Special Post: Gramps' Bran Muffins (Jessica)

Dear Readers,

This week, I'm not posting a recipe based on the alphabet. The recipe I made and am now sharing with you is very special to me and it is important enough that I took a break from the alphabet to bring it to you. After all, if I make the rules, I guess I can break them too!

One month ago tomorrow, my grandfather died. He was pretty awesome. He passed away very suddenly and so my family dropped everything and flew out to be all together. From this experience, I discovered that when people are struggling, food is always the default option. Our family received an amazing amount of love in the form of food. I don't want to dwell on the sad parts of this experience because I think it's more important to celebrate the happy parts, so I decided to make this recipe and share it with you in Gramps' honor.

So really, Gramps wasn't much of a baker. Actually, he rarely baked anything. The only recipe I ever heard him talk about baking was bran muffins. Best way to start a morning is with a good bran muffin, and this recipe was the best one. I got the recipe 3 or 4 years ago and have made it a number of times. If I had extra muffins, I'd bring them down to my grandparents' house, or, sometimes, he would have made extras and would send me home with them (yes!). This recipe will live on. I hope you get the chance to try it out yourself!

B is for Beets: Beet Quinoa Salad (Jennifer)

Hello friends!

So, this week has been a little crazy for a number of reasons, and Jessica kindly asked me yesterday about my forthcoming blog post. I looked at her like she was crazy...did I not post my "b" recipe? She subtly told me that I had not, and then I gasped and told her, "Well, I posted it in my mind!" Have you ever done that? Thought that you had really done something, when in fact, it was only ever complete in your mind? I do that with cleaning my house all the time...haha.

Anyway, with the last week being so warm in LA (cruel, I know, I'm sorry), I decided I didn't want to turn on the oven for the beet recipe, and instead made a beet salad with quinoa. With Thanksgiving and the holidays coming up, it was my last ditch effort to be healthy before the deluge of truffles, cakes, cookies,  and fudges (which I love, by the way). Enjoy!

B is for Bacon: Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookies (Jessica)

Hello there!

Yes, you there, come closer! This week, I made a recipe that featured bacon. Good thing I don't keep kosher! Anyway, I started thinking about bacon as part of the expression "bring home the bacon." If you know me, you know that I am kind of terrible at expressions. They never make sense! Oh I can use them as well as the next gal, but I bet none of us REALLY know what we're saying.

In order to remedy this tragedy, I've done some research for you into the origin of the saying, "bring home the bacon." First off, here's what it means: to earn money, especially money for one's family; to be successful, especially financially successful.
Origins: it is a 20th century phrase that was coined in the USA in relation to boxing. Joe Gans and 'Battling' Oliver Nelson fought for the widely reported world lightweight championship on the 3rd of September, 1906. In coverage of the fight, the New York newspaper The Post-Standard, 4th of September, 1906, said that the winner would "bring home the bacon." After that, the saying increased in popularity as it was printed in other papers covering other boxing matches. (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/bring-home-the-bacon.html)

*Disclaimer: even though I found this information on the internet, that doesn't necessarily mean it's true. And I didn't cite using APA 6th Edition format. So what.*

So now, let me bring you this interesting bacon cookie recipe!

B is for Banana Bread Pudding (Jennifer)

Dear Mr. or Ms. Do You Go Bananas for Bananas,

Well, I sure do. Especially in banana bread or banana pudding...and even more so when you jumble them all together into Banana Bread Pudding. I'm generally not one to discriminate against bananas, except for when I'm eating them plain. If plain, they musn't have any brown spots or indentations where it looks like someone might have dropped it on the ground...ewww. Thankfully, the 'nanas used in this recipe were in perfect condition, and every bit the inspiration for my selection this week.

Bananas and bread pudding. Both remind me of my childhood. For some reason, I have really distinct memories about my family eating bread pudding (and bananas, I guess, as well). Though I don't recall my mom really making bread pudding (did you, Mom?), I do remember us eating it (wonder where it came from??). Bread pudding and my grandfather's love of custard pie--both really great (and really random) childhood memories.

After the banana and bread pudding combo, I also liked the idea of the whole thing being drizzled with some sort of vanilla creme anglaise sauce. So, I found one on the interwebs that incorporated both vanilla and rum (ok, two of my three posts so far have involved or referenced alcohol, but I promise it burns off, haha).

Here are the recipes:

B is for Brown Butter Toffee Blondies (Jessica)

Dear Bakers,

To me, the name Martha Stewart indicates decadence. A couple of years ago, I received Martha's Cupcake Cookbook as a birthday gift and I haven't been the same since. Martha has never led me astray. Sure, most of her themed cupcakes and detailed frosting decorations are too time consuming for me to try, but I think I will...one day.

The recipes in that cookbook take cupcakes way beyond the boxed cake mix from childhood.  Yes, they have a lot of directions. No, I'm not sure it really matters if I whisk the flour ahead of time or if I rotate the pan in the oven. Do I do it anyway? You bet! Martha knows what she's talking about!

So why all this talk of Martha Stewart you ask?