In The Kitchen With Kat
Banana Pecan Muffins Of Quickness
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Upon arising Tuesday morning, I wandered through my house in a post crusted eye fugue, and the first thing that my almost conscious brain laid eyes on were these babies:
Now, the second day of the work week is 'brare Kat day, as the exemplary @ddschteinn would put it. I have to roll up the hill into our town and do all manner of librarian tasks every Tuesday. My husband helms the homeschool ship in my absence, he and the children make excellent work of completing the subject list I leave them on our kitchen chalkboard. Most mornings I am a whirlwind of perplexment, flitting around making my lunch, prepping dinner, grabbing everyone's library books that are due, etc., but yesterday I had woken up early, and when I saw those over ripe banana gems, I decided to whip up my scholars a bit of a treat.
My son loves muffins of pretty much any manifestation. Well, I haven't made him a salmon mousse muffin yet, but that could totally happen someday! Anyway, in true @generikat style, I decided to whip up a batch of banana muffins using what I had lurking in the kitchen.
I have baked muffins so many times that I have a base quick bread recipe imprinted in the "make something for your ravenous children, stat!" part of my gray matter. It's actually rather helpful to have said ratios floating around, for I just peruse my cupboards, make some mental adjustments, and KAPOW! Breakfast!
I started with some flour in a mixing bowl. Plain old, unbleached, all-purpose flour. My kids don't have any sensitivities to gluten, well, to anything really. Oh, wait, they get their too much Youtube viewing eyeballs all squinty when they think that one has gotten something over on the other, but that is another blog post entirely.
Next, I added sugar (GASP!), baking powder, super hipster pink Himalayan salt, and some cinnamon of no special source or origin designation. Remember, these are just basic muffins, wholesome, crafted at the end of a dirt road edibles and such.
Once I had placed all of the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl, I gave them all a twirl with my wire whisk. A lively tune escaped my lips, and I woke my children up with the lyrics of Build Me Up Buttercup with none of the poise and grace of a Disney princess.
It was time for the wet ingredients to jump into the muffin batter pool. I started with a couple of eggs. Thanks to my father I cannot even look at two eggs without hearing his voice utter this lovely phrase: "Two eggs in a glass, if that don't rhyme, you can kiss my..." Thanks Dad!
After my time in egg-land ceased, I proceeded to the dairy section of the muffin conglomeration. Normally, I would just throw in some form of milk, but I had a bunch of buttermilk in the fridge, so into the batter it went!
Then it was banana-time. Just typing the words 'banana time" makes me want to jump around like a toddler watching the Wiggles or something. I just know there is a song called banana time somewhere, or at least there should be! I have a cat that I call Banana, and as I smashed the over-ripe fruits with my great grandmother's potato smasher, I entertained myself by singing "B-A-N-A-N-A-S!" over and over again with an accompanying chorus of meows courtesy of my Banana cat every time I uttered the word banana. It was great.
Finally, to my son's chagrin, I added a ton of chopped pecans. He is not overly fond of nuts in baked goods. Which I have to admit is a touch strange for someone who is at least two parts peanut butter on any given day, but my husband loves nuts in baked goods, so in the pecans went.
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It must be noted at this point, the most important thing to remember about muffin making is to NOT OVER STIR THE BATTER!!!! I had to yell it because I care. Unless you like jerky textured muffins, stir your muffin batter as little as possible, only until just combined. You don't want a bunch of activated gluten, only good for hockey pucks, quick breads. Well, unless you want to win your next food fight, and then I would totally approve.
Once I had barely combined my batter, it was time for the most challenging part (for me) of any muffin making exercise, loading the tins with batter. I swear, when I am finished dispersing my muffin batter, my tins usually look like a Jackson Polluck painting. I suppose in some circles that would make me talented? Thank goodness for paper towels.
Twenty minutes and a whole lot of house smell-good aroma later, the muffins emerged from my oven. A couple of adolescent creatures emerged from their caves as well, which is another reason why I love to craft baked goods in the morning, a baking confection is one of the best alarm clocks I have yet to witness.
I must admit, the animal chores got done in a rather expedient manner yesterday. It probably had something to do with the fact that the muffins couldn't be consumed until that set of tasks were completed. Funny how that sort of phenomenon works, isn't it?
And there you have it my dearest readers, muffins that from start to finish maybe take about thirty minutes to complete. The taste and texture of these little beauties is glorious to experience, and I'm happy because food didn't go to the pigs in the barn because I was lame and let it spoil. Yay!!
Banana Pecan Muffins
3 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cups mashed banana
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and grease or line muffin tins.
In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Whisk to thoroughly combine.
Next, crack eggs into a mixing cup, whisk them a bit with a fork, and add them to the dry ingredients. Add buttermilk, oil, and mashed bananas to the dry ingredients and the eggs. Stir mixture until just combined. Do not overmix!
Spoon batter into prepared muffin pans and bake in preheated oven for twenty minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffins comes out clean.
Cool and devour the banana-licious excellence!
Want to read more @Generikat posts?
"Banana for scale." I don't remember why, but that is what we say in my house.
I, too, have a spare cup of buttermilk sloshing around in need of bring baked. And some brown bananas on the brown banana scale. And the 1981 hit by the Stranglers, "Golden Brown", stuck in my head. The time to emulate your muffinry is NOW
Ahh, thank you kindly for some comment replying musical enjoyment my friend! I happen to find 1981 a fantastic year, as I was hatched in that moment around the sun:o)
I do so hope your banana muffin construction time went satisfactorily and that you have by now enjoyed the fruit of your labors. And I don't know why, but the whole "banana for scale" saying totally gave me the giggles. You are beyond excellent!
If no one has told your kids yet that they are lucky ... tell them for me. A mom who gets up early and makes them muffins before heading off to work. Kripes ... I think you fell from heaven.
I did not know you were a homeschooling family. We are too but the city version, where we get up early and walk one hard mile, only on sunny days, for paleo muffins and Starbucks coffee:):):) Seriously, I do love to bake. I started as a teen and I used to do it about once a week. I would produce copious amounts of cookies. I'd have a few but everyone else would gobble them up. In university, I worked at a coffee/bake shop and continued making cookies this time in industrial amounts. I also learned to make muffins. I did my time as vegetarian then and so learnt to make everything veggie or even vegan. That diet with my lectin-sensitivity was not going to work for me and so then I switched to baking everything low and even paleo when I could swing it. I learned the stevia is just fine in baking but you have to let it set a day. I learned my son will only eat baking with nuts in it if it also has copious amounts of chocolate ... he didn't have to ask me twice.
So funny what you said about muffin mix. These days when I do bake I rarely use a recipe. I have gained a ... this is what a muffin mix looks like, cookies, and cakes etc. I should probably use a recipe ... lol. But you are so right. Muffin mix should just be past the stage flour chunks, cookies dense and cakes wet.
Your muffins looked delicious:) Well-worth an early morning rendition of build Me Up Buttercup
Ooh, Pryde! It sounds like you are a baking connoisseur, I am so very impressed! I'm also in total agreement with your son, a healthy chocolate to anything ratio is that something should be mostly chocolate, lol!
Your coffee and paleo muffin expeditions sounds glorious, I am more than fond of little joy bringing diversions. One that especially brings me joy is eating second day stevia sweetened baked goods, you are so right about letting them chill for a day!
And you can also bet that I will totally relay your most kind and thoughtful words regarding my mom-excellence to the children, and, lol, I totally fell from somewhere, just not heaven, but thank you all the same:o) Hope you have the most splendid weekend my friend!!!
So much love, generikat:):):) You have a great weekend too:)
Let me know when you get around to that salmon mousse muffin, I'll send you my address. I do love salmon.
Chops, I so wish I knew you when I was a kid in Alaska, I would have sent you boxes of salmon! If I am honest though, I am worried about the freshness level of a salmon mousse muffin after a cross country postal journey. Egads, the package itself would smell like fermenting cat food, LOL!
I'll send dry ice.
Your muffins look lovely! The only recipes I've memorized are basic white bread and basic pancakes. There were a few years when I made pancakes for breakfast every morning, because it meant I didn't need to think about it. (That was before the Hashimoto's Disease was diagnosed, and the less I had to think about and make decisions about, the better off we all were.) I have to peek at the bread recipe now and then, but mostly I've got it in my head.
Ugh, the HD makes all cooking decisions that much harder, doesn't it? I kind of miss the days when I could just roll out of bed and slap some stuff together that we could all eat, but I will take my weird food and feeling better over convenience any day!
And someday, a day when I am going to go gluteny, I would love to try your bread, I bet it is amazing!
@generikat, this article made me laugh out loud in a public place. I really enjoyed your style of expression and your apparent lack of discipline with euphemisms and analogies. You surprised me.
So I tried reading your other articles. I admit that I've only read two more, one about the tree planting and one about more cooking and the roles you played throughout the day. I enjoyed the tree article, but find that you're just a tad manic with your food articles. You really step out with expression when you write food articles. The tree article seemed a bit solemn, despite a few sentences that suggested humor.
In any case, after having a few laughs reading your articles, I will make a point to come back more often.
Thanks.
As a longtime fan of @generikat's writing, I can assure you you won't be disappointed!
Thanks for the forecast. :)
Awe, SG, you are so sweet! Now I have to try HARDER! Heh! Thank you:)
Hi there @digitalfirehose! Wow, it makes me purr a bit that I was able to make you exude humorous air, that's always a nice thing to hear! And I have to thank you for your extremely thoughtful and honest comment, for it's always appreciated by moi to hear where I am hitting and missing in my scribblings. All I can think when it comes to my manic joy that I emanate in the food posts is that I am pretty fond of comestibles of all forms, lol!
Here lately I have been under a bit of duress, stress, and lucky to be fully dressed, and I feel as if my writing has been a bit lackluster because of that pile of life weirdness. I can promise though, that once in a while there will probably be something that will make you at least grin, lol! Thank you so much for stopping by!!
You're welcome, @generikat. :)
You know, I checked on my comment since I posted it and thought, "Oh, more than a day and no response." I guess I shouldn't have used the word, "manic". Or maybe I shouldn't have said, "lack of discipline", as that can be misinterpreted in so many ways...I was so worried that you took offense to what I wrote. I'm glad that you could see the compliment in my words.
What really counts in your articles is that you are sharing what is most important to you. That's what I look for.
Write on.
Hello again!
Normally I try to respond to people that take the time to comment in a timely manner, things have just been a little wild in my non-digital life as of late:o)
And I truly appreciate honesty and people being themselves. One of my traits is that I am pretty unflappable. Your meaning came through just fine! Heck, I even dig it when people don't like or have criticism of my works. It's not always fun to hear what could be perceived as negativity, but I figure that without challenge there is no growth!
Anyway, I am probably more than a little bit convoluted in my response to you at this point, for I am more than a little tired, but I most definitely plan to "write on" and hope that you are having a lovely weekend😊
Oh if its a form of bread consisting of bananas, I'm down with that!!!
Whoa, step back! Splurging for the pink Himalayan, I didn't see that coming! Quite highfalutin I must say!
They turned out magnificent!
Ha ha! I see that you understand the awesomeness of the pink salt, LOL!
And thank you so much for your high banana baked good appreciation praise, I would totally throw a muffin to and not at you;o)!
you showing very delicious food.. just excellent.. my dear friend. @generikat . really expert cooking dish.. this is a very tasty and yammy food..i appreciate your post..very well done for your great work..
thank you, I am so glad that you appreciated the food and recipe:o)
yeah,i am happy to know that you appreciating and glad my comment. its my plesure..my dear friend.. @generikat
Beautiful food
I appreciate your cooking
Thanks for sharing life.....
Awe, thanks for dropping by!
Se ve deliciosa amiga, me provoco comerlos
Thank you:o)
Thank you Q!