Running with the breakfast theme that seems to be emerging in “One Teaspoon from Disaster” this month, here is surely something you’ve never tried before: Peanut butter and jam banana bran muffins.

How can I be so certain? I made it up.

It is, I am also certain, pretty tasty.

This muffin recipe calls for soggy bran cereal, bananas and some other stuff (see below). As far as the cereal, either flakes or those crunchy noodle-looking pieces are fine. For the bananas, however, don’t mash them too severely and don’t use overly ripe ones (meaning completely black as you would for banana bread.) The idea is to have little chunks of banana in each muffin.

When these come out of the oven, slice the muffins in the middle and spoon in some peanut butter and raspberry jam, pressing the muffin halves back together. Yum!

PB&J banana bran muffins
Ingredients:
2 C. bran cereal
2 C. skim milk, very hot
1 3/4 C. flour
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ C. honey
1 egg
¼ C. olive oil
3 bananas, mashed
peanut butter
jam

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine cereal and hot milk, stirring until completely blended and smooth. Next, add honey, egg, oil vanilla and bananas; stir well. Next add in remaining dry ingredients. Bake in muffins tins (either lined with paper or greased) at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Don’t forget the PB&J.

Posted by · February 25, 2008 2:16 AM · Comments (0)

How often do you get to eat something as delicious as the name is fun? In this department, there’s no match for sticky buns, sticky buns, stick-y buns!!!

They’re super easy to make, too. This recipe, adapted and much altered from Real Simple magazine (which is way too thick every month to be that simple, if you ask me), takes just minutes.

It’s pretty unscientific, but hard to mess up. I do recommend whipping up the topping (see directions below) to add to the baked product. Much more flavorful.

Sticky sweet buns
Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 banana
walnuts, chopped
brown sugar
1 tube refrigerated biscuit dough

Directions:
Place a slice of butter in the bottom of 10 compartments of your muffin tin. Add a heaping spoonful of brown sugar, some nuts and one banana slice. Place one biscuit dough piece on top. Bake about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Meanwhile, microwave remaining butter with another spoonful or two of brown sugar. When mixture is syrupy, add remaining banana (chopped in little bits). Remove buns from oven; pour syrup over the baked topping side and serve.

Posted by · February 15, 2008 2:31 AM · Comments (0)

They say Valentine’s Day is the most popular night to dine out. So, because you’re getting a break on dinner, why not start the day with a delicious homemade breakfast. But nothing that will over-exert ourselves. Let’s not go that far, this is barely a holiday after all.

Here is a nice, easy recipe that you can mostly assemble the night before and pop in the oven in the morning. Something interesting: it’s a “French” toast recipe that calls for Italian bread. As far as I can tell, this just means a loaf that is skinnier than French bread but fatter than a baguette. I found a loaf in my grocery store bakery and it was perfect for this dish.

In case bananas and strawberries aren’t your thing (they are good colors for this “holiday” though), also below is a recipe for blueberry cream cheese French toast. It’s a little more labor intensive, but worth every second of it.

Banana strawberry French toast
Ingredients:
5 eggs, beaten
½ C. milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. baking powder
1 loaf Italian bread, cut into 1-inch slices
12-ounces frozen strawberry slices, thawed
2 bananas, cut into round slices
sugar
cinnamon
Directions:
Mix eggs, milk, vanilla and baking power. Soak bread slices in mixture overnight. Before baking, spread thawed strawberries (with the juice) and banana slices in the bottom of a sprayed 11- by 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle sugar on top. Place egg-soaked bread on top of fruit; sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with a little drizzle of syrup on top, powdered sugar or as is.

Blueberry-stuffed French toast
Ingredients:
1 loaf fresh French bread
2, 8-ounces cream cheese
1 C. blueberries
10 eggs
1/3 C. maple syrup
1/2 C, skim milk
Sauce:
1 C. sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 C. water
1 C. blueberries
1 Tbsp. butter

Directions:
Cube bread and cream cheese into one-inch pieces. Arrange half the bread in a 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Scatter cream cheese and berries on top, then cover with remaining bread chunks. In a large bowl, beat eggs, syrup and milk. Pour mixture over bread; cover and chill several hours or overnight. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then another 30 minutes uncovered.
Sauce: Cook sugar, cornstarch and water for 5 minutes over medium heat. Stir in berries and simmer for 10 minutes. Add butter. Cook until melted. Serve with drizzled on top French toast.

Posted by · February 4, 2008 11:35 PM · Comments (0)