My 9-year-old daughter Laine is guest posting today! She created this Christmas bread and it’s so good we wanted to share it with everyone. She had a vision for Christmas bread at the end of the summer and made a long list of delicious potential ingredients. Then she picked a combination that turned out…
Bread & Breakfast
Baked Oatmeal.
You guys! Are you okay? Am I okay? What is this life? It’s one in which I busted out the camera for the first time in many moons to take pictures of a recipe that you might actually have all the ingredients for! This easy baked oatmeal is super flexible, it’s gluten-free, it’s kid-approved (actually…
Life-Changing Super Crispy Roasted Potatoes.
I hope…I really hope…that you are already a fan of making bacon in the oven. It’s the best…no messy grease spatters on the stovetop, you can cook a bunch at once (because more bacon = more better), and now…you can also make these life-changing super crispy roasted potatoes on your lovely foil-lined pan of bacon…
Fresh Cranberry Bread.
Moist, sweet, tender bread stuffed full of bright, tart cranberries – this is the most festive little loaf! Who wouldn’t want a slice for breakfast? Or a snack? Or as a bribe to make your children eat fun dinner component? I love holiday baking, but so many of my favorites require individual rolling of cookies…
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Chip Muffins.
I realize it’s only my first month of having a kindergartner, so I’m probably not allowed to whine about packing lunches yet, but let’s just say it’s a Hard Job. Why don’t we have any bread? Why do we have bread but she doesn’t want a sandwich? Why, one of those times when we didn’t have…
French Toast.
As much as I love pancakes…and was just this month yammering on about waffles…French toast is my favorite. The inside turns soft and almost custardy, while the crust of the bread gives each bite some structure and chew. But the best part is that golden, buttery-caramelized surface with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla!
Nutty Coconut Granola (and a Granola Master Plan).
Snackable, giftable, and of course, breakfastable…I love opening my pantry and seeing a container of homemade granola inside! I’ve been using this granola recipe since my friend Rach first made it when we were roommates. It’s super easy to make, and you can use whatever add-ins you like. This version has a couple different kinds…
Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Muffins.
When we lived in Raleigh, one of my favorite places to meet a friend was Sola Coffee. I’m not a big coffee drinker (and a girl can only justify a Sola Shake on special occasions), so my favorite thing to get on a “coffee” date was the pumpkin white chocolate chip muffin. And then I found out those moist,…
Healthy Banana Applesauce Muffins.
Confession: shortly after I posted this whole wheat banana bread recipe, I tried another, similar recipe from Cookie & Kate – and I liked it a teeny bit better. So with a slightly guilty conscience, I kinda sorta switched to usually making that one.
Bacon in the Oven.
When I was in college, I ate a lot of things that I thought were amazing that I can’t eat today, because gross. On this list: chicken fettuccine alfredo from a box (every.thing was included, people), a “milkshake” that involved fat-free, sugar-free chocolate pudding mix, skim milk, and a lot of ice cubes, and turkey bacon…
Bran Muffins.
These bran muffins are one of my favorite breakfasts – slash morning snack, slash muffins all day, e’ryday. They’re very tender, but they also have good chewy texture, and they’re pleasantly whole-grainy without being dense/boring/dry. The muffins themselves are lightly sweet, and the raisins add an extra little burst (oh, they’re optional,…
Whole Wheat Banana Bread.
Breakfast is my four-year-old’s least favorite meal of the day. She has her mom’s grumpy reaction to low blood sugar (sorry, kiddo – and if you’re reading between the lines, that makes two of us who aren’t much fun before breakfast). Instead of being eager to eat one of the Many! Delicious! Choices! I offer…
First Taste: Copycat Outback Bread.
I made a pot of this ham, potato, and corn chowder (incidentally, I made it without ham – and no one missed it, because bacon), and my initial plan was to make a batch of no-knead bread to go with it. When I was getting out the ingredients, though, I noticed a box of vital…
Paleo Granola.
Our new neighborhood has a pool, and it’s really fun to be able to walk there with the girls! It only takes a few minutes, but somehow on the way home everyone suddenly realizes they’re comPLETELY starving and can’t possibly obey basic safety rules/sit in the stroller/survive. So pool snacks have become a must for…
Easy Cheesy Quiche.
Before our move, some dear friends had us over for dinner and served us this delicious quiche (and a kale salad with mandarin oranges that I want.to.eat.right.now). Obviously I begged for the recipe, and I’ve made it twice! It checks a lot of food love boxes for me: perfect any time of day, makes great…
Crusty No-Knead Bread (with salty honey butter).
I can’t even count how many times I’ve made this no-knead bread…because it’s that easy. Four ingredients (if we’re even counting water as an ingredient), one bowl, no kneading – and the end result is piping hot, crusty-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside bread that also happens to be beautiful. And then you slather it with honey butter with a…
Griddled English Muffin & Eggs (my new favorite breakfast!).
A couple of weeks ago we had a North Carolina snowstorm that knocked out our power for over 36 hours. It got mighty chilly mighty fast with no heat, and fortunately some sweet friends of ours took us in for the night. Before we hauled 4 people and a dog (and approximately 30% of our belongings)…
Whole Wheat Banana Bran Muffins.
In my mind, there are two categories for muffins: fun, special occasion, at-what-point-do-we-call-it-a-cupcake muffins, and everyday, virtuous muffins. Like I mentioned in this post about cinnamon banana muffins (which are deliciously in the first category), category 2 muffins need to be all or mostly whole grain and low in added sugar (no more than a teaspoon or two…
Whole Wheat Pancakes.
I haven’t completely tested this theory, but I’m pretty sure I’m always in the mood for pancakes. Jay and I are big Parks and Rec fans, and this line from the first episode is one of my favorite Andy moments and one we quote to each other at least once a week: “Hey baby, if you…
Breakfast Cookies.
I’ve been on a quest to make the perfect homemade granola bar for years. I’ve tried lots of recipes and I’ve also tried to create my own recipe from scratch. Baked, unbaked, crunchy, chewy…they’ve certainly all been edible, and some have been good enough to make a second time, but I haven’t found The One. I…
Pumpkin Bread.
Every fall, I get a craving for pumpkin pancakes, and I get all excited and look at recipes and pick one to try and get a lot of dishes dirty…and every time, I’m disappointed.
Jay’s Steel Cut Oats (the perfect make-ahead breakfast).
I’ve been in a breakfast rut for aboouuut 10 years. It involves peanut butter on an English muffin and I’m happy here. I mean, I can be tempted out of it pretty easily with a pancake or something in that genre, but I can live without cereal or grits or oatmeal. But then Jay made…
Cinnamon Banana Muffins.
Last week we got to have dinner with friends who were just days away from the birth of their sweet baby girl. The mom was laughing and telling us about how she had accidentally burned a huge batch of banana muffins she was making for her freezer. Since Jay was letting their dog out while…