Pillsbury Orangesicle and Key Lime! (Giveaway)

The winner of the Pillsbury Funfetti Giveaway who will be receiving an array of Funfetti cake mix and colorful frostings and a $50 gift card is commenter #14  Katie H. Congratulations Katie! Please email me with your mailing address.  

For everyone else, you have another chance to win below. Keep reading to see how!

Pillsbury has introduced new seasonal flavors just in time for warmer weather- Orangesicle and Key Lime! I was so excited to see these fresh and bright new flavors on the grocery store shelves because I am a citrus lover and so is my mom. She would put orange flavoring in everything if she could :-). Pillsbury kindly sent me a package consisting of Orangesicle and Key Lime cake mix, cookie mix and creamy frostings. I wanted to make a special cake for my mom, so I chose to bake the Orangesicle cake mix first. 

My mom is not a huge fan of frosting so I wanted to make a recipe that was simple and fuss-free, but bursting with orange flavor. And because chocolate and orange compliment each other so well, I added in a healthy handful of mini chips in the batter and on top. This cake smelled so good baking in the oven! When I tasted it, I was expecting it to taste like I was biting into a fresh orange, but it didn't. It tasted just like an Orangesicle, just like the box promised! It had a mellow orange and creamy vanilla taste and was so moist. Delicious. I still need to whip up a batch of key lime cupcakes and I'm so looking forward to it. 

Pillsbury is celebrating Spring with these new flavors in order to make your everyday occasions even more special. I started thinking about ways I could do the same with my family. I've been so busy in the kitchen baking and trying to wrap up this cookbook venture that once I'm done we're heading out on a picnic! I'm going to get Hayden to help me whip up a batch of Pillsbury cookie sandwiches (he's becoming a pro at working the KitchenAid!) then we're going to enjoy some fresh air and play at the park. I can already hear his giggles as he goes down the slide. The whole idea behind this celebration is to spend time together, relish in everyday moments and enjoy premium baked goodies. Thank you Pillsbury for helping us make lasting memories!

Orangesicle Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake

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• 1 box (15.25 oz) Pillsbury Orangesicle Premium Cake Mix
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan and set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, sour cream, eggs, oil and juice. Beat til all the ingredients are well mixed; about 2 minutes. 

Using a rubber spatula, stir in the mini chocolate chips. 

Scrape batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan before serving. 

Pillsbury wants you to join in on all the citrusy fun. They are generously offering one lucky reader a Summer Seasonal Celebration Kit including: Pillsbury Moist Supreme Orangesicle and Key Lime Premium Cake Mix, Pillsbury Orangesicle and Key Lime Premium Cookie Mix, Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Orangesicle and Key Lime Frosting as well as a $50 Visa or American Express Gift Card (total value ($60). 

To enter the giveaway: 

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me which flavor you're most excited to try. Please be sure to leave an email for me to contact you if you win.

2. For a second entry "Like" Pillsbury Baking on Facebook

3. For a third entry "Like" Lick The Bowl Good on Facebook. Leave a separate comment for each entry. 

A winner will be selected at random and announced by May 15, 2013. 

To learn more about Pillsbury's new fresh flavors please visit Pillsbury on Facebook. Also visit PillsburyBaking.com and Pillsbury on Pinterest. 

**The J.M. Smucker Company sent me free product samples and other compensation and asked me to promote it's new Orangesicle and Key Lime products. 

New IHOP Griddle Melts and a Giveaway!

I recently received an email asking if I'd like to try out the new Griddle Melts from IHOP. You better believe I did! I am a big fan of breakfast and breakfast sandwiches and these Griddle Melts not only looked delicious, they quite tasty as well. 

There are three Griddle Melt varieties to choose from. All are served with french fries, hash browns or fresh fruit. 

• Spinach, Roasted Pepper & Cheese
  Sautéed fresh spinach in a fluffy egg omelet topped with roasted red peppers and onions, melted Provolone, Parmesan and Pepper Jack cheeses on grilled artisan sourdough bread. 
• Western
  Smoked ham and sautéed peppers and onions in a classic omelet, topped with sliced ham, melted American cheese and served on grilled artisan sourdough bread. 
• Ham & Egg Melt
  Sliced ham and melted Swiss and American cheeses over a fluffy egg omelet served on grilled artisan sourdough bread. 

I chose the ham and egg melt and it was stuffed with multiple layers of ham, egg omelet and two kinds of cheese- Swiss and American. The thick sourdough was buttery and toasty and tasted fresh. I'm not a huge fan of American cheese and would have preferred Cheddar, but it was good. Everyone at the table got a taste and we all seemed to like it, but my mother-in-law thought it was a little salty. If you're sensitive to salt, keep that in mind. 

If you like omelets and breakfast sandwiches, these are for you. Between the three varieties, there is something for everyone for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Which one would  you chose?

Would you like to try an IHOP Griddle Melt for yourself? 

Simply leave me a comment on this post telling me which of the three varieties of Griddle Melts you would like to try and you could win a $25 IHOP giftcard. One comment per person please. 

I'll chose a winner at random and announce it here on Lick The Bowl Good on Thursday, February 28th. 

This post is sponsored by IHOP. I was provided with gift cards to try the new Griddle Melts but I was not paid to write this post nor did they influence my opinion. 

Festive Muffins for Eating and Sharing

I promised you all another eggnog recipe, and here it is! Only this one uses real eggnog and is enhanced with rum extract and nutmeg to heighten the eggnog flavor throughout the muffins. And nothing says its the holidays more than eggnog and cranberries nestled together in a spicy crumb topped  muffin. There's freshly ground nutmeg in the muffin, as well as cinnamon and more nutmeg in the topping. They're warm and spicy, then you get a tart little bite of the bright cranberry. They're moist and tender, then crumbly and crunchy. Delicious and perfect when eaten with an eggnog spiced hot coffee. 

I've made these a couple of times now, tweaking along the way until I was happy with them and now I'm sharing with you...and the neighbors. I made a fresh batch yesterday morning to take to the neighbors on either side of us. They usually bring over my favorite pecan butter balls and tins of still-warm-from-the-oven gingerbread. I love eating homemade baked goods, that I didn't have to labor over, don't you? So whether you choose to make these for yourself on Christmas morning or as gifts, keep in mind that this recipe only makes 9 muffins, which might be a good thing, if you can't seem to put down the cookies and need portion control (like me). 

Cranberry Eggnog Crumb Muffins from Monica h

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For the crumb topping:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

For the muffins:

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup eggnog
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
• 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cranberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Line 9 muffin cups with paper liners.  

To make the crumb topping: In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir to combine. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until a coarse, sandy mixture forms. Refrigerate the mixture, while you make the muffin batter. 

To make the muffins: In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, melted butter, egg, eggnog, vanilla and rum extract. Stir until well combined.  

Add flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg to the wet ingredients and stir just until incorporated.  The batter may appear thick and dry, once you add the cranberries, it will loosen up a bit. Fold the chopped cranberries into the batter, but do not overmix. 

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin liners, filling them about two thirds of the way full.

Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly on top of the muffin batter.

  

Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or a until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  

Makes 9 muffins. 

I have one more festive recipe for you, so I'll be back in a couple days. Happy Wednesday! 

Chocolate and Gingerbread- They Just Go Together

Happy New Year! I know we're already one week into the new year, but this is my first post in 2012 and it's a good one. Usually on New Year's Eve, we are at home, watching the ball drop, drinking sparkling apple cider and sharing a kiss or two...with family. Party animals we are not! We don't like crowds and we don't drink much so we opt to stay home- it's cheaper and safer that way. This year was a little different though. My mom suggested we have a small get together at our house and it sounded like a good idea since we spent Thanksgiving at my in-laws and aunt's houses and my mom's for Christmas dinner.

Hayden and Mr. H posing next to one of the Christmas decorations. He looks so darn cute in those overalls!

It was a simple gathering and everyone brought a dish or two including the traditional black eyed peas, 7-layer dip, pork tenderloin sliders, crudite and dip, chocolate fondue and this chocolate gingerbread. It was a feast and no one went hungry. Ever had chocolate gingerbread? Ever heard of it? I hadn't. A couple weeks ago I was craving gingerbread, which is a rarity, because I tend to not like the stuff. In fact, the only gingerbread I've ever really liked is the one from Souper Salads and it comes from a mix (sad but true). I even went as far as buying ground ginger and molasses then the neighbor came over with a loaf as a Christmas gift so I didn't make any. It was good but I kept thinking it was missing something. That something was chocolate! I consulted Mr. Google and came across a few good looking cakes and they all pointed back to this recipe from Martha.

Autumn, Mr. H and Hayden- Hayden is wearing his daddy's Christmas outfit from 31 years ago. It was a little long, but it fit!

It is a simple recipe and it came together rather quickly. It baked up while Hayden and I showered together and when we got out, the house smelled divine. It doesn't look like much, mostly because it's brown on brown, but it was delicious. The cocoa adds a nice dimension to it, almost like a spiced chocolate cake but not as rich and decadent, afterall it's still bread. It's moist and tender, spicy and warm from the molasses, cinnamon, ginger and pumpkin pie spice and the chocolate chips add a bit of sweetness. I will definitely make this again. And if you like gingerbread and want something different, give this one a try. Heck, if you don't like gingerbread, try adding chocolate and see what happens. You might just change your mind.

Chocolate Gingerbread adapted from Martha Stewart

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• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
• 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish or spray with non-stick spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour, ginger, pumpkin-pie spice, cinnamon and baking soda and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together butter, brown sugar, molasses, egg, and sour cream until smooth. Add flour mixture and stir just until moistened, being careful not to overmix. Stir in chocolate chips. Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Once cooled, cut into 16 squares and serve from directly from dish.

Yum!

Reaching Into The Archives

I'm reaching into the archives today for this recipe. I made this bread back in August of last year and forgot to post it, then winter came along and it didn't seem very seasonal to share then and it just got lost in the shuffle. And since zucchini is plentiful at the moment, it just seemed like a good time to share this with you. I'm sure many of you have recipes that are backlogged....right? Please tell me I'm not the only one! I hope not, because there are more where this one came from.

Now that doesn't mean that I haven't been busy in the kitchen, because I have. In the past couple weeks, I made almond jam bars for a friend, chewy coconut lime cookies (that I'll share soon!), Mr. H's grandmother's homemade vanilla ice cream, and today I made a rustic apple pie with a secret ingredient. I'll share all of those recipes in due time, but today it's about a simple tea bread flecked with vibrant orange and green veggies- carrots and zucchini.

The original recipe was for two loaves of bread so I cut it in half to make one. It also called for a handful of candied ginger, but since I'm not a fan of the sweet heat, I left it out. Please feel free to include it in your loaf if that's what you fancy. I liked this bread because it was simple in flavor, not too sweet, and had a nice texture thanks to the shredded veg. Just like carrot cake or other zucchini breads, the carrots and zucchini add a healthful aspect and moisture without tasting like you're eating vegetables. It would be a nice addition to a bread basket, great with coffee or tea and a breakfast treat you don't have to feel guilty about. This would make great muffins too.

Carrot Zucchini Bread adapted from Baking With Lisa Printer Friendly Version

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
• 1/4 cup minced candied ginger, optional
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coarsely grated carrots
• 1/2 cup coarsely grated zucchini

Preheat the oven to 325F. Grease an 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda. Whisk in the salt and candied ginger, if using.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until light and foamy. Add the canola oil, sugar, and vanilla, whisking hard until well combined. With a rubber spatula, stir in the carrots and zucchini.

Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir/fold until just blended. Pour mixture into prepared loaf pan.

Bake for about 1 hour, until the loaf is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then unmold onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Makes 1 loaf.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

Purple, Green and Blue

When I see the contrasting colors of purple and green together they immediately remind me of my two sons' birthstones- Amethyst and Peridot. I did not make this bread because blueberries are purple and zucchini is green, but rather because I like the two flavors baked into sweet quick breads. I've never had the two together, but I really liked it and the crumble sent it over the top. Besides having fruit and veggies baked into one thing, topped with oatmeal, actually convinced me I was eating something healthy. I printed the recipe awhile back and didn't note where I got it from. I tried googling it to find it's origin with no such luck. If this is your recipe, let me know and I'll give you proper credit.

I also wanted to share with you a little about the "secret" anniversary trip Mr. H and I took this past weekend. We spent 5 nights and 4 days in New Jersey. What the heck in is New Jersey you might be asking yourself? Well my new found miracle of a doctor is there. On Friday morning I had abdominal surgery. We didn't take this trip for romantic reasons, but because we're trying to save our family. I am 12 weeks pregnant. If you'll recall, I've had 2 second trimester pregnancy losses in 2006 and 2007. We've been trying to conceive for the past 2 years and in December it finally happened. I didn't find out til January 15th and I've been keeping a secret from you all, not because I didn't want you all to know, but because I was scared.

The procedure I had was for placement of a Trans-Abdominal Cerclage (TAC). I have an incompetent cervix, which means that my cervix gives out and dilates under the weight of a growing baby, thus causing me to go into labor too early. Generally a cerclage is a stitch that is sewn through your cervix to keep it shut. But for me, it didn't work. This cerclage (TAC) was much more invasive and I had to have my abdomen cut open to have it done. The procedure is done much like a c-section, except that the baby is still growing inside my uterus and there wasn't a stitch placed through my cervix. This time a Mersilene band was tied tightly around my cervix just beneath the uterus. As the baby grows, the weight will be supported by this band. It's a permanent fixture in my body and this baby, as well as any in the future will be delivered via cesarean.

So the title of this post suggest that I have two heavenly babies with birthstone colors of purple and green and another miracle baby on the way due in September with a birthstone of Blue Sapphire. The colors in this bread reminds me all 3 of them. The TAC is 98-99% successful so we are optimistically hopeful that we will bringing a live baby home with us in a few months. We've waiting this for this for years and our time has finally come. That's also part of the reason that I've been so quiet lately. I really was sick for a while there, but the rest was from lack of appetite and energy. I am recovering at home now and will be for the next few weeks, but I promise to keep you all updated as I learn about the status of our growing and thriving baby. In the meantime, we are doing just fine and taking it one day at a time. I thank you all for the support you've shown me and I ask that you keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We know that we are not in the clear and I certainly do not take this pregnancy for granted. If anything, I realize how precious life really is because of the loss of our boys. I just want this time to be different.

Blueberry Zucchini Crumble Bread

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For the Crumb Topping:

• 6 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 cup oatmeal
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. cold butter

For the Bread:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup blueberries

To make the topping: In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and oatmeal. Using your fingers, blend the butter into the other ingredients until well mixed. Mixture will be crumbly but should stick together in clumps when you squeeze it. Set aside.

To make the bread: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9"x5" loaf pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with a whisk until slightly foamy. Add the oil, sugar and vanilla to the beaten eggs, and mix til well blended. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet until well incorporated, but do not overmix.

Using a spatula, fold in the grated zucchini and blueberries. Stir by hand until thoroughly combined but try and not break up the blueberries.

Sprinkle a 1/3 of the crumble mixture into the bottom of the greased and floured loaf pan. Carefully pour the batter into the pan and evenly sprinkle the remaining crumble topping over the batter. It's okay to have some some larger pieces of crumble on top of the bread.

Place the pan into a preheated oven and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes in pan before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

And now for the winners of the Frame By Frame Baking Cookbook Giveaway!

#40- Becky and #62- LeAnne!

Congrats ladies! I'll email for your addresses. Enjoy the books!

Cranberry Orange Bliss: A Two-fer

I hope you all had a peaceful holiday full of family, friends, fun and food! There was a lot of cooking and preparing on my end, but once the festivities began, I was able to relax a bit. I hope the same was for you. We had family over (a total of 17) for Christmas Brunch over at my mom's house. It's the first time we've ever done brunch for this holiday and I have to say, it was a nice change to the usual turkey and ham- though I love that too.

Since I was so pressed for time this year, I wasn't able to make the dozens of cookies that I am known to make. I was a little bummed about it because I had such grand plans conjured up in my head, but all I was able to crank out of my kitchen for gifts was this bread. But it's a fabulous bread, so that's okay. This recipe comes straight from the Cranberry people themselves- Ocean Spray. That just goes to show that the recipes on the back of the bag deserve to be made- they're there for a reason. I tripled this recipe and made 2 loaves for my neighbors and I froze one to share with the family at Christmas brunch. This recipe also makes really great and addictive muffins. The fresh orange flavor really shines through and it's low in fat. Shhhh....I won't tell if you don't.

I bought this stoneware wreath mold from Williams-Sonoma last December at their after Christmas sale. I got it on clearance for about $9, but I never used it until this past Thanksgiving when I made the classic molded cranberry sauce from their website. It really was delicious, but my family kept calling it "fancy Jello", which irked me a bit 'cause it took a lot longer to make than Jello. I could have just made the boxed stuff for ease, but this was SO much better! Eh, I'll get over it :-) If you don't have a mold, you can just use a bowl or a small bundt pan, but do make it. Also excellent on leftover turkey sandwiches.

P.S. If you're interested, I did a guest post on Maranda's blog, Jolts & Jollies. If you haven't been over there before, you need to check her out, because she has a lot to offer! Go HERE.

Cranberry Orange Bread from Ocean Spray

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• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in orange juice, orange peel, shortening and egg. Mix until well blended.

Stir in cranberries and nuts, if using. Spread evenly in loaf pan.

Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. Wrap and store overnight.

Makes 1 loaf (16 slices)

Molded Cranberry Orange Sauce from Williams-Sonoma

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• 1 lb. fresh cranberries
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbs. sugar
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 2/3 cup fresh orange juice
• Pinch of salt
• 2/3 cup plus 2 Tbs. cold water
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin

Lightly coat the inside of a ceramic cranberry mold with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cranberries, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, salt and the 2/3 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the cranberries have burst, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour the 2 Tbs. water into a small bowl and sprinkle with the gelatin. Let stand until the gelatin softens and swells, 5 to 10 minutes.

Spoon 1/2 cup of the juices from the cranberries into the gelatin and stir until the gelatin has dissolved. Pour the gelatin mixture into the cranberry mixture and stir to combine.

Pour the cranberry mixture into the prepared mold and let cool to room temperature. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to overnight.

To unmold, dip the mold into a large bowl of warm water so the water reaches almost to the rim of the mold. Remove from the water and run a small paring knife or spatula around the inside of the mold to loosen it. Place a serving platter upside down on top of the mold, invert the platter and mold together and shake gently. Then lift off the mold.

Serves 12 to 16.

NOTE: I pureed, then strained the cranberry mixture before adding it to the gelatin, for a smoother texture.

On a side note, this is my most favorite gift that I received this year from my hubby. Actually, it was my favorite gift from anyone. It's special to me, because he made them with his own two talented hands. They're made with black walnut, cherry and maple woods. Ahhh, LOVE.

Hope you have a safe weekend. Happy New Year!

Breakfast In A Cup and A Winner!

It has been a loooong stressful week. My mom had back surgery on Monday and I've been tending to her needs for several days. Luckily she doesn't live too far, but it's hard to help her out the way I want/need to as well as live my own life. She is recovering and doing very well...it only takes time!

There are a lot of things I have yet to do. I try and do one little thing a day, so I don't get overwhelmed, but the boys' Christmas tree still isn't decorated. There are boxes stacked up in our living room and presents need to be wrapped. I haven't started my holiday baking or sent out Christmas cards (eeek!), and things keep piling up. On top of that, there's friction between my sister and I over something stupid. All this led to a minor meltdown on Tuesday and Ingrid got to hear all about it. Thanks for listening my friend :-)

There's just not enough time in my day and the holidays are fast approaching. That's where this meal comes in. It's an all-in-one breakfast in a cup. You have toast, eggs, bacon and cheese all wrapped up into one. They're cute and delicious and come together in a matter of minutes. They're perfect for breakfast any day of the week as well as a simple supper, when you're too tired to do anything else. I baked these in a ramekin, but I'm pretty sure they'd work well in a muffin tin. Get creative and have fun.

Bacon, Egg, and Toast Cups adapted from One Ordinary Day

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Makes 2 servings

• 4 slices whole wheat bread, crusts removed
• 4 eggs
• 4 slices bacon, cooked or uncooked
• shredded Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter four ramekins and set aside.

While oven is warming, fry bacon slices in a pan until partially cooked, but not crispy (if using precooked bacon skip this step). Remove from pan and drain on paper towel.

Meanwhile, butter the insides of 4 ramekins and cut crusts from 4 slices of bread. Gently press the bread slices into the ramekins.

Place the bacon slice inside the bread, creating a well for the egg. Sprinkle a small amount of shredded cheese in the center of each bread cup.

Crack an egg into the center of each bread cup. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Cook for 10-15, to your desired level of doneness. Pop toast cups out of ramekins to serve.

And the winner of the Tate's Bake Shop cookies and cookbook is...

Andrew's Mom!

Congratulations sweetie! Email your address and they'll be shipped right out to you.

Breaking Bread & Finlandia Cheese Winners

Once upon a time, I disliked banana bread. I mean, I ate it if it was the only thing around and I was desperate, but it was certainly not my first, second or tenth choice. ha! There's just something about concentrated banana flavor that turned me off. And artificial banana flavor, like banana taffy- double gag! But one day, Dawn of Vanilla Sugar turned that around for me. She shared a recipe on her blog that made me question my strong dislike for banana bread. Ya'll her recipe was GOOD!

The original recipe is no longer on her blog for some reason, so I can't link back to that particular post, but I'm sure you'll find lots of other yummies over there. The first time I made this banana bread, I added mini chocolate chips and it was delicious. For something different, I added cinnamon chips and topped it with cinnamon sugar before baking. When it came out of the oven it was crackly and crunchy on top and soft and moist in the inside with the added pop of melty cinnamon chips.

I doubled this recipe, made one large loaf and 4 smaller loaves to share with the neighbors. My thought was to try to make friends with the neighbors that we didn't know so well and really I don't think any of them really gave a flip. But at least I made the effort, which is more than I can say for them! Anyway, despite the lack of enthusiasm from my neighbors, I think you should make this bread. Don't feel compelled to add anything to this bread, it's just as delicious plain, but chopped nuts or a caramel swirl wouldn't hurt anything either. Trust me, this banana bread is perfection.

Cinnamon Chip Banana Bread adapted from Mama Dip and HERE

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• 1/2 cup shortening (not butter*)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
• 3 tbsp. sour cream
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup cinnamon chips
• 2 tbsp. cinnamon sugar for topping, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl with an electric mixer or a spoon, cream shortening and sugar together. Beat in eggs one at a time; then add mashed bananas, sour cream, and lemon juice.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, then fold in cinnamon chips.

Pour into greased and floured 9x5x3 loaf pan. Sprinkle with about 2 Tablespoons (use as much or as little as you want). Bake for 60 minutes.

NOTE: If your bread is getting too dark, loosely cover bread with foil. I did this for the last 15 minutes of baking time.

*Don't be tempted to use butter instead of shortening in this banana bread. It's what makes this recipe different.

_______________________________________________

Oh and for the winners of the Finlandia Cheese giveaway...

#23 Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod

and

#31 Leeann from Join The Gossip

Congrats ladies! Please email me with your addresses so I can send out your coupons for free Finlandia cheese!