Orange Cream Gelatin Dessert is an easy dessert that you can make from a few items in the pantry and freezer at any time of the year. It works well for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother's Day, bridal or baby showers, etc. It is sweet and rich, yet somehow also seems light and refreshing. It is a rather nostalgic dessert as it reminds me a little of an orange push-up ice cream treat from my childhood. Plus, it is a molded gelatin dessert, which always reminds me of the past. As with other gelatin and fruit dishes, someone might call this a "Jello salad" in the United States. However, this recipe uses an entire quart of orange sherbert in addition to gelatin, so I can not bring myself … Continue Reading about Orange Cream Gelatin Dessert

Refrigerator Raisin Bran Muffins
My favorite Raisin Bran cereal has always been made by Post. A few months ago, it was impossible for me to purchase for a while. When it was finally available again, it was not the same. The flakes in the boxes I purchased were much thicker than I ever remember. It turns out I am not a fan of thick bran flakes. I could not finish even one bowl. As the only one in my family that eats any raisin bran cereal, I decided to either throw it out or find another way to use it.
I remembered a raisin bran muffin recipe from years ago that required a lot of raisin bran, so I dug it out and made a batch of muffin batter. It was the perfect solution as I used most of a box and had fresh, delicious tasting muffins for the next several weeks.

Although the batter gets better after spending a few days in the refrigerator as the bran flakes breakdown and create a smooth batter, I could not wait to try them. Thus, my first batch had patches of different shades of color and did not have a fully developed flavor, but they were still really tasty.

This muffin recipe allows you to have a warm, fresh muffin whether you want to bake just one muffin or dozens of muffins at a time.
Because I am not a morning person, I bake a dozen muffins (the capacity of one of my baking tin trays) at a time. If someone wants a warm muffin, they heat it in the microwave. I will freeze part of the tray after baking because there are only three of us. They can be thawed at room temperature or in the microwave (the most popular…okay, the only method we use).
Refrigerator Raisin Bran Muffins
Ingredients
- 6 c. raisin bran cereal
- 2 c. boiling water
- 1 c. oil
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 4 c. (1 qt.) buttermilk
- 3 c. sugar
- 5 c. flour
- 5 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Add oil and 2 c. of the cereal to a small to medium bowl.
- Pour the boiling water over the cereal and oil, stir, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix eggs, buttermilk, and sugar.
- Add the remaining dry cereal to the bowl with the egg mixture, but do not stir.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
- Stir the sifted flour mixture into the egg mixture.
- Add the wet cereal and oil mixture to the egg and flour mixture as you stir.
- As with any muffin batter, DO NOT OVER STIR. Stir enough just to combine ingredients in every step.
- If you want to bake muffins soon, allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for an hour before baking.
- Place the batter into an appropriate container with a lid and refrigerate for up to at least one month (the original recipe said 6 weeks, but I have not left it that long to know how well that works).
- DO NOT STIR THE BATTER AFTER YOU PUT IT IN THE REFRIGERATOR. Simply scoop muffin batter from the top.
- Yield will depend on the size of the muffin tins you use.


