What James Had For Breakfast

I just couldn't keep walking by the two lonely bananas turning browner by the day on my kitchen counter. That's a baker's call to action. And so, in the tradition of my famous "fridge pie (all the leftover fruit mixed up with spices and sugar and baked in a pie crust), I whipped up these quick muffins.

Mix two mashed bananas (or more if you have them) into 1/3 cup melted butter. Stir in 3/4 cup of brown sugar (I would have used white but I didn't have any), 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla. In a separate bowl mix together 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 tap baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt. Add flour mixture to liquid ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Fold in 3-4 chopped plums (or whatever less than perfect or dried fruit you may have on hand) and about 1/2 cup sliced toasted almonds (or whatever nuts you have on hand). Pour batter into lined muffin tins (about 2/3 full -- the brown sugar makes them a little sticky so use paper liners or grease the tin well), sprinkle tops with almonds, and bake at 350º for about 25 minutes. Banana Fruit Muffins with Almonds, perfect with morning coffee.