First of all, I want to thank you all so much for your feedback on my previous post!  It gave me a lot of food for thought, and I can't wait to touch on those subjects in future posts.

   And speaking of food for thought..*chuckle*...I have a FANTASTIC recipe for you today.  I will just start by admitting I don't know whose it is originally.  I got it from my lovely mother-in-law but she may have gotten it from her friend Anita?  So I will let those of you that know this community sleuth that out on your own time. :)  But regardless of whose it is, it is definitely one of my all-time favorites and one I turn to time and time again.

   I would never claim to be a gourmet chef or a baker.  My kinds of recipes are the ones that require few ingredients (and all of them common, please?) and very little time or fuss involved.  I cook because:
A. It's a lot cheaper than eating out every day.
B. I want my family to benefit from home cooked, healthy meals.

   But if it wasn't for those two reasons?  Yeah, I'm pretty sure I would never cook.  I keep waiting for it to thrill and inspire and delight and entertain me like it seems to do for countless other women, but that just hasn't happened yet.  I don't meal plan, and so 4:00 pm every day usually finds me standing in the kitchen with a dazed look on my face, fighting back tears and wondering what in the world I'm going to make and why in the world I don't just MENU PLAN ALREADY.

  But, thanks to this fabulous recipe, breakfasts have gotten a whole lot easier around here!  I love making the girls a breakfast and cringe every time I have to resort to cold cereal.  So having a healthy alternative that is quick and easy has been a lifesaver for us.  So, without further ado, my favorite bran muffin recipe.

1 Cup All Bran
1 Cup boiling water
3/4 Cup butter
1 1/2 Cup sugar

   Mix one cup bran and boiling water and let stand one minute.  Cream butter and sugar together and add to bran.  Then add 2 eggs and 1 pint buttermilk.  Or add vinegar to regular milk like I do, because I never have buttermilk on hand.  But I hear buttermilk is best!

2 1/2 Cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 more Cups of bran

Mix flour and baking soda and add to bran.  Fold in 2 remaining cups of bran lightly and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes in a greased muffin tin.  (I usually take them out a few minutes early!)  And now for my favorite part.......cover and store the leftover batter in your fridge for up to one month.  Fresh muffins and no work every week?  Sounds almost too good to be true.

Let me know how you and your family liked them, I'd love to hear!