Bran Muffins with Honey

I love these muffins as a dessert after dinner. Most people probably don't think of a bran muffin as a dessert, but with the little bit of added honey, one of these muffins warmed up is FABULOUS as a snack. And....it's GOOD for you!!

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups oat bran cereal (I use Hodgson Mill)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt 2 eggs (or 4 egg whites)
1 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk
4 Tbsp. grape seed oil

Mix all of the dry ingredients together, making sure all of the lumps are out of the brown sugar. I like to mix the dry ingredients with my hands. That way I can really tell if everything is mixed evenly. Add the wet ingredients and let the mixture stand for ~10-15 minutes so that the dry ingredients are absorbed and the mixture thickens.

Spoon the mixture into a muffin tin that has been sprayed with non-stick baking spray. Fill each muffin cup until it's 3/4 full.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy for breakfast, as a snack, or even as dessert! These muffins are filling and delicious! That little bit of sweetness from the brown sugar and honey makes these little guys a hit with everyone!

Click this box to print this recipe!

Burmese Chicken Curry Over Rice

This was one of the very first things I learned how to cook. I had no idea what I was doing, but I just followed the directions from the recipe and ended up with this super yummy dish! This dish is very flavorful!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thawed)
6 Tbs. light soy sauce
6 Tbs. curry powder
1 yellow onion (diced)
extra virgin olive oil
sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. chili powder
3 bay leaves

Cut fat away from the chicken breast, halve them, and then poach them at a slow, low boil for ~20 minutes. You don't want to boil chicken at a hard boil because it makes the chicken tough. Drain, let cool, then shred.

In a small bowl, mix a 1:1 mixture of curry powder and soy sauce. Spoon the paste into the bowl of shredded chicken and mix gently with a large spoon until well-coated. Put aside and let it marinate while you start the next step.

In a large saucepan, saute the diced onion in EVOO, a pinch of sugar (~1 Tbsp), garlic paste, and chili powder until transparent. Add marinated chicken, 2 1/2 cups of water, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil,then cover and and reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. You may need to add a little bit of water if it gets too dry over the one hour cook time. *Be sure to remove the bay leaves and discard them before serving! :)

I've served Burmese chicken with pita bread triangles and over rice. It really depends on your taste and the setting. If it's a sit-down dinner, rice may be more appropriate. If you're serving it at a party, pita bread triangles or even crostini would be the way to go. Any way you serve this dish, it will be sure to light up your taste buds. It's not spicy hot....just VERY flavorful. Enjoy!

LEFT-OVERS TIP: If you mix your cold left-overs with a little bit of mayo the next day, you can make a curried chicken salad sandwich! It's YUMMY!!! :D

Click this box to print this recipe!

Chocolate & Peanut Butter S'mores!

A classic treat for camping out and slumber parties, this treat is sure to put a smile of lots of faces, both young and old! I love traditional S'mores, but I also love Reese Cups and know how well chocolate and peanut butter go together. My grandmother came up with this little twist of adding peanut butter to her S'mores when I was a little girl. Yummmmm!!!

8 graham crackers, broken in half (a total of 16 squares)
8 marshmallows
2 Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars (1.55 oz. each) quartered
Peanut butter (~8 tsp)

On a foil-lined baking sheet, lay out 8 graham cracker squares. Spread about a teaspoon of peanut butter on each square. Put a quartered piece of chocolate on top of the peanut butter. Place a marshmallow on top of the chocolate, then top with another graham cracker square. Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on them. Don't let them burn! ;)

You can also do the outdoor version by toasting your marshmallows. You can even do it in the microwave now, but I like the slightly toasted flavor of the graham cracker, personally. Anyway you choose to make them, enjoy this super yummy, fun treat!! :D

Click this box to print this recipe!