Banana muffins

I adore banana bread. Perhaps the same amount that I adore granola (click the link for a great granola recipe, but also for a sneak peak at my life pre-Jack...wow! What a busy, yet relaxing day I had in August of 2009, 2 1/2 moths before Jack's birth day...now I fit all those "me time" things into nap time blocks and post-Jack bedtime. Makes for busy days, but a happy mama! I don't know how to function without time for cooking, reading, and exercise.).

While I'm on the topic of granola (which I only sort of am)...I so wish I could share the recipe for Blue Bottle's granola with you! I did some recipe testing for their new cookbook and, of course, their granola is one of the recipes I chose to test. Oh. My. Goodness. So. Good! I've been sworn to secrecy, but if you visit, I promise to serve it for breakfast with lots of fruit and plain yogurt. My parents said it looked like a bed and breakfast spread! Here's a look (please forgive my terrible morning lack of light creating a yellow picture), just come try it:

Another "to-do" that my parents and I didn't get to during their visit was making banana bread. I love my mom's version and have been craving it for weeks! Inspired by Deb at Smitten Kitchen (not an infrequent thing), I decided to quench my craving by adapting her adapted recipe to try my hand at banana muffins. Little did I know that this would launch my weekly baking obsession...but, I'm so thankful it did. Having these muffins to pull out and warm in the early morning hours for a tasty, quick breakfast was so nice...I'm excited to find lots of new baked goods to try!

(Jacked Up) Banana Muffins:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix 1/3 cup melted salted butter with 3 medium to large sized mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Stir in 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 beaten egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon bourbon (I used Jack Daniel's), then stir in 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon baking soda and a pinch of salt over the mixture and stir in. Last, add 1 1/2 cups of flour and stir. Spoon mixture evenly into an oiled 12 cup muffin tin. Bake for 40 minutes, or until browned. Remove from muffin tin, eat one, and then store the rest in an air-tight container.