Banana Bread with Oatmeal Cinnamon Streusel

This bread is how I became a blogger. It's an interesting story, actually. I have collected quite a line-up of food blogs that I visit on a regular basis. One of them is Heidi Bakes. This woman knows how to tempt me. When I saw this recipe on her blog early last summer, I decided I had to make it. Unfortunately, I made it wrong. Really wrong. As in, bread batter all over my oven, wrong.  Fortunately for me, she is a patient, encouraging and understanding woman. She returned my questioning e-mails and was full of concern, compassion and helpful hints to baking success.

French Fridays with Dorie: Savory Cheese and Chive Bread

Welcome back to French Fridays at FlavorSings. I've been absent from the group for a bit; I wasn't feeling inspired by the braised ribs, or the green beans. To be honest, I almost didn't make this recipe either. But I'm so glad I did. A quick bread didn't feel very French to me, and maybe I wanted more of a challenge--an adventure or a profound story to tell. There isn't one. This is as easy as it looks, but a thousand times more delicious than words could convey. This bread comes together like any coffee cake or banana bread you've made before. The big difference is the addition of olive oil, cheese and herbs to make a savory snack. I love how adaptable this can be to what you may have on hand. I used white cheddar and chives, but I'd like to try a Swiss and dill version of this, or maybe Parmesan and fresh basil when our garden gets started again. The texture is soft and moist and would show off any combination of flavors nicely.

Now that I think about it, sliced thinly, this bread might make an amazing grilled cheese sandwich. Because there is no such thing as too much cheese. A glass of white wine would be perfect with it, as would a bowl of soup. This bread is just waiting for ways to be used creatively. Don't forget to see how the other cooks over at French Fridays with Dorie did with their bread. I'm looking forward to seeing the variations and getting some fun ideas.

Cranberry-Cornmeal Quick Bread

  

It's been a while since I've shared one of my recipes with you. The baking/cooking groups are fun, but they've been monopolizing the real estate here, just a little bit. So here is a recipe of my own choosing, a recipe that I love dearly. I've made this bread for our Thanksgiving breakfast for the last two years and every time I taste it, I fall in love again. Meet a loaf of cornbread kissed with maple syrup and studded with toasted pecans and dried cranberries. I think it would look great on your kitchen table on Christmas morning.It would also be perfect for any breakfast from  September to February, as far as I'm concerned.

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Ribbon

Well, I've finally decided which of my pumpkin recipes I'm trying first. I went with pumpkin bread because I liked the idea of a little cream cheese tucked inside of these loaves. I love how the filling turned into Amazon smiles.  I promise this bread will make you smile, too, because it's easy and delicious.