My philosophy on clearance, sale, etc. items is twofold. First of all, the bigger the discount the more likely I am to buy, regardless of how much money I am actually spending. This makes me particularly susceptible to marketing ploys of all kinds as I am much more likely to buy something if I at least believe that I am getting it for 50% off or more, regardless of whether I'm spending $20 or $200. This renders me particularly powerless when it comes to clearance racks and those lovely little end caps at the grocery store with dented cans of pork and beans for $0.50. Everything happens for a reason. While I usually have the power to resist a gallon of milk that expires today (wait no I've bought that before...but it was organic milk for $1!) or 3 pounds of steak marked down 10% I have less willpower when it comes to fresh produce at a discount. What this often means is that my husband and I are often stuck with those bags of bruised apples and bananas that get mushier the longer you look at them. I can't help it when they're only $1 and hey, you can never have too much banana bread. Except for when you do.



Last week's batch of mushy bananas turned into a frighteningly moist and delicious banana sour cream pound cake, a rather decadent step up from the usual and highly recommended with more ice cream and caramel on top. Butter and full fat dairy are indeed magical ingredients but it turns out it is actually possible to ingest too much of each, meaning that by the time I turned to my bag of bruised apples I was actually in the mood for something a little more nourishing. Perhaps more fiber grams than fat grams? It would be nice to not need an afternoon nap after my afternoon snack, at least today. I ended up with scrumptious little morsels that were equal parts apple and muffin, an apple cobbler in a muffin tin relying on the sweetness of the apples themselves and the heartiness of the oats for flavor. I can't wait to tinker with this recipe in the future. The recipe called for grinding the oats with the flour and I would love to leave them whole next time, maybe soak them in a little buttermilk first and try a bit of cornmeal for some texture and crunch.

Two thoughts: This is one of my favorite kitchen utensils and especially handy for dishing out muffin batter. Thought two: I seriously need a serious camera. Right now the s95 is my top pick for a good entry level point and shoot. Thoughts?

Just bursting with appley raisiny goodness.

These make a particularly homey and nourishing afternoon snack with a dollop of apple butter and even a smear of almond butter. Enjoy!

Multigrain Chock ful o' Apple Muffins

adapted from Real Simple Whole Grain Blueberry Muffins

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 wheat bran (not bran flakes; if you don't have any may substitute 1/4 cup flax meal or an additional 1/4 cup of flour, each of these will give the muffins a different texture but all will work!)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt + 1/2 cup kefir (I used the combo of these two because that's what I had on hand; 1 cup sour cream, plain yogurt, or buttermilk would all do just fine)
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar (if you like things sweeter up the sugar to 1/3 or 1/2 cup)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 very large or 3 regular apples, chopped
• 3/4 cup raisins

1. Heat oven to 375. Grease a standard 12 cup muffin tin and set aside.
2. Combing the flour and wheat bran in a large mixing bowl. I had two kinds of whole wheat flour on hand, one from the grocery store and one from the farmer's market.

2. Add the oatmeal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and whisk to blend
3. Using a food processor (or immersion blender if you still don't have a food processor *sigh*) pulse the dry ingredients together until the oats are processed into a flour. I left my oats a little chunky because I wanted some texture in there.


4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dairy, egg, sugar, egg, and vanilla.
5. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, folding until just combined. Fold in the apples and raisins. (batter will be very chunky!)
6. Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups (batter will be rounded but that's ok because the apples cook down as the muffins rise.

7. Bake at 375 for 22 to 25 minutes, until nicely browned and crusty.

Have you ever actually watched things baking in the oven? It's so much fun to watch them rise before your eyes!

Enjoy! Preferably with a mug of tea.