With homemade marinara sauce for dipping. Because I had to make this post extra fabulous. And because this bread had to rise twice so, I figured I'd do something productive while waiting. Speaking of waiting, that is the hardest part about making this bread. Especially when it's in the oven, and your entire house smells like garlic, and butter, and cheese, and herbs, all melding together. Oh my goodness. Too much to handle.  But other than that, making this bread is a cinch, particularly if you have a KitchenAid stand mixer. I love my KitchenAid. Technically, it's not MY KitchenAid, it's my mom's. But I practically own it, until I move out, at which point I'll probably be getting married and someone will have to buy me one off my wedding registry. I've got it all planned out. But anyways, back to what I was saying-- my stand mixer makes life so easy whenever I have to make any type of dough. And this dough was no exception. In 6 minutes, it knea...

Guess what guys? BIG NEWS. I'm finally starting to accept my failures in the kitchen. It only took me like, four years. But there's been less crying around here and more understanding about the learning process that is cooking and I'm super proud of the improvement. Maybe some day I'll even learn how to laugh in the face of failure, but for now, I'm taking baby steps.  The first time I made this bread, it wasn't a total failure. Yes, it was overly moist. Yes, it rose too high and was scraped by the top oven rack upon removal from the oven. And yes, it overflowed and ruined the bottom of my oven because I forgot to read the part of the directions where it said to place a cookie sheet underneathe. But it's crumb topping came out amazing, so it wasn't all bad. Still, I knew I had to try the recipe again and change a few things because I needed everything about this bread to be awesome, and not just it's topping. It wasn't hard finding my ...

Guys, I never thought the day would come where I would say this, but...I think I like blueberries. Yes, it's true. You read that correctly. I, Mimi, the person who avoids the blueberries in blueberry muffins might actually like blueberries. It's cray cray right? What can I say other than this blueberry buttermilk bread has made me a believer. It is phenomenal tasting. Not only did I go for seconds and thirds, but I also found myself looking forward to biting through the sweet and juicy blueberries. Shocking, but 100% true people! I know that at a glance, the ingredient list looks pretty simple, but trust me, in your mouth, simple won't be the first word that comes to mind. My taste buds were fluttering with joy. In one bite, you're hit with the perfect amount of blueberries, perfect amount of sweetness, the crispiness of the crust, the tender moistness of the center, and the altogether wholesome flavor. If you're already a blueberry lover, this bre...

Sara and Erica of Baking JDs were our March 2012 Daring Baker hostesses! Sara & Erica challenged us to make Dutch Crunch bread, a delicious sandwich bread with a unique, crunchy topping. Sara and Erica also challenged us to create a one of a kind sandwich with our bread! Is it just me or did you break out in song as soon as you saw the title of  the challenge too? I'm not scared of lionss and tigerssss and bearssss, but I'm scared of loving youuu. Yes? No? Maybe so? Okay, maybe it's just me. Anyways, the title of the challenge doesn't exactly hint at the actual challenge itself, so I was basically in suspense until my slow Internet finally loaded the page. Thankfully, it ended up being something not as scary as a lion, tiger, or bear. Just some fancy bread, apparently very popular in the San Francisco Bay Area. But it's not the actual bread that's special, rather, it's the topping that crackles into a spotted pattern similar to t...

You know what I hate? I hate when people tell me to do things. Wait no, let me rephrase that. I hate when my mother tells me to do things. Not because I don't love her or wouldn't do anything to make her happy, but because I just don't like being told to do things. I do things when I want to do them; when I feel like doing them. That's just how I function. And what's worse than being told to do things, is being told to do them over and over again. For some reason, my mother thinks that if I haven't gotten up to do the thing that she just asked me to do in that exact moment, then clearly, I haven't heard her. So she asks again. And again. And again. I'm pretty lenient with most things. Like washing dishes, or doing the laundry, or just other chores around the house. But the one thing that I absolutely cannot tolerate is being told to cook or bake. Baking is like art. You don't rush an artist, so you don't rush a baker. I admi...

Wow, it's December already? When did that happen? It feels like just yesterday I was turning my tassel to the left and having my last name pronounced incorrectly. I can't believe it's been 6 months. I thought time would pass by slowly without having any papers to write or tests to study for, but apparently that's not the case. Time will always fly ( even faster than the supposed faster than the speed of light Verizon FIOS ) Signs of the holiday season are just about everywhere. Neighborhoods are being lit up with colorful, twinkling lights. Malls are packed to the gills. Christmas movies are playing back to back on what seems like every channel. And food bloggers will not stop talking about how excited they are for all the baking that is to come in the next few weeks. I'm excited too. I may not be celebrating Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah, but I think we all agree that the second best thing after baking is finding new recipes to bake. Ok...

Is FOODGASM a real word? This has to be the closest I've come to making an exact replica of the famous Cinnabon cinnamon rolls. Rich, soft, fluffy, moist, and packed with ooey-gooey flavor, these cinnamon rolls turned out incredibly delish and are a definite keeper! This recipe came from Todd Wilbur's book of Top Secret Recipes. Honestly..who needs Cinnabon when Todd Wilbur has cracked the code? I really don't care who exactly broke in and stole this recipe, but it sure was worth it. I'll never bust my wallet at the mall again. Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls   Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast 1 cup warm milk 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup butter 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 4 cups flour For the filling: 1 cup packed brown sugar 2 and 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon 1/3 cup butter, softened For the icing: 8 tablespoons butter 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/4 cup cream cheese 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/8 teaspoon salt Directions: For the rolls : Disso...