ClassiclyAmber » breakfast

Naturally Sweet ‘n YUMMY Smoothies

classiclyamber — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:45:44 +0000

As I mentioned in a previous post about Gianna’s recent party celebration, we love smoothies for a treat or for breakfast or for anytime! Can I share with ya on how we make these? It’s supa dupa easy!

3 cups of fresh milk [preferably with the cream still on top! what? fresh milk is unhealthy?? somebody LIED to YOU!]
4 frozen bananas
1 [10 oz.-16oz.] bag frozen fruit [you pick: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mangos or just a mix]
4 big spoonfuls of raw honey
mint for garnish ‘n flavor

We are in the market for a new blender, and have been researching some good ones out there. I tell ya….they ain’t cheap! But we both know that when you buy the best stuff up front, you might spend more – but in the LONG run, you will save a lot of money from having to buy a new blender every year or two! So y’all with blenders out there, tell me what brand you have and if you love yours or not.

Since we don’t have a blender right now, we actually use our ghetto food processor to whip up smoothies. It truly does whip it up in a decent manner, I suppose, but a.) it makes a pretty big mess and b.) I can only do small batches at a time. So when I make these smoothies, I have to split it up and make half of it at a time. Do you feel sorry for me? Just send Paypal money if you want to donate to our new blender fund!

I have started buying a WHOLE bunch of organic bananas all at once, and then coming home – peeling them and tossing them into this huge lidded, plastic container that stays in the freezer. It totally works – even if it DOES make for ugly banana pics [see above].

In the blender/food processor, throw in your bananas and milk and blend until smooth. As you know, this whips up the creamy milk and incorporates so much air into it that is gets thick and wonderful! Then add in your choice of berries and the honey. Give it a whirl again until it is super smooth and creamy. Oh man! This is SO delish! All of the frozen fruits help to thicken the creamy milk even more and it really does seem like a good ice cream or gelato. Truly, it’s not as dense as either of those because of all of the air whipped into this really quick, but it is just as satisfying, I promise!

Last, pour it up in tall glasses, top it with a sprig of mint and serve it to the people you love most! It will be loved by all!

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Snowed Over Yummy French Toast

classiclyamber — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:15:49 +0000

This is a big favorite at our house with kids and parents alike!!

1 cup of Whole Milk French Vanilla Yogurt (or you can use your homemade yogurt)
12 slices of Honey Wheat bread
½ cup of Milk
2 tsp. pure Vanilla Extract
4 Eggs
½ tsp. Ground Cinnamon
½ tsp. Ground Nutmeg
Salt – to taste
SNOW (that is – Confectioners Sugar or Stevia Powder, if you’re not doing sugar – such as myself!)

1. In a large mixing bowl, add in all the wet ingredients – except the eggs.

2. Whisk in the eggs last.

3. Then add in all of the dry ingredients and mix it up great.

4. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or pan over medium heat. Dip in each slice of the bread in bowl, making sure to soak both sides.

5. Place in pan and cook on both sides until a darker golden brown.

Serve hot and top with confectioner’s sugar or Stevia. You can also add on a little bit of pure maple syrup, if that’s how you roll.

The kids love to watch it ‘snowing’ on their food! I think it’s pretty nifty, too! =D Just get one of those shakers or a sieve thingie to shake out the sugar all over the place. Mmm!

Sights of Christmas ’09

classiclyamber — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:09:16 +0000

We had a good Christmas day here at the homestead. Outside was frightful, but inside was delightful. Our family spent time together and chowed down on homemade cinnamon rolls. Recipe at the end!

Hope you all had a blessed and merry Christmas!

Score! A new friend read about my fresh ground cinnamon and decided to give me this cute little jar to store it in. Love it!! Thanks, Susan! =-D

So have you tried making homemade cinnamon rolls before? They are uber tasty! But um…they also take about 2 years to make one batch! Maybe not quite THAT long, but too long for this impatient momma. I made one of Martha Stewart’s recipes…and I kid you not – I felt like I was never going to get done with those. They ended up being the absolute best tasting cinnamon rolls I’ve ever eaten (and I’ve had much!)…but because I was so worn out from all the work it took to make them, I felt as though I couldn’t enjoy them as much. I’ve always thought – “Why can’t I just find a recipe where you simply make the dough, roll it out, sprinkle on the goods and bake it? Why is that so difficult?” I ended up changing one around to suit my tastes and am sharing it with you. You still might look at these and think that they take too long – but after what I’ve been through with gourmet cinnamon rolls, I can assure you that these go by fairly quick. In fact, I can see myself making these more than just one morning in a whole year because they are tasty and mostly easy to make.

Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

1.5 tbsp. active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup warm milk

1/3 cup Sucanat (evaporated cane juice) or organic sugar

5.5 tbsp. softened unsalted butter + 2 tbsp. softened unsalted butter

1 tsp. sea salt

1 fresh large egg

3.5 cups all purpose unbleached flour

All right, so you’ve seen me make pizza dough before – and just think of this as very similar to that. To make your dough for the cinnamon rolls, get a large bowl – dump in your warm water and then your yeast on that. Let it dissolve (get a lil bubbly)…then add in your milk, Sucanat, 5.5 tbsp. of the softened butter, the egg – and just 2 cups of the flour. Mix it all up really well. Next, add in the remaining part of your flour. You’ll notice that this part will take a little more work to get all of that flour incorporated, but you can do it. I believe in you!

Sprinkle a little flour on your countertop and turn out the dough, kneading until smooth and elastic. In the same bowl you mixed in, just drizzle some light olive oil in there and rub it all over the inside of the bowl to grease it. Put in your ball of dough and then turn it over with the greased side up. Cover it with a flour sack towel and let it rise. At this point, I actually only let mine rise for about 25 minutes…but if you want your dough to be more light, then allow it to rise until it’s doubled in size, which will take 1-2 hours.

After it’s risen some (25 minutes min.), pull it out and roll it onto a lightly floured surface. You really don’t have to get picky with measurements here, but I think it’s neatest to roll it into a rectangle shape. I think when I rolled mine out – it was about 14 in. by 20 in. But try it however you want! Once it’s rolled out how you like it, then rub the remaining 2 tbsp. of softened butter all over the dough. On top of that, sprinkle an even layer of Sucanat. And on top of THAT, sprinkle an even layer of freshly ground cinnamon.

The whole thing gets rolled up long ways…then cut off 1 inch pieces and place in a large glass baking dish. If you want to get picky, then let these rise AGAIN – or just be like me and skip that part, popping them straight into your preheated oven (350 degrees). Cook them for 20-25 minutes. Check them at 20 because they might be totally done at that point.

When they are done, they should be cooked all the way through (no doughy centers!) and golden brown on the bottoms.

Serve up smiles to your family!

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Lemony-Blueberry Muffins

classiclyamber — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:23:20 +0000

What did you have for breakfast this morning? Did you eat the breakfast of CHAMPIONS?!?

Yes, yes, I know…you’re thinking – MORE MUFFINS??? I just can’t say it enough: we are a family who enjoys the stuff. It’s just so versatile – easy to make – and is super yummy! If you find yourself too busy in the mornings to whip these up kinda quick, then make time for them the night before. You will have no regrets. They keep well. I have a glass pedestal with a dome on the countertop that usually has some type of muffins to tempt us. You could also fridge these if you wanted to go the cold route instead. Ready to get started?

Lemony-Blueberry Muffins

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup canola oil

1 1/2 cups of evaporated cane juice OR 1 cup of raw honey

2 large fresh eggs

The zest of 1 lemon

The juice of 1 lemon (add this if you want an extra lemon ZING! I say – it’s delicious!)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

4 cups of either whole wheat pastry flour OR unbleached white flour (or a mix of the two…just make sure it equals 4 cups)

2 tbsp. baking powder

2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups of either fresh or frozen blueberries

Butter up your muffin pans: one 12-cup pan and one 6-cup pan.

Preheat your oven to 375.

Put all of your dry ingredients into the mixing bowl and stir it together nicely. Then add in all of your wet ingredients on top of that and mix in.

Make sure your lemon is really clean all over – and try to buy organic – and then get to zesting the whole thing. The roll around the lemon to get the juices going, cut it in half and add in the juice from both halves. Do this ONLY if you love lemons and prefer a little lemony kick to your muffins. If you only want an ever-so-slight lemon taste, then only use the zest and save the lemon for something else. Oh, and you’d also need to change this recipe’s name to: Blueberry Slightly-With-Lemon Muffins. Doesn’t sound as good, though, does it?

My step-mom bought us the biggest bag of frozen blueberries I have ever seen. I was delighted! We have really been going through them with these muffins, too…as well as using them in other things (Italian Crostada topped with whipped Mascerpone Cheese – YUM!). Anyhoo, feel free to use either fresh or frozen blueberries in this deal. You can’t go wrong.

Chunk ‘em in!

Stir ‘n mix.

Pan ‘em up! As always, fill up your muffin cups to the very top and be sure to butter the very tops of your muffin pans, too…or else they will get the stickies!

Bake them at 375 for 20-25 minutes. When they are done (test with a toothpick or a cake tester), turn them over on the counter immediately and let them cool slightly before chowing down. If you leave them in the pans, they will continue to cook and brown (or burn?) up the sides of your muffins…which is neither tasty, tantalizing nor tempting. Skip all that mess.

When you think you can handle it, plate up and enjoy! Mmmmmmmm GOOD!

Just Whip It. [Whip it GOOD]

classiclyamber — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:35:24 +0000

For the love of butter!! Mmmm…PURE butter, that is! <3

Today I’m gonna show you how to whip up some homemade butter from fresh milk. When I tell people that I make my own butter, I get lots of questions and requests for instructions. People want to know about my Amish Paradise lifestyle (Kidding! We are faaaaar from it!). You will see how easy it is with a KitchenAid mixer. Use whatever you’ve got, though!

Okay, if you are New World and believe some of those new fangled ideas that butter is positively evil, then you may wish to peek at this post through your fingers. I, personally, can not get on board with such thoughts ‘n ideas. Firstly, there is proof from many sources that raw milk butter is quite good for you – and is actually better than the alternatives (fake butter margarine, plastic Crisco, etc.) Your brain is made of fat and definitely needs the good kinds of fat for optimum nutrition. And then we could sit here and talk all day about the vast difference just in TASTE, folks! Oh my goodness! Drinking fresh milk is almost like drinking the most pure form of ice cream that you can imagine. No, I’m not talking about that sugary mess – just a nice, really clean, naturally sweet milk. So the butter that’s made from fresh milk is also copacetic! Yumness abounds!

Let’s get a few things cleared up first: when I speak of butter, please know that I speak of the truest form of butter that you can possibly imagine, and that comes from clean fresh raw milk. Why raw milk? Close your eyes and think about it: acres of (pesticide-free) green, green grass…clean Jersey cows here and there, grazing happily and smiling at one another…their milk bags of normal, healthy size…two calves laugh and jump, leap-frog-style, one over the other while some of the older cows bask just beyond the sunlight under a canopy of trees…

Yeah. That’s not TOO far a stretch from the exact farm where we purchase our raw milk from.

Where does the milk that YOU buy come from? Do you know? It’s okay, if you don’t. A lot of Americans don’t have a clue about that. But if you were to take a trip to one of those ‘other’ farms that is typical of a lot of dairy farms in this country, you might be in for a reality shock. You just might feel so bad for the animals involved or you’d get nauseous looking at the sanitary levels of the place – - that you just may eternally vow to never buy regular store bought milk again. Yep. I’m serious!

At ‘those’ farms, the cows typically aren’t treated as well. They are treated more like numbers and not living beings. They get routine and unnecessary shots of antibiotics and hormones…the first sometimes causing them to be more sick and the second causing them to produce SO much milk that they are ridiculously full of milk and they can barely walk straight. Since they are “only numbers” and not living beings in the way they are treated, then they sometimes aren’t so closely inspected…and will frequently get mastitis and infections because they are unhealthy. Besides, who cares if they pump the milk out of them when they are sick or dirty because – all the milk is just going to be boiled to death anyway, right?

So then because they are sick and dirty…um…then there is typically pus in the milk. But that’s okay, right? Maybe…not….?

Because of the conditions that the farmers create with their dairy cows, then they have to routinely boil the milk (pasteurize) it, and then to make it “cosmetically” pleasing (and have a longer shelf life?), it is homogenized. That basically means that they pump the milk through tee-niny holes that create a more consistent texture to the milk. Well, whoop dee doo! I actually LIKE to see the thick, yummy cream rise to the top of the milk.

Please note that I do realize that there probably are some decent, clean dairy farmers out there who don’t practice organic/all natural farming methods. The point here is that consumers should know where their milk comes from…who the farmers are…and how they actually raise their cows or goats. You can try to find a fresh milk local farmer in your area by going to RealMilk.com or by contacting the Weston A. Price Association to find the good stuff. And that’s just the moral to this part of the story: when you make the switch over to fresh milk, you HAVE to know your farmers and the animals who make the milk! You need to know that they are clean and that the cows are happy and healthy! So find your farmer and definitely take a tour of the farm. Take your kids and have a fun day of it!

What all can you do with clean fresh milk? Plenty! For starters, there’s butter (which we will actually make here, believe it or not), buttermilk, yogurt, kefir, sour cream, cheese, etc.

First, separate your cream. It will have risen to the top, of course, and you can either just spoon it out, carefully pour it out or suck it out with a baster. OR you can be like me and do a combo of the 3.

Next, pour into your mixer. It’s not too late to whip it into shape.

Make messes.

And let the machine do its thing! I’m not sure what the variables are here – and maybe someone else can tell me – but sometimes it only takes 8 minutes to get the thicker butter parts separated…and other times I’ve had it going for 30 minutes or more before the butter separated. Still…using the machine is easier than using a hand churn, right? Though doing it by hand would certainly help tone your arm muscles. So you pick! I’ve even read about people who put it in a tightly sealed half gallon Mason jar and shickety-shake it like nuts until it separates. You wanna do that? Go for it! Or better yet, give it to your kids to do and teach them about it while they get to contribute and stay happily busy all at once!

I should also give you a quick warning, too: Please stand by your mixer at this point! When you first turn on your mixer, you will feel like you’re just making whipped cream (and you are)…but when the butter decides to suddenly separate, it happens REALLY fast all at once! If you’re not standing right there to turn down the mixer, then buttermilk will fly up EVERYWHERE as it’s being sloshed around with the thick butter! You have been warned. =-)

After just a little bit, you will see the thicker butter pieces start to come to the center and stick to the whisk, too.

See the buttermilk in there?

This is not like the cultured buttermilk you buy from the store. This is real buttermilk! Just like you saw, it’s the separated milk left over from making butter. You want to save ALL of that yummy good stuff! It makes the best eggs for breakfast – and the best biscuits and pancakes and anything else you can dream up. Use it for almost all of your baking needs and taste the difference!

Once you’ve gotten the buttermilk separated, then you can return the butter to the bowl and start kneading it with your hands. The goal here is to remove as much of the buttermilk as possible to keep the butter from going rancid too fast. Some people put in some salt in their butter to also help in that area. I sometimes add just a teeny bit of salt.

So when you’ve gotten most all of the buttermilk squeezed and pressed out, you can then plop it all into a container of your choice…or even just wrap it in unbleached parchment paper (which I’ve done many times and works well). If you want to make a big batch of butter, then put some in your fridge and freeze the rest.

Mmmm! Smooth like butta! That’s ’cause…wait – nevermind. But what are some of your favorite recipes that call for the real deal? Do share!

Just for kicks, check out some of these antique butter churns:

Like I said, TONED ARM MUSCLES!

And this one is a butter press. Isn’t it pretty? And it would make pretty designs on your butter, too! I keep saying that I’m going to get me some sort of a butter press, but it just hasn’t happened yet. “One of these days!”

Photo credits: I dunno. You tell ME and I’ll give credit!

The Day the Oranges Gave Their All

classiclyamber — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:46:54 +0000

Once upon a time, there were some Valencia oranges hanging out in a kitchen.

They were being used as an aromatic citric display on a cake stand over on the hutch. Tired of feeling useless, they looked at one another and exclaimed, “We need to make something of ourselves!”

Then they woke up the Clementines in their plastic prison just over the bend. “We want to join you!”, they cried. “Please, free us and show us how we can help.”So the Valencias freed them, and they danced and danced and really lived it up!

Then they went about the kitchen waking up other various components to add to their scheme.

The press suggested they let him tickle the C outta them.

“What a great idea! Hooray for the press and his stankin’ good ideas!!” They all shouted and cheered! Soon the festivities began.

Each orange split open and jumped into the press’s mouth. “Bwaah ahh ahaahaa ahah ahaaa! That tickles!! HAHA!!” Yeah, it was a laughin’ good time for all.

As they laughed and laughed, the juicy C drained out.They collected it into a glass measuring cup.

Some peels were begging for more. So the Whole Cloves came down to see how they could help out and join in the fun.

“Hey!”, they said. “Let’s team up with the Cinnamon and make some potpourri!” Well, what a fabulous idea!

So they all came together and jumped in the pot onto the stove to bathe and soak and help turn the house into a delicious smelling home.

Still there were some peels that cried for more. After they were cleaned up a bit, they decided to sun bathe and dry out some to be turned into dried peels for storage. They were ecstatic to be saved for a rainy day!

And the fresh squeezed juice? It was invited to hang out in many stomachs in the household – and that made everyone VERY happy indeed!

All gave some. But some gave all.

The end.

Chocolate Zucchini Nut Muffins

classiclyamber — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:01:34 +0000

Have you heard of…”Zucchini Bread”? I have, and I’ve tasted it before, too. Honestly, they should just go ahead and call that stuff “Zucchini CAKE” because that’s exactly what it is! When I think of the term ‘bread’, I think of something more hearty and savory than what I’ve personally experienced as “Zucchini Bread”. If I ever get the chance to make what I would consider to be true Zucchini BREAD, then I will come back here and share it with all of you. But for today – I bring you more muffins instead. These are more along the lines of a cakie bread, but still not so much like cake.

…Or am I in denial, too?

Yesiree, we just looooooooove muffins ’round this place! Can you tell yet?

When you look at these, you might be thinking – ‘Oh my! I bet they are SO sweet!’ You are right! They are definitely sweet, but not TOO sweet!

If I may explain: Yes, these are quite deliciously sweet while at the same time – they are not so sweet that they burn your mouth or may you sick to your stomach. Therefore, I give ‘em my full hearty approval for….BREAKFASTS!! Yes, breakfast. Just think about it, you and your family are starting out the day right with VEGGIES (and also chocolate). So how could ya go wrong with this? Just so you know, they are sweetened in several ways. 1.) natural applesauce, 2.) organic sugar, 3.) molasses and 4.) raw honey. All of it combines to make for a sweet chocolatie zucchini muffin that is juuuuuuuuust sweet enough to fancy your taste buds without overwhelming them and confusing them as dessert. Seriously.

And are you one of those weird people that doesn’t like chocolate? Or do you simply want to actually taste the zucchini? Then scroll down for the slightly different version of these muffins that uses NO chocolate or sugar! They are also superb!

Let us begin!!

Ingredients:

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup dark chocolate cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

3 tsp. ground cinnamon (make it fresh!)

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. allspice

3 fresh eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup organic sugar

1 cup raw honey

1 tbsp. molasses

3 tsp. pure vanilla extract

4 cups grated zucchini

1 cup chopped walnuts

Okay, so you guys know my drill with muffins. Preheat your oven to 350…

…butter your pans (inDEEDly well!)…and start adding your ingredients together, starting with all wet ingredients and then ending with all the dry.

In a big bowl, put in your flour, chocolate powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and sugar. Mix well.

For the chocolate, I just used Hershey’s 100% Cacao Dark Chocolate cocoa powder. It’s pretty good!

Then add in your eggs, oil, applesauce, honey, molasses and vanilla extract. Mix well and then begin incorporating into the dry ingredients. Mix it all together well.

Now, I have to tell you about this really awesome grater that I just acquired from a friend! This is our first time using it and we were totally loving it.I can tell already that it’s going to quickly become a favorite tool in the kitchen. Do you have one of these at home? It is basically 3 different pieces, and there are several different barrel thingies with various types of blades on it for shredding and cutting. The bottom suctions TIGHT to the counter top!

Then you pop on the middle section with the handle…

and then add your cutting barrel of choice! Stick the food in and roll. Does it get any easier?

As you can see, we basically just cut off the ends of the zucchini, stuck it straight in from the top and rolled to grate that bad boy up – skins, seeds and all.

I can tell ya…hubby had raised eyebrows and quiet questions, wondering if we were supposed to do it that way, but I DO hate to waste things and wanted it all in there. And you can bet your bippy that he had nothing but excellent reviews while chowing down on the finished muffins!

It was nearly effortless. And fun.

Add in funly-grated zucchini.

When it comes to cooking and baking in the kitchen, DO let your children and grandchildren help out! It doesn’t matter WHAT age they are, you can always find something for them to do. Even if they are just little babies, let them have a section of the cabinet to play with the plastic bowls and lids – and they will have a blast! I think it’s really important for children to feel like they really contribute something worthwhile to the family. And they will be happier and have better self esteem when you let them help out however they can!

So here you see our oldest, who just turned 8 years old a few months ago. He has shining self esteem, see?

He’s had “Cooking Class” here with me and his father several times.

If you were to watch him chop and dice things up, you might confuse him with a pro! He does really great chopping up those walnuts…just like a chef!

Add in chopped walnuts and mix up.

Here again, I used one full sized muffin pan (12 cups) and a separate muffin pan that only has 6 cups. Fill up your pans with the batter all the way to the top of the cups. As always, make sure you butter the very top of your pan, too!

Place the pans in your preheated oven and try not to think about what’s going on in there. Pretty soon, your whole house will be filled with the chocolatie aromas of summer….with a hint of fall to come. When you can’t stand it anymore – or after about 18 minutes, do check your muffins with a cake tester or a toothpick. It should pull out clean. It may take 2 or 3 more minutes to get done. My oven cooks these muffins perfectly in just 20 minutes.

When they are done, turn the pans over and let ‘em fall out onto a cooling rack…then turn them right sides up.

Let ‘em cool (if you can). You will not believe how wonderfully moist and delicious these muffins are!

They are perFECTion for breakfast – or snack – or even a light dessert!

Now for the Totally Zucchini Muffins:

To make these happen, simply omit the cocoa and sugar, and you’re there! They are toooo tasty, too! And you really can taste the zucchini. Imagine that!

Banana Nut Bread [muffins]

classiclyamber — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:07:25 +0000

This is definitely a kitchen staple in our home. Why? Well, because bananas are always on hand.

And because I can make these ahead on a Friday for a Saturday morning breakfast.

And because they make SUPER tasty snacks!

And because the way I make ‘em is pretty good for you, too. Ye shall see.

Let’s get our mess together and bake!

Ingredients include:

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups flaxseed

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. sea salt

3 large (hopefully fresh) eggs

1 cup good raw honey

1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup vegetable oil (such as canola or even coconut oil)

2 heaping tbsp. pure vanilla extract

3 really ripe bananas

1 cup unsweetened shredded fresh coconut (or unsulphured dried coconut)

1 cup walnuts

1/2 cup buttermilk

unsalted butter stick (or empty wrappers)

Begin by taking your unsalted butter and greasing up the pans. You definitely want to be efficient at this part of the task! When done properly (and you will know if it’s been done properly by how messy your fingers are! ), it will cause your muffins to literally fall right out of their pans. You COULD use that spray on stuff, but I just don’t get on board with seemingly-unnatural stuff like that. I just don’t know what all I’m breathing in when I spray that stuff and it always choked me, so I personally don’t use it. It’s really quite fun to use butter and you will develop your own technique for getting this part done.

Or you could get your kids to do this part. They LOVE it, too. My oldest son is 8 years old, and he’s the world’s best at buttering up pans. Seriously. He’s better than me. Anyway, do you know how lots of women make banana nut bread in a LOAF form? I used to do that, too, but noticed that it was taking at least an hour for the bread to cook up. I tend to be an impatient kinda momma at times (yeah, not necessarily a trait to brag about), and so I decided to just start making muffins out of them so I could cut the baking time in HALF! Yahoo!

So for this recipe, I use regular size muffin pans (not the minis) and I always need one that makes 12 and another one that makes less – just 6. So grease ‘em up! Be sure and grease the tops of the muffin pan around the edges of the cup openings. If you don’t, then when your muffins rise up and come over the sides of their lil’ homes, then they will stick to the tops and you will be aggravated with trying to remove them. So spare yourself that and the heartache of ugly muffins and grease the tops, too.

Separate your ingredients on the counter – wet and dry.

In a large bowl, add in your flour, flaxseed, baking soda, salt and coconut. Mix it all up.

Make a well in the center and add in: the eggs, oil, honey, vanilla and buttermilk. With your spoon, begin mixing around just the wet mixture, focusing on getting the eggs incorporated. Then begin mixing the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Do this just until it is all mixed together.

Now for the stars of the show! Here’s a good idea: don’t use your solid yellow bananas and CERTAINLY don’t use the ones tinged with green! BLECH! For this mug, you are definitely going to need your “old” bananas. Why? Because as bananas age, their natural sugars develop as brown spots and spats on their peels. These are PERFECT for banana nut muffins because they have natural sweetness already built in. Use ‘em up! Now…if someone you know tries to give you BLACK bananas for your muffins, just toss those into your compost pile because they are already rotting. Brown spots = tasty natural sweetness; Black = skanky bananas. Go for the brownish-yellow, people!

In a separate small bowl, mash up your really ripe bananas supa fast.

If you have one of these pastry blenders, it will cause this part of the recipe to go about 85% faster. So get one!

Then add the mashed bananas to the batter mix.

Now roughly chop up the walnuts and add those in. Stir the whole thing together real quick.

Begin filling up your muffin pans. You’re going to want to fill them completely full, even slightly OVER filled. Don’t worry – that batter is not going anywhere. It is really thick! Also note: say you are using two 12-muffin pans and don’t have enough batter to fill up the extra spaces…No worries! Simply fill those 6 remaining spaces up with water. If you don’t, then they might burn! (Trust me, I have had that happen before!)

Pop them in your preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Check them at 20 minutes with a cake tester or toothpick. The biggest muffin should be tested, and when you pull out the tester/toothpick, you will know it’s done if it comes out clean.

Because you buttered the pans so well, then the muffins are going to lovingly pop out of the pans in this next step. Just take a wire rack and place it upside down on your muffins in the pan, and then flip the whole ensemble over and hear them sing for glory at their sweet and total release from the pan!

If possible, allow them to cool on the wire racks for 10-15 minutes…but your kiddos may be trying to snatch them up before that point!

These will keep tastily and happily well in a tight fitting glass display such as you see here for at least one week (they’ve never lasted longer than that here because everyone eats ‘em up!). Or you can pop them in the freezer for 2 or 3 months if you need them to last longer.

ENJOY!