Lovin' From the Oven

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

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I have a confession to make. I, Kim, am a TravelZoo addict. I don’t know if you’ve heard of this website before, but it’s basically deals on airfare & hotels.. kind of like expedia or travelocity. I spend hours browsing through the website imagining what my next destination will be. I’m currently eyeing a 3 night vacation to Hawaii in May and am SO tempted to book it. It’s such a steal! I’ve been there twice before, but my boyfriend has never been. I would book the vacation in a heartbeat– it’s just a matter of convincing the boy to go with me (he currently just got re-hired at Apple so asking for so much vacation already is kind of nonsensical). Well, I also don’t have all the money in the world and really should save it, so we’ll see.

In other news, my parents graciously gave me a two year membership to 24 Hour Fitness! Thank you Costco for having that package for $299. It comes out to $12.50 a month for a gym membership. Yeah, believe it!! I’ve never really worked out before, except for last summer when I became a gym rat (well, I really only went to swim laps), so having a gym membership is big news to me. My goals are to get toned. I know what you’re thinking.. how am I gonna fit that into my already busy schedule? I’m hoping to get up at 5:30 AM or so and be able to go to the gym before work. I’m really determined right now since it’s all brand new. Hopefully it stays that way!

This… is the most amazing banana bread. No nuts required! Although, you can add them if you prefer. You can even add chocolate chips! It’s very flavorful and moist with a bit of a slight crunch from the topping. If you’re a fan of cinnamon sugar, I’d highly recommend it! I already made it twice in a week. My dad just had oral surgery, which means he can’t really eat much. I made this for him to keep him from being bored to death eating solely mashed potatoes and soup. Make sure to use overly ripe bananas– it makes a difference! Recipe is adapted from Sandwich Hoss.

 

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Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

Ingredients

    For the bread:
  • 3 over-ripe bananas, smashed up
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • dash of salt
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
    • For the swirl:
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 Tbs cinnamon

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and four a loaf pan. Mine was 9 x 5, but you could use any sort, I suppose. Just keep a close eye on it in the oven, and adjust the time as needed
  2. Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together. sprinkle baking soda and salt around on top of the banana mixture. Then gently stir in flour. Be careful not to over-mix!
  3. In a small dish, mix together the 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbs cinnamon.
  4. Add 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and then sprinkle half, or a little more than half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture all over the batter in the pan. Add the rest of the batter, and then sprinkle the leftover cinnamon-sugar on top.
  5. Bake for 50-60 minutes, but remember, if you’re using a different-sized loaf pan, be careful and keep a close eyeball on it!
https://lovintheoven.com/cinnamon-swirl-banana-bread/

Pecan Toffee Cookies

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So I just got mail from UCLA saying that they’re going to delete my ucla email account at the end of this month since I’m no longer a student, staff, or faculty. What the heck? I am 99% sure that they told us we had our email for life. ::tear:: Has it really been that long already since I’ve graduated? I feel so old! Time’s truly flying and there’s just not enough hours in a day. Especially with this daylight savings coming up– we’re losing an hour! 🙁 That means it’s technically 2:45 AM as I write this blog post right now. No bueno since I have work at 9 tomorrow. Ugh. I’m scheduled to work 65 hours this week on top of my homework. I’m not quite sure how that’ll go by, but hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Right?

These cookies were de-lish. I’ve had good luck with the recent recipes that I’ve been trying because they all seem to hit the spot. No bad recipes, yet! ::knocks on wood:: I adapted this recipe from Rock Recipes. When I made the original recipe, the cookie dough just seemed really crumbly and off, so I added another egg yolk to the batter which solved the problem perfectly. I also refrigerated my dough just to make sure there was no spreading and subbed the majority of the white sugar for brown sugar. The result? A sweet and salty, soft and chewy, delight.

Any questions about well, anything? Ask me on formspring! And become a fan of my blog on facebook, if you’d like to and haven’t already. Gracias!

Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 full egg & 1 egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup chopped roasted pecans
  • ½ cup toffee chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.

4. Beat in egg & vanilla extract

5. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

6. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.

7. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.

8. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Mini Chocolate Chip Turtle Cookies

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I think I’m finally starting to run out of fuel. Working 7 days a week + school + hanging out with friends + boyfriend + keeping up with my baking blogs = not exactly the most ideal schedule to have. As much as I love keeping busy, a girl has gotta rest every now and then! Luckily, I have an ENTIRE week off and will be heading to Big Bear in two weeks… a MUCH needed vacation, if you will. I’m excited to just sit there and do nothing. That’s what keeps me sane– little trips to far away (or not so far away) places. A day trip to San Diego? Yes, please. As long as I’m with the boy, it’s a good trip.

I saw these on Visions of Sugar Plum (by the way, how cute is she?!) and just HAD to have them. I recently had a turtle chocolate thing from Disneyland and have been craving it ever since. I knew I should have bought the bigger one! Oh, poop. Until I get the chance to go back to Disneyland to get another chocolate turtle, these cookies will have to suffice. I adapted the recipe just a smudge but they turned out perfectly. Let’s add another cookie to my all time favorite list, shall we? These definitely made the cut. Pecans, chocolate, AND caramel?! What more could a girl ask for? I used mini choco chips and made my cookies bite-sized. The cookies were amazingly chewy– kinda like the cookies that I bought from the cart in high school/middle school way back in the day(best cookies EVER!). They also resembled the mini cookies at Mrs. Field’s. yum!

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
  • Melted caramel, for drizzling
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy – about 1-2 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in flour until just combined; stir in chocolate chips and pecans until combined. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat cookie sheets with cooking spray.
  3. Roll dough into balls (about 2 teaspoons per ball), place on cookie sheets, and flatten using the palms of your hands. Bake 8 minutes or until set and light golden. Cool on wire racks. Drizzle with melted caramel.
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Oh, I’ve also started updating my style blog once again after a year of deadness. haha, I know.. I suck.. but check it out if you’d like!

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