Surprise Dessert Bread (Shhh...)

This recipe was sent via snail mail to me by my grandmother. She's been telling me about this "amazing dessert bread recipe" she came across and "was such a hit" with her dear friends down in Arizona that she encouraged me to test it out.

I was a little hesitant, for one reason and one reason only: the main ingredient.

BUT, after devouring and entire loaf basically to myself, I thought I'd share it with you.
Get ready to be surprised.
Here we go.

Ingredients:
    4 eggs
    3 Cups all-purpose flour
    2 Cups white sugar
    1 Cup vegetable oil
    1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
    1/2 tsp salt
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    1 tsp baking soda
    1/2 tsp baking powder
    1 Cup chopped walnuts
    and finally, the surprisingly secret ingredient: 1 (15 ounce) can of Pork & Beans

Yes, you read that correctly, I did say Pork & Beans.
Trust me, you'll be happily surprised.

Now, here's what to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 325 F. Grease & flour 2 bread loaf pans [preferably 9x5x3 inches].
2. Puree the can of undrained Pork & Beans in a food processor.

3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, flour, sugar, salt, oil, cinnamon, vanilla extract, baking soda & baking powder. After its mixed well, gently fold in nuts & pureed Pork & Beans. Divide batter evenly into 2 pans.

4. Bake for about 60 minutes, or until the bread tests done with a skewer.

Your house will probably start to smell cinnamon-y and delicious after 25 min of baking. My parents (the guinea pig's in the taste-test) thought I was making pumpkin bread. It smell THAT good!

Trust me, this dessert bread is delicious. You can have it with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream or have it for breakfast with a little butter. Either way, you won't believe how amazing it is!


xx

Pine State Infatuation

If you've been keeping up with the posts, or know me personally, you understand how much I love breakfast.  The last couple of times I've been down to Portland B took me to one of his favorite spots. I wasn't sure I was going to like it since I'm not much of a biscuit fan, but oh... these are no ordinary biscuits.  And Pine State Biscuits is no ordinary breakfast joint either.

Situated perfectly in the middle of Alberta in Northeast, this place is down right awesome.
There is always (and I literally mean always) a line out the door. You order your biscuit sandwich concoction and watch with anticipation as names are called and plates are placed on the bar top.

B& I found seats right on the bar which was absolutely perfect. I watched, drooling, as the speedy cooks put together their mouthwatering biscuits....

We both ordered the Reggie Deluxe.
This has fried chicken, cheese, a fried egg, bacon and is topped with their creamy gravy.
And yes, it was delicious:

For more info on where you can get your own Reggie Deluxe go here and here!
xx

Winter Is Coming...

Bootie-wearers unite! 

It's nearly winter and to any Pacific Northwesterner, we all know that fall & winter are fabulous.

Finally I get to take out those boots that have been hiding in their lonely shoebox and sport them with a lovely jacket or coat. Last weekend I was in Portland and fell head over heels (no pun intended) for these gorgeous Cole Haan booties:

With the week cold and dry, I had an excuse to wear my new favorite booties...

You can find some similar here or here.

Booties: Cole Haan
Jeans: Burberry
Jacket: H&M
Scarf & gloves: Cashmere

And from the title of this post I'm sure you can tell I'm a Game of Thrones fan. If you're like me and desperately waiting for Season 3, watching this might make you feel a little better (or worse).

Best. Cookies. Ever.

Holy crap.
These are literally THE BEST COOKIES I have ever had in my life. Ever. The first time I ever tried one of these bad boys, I was in heaven.
Most of the time when you pick up a cookie in plastic wrapping, they're hard, semi-stale, and bland. So it was a huge shock to me when I was handed a Yeah! cookie and none of the above applied.

On the contrary, these cookies are fabulous.

And here's why:
1. They're made from scratch at the hands of the kind and generous Yeah! creator, Aaron
2. He uses raw ingredients (none of that funny business that you can't pronounce) which means...
3. There are ZERO preservatives
4. Since they're so basic, they're pretty good for you
5. They taste absolutely amazing

Golden Raisin Date

Honey Pecan Date

Classic: Chocolate Chip

Since Aaron makes these yummy treats by hand (usually by himself too!), they're as fresh as can be. So when you grab your own Yeah! cookie, you know it's only a day or two old which means maximum freshness. How many other packaged cookies can you say are as good as that, hmm?

I mean honestly, you really only get it this good when it's straight from the oven. And that's exactly what these Yeah! cookies taste like, except better.

Honey Pecan Date. YUM.

So far there are 6 naughty types of Yeah! cookies. They include:
- Golden Raisin Date
- Honey Pecan Date [my absolute favorite!]
- Chocolate Chip
- Peanut Butter & Jelly
- Sour Cherry Date
- Vegan Golden Raisin Date

To get your own Yeah! cookie check out the website and contact Aaron.
I can't stop raving about these and once you try one, you'll be as obsessed as I am!
Xx

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

This weekend mom & I went on a baking spree and made some autumn inspired treats. To start, we made some fabulous pumpkin spice cookies.

Ingredients:

  1 cup canned pumpkin

  1 cup white sugar

  1/2 cup vegetable oil

  1 egg

  2 cups all-purpose flour

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  1/2 teaspoon salt

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  1 teaspoon milk

  1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. In a blender combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. Mix together until completely mixed.

  2. In separate small bowl, dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Add to pumpkin mixture.

  3. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Slowly add to pumpkin mixture. 

  4. Add vanilla, chocolate chips

Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm. Taste, and enjoy!

Well since we had extra pumpkin mix, we decided to make some mini pumpkin pies! Super easy- just find a pie dough recipe and mix up the pumpkin mixture like you're making pumpkin pie. Find a little muffin tray and you're all set! 

Then of course we had extra pie dough... 

SO we made mini cinnamon rolls 

Needless to say it was quite a tasty weekend on the Eastside!

Happy October 

Xx