Cheddar & Pumpkin Beer Bread (6 ingredients!)

As I mentioned last week, I have officially been bitten by the fall bug. Meaning, nothing seems more exciting to me than fall decorations, I want to bake, and I want all things pumpkin!

I made this Cheddar and Pumpkin Beer Bread the other day and it was so delicious. It is soooo easy to make and it only requires six ingredients-- I bet you already have them on hand. 

This bread shares my festive fall spirit with Pumpkin Ale baked right into it! Don't worry, the beer flavor isn't at all overwhelming. It's just perfect! 

Just choose a bottle of your favorite fall-inspired ale. I picked up mine from World Market. Their selection is endless!

This bread is a perfect companion for a soup or stew and it's also great as an afternoon snack. I'm sure I will bake this bread at least a half dozen more times before winter gets here. It's that easy and that delicious!

Even though I kept this bread simple, the possibilities and add-ins are abundant (think herbs, spices, or even bacon). Have fun with this recipe and see what you can come up with!

Cheddar & Pumpkin Beer Bread

Inspired by halfbakedharvest.com

Ingredients:

3 cups flour (I used half whole wheat and half all-purpose)

4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

12 ounces of pumpkin beer

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350* and spray a 9" x 5" loaf pan with cooking spray. Add the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt to a mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Add the cheese and stir until well combined. Finally, add the beer and stir until just combined. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the top of the bread is lightly browned and the middle is set. Let the bread sit on a cooling rack for 15 minutes until serving. 

Hope you all have a wonderful week. 

If you make the bread, I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

30-Minute Gym Interval Workout

Hello, hello. It's Friday!!! I'm having a wonderful Friday so far and I hope you are too. I got a jump start on the weekend, as yesterday was my last day of working at New Balance. I start my new job on Tuesday and I'm so excited... more on that later!

Anyway, the fall bug has officially "bit" me. I've been in baking mode and I'm craving indoor workouts. It may have something to do with the lower temperatures and the abundance of rain we've been showered with all week...

Aka, the perfect opportunity to curl up with a cup of coffee and my kindle.

And speaking of indoor workouts, here's a gym-inspired interval workout, which can be done at the gym, outdoors, or at home. It only takes 30-minutes and it's sure to make you sweat! If you're not a fan of running, just walk the 5-minute treadmill intervals. The goal is to get your body moving :)

*Always start with a warm-up and end with a cool-down. Remember to listen to your body, rehydrate, and modify each exercise as needed.

Here's a glimpse of this week's workouts:

Sunday- rest day & stretch

Monday- 2 mile run at the park

Tuesday- HIIT workout and 30 minutes on the stationary bike

Wednesday- 3 mile run on the treadmill

Thursday- rest day & stretch

Friday- I plan on a killer HIIT workout and some time on the stationary bike

Saturday- I plan on running 3 miles on the treadmill

Hope you all have an amazing weekend. 
I'll be back on Monday with a yummy recipe for you :)

Simple Syrup -- It's simpler than you thought!

Hi, friends. How's it going? I'm off to a great week-- working the last few shifts of my current job and about to start a new one! Details coming soon. I'm really loving my new city and enjoying the fall-ish weather. The fall decorations everywhere and pumpkin-spice everything make it even better!

I have a super easy DIY project for you today: simple syrup. Some call it sugar water or classic syrup; it's all the same!

I was in the baking aisle of the grocery store and I couldn't believe what I saw... simple syrup was for sale. I had no idea that something so easy and inexpensive to make was available to buy. That's was a shocker to me, but the even bigger shocker was the price.

A small bottle of simple syrup cost much more than a 5 pound bag of sugar. Do you have any idea how much simple syrup you could make with 5 pounds of sugar???? Let's not even go there.

Instead, I'm going to share how to make simple syrup. Simple syrup serves many purposes, but the most common is to sweeten liquids like iced coffee and mixed drinks.

Have you ever gone to a coffee shop and ordered an iced coffee and wanted it sweetened and the barista points you in the direction of sugar packets? Oh man, good luck getting the sugar to dissolve in ice cold coffee! I think it's a complete shame that any coffee shop wouldn't have simple syrup. A huge turn off for this iced coffee lover!!

Making simple syrup is very easy. Just add equal parts of water and sugar to a sauce pan and boil until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool and store it in a glass or plastic container, preferably one that has a pump or squeeze lid to make your life easier when you go to use it (an oil/vinegar glass container would be ideal). And that's it; your simple syrup is ready to be used. Let your iced coffee (and mixed drinks) rejoice!


Hope all of you are having an amazing week.
I'll be back Friday with an awesome workout :)

Freezing Fresh Fruits & Veggies

Hello, and happy Monday! My local news channel informed me that it will officially be fall at 10:29 pm. I'm so excited; fall is my favorite time of the year. 

I hope all of you had a fabulous weekend. I worked for most of the weekend, but babe and I both have today "off", so we're going to pretend like it's Saturday!

On to today's post...

There's nothing better than fresh fruits and vegetables. When in season, they're bursting with flavor and packed full of nutrients. 

Freezing produce when it's reached peak ripeness allows you to enjoy it all year long, even when it's not in season. And friends, having a freezer full of fresh strawberries and peppers from the garden is a very beautiful thing.

But freezing fresh produce isn't as simple as dumping fresh berries into a freezer bag... there are a few tricks and tips (courtesy of my mamma) that will help you get the most out of your fruits and veggies!

 

• Freeze fruits and veggies when they're at their peak of freshness.

• For fruit: wash/prepare fruit thoroughly and let dry. Place the fruit on a cookie sheet in a single layer (not touching) place in the freezer. Once the fruit is partially frozen, transfer it to a Ziploc bag or any other type of freezer-safe storage container. Allowing the fruit to first freeze while not touching other pieces of fruit ensures that you will be able to take out individual pieces of fruit instead of one huge chunk of strawberries. For fruits that tend to brown (think apples), treat them with ascorbic acid first. 

• For veggies: veggies are best frozen when blanched first (briefly submerged in boiling water). Then, place the veggies in an ice bath to prevent the veggies from cooking- the purpose of blanching is to preserve the color, nutrients, and flavor of the veggies.

• Most veggies can go straight from the freezer to boiling water to be cooked. Most fruit should be defrosted/thawed at room temperature. Some people aren't crazy about mushy defrosted fruits, so eating them just before they're completely thawed is also an option.

• Frozen fruits can be stored for about a year, while veggies can last for up to 18 months in the freezer. They can be stored for longer, of course, but the quality can start to decline.

Now you can eat fresh fruits and veggies all year long!

Hope these tips were useful :)