The minions and I have heard the pleas of our Browncoat readers, and lo, were we moved into action. That’s right – this week Kitchen Overlord’s big damn kitchen heroes are bringing you the best recipes in the ‘verse. We’re kicking off a very special Minion Monday with TWO competing recipes for Fruity Oat Bars. Rumor has it they’re so good you’d kill for a bite.
by Evin Cooper
I shamefully admit I came late to Firefly love – but what I lack in “early adoption” I make up for in fan-girling. My brain pretty much goes to Firefly/Serenity quotes as an initial response to any question – which is a reflex I have to block, since most people aren’t as cool as we are.
Due a strange series of events (broken freezer/fridge, a poor choice of oatmeal purchases, etc…) I was left with instant oats no one was going to eat, and a container of frozen fruit that wouldn’t fit anywhere cold and was rapidly thawing. You put fruit and oats side-by-side near me and my brain goes here…
Are you confused? It’s from this scene in Serenity – the commercial is the trigger that sets River off and leads to the bar fight..
After spending way too long looking for this scene on YouTube so I could watch it again (I shoulda just put the DVD on, probably would’ve been more satisfying.) I decided to see what kind of Fruity Oaty… crud I could make. I really didn’t want to mess around with bars – they require wrapping and cutting and possibly a special pan purchase. I have a mini-loaf pan so I decided to use that! What I had on hand was a container of cherries and strawberries that I pitted/hulled in the summer and never used, so I froze them just before they spoiled, and then promptly forgot about them. I also had 3 bananas. What didn’t I have? Vanilla. Ugh. So I made do – feel free to add vanilla to this recipe, it certainly will NOT hurt anything.
Fruity Oat Bars
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
3 overly ripe bananas
1.5 cups instant oats (about 2 packets – unflavored!)
1.5 cup fruit
extra oats for garnish
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degress
Sift together the flours, soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix the sugar, butter, eggs and bananas until smooth (this is where you’d add the vanilla). Combine the wet and the dry until just moistened, then fold in the oats and the fruit.
Spray a mini loaf pan with cooking spray and fill 2/3 full with batter – you’ll get 6 mini loaves. Mine makes 4 at a time so I had leftover batter and just did a 2nd half batch. If you don’t have a mini loaf pan, you’ll get 3 regular loaves, or a large pile of muffins.
Sprinkle extra oats on top of each loaf and bake for 25-30 minutes for mini-loaves. For regular loaves, start checking them at 35 minutes. For muffins, check them at 15 minutes.
Let them cool some, and serve warm with real butter.
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Evin is a stay-at-home-mom raising three redneck-geek kids in the country. She writes at www.FoodGoodLaundryBad.com and stays up way too late watching Supernatural marathons and reading trashy novels. We’re a Star Wars/Marvel/Firefly family but welcome Star Trek and DC people with open arms.
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Minion Fight in Thunderdome #7!
Check out Minion Lil Jenni’s take on Fruity Oat Bars. Which doughy cuisine do you think reigns supreme?