Banana Bread with Cinnamon Swirl

We've had a lot of visitors over the past couple of months, as Baby Katy is a very popular gal! It's been nice to have an excuse to bake something have something sweet to snack on when they're here.

I came across the original recipe on Pinterest and was wooed by the sounds of a "cinnamon swirl." I made a few modifications to add some fiber and reduce the fat, but followed the basic premise of the original recipe. Feel free to ignore my modifications if you want full-on indulgence!

And you know how the best part of a muffin is the top? Where all of the flavorful, crunchy goodness lives? Well, thanks to the swirl of sweet cinnamon in the middle, you get a little bit of that "best bite" throughout the bread. That's in addition to the nice crust it creates on top, of course.

It's tasty from top to bottom!

Baby Girl Has Arrived!

Greetings, friends! It occurred to me that I have been absent from my blog for nearly the whole summer. You see, I was in the process of baby-making — and as it turns out, that's pretty taxing work!

While I had a mostly enjoyable pregnancy, I began having difficulties being on my feet in the kitchen for hours of cooking (sad!) and also using my laptop on my lap, which no longer existed starting sometime around mid-June. Thus, very little experimental cooking or blogging.

The end result of my hiatus? A beautiful baby girl named Kaitlyn Grace. She has been a true blessing, and we're so happy she's here! She was born August 4, 2012, just a day after my birthday.

Here she is in the hospital, one day old.