Garlic Parmesan Pull Apart Bread

I have a confession. While this bread was baking, I wanted to go and stick my head into the oven. No, I do NOT have a suicide wish. I just could not stop wanting to open the oven door and smell this bad boy! If I could have, I would  have crawled all the way into my oven and eaten this with a fork, before it was even done. But I was a good girl and I waited until it was actually finished cooking. Then, I was an even better girl and only tasted one of the smallest bites you could imagine. I served this to my family though and it got rave reviews!  It's so easy to put together and it's faster than making rolls from yeast, (which I actually love to do)!

 Recipe Adapted From:
http://www.amandathevirtuouswife.com/2012/03/garlic-parmesan-pull-apart-bread.html

1 can of refrigerated Grands biscuits (not the flaky layers)
1/2 stick of butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1/4 tsp garlic powder

 Preheat the oven to 350°

Throw the cold 1/2 stick of butter in a bundt pan and let it melt in the preheating oven.

While the butter melts, cut the biscuits into quarters and set aside.
In a bowl, toss the biscuit pieces, minced garlic, Parmesan cheese, Italian Seasoning and garlic powder together.  

Once the butter is melted in the Bundt pan, place the biscuit pieces into the butter. You may need to put some on top of others to get them all in there. Sprinkle any leftover herb/cheese mixture that gets left behind in the bowl, onto the top of the biscuit pieces in the bundt pan.   

Bake at 350°  for 20- 22 minutes until golden brown. Turn out onto a serving dish and serve warm.

Coriander and Cilantro Flatbread

This is a repeat post. I haven't made this bread in entirely too long. I love, love, love it. Tonight when I was pondering what I could make to go with our dinner, I was thinking....rolls, biscuits, bread? Flatbread! The thought hit me like a ton of bricks. I know I have already posted this recipe for you all, but this one is so good that it's definitely worth a repeat. So I figure if there are any new readers, they might be seeing this for the first time. Tonight, instead of using butter, I substituted Earth Balance butter spread. I figure it might be just a tad bit healthier than real butter, but I'm truthfully not even sure. Anyway, if you love a flatbread and  you love the taste of cilantro, then this home made bread is the perfect fit for you. Enjoy!!

*makes 8 pieces of bread

1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup chopped, fresh cilantro
3/4 cup plain yogurt

Sift first 5 ingredients into a bowl. Stir in cilantro. Add yogurt and stir with a fork until small clumps form. Knead the mixture in the bowl until the dough holds together. (You can add more flour or yogurt here if you need to in order to achieve a soft, sticky dough) Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each dough piece into a ball and use a rolling pin on a floured surface to flatten out each ball until it's fairly thin or approx 4 1/2 inches across. Brush a skillet generously with olive oil. Heat skillet to med/high heat. Working in batches, add 3 dough rounds to skillet, cook until golden brown and puffed. Turn over after one side is browned and drizzle more olive oil into skillet before browning the other side. Serve warm.

Lime, Blueberry and Coconut Loaf

This is what happens when summertime boredom sets in. Being home from work for 10 weeks is so relaxing and at times fun. But then there are those times, when you find yourself with no money and nothing to do. Today was one of those times. So what is a girl to do when she is bored and has no money?? BAKE! Since I am staying away from sugars, this was a tough one for me to not eat. I did take a very small bite of my hubbies piece and oh my goodness....I wanted to go outside and sit in my garden (which just happens to be my happy place) with a fork and this entire loaf and eat the whole thing with nobody watching. But...I figured even my garden gnome would be watching me. I guess it's a good thing he's out there or I really might have considered eating the whole thing. So if you are bored, hungry, in the mood to bake or any other reason, you have GOT to make this loaf. It's so delicious, so moist and could just be one of my favorite new things! :)

 Recipe Adapted From:
http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2011/05/lemon-blueberry-yogurt-loaf/print/

For the loaf:
1 1/2 cups flour                            
 2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp lime zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup coconut
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 Tbsp flour

For the Lime Syrup:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup sugar

For the Lime Glaze:
1 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Heat the oven to 350°.
Grease bottom and sides of one 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and dust with flour.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lime zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir in the coconut.

In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with 1 Tbsp of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter (the flour prevents the berries from sinking to the bottom of the loaf while it's baking).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing the loaf to a wire rack.

While the loaf is cooling, make the lime syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together the lime juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lime syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush it again. Let the cake cool completely.

To make the lime glaze, use a small bowl and whisk together the powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp of lime juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add up to another tablespoon of lime juice if the mixture is too stiff. Pour the lime glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lime glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.

Coconut and Rum Banana Bread with Lime Rum Glaze

I feel like banana bread is so versatile. You can add peanut butter, chocolate, chocolate chips etc. I have made coconut banana bread before, but this is the first time I found a recipe adding lime and rum.. I mean seriously, who doesn't like lime, coconut, banana and rum together? I know this girl does! To be honest, I wish that all those ingredients were blended together in a nice, big frosty tropical drink. On top of that, I wish I was sipping it with my feet up on a beach in Hawaii! But here I am in Southern California, choosing to bake on a hot summer day. Brilliant? Yes, I thought so, until the sweat started pouring off of me inside my own house lol. Maybe I should have stuck a little drink umbrella into the top of my bread to decorate it. This might have been the ultimate way to fool my sweaty body into thinking I truly was on a beach in Hawaii. So drink up, or eat up....but either way...relax, put your feet up and bite into some yummy coconut and rum bread with lime rum glaze! ;)

Recipe Adapted From:
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2167855

For the bread:

2 cups flour 
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 2 1/2 - 3 bananas) 
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (you can substitute vanilla yogurt also)

3 1/2 Tbsp coconut rum
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1 tbsp additional flaked sweetened coconut (for the top)

For the glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice 
1/2 Tbsp coconut rum
*You can add more rum if you would like more rum flavor in your glaze. You will need to also adjust the sugar so as not to make it too thin 

Heat oven to 350°.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.

In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter together until blended well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the banana, yogurt, rum and vanilla. Beat until blended together. Add the flour mixture and only beat until it's moistened. Do not over mix! Stir in the 1/2 cup coconut. 

Grease a 9X5 inch loaf pan with Pam. Spoon the batter into the pan. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp coconut. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

While your bread is cooking, make your glaze by combining the powdered sugar, lime juice and rum in a small bowl. Stir together with a spoon until completely smooth.  

Once your bread is done cooking, cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Remove the bread from the pan onto a wire rack. Drizzle with glaze while warm. 

 

Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

My garden has so much zucchini growing in it, that I am having to get very creative as to how to use up all of it that I can't give away. Today I chose to make this chocolate, chocolate chip zucchini bread. I had to make it early this morning because we were expecting a super hot day out here in Southern California. So that meant getting up to bake before it got too hot. Mission accomplished! Turns out I didn't even need to turn the air conditioner on today. It was humid here today though. I know all of you that live where it really is humid, will probably laugh at that statement, but us Southern California girls are not used to even slight humidity and we're not quite sure how to handle it when it happens. So it's a good thing my bread was already baked and cooled by the time the temps started rising. Now this lovely loaf is resting in my freezer, awaiting company next week. I will do my best to stay out of it, but I guess if I get into it, I will just have to say my prayers that nobody notices the nice big slice taken right off the end of the loaf ;)

Original Recipe Found At:
http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/chocolate-chocolate-chip-zucchini-cake/


2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
2 packed cups grated zucchini
1 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350°.

Spray one 9×5 inch bread pan with Pam.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Add the oil and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients along with the zucchini and chocolate chips. Stir just until combined, and spoon the batter into the loaf pan.
Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the top is cracked and springs back when touched. (or a toothpick inserted in the center, comes out clean)

Lemon Bread with a Boysenberry/Blackberry Swirl and a Lemon Glaze

Oh my goodness, I want to take this loaf of bread and find a secret spot that nobody knows about and eat the entire thing! I think that's what I would have done if I hadn't needed to save it for company. The lemon and the berry go so well together and compliment each other perfectly. Good thing the hubby likes it, because he will have to eat it all before I have the chance to get into it. Don't feel too bad for him, he really loves this bread too! As I type this, I can hear a leftover slice calling from the refrigerator......uh oh, time to find the hubby and offer him another slice!

Recipe adapted from: http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/LemonBlueberryBread.html

For the Bread:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Zest of 2 lemons
1 cup fresh boysenberries and blackberries (1 cup total, not 1 cup of each)
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup coconut milk
 5 blackberries or boysenberries

For the Glaze:
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

To make the bread:
Heat oven to 350°.
Spray a 13x9x5 inch loaf pan with Pam.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.

Place the berries into a separate bowl and put 1 Tbsp of the flour mixture over the berries. Toss the flour mixture with the berries. This will prevent the berries from sinking to the bottom of your bread while it's baking.

Beat butter about 1 minute. Add the sugar and continue to mix for 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in vanilla. With the mixer on low, alternate adding the flour mixture (in three separate additions) and the coconut milk (in two separate additions). Mix only until combined. Gently fold in the berries. Place batter into the prepared loaf pan.

In a small bowl, place 5 berries. "Squish" "them up with a fork until they render just a bit of juice. Using a spoon, place the squished berries and the bit of juice onto the top of the batter. Using a knife, gently pull through the batter back and forth and around in swirls, to "swirl" this mixture into the batter.

Bake for 55 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

To make the lemon glaze:
In a small, microwavable bowl, mix the sugar and the lemon juice. Right before your bread comes out of the oven, microwave  the glaze for 20 seconds. Stir it well. When the bread is done, use a toothpick  or a skewer to poke holes all over the bread. Brush the top of the bread with the hot lemon glaze.
Cool the bread in the pan for about 30 minutes, them remove from the bread from the loaf pan, place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Jalapeno Cheese Cornbread

This is one of those days when I wish I could eat an entire pan of something and not gain any weight. Oh wait....that's everyday! Oops!
Since I am not supposed to be eating any bread as of now, as I am still following an anti inflammatory diet, I took the smallest little bite possible. Oh wow, this was fantastic. Of course, if I had it my way it would have been a bite smothered in melted butter, but that would have really been pushing it. So I just tasted it without any butter. Trust me, spread a layer of hot butter on your slice and you will be in cornbread heaven!

 Recipe adapted from:
http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/green-chile-cornbread-recipe/1/

1 cup Bisquick

1  cup cornmeal

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2  tsp salt

1 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2  eggs

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

2/3  cup canned corn, drained

2  Tbsp diced jalapenos

 

Heat oven to 400°. Spray a 9 inch square baking pan with Pam.

Stir Bisquick mix, cornmeal, sugar, salt, milk, oil and eggs in medium bowl just until moistened. Gently stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pan.

Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until light brown. 

Serve warm

Chocolate Orange Banana Bread with White Chocolate Chunks

Kudos to Barry C. Parsons for creating this amazing bread recipe.If you get a chance, head on over to his original recipe at this link: http://www.nlrockrecipes.com/2012/03/chocolate-orange-banana-bread-with.html
and check out some of his other recipes. They all look wonderful.

This is now my most favorite banana bread recipe. Sure, sometimes plain old banana bread sounds great, (as long as there are no nuts in it), but trust me when I tell you that this bread has such a fantastic  array of flavors and they all work together beautifully. I wish I was a better photographer, so you could genuinely see how great this bread looks, but I guess cooking and baking shall remain my only talents for now! So if you are looking for a new way to jazz up that old banana bread, this is definitely it!

*My white chocolate was in an enormous block, so I had trouble chopping it. Mine came out more "shaved" and that's why you can't see the white chocolate chunks in my sliced bread as much.The shavings were small and somewhat "melted" into the bread as it was cooking.

1 cup white sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed

zest of one orange

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

juice of one orange
1/2 pound white chocolate, roughly chopped into chunks

Preheat oven to 325°.

Beat sugar and oil in a bowl. Add eggs, orange zest and mashed banana. Mix well.
Sift together dry ingredients and fold into banana mixture alternately with orange juice.
Fold in the white chocolate chunks. Pour batter into 1 large or two small greased loaf pans. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour depending upon pan size. Mine took well over an hour since I used a large loaf pan. Bake  until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Lemon Zucchini Bread with Lemon Glaze

I think I have found my favorite zucchini bread recipe in the world. Since I am growing copious amounts of zucchini in my garden, I am always on the lookout for new ways to cook it or incorporate it into my meals. So when Pinterest brought this lemon zucchini bread to my attention, I couldn't help but want to try it. I found it at a site called nancycreative.com
(If you get a chance to check out her blog, she has quite a few great ideas and recipes on there.)
I'm not sure who Nancy is, but I am so thankful that she is creative, because  I will forever be thankful for this recipe!! It's got just the right amount of sweet, just the right amount of tart, and it turns out moist each time I make it. Next time, I might even try making it with lime, since my lime tree is beginning to show some signs of life. Now begins the prayers that the 200° summer days we are having don't burn up the limes. If they survive, then i will definitely try it with lime next time. Sounds yummy to me.  Ok, ok so I exaggerated just a wee bit with the 200° ....but 103° today was pretty bad and to me anything over 70 is just WAY too hot. I still haven't figured out why I live in So Cal when these hot summers hit! 

The original recipe is found here:
http://nancycreative.com/2012/03/25/lemon-zucchini-loaf-with-lemon-glaze/

Bread:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 Tablespoons lemon juice)

Zest of 1 lemon

1 cup grated zucchini (no need to peel it first)

Glaze:
1 cup sifted powdered sugar

Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 Tablespoons lemon juice)

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, blend flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat 2 eggs, then add vegetable oil and sugar. Blend well. Add the buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest and blend well. Fold in zucchini and stir until evenly distributed.
Add the zucchini mixture to the dry ingredients in the large bowl and blend everything together, but don’t overmix.
Pour the batter into the 9×5 loaf pan and bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for 45 minutes to an hour and then remove the bread from the pan onto a wire rack and cool completely.

While loaf is cooling, make the glaze by mixing the sifted powdered sugar and the lemon juice. Stir until thoroughly combined. Spoon the glaze over the completely cooled loaf  of bread. Let it drizzle down the sides. Let glaze set and firm up. Glaze will set in about 15 minutes. Serve.

Meat and Cheese Filled Biscuits

The web site where I found this recipe calls these "Meatball Bubble Biscuits". (The recipe can be found at http://kathiecooks.blogspot.com/2010/08/meatball-bubble-biscuits.html)
I decided to just title them "meat and cheese filled biscuits" because my grand daughter plays with bubbles so much and I've seen the face she makes when she eats the bubbles that are flying! That face reminds me that any food with the name bubbles in it might conjure up a soapy foul taste and a delightfully funny face. Thankfully these tasted great and it didn't matter what the name was. These are a snap to make and went great with our spaghetti dinner tonight. My grand daughter is trying to say "sketty betty" instead of spaghetti. It's adorable and I can't help but smile when I think of it. So next time you make "sketty betty" try these fun little biscuits on the side.

 *Makes 20 small biscuits

1 can refrigerated biscuit dough (slice or pull apart layers on each biscuit to make two sections)
10 Italian style meatballs, cut in half (just buy the frozen kind and thaw them first)
2 sticks string cheese (cut each stick into 10 equal pieces)
1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese (use fresh grated)
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
(Optional....marinara sauce for dipping)

Preheat oven to 375°

 Cut or separate biscuits into two layers. Place 1 meatball half and one piece of cheese into each biscuit. Wrap dough around it and seal all the edges. Place the filled biscuit, seam side down, into a greased, 9"round cake pan or a pie tin. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Bake for 18-20 min or until golden brown.

Mini Taco "bowls"

Have you ever found an idea online, tried it, then thought to yourself...."why didn't I think of that?" This was one of those ideas. It's so easy to make these taco bowls and it makes for a fun way to serve tacos. It also gives you the major benefit of a crunchy shell without any frying!! Yes it makes them a tad harder to eat, and a little bit messier, but what's a mess between family and friends, when it looks great?  Just make these little bowls and fill them with whatever taco fixin's you like!

The original idea came from this web site: www.emilybites.com

6 corn tortillas
Pam cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375°.
Sprinkle a little bit of water on each corn tortilla. Stack them on a plate with another plate inverted over the top of them and microwave them for one minute. Take out two 12 cup muffin tins. Turn them upside down. Spray each side of each tortilla with Pam. Place the sprayed tortilla between four of the muffin cups (which are now upside down so they stick up) to form a small bowl. Do this with all the tortillas. Place in the oven for 9-10 minutes. Take out and fill with your favorite taco fixins!

Chocolate Bread with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Spread

I'm pretty sure that somewhere along the line in this blog, I have mentioned how much I love chocolate and peanut butter together. In fact, I'm pretty sure Ive mentioned it more than once. So I will just say it again. "I LOVE chocolate and peanut butter together." This bread was really great. It's more of a dark chocolate tasting bread and the peanut butter cream cheese, just makes it even more fantastic. I think when I go to bed tonight, I will already be imagining this as my breakfast. It has eggs and milk, so I will just pretend that it's a wholesome breakfast! Hey...a girl can dream can't she?
*Sorry for the dark picture. My camera is not in cooperative mode these days and may just have to be replaced!!

Original recipe from: http://www.cookincanuck.com

 3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2  cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

8 ounces dark chocolate chips 

For the spread: 

5 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°

 Butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan; set aside.

Combine the brown sugar, cocoa, flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolk to blend, then add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Whisk until combined. Place your dry ingredients into the mixer and turn it on low just to combine the ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, making sure all the sides have been scraped down and everything is mixed thoroughly together.  

Pour the batter into the buttered loaf pan and bake for 45 min to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the Cream Cheese Spread: Mix the cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar together in a bowl with a spoon until it is soft and fluffy. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.