Okay guys, after I made Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter Boozy Brownies (like literally, right after - I was baking for hours), I saw two spotty bananas in my fruit basket that just had to be eaten, and I created this Chocolate Porter Whole Wheat Banana Bread. It's a little bit healthier than my brownies, but still freaking delish. 

This Chocolate Porter Whole Wheat Banana Bread is insanely moist, fluffy and delicious without all of the refined sugars and fat! The beer gives the bread a light and airy feel, while the peanut butter, whole wheat flour and banana adds some hearty nutritional value. The bread is topped off with some semi-sweet chocolate chips, of course, to satisfy that sweet tooth. 

Again here I used DuClaw Brewing Co.'s "For Pete's Sake" Imperial Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter. Yes, this is my third recipe with beer - what can I say, I LOVE BEER!

[yumprint-recipe id='12']Now that I've gone a little overboard with the baking lately, it's time to start thinking about my goals for the new year - I've got so many and I can't wait :)

I hope everyone has a great day - I'm off to Florida this afternoon after work and could not be more excited to RELAX with family and friends for several days. Much needed! 

P.S. - I finally figured out how to fully utilize my profile on Yummly (I'm still learning) so if you use that platform to browse recipes, you can find me there and also use the Yummly button on the right side of my site to add recipes straight from my blog! 

Enjoy!! 

XO- Rach

Starting to think about your New Years resolutions?

Have you ever tried baking with beer?

Favorite holiday tradition?

Chocolate + Peanut Butter = one heck of an amazing combo. When you add DuClaw Brewing's For Pete's Sake Imperial Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter into the mix...now THAT'S what I'm talking about.  I was so thrilled to be sent a few bottles to taste and create a recipe with. One thing immediately came to mind when brainstorming recipe ideas - BROWNIES. I wanted to create something with simple ingredients to really let the beer shine through. So I present to you...Chocolate Peanut Butter Boozy Brownies. WARNING: These are HIGHLY addictive. 

About the beer:

In the words of Duclaw Brewing Co., after one sip of this porter, you’ll be exclaiming “For Pete’s Sake!” And so the name was born. With an ABV of 9 percent (9 PERCENT!!), “For Pete’s Sake” is a big and bold brew, yet silky and smooth, with big roasted malt flavor and subtle notes of fruit and coffee. "For Pete's Sake!" was just released this month and is only seasonally available!

"For Pete's Sake!" is a very dark beer made with grains including Pale, Cara Munich, Chocolate, Black and Flaked Oats. The coffee flavors really stood out to me, which is another reason I chose to go with brownies here. I absolutely love the rich dark taste of espresso when used in brownies and I knew this beer would give the brownies a similar decadent feel. These Chocolate Peanut Butter Boozy Brownies will warm your soul in every possible way. Pair them with a shot of espresso and you're living. 

[yumprint-recipe id='11']These are insanely delicious. Please go do yourself a favor, make these and consume them all before all the new year's resolutions commence :). Enjoy!! 

 About Duclaw Brewing Co.:

DuClaw Brewing Company is a leading craft brewery founded in 1996, and is based in Baltimore, MD. Driven by the company motto “craft be cherished, rules be damned,” founder Dave Benfield took DuClaw from a home-brewing operation that sold beer through his dorm room window to a state of the art brewery. DuClaw Brewing Co. has released more than 65 brews. Today, Benfield and DuClaw brewmaster Jim Wagner work to continuously release more than 25,000 barrels of high-quality beers per year. DuClaw is available in select liquor stores, restaurants and bars throughout MD, DC, NJ, DE, VA, PA, NC, WV, and most recently, Cleveland, OH. I can’t wait to visit the brewery next time I’m driving through Batlimore! 

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Disclosure: I’m proud to partner with DuClaw Brewing Company as part of their DuClaw Pumpkin Brew Blogger Campaign! I am being sponsored by DuClaw Brewing Company for this post, but all opinions expressed are my own, and all product claims or program details shared can be verified at duclaw.com. I greatly appreciate your support surrounding this post! Thank you!

Around the holidays, a lot of us tend to get so stressed out at work, stressed about family, stressed about getting gifts, the list goes on! But the absolute most important part about the holiday season - and any time of year, for that matter, is G I V I N G.  Although it's a hobby, blogging has brought so much joy into my life in the past couple months. I was invited to share my thoughts, challenges & support into the Bloggers Gonna Blog Facebook group a little while back, and it has changed the game for me. I never thought I could meet such talented, motivated & supportive people over the internet! The group has played a huge role in teaching me that blogging and building your personal brand is oh, SO much more than that. It's about CONNECTING with others and GIVING the support that you want and need as well. It takes a whole community to build a community. I'm so thankful to be part of such an awesome group of like-minded peeps. Georgie & Christina coordinated a big gift exchange for us all and I was so excited to give and get my gift! 

Secret Santa

My beautiful bloggy secret santa was Cassie from Almost Getting It Together! Cassie is a blogger in San Francisco who works full time in marketing and has time to run her awesome website. I love reading through all of her tips and lifestyle posts! Check out her blog for simple recipes and awesome travel tips.

Cassie put together one awesome gift. I've never tried these Rise Bars before and I'm so glad she introduced me to them because they're delicious!! Such wholesome ingredients. My favorite was the Carob Chip and the Sunflower Cinnamon! I haven't bought these at the grocery store yet, but my bet is that you can for sure find them at a Whole Foods! Cassie hit the nail right on the head here as I'm always on the go or in the office and ALWAYS need to have my snacks on me ;)

Cassie also sent over some Cheesy Pizza Kale Chips! Another great snack to always have on hand.

The next two items are my favorite. This Sweet Almond and Raspberry Seed oil has been saving my skin every night. Even though this winter has been extremely mild [not complaining], as soon as the weather gets below 70, my skin seriously turns into leather [Florida baby]. I get so dry! This oil makes my face and hands feel smooth and refreshed all the time. I've been using it at night and my skin doesn't feel so parched in the morning. 

I also received this amazing DIY skin care kit from Leonamade.com. The ingredients all come from family farms and fair trade coops. It's all natural and includes coconut oil - I'm in! I can't wait to experiment with this. I also love knowing exactly what's going into the product that I schmear on my face every night. 

Thank you SO much, Cassie for the amazing Secret Santa gift! I'm so thankful to be part of such an awesome group. Going into 2016 I can't wait to keep connecting with other bloggers. It's so important to give support in order to receive it. Check out Beverly's post on sweatyandfit.com to see what I got her for our gift exchange! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful, fantastic, all around amazing holiday this year. 

XO- Rach

What are your Christmas plans? New Years plans?

Did you take part in a gift exchange this year?

What's your favorite part about the holidays?