Haute Box

Do you ever find that certain foods, objects or scents remind you of people in your life? These types of reminders warm me with memories and feelings of gratitude for the people in my life. I’d like to share a couple.

I have a mug that I use at work and it reminds me of my twin sister. She bought it for me randomly one day (a few years back) and I was so touched. The quote on the mug states “I am a drift without you” and it pictures a snowman with his top-hat blowing away. I love this mug so much I’ll even use this mug in summer, who cares that there is a snowman on it, right?!

The taste and smell of feta cheese reminds me of my grandmother. When she would babysit me and my sister, she would stuff pita bread with feta cheese and toast it for us. It was absolute bliss! To this day, eating this simple meal warms my heart and I cannot resist reflecting on times spent with her. Thankfully, she’s still with us and I love her dearly.

The catalyst to this Blood Orange Breakfast Loaf was actually the blood orange itself and the fact that blood oranges remind me of one my best friends, Jen. We lived together senior year in college and a few years post-college, hosted numerous themed-parties and galavanted all over LA. She loves all things blood orange. I can see why! They’re deliiiish! Another thing about blood oranges…they taste like candy but are the antithesis of candy. They’re very good for you!

Nutritional perks -

Blood orange – An excellent source of Vitamin C, a good source of dietary fiber, folic acid, and Vitamin A and B1. The red pigment, called anthocyanin, is actually an antioxidant which helps reduce the risk of heart disease.

Blood Orange Breakfast Loaf
Inspired from The Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook: Limited Edition’s recipe for Lemon Bread

Print Recipe

- 1 ^3/4 cups all-purpose wheat flour. The original recipe uses regular all-purpose flour.
- 3/4 cup organic agave nectar. The original recipe uses regular refined sugar.
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 beaten egg
- 1 cup 1% milk
- 1/4 cup canola oil or melted unsalted butter
- 1 Tbls blood orange juice
- 2 tsp grated blood orange peel

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8x4x2-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.

In a separate medium bowl, add the beaten egg, milk, canola oil (or melted butter), blood orange peel and blood orange juice. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture. Stir well. Be careful not to over-stir the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes.

Remove from oven, cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 30 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and continue to cool on the wire rack.

When the loaf is cool, please slice and enjoy! It’s sweet and fresh!