Coconut Banana Bread

I found this recipe on Pinterest and immediately wanted to make it. Not only does it add coconut (one of my favorites!) to banana bread, but it's low-fat at only 115 calories per slice! The recipe originally comes from FitSugar and makes one loaf of delicious bread.

Guest Post: Ange's Shortbread Cookies

My lovely friend, Melissa, wrote up this guest post that is perfect for the cold weather and the holiday season. Not only does the recipe sound good, but I have tasted it, so I can vouch for its buttery, flaky deliciousness. Remember, if you also want to guest post, please don't hesitate to contact me. Enjoy!
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I have always been a “cook” not a baker, when it comes to the time I spend in the kitchen. In fact, the idea of baking anything, especially cookies, would cause a reaction in me similar to when you say Brussels Sprouts to a four-year-old.  Ick.  It was so time-consuming and exact... ugh.  But suddenly something happened… maybe it was all of the delicious desserts seen in every magazine and tv show, maybe it was my Great Aunt’s years of scratch pies calling me home. Whatever it was, I finally started baking.  And the more I baked, the more I loved it.  And found out that baking is EASY. And the exacting nature of baking turned it into a challenge to try more and more difficult items and accomplish it and do it well.  The feeling of finishing a beautiful, complicated homemade cake could never compare to anything I put together on the stove for dinner. So, I guess I call myself a baker now and I love it! 

My friend Ange has been making this shortbread recipe for us for years. And every time she shows up with a plate of it the entire plate will be devoured in a matter of minutes, all of us picking the crumbs off the plate with our fingers when whole cookies are gone.  Shortbread is such a classic, simple, delicious taste and something I’ve never made before, so I thought I would give it a shot.  And, yep, Easy!  Turns out I’ve actually been making shortbread for a while now, I just called it crust and didn’t think about it being the same thing.

Leftovers Club: Overnight Oats

Overnight oats have become increasingly interesting to me. I decided to throw some together and send them off for my Leftovers Club post this month. You can essentially add anything to your overnight oats, but because I was sending it out, I couldn't put in any fruit (or anything that couldn't ship, for that matter). Not to fear: I made chocolate, coconut & almond overnight oats! This recipe makes one serving (and was inspired by this post).

Homemade Trade: Coconut Almond Granola

I joined a group called Baltimore Homemade Trade, organized by the lovely Martine (who just guest-blogged this recipe for me). Each month a group of folks get together and trade homemade goods (check out the end of this post for a photo of all of the awesome things I left the event with!). For our inaugural month, I was debating between three or four recipes when I settled on this delicious coconut almond granola. I chose this for two reasons: I ran out of time to make some of the other things on my list, and I am obsessed with pairing almond & coconut flavors. This recipe makes 3 cups of granola and is based off this recipe from Kath Eats Real Food.

Leftovers Club: Coconut Lime Cake from Diethood

Update to my last post about The Leftovers Club! I sent out my vanilla biscotti and I received a delicious food package in return. (Can I please mention how much I love the concept of this food bloggers' club?) Katerina from Diethood (which she has self-titled 'not a diet-food food blog') sent me quite a few slices of an amazing Coconut Lime Cake.

The cake was dense and moist (even after being shipped across state lines), with a sweet, but not overpowering flavor. Because she used cream of coconut, I could definitely taste the coconut, but the texture of the coconut was absent (which is great for those folks that are weird about the texture of coconut). The lime flavor was a very light accent taste, but definitely complemented the coconut flavor. In summary: I'm in love with this cake.

Be sure to follow Katerina on Pinterest, like her on Facebook, follow her blog, and follow her on Twitter. She's lovely and I'm so glad I was paired with such a great blogger for The Leftovers Club's first month!



Sound like fun? Visit The Leftovers Club website for more information!