Peach & Pear Oatmeal Bread

I went to the gym this morning for the first time in a looong while. When I got home I felt the urge to bake, but didn't want to undo all my hard work...Enter in the KAF Whole Grain Baking Book. I picked this recipe as it was easy to do and I had most of the ingredients on hand. The original recipe called for only peaches, but i didnt have quite enough so i added some canned pears i had lying around. I also subbed soy milk for regular milk to make it lactose intolerant-friendly. Because of the whole wheat flour and oats, it turned out to be a rather dense loaf and was only slightly sweet. It was quite good, but I imagine it will be even better tomorrow...toasted with a tiny pat of butter and maybe a drizzle of honey...yum. Peach & Pear Oatmeal Bread (adapted from King Arthur's Whole Grain Baking)
2 c whole wheat flour
3/4 c all purpose flour
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 c oats
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 c diced peaches
1 c diced pears
1 c soy milk
1/4 c canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x5 loaf pan. Combine dry ingredients (whole wheat flour through nutmeg) in a large bowl. Add in peaches and pears and toss to coat. Combine soy milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla and add to dry ingredients. Stir just until dry ingredients are absorbed. Spread in loaf pan and bake about 1 hr or until top springs back when touched.

Bibimbap!

My boyfriend is korean so during the past few years I've tried several korean dishes that i had never tasted before. My previous encounters with korean food had been limited to bulgogi (korean barbecued beef) and kimchi...actually, come to think of it I don't even know if i had kimchi before Mike came along! During one of our first visits to a korean restaurant, Mike ordered bibimbap for me, and i fell in love! It's basically short grain rice, piled high with cooked veggies and little bits of bulgogi, topped with an egg and doused with gochujang (korean chili paste). Yummy!

Cheddar Chive Buns

I haven't been in the mood to do any cooking or baking today, so instead I'm going to post one of my very favourite recipes. Well I guess its not so much a recipe as technique...
First, start out with a basic soft white bread recipe (or try whole wheat if you like); I use king arthur's White Bread 101 (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/recipe.jsp?recipe_id=R419). After mixing the dough, turn it out onto your working surface and use a metal scraper to "chop" in grated cheddar cheese and either chopped chives or scallions. Place little clumps of the dough into muffin tins and proof before baking. I can't wait to try this with all different kinds of cheeses and add-ins...sundried tomatoes, olives....yum!

ole!

Red Chile Chicken and Rice with Black Beans (adapted from Rick Bayless)
2 tbsp olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
salt
3 tbsp ancho chile powder
1 med red onion
1 cup rice, rinsed
3 minced garlic cloves
1 3/4 c low sodium chicken broth
1 can (15 oz) drained & rinsed black beans
1/4 c sliced green onions
1/4 c chopped cilantro

guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, cheddar cheese for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Heat oil over medium high heat in a medium dutch oven or pot. Season chicken breasts with salt and 1 tbsp of ancho chile powder. Place the chicken in pan and brown on both sides (will not be cooked through); remove to plate to cool. Meanwhile add the onions, garlic and rice to the pot and cook until onions are translucent and rice is opaque. Cut chicken into one-inch pieces and add it back to the pot along with the broth, and black beans. Cover and bake in the oven about 30 minutes or until rice has absorbed liquid and is tender. Stir in scallions and cilantro and serve.

I just got back from a little food shopping and thought i'd share these pics! Don't know how they taste, but they sure look pretty! Now if only I had an unlimited food budget...

Blackberry Bundt Cake

My grandma has a beautiful garden that produces hoards of blackberries in the summer and whenever we visit she kindly sends us home with some cute little baskets full. Those blackberries have been hiding out in my freezer since the summer, so i figured today was the day to put them to use.
I came across a recipe on recipezaar for a blueberry bundt cake that looked promising, so i just switched out the blueberries for blackberries. It seemed a little different from the other recipes because it called for separating the eggs and beating the whites with sugar before folding them into the batter.




I haven't tasted it yet, but will report back with the family's reviews tomorrow =)
http://www.recipezaar.com/97187

First post...eek! Well, i guess i'll let everyone know a little bit about myself...i'm a 21 year old gal living in Vancouver, BC. I work as a baker in a small coffee shop mixing up muffins, cookies, and the like. I went to baking and pastry school earlier this year and am starting this blog as a way to keep track of recipes and start trying more new ones!

Anyhoo, enough about me...on to bagels. I tried King Arthur flour's recipe for homemade bagels a little while ago, and they turned out amazing. It's going to be pretty tough to eat store bought again! I made half with sesame seeds and half with cheddar cheese on top, but poppy seeds, onion flakes or even just a bit of coarse salt would be equally wonderful.
You can find the recipe here http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/recipe.jsp?recipe_id=R242