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Now for some baking!

This is a great recipe to have in your repertoire because it shows you that you CAN make really yummy muffins and that they are easy and quick to make. It might even be quicker than trying to buy them on the way to work. And these muffins have some oats added so you're getting some good fiber that you don't usually get with those huge muffins at the donut shop.

This recipe will be your first exposure to the correct way to measure dry ingredients. Exact measurements are especially important in baked goods. There's a lot of chemistry going on there. Baking is not as forgiving as cooking things like vegetable, meat or fish recipes. In baking, if you forget to add an ingredient, or you add too much or too little or you over mix, you will end up with a poor result. Either it won't look right or it will taste bad or, worse, both! So pay attention to the recipe. Many people love to bake for this very reasons: they like the preciseness of it.

You'll also learn a technique for testing the doneness of the muffins that will carry across to most any cake-like baked good: cake, quick breads (like banana bread), brownies and more.

If you want to save time in the morning, you can measure out all of the dry ingredients into a single bowl the night before. Cover it with plastic wrap. As soon as you get to the kitchen in the morning, turn on the oven to preheat it. Mix up the muffins and by the time the oven is preheated, you'll have them ready to go. Eighteen minutes later you've got hot, delicious muffins and your kitchen smells great! I often do this and take my morning shower while the muffins bake.

So with this recipe you can also begin to think about how you could make part of any recipe a "do ahead" item.

For many of us, getting the time to cook is often difficult. With work, kids, activities and more, squeezing in time to prepare a nice meal can be a chore in itself. But with a little planning, good recipe selection, and some advance preparation, you can feel less stress, enjoy better and more healthy meals, and become more comfortable in the kitchen.

At-Home Safe Food Handling *

* with permission from Kansas State University Research & Extension