Girl Versus Dough - Page 9 of 99 - Baking bread and other adventures.

pineapple mint granita with rum

June 27, 2016

Hiya, frands! I’m writing to you from the Windy City, where the hubs and I spent the last few days celebrating our seventh wedding anniversary (WHAT I FEEL OLD) by doing what we do best — eating.

Seriously, I did not realize just how much food I can actually put down in any given day. But if you’ve been following along on the Snapchat or Instagram, you know. YOU know. There’s been a lot of food that’s gone down into my belly. And it’s been great.

That being said, after these crazy food frenzy trips I am always happy to get home and get back into my little routine, and to eat more normal meals and lighter fare. But dessert always has to happen. That’s where this lovely Pineapple Mint Granita with Rum comes into play.

avocado coconut toast

June 23, 2016

Let’s get one thing straight here: No one, certainly not I, needs to tell you how to make avocado toast. It can be as simple as spreading an avocado on — you guessed it — a piece of toast.

But see, there’s avocado toast, and then there’s AVOCADO TOAST. And then, there’s AVOCADO COCONUT TOAST. With thin-sliced avocado, coconut oil, red pepper flakes, coarse sea salt, toasted coconut flakes and a squeeze of lemon all on homemade multigrain bread. And that’s the kind of toast I’m here to tell you about today.

multigrain sandwich bread

June 20, 2016

This multigrain sandwich bread is the kind of bread that gets me excited about baking bread, you know?

Let me explain. See, in the summer, no one really wants to be baking. We’d all rather be out of doors, out of office, out of kitchen, etc. I get it. I’m with you. I’ve grilled our dinner no less than five times in the last week (would have been six, if not for that random torrential downpour we had the other day when I was JUST about to go out and grill some pork chops. Dernit). Sometimes, the last thing I want to be doing is baking bread when the sun is shining and beckoning me outdoors.

But no matter the time of year, I love bread. This is pretty clear about me at this point, I would hope. And nothing compares to a homemade loaf fresh from the oven. If I could sing, “Glory glory hallelujah!” and dance a jig every time I baked a loaf of bread, I would (maybe I already do this, WHO CAN SAY). So that’s how this multigrain sandwich bread came to be — because I was craving bread (duh), I needed bread for our morning toast and our lunchtime sandwiches (for picnics!) and I felt like this bread was worthy of the sacrifice of just a few short hours in the kitchen so we could eat homemade, fresh-baked bread for days to come.

One bite, and I was in love. It was so worth it.

whole wheat oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars

June 16, 2016

We have a problem.

My two-year-old daughter? She’s just like me.

Oh sure, she’s got her own unique personality. She’s fun and spunky and sassy and creative and silly and dramatic all in her own way. But she also yells out, “COOKIE!” from the back seat of the car as soon as we drive past the big red bullseye on the Target sign, anticipating the free treat given to her from the bakery counter every time we shop there. Her arms swing up and down in delight at the sight — the mere mention — of ice cream. She’s been asking for a doughnut after breakfast, after lunch and after dinner since last Saturday, when she received one on a special occasion (OK, and the Saturday before that, too). She’s got so much of her own character, and some of her dad’s, too, but that sweet tooth? I take full credit/blame for that.

The truth is, we can’t go long without sweets in this house. We’ve tried, but it just doesn’t make for a very happy home. With two hangry sweet tooth-ed girls under this roof, my husband has learned there must always be a stash of chocolate somewhere, at the very least. So we strive for balance. And this week, balance looks like whole wheat oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars — one for the babe, and one for the mama. (OK, maybe two for the mama.)

grilled steak and mushroom kabobs

June 13, 2016

PSST — Scroll to the bottom of this post for an exclusive offer from ButcherBox just for Girl Versus Dough readers! Hint: It involves bacon.

This weekend was a blur, and I am so full and happy from it. These grilled steak and mushroom kabobs have much to do with that.

We had friends in town, we grilled, we drank wine, we walked outside, we got sunburns, we ate ice cream and donuts, we played in sprinklers with our babies. We really lived summer this weekend.

We also enjoyed the aforementioned grilled steak and mushroom kabobs for dinner one night, and then the following night ate sirloin steaks from the grill, and then last night had grilled chicken. To say we fulfilled our organic, grass-fed meat-eating quota in a big way is an understatement, and we can thank our friends at ButcherBox for that.

peach pineapple chai smoothie

June 6, 2016

What is this? A protein smoothie on Girl Versus Dough? Believe it, folks. And with one sip of this Peach Pineapple Chai Smoothie, you’ll understand why it’s worth talking about.

I’ve said it before — I’m not much of a smoothie drinker. I’ve tried a few times to be that person, the one who glows from within because she drinks all the green/protein/superfood smoothies, but I just can’t. I would rather eat my food than drink it, I guess. Plus, I am never very good at making a smoothie that is not only good for me, but is tasty, too. One is always compromised for the other.

But with this smoothie, there’s a special ingredient that pulls it all together into something I could sip on all day, every day. It’s revolutionary.