My grandparents on my dad's side moved to Arizona not long after I was born and, while they came to see us in the Chicago suburbs every summer, it was only a few times that our family was able to make the long trip west to visit them. Rummikub, tater tot casserole, fresh oranges and grapefruit from the tree in the back yard, swimming in the community center pool--these things prominently punctuate all of my memories of those trips. But the one tradition I replicate most often now in my own home is making big batches of Six-Week Bran Muffins.

I don't know how often my grandparents hosted such crowds in their home as our family of six, but every time we came out, my grandma would mix up her famous bran muffins. With a batter that can be stored in the refrigerator, the recipe resulted in hot muffins every morning to accompany freshly-picked citrus fruit. And it's a recipe equally suited to feeding a household of just one or two, since the batter will keep for up to six weeks.

It's a testament to my grandma's coming of age in the processed food era that the main ingredient in her version was a box of Raisin Bran. My tweaked version substitutes plain old wheat or oat bran and raisins for the cereal. But I do honor her thrifty ways by making this whenever I have a substantive quantity of sour milk in the refrigerator, which happens quite regularly since we participate in a local herd share program and get a half gallon of milk every week, whether we need it or not (though I have recently begun making homemade yogurt as well, which will cut down on the sour milk supply).

Here's my version of the recipe, with some alternate suggestions at the end. It's quite flexible and, now that fall is on its way, I'm sure I'll be mixing up batches even more often. I've enjoyed customizing muffins on the fly according to guests' preferences (no raisins? extra walnuts?) and making huge batches to fortify groups on work days at the Imagining Space project. And every batch is a good opportunity to remember my grandparents' legacy and how I'm attempting to carve out my own life of generosity and abundance in their footsteps.

Six-Week Bran Muffins

2 ¼ c. oat or wheat bran
1 c. raisins
Add extra raisins if you like
1 tsp. salt
3 c. sugar or 1 c. molasses and 1 c. brown sugar
5 tsp. baking soda
5 c. flour
1 qt. buttermilk or sour milk
4 eggs beaten
1 c. oil

Mix all ingredients together and store in the refrigerator. Make muffins as needed. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

More options:

• Leave out the raisins when you make the mix so that you can add whatever you're in the mood for (and have on hand) when you make the muffins--raisins, cranberries, walnuts, cherries, blueberries, almonds...


• Sprinkle flax seeds on top before baking.


• Substitute a cup of orange juice for a cup of the milk and include the grated zest of two oranges. You could also put a glaze on top--powdered sugar mixed with a little bit of o.j. and cinnamon.