Giveaway and Review of Breakfast for Dinner-- Banana Bread Cake with Chocolate Peanut Butter Glaze

**Giveaway closed** The winner is Coleen--Congratulations! :) Thank you to everyone who entered!

Lindsay Landis and her husband Taylor Hackbarth author the blog Love and Olive Oil. I have been following their site for quite sometime and love it. Last year, Lindsay published The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook and now her and Taylor are back with Breakfast for Dinner. The concept is great: Everyone loves breakfast but rarely has time in the mornings to enjoy it--so why not have it for dinner? Breakfast for Dinner has a wonderful variety of breakfast items turned into dinner items and dinner items that are given a breakfast twist. Each recipe is accompanied with a photo--which makes me love this cookbook even more!

I thought I would share a few different photos of a few recipes included in the cookbook (the next 4 photos are pictures that I took of the photos in the cookbook):

Andouille Shrimp and Grits

Blood Orange Mimosa Sorbet

Espresso Baked Beans

White Chocolate and Blueberry Tart

After receiving my copy I couldn’t stop bookmarking recipes! I had a difficult time deciding which recipe to make first as I went back and forth between making the strawberry and basil shortcakes, breakfast sausage ravioli, or banana bread bundt cake. I finally decided on the the banana bread bundt cake but decided to half the recipe since only Russell and I would be eating it (and goodness knows we don’t need a whole cake to ourselves). I also baked the cake in a loaf pan. It was wonderful!  

Lindsay and Taylor took their favorite banana bread recipe and turned it into a decadent cake. They add chocolate chips to the banana bread and then top it with a chocolate and peanut butter glaze--it doesn’t get much better than that!

***Giveaway***--I am also giving away a copy of Breakfast for Dinner! To enter, leave a comment below telling me what your favorite breakfast food is or why you would like to win a copy of Breakfast for Dinner. 

One entry per person, U.S. residents and APO addresses only (will ship via USPS flat rate box or envelop). Commenting will close at 12 midnight central time on Sunday, February 17th, 2013. One winner will be selected at random using Random.org. Please be sure to include your e-mail address when asked to (it will not be published) so that I can contact you if you are the winner! 

Banana Bread Bundt Cake with Chocolate Peanut Butter Glaze

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Ingredients:

Cake:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 3 very ripe banana, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups mashed)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Glaze:

• 3 ounces (1/2 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray or butter a 12-cup bundt pan and dust with flour. Shake out any excess flour.

In a medium sized bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping the bowl between each one. Stir in the mashed banana and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture in 3 different additions, alternating with 2 additions of milk. Mix until incorporated and fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into bundt pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool. Once pan is cool enough to handle, invert pan over wire rack.

To make the glaze, heat the chocolate and cream in a small sauce pan over low heat. Add peanut butter and stir until well combined. Let cool until glaze has thickened slightly. Pour over cake.

Source: Breakfast for Dinner by Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth

Disclosure: I was given two copies of Breakfast for Dinner by Quirk Books publishing to review. All opinions are my own. Of the two books I was given, I am giving one of them away to one lucky reader!

Cranberry-Orange Scones

Sorry for the absence in December and this month. Russell, Jake, and I drove down to Alabama in early December to enjoy the holidays with our families. I planned several things to share with you while we were on vacation, but once we got there I decided to take a short break and enjoy the time with our families instead. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years. We certainly did! 

I know that I have posted several recipes in the last couple of months using cranberries but they are so wonderful I just can’t help it. I have been using them in everything. They are technically out of season, although you might be able to find them at a few places. If you are like me you probably have a few bags hanging out in the freezer to hold you over until you can find them again.

I have followed Bridget’s blog, The Way the Cookie Crumbles, for as long as I can remember. I bookmark just about everything she posts, but the scone recipes that she shares are always a favorite of mine. Scones are pretty simple to make and can be made ahead of time and frozen for later. That way when I want something for breakfast, but don’t feel like cooking, I can just bake a few!

The combination of cranberries with orange or lemon is one of my favorite. I used tangerines in this recipe because that is what I had on hand. While the orange flavor was there, I think it would be more apparent had I used oranges instead of tangerines. Either way, these were wonderful. This recipe makes 8 fairly large scones. If you are baking these straight from the freezer, just be sure to add a few minutes to the baking time. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did! 

Also, if you are looking for other scone recipes, these grapefruit honey yogurt scones are also a crowd pleaser!

Cranberry-Orange Scones

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Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups cranberries, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup + 3 Tablespoons white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
• 6 Tablespoons, very cold butter, cubed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. 

In a small bowl, toss cranberries with 3 tablespoons sugar, set aside.

In a small bowl, beat together egg and egg yolk. Stir in cream.

In the bowl of a food processor, add 1/2 sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. Pulse to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 

Transfer flour mixture to a large bowl. Gently stir cranberries into the flour mixture. Using a spatula, fold the cream mixture into the flour until just combined. 

On a well-floured surface, shape the dough into an 8-inch circle, about 1-inch in thickness. Using a pastry cutter, cut the dough into 8 wedges. Place each wedge on the prepared baking sheet and bake for approximately 15-20  minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Source: The Way the Cookie Crumbles

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Gingerbread House

(front)

For some reason I got the crazy idea to make a gingerbread house completely from scratch. I had been thinking about it for a couple of weeks, but when I saw Coleen’s post (from The Redhead Baker) about making a gingerbread house, I finally decided I was going to make one as well. 

Coleen did such a wonderful job with her gingerbread house that she got an honorable mention in a local gingerbread contest. She made hers into a bakery and she even put cakes in the windows--how cute is that?! I knew mine wouldn’t be as great as Coleen’s but this was my first time making one and I think it turned out pretty well!

(back)

 I used King Arthur Flour’s gingerbread recipe as well as their template. I will definitely use their gingerbread recipe again next year. Their template was very helpful, and if I decide to make the same style gingerbread house next year I will probably use it again. No matter what template you use, I recommend you remeasure after printing to ensure everything is the size it is supposed to be--I had to make a few adjustments to mine. 

I decorated the sides of my gingerbread house before putting everything together--which I think is much easier than decorating it after the house is constructed. I also used jolly ranchers to make my windows. I “glued” them to the inside of the wall and let them set overnight. 

I thought the windows were especially pretty when the light hit them. I also made a pond/stream using jolly ranchers and a bridge made with graham crackers to go over the pond. 

For the trees, I used upside down ice cream cones. I colored some of the icing green and then used a the back of a spoon to get the “leaf” like texture.

I tried putting some cotton candy at the top of the chimney to give it a smokey effect, but decided that I liked it better without. I used Mike Ike’s to make the path to the door and the bridge. I also used Gobstoppers on top of the house and all around it as well. Overall I had a wonderful time putting it together and will definitely be making another next year!

Gingerbread Recipe:

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Ingredients: 

• 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine brown sugar and molasses. 

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, add the buttermilk and butter. Heat until butter is melted. Add the buttermilk mixture to the brown sugar mixture. Beat in the egg. 

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Slowly add an additional 1 cup of flour at a time until mixture comes together and you have a smooth, stiff dough. Divide the dough in half. Place each half in a large gallon size ziploc bag.

Roll the dough in the ziploc bag until it is flattened. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Remove one of the bags of dough from the refrigerator. Divide the dough in two pieces and return one of the pieces back to the refrigerator. 

Lightly flour a large piece of parchment paper to roll your dough out on. 

Roll the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick being sure to roll your dough as evenly as possible. Using your template, cut out your house pieces. You will need:

• 2 long side walls with windows or doors cut out
• 2 end walls
• 2 roof panels
• Any other pieces you might want, such as chimney, people, trees etc.

Repeat with the remaining dough until you have all the pieces you need. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, run a spatula under the pieces to free them from the baking sheet. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.

Royal Icing:

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons meringue powder
• About 4 cups (1 lb.) of powdered sugar
• 4-6 Tablespoons of water

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat for approximately 5 minutes. For stiffer icing, use a little less water. For thinner icing, use a little more water.

To assemble your gingerbread house:

You will need a large stiff board to have as the “foundation” for your house. Pipe a generous amount of icing along the bottom of one of your long wall pieces. Place it on your board and either hold it there for a few minutes or use something to help prop it up. Pipe more icing along the back of the wall piece to help reinforce it. Next pipe icing on the bottom and side of an end wall. Attach it to the previous wall.

Repeat with the remaining wall pieces until you have a 4 wall-house structure.

For the roof, pipe icing along the end pieces and across the top of the long side wall. Place roof panel on icing. Pipe additional icing on the inside, as needed, to help reinforce the structure. To prevent the rood piece from sliding, use an object to help hold it up while it is drying. Wait at least an hour before repeating with the other roof piece.

After your house has been assembled, decorate as you wish! :)

A few other things:

• I used a plastic squeeze condiment bottle to pipe my icing while I was assembling it. It made it very easy! To keep the icing from drying out while I wasn’t using it, I just put plastic wrap underneath the top and then screwed the top back on. (I found mine at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, but here is a similar one from Amazon)

• I used cookie cutters from a set similar to this one for the windows.

• In addition to the King Arthur link listed below, I also found this post on gingerbread houses from Simply recipes helpful.

Sources: Gingerbread Recipe: King Arthur Flour, Royal Icing: Wilton

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Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls {Guest post by Christy from My Invisible Crown}

Last week I guest posted homemade peppermint patties over at My Invisible Crown and today Christy is guest posting over here. As I said last week, Christy and I quickly became friends bonding  over many things, one of which was Alabama football :). Today she is sharing cranberry orange sweet rolls that look absolutely fantastic. If you remember my cranberry-lemon squares, you’ll remember my love of all things cranberry--so these are right up my alley! These would be wonderful to have for breakfast on Christmas morning. Like Christy, I was somewhat nervous to use yeast for the first time but I promise it is not as intimidating as it seems!

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Hi!  I'm Christy from My Invisible Crown and I'm guest posting today for my sweet friend Heather.  I'm semi-new to the blogging world and Heather was one of the first people I met when I started...I couldn't be happier.  We haven't met yet in person, but I know we'll be life long friends.  And we do actually have plans to meet soon when she comes to Alabama next!  

I'm also from Alabama (I guess that was obvious?).  I live here with my husband who's from New Orleans and three kids.  My blog is mostly about food...I love it so!  But you'll occasionally find the random fashion piece or decorating post. Pop over when you get a chance and visit with me a bit?

I'm sharing today Yeasted Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls for a  couple of reasons.  On My Invisible Crown I'm almost obsessed with festive, holiday foods and also because what's better than cranberry and orange together?  I made these cranberry orange almond cookies and knew they'd be perfect in a warm, sweet, yeasty roll.  Yum!

Cranberries start showing up in the grocery stores in early November and go away after the holiday season.  For that reason I stock up.  Every time I go to the store, I buy 2 or 3 bags and stick them in my freezer and I have them all year long.  I even use them in my holiday decorating.  You can see some examples here.  They freeze better than any other fruit and I never know the difference.  I grab a bag from the freezer, throw them in my food processor and beat them up a little before putting them in this recipe so there are some whole pieces and then some bits, too.

This is a double recipe so you can make these cranberry orange rolls and then another variety of your choice.  They're wonderful as blueberry lemon or cinnamon or even a dinner roll since the base dough isn't sweet yet.  Take your pick.

I was always intimidated by yeasted breads for some reason.  If you're like me, don't worry.  This is really an easy recipe.  You mix a few ingredients together, cover the bowl and let it rise for an hour, add flour and combine and divide.  Putting half in your fridge for another use and rolling out the other half to make your rolls.  Top with lots of butter, this fun orange perfumed sugar and the cranberries and roll them up!  Slice and bake!  One thing though.  You're supposed to let them sit on the counter for about 20 minutes once they're in the pan so they rise a little more.  I forgot with these so they aren't as sky high as I like.  They taste amazing but don't forget that last step!  Also another tip, if you don't already use aluminum free baking powder, you should get some.  The aluminum can contribute to a "tinny" taste and it also will throw off the color in things with red or especially blue fruits and we can't have that!

When halving your dough you get about a 9x13 size pan plus about another small 9 inch cake pan full.  You can use any size dimensions you like.  This is just what I had. The printable version is below.

Yeasted Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls

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FOR THE DOUGH

• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 cup oil
• 2 (.25 ounces) active dry yeast
• 9 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 heaping tablespoon salt
• 1 scant teaspoon baking soda
• 1 heaping tablespoon aluminum free baking powder

FOR TOPPING

• 1 stick butter 
• 1 cup sugar
• zest from 2 oranges
• 4 cups fresh cranberries

FOR THE GLAZE

• juice from 2 oranges
• zest from 1 orange
• 5 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 ounces cream cheese, warmed in the microwave
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 2-3 cups confectioners sugar
• dash of salt

Directions:

Turn on your oven on a warming cycle or as low as it will go for about 5-10 minutes.  You want it just slightly warm inside.  Turn off heat.

In a heavy pot mix whole milk, 1 cup of sugar and oil over medium heat until bubbles begin to form on the edges.  

Turn off the heat and allow to cool down until it reaches 100-110 degrees.  That's slightly above warm to the touch.  (It's important, in my opinion, to use a thermometer.  I used a meat thermometer and it worked just fine.  You could use either candy or meat but you have to get it to the correct temp or the yeast won't activate properly.)

Sprinkle yeast over the top and let it sit for two minutes.

Add in 8 cups of flour and gently stir until combined. Cover with a dish towel and put inside your barely warm oven for 1 hour allowing your very sticky dough to rise.

Add additional cup of flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and stir to combine.

Half the dough, cover and refrigerate both portions.

Preheat your oven to 375 and butter your baking dishes.

Place half your whole cranberries in a food processor and pulse several times until they are broken into pieces but not minced.  You want large chunks.

Melt 1 stick of butter and set aside.

Take 1 cup of sugar and zest from one orange and rub together with your fingers.  This perfumes the sugar and distributes the oils.  (I use this technique any time I make anything with zest and sugar.)

On a flour surface, turn dough out and roll with a rolling pin into a long rectangle.  Approximately 30 inches long by 10 inches deep and fairly thin.  (I like mine fat and thick and high so I roll them thin but not as thin as I can get them.)

Pour the melted butter on top and rub to the edges with your fingers. Follow with the orange scented sugar, making sure all areas are covered well. Top with cranberries.  Make sure they're distributed evenly.

Beginning at the side furthest away from you and making sure there's a line of cranberries along that edge (this becomes the inside so you want cranberries all the way in the middle) begin rolling.  Starting at one end and going to the other and back rolling towards yourself until the whole thing is rolled into a long, tight log in front of you.  

Pinch the edges to make a seal and any holes that might have opened. Starting at one end, slice 1/2 inch thick sections and lay the slices, cut side down in your buttered baking dish. Allow to sit and rise for 20 minutes.

Place in your 375 degree oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown.  It's important to make sure they're a good golden brown to insure the insides and bottom are cooked through.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  They should be slightly warm when you begin to glaze so that the glaze reaches all the nooks and crannies but that they're not so hot that the glaze melts.

Add your orange juice, remaining zest from 1 orange, half and half, cream cheese, powdered sugar and dash of salt and whisk together well.  Taste and adjust if needed.  You want it to be sweet and fairly thick.  

Serve warm.

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman’s Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls

What's your favorite flavor combination?  Any good suggestions?  If you get a chance to make them, please stop by and let us know!  

Thank you so much Heather for letting me guest post for your readers and thanks to all of you for spending a little part of your day with us!  Have a happy holiday!

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Thank you Christy for guest posting! Be sure to check out Christy’s blog if you haven’t already! :)

Homemade Peppermint Patties {Guest post at My Invisible Crown}

Today I am guest posting over at My Invisible Crown. Christy is the blogger behind My Invisible Crown and lives in the south. We quickly bonded over all things Southern :) Her husband is from New Orleans and she has blogged some wonderful cajun food that I can’t wait to try: Crawfish Etouffee, Cajun Shrimp Salad, Crawfish Stuffed Poblano Peppers.

I have loved peppermint patties for as long as I can remember and finally decided to make some homemade. I promise they will not disappoint so head on over to My Invisible Crown to check it out!

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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We had a great stress-free Thanksgiving with just the three of us. It’s hard to believe that in just a few days it will be December. We are putting our tree up tonight and we have already finished shopping for Russell’s side of the family--hooray for being ahead this year! Now we just need to take our family picture for Christmas cards and we will really be in great shape :)

With December quickly approaching, I’m sure you will begin receiving invitations to Christmas parties, cookie swaps, and dirty santa exchanges. I already have two cookie swaps on my calendar. In preparation for the cookie swaps, I have made a couple batches of cookies and frozen them. This will make baking a few dozen cookies much easier as the cookie swap dates approach.

While I generally do not like nuts in my baked goods, the macadamia nuts in these cookies are an exception. White chocolate and macadamia nuts are perfect for each other. The flavor they create together is irresistible. These cookies would be great to bring to a cookie swap! *

Also, this past Friday, Meghan from The Tasty Fork featured me for her follow Friday feature. You should check it out if you get a chance!

*If you do decide to bring these to a cookie swap, please check with your host since these cookies contain nuts. Some prefer that you bring cookies without nuts and others just request that you label them properly. :)

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Printer-Friendly Version

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 3 1/2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt, set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter, shortening, sugars, vanilla, and egg until light and fluffy.

Slowly mix in flour mixture. Stir in white chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls on prepared baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Bake for approximately 11-13 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven and allow cookies to sit on baking sheet for 1-2 minutes. Remove cookies and cool completely on wire rack.

Source: Originally from Betty Crocker, as seen on Love and Olive Oil

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