1st Day of Summer...How is your garden doing?

Happy Summer everyone.  The flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, my garden is growing, life is good! Soon the smell of ripe peaches will be in the air at the farmers market.

This is a very long over due post!!  I have baked a few things that I am due to post, but I was off for many Friday's for one reason or another, but I am back, baking again for the office on Friday.

Being that today is the first day of summer, today's recipe is for a Garden Bread. As with most quick breads this is a pretty easy recipe, mix the dry, add the wet, put into a pan and bake.



This bakes up to a wonderful golden brown color.

1 1/2 C flour
3/4 C sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C grated peeled Granny Smith apple
1/2 C grated carrot
1/2 C shredded zucchini
1/4 chopped walnuts, toasted ( nuts are optional)
1/4 C canola oil
1/4 C buttermilk
2 large eggs
Cooking Spray (I use Bakers Joy)

Preheat over to 350

Combine, flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  Whisk to combine.
Add apple, carrot, zucchini and nuts to flour mixture, mix well.
In a small bowl combine- oil, buttermilk, eggs- whisk well.
Add egg mixture to flour mixture- stirring until just combined.
Spray a loaf pan well with cooking spray.
Pour batter in to pan.
Bake 45-50 mintues or until toothpick inserted into center of cake come out clean.
Cool on wire rack 10 minutes, remove from pan and continue cooling on wire rack.

So moist, so good!

One note--the veggies and apple add moisture and flavor eliminating the need for excess butter or oi, a 1/4 C of oil is all you need!

~Enjoy 

 

Look at the pieces of zucchini, carrot & apple!

St. Patricks Day

In honor of St. Patrick's Day occurring this weekend, and many people in my office wearing green today, I figured I would bake some "Irish Inspired Breads".

Had I really planned this out I would have asked my friend Sue (the one with the awesome dog Diego who can be found getting into trouble here ) for her mom's recipe...her mom grew up in Ireland and makes a fantastic Irish Soda Bread...but alas I did not plan.

Whether you love beer or not I think you will love this super easy beer bread. It bakes up with a wonderful golden brown crust and is lovely toasted as well. I used one of my favorite beers and the only one I had in the house Ithaca Beer Company Apricot Wheat Ale

 

Click here to print the Beer Bread Recipe

Click here to print the Irish Soda Bread Recipe

 

 

 

 

 

Cooling side by side

Golden Crust on the Beer Bread

 

Beer Bread Slide

 

Irish Sode Bread Sliced

Zuchinni Bread

Zucchini is one of those wonderful produce items that is always in season.
During a cold snowy winter or a hot sunny summer at the local farm stand you can always find these gorgeous green beauties.

An awesome co-worker of mine Dana, asked me a few weeks ago if I had a zucchini bread recipe I could share...so today's Friday in Food is Dana Inspired~

I will confess I do love to make these quick breads, as I told you in last weeks blog post this is one of those super easy mix everything together and pour into a pan recipe.

Fresh from the oven cooling on my baking rack.

To liven these up a bit I added dried cranberries to one, and mini chocolate chips to the other.  I love to use mini chips in this type of baked good and I feel it adds just a hit of chocolaty goodness, where as regular size chips might be too much.

Sliced and ready for my co-workers.
On the left chocolate chip
On the right cranberry

These will freeze beautifully as well.

Chick here to print a copy of the recipe.

Oatmeal...

Good for you?
A cold weather warmer?
Heart Healthy Food?
Lowers Cholesterol?
Instant. Quick Cooking. Old Fashion Oats. Irish Oats...you know the kind that takes what feels like an hour to cook. So many varieties to choose from.

There was a time in my life when Thursday night was THE NIGHT to go out.  Last night I did go out to dinner, with my sister, cousin, nephew and niece.  This means my Thursday night schedule was thrown off. Walking in the door at 10pm was not the time to undertake a baked good item for Friday's  tasty treat.  side note I have been known to be up baking until after midnight...there is usually a holiday involved in that.

I have an amazing memory and a many years ago in my "to make one day recipe pile" was a Baked Oatmeal.  It did not take long to put together, looked pretty and was not your typical bowl of hot mushy cooked oats (which I thoroughly enjoy with brown sugar).

This meant I would loose 30 minutes of sleep, get up early and throw this together.

I made 2 batches one with nuts one without- this recipe could easily be doubled as well.

Print the Baked Oatmeal Recipe Here

You could make this on a Sunday and leave it in your fridge and have breakfast all week.  Just simply reheating in the microwave.

The fruit combinations are endless:
bananas & blueberries 
peaches & raspberries
nectarines & blackberries
apples & raisins

Please note: dont skip the sliced banana on the bottom of the pan, this add moisture to the oats and the bananas pretty much melt to nothing.

Top 5 Reasons for Banana Bread

#5 It is an excellent use for the lonely left over "turning a little to ripe too eat" banana(s)
#4 You can prepare this and have it in the oven is less than 15 minutes
#3 It makes your house smell unbelievable for hours
#2 With or with out nuts it's DELICIOUS!
#1 It take only 1 bowl to make this!

Fresh from the oven!

As I've mentioned I work for an Advertising Agency with a bunch of really great people.  We have a team who manages our Facebook page, and they asked me if they could post a pole on what I should bake for Friday.  I gave them a few options and the winner was Banana Bread.

Served in the office.

I know this recipe by heart as I made it hundreds of times. You make it in one bowl! It is by far the easiest of things you can make...even you non-bakers out there could do this ;) You literally dump everything in bowl, stir with a spoon and pour it into a loaf pan.  Don't have a loaf pan you can by a disposable one in most any grocery store.

It bakes up a beautiful golden brown color every time!

To Print Recipe Click Here

With Nuts

     

Without Nuts

It slices so well.

A few banana tips:
Take that one left over lonely banana that has gone to the "I don't want to eat you" place and stick it in your freezer, with the peel on and all.  Leave it there.  The skin will turn black.  Once you get 4-5 bananas in the freezer, take them out let them defrost on  a plate, they will be ready to use in a few hours.

In the back of your supermarket where the produce is there will inadvertently be a "reduced for quick sale" cart/display.  Great place to pick up a few bananas that were are not perfectly saleable, but quite frankly nothing is wrong with them

The day after V-Day 2/15/13

Happy Fridays come in the shape of a heart today.

I usually bake for Fridays in Food, Thursday night after yoga class.  On a rare occasion I have baked in the morning.  Since it was Valentine's Day yesterday I felt inspired to bake some loving breakfast items inspired by fruit & chocolate.

The first being a Chocolate Covered Strawberry Muffin.  There was no way 12 muffins would cut...

Printed Muffin Recipe Here

Look at the lovey pieces of strawberry peaking out of the muffin dotted  with mini chips!

So I also baked Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Scones with an orange glaze...heart shaped <3

Printed Scone Recipe Here

My awesome co-worker Lisa (who BTW has a great blog of her own) check it out here Crunchy Marketing Nuggets, made this cute video using vine staring #heartscone, #lil' lisa & #yoda!  #sconewars.

These heart scones baked up beautifully and rise up nice and tall.

The tray of treats ready for Fridays in Food.

February 8, 2013

This has been an exciting week...

My dear friends Paul & Lisa welcomed into the world a new life, their baby girl Jordyn.  She was born on 2/7 and was 7lb 7oz.  777 lucky numbers?  Perhaps...

February 8th also happens to be my dear friend Genevieve's Birthday. I had a grand theme all planned for her special day...Surprise & Delight but that was partially foiled by the blizzard that is attacking the northeast...alas the celebration will continue on Monday as will the surprise and delight.

Today's baked delight comes from the recipe archives back from the original breakfast club days when I worked for a hotel company.  This was so popular back then one of my former co-workers is still baking this for her family 10+ years later. The Chocolate Apple Bread

The aroma while this bakes is absolutely intoxicating.

 Print Chocolate Apple Bread Here

The beautiful loaf

A wonderful cinnamon crust

It slices so well

Maple Espresso Cake

I love maple syrup for my pancakes, french toast, oatmeal...and any other breakfast treats I can think to put it on.  I also LOVE coffee.  So I was thinking how can I bring 2 of these awesome items together?  Alas a Maple Espresso Cake was born.

Click here for the printed recipe



The inspiration!

I think this is an ideal breakfast treat, its not overly sweet and pairs well with a cup of coffee.  I did make a maple glaze for a hint of sweetness.  That is the drizzle you see in the pictures.



The beautiful cake...

I used Espresso Beans in this cake which gave it a wonderful coffee flavor, feel free to experiment with a regular bean, or a flavored bean like vanilla hazelnut as well.

You can see the flecks of ground coffee in the wonderfully moist cake.

California

No post last Friday due to my vacation in beautiful California.  It was 65 and sunny every day. Wine county was wonderful and there are citrus trees everywhere! I guess I never noticed the fruits tree before, but this time they were in full effect...ripe with fruit.   My friend Susan who I was visiting has an apple tree in her frontyard, 2 figs trees & a Meyer lemon tree in her backyard.  I am fruit tree envious.

Please take note of the  new section of the blog...doggie treats.  Diego and I developed a loving bond during my visit and for my love of dogs Sue will be guest blogging from time to time about healthy doggie treats you can make at home.

Diego is a Rhodesian Ridgeback

While were were drinking wine one night I was perusing her magazine stash and I came across Donna Hay....for those of you not familiar she is the Martha Stewart of Australia. Her magazine is amazing!  I was inspired to make the Strawberry Vanilla Jam and Strawberry Semolina Shortbread for Fridays in Food.

Click here for the printed short bread recipe

Click here for the printed strawberry vanilla jam recipe



Strawberry Vanilla Jam

 

Tray baked and cool...I had to sample prior to bring to the office hence the missing square

The Beautiful Slice!

 A few notes about this treat.  The dough is extremely thick.  This did not stick to the pan thanks to a well greased and parchment paper lined tray.  The Strawberry Vanilla Jam is excellent, this would be great with any premium jarred jam as well.  Raspberry, blueberry, cherry...the options are endless.

Happy Friday~Sarah

My first post...

I work for a terrific advertising agency who graciously brings in breakfast every Friday.  Several months ago I decided to share my love of  baking with my co-workers.  One of my New Years resolutions was to start a blog, keep track of what I made for the Friday breakfast...and Fridays in Food was born.

It came to me yesterday afternoon that I would make something with corn meal.  For some reason the only time I use corn meal is for dusting my sheet pan when I make challah for Rosh Hashanah. And I will openly admit that there is nothing wrong with a box of Jiffy Corn Bread Mix for when you need that corn bread fix.

I am a huge fan of fruit in my baking and I was inspired by the honey tangerine sitting on my desk...alas an Orange Honey Corn Cake was to be baked. All recipes can be found on the recipe page of this blog.

Click here for the printed recipe

Beautiful Golden Brown

The shimmer is from the sugar crust formed on top

Check out the bits of orange

The sugar crust gives this excellent texture when you take a bite