Strawberry Chocolate Chip Bread

Happy Valentine's Day!!

And, because it is Valentine's Day, what better pairing to explore than chocolate and strawberries??

Valentine's Day started a little early for us.  Thursday night, my fiancé went out grocery shopping and returned with the most gorgeous red roses.  I think maybe I'll keep him :)

Beautiful Roses

Today is really Valentine's Day and I usually do some sort of baking around Valentine's Day each year.  This year it was a little more difficult because I am at my fianceé's house for the weekend without all of my cool kitchen tools.  I have to admit, I've started taking over his kitchen a little bit.  He likes to cook -- but doesn't have the same love of kitchen utensils and tools as I do.  I have begun to frequent Wal-Mart's kitchen department each weekend because I'll go to cook something and be missing some sort of tool.  I was surprised, Wal-Mart usually has a good quality tool for a reasonable price which is great because soon our kitchens will be combined and we don't need two of everything.  I just need tools that I'm not going to go crazy with.  Like knives.  After trying to cook something a couple of weeks in a row with knives that weren't right for the job, I had to go out and buy a couple of key knives, like the one I used to cut up the strawberries today.

This was the first time I tried this recipe and I will definitely be making it again!  As usual, I was inspired by a recipe I found on pinterest, but altered it to make it my own.

First up, wash and chop up some strawberries.  It is the perfect time to be using strawberries around here, Plant City Strawberries are finally in season.  And, Plant City is only about 30 minutes away so they are wicked fresh.

Next, whisk together some flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Then, in another bowl, mix together 2 eggs and some vegetable oil and add in some chocolate chips and the strawberries.

Then, pour the strawberry, chocolate chip, egg mixture into the dry ingredients.  Make sure you mix them together really well.  Don't forget the dry mixture that will inevitably hide at the bottom of the bowl.

Pour everything into a greased loaf pan (or, if you have a non-stick pan like me, just pour it in!)  Make sure you spread it out evenly.

Then...put it in your oven and wait for the smell to take over your house.  Keep an eye on it for the last 15 or so minutes of cooking.  The oven must be running a little cold -- it took me 20 minutes longer than the recipe called for to have the middle completely cooked.

Finally -- the hard part.  Take it out and let it cool before slicing into it.

Yum...it tastes good cold or warm with just a little bit of butter.  This one is definitely going into the keep file.

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
• 1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Prepare a 9"x5" loaf pan using non-stick spray or butter.
• Add flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda to a large bowl.  Mix until combined.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and the oil.
• Add the strawberries and chocolate chips to the egg/oil mixture.
• Pour the strawberry/chocolate chip mixture into the dry ingredients and incorporate well.
• Pour the dough into the prepared loaf pan.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Happy Baking!