Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

I decide 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 :)

Raspberry Smoothie

I had to leave work early today because I'm sick.  We humans are pretty good at blocking out unpleasant memories and because of that, every time I get sick, it feels worse than ever before.

Have you noticed how when you're sick, everyone wants to give you advice?  It's nice really, just an observation.  You should take this medicine, not that medicine.  Eat this, not that.  Exercise, no wait rest.  Take as much vitamin C as you can get in you, actually more than the daily dose won't do anything.  It's confusing.  I don't think there's any right or wrong really.

All I know is that I came home from work and I slept for about 8 hours.  I ate chicken noodle soup and drank a Strawberry C Monster.  The Dingo was pretty sure I came home early so I could play with her longer, so she was pretty disappointed when she kept pushing on me but got no reaction.

My only 2 pieces of advice for you if you get sick:
1.  Watch something stupid (like Bridezillas).  That way you won't be tempted to stay awake to find out how the show ends.
2.  Drink smoothies.

I hope that works out for you (and me).

Project 365: Week 20

May 13 | Really pretty sunset after I got home from yoga with a friend, Monday night.

May 14 | Pearl Street is full of blooming tulips right now!

May 15 | Making a special treat and then documenting it with my new app from A Beautiful Mess.

May 16 | Lunch with Austin at Snarf's.

May 17 | My sister and her husband came to visit us, so I had these maple bacon cupcakes waiting for them and I got to use my new cupcake decorating kit - it was a two-fer.

May 18 | At the Rockies game.  We aren't the biggest baseball fans, but we still had a lot of fun!

May 19 | Today is Austin's mom's birthday (happy birthday!!!) so we sent her a cute Dingo video - this is her new trick...she's quite the dramatic one.

Also, you'd think it was really cold in our house or something - I think it's 70˚.

Chicken Carbonaro

Today is a great day!  It's a great day because Austin is finally out of my kitchen.  I will have space again.  I won't always be surrounded by paleo, weighed-out portions of carbs, fats, and proteins.  Yesterday was Austin's last day on the Zone Diet!

Today, he woke up and ate cookies for breakfast, put sugar and cream in his coffee, and smiled.  There was a lot of smiling.  There was no measuring.  Today, we are both happy!

His challenge lasted 31 days and he successfully completed (makes it sound like a competition...yeah, that's accurate) all 93 meals and all 62 snacks.  In the meantime, I gained 5 pounds and my dinners for the past month have usually consisted of Cheez-Its and muffins.

About halfway into the month, most of our conversations started revolving around: "what do you miss the most?" and, "what are you going to eat first?!"  At first, he couldn't really get past wanting chocolate cake.  Then he started thinking about meals too, not just dessert.  He requested this Chicken Carbonaro, but since he hasn't had dairy for a whole month and he was already lactose-intolerant (kinda) before, I talked him out of it.  But that doesn't mean you shouldn't have it!

If I had been torturing myself for the past month, I would probably choose this meal too.  In fact, when I go home to visit and my parents ask me what I want for dinner, it is almost always Chicken Carbonaro.

This Carbonaro is not at all like the traditional Italian dish.  It is loaded with chicken, bacon and green peppers.  There's no egg, but we definitely kept the cream and parmesan cheese in there.  I used to think this was really hard to make because we did not have it that often, then when I tried to make it myself for the first time, I realized that really there was no excuse for why we didn't eat it every night.

Banana Nut Muffins

Growing up, we lived about 20 minutes away from my grandparents house so we saw them pretty often.  Usually we would go over there and watch the IU (Indiana University) basketball games, make laps on the big wheels up and down the (really long) driveway, and pester my grandpa for more money to buy candy at the gas station down the way.

In all of those times visiting my grandma and poppop, I only remember eating a handful of things: Chicken and Noodles (loved it), Apple Pie (each time she made it, it was the better than the last), "Yay Big Meat" (my grandma would describe how big the beef was by holding her fingers about 2 inches apart and say it was "yay big" - hated it), Pumpkin Cookies (again, loved them), and Banana Bread.

Her banana bread was so light and moist and when you bake it, the top turns this dark espresso brown color which is magically sweeter than the rest of the bread.  There is a reason that I loved it then and I still do now.

To make her perfect banana bread into muffins, I just tweaked a few things (namely the baking time, amount of batter, and the amount of pecans).  The muffins are still sweet and not dense at all AND now they're portable.

Project 365: Week 19

May 6 | I got my cupcake decorating kit from bakeitpretty.com!  Be prepared to see some cupcakes "baked pretty" very soon!

May 7 | I had really good intentions to make my mom french macarons for Mother's Day.  It was a baking fail that resulted in my mom getting a phone call on Sunday instead :)

May 8 | Hosting a dinner on a rainy night for work.

May 9 | This is what Austin's diet looks like - it's not always ugly, it's just that it's never followed by dessert.

May 10 | My little container garden is up and going - now let's hope for no more snow!

May 11 | New birdhouse.

May 12 | Had to celebrate Mother's Day without my mom this year :(  Maybe next year...

Rosemary Loaf Cake

Somedays you go into the kitchen with your best intentions.  You have an idea and a recipe.  You have the ingredients necessary.  Despite all of your efforts and good planning, something isn't right.  

Yesterday, after a trip to the grocery store, I spent about 4 hours trying to make macarons with the aim to pack them up and send them to my mom for Mother's Day.  Instead, I spent 4 hours and got little, thin wafers that, quite honestly, didn't even taste that great.  They ended up in the trash and now I'll have to send a lame card or order flowers or something.  

Sure, cookies that don't turn out perfectly is not that big of a deal in the scheme of things, but it did have the ability to ruin my day.  Because I didn't get those treats in the mail by this morning, my mom isn't getting anything special this Sunday, and what I would really like to do is have a meal with her.  My sister could probably make dinner, I could make dessert.  My other sister could take a nap on the couch ;)

So do me a favor, if you are lucky enough to spend this Sunday at the same table as your mom, make her something delicious.  Appreciate it.  I recommend this Rosemary Loaf Cake.  

Sorry about the macarons, Mom...maybe this cake will be arriving at your house soon!