Yesterday, May 1st was a good day in the USA.  I will never forget where I was when the news came out that the horrible person who caused such pain for all of us in USA was dead.  Or the feeling I had inside.  Just like I will never forget where I was almost 10 years ago when the planes hit the twin towers, and the feelings I had then.  Historic events likes these will forever be implanted in our minds.  At the same time I’m so thankful for the men and women who protect us.  They are a special group of people and we owe a lot to them for all they do every day.  They are away from their families and away from what they consider home, only to fight for us back in the USA.  Thank you!  And thank you to those Navy Seals that found Bin Laden.  Our world is much better place without him.

Now for something sweet….and sweet in so many ways too!  The moment I saw this bread on Joy’s blog and Annie’s blog, I knew I had to try it myself.  Today was Teacher’s Appreciation breakfast at the girls school and I knew it was the perfect thing to bring.  Don’t worry I made two if these because I knew my family would not let me walk out of the house with this bread without one also being left behind for them.  There are many things to love about this bread.  Yeasted dough – check.  Browned butter – check.  Cinnamon sugar – double check.  An entire loaf that is reminiscent of the center of a perfect cinnamon roll – which you all know my deep love for a cinnamon roll. 

As you all know I also have a deep fear of yeast bread.  And those of you who are new here…I have a deep fear of yeast bread.  Something out it makes me freak out.  I know weird, but I guess I will have to make this several more times for my fear to go away?  Hmmmmm…sounds like a good idea.  If you have a fear too I promise you can conquer this bread and I promise you will be rewarded with slices of pure yummy cinnamon-bread heaven.  I dare you to just eat one slice too.  When this is warm and gooey….really you must try it to experience it yourself.  It would be perfect to make for mom for Mother’s Day this weekend too.  She will love you more than she already does. 

Note: I made one loaf using all-purpose flour and one with white whole wheat.  Of course, the white whole wheat was for home and it turned out just as good.  I leave it up to you in which flour you prefer to bake with.

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

Print Recipe

For dough:

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour (or white whole wheat), plus more as needed

1/4 cup organic cane sugar

2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (or one packet)

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

For filling:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions:

To make dough, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Combine the butter and milk in a small saucepan and heat just until the butter is melted.  Set aside and let cool briefly, until mixture registers 115-125 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.  Add the milk mixture, water, vanilla and eggs to the mixer bowl.  Mix on low speed until a cohesive dough forms.  Continue to knead until smooth and elastic, adding additional flour as needed 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and is tacky but not sticky.  Knead about 3-5 minutes.  Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat, and cover.  Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.  (After the dough had doubled, it can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight.  Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before proceeding.)

While the dough rises, add the butter to a small saucepan and melt until browned.  Set aside.  Combine the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl and mix well.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and gently deflate.  Roll into a ball, cover with a clean towel and let rise for 5 minutes.  Roll the dough out into an approximately 12 x 20 -inch rectangle.  Brush the dough with the browned butter.  Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the dough in an even layer.  (Yes, use all of it.)

Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.  Slice the dough vertically into 6 even strips.  Stack strips on top of each other and again cut again into 6 equal slices.  Stack all the squares on top of each other and set into the prepared loaf pan.  Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place, 30 to 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350.  Transfer the loaf to the oven and bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden.  If the top seems to be browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil at the end of baking.  (Make sure you have foil at the bottom of the oven or place pan on a cookie sheet as the cinnamon-butter mix will bubble over.)  Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan 20-30 minutes.  Run a knife around edges of the pan to loosen and carefully turn the loaf out. transfer to a serving plate.  Serve warm.  Yummy!!

Enjoy!!

Source: Annie Eat’s and Joy the Baker, adapted from Hungry Girl por vida

I’ve been thinking about what I’m going to write in my post all night.  I cooked dinner, still at a loss.  I even decided to workout and afterwards, still at a loss.  Do you ever have those moments where you draw a blank?  You have tons on your mind ranging from the laundry that still needs to be folded to the spreadsheet at work that I still needs to finish but when they are all mixed together you are still at a loss of what to share.  Maybe I can share that tonight while watching Enchanted with my munchkins that all I could do was smile when one of them turned to me and said “mom, I like that chipmunk he’s so funny, can we get one?”  I then had to proceed to tell her why that wouldn’t be the best idea which then went into the #1 question a 3-year old toddler has these days “why?”  Which was then proceeded in a million more why’s.  Why is it that no matter how you explain something to a toddler they always ask why?  “Why mommy?”  That is the common question around my house these days.  After the millionth why I finally find myself saying the same thing my parents said to me, “because I said so”.  Yes, I did it…I said the same thing my parents said to me!  I once told myself I wouldn’t sound like my parents, but I find myself sounding more like my parents every day.  I guess we all do right?  Please say right, please tell me you are experience the same thing.  As I’m writing this I know I will be getting a phone call from my mom (who reads my blog) and she will bring up this post and laugh at me for saying these words.  Ha!  And I hope one day in the future I will be laughing at my daughters because they find themselves sounding like me.

Ok, enough with my babble.  Again, too much on my mind.  Now let’s talk banana’s.  I had lot’s of them.  That’s what happens when you go to the store buy a bunch and then your husband decides to stop at the store forgetting you had some at home and buys a bunch.  Lot’s of bananas which meant it was bound to happen…ripe banana’s.  Which only meant I had to use them in something.  I got a bunch of zucchini this weekend at the store.  For some reason I’m all about zucchini these days.  So as I was flipping through cookbooks and I came across Carrie’s Banana Zucchini Bread from her fabulous cookbook, Deliciously Organic.  Sounded perfect and just what we all needed in my house.  Perfect for the little ones because I get a little veggies in their diet hidden into one of their favorites, banana bread.  I changed some things from Carrie’s original recipe.  I have tried to stay away from dairy and soy so I adjusted the recipe to remove those ingredients.  Of course, you don’t have to do that.  Below I have both versions so you can make the way is best for you and your family.  My husband pleaded with me not to go gluten-free so instead I went with white whole wheat bread.  And I had to add one of my favorites to the recipe, cinnamon.  In the end it was a great little treat not only for breakfast but for a after-school snack…and even in the lunch box.  It also made the house smell fabulous which is always an extra bonus.

Sorry for my random thoughts in today’s post.  Hopefully next time my mind will be free and clear….hmmmm…I doubt it.  I don’t remember the last time my mind was not going a 100-miles an hour. 

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!!  See you back soon!

Banana Zucchini Bread

Print Recipe

3 tablespoons coconut oil

3 tablespoons dairy-free, soy-free butter (or unsalted butter)

2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup organic cane sugar

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

3/4 cup grated zucchini

1/4 cup almond milk (or 1/4 cup buttermilk and minus the lemon juice)

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

3 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 4 tablespoons warm water (or 2 eggs)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 and adjust rack to middle the middle position.  Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine almond milk and lemon juice. Set aside. 

Melt coconut oil and butter in a small saucepan.  Cool slightly.  Whisk flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.  Stir together mashed bananas, zucchini, almond milk mixture, maple syrup, egg mix, melted oils, and vanilla in a medium bowl.  Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and gently stir until just blended.

Pour batter into loaf pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick pressed into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.  Cool for 10 minutes and then run a knife around the outside to loosen the edges.  Turn loaf out onto a cooling rack and cool before serving.

Recipe Adapted from Deliciously Organic Cookbook

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Superbowl weekend!  Did your team win?  Did you have any yummy Superbowl dishes?  If so please share, would love to hear.  It was a pretty good game last night.  I missed the half-time show which is usually my favorite thing to watch but I was busy giving the girls a bath and taking our dog Parker for a walk.  Don’t worry not all at once but first it was bath time and then dog time.  Yesterday happen to be my husbands birthday so I let him sit back and enjoy the game while I handled the “kids”.  He was in heaven having the big game fall on his birthday.  I just wish I would have remembered to tell him to record the half-time show.  Thank goodness for youtube!  Well, I hope everyone had a great Superbowl weekend.  Now let’s talk cookies.  As you all know I was doing a 21-day cleanse and just finished it up late last week.  I’m still trying to stay down the same healthy path I was on while on the cleanse by eliminating certain foods from my diet.  Just because I felt great and I now realize my body was reacting to certain foods and was causing me to feel a little yucky.  While on the cleanse I ran across a fabulous blog called Gluten-Free Goddess and I instantly fell in love!  Beautiful blog, wonderful recipes, and fabulous writing.  While browsing Karina’s recipes, I came across this recipe for Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookieswhich are gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and soy-free.  I know your probably thinking taste free…well my friends you are so wrong.  These cookies are absolutely heavenly.  Even my husband who questions my crazy thinking of eating the way I do took one bite and proceeded to eat three more and the whole time amazed that they were “free” of all these things that usually make up a cookie.  My friends, trust me when I say this…they are simply delicious!  I even took one of these cookies into my co-worker who gave a thumbs up too.    These are now my favorite cookie and since I’m no longer on the cleanse it’s nice to be able to have a sweet treat that taste fabulous.  These cookies have a golden caramel flavor with a chewy quinoa center and then accented with the chocolate chips.  Yum!  Now with all this talk I’m going to run and grab another.  Enjoy!!

Oh…and don’t forget you have until Tuesday, February 8th 11:59pm EST to enter the giveaway for 24 chocolate dipped heart madeleine cookies. 

Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies

Print Recipe

3/4 cup Quinoa Flakes

1/2 cup organic Quinoa Flour

1 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup potato starch (not potato flour)

1 1/4 cup organic light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2/3 cup light olive oil

3 tablespoons real maple syrup

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer

4 tablespoons warm water

3/4 cup dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)

Instructions:

In a mixing bowl, whisk together quinoa all dry ingredients (through cinnamon).

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Combine with dry ingredients and stir until you get a thick and sticky batter.

In a small bowl, whip the egg replacer ingredients with the water until foamy and frothy.  If you don’t have egg replacers and have no allergies to eggs, beat two eggs and omit egg replacer.  Add egg replacer to the batter and combine well.  The dough should be thick and rather sticky.  If dough does not stick together when pinched add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.  Stir in chocolate chips with wooden spoon to combine.  Cover and chill the dough 30 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Roll spoonfuls of the dough between palms and form dough into 24 balls (slightly larger than a golf ball).  Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet and press down slightly to flatten – but not too much.  Place the pan into the center of a pre-heated oven and bake until golden and set – about 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are golden brown and the center is almost firm.  The cookies will still have a little give to them while hot; as they cool they will crisp up. 

Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes; then carefully remove cookies and place on a wire rack to continue to cool.  Best when still a little warm.  Store in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days or freeze.  Makes 24 cookies.

Source: Gluten-Free Goddess

Who is ready for Valentine’s?  I guess I am because this weekend while at Target I fell in love with all their Valentine plates and napkins.  It didn’t help that two little girls liked them too and would sneak things into the cart when I wasn’t looking.  They get it honestly because I think I did that when I was a little girl too.  With a cart of cute Valentine plates I wanted to make a recipe that was Valentine inspired.  I know we have a few weeks to go but just in case your planning ahead here are some yummy scones that would be a perfect morning treat on Valentine’s morning.  And since I will be out of town for work on Valentine’s Day this year I actually put some of these in the freezer so on Valentine’s morning the hubby can take one out and enjoy them even though I won’t be here to give it to him myself.

These scones can be enjoyed as dessert or breakfast.  Packed with whole grains and antioxidants from the dark chocolate and raspberries.  I have to say the house smells delicious when they are baking too.  And I had two little test tasters that gave these a thumbs up.  Or their choice words of approval…”mmmm, yummy mommy!”  They didn’t fit into the “cleanse” I am currently on, but mine is also tucked in the freezer so I can taste when my 21 days is up.  Already looking forward to it.

Enjoy Everyone!! 

Oh, and a update to the Deliciously Organic Cookbook giveaway.  Lisa won the book!  Congratulations Lisa!  Check your email and let me know where I can send your new fabulous cookbook.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Heart Scones

Print Recipe

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/3 cup organic cane sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 1/2 ounces dark chocolate (70%), cut into small pieces

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes

3/4 cup coconut milk (or milk of choice)

2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

1/3 cup frozen or fresh raspberries

For Finishing:

1 tablespoon coconut milk

1 tablespoon organic cane sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a alrge bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Add chopped chocolate, tossing until pieces are evenly distributed and coated with flour.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender. 

In a small bowl, stir the coconut milk and egg yolks just to blend.  Add mixture to the flour and stir with a fork to combine the wet and dry ingredients together.  If dough is too dry add 1 tablespoon coconut milk.  The dough should be sticky.  Don’t overknead.

Set the dough onto a floured surface and pat out to a 1-inch thick and 7-inch in diameter circle. Using a 2 to 3″ heart shaped cookie cutter, cut hearts out and place onto a prepared cookie sheet.  You can also cut out in triangles or rounds.

Brush the scones with coconut milk and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.  Bake scones until they are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a heart comes out clean, about 18 to 20 minutes.  Allow the scones to cool on a wired rack for 5 minutes and then serve.

Makes 8 large scones.

Today I am really excited to be sharing with you this recipe because it’s from the wonderful cookbook Deliciously Organic by Carrie Vitt.  Carrie is a fellow food bloggerthat I had the honor of meeting at BlogHer food back in October.  She actually was the person that made it possible for me to be there by selling me her ticket.  I was also lucky to eat breakfast with her on that first day.  Carrie is a lovely person and is truely passionate about eating whole organic foods.  Carrie’s journey towards organic whole foods was a long one.  After the birth of her second child and her husband off being a fighter pilot flying over the war in Iraq Carrie started to experience migraines.  Her migranies quickly started to increase and her doctor prescribed her medication after medication.  Two years passed and she was still having migraines and then one day as she was looking through her mail she spotted a newsletter about the benefits of organic foods.  She was at the end of the rope and was willing to try anything so that’s what she did.  She started to make small changes to her foods, like replacing her lettuce for organic and then it quickly became more and more changes as she learned more.  Within a week she noticed a significant difference.  Her migraines decreased and it was easier for her to care for her two children.  Her story of how she started her journey to whole organic foods is really wonderful as is her new cookbook. 

Each recipe in her cookbook features only organic, unprocessed and whole ingredients that everyone will love (including kids) – and for all occasions (even for hard-to-please special guests).  

Here’s a sampling of what’s inside …

Breakfast/Brunch: Lemon Sour Cream Pancakes with Blueberry Puree; Strawberry Coconut Smoothie; Tomato Basil Quiche

Salads: Carrie’s award-winning Roasted Red Onion and Pear Salad; Thai Steak Salad; Cherry Tomato Caper Salad

Sides: Spinach Madeline; Mexican Rice Casserole; Grilled Potatoes with Lemon Aioli

Entrees: Tuscan Lemon Chicken; Tuna Steaks with Avocado and Tomato Salsa; Cottage Pie; Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Desserts (when you want to splurge in moderation!): Chocolate Chip Cookies; Strawberry and Cream Tart; Creamy Lemon Ice Cream

Not only are there fabulous recipes inside but beautiful photography by the very talented Helene from Tartelette.  Carrie’s new cookbook is on sale now.  But I am excited to announce that I will also be giving away a personal autographed cookbook to one of you out there so you can try all the fabulous recipes above. 

Rules:

1.) Contest is open to the US only (sorry) 

2.) Contest ends January 23, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST

3.) Winner will be chosen via random.org and will have 3 days to respond before a new winner is chosen.

How to enter:

1.) Head over to Carrie’s fabulous blog and leave a comment letting me know what recipe you would like to try.  Or let me know the ways you’ve made changes to your families meals by using organic whole foods.

Additional entries can be earned by doing any of the following, giving you a total of 4 entries. Leave a separate comment for each of your entries

1.) Follow Carrie from Deliciously Organic on Twitter

2.) Become a fan of Deliciously Organic on Deliciously Organic on Facebook.

3.) Follow Multiply Delicious on Twitter.

4.) Become a fan of Multiply Delicious on Multiply Delicious on Facebook

It was hard to choose one recipe to try first from Carrie’s cookbook but my little ones love muffins so I knew this would be the perfect one to try.  I ended up halving the batter and mixing one with raspberries and one with blueberries.  I have one little one who loves raspberries and one that likes blueberries.  Even though they are twins they are totally different.  We loved these and I’m sure your family will too.  Enjoy and good luck!!

Raspberry Almond Muffins

Print Recipe

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons coconut oil

3/4 cup whole organic cane sugar or Sucanat

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2 cups whole buttermilk

1 1/2 cups frozen, organic raspberries (or half the batter and do half blueberry)

1/2 cup slice almonds, diced (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 and adjust rack to the middle position.  Line 2 muffin pans with liners or spray with cooking spray.  Set aside.

Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl then set aside.

Cream butter, coconut oil, and whole organic cane sugar for 2 minutes on medium-high speed in the bowl of a standing mixer.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the extracts.  On medium-low speed, beat in half of dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the buttermilk until just combined.  Remove bowl from mixer and gently fold in berries (and almonds if using).  Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, spoon muffin batter into prepared pan filling 3/4 full.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden.  Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 24 muffins.

Note: I mixed half the batter in half and made half with raspberry and half with blueberry.  If you do this just mix about 3/4 cup of frozen berries into the halved batter.  I halved the batter because I have one little one that likes raspberries and one that likes blueberries.

Source: Deliciously Organic Cookbook by Carrie Vitt (from Deliciously Organic)

UPDATE: The winner of Carrie’s new cookbook is Lisa!  I’ll be contacting you soon Lisa.  Congratulations!

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