Lovin' From the Oven

Yogurt Blueberry and Banana Bread

by Leave a Comment

IMG_7490

Man, I love Ikea. I went today to get some outside furniture for our balcony upstairs. Nothing special, just two chairs so we can sit outside as we please.

Ikea is NOT the place to go by yourself. Always bring some muscle when you go, even when you’re not planning on buying anything because you will walk out with something! I hate that they don’t let you bring the cart out to your car. You have to leave it with the guy working, pull you car up, and then load it yourself.

IMG_7499

Also, always make sure that the stuff you buy actually fits in your car. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and buy a dresser that comes in a flat wide box. You see the box and think, “Of course that’ll fit in my car!” When the time comes for you to pull your car up, you start second guessing yourself.

My DH and I have totally done that before. We ended up having to unbox the table or shelf and putting the pieces in one by one. Ten more minutes of Tetris and we’ve fit everything into his hatchback. Hoorah!IMG_7500

Anyhow, this recipe came about when I was trying to empty my refrigerator, but I wasn’t crazy about it. Despite the yogurt in the batter, the bread still came out a little chewy. Perhaps I over mixed it? It also wasn’t the prettiest thing. Better luck next time!

Print
Yogurt Blueberry and Banana Bread

Ingredients

  • 3 ripened bananas, mashed
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup greek vanilla yogurt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 and 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 cup blueberries

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray.
  2. Mix together the bananas, oil, yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract, and sugar.
  3. Gradually stir in the salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and flour until just combined.
  4. Fold in the blueberries.
  5. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
https://lovintheoven.com/yogurt-blueberry-banana-bread/

Apple Fritter Bread

by 4 Comments

IMG_2727

Every once in a blue moon, I’ll make a recipe that completely blows my socks off. This was one of those times! Can’t you tell just by looking at the first photo?

IMG_2730

I’m so glad that spring break is over. Working flights during that time means complete chaos with all of the kids traveling. I worked a flight to Washington D.C. two weeks ago that had 100 middle school kids and not nearly enough chaperones. We ran out of Sprite, Coke, Gingerale, Coke Zero, Sprite Zero, all  of our juices, and Seltzer. I’ve NEVER run out of soda on any flight until now! Those kids made us work the entire flight. I was exhausted.

IMG_2740

Middle school kids are at the awkward stage in their lives where everyone’s trying to fit in, but no one knows what they’re supposed to do. All the boys are trying to get the girls’ attentions while the girls are trying to get in the “coolest” group. I already told my DH that whenever we have kids, they’re all his the moment they hit their tween/teenager stage. That’s by far the hardest age to deal with!

IMG_2743

I did receive the strangest compliment while working that flight, though. One of the girls reached out to me after I gave her her apple juice and said, “This is going to sound really weird, but I think you have beautiful hands! You should be a hand model or something!”

IMG_2745

So that was sweet. Pretty much the only sweet thing to happen during that 5 1/2 hour flight.

IMG_2759

Let’s talk about this apple fritter bread, shall we? The apple layer in the middle gives just the right amount of apple without being overboard. The bread alone would have even been great. It’s a great base for anything you feel like experimenting with. Don’t have apples on hand? Try peaches or pear!

IMG_2772

The top is what did me in. It does taste like a fritter without any frying involved. That’s a magical thing, if you ask me. Recipe from Rumbly Tumbly.

Print
Apple Fritter Bread

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)
  • 1 apple, peeled and chopped, mixed with 1 T granulated sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • For the glaze:
  • 1 cup of powdered sugar + 1-3 tablespoons of milk or cream, mixed together to a drizzling consistency

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
  2. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Set aside.
  3. Cream together the white sugar and butter. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract.
  4. Gradually stir in the flour and baking powder. Mix milk into batter until smooth.
  5. Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan; add half the apples and half the brown sugar mixture.
  6. Pour the remaining batter over apple layer; top with remaining apples and brown sugar mixture.
  7. Swirl brown sugar mixture through apples using a knife.
  8. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
  9. Let cool for 15 minutes before drizzling with glaze.
https://lovintheoven.com/apple-fritter-bread/

French Toast

by 3 Comments

frenchtoast

We haven’t done a breakfast recipe in a while, so here’s an easy french toast recipe. There are no frills here, just good ol’ fashioned bread dipped in batter and perfectly browned on both sides.

frenchtoast-2

The best breads for french toast are challah and french bread. They soak in all of the liquids while maintaining their structure. If you try to use normal sandwich bread, they tend to break down a lot easier. You want to use a hearty and thick bread.

frenchtoast-3

Nothing says “I love you” like the smell of breakfast in the morning. It’s also my favorite meal to cook. On days that I work and leave the house before my DH, I even make him breakfast and leave it in the fridge for him to warm up when he wakes up.

frenchtoast-4

Print
French Toast

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup AP flour
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp white sugar
  • 4 slices of thick bread

Directions

  1. Whisk together the flour, milk, egg, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and sugar until smooth.
  2. Pour a little oil in a pan over medium heat.
  3. Soak bread in egg mixture until absorbed.
  4. Cook bread on each side until browned. Serve warm with maple syrup.
https://lovintheoven.com/french-toast/

Categories