Roasted Banana, Pineapple, and Brown Rice Muffins with Fresh Ginger Streusel

Well that's literally and figuratively a mouthful. These muffins are dense but soft, with a lovely chewiness from the rice, sweetness from the pineapple and a pop of spice from the ginger struesel.

Roasted Bananas:

3 or more Bananas

1 foil covered sheet pan

Heat oven to 375, F. Place bananas on foil covered pan (foil makes for easy cleanup!). Roast for 12-15 minutes until blackened all over and starting to bubble out juice. Let cool before handling.
Snip off the top with a pair of scissors and squeeze from the end like toothpaste.

For the Streusel:

1c flour
1/4c butter
2 TB freshly grated ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Mix everything together until the flour is all incorporated. It should look sandy and clumpy. Drop onto tops of muffins before baking, about 1 tablespoon per muffin.

For the Muffins:

1.5 c self-rising flour
3 TB Korean Alday nut tea mix (or 1/2 tsp salt)
3 Roasted Bananas
3/4 c white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/3 c butter, melted
2 TB sour cream

Solid Garnish:
1 8oz can pineapple tidbits, drained
1/2 c brown rice (cooked)

Stir dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat wet ingredients together. Stir dry into wet ingredients until combined. Fold in solid garnish. Fill muffins most of the way full. Top with struesel. 

Bake at 375, F, for 25-30 minutes, until tops are lightly browned.

Freezer Meals: Teriyaki Baked Chicken

Freezer cooking 101: Buy meat in bulk, portion into bags with marinades and freeze.

You can fit 3-4 chicken leg/thigh combos in 1 gallon size ziplock bag, depending on how big the chicken is (or how good you are at Tetris). Probably 4-6 chicken breasts, easily. Whatever you use, you can fit a lot into a gallon size bag. Pour over the marinade and freeze until ready to use.

/\ My freezer looks like this /\

Thaw in the 'fridge for about a day (if you use a lot of chicken, it may take longer to thaw). You can, in a pinch, use a microwave on defrost setting. Just be careful not to actually cook the chicken in the process!

To bake: Place chicken into foil lined pan (for easy cleanup! teriyaki tends to get sticky), dump marinade over top. Optionally pour over a can of pineapple.
Bake at 375 F, for about an hour, until chicken is done and skin is nicely brown and crispy.


You know chicken is done when it starts coming off the bone like this ->

Serve over brown or white rice, with a bit of kimchi or spicy pickle on the side.

Tips:

• In the morning, dump everything into a slow cooker and set to low. Ready by dinner, in about 8 hours.
• Serve with fried rice or chow mein.

When life gives you Bud Light...

When life gives you an excess of nasty beer nobody wants to drink... make pizza crust. 

You don't even need yeast.The beer in this recipe gives a yeasty flavor and the carbonation makes the crust light and soft.
From start to finish, you could have a freshly made pizza in about 30 minutes. Plus get rid of that beer that's laying around. Win win. 

Step 1
Place 2 cups of self-rising flour, 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 tsp. of salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir in 2 tbsp. of olive oil and 6 oz. of beer. Stir until the dough forms into a ball. Add additional flour if needed.

Step 2
Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease a baking pan with olive oil. Spread the dough to 1/2-inch thickness and place it in the oven.

Step 3
Bake the dough for five to 10 minutes or until a crust has formed on the top. Remove the crust from the oven and cover it with sauce and your favorite toppings. Return the dish to the oven and bake it until the edges are brown and the cheese is melted, 15 to 20 more minutes.

Tips:
Make this with whatever beer you like to drink or have on hand.
Add 1 tablespoon of your favorite spices to the crust with the flour. Garlic powder, onion powder, basil and oregano are a good combo.