SMiLes by Meg

Tag: quick bread

Pumpkin Chai Bread

I have been having the most lovely vacation. Erik and I spent most of the week backpacking in Shenandoah National Park, and I don’t think better weather existed. We didn’t see a single cloud, it was crisp enough not to overheat but warm in the sun, and the leaves were just starting to change. Obviously, with such perfect Fall weather, I’ve been in a very Fall mood, and have wanted all things pumpkin all week. I picked up some mellowcreme pumpkins (the definitive best Halloween-specific candy), a pumpkin spice Yankee candle, made a pumpkin curry last night and impulse bought …

Apple Olive Oil Cake

Yesterday, Erik and I biked 30 miles around DC on a perfect Fall day (which we later learned was unseasonably cool for September). This got me in the mood to make something Fall-ish, and Alexandra must have read my mind. When we got home from the ride, I had a text from her with this recipe, and it solved all of my “what should I make this week” problems. As a bonus, this weekend is Rosh Hashanah, which means we had slices of this cake with a little bit of honey to celebrate. To start, oil a 9×5 loaf pan …

Whiskey Cake

So in case you’ve been living under a rock, it’s September, and everyone in Boston is leaning hard into pretending it’s Fall, even if it’s still weather-appropriate to be in sundresses and sandals. Don’t get me wrong – I love Fall. And I think I finally get why everyone else does, too. You see, at age 28, I have finally found myself in a job where I’m working year round, straight through the summer. No summer vacation (RIP teaching career). No summer internships with big breaks on either end (RIP being a student). Just work. And I’ve found that while …

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Calling this a “bread” feels kind of like lying. Sure, the base of this is a zucchini bread, and there is definitely a LOT of zucchini. Which makes you feel like it’s healthy. But then it’s moist, full of chocolate chips, and seems like a better pair for ice cream than coffee. Which makes you feel like it can’t possibly be healthy. However, I’m not one to make such decisions for you, so if you want to call it a vegetable bread, and therefore basically a salad, I’m not going to stop you. If you want to call it more …

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

This was one of those weeks where it was getting to be most of the way through Saturday and I was quickly coming to the conclusion that I did not have time to bake. I began to panic. How terrible would it be if I posted a review of that awesome magic bar I had? (Go to Petsi Pies in Somerville.) Did I have anyone in mind that could guest post? (Marj, it felt too last minute to ask you.) In short, I was in a tight spot.

Apple Pecan Bread

When I hit “publish” on this, I’ll be sitting in a big lake house in Maine with my law school friends, hopefully after a full day of hiking or kayaking or generally being outdoorsy. The plan is to not bring my laptop with me, so hopefully my phone is up to the challenge of logging into WordPress (I’m considering it a “mostly unplugged” vacation).

Strawberry Bread

Strawberries are a happy fruit. I’m not sure what exactly makes them happy, though. Maybe because they are red. Maybe because they are the June’s fruit, and June is my birthday month. Maybe because they are the only fruit that I would consider eating as a dessert unadorned. Maybe because I just finished reading The Happiness Project and am looking for happiness everywhere. For whatever reason, they are happy.

Stout Bread

This weekend marks the first weekend of Lent for 2015, and, as I do every year, I gave up any and all sweets. A lot of people do this. But I don’t think that a lot of people have the level of dependency on sweets that I do. I legitimately had withdrawal headaches for two full days Wednesday and Thursday. So this is a big deal for me.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

I am officially back in New Jersey. School starts next week, and my summer is coming to a far to fast close. After spending the last couple months indulging in the luxury of hanging out with my family and not planning lessons, coming back here was a bit of a shock. That shock was not improved by the fact that my AC unit had leaked, causing my floor to buckle into a mountain range.