Spring is finally here :)

Spring is finally here & nobody is more thrilled than our lovely Coco!

Let's all take a leaf out of her book & take a few minutes just to chill out...

Bliss...

Blueberry & Bran Breakfast Muffins

There is a multitude of cookbooks in our house. One of my favourites has to be Bill Grangers 'Bills Sydney Food'. It is full of quick and relatively easy meals, and it reminds me of the amazing time I spent in Sydney many moons ago.

One of the things I loved about Sydney, besides the wonderful weather and outdoor lifestyle, was the great breakfast culture there...Going out for breakfast or a long lazy brunch was as common place was going for lunch or dinner.

Beautiful Bondi on a Stormy Day! 

Sadly, with a busy life, it is always not possible to give breakfast the time it deserves. But here is one of Bill's great recipes for a healthy & tasty breakfast on-the-go! Make a batch, and fling some in the freezer. Then defrost the night before an upcoming hectic day. 

I've tried this recipe twice...once without measuring cups...not a good idea! I wasted so much time looking up conversion measurements etc & got a wee bit cranky... Not a good idea to bake when cranky...the food needs love :) So I invested in a set of lovely ceramic measuring cups from Fab.com before trying again! Check them out...pretty cool I think!

I've gone off the point a bit. Sorry! Here are the ingredients: 

30g/1oz Butter

3/4 cup (6fl oz) Honey

1/2 cup (4 fl oz) Vegetable Oil

1/2 cup (4 fl oz) Milk

3 Free Range Eggs

3 cups Plain Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 cup Bran Flakes

1 & 1/2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon 

1 Apple, grated

2 Bananas, mashed

8 oz Blueberries

6- 12 Strawberries

The above amounts make 12 muffins, or 24 small buns!

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, or about 170 for a fan  assisted oven. Set out 2 six-hole muffin tins or 2 twelve-hole bun tins, with paper baking cases.

Place the butter and honey in a small saucepan, & cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until caramelised slightly. 

Place milk, eggs and oil in a bowl & whisk. 

Put flour, baking powder cinnamon & bran in a bowl & mix. Next stir the apple, bananas & blueberries through the flour etc. Add the milk mixture & stir until the dry ingredients are moistened. Then fold in the melted butter & honey, until just combined. Do not over mix.

Spoon muffin batter into each cup of the muffin tin. Top each muffin with half a strawberry half. Bake in oven for 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Take at least 2 minutes to enjoy with a fresh cup of coffee.