Frugal Refrigerator Bran Muffins

The tops are cracked open already because I just nestled in the butter to melt.

Having a bucket of muffin batter in your fridge is a happy thing.  It means that warm, tasty goodness is 15 minutes + oven preheating away.  It's been a while since I've done a Monday Muffins post, so I wanted to give you an inexpensive, long-lasting recipe that just does a body good.

I first tried these muffins when Debbie, of Salmon with Oranges fame, gave me a hot one oozing with a pat of butter.  Oh goodness, that was delish!  Of course, I asked for the recipe.  It involved buying a name brand bran cereal and soaking it in hot water until the cereal turned into mush.  So--I'd first pay to have that bran processed into a cereal shape, then in order to use it in the recipe I'd undo the processing I'd already paid for?  Must be a more frugal way, I thought.

And there is!  Buying a box of unprocessed bran saves a bunch of money on these muffins.  Making your own buttermilk saves a bit more!

Jill's Very Veggie Pizza

I don't have a 'finished' photo of this pizza, and there's a very good reason for it.

I worked at a restaurant during college, but I never created dishes from scratch.  I just followed recipes, opened cans and cartons, and spent a lot of time cleaning up with my buddy Hobart.  When I bring foods to other people, it's usually a recipe I'm comfortable with--though not always.  Never before had I made a unique dish and just hoped it would turn out OK as I delivered it to someone else.  I didn't eat this pizza:  Jill did. [And I didn't snap a quick photo of the finished pizza because I was racing to get it to her while still hot.  I like to think I've got the 'make a pizza at home' thing down, but I'm hopeless with the pizza delivery part.]

When I offered to bring supper to her family one Friday Night Pizza Night, I asked Jill to tell me exactly what kind of pizza she liked.  I know exactly what I like on a pizza and I wanted to give Jill what she wanted.  She said "oh, I love veggies."  With no "I hate mushrooms and onions" or "I'm sensitive to gluten" guidelines, I was pretty much free to do whatever I wanted.  I figured I'd play a little bit by starting with a spinach crust, but keep it not too crazy extreme.  Spinach, feta, pesto, mushroom and artichoke all play well together, so that's what I did.

Double Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

I know, you're not used to seeing dessert recipes here.  But you're at the right blog!
Sometimes you just need a cookie, you know?

Have you ever noticed how the size of 'miniature' candies is increasing?

When I was a kid, my favorite "miniature" chocolate bar was the Special Dark bar.  Perhaps I was ahead of my time in recognizing the value of dark chocolate?  I just knew I'd trade about anything (I'm talking about you, Bit O' Honey) for Special Dark bars.

When I'm shopping at the grocery store and see Special Dark chips I cannot resist picking up a bag.  These chips find their way into muffins, cookies, and my kids' mouths.  I love chocolate and cherries,
so when I needed to bake some cookies I figured I'd combine some of my pantry stash of dried Michigan cherries in a basic oatmeal cookie recipe to make some magic.  I made this twice--once for a sled hockey tournament and once for my spouse's work event.  They were well-received each time, so I thought I'd share them here.  Here ya go:

Now I'll share the recipe, so you can enjoy them with your mouth, not your eyes.  The past few days have been painful and we could all use a cookie. I know chocolate always helps me.