Bran Banana Muffins

Did you make any New Year's Resolutions? Are you still keeping them? My resolutions are to eat more fruit and vegetables plus drink more water.

During the past holiday season, we were all sick so my main goal was to feel better. The flu season swept in like wild fire. When I was starting to feel better, my husband started to feel awful so our friend gave him some chest rub ointment to help with his breathing. So, I was applying the ointment to my husband's chest when my seven years old son walks into our room. He looks at us and asks what we are doing? I reply that I was helping Daddy grow more chest hair. My son pulls down the collar of his shirt and asked, "Can I have some too?" After I stopped laughing, I told him that it was medicine to help Dad breath better. Then my son informed us that he can't wait to grow a mustache. Why a mustache?

Bran Banana Muffins
2 cups All Bran cereal
1 cup skim milk
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 overripe bananas, mashed
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
Additional cereal and sugar for sprinkling on top

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line a muffin tin with muffin wrappers. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the cereal and milk. Allow to soak for 7 minutes. 
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and egg white until slightly frothy.
5. Add the brown sugar, honey, oil, bananas, and vanilla extract.
6. Pour the brown sugar mixture into the cereal mixture. Stir until combined.
7. In another medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. 
8. Add the flour mixture to the cereal mixture and stir until the flour has been combined about 15 strokes.
9. Evenly divide the batter into the 12 muffin wrappers.
10. Sprinkle each muffin with a little cereal and sugar on top.
11. Bake the muffins for about 25 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.
12. Serve warm.

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen cookbook by Rebecca Rather. 

One year ago....................I made Lemon Frosted Cupcakes.

Did you already know...
-It is recommended for woman to eat 25 grams fiber a day.
-Men should be eating 30 grams a fiber a day.
Bran helps lower cholesterol and promotes good digestion.

Favorites of 2012

I always love watching the top songs of the year or the year in review. It is just a recap of the favorites. This year I have made a lot of favorites but I could narrow it down to list a few. Let me know what your favorite recipe you made this year.
Favorite Breakfast:

Breakfast Bruschetta

Favorite Meat:

Teriyaki Beef

Favorite Bread:

Seven Cheese Bread

Favorite Dessert:

Did you already know the #1 song of 2012 varied depending on site..
-MTV named "Call Me Maybe," by Carly Rae Jepsen.
-Billboard named "Climax" by Usher.
-VH1 named "Somebody I used to know" by Gotye.
What was your favorite song of 2012?

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Are you ready for Santa tonight? Did you already bake some cookies for him? These cookies may tempt him to leave extra gifts tonight. You never know but they may. I think they tempted my husband to buy me some extra gifts or it could have he has felt bad that I was hit hard with the flu. These cookies are the perfect mix of a peanut chocolate chip cookie.

Are these enough cookies for Santa?

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
 1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 (11 1/2 oz) bag chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter, shortening, and peanut butter until creamy.
2. Add the sugar and beat well.
3. Add the eggs and beat for 1 minute.
4. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
5. Slowly, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Beat well.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips until combined.
7. Scoop about 2 Tbsp of batter and shape into balls.
8. Place the dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheets and flatten slightly.
9. Bake the cookies for about 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
10. Allow to cool for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from My Recipes.com. 
One year ago...........................I made Snowman Sugar Cookies. 

 Did you already know.............
-In 1955, children could call to find out where Santa was in the world.
-NORAD continues the tradition and children can track Santa online.

Merry Christmas to All!

Sables

My son loves the story of the "Tortoise and the Hare." Every time I try to read a story in the Book of Virtues, he always request that story. I think it is a great story about perseverance but I also want to stress other virtues like compassion, hard work, and especially self-discipline. So, I was asking my two youngest children about how they should behave like the golden rule. My son suggested we should not use too many verbs. Yes, verbs. My daughter wanted clarification and asked, "Action words? We shouldn't be using action words?" (I think she had forgotten about the golden rule when speaking to her brother.) My son just replied, "Yes, verbs." So, try not to use too many verbs today! 

Sables
2 (8 oz) sticks of unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 tsp salt
2 large egg yolks
2 cups all purpose flour
1 egg
Colored sugar

Directions:

1. In a mixer, cream the butter on medium speed for about 1 minute.
2. Add the sugar, powdered sugar, and salt to the butter until blended, about 1 minute.
3. Reduce the speed and add the egg yolks. Beat the mixture until combined.
4. Slowly, add the flour a little at the time. Mix the dough until the dough appears uniformly moist and no flour can be seen. The dough should be soft and clumpy not smooth.
5. Gather the dough into a ball and divide into half.
6. Shape the dough into 9 inch long logs and wrap in plastic wrap.
7. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours or overnight.
8. After the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
9. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
10. In a small bowl, whisk the egg.
11. With a pastry brush, lightly brush the beaten egg over the sides of the dough.
12. Roll the dough in the desired colored sugar to coat the eggs.
13. Slice the dough horizontally into 1/3 inch circles.
14. Bake the cookies for about 7 minutes and then rotate the cookies in the oven.
15. Bake the cookies for another 7 minutes or until the cookies are lightly golden on the sides. 
16. Allow the cookies to cool for a minute before transferring to a cookie rack.

Recipe adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours Cookbook by Dorie Greenspan.

Did you already know...........
-Sable cookies are popular in France.
-Sables are moist and crumbly cookies.
-Other names for sables are shortbread, sand tarts, or butter cookies.

PB Candy Bar Brownies

I saw recently a sign that said.........Naughty or Nice Naughty or Nice Decisions, Decisions. Well, I felt very naughty making these cookies but very nice since my husband requested them. Why naughty? Because normally I am happy with sampling my baking and then sharing but I didn't want to share these brownies. They are so good. The brownies crust is made from cookies and it contains candy bars. Now, you know why I didn't want to be nice and share.

Peanut Butter Candy Bar Brownies
1 (16 oz) package of Nutter Butter Cookies, crushed
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
10 Peanut Butter Cups, coarsely chopped
2 Butterfingers, coarsely chopped
1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. 
   
3. In a medium bowl, combine the crushed cookies and butter.
4. Press the cookie mixture into a bottom of a greased parchment lined 13x9 pan.
5. Bake the cookie mixture for about 6 minutes.
6. In a medium bowl, combine the condensed milk, peanut butter, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
7. Remove the cookie mixture from the oven. Sprinkle the peanut butter cups, the Butterfingers, and chocolate chips over the warm crust. 
8. Pore the condensed milk mixture over the cookie and chocolate mixture. 
9. Bake the brownies for about 27 minutes or until lightly browned.
10. Remove the brownies from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing.

Recipe adapted from My recipes website.

One year ago................................I made Flour Tortillas.

Did you already know..................
-The Be A Good Cookie Spatula is made from the OXO company. 
-The OXO company donates half of all proceeds from the sale of the spatula to pediatric cancer research.
-The spatula is the most popular item on the OXO website.