Labour Day Again

Labour day snuck up on me this year. I usually see it coming at least a month in advance, and then begin the slow lament of summer's end. But not this year. This year was sunny skies and patio brunches and early morning farmers' markets, and tree ripened peaches and juicy, impossibly sweet watermelons all the way up until this weekend. And then all of the sudden.  Ouf. It's Labour day.

It's in my small tradition on this blog to bake a little something on Labour day to help me ease back into the routine of getting up early, teaching, marking, planning, going to bed at an insanely early hour, and then doing it all over again. Not that it's particularly painful -- I like routines, and I love my job. But after 2 months of adventures and unstructured days, of coffee breaks whenever I felt like it and spending whole days reading in pyjamas, it's kind of hard to let go.

So today, I've made us a chocolately zucchini bread to help smooth over the Labour day jitters and make us feel happy about returning to work or school tomorrow. This bread is dark and deep, but with a very light and fluffy crumb. It's packed with good things like shredded coconut, summer zucchini, cocoa nibs and spelt and just a whisper of those pumpkin pie spices -- nutmeg and cinnamon. It was a great way to use up two zucchinis that I kind of forgot about at the bottom on my crisper, and that quarter cup of coconut milk I was dying to use up. The crunchy topping of flaked almonds and raw sugar make this loaf feel like something really special... and it is! It's a Labour day treat and will last all through the work week.

I'm still sad summer is over for me, but I still look forward to a few more weeks of warm temperatures and fair skies.. and just a few more posts about Vancouver!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
adapted from Everybody Likes Sandwiches

2 small zucchinis, grated
1 egg
2 tablespoons of safflower oil
2 tablespoons of plain yogurt
1/4 cup of coconut milk
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups of spelt flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
a pinch each of cinnamon and nutmeg
a small handful each of shredded coconut and cocoa nibs (chocolate chips if you haven't got nibs)
a small handful each of flaked almonds and raw sugar

1. Put your shredded zucchini in the middle of a large tea towel. Gather the towel up around the zucchini pile and then squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze! Try to get as much liquid out of the zucchini as possible. Don't skip this step, otherwise your bread will be gummy.

2. Put the squeezed zucchini, egg, oil, yogurt, coconut milk and brown sugar in a large bowl and mix very well. Sift in the cocoa powder, spelt flour, baking powder and soda, and spices. Mix gently, until just combined.

3. Add in the coconut and cocoa nibs and give it one final stir. Pour the batter in a loaf pan and sprinkle with flaked almonds and raw sugar.

4. Bake the loaf in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until the almonds get slightly golden, and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Scattered Bits of Happiness

I remember the summer.. funny how I'm remembering the summer now that's it's the dead of winter. And while I love all seasons, I think I've made the most memories during the summer, during the hottest days. It's like that heat hangs in the air and catches energy, makes you notice things that you normally wouldn't. And those memories lay dormant inside you, slowly germinating through the fall until you're smack in the middle of winter and they come sprouting up through the snow and you wonder how you could have forgotten about them for so long.

I remember the first time I heard this song. No, it wasn't in the summer -- it was actually in the winter. I was in a bookstore that sadly no longer exists, and the tune just stuck in my head. It was until later, in the summer, that I went back to that bookstore and purchased that CD with the song. I remember playing it right away on the streetcar ride home and reading the lyrics. The ones in the last verse stood out for me, the part when the singer is telling his little sister that life is sprinkled with tiny troubles but that's no reason to run away every time we're faced with one. This school term was sprinkled with lots of little troubles for me, but I realized today that they were also sprinkled with lots of tiny pleasures and successes. These tiny pleasures helped me deal the with tiny troubles; it's the pleasures we need to focus on, not the troubles.

So in the spirit of tiny pleasures that we can find scattered throughout our lives, I'm giving you this bread. This bread is like waking up feeling well-rested and ready to tackle the day. It's finding a seat on a packed streetcar and giving up to someone who needs it. It's a smile from a stranger (not a creepy one, but a genuine one). It's a call from your best friend right when you expected it. It's that first sip of coffee on a Friday morning, and that last bite of dessert that you've just shared with someone you love. It's the foam on your cappuccino and that squeeze of lemon that brightens up your salad dressing. It's good weather on a crappy work day, and a happy ending to a sad story. It's a tiny pleasure that you can make for yourself on this first day of 2013.

This bread is made with wholesome, everyday ingredients and yet it tastes so special. It's light and fluffy and so easy to eat. It looks professional from the sprinkling of sesame seeds on top, and that egg inside and brushed on top makes all the difference. It's great at soaking up your runny egg yolks, but just as great torn off in chunks and enjoyed with your morning tea or coffee. It's a little pleasure that I found today, and I'm scattering it, hoping that someone else will find it too.

Happy 2013!

Happiness Brioche with Spelt and Oats
adapted from Zizi's Adventures

1/2 cup of warm water
2 tablespoons of milk (I used vanilla almond milk)
2 tablespoons of raw cane sugar
1/4 cup of rolled oats
1.5 teaspoons of quick rising yeast
1 egg, beaten
1 cup of all purpose flour
3/4 cup of spelt flour
2 tablespoons of butter (I used Earth Balance)
pinch of salt
a handful of sesame seeds

1. In a small bowl, combine the warm water, milk, sugar and yeast. Stir well. Add the oats and let set aside for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture gets frothy.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flours and salt. Add the butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingers until you get a coarse mealy mixture. Add the frothy yeast mixture and about half of the egg mixture. A little more than half went in mine and it was fine -- don't sweat it.

3. Mix well, until a sticky dough forms. Turn the dough out on a well-floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes, adding flour a little at a time if the mixture is too sticky. When the dough is smooth and elastic, roll it into a ball and cover it with a dish cloth. Let it sit for 30 minutes.

4. After 30 minutes, the dough should have doubled. Punch it down and knead a couple of times. Transfer the dough to a well-oiled loaf pan. I divided mine up into one mini-loaf pan and 2 ramekins. Cover and let it rise again for 30 minutes.

5. After the second rising, brush the remaining beaten egg over the top of the loaf and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds. Bake in a 350 oven until it has rise beautifully and the top is a nice golden brown. For me, the ramekins took about 20 minutes, and the mini loaf took about 30 minutes.

6. Remove from the oven and let cool for as long as you can stand before slicing and enjoying.

Sweet Rolls for the Long Weekend

It seems that every time I have a little bit of time off, I make bread. I made cranberry buns last March break, fruit and nut swirl rolls and New Year's day and this Easter weekend, I made these lovely citrus sweet rolls with dried cherries and cardamom.

But .. but .. I have so many other exciting things to share with you. More yummy Asian treats, a comforting classic made vegan and low-fat, and a crispy crunchy addictive cracker that's the perfect vehicle for peanut butter and homemade Nutella ...




Alas, I shall be festive and proper for once in the my life and give you these sweet rolls as an alternative to the hot cross bun that's so traditional this time of the year. If you're not feeling the icing cross or the Catholic undertones that go with it, or if you're just looking for something sweet and different to play with for Easter brunch, these are the rolls for you. They're light and sticky sweet from the simple glaze that goes one top the second you pull them out of the oven, and they go perfectly with a strong cup of coffee in the morning. The lemon zest and juice really wake up the spices in these rolls, and give them an extra specialness that every holiday needs. The dried cherries are a real treat, but in a pinch, dried cranberries would be great too. I'm also betting that if you're so inclined, some shredded coconut and almond flakes wouldn't hurt at all.




Are you off again tomorrow? If you're as lucky as I am, make these sweet rolls and relax on your last day of this long weekend. If you're back to the grind, tuck this recipe away and wait for a rainy spring weekend when you're itching to turn your oven on and give you taste buds a kick out of bed.

Cherry Lemon Sweet Rolls
adapted from Crumb
makes 16 little rolls

3/4 cup of almond milk
2 tablespoons of butter (I used Earth Balance)
1.5 teaspoons of quick rising yeast
1/4 cup of natural cane sugar
2 tablespoons of yogurt (if you're keeping this vegan, just add two extra tablespoons of almond milk)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
zest of two lemons, divided
1 1/4 cup of spelt flour
1 cup of all purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of cardamom
1/2 cup of dried cherries, chopped

juice of half a lemon
2 teaspoons of natural cane sugar

1. In a saucepan, place the almond milk and butter. Heat slowly until the butter melts and the milk becomes warm. Pour into a large bowl.

2. Add sugar and yeast to the bowl and mix well. Let it sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture becomes frothy. Add the yogurt, vanilla extract and half the lemon zest and mix until well combined.

3. Add the flours, cinnamon and cardamom, and mix until a sticky dough forms. On a floured surface, dump out the dough and knead, adding sprinklings of flour as needed. Knead for 5-7 minutes, or until your get a smooth elastic dough that's just a little bit sticky.

5. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel. Allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes. If you're using regular instant yeast (and not the quick rise), you'll have to double the rising times.

6. In the meantime, prepare your fruit filling and glaze. For the filling, simply combine the rest of the lemon zest with the chopped cherries. Mix it with your fingers really well, so that the zest is evenly distributed. If you're planning to add any extra goodies, now is the time! For the glaze, dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice. Taste the mixture and make sure it's to your liking. Add more sugar or lemon juice as needed.

7. Once the dough as rise, punch it down and give it a couple good kneads. Divide your dough in half. Working with half the dough ball, roll the dough out into a 10'6 inch rectangle. Sprinkle half the cherry filling over the surface of the rectangle. Roll it up nice and tight and cut them into 8 equal parts. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat for the other half.

8. Cover your rolls again with a tea towel and let them rest for about 25 minutes. Bake them in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until the bottoms of the rolls get a nice golden brown colour. Pull them out of the oven and brush with the glaze.

9. Enjoy with your coffee and don't forget to share!

Rainy First Day Baking

How did your 2011 end and your 2012 begin? Was it exiting and champagne-filled? Was it warm and cozy? Did you actually make that list of resolutions? I didn't make a list of life goals like I used to do, nor did I get all nostalgic about 2011. Mine ended with a hilariously silly and fun-filled January 30th at my best friend's house, eating delicious homemade food and playing the funnest, silliest games ever. Besides the great food and fun games, I realized that I was spending time with the greatest friends -- friends that I want to always ring out and in new years with.

And the 31st? Pretty quiet night in, a little visit to my parents', a bite of cranberry lemon curd bars and sip of iced cider .. and a quick midnight skate at the local community centre rink. It was perfect skating weather -- cold enough so that the ice wasn't drippy, but no biting wind to make the experience bitter. It was absolutely perfect. I haven't skated in many years, but I felt right at home. The rink was completely empty -- we were the only two out there, and it made me think about just how big the world is and how small our lives can seem. But as we skated and reminisced about years past, I came to realize that not matter how much we seem not the matter in the world, our actions, words and even goals and dreams that have seemingly small impacts can mean everything ... like a comfortable silence that can only happen between the best of friends, that quick call or text at midnight to let someone know you're thinking of them as the new year begins, the endless cups of coffee with sides of chatter and gossip that seem ordinary and routine, and the explosions of laughter that make your belly hurt but feel so good because you're amongst someone you love ... yeah, those are little things, but they certainly can have big impacts.



With that in my mind on New Year's morning, I wanted to celebrate this new found realization of mine with a bit of baking. And it was the perfect day to bake bread -- rainy and chilly. Not good weather for outside adventures, so I took the adventure into the kitchen and made some cinnamon bread with dates, raisin and walnuts to be shared with my parents, sister and best friend. I've made this type of bread before, but I actually goofed and while trying to fix my mistake, came up with something different and kind of cinnamon-roll like. I forgot to add two tablespoons of sugar into the dough -- I only remembered when I was half-way through kneading it. In retrospect, I probably could have just left it -- the dates and raisins are already sweet, but since it was supposed to be a treat for my loved ones, I wanted to add back a bit of sweetness. So ... I rolled the dough out just a bit, filled it with a good sprinkling of brown sugar and cinnamon, rolled it up again and cut out little buns. A lighter version of cinnamon buns? Yup. I pinched the ends of my rolls and baked them in muffin tins to hide the sugary swirl which was a nice surprise on the inside. But I bet if you just sliced and arranged in a baking dish, you'd have a lovely cinnamon pull-apart bread ... and maybe a citrusy glaze on the top wouldn't hurt either .. ?

Happy New Year!

Cinnamon Fruit and Nut Buns with Brown Sugar Swirl
adapted from A Chow Life

2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 packet of traditional yeast
1/2 cup of warm water
1 teaspoon of sugar

1 cup of spelt flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
a pinch of salt
3 tablespoons of melted butter or margarine (I used Earth Balance)
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of chopped dates
1/4 cup of chopped raisins
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts

1. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. This is your surprise swirl! Set aside.

2. Mix together the sugar, yeast and warm water and let it proof for at least 10-15 minutes. Mine actually sat for about 30 minutes while we braved the rain to get coffee!

3. Once the yeast is nice and frothly, dump everything else in .. yup, everything from spelt flour to chopped walnuts. Give it a good stir to make sure everything is dispersed nicely. Keep mixing until a nice soft but sticky dough forms.

4. On clean, floured surface, with floured handing, turn out your dough and knead it for a good 7 minutes, adding additional sprinklings of flour if your dough is too sticky. Your dough should become a nice, smooth, elastic ball of goodness.

5. Let your dough rise in an oiled bowl, covered with a kitchen towel for 40-60 minutes (mine went for about 45). Your dough should double in size.

6. It's filling time! Punch down your dough and give it a couple quick kneads. Divide it into two equal balls. Roll them out to about a 10'6 inch rectangle. Divide the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture between the two. Roll them up nice and tight.

7. Now it's up to you! I cut out 6 pieces from each roll giving me 12 rolls. I pinched the ends of each roll to hide the cinnamony- sweet surprise. But you could leave them as it and bake up in a baking dish.

8. Bake your cinnamon-y bundles in a 375 degree oven. Mine were baked in muffin tins, and only took about 15-20 minutes. It would be golden brown and your kitchen should smell of cinnamon and butter.

9. Serve warm .. perfect treat with coffee on a rainy day.

BTW: I updated my Flickr ... finally!

Summer Fruit

I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen this summer .. usually baking .. baking and daydreaming. It's lovely and luxurious .. and fleeting. It's already the second week of August, and soon, instead of dreaming about berry popsicles, strawberry compote and watermelon, it'll be pencils, screaming pre-teens and chalk dust. We've discussed the fleeting nature of summer and its natural goodness already, so I'll spare you the lament. Instead, I'll share a quick little recipe. I know, I know. That best way to enjoy summer fruit is to just eat it. Yup, I agree. I was going to make a watermelon and peach gazpacho inspired by the watermelon strawberry gazpacho I read about over at Delicious Days after I got a beautiful yellow watermelon from the local farmer's market ... but ... the watermelon was just soooooo good on its own. I also bought a little basket of peaches. Although I did eat most of them, I sacrificed a couple to make this bread .. twice ..



It's delicious. It's comforting, and easy. It's sugar crusted! It makes use of some beautiful late summer fruit and gives just a subtle hint of those warm fall flavours that are right around the corner. It's also vegan and wholesome. It's from Joy the Baker, who's by the way my baking hero. She made a vegan mango banana bread and it looked so beautiful that I had to try it. However, I didn't have enough mango left, so I added a peach. My fruit-cake ratio was heavier on the fruit, but it was still beautiful. I also used freshly grated ginger instead of the ground ginger that the original recipe called for and it gave the bread a beautiful warm glow. I also played around with flours. I used a combination of whole wheat, kamut and spelt flours. Delicious. The second time I made this bread, I used apple butter instead of canola oil (low-fat snack? yes!!) and it still tasted perfect. I could totally eat this cake for breakfast and feel no guilt. Nope. None at all. That deserves another coffee... (keep scrolling after the recipe!).

Vegan Banana Peach Bread
makes one little loaf adapted from Joy the Baker
*I halved Joy's recipe, so I'm sure the one below doubles beautifully

1 large ripe banana, mashed
1/2 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons of canola oil (or apple butter)
3 tablespoons of soy or almond milk
2 tablespoons of brown sugar (reduce to 1 if you're using apple butter)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour (or a combo of whole wheat, spelt and kamut)
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom
a pinch of salt
2 peaches, skinned and diced, or a combo of peach and mango (go nuts with the fruit! blueberries would rock! so would sweet yellow plums!)
2 teaspoons of sugar

1. In a large bowl, mix together the mashed banana, ginger, soy/almond milk, oil or apple butter, brown sugar and vanilla. Mix it well!

2. Sift in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Gently this time, mix until just combined. Add in the peaches or whatever fruit you're using and give it one final mix.

3. Pour into a greased loaf pan and sprinkle the sugar one top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

4. Serve with coffee .. yes ... coffee


Coffee Update!
Sorry! I've been too lazy to update, but we've made tremendous progress!

Ella's Uncle: drip, americano and cappuccino, enjoyed with
their famous berry scones.. so fruity and light... trying to remake them...

Jimmy's Coffee: drip, cappuccino and americano enjoyed with a fruit and yogurt cup.. lovely space and delicious coffee! I've already make repeat visits!

La Merceria: drip, americano and cappuccino along with a spinach empanada, alfajore cookie and complimentary buttery biscuits (served when you order a coffee); very cute! lovely coffee and you can also shop for things like bath salts, linens and homemade jams..

Full of Beans: drip, iced coffee and cappuccino enjoyed with some scones

T.A.N. (in Baldwin Village): two iced americanos and an iced cappuccino enjoyed with a vegan cashew cookie and an oatmeal cookie; beautiful, dark, rich espresso.. yum!

Cafe Unwind: americanos and iced cappucinno (repeat visits .. once enjoyed with a freshly baked strawberry and banana muffin spiced with allspiced.. yum!); hidden away on a residential strip, well worth the search!

Hearty Bread for the Road

I just got back from a week in one of my favourite places: Montreal. The city totally stole my heart ... again. Although I'm always happy to be home, I long to be back there roaming the streets, hiking through parks and sitting in quiet cafes. I'll post more about my trip in a little while; I need to wrap my head around being back in Toronto for a bit. For now, I'll leave you with another thyme treat. It's a beautiful, hearty loaf made with sunflower seeds, a touch of honey, lots of thyme and a little grating of lemon zest. There's also olive oil in it, which brings out the lovely thyme and lemon flavours. Hearty, nutty, delicate, just sweet enough. It was the perfect treat to enjoy on the train ride to Montreal.. ooohhh Montreal ...


Sunflower Seed Bread with Thyme and Honey
adapted from Joy the Baker
makes one loaf

2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup of yogurt
1/2 cup of soy milk
2 tablespoons of olive oil
zest of half a lemon
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 cup of all purpose flour
a pinch of salt
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
2 tablespoons of fresh thyme
1/2 cup of roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the honey, sugar, egg, yogurt, soy milk, olive oil and lemon zest. Mix until well blended.

2. Sift in the flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Mix gently until just combined. Add the thyme and all but one tablespoon of the sunflower seeds and mix one last time.

3. Pour the batter into a loaf pan and sprinkle with the remaining one tablespoon of sunflower seeds. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, or until the top of nice and golden brown and a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

4. Let it cool for a few minutes and then slice away!

Romance in the Everyday

I'm a romantic. Not the flowers, candy and candle-lit dinners kind of romantic, but the kind that yearns to enjoy little things like sunlight on my skin, people-watching, multi-tasking to old favourite CDs and working in cafes. I used to love working cafes -- way before everyone got wifi and you'd like annoying people with one cup of coffee occupying a table for four with their eyes glued to their laptops. I didn't even have a laptop. There was just something so comforting and exciting and fulfilling about sitting alone in a calm, quiet place and working in between thinking, day-dreaming, watching people and soaking up the world.



But cafe culture has really changed, in Toronto anyway, and I'm hard-pressed to find a calm coffee shop on sunny day, much less get a seat by the window, or be able to tune out the loud conversations around me. Thankfully, since moving out, I've realized that I can re-make that working-in-the-cafe feeling right here at home. My huge floor-to-ceiling balcony windows help. So does my trusty Bodum coffee press and largeish Ikea work table. I realized during this March break, that I'm lucky enough to re-make that romantic, cafe feeling in my cozy home. And you know the best part? I can do so many other things in between watching the sun stream onto my balcony, planning my next unit for school, drinking coffee, listening to Alanis Morissette and Jean LeLoup and watching the construction folks on ladders in the building across from me .. like make bread.




Yes, I made cinnamon bread. Twice. Monika tempted me. So did Kickpleat. So did Joy. But ultimately, I went with a recipe from Robin over at A Chow Life. It was easy, wholesome and easy to play with. The first time, I pretty much followed the recipe exactly, but the next time, I switched it up by adding lemon juice and zest, reducing the cinnamon, and replacing the raisins with dried cranberries (that was inspired my these gorgeous-looking rolls). If you've never made bread before, and are afraid because you don't have a fancy, kitchen aid mixer with a dough hook, please get over it! I have no such equipment, and my bread came out beautifully. And the kneading is so much fun! Really relaxing and calming. And when you get that that 7 minute mark, after you've sung along to three songs on your favourite CD, that sticky, stringy ball of dough suddenly becomes a beautiful, smooth, elastic ball of happiness.












Ultimate slow-food ... Go do it. Unleash that romantic side of yourself and take a little time to soak up some happiness.


Lemon Cranberry Buns
adapted from A Chow Life, inspired by Everybody Likes Sandwiches

1/2 cup of warm water
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 package of quick-rising yeast

1.5 cups of all purpose flour
1.5 cups of whole wheat pastry flour (yes, pastry .. it was all I had, but it worked!)
1 pinch of salt
3 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
zest of 1 lemon, juice of half
1/4 cup of water
1 cup of dried cranberries
1/4 cup of melted margarine (or butter)

1. In a large bowl, combine the yeast, warm water and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Mix to combine. Let stand for about 10 minutes, or until it yes frothy.

2. Dump in the flours, salt, sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and zest, water, cranberries and margarine. Mix to combine.

3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 7-10 minutes, adding additional flour if the dough gets too sticky. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.

4. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise for 45 minutes, or until it was doubled in size.

5. Punch down the dough and give it a few kneads. Divide it into 12 equal portions (or as equal as you can get them!) and place them into oiled muffin tins. Cover and let it rise again for another 45 minutes.

6. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until the tops get nice and brown, and the rolls sound hollow when you tap the bottom.

7. Enjoy with a cup of coffee, seated by the window with our favourite CD playing the background.

Peanut Butter + Fruit Part 2

Peanut Butter and Banana. Need I say more? Classic combination, nostalgic, comfort food. That's peanut butter and banana.. in a sandwich, that is. When they're combined to make .. say .. a quick bread .. or some little mini muffins, this magical combination becomes even more magical. I love banana bread, but I love this peanut butter banana bread even more. It's not like a traditional banana bread, in being really dense, moist and hearty. It's actually quite light and more sponge-cake-like. So maybe it's not banana bread? Who cares? It's awesome!

I've made this bread many times since discovering and altering a recipe online (sorry! I can't remember/find the original!) before my blogging days. The first time I made this recipe, it was for my love to take on his 24 hour train ride to his hometown. He loved it and so did his niece. Since then, I've made it in the form of little cupcakes/muffins to give as gifts and of course, just to snack on it's own because peanut butter and bananas together rock.



Conclusion: Peanut Butter + Banana = Amazing.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread
adapted from somewhere online!

1/2 cup of natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon of canola oil
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1 egg
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 cup of milk
1/4 cup of yogurt

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, oil, sugar, egg and mashed bananas. Whisk until smooth.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the baking powder, baking soda and flour.

3. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture alternating with milk and yogurt, folding the batter gently, until everything is combined.

4. Pour the batter into a loaf pan, or in muffin tins (makes 24 minis!) and bake at 350 degrees or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean (about 25 minutes for the loaf, and 15 for the muffins). Enjoy with a cup of coffee.

Coffee Update coming soon!

Letting Summer Go ...

I know, I know. I've lamented about the loss of summer more than once. But .. but .. it's just that I'm so relaxed in the summer, and there seems to be so much more time to just be. Like every other summer, this once seemed to fly by. It was like all of July, I spent anticipating our trip to Moncton, and then once we got back, all I could do was think about school starting and counting the days till the end of freedom. Well, my friends, September has finally arrived and summer, for me at least, has come to an end.

But I'm not crying, because this summer has been one of the best and most exciting. I have one last summer story post for you coming up next week, but for now, I'll keep it short and sweet and present to you ... some beer bread. But this is not just ANY beer bread -- it's fruity, summery, memory-inducing beer bread, made first with Pump House Blueberry Ale that my best friend brought over one weekend as a funny surprise. Her and my partner drank quite a few of these when we were in Moncton. Over there, it was the specialty, brewed in downtown Moncton. It even had a little restaurant attached to the brewery called The Pump House.

A little research brought me to this wonderful blog, Farmgirl Fare, where I saw her recipe for whole wheat beer bread. I used the blueberry ale and added in a handful of fresh Ontario blueberries for good measure. It smelled wonderful in the oven, and even better when it came out. The blueberries had exploded and turned jammy and beautiful and I could definitely taste that slightly bitter tang from the beer. The texture was hearty and dense, as expected from a beer bread, but a little bit too moist and sticky. The next time I tried it, I used KLB Raspberry Wheat Beer and, you guessed it, fresh local raspberries provided by my sister's CSA. This time, I baked it a little longer and the texture was definitely better.

Don't be scared of bread. Go ahead and bake some. Use a fancy beer and throw in some fruit. Hey .. you could even try chocolate beer bread and use chocolate stout .. oh my ...

Fruity Beer Bread
adapted from Farmgirl Fare

1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon of baking powder
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons of honey
7 ounces of fruity beer (that's about 3/4 of the bottle)
a handful of berries to match the beer, washed and patted dry

1. Sift together the flours, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Pour the honey on top of the dry ingredients.

2. Open a bottle of fruity beer. Take a biiiig gulp. Pour the rest of the bottle into the other ingredients and stir gently until everything comes together in a sticky, thick batter. Add the berries and mix them in.

4. Pour in a prepared loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean, and the top has browned every so slightly. Best served warm with a cup of coffee.