First off, I love our new camera! My roomates from college bought Ivan and me an amazing Nikon 5000 for our wedding, and though I am only just starting to dabble, it is coming through like a champ. Thanks again to Jay for letting me borrow his for so long…

Also, how adorable are these mini loaf pans! Another great wedding gift that is going to help enormously with my inability to stay away from baked goods. This way, I can make multiple small loafs and give the majority to friends instead of hoarding a whole giant loaf for myself.

This coconut bread is all over the internet, so out of sheer curiosity, I made it. And it’s yummy yummy toasted and spread with a little butter. You know you want it.

For the Recipe, click here:

Coconut and Cinnamon Bread

The way I came about making this is so lazy that it’s slightly embarrassing. Originally, I had intended to make my Turkey and Beef Chili for the Cinco de Mayo inspired food day at work, but the thought of a big pot of simmering soup on the stovetop on a hot day was not appealing at all.

So then I thought that I would make jalapeno cornbread. But I didn’t have any jalapenos and as I said, the sun was out (finally) and driving to the store in lieu of lying outside on my lounge chair had about 50 points against it. Thankfully, I just picked up some really yummy looking organic molasses so what would have been savory, turned out sweet. Yep, that happens a lot in this house.

And now for my secret. I was going to bring this to work, but one look at Ivan’s face when he tried it and two pieces later and the plans changed. So, I apologize to my co-workers. I have nothing to give you but my love (and selfishness). At least I’m sharing the recipe so you can make your own and share it with…. well… most likely, no one! 

For the Recipe, click here:

Marbled Molasses Cornbread

I have to apologize for my lack of creativity in the kitchen this weekend (my weekend is Monday, Tuesday in case that statement seems odd). I have a little visitor staying with me for the next three weeks, and he’s just so darn cute that I could hardly say no to a game of ball-tossing. But now that I have a personal Hoover at my feet, I am back at it and I think Monty is quite happy to oblige!

Anyway, I am in love with this bread. For so many reasons. One: it has no yeast, so it’s very quick to put together. Two: it’s better than my favorite store brand, Rudy’s Honey Whole Wheat that costs me an arm and a leg at Whole Foods. Three: There are no special tools here. Just two bowls and a fork. And four: it’s amazing with the Roasted Tomato Soup that I made this afternoon (stay tuned for the recipe tomorrow)!

So if those aren’t enough reasons to get moving, how bout this… it’s pretty healthy. No sugar, just honey and the sweetness is perfection.

For the Recipe, click here:

Honey Oat Quickbread

So Zucchini Bread either sounds like the weirdest thing in the world to you or you are like “I LOVE Zucchini bread. I had that all the time growing up!” Well, for me, clearly it is the latter. Zucchini or Banana Bread lasted all of fifteen minutes in my house. Usually my brothers ate the majority of it slathered an inch thick with cream cheese, but needless to say, it was definitely a family favorite.

I am starting to realize that Busy as a Brie has featured a lot of zucchini along with coconut, corn, and mango, so I promise to branch out of my comfort zone, but this bread is just too good to let wait til a further date.

I don’t like my breakfast breads super sweet, so believe it or not, 1 cup of sugar  makes a mildly sweet treat. You can always add in a half cup of sugar if you have a sweeter tooth than I do. Also, I usually try to add in whole wheat flour and cut the fats, but in all my recipes, you can always use 100% all-purpose flour and/or omit the applesauce and replace it with equal parts butter or oil. It’s just simply that I bake so much, I would weigh 500 pounds if I didn’t make some changes.

For the Recipe, click here:

Zucchini “Fit-In-My-Bikini” Bread

There’s something about baking on a rainy day that is so cozy. I love the way the oven heats the house and the smells make you content to just sit around and sniff the air. I am about to make this bread for the second time this week…my plan was to make Banana Bread today, but all my ripening bananas were eaten before they could start to turn that brownish mystery banana color. Maybe next week. This bread is actually pretty healthy, so don’t kick yourself if you just have to have a second piece.

Pistachio and Date Loaf (Yield 1 loaf)

1 cup pitted, chopped dates

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup boiling water

1 tbsp softened butter

3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine dates and baking soda. Pour boiling water over the dates. This allows the dates to separate and oils to release. (Thank you Food Network!) Let sit while preparing batter.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter, sugar, egg, applesauce and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet. Toss in the pistachios and date mixture and combine until just incorporated. Butter and flour a loaf pan. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack and serve with cream cheese or by itself!