Monthly Archives: February 2015

Victory Bran Muffins

It’s the weekend people. Regardless of our need to post more healthy, hearty fare and veggies, right now we need muffins. Why are these a victory? First, they come from my cousin Victoria, via King Arthur Flour, via Zella Lane who was the radio voice of Betty Crocker. So, yes, these have been fully vetted. Most importantly, these muffins are delish, whether made as mini muffins (Victoria’s favorite way—less commitment per muffin and way cuter) or as full-sized ones. I took them to a ski race recently and they were devoured by adults and teenagers alike. They are substantial enough to stand up to packing and travel, but still tender and awesome.

Perhaps the biggest bonus, however, is the fact that this batter can stay in your fridge, at the ready, for up to two weeks. They are a bit of a process to put together, only because they require three separate bowls, boiling water and a bit of cooling time. But none of it is difficult, and the reward for that time on the front end is being able to dole out muffin batter as and when needed, for fresh muffins anytime within a half hour. They will save your butt on a busy morning and make you look like a red-hot muffin-bearing kitchen goddess. That, my friends, is a victory.

Notes: Pay attention here to the bran cereal amounts. First, they depend on the type of bran cereal you are using, and second there are two places in the recipe where the cereal comes in, so make sure you have enough. Otherwise you might be subbing in whatever cereal you have in the pantry—doable for sure, but potentially risky (e.g. Raisin Bran vs. Capt’n Crunch). Coconut is an addition from Victoria that is totally good. If you are warming kids or bran-phobes up to these muffins, sweetened is the way to go. Unsweetened, while more virtuous, will dry out the batter more, so be more generous with your buttermilk. Finally, this makes a lot. You can easily halve the recipe if fridge space is at a premium.

 Ingredients:

  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 cup bran cereal (buds or twigs); or 1 3/4 cups bran flakes
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 2/3 cup shredded coconut (Optional, sweetened or unsweetened).
  • 2/3 cup hemp hearts (Optional, but yummy in pretty much anything).
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar (demerara or coconut sugar take these over the top)
  • 2 cups bran cereal (buds or twigs); or 3 1/2 cups bran flakes

 Method:

1) In a small mixing bowl, pour the boiling water over the 1 cup twigs (or 1 ¾ cups flakes) of cereal. Allow the mixture to cool to lukewarm, 30 minutes or so.

2) While the water/cereal mixture cools, blend together the flour, soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. (Pro move here is to use a bowl with lid that can be used to store batter in the fridge). Stir in the cranberries, coconut and hemp hearts if using. Set it aside.

3) Stir the vegetable oil into the cooled water/cereal mixture. Set it aside.

4) Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and sugar. Combine this with the flour/raisin mixture.

5) Stir in the 2 cups twigs (or 3 ½ cup flakes) dry cereal.

6) Finally, add the water/bran/oil mixture, stirring till thoroughly combined. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight, or HOWEVER THE HECK LONG YOU WANT!

7) Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease your muffin pan of choice, or line with paper cups, and grease as many wells as you like.

8) Heap the thick batter in the muffin cups; a generous 1/4 cup batter works, but feel safe knowing these are not exploding muffins.

9) Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, till a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

10) Remove from the oven, and tip the muffins in the pan to prevent their bottoms steaming and becoming soggy. Serve warm; or transfer to a rack to cool completely.

11) To bake mini muffins, heap the batter in the muffin cups, and bake for about 15 minutes, till the muffins test done.

Yield: at least 18 standard muffins, or 45 mini muffins.

Bringing it:

These taste great out of the oven but also when cool, and even if baked the day before. They have saying power! Victoria suggests the following for a hostess gift: “present your hostess with a gift bag filled with a container of the refrigerated batter, a mini-muffin pan, and a card that includes the recipe. Alternatively, just show up with those things and commandeer the oven while everyone else is still sleeping in — the fragrance beats an alarm clock any day!”

Frosty the Snow Drink

Before we do anything else this fine morning, let’s take a moment to honor Michele Ferrero, the inventor of Nutella (which we can now make ourselves), who prophetically passed away on Valentine’s Day. There is some comfort in knowing that he lived a long life and died an extremely wealthy man.

And now, we move on to the weekend. I have been commissioned by an undisclosed publication to create snow cocktails for an upcoming issue. For this, dear Bringiteers, I need your help. This is far too mighty a task for one drinker, especially one battling a tenacious, fun-sucking, taste-bud-negating head cold (scroll below for therapy and recipe that just may get me to turn the corner). I am hoping some of you will be kind and daring enough to take this on with me, to tirelessly fill, pack and refill your glasses with snow, mixers and hootch in whatever ways please you.

Of course, I’m not going to leave you totally out in the cold. Here’s some inspiration: You might want to try some classics adapted for winter, like the Snowjito, the SnowBreeze or the Snowgarita. I can’t disclose the names or exact ingredients that may appear in the aforenonmentioned publication, but I am working on something that riffs on frozen hot chocolate, perhaps with some peppermint schnapps, as well as some hopped-up versions of every kid’s favorite snow day breakfast—orange juice on snow.

Hints of springtime have me contemplating a “Frozen Poma” (like an Arnold Poma, but colder), involving lemonade, iced tea, vodka and snow. The reality of many more ski races compels me to consider pouring any leftover Parent Whisperer from the Thermos on snow to create the “Frozen Parent.” And let’s not forget last year’s foray into Olympic Snow Drinking for some starting points.

As you set forth on this mission keep in mind that snow dilutes a cocktail necessitating it to be a bit sweeter and a bit stronger than the proportions you might usually use, to get the same effect. Also, I urge you to remember that snow drinking is rarely done alone (though there’s no shame in that), so you might want to consider things that can be made with simple ingredients, in volume, and possibly prepared by a bonfire. Of course, virgin versions are always appreciated and will be happily slurped by the younger or simply wiser set.

Ok, my intrepid testers. Go forth, create, and let me know what you come up with. Then, when the next storm hits (or when the first storm hits in CA) we can get celebrate by sampling the finalists. Happy Weekend to all and thanks for playing!

But waiiiiiiiit. This just in. My awesome friend in New York just sent me a cocktail recipe from the Wall St Journal (a killer cocktail source, FYI) for a drink called the Panacea, adapted from another drink called the Penicillin. It was a slow, congested afternoon and I had the fixin’s so I gave it a try. I may have to cancel the doc appt tomorrow. This stuff is GOOD. The honey ginger lemon syrup alone is worth committing to memory. Check out the full story on the Panacea, or just make it from the recipe below!

The Panacea—way better than Nyquil

Make honey-lemon-ginger syrup: In a small pot over medium heat, simmer 1 cup honey, 1 cup water and ½ cup minced ginger until mixture cooks down to a thick syrup, 10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on solids to extract liquid. Discard solids (or save them to put in tea later. Yum!) Add¾ cup fresh lemon juice to syrup and stir. Cover and chill.

In a tumbler half-filled with ice, stir together 2 ounces honey-lemon-ginger syrup and 2 ounces blended Scotch. Pour¼ ounce Islay single-malt Scotch over the back of a spoon so it floats on top of drink. Garnish with a slice of ginger and candied lemon peel (optional).

 

 

 

 

 

The Parent Whisperer

If you have kids in a winter sport, this is the time of year when things can start getting a little squirrely. Not totally nutty (that comes in March) but just a little tense. The competition ramps up with qualifiers and championships on the horizon. Ski racers, hockey players, basketball players—you know what I’m talking about.

As parents this is when, against all impulses, it’s time to chill out. If we can’t keep our own blood pressure down how can we expect our kids to keep calm and carry on?

With this goal in mind I present to you, the Parent Whisperer, inspired by my article of the same name. It is an ideal slopeside, rinkside, bone-warming, parent-wrangling concoction. Call it glug or grog or gluhwein or whatever. We’re talking red wine with some hootch and some spices, all brewed together with very few instructions or limitations. This one comes from Julie G (I’m not going to out you, but you know who you are!), whose ample testing has proven that drinking it calms nerves, brightens moods, and elevates humor on cold winter days.

This particular recipe uses apple cider as the only sweetener, so it’s more business-like than dessert-like. If you want something that is more soothing than bracing, add some maple syrup or honey. Sliced oranges wouldn’t be a bad call either. Pomegranate seeds or apples? Ja Wohl! Above all, shhhhhhh and relaaaaax. Enjoy the fresh air, the company of hardy souls and the notion that every day is getting just a little longer.

The Parent Whisperer

Ingredients

1 cup red wine
1 cup apple cider
4 shots bourbon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
cloves, cinnamon, ginger and cardamon to taste (whole or powdered spices are both fine, but whole spices can be easily strained out for a clearer drink, if you care.)

Very Loose Method

Heat wine, cider and spices, letting them simmer and brew until you smell the spices (but fergawdssakes don’t boil away any of that power). Add bourbon and and let it all heat through a few minutes. Strain whole spices if using. Pour the whole shebang into a Thermos and enjoy on the hill before, during and after the race!

Note: There is no mention about how many this serves, which of course is because it depends on the situation. But let’s see…a cup of wine and 4 shots of bourbon…that calculates roughly to serve:

  • 1 parent who needs to be sedated.
  • 2 parents who really need to take it down a notch.
  • 3 parents who are hoping for a peaceful and pleasant ride home.
  • 4 parents who just need a little shot of warmth in their bellies.