Triple Chocolate Quick Bread {{Giveaway}} [closed]

One of my favorite things about Valentine’s Day is the chocolate. PSA to my boyfriend (as if he didn’t already know): a holiday that encourages the consumption of chocolate in any form provides you with a guaranteed way to make me smile.

I know we’re still a couple of weeks out, but I figure some of you out there might be trying to plan a treat to make for the ones you love on February 14. Dare I suggest this triple chocolate quick bread? You can serve it as a sweet breakfast-in-bed item, or break it out for dessert (top it with a scoop of ice cream–calories consumed on holidays don’t count).

Blueberry-Banana-Almond Baked Oatmeal

Sometimes I think weekends exist out of time.

I lose track of what day (and often hour) it is. After a week of blow-drying my hair every morning and almost getting eaten by my diffuser, my hair sits atop my head in a ponytail or (if I’m feeling really ratty) a topknot. I begin to call a cookie a meal. The miracle of brunch makes alcohol acceptable before noon. And since I don’t yet have my company-issued phone, I’m not instantaneously accessible to my colleagues.

Biscoff White Chocolate Chip Pancakes

For me? Pancakes are the ultimate comfort food. Sweet, but not overly so; reminiscent of childhood meals where you were in disbelief that you actually got to have cake for breakfast. And now that I live on my own? Pancakes are my favorite reminder that–as a grown-up–I totally get to have dinner drenched in syrup if I want to.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffin Bread

What is a ghost’s favorite dessert?

Booooooberry pie!

When I was in elementary school, my mom would put a handwritten note in my lunchbox every day, and she always included a joke like the one above. Needless to say I was the most popular girl at the lunch table (at least that’s what I tell her). And if you ever need some excellent riddles, I’m totally the one you should call.

Where was I? Oh. Right. Blueberries.

Healthy Quinoa Breakfast Cookies, and my First Giveaway! [closed]

Hey there, friends. I know I was MIA here on Chip Chip Hooray last week–sorry about that. Things in these parts have been crazy–Baby Chip turned sweet 16, bestest friends got engaged, the Hunger Games movie came out–but I have been writing! …just not here. Hah.

So to make it up from you, I’m giving you two wonderful things today: cookies that you can eat for breakfast (um, fabulous), and free stuff!

You love me again now, right? That’s what I thought.

Peanut Butter Raisin Oatmeal

Rise and shine, darlings!

Oh wait, you’re not morning people? Sorry. I am in possession of the often-unfortunate quality of being one of those people who functions best in the early hours. I say “often-unfortunate” because it’s my experience that the general population loathes morning people. They resent–perfectly understandably, in my opinion–bright, perky, caffeinated efficiency before their neurons have had a chance to get properly kickstarted.

Spinach, Sausage, & Mushroom Breakfast Frittata

True confession: I think the idea of serving your loved one breakfast in bed is adorable.

Now, if your Valentine happens to define “breakfast” quite literally as “the first meal of the day”…and if said Valentine likes to sleep until noon, while you’re bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 8:30…that whole “breakfast” thing might pose a bit of a problem. Not that I know what that’s like, or anything.

Nope.

Strawberry Yogurt Scones

I have never won a raffle in my life.

And it’s not for lack of trying, people. I never gave up hope–every parish festival, every sports team fundraiser, I valiantly threw money into the bin for that particularly enticing basket of (often chocolatey) goodies, or donated to buy into the 50/50. All for naught! I became convinced that I was luckless, doomed to find only tails-up pennies and probably step on one too many sidewalk cracks.

That is, until I started winning blog giveaways.

…and kept winning.

Gingerbread Scones

The holiday blog hop is here once more! This time, we were tasked with creating something delicious with peppermint, gingerbread, or eggnog. What’s a baker to do?

Vanilla Cranberry Baked Oatmeal

Well, ladies and gents (are there any guys who read my blog? Besides maybe you, Chris), the holidays are officially upon us. In the space of a week, I’ve gone from the girl who was outraged at the onslaught of pre-Thanksgiving Christmas (get that Holly station off my XM radio!) to the girl who’s got Mariah Carey on repeat thanks to Pandora (you can’t get better than “All I Want for Christmas Is You”).

With the rapidly approaching holidays comes another installment of the Holiday Blog Hop! (You can view my last post here.) This Vanilla Cranberry Baked Oatmeal is a twist on a breakfast that’s irrevocably tied to memories of some of my closest friends–in fact, some of them are a bit jealous that there’s only little old me to eat this batch!