Honey Banana Bran Muffins

These were delicious the first day, and just as good the next morning. My favorite part though is the freezer method mentioned in the directions. You can have freshly baked muffins anytime, with little fuss and muss. My favorite way to bake.

Honey Banana Bran Muffins

1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups All Bran
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 TBSP. melted butter
1 apple, cored and shredded
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup honey

Place the raisins in a small bowl (that is, if you want them), cover with water, and cook in the microwave on HIGH for 1 minute to plump. Drain and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the egg and milk together. Mix in the bran cereal and let sit for 5 minutes to soak. Gently mix in the drained raisins, and the remaining ingredients, making sure everything is incorporated, but do not over mix. Spoon the batter into greased or paper lined muffin cups. Bake @ 400*F for 20 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly touched.
*Freezer Method*-Spoon the batter into paper lined muffin cups and flash freeze them. Then store the "muffins" in a large ziploc bag in the freezer until needed. To bake, take the frozen unbaked "muffin" (still in the paper liners) and place them in a muffin tin and and bake @ 400*F for 20-25 minutes. There is no need to thaw the batter, bake them directly from the freezer.
Makes 12 muffins.

Chicken Fried Rice

This makes a TON, so be prepared to stuff your face, or maybe just cut the recipe in half. I'll let you decide. And if you're feeling nostalgic for Guam, feel free to substitute diced Spam for the chicken.

Chicken Fried Rice

3 cups uncooked Jasmine rice
about 6 cups water
chicken bouillon (optional)
olive oil
about 1 (lb.) chicken breast, cut into small pieces
4 stalks celery, sliced
1 onion, chopped
heaping spoonful of minced garlic from the jar
soy sauce
1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen peas & carrots
1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen peas
8 eggs

Cook the rice using the 6 cups of water, adding some chicken bouillon to the water if desired. When the rice is cooked, toss, and place in large bowl in the fridge until needed (the rice is best in this recipe if it's cool or even cold, so this is a great way to use up leftover rice). In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the chicken and cook for a few minutes. Add the celery, onion, garlic and a few glugs of soy sauce. Saute for a minute. Add the peas and carrots and the peas and stir to mix well. Cook, stirring occasionally, and making sure it's not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add a few more glugs of soy sauce, and continue cooking until the veggies are tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, scramble the eggs in a bowl and add salt to taste. Cook over medium heat in a separate pan, breaking it into bite size pieces. Set aside. Once the veggies are tender, take the cooked and cooled/or cold rice from the fridge, and mix in into your big pan of the veggie/chicken mixture. Stir really well to mix everything together. Add a few glugs of soy sauce (about 1/3 of a cup more or less, to taste ) and stir some more. Add the scrambled eggs, mix well and make sure everything is heated throughout. Serve with soy sauce on the side.
Makes about 12 servings.