Tis’ the Season for Baking (and Looking) Good | Whiskey Brown Sugar Glazed Ham + French Country Rye Bread with Slow Cooker Brandy Apple Butter

Hello, friends.

So, Christmas is now dangerously close. Unfortunately, final exams are even closer which seriously bums me out. I’m tired of being a student of higher education. I just want to bake and sleep through my responsibilities. Ugh! Why is being an adult so hard?! Okay, rant over. That’s right, today marks the start of final exam week for me. Luckily, I don’t have any tests until later in the week which gives me ample time to study as well as procrastinate by baking. During final exam week, I enjoy gathering together with friends, getting in the kitchen and making some delicious food, and sitting down together to eat, converse (and study). For the holidays or a weekend night study session, one of the great lessons of hosting I’ve learned from Momma Crawford is to make it simple. You want a dish that tastes delicious but doesn’t take an arm and a leg to make, especially during this stressful time of the year. Luckily, I’ve teamed up with JORD Wood Watches to share with you some of my culinary tips for hosting and/or attending a holiday gathering this season (and how to look good while doing it!)

P.s. Be sure to the read to the end of this post for an exclusive $25 e-giftcard you can use to get either my watch or any other style of watch from JORD. 

Whole Wheat, Pumpkin & Brown Sugar Brioche {w/th Lime and Cilantro}

Hello, friend.

  

This recipe for whole wheat pumpkin & brown sugar brioche has been a freaking journey in the making, let me just tell you. I have been actively developing this recipe and its variants for little over a week now. Failed attempt after failed attempt has left me disheartened and run-down. Thankfully, I was able to break away from my bread making disasters and spend a few days in Fort Wayne for the Breadsense summit. Getting out of dodge and spending time away from my kitchen, with the trashcan of faulty bread attempts beginning to overflow, helped inspire my creativity and boost my confidence to get back in there and finish developing the dang recipe. With my bag of Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Graham flour in hand, I started on my bread baking adventure. Eight days and four attempts later, I finally produce a loaf worthy of the blogosphere! 

Update: I was invited by Erin from Cloudy Kitchen to be apart of Sara's and Aimee's #VitrualPumpkinParty. Essentially, it's a big group of food bloggers from around the world coming together and collaborating by sharing recipes for all things pumpkin. How cool is that?! I thought it was only fitting that I would share this particular recipe for the occasion! When you're done reading this post, be sure to check out some of the other incredibly talented bloggers from the list at the end of this post. Tell them TK sent you!