blender attachment usually).  That was it.  It's really hard to register for stuff when we've already lived on our own for about 6 years and we've been slowly stocking our kitchen since then.

I mean, I even have a bread maker!  I mean, really, what more can we ask for?

Blueberry Bread (Bread Machine Recipe)

This afternoon, after I get off work, Austin and I are headed down to Moab (Utah) to run our first half marathon!  We've been training for a few months now and I feel pretty confident that I'll be able to finish before the cutoff time, but that's about where my confidence ends.

I've never been a runner before and I've only done one race before (a 10k in Boulder last year), and unfortunately, I think this might be my last long race.  Not because the running is so bad, but because it takes so much time!  We've been running about 5-6 hours a week for the past couple months and I just don't want to invest that kind of time into it anymore.

One thing that really helped me get through the training was listening to books on tape.  I think it was Emma from the A Beautiful Mess blog who gave me the idea first.  In about 2 weeks, you can listen to just about any book on tape.  It keeps you distracted and entertained just enough to get through the long runs and if the book is good, it might even make you want to run again to find out what happened next!

The one thing that I really neglected during my training was eating and drinking.  On a couple of the long runs, we each choked down one of those disgusting Clif Shots and shared 1 water bottle, but besides that, we didn't eat or drink anything.  And I really can't remember what I ate before we ran...mostly peanut butter on a spoon I think.  I've heard you're supposed to carbo load before a big endurance race, so maybe I'll try that.  Everyone usually eats a giant bowl of spaghetti the night before the race, I think I'll just have a loaf of bread and hope for the best!

Wish me luck!

Rosemary Overnight Bread

I've been rock climbing for about 8 years now.  Sometimes I'm really good about getting to the gym (or outside) 3 or 4 times a week.  Other times, it might be months between visits, but for the most part, it's been 8 years.

This morning, I went to the gym for a quick hour of bouldering before work by myself and I don't think I've ever gotten that tired and worn out from climbing so quickly.  Usually, working out with other people pushes you harder.  You have more motivation to keep going.  Not the case in this particular situation.  What I found out is that when you climb alone, you have no one to talk to.  There's no reason to rest, because you feel like an idiot sitting alone on the pads.

Long story short, my hands and arms are tired.

Lucky for me, my friend sent me this recipe for no-knead bread!  It takes a lot of time, but it's almost all downtime.  Basically, mix together the ingredients tonight before bed and tomorrow for dinner you could be eating fresh baked, perfectly risen, golden brown-crusted bread!

p.s. This is definitely the type of recipe that you'll want to read all the way through first so you know what's coming (made that mistake!).

Applesauce Bread (Bread Machine Recipe)

I told you a little while ago that I was going to start using my crockpot so I can eat real meals at work (as opposed to the dried apricots and pretzels that I'm having today).  Well, that hasn't quite happened yet.

Along that same vein, I really need to find my bread maker again.  I know that bread is not that hard to make by hand, but the fact is, it takes a lot more time and lot more attention.

While I really do love to knead bread and wait for it to rise, when I have the whole day to sit around at home, I also really love just having freshly baked bread with almost no work.  I also love putting all the ingredients into the bread maker and then going to the gym, showering, getting dressed and walking into the kitchen just in time to take a big, warm, steaming loaf out to cool.

The drawback to using a bread maker?  Dryness.  I don't know why it's so hard to find good bread maker recipes, but it's something I've really struggled with.  I also don't know why applesauce can make things that would normally be dry, not dry, but it seems to do the trick.  This bread has a little bit of sweetness from the applesauce, it's great with a little butter, or to make it more apple-y, I topped it with apple butter.

Strawberry Banana Bread

Sundance is finally over!  Some people might not be so excited about that fact, and there's probably at least a handful of you out there that don't even know what I'm talking about.  Sundance is a film festival that takes over Park City for 10 days every January.  Full of people "in the industry," wearing all black, drinking no-foam-lattes, and generally getting in the way.

Now that it's over, I can go back to driving myself to work and not paying for parking.  I can also walk down the street without people asking if I've seen any "stars."

Now, the skiers can come back and complain about the snow conditions again.  On second thought, maybe the Sundancers weren't so bad.

When you have to add an extra hour every day to your commute time, your free time suddenly seems so much more valuable.  It's also really hard to squeeze anything fun into it.

Banana bread takes about an hour to make.  An hour that until today, I just didn't have.

This banana bread gets a little nutty flavor (without actual nuts) from the browned butter.  Sweetness from the strawberries and brown sugar, and prettiness from the sliced berries on top.  It's a good one to add to your quick bread rotation...for when you have an extra hour in your day.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

I'm back!  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

This year, Christmas felt a little rushed to me so I'm going to give you some advice to avoid that: don't move 4 days before Christmas.  It's been quite the whirlwind of packing, driving, unpacking, making yule logs, hosting Christmas parties, opening gifts and working.

I'm sure it will settle down.  I'll get used to the new kitchen.  I'll figure out the best lighting for pictures. I'll do all of that and it will feel normal again, but right now, it just feels like a lot to deal with.

Usually, when I have a lot going on in my life and everything feels out of control, I bake.  I bake bread or cookies or biscuits and then everything seems a little more manageable.  Biscuits especially are good.  They're good because they're easy to make and they don't take a lot of prep time.  Whip 'em up, feel better and then get back to sorting out the rest of your life.

Cheddar Bread (Bread Machine Recipe)

You know how people say they are visual learners?  First of all, I feel like no one says they are anything but visual learners.  Second of all, what do you call someone who learns by smells?

I think I fall into that category.  I mean sure, I can read a textbook or go to a lecture and learn some stuff too, but if there is a strong smell in the room while I'm reading, I'm way more likely to retain it.

This means that when I walk down the street and pass a coffee shop with just a certain specific smell, I am transported back to Rosslyn, VA where I would sit in Starbucks on my lunch breaks and read.  Or when I smell something baking through a window, I can remember the exact feel of walking down the cobblestone streets of Heidelberg, Germany after being berated by my German professor for a 2 hour seminar where I only understand half of the insults that were being thrown around.

Austin does not appreciate my "learning style."  He just thinks it involves too much "sniffing around."  Literally.

Some memories that get stirred up are bad memories, and some are good.  And some are mixed.  Every single time I smell the yeasty aroma of bread rising in my kitchen, I remember being very, very unhappy and homesick while unpacking boxes and filling the shelves of our new, shiny, DC apartment.  I got to one box that said "KITCHEN" which my mom and dad had helped pack.  When I opened it up, their barely used breadmaker was sitting there staring up at me.  It was one of those happy/sad moments but it did make me feel not quite so far away.  For the rest of my life, when I make bread, I'll remember that box, that kitchen, and that happy/sad feeling.

Strawberry Muffins

There was a time when I would have been scared to give these muffins to Austin.  They have fresh berries.  May not seem like something to necessarily incite fear, but it did.  The reason being: Austin is allergic to all fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, soy, dairy, and pretty much everything else.  I know, he's a freak ;)  I mean that in the most loving way possible!

I remember making brownies in high school with pecans and giving a big square to Austin to enjoy.  He didn't enjoy it that much though when he was sitting on my parents' front stoop in the cold trying to breathe.

Then when we moved away to college, I was determined that he could "get over" his allergies.  I urged him to eat a little bit at a time.  Deal with the discomfort and eventually be able to eat out without carrying an epinephrine pen with us.  And it worked.  *Knock on wood!*

Now, I will make 12 muffins filled with fresh strawberries and Austin will eat 11 of them without thinking twice about it.  He'll steal big bites out of my apple, and hog all of the smoothies.  Maybe I did too good of a job desensitizing him?

In all seriousness, I would much rather cook for someone who can enjoy it than have it all to myself.

If anyone else has or knows someone who has these same allergies, we would love to know what it is about fresh produce that causes it!

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

I decided to make a new resolution.  I know it's not January 1st and it is not the season to be getting all motivated, but I'm doing it anyway.  Here goes: I resolve to do the things I want to do more often.

That wasn't too hard.  Doesn't seem like it should be very difficult to accomplish either, but for whatever reason, I have a lot of guilt associated with doing what I want to do, when I want to do it.  It's part of the reason that I keep myself on track, posting 3-4 times a week with new recipes and pictures (which I like), but it's also part of the reason that every time I sit down on the porch after work and read my book, I feel like I can't fully enjoy it (which I don't like).

Luckily for me, the daylight hours are extending which makes it feel like there are more hours in the day.  More time to do all of the things that I need to do AND all of the things I want to do.

I read this post today by Joy the Baker, and it really inspired me to take some time, go out and get some inspiration.  I've probably always known that you need time away from your passions (baking, blogging, etc.) so that you can come back to them more alive and energized, but sometimes I guess I forget what I've always known.

And them sometimes your two worlds collide.  What you need to do IS what you want to do.  There's no struggle.  You're happy while you do it, it all flows so seamlessly, everything just works.  For me, making bread epitomizes that feeling.  I have never felt more successful in the kitchen than when I pull a freshly baked loaf of bread out of the oven that I kneaded with my own hands.  It's not just the finished product that gives me so much joy though, it's the entire process.  It feels self-indulgent, but then I get to take pictures, write about it, and share it with you!

Of course, I get to eat it too.

Oh man, this bread in particular brought a smile to my face!  When you cut into it, the cinnamon sugar swirl oozes out and any that has made its way to the bottom of the pan while cooking has caramelized, making a kind of double crust.  Steam wafts up to the ceiling.  The bread is light and fluffy.  No big air pockets.  It doesn't sink in the center.  In a word, it's satisfying.  I highly suggest you try it out for yourself.

So while there are days when your wants and your needs align, there are other days when you need to get out for a "solo bike ride" or a hike or maybe just a walk around your town.  Today is one of those days for my, so while I'm out on my hike, you enjoy this bread :)