Rustic Italian Bread Salad

I told the story in a past post of how I got a cream cheese cookbook for free (I also posted the recipe for Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream - drool) and this is another recipe out of that fabulous book.  The pics are actually from last year, but it was right before a blogging break and I never got the recipe posted.  It's simple and really good!

With all ingredients except cream cheese and dressing.

With cream cheese and dressing drizzled over - yum!

Rustic Italian Bread Salad

4 oz cream cheese, cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon minced garlic, divided
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 ciabatta sandwich rolls, cut horizontally in half
1 large avocado, sliced
4 cups baby arugula (could substitute baby spinach or romaine or a mixture)
1 pound grape tomatoes, coarsely chopped (I halved them)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place cream cheese cubes on sheet.  Spray cubes with cooking spray or oil.  Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, lemon zest, and fresh ground pepper.  Bake 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned.  Cool slightly.

Cut each bread piece diagonally in half and place on baking sheet.  Spray with cooking spray or oil.  Bake 3-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown on both sides.

Arrange bread slices and avocado on platter or in dish.  Top with arugula, tomatoes, and cream cheese cubes.  Beat balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sugar, and remaining garlic with whisk until well blended.  Drizzle dressing over salad.

Enjoy!

I always enjoy having a new salad to try.  And I love bread and cream cheese and balsamic and...well it's all good!  Have you ever made bread salad?

This post is linked to:
~ Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries
~ Chic & Crafty at The Frugal Girls

Have a super day friends!

Did Somebody Say Beer Bread?

Today I'm over at Pennies and Blessings eating talking about this:

That's Beer Bread and it's so yummy and soooooo simple to make!  The recipe calls for self-rising flour.  Raise your hand if you thought you had to buy a special bag of flour at the store to use self-rising flour (I did).  Turns out, it's super easy to make your own.  Stop over at Pennies and Blessings and I'll tell you how!

Have a blessed day friends!

Pumpkin Posting Party ~ Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

More pumpkin for the Pumpkin Posting Party!  Did you have a chance to enter my little giveaway yesterday?  And don't forget to get your pumpkin recipes ready to link up tomorrow.  You can also link up dessert recipes on Friday.

I love pumpkin bread so when I saw this recipe with a twist, I knew that I must try it!  I found it in my Heart & Soul cookbook.  I have to say though that I had passed the recipe over a few times without realizing how delicious it might be because of it's name!  The cookbook calls it Pumpkin-Cheese Loaves.  Sorry, but that sounds like a savory bread to have with dinner.  I only just realized it's pumpkin bread with a cream cheese filling - be still my heart!  :)  So I'm renaming it.  And fixing the errors in the recipe too (there were a few cookbook fails - oops)!

Cream Cheese Filling
1 (8-oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix cream cheese until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients and beat well.

Topping
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon butter

Mix dry ingredients together and cut the butter in until mixture resembles cornmeal in texture.  Set aside.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

3 1/3 cups flour
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cups oil
4 eggs
1 can mashed pumpkin (or 2 cups roasted pumpkin)
2/3 cup water
1 batch Cream Cheese Filling
1 batch Topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease loaf pans (1 large and 1 medium or 3 small/medium).

Make Cream Cheese Filling and set aside.  Mix Topping ingredients and set aside.  In medium bowl, combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Whisk together and set aside.

In large bowl, beat together sugar and oil until light.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each.  Beat in pumpkin.  Add dry ingredients alternately with water to mixture until all is well-blended. 

Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans, using up half of batter.  Spoon a layer of cream cheese filling over batter.  Sprinkle with half of topping mixture.  Carefully add rest of pumpkin batter.  Finish off with remaining topping.  Bake medium loaves for about an hour and large loaves for about 80 minutes, until tester comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack.

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I'd really like to try this recipe to make muffins.  I also think it would be yummy to add chopped nuts to the topping.

Do you have a favorite pumpkin bread recipe?  Don't forget to round up your pumpkin recipes to link up here tomorrow for Day 3 of the Pumpkin Posting Party!

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam!

Have a sweet day friends! 

Would You Like Chocolate With That? ~ Chocolate Tea Bread

It's finally Chocolate Friday again!!  Sorry I made you wait so long!  Maybe you better have an extra piece of chocolate for the inconvenience.  :)

I recently found this yummy recipe and am so glad I did!  It's the perfect snack bread - great with coffee or tea - and would be nice for breakfast too!  The recipe is from Best Recipes from American Country Inns and Bed & Breakfasts.

Chocolate Tea Bread

1/4 lb. (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cream butter and gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Combine flour, cocoa, soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Sift together.  Stir flour mixture into egg mixture, blending well.  Add vanilla.  Stir in sour cream, walnuts, and chocolate morsels.  Spoon batter into two greased and floured 7 1/2x3x2-inch loaf pans.  Bake 55 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pans 10 minutes, remove from pans, and cool completely on wire rack.  Yields 2 loaves.

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I know I didn't bake these loaves the full time.  Whenever I try a new recipe, I bake 10-15 minutes less and keep checking at that point as each oven works a little differently.   

Now, it's been a long time without chocolate link-ups.  Please bring some chocolate to share today!  Link up any old or new family-friendly chocolate post - many of you have great ones from the holidays!  I'm trying to eat less chocolate, so the more virtual chocolate you bring me, the happier I'll be!  :)

Have a lovely chocolate-covered Friday!!

I'm linking this up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam - go check out all the yummy recipes!

Chocolate Cinnamon Bread

It's Friday again (already?)! Would you like chocolate with that? I would!

I have a really yummy recipe for you today. It's not a particularly easy one, but if you go for it - the end result is totally worth it. You really should have a stand mixer for this one - you'll go crazy with a hand mixer. I made it twice with the hand mixer and it took much longer. If you are totally intimidated by this recipe - you can try looking at it just one step at a time - it's just mixing ingredients together! Or my other suggestion would be to bribe a baking friend to make it for you - it does make 2 loaves so you could each have one!

It's a recipe that Starbucks gave out last Fall to go with one of their coffees. They even sold this bread in their stores. I think mine turned out just as fabulous!

Chocolate Cinnamon Bread
(from the kitchen of Marcus Samuelsson)

CHOCOLATE BATTER
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups Dutch-processed cocoa
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

COCOA-SPICE SUGAR CRUST
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
Pinch ground ginger
Pinch ground cloves
1/4 cup decorating or sparkle sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 9x5x3 in. loaf pans and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper.

2. Make the Chocolate Batter: In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment on medium speed, until light and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next and scraping down the sides of the bowl several times.

3. Meanwhile in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, water and vanilla. With mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to butter, beginning and ending with the flour and beating just until blended. Divide the batter between the two pans, shake the pans to even the tops and set aside.

4. Make the Cocoa-Spice Sugar Crust: In another small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, ginger and cloves. Sprinkle the surfaces of both batters with the decorating sugar. Sprinkle with the cocoa sugar mixture, dividing evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely, run a thin knife around the sides to release the breads and remove from pans.

That's all - LOL! I know it's a lot to follow, but it's SO GOOD!!

Looking for more chocolate? Try my "Just Chocolate" recipe index!

Have a blessed day friends!