Today I face the dawn of a new era. I will put on pantyhose and mascara and try to sell myself. Not like that.. I am going to a job interview. It's the first one in about 11 years or so. I made "the" muffins for breakfast, as to start off the day right, and have gotten a few minutes of reading in, which I love. I used a blow dryer, (first time in years as well, I live kind of a casual life) tried out my new Kat Von D tattoo eraser, and will be getting all zipped up into my dress as soon as help arrives.
I had a lengthy conversation with myself in the shower, answering all of the interview questions well, and impressing everyone. (ok, there wasn't anyone, but, you know) Next stop, the International Air and Hospitality Academy, where I have to try and WOW them with my amazingness. I feel overwhelmed and under confident. I hate being weighed and measured. And judged. I am needing luck. Lots of it. Here's hoping for good news.
I will keep you posted.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
a good muffin is hard to find
I love to eat good food. Love it. (obviously) Muffins are one of my favorite breakfast choices, but it has to be the right muffin. It has to be moist, and not too chewy, the crumb has to be right. It can't be a costco or Spunkmeyer muffin (which aren't really muffins at all, just small dense cakes with no nutritional value). I am kind of a muffin princess. I have a fall back muffin recipe that I have modified to be just right, and I use it a lot, but I was looking for something more.
Yesterday, I found a new recipe. I didn't really hold out much hope, but I made it anyway since we needed breakfast for a crowd. The result is my new favorite muffin. Oh happy day! (probably other girls don't get as excited about breakfast breads. they haven't had this muffin.)
make these now.
One bowl oatmeal muffins
plan ahead to make these as you have to soak the oats for a bit. It's worth it.
makes 12 muffins (doubles great)
1 cup milk (I use almond milk)
1 tsp white vinegar
1 cup oats
1 egg
1/4 brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter (or coconut oil)
1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour (I use half whole wheat)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla (or almond, depending on your mix ins)
mix ins of your choice (I like coconut and mini chocolate chips) but you can use 1/2 cup of anything you like
combine oats, milk and vinegar in a large bowl and let sit 1 hour for rolled oats, 15 minutes for quick oats. (they will absorb most of the liquid)
Preheat oven to 375*, grease muffin tins or line with papers.
Crack the egg into the oat mixture, add sugar and mix to combine. Stir in butter, applesauce and vanilla.
Stir remaining ingredients into the bowl: flour, salt baking powder and soda. Gently fold into batter, careful not to over mix. Really, this will ruin your perfect muffin. Don't do it.
Fold in your mix ins. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full, (I like to top with some coarse sugar before baking, I like the sweet crunchy top) bake for about 15 minutes. The tops will be golden and the tops will spring back when touched.
You're welcome.
Yesterday, I found a new recipe. I didn't really hold out much hope, but I made it anyway since we needed breakfast for a crowd. The result is my new favorite muffin. Oh happy day! (probably other girls don't get as excited about breakfast breads. they haven't had this muffin.)
make these now.
One bowl oatmeal muffins
plan ahead to make these as you have to soak the oats for a bit. It's worth it.
makes 12 muffins (doubles great)
1 cup milk (I use almond milk)
1 tsp white vinegar
1 cup oats
1 egg
1/4 brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter (or coconut oil)
1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour (I use half whole wheat)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla (or almond, depending on your mix ins)
mix ins of your choice (I like coconut and mini chocolate chips) but you can use 1/2 cup of anything you like
combine oats, milk and vinegar in a large bowl and let sit 1 hour for rolled oats, 15 minutes for quick oats. (they will absorb most of the liquid)
Preheat oven to 375*, grease muffin tins or line with papers.
Crack the egg into the oat mixture, add sugar and mix to combine. Stir in butter, applesauce and vanilla.
Stir remaining ingredients into the bowl: flour, salt baking powder and soda. Gently fold into batter, careful not to over mix. Really, this will ruin your perfect muffin. Don't do it.
Fold in your mix ins. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full, (I like to top with some coarse sugar before baking, I like the sweet crunchy top) bake for about 15 minutes. The tops will be golden and the tops will spring back when touched.
You're welcome.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
bread and jam for me
I love home made raspberry jam. It might be me very favorite thing of all. I love the beautiful and amazing color of it, I love the sweet, tangy taste of it, I love the way it gently mounds on the spoon when I scoop it for my toast, I love the jars lined up like little soldiers, wearing ruby jackts on my counter.
I think Frances said it best:
"Jam on biscuits, jam on toast, jam is the thing I love the most.
Jam is sticky, jam is sweet, jam is tasty, jam's a treat.
Raspberry, strawberry, gooseberry,
I'm very fond of JAM!"
Yesterday the sun poked out for a moment, and we went to the farm down the road. We picked over 12 pounds of raspberries, and this morning I made jam. It's hard to be unhappy when you have raspberry jam. and Frances.
I think Frances said it best:
"Jam on biscuits, jam on toast, jam is the thing I love the most.
Jam is sticky, jam is sweet, jam is tasty, jam's a treat.
Raspberry, strawberry, gooseberry,
I'm very fond of JAM!"
Yesterday the sun poked out for a moment, and we went to the farm down the road. We picked over 12 pounds of raspberries, and this morning I made jam. It's hard to be unhappy when you have raspberry jam. and Frances.
tiny hands.
they are getting so big.
summer time in a jar
perfect.
Monday, July 18, 2011
summer who?
so apparently summer has decided to skip visiting us here in the Northwest this year. I do not accept this, so I am behaving as if it is summer time anyway. I am wearing summer dresses and sandals and drinking frosty beverages. As always, cold beer and iced tea top my list of favorites, but this year I am taking it even further and have introduced iced coffee on a daily basis (how have I lived this long with out it?!) and also, since I am fancy, I juiced a watermelon. That just happened.
I got my iced coffee recipe here, from the Pioneer woman. It is called perfect iced coffee, and I totally, completely agree. The only thing I do different is use 1.5 Cups of coffee grounds and 8 cups of cold water, this is a more manageable amount for me. I have a big jar steeping on the counter right this second.
My other discovery is watermelon juice. The jury is still kind of out on this one, but I want to play with it a little and think it could be a big winner. On this, my first attempt, I cubed the watermelon, put it in my blender and whooshed it up until it was (wait for it...) juice. Then I put the entire batch through a filter and it made beautiful, rose colored liquid. I used one baby watermelon, juiced half of a lime into it and added some simple syrup. I just can't seem to get on board with less is more, so into my own glass, I decided to add some elderflower concentrate (sounds fancy, but I got it at IKEA) and 7Up. The resulting drink was lovely, but interesting. I think maybe watermelon lemonade would be delicious, and also maybe using the watermelon juice for frozen pops would be something the kids would love. Watermelon mint? I don't even love watermelon and I can't stop thinking about it. Watermelon juice tastes just like summer. I miss summer.
I got my iced coffee recipe here, from the Pioneer woman. It is called perfect iced coffee, and I totally, completely agree. The only thing I do different is use 1.5 Cups of coffee grounds and 8 cups of cold water, this is a more manageable amount for me. I have a big jar steeping on the counter right this second.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
little things
taptaptap. It's 3am. I open my eyes to find Maggie inches away from my face, standing next to my bed. Before I have a chance to respond she is climbing up the side of the bed and snuggling into the covers. She whispers to me "mama, can you spoon me?" aw. And so the serving spoon snuggled up to the baby spoon. (where the baby spoon immediately drifted off to dreamland for the next 5 hours, and the serving spoon got her blankets kicked off and her pillow stolen) She woke up promptly at 8 and rubbed her tired eyes. "Mama, sleeping with you is my favorite thing." Me too baby.
Who needs sleep? Not this girl. (yawn)
Who needs sleep? Not this girl. (yawn)
Monday, July 11, 2011
it's hip to be square
**NEWS FLASH** I am not cool. (hard to believe, I know) I have always pretty much been aware of this fact, but it was actually confirmed by my 16 year old niece the other day. She was talking to her mom and made an offhand remark about how she "probably even wears packaged underwear". The tone and look that accompanied this sentence was neither appreciative nor flattering, as if it were the worst thing you could say about a person. It was VERY clear that everybody who is anybody apparently wears hand picked (singly purchased) panties. It was brought to my attention that not only am I not currently cool, but I have, in fact, never, not ever (except one time in college, when I received a Victoria's Secret gift card) been cool.
Ouch. BOOM!
There goes all of the hard work I put in curling (and back combing) my bangs for the entire 80s, there goes my pegged pants with layered socks (alternating colors on each side), there goes that 3 months I freaking STARVED on the Atkins diet, AND my ultra hip overalls in high school. Always, underneath, I was wearing packaged undies. No matter what I did on the outside, it wouldn't change my less than amazing under things. If only I had known. Le sigh. You know what? Nope, I was born a cotton girl, and I will live each day secure in that knowledge. It softens the blow a little that I have always hated the cool kids, and was never interested in being one. (maybe way, way down deep, but mostly not even there, it's just not my style) If I were to have a label it would read more like redneck, hippie, funky clown. Cool? not even a chance. Fun? You bet your sweet ass.
ps, nobody wants to see this booty sporting a whale tail. Your welcome.
psps, these opinions are all my very own, and I have not been compensated by Hanes in any way. Although, I totally should be, since I ROCK the cotton boy cuts that come in a 3 pack at Target.
Ouch. BOOM!
There goes all of the hard work I put in curling (and back combing) my bangs for the entire 80s, there goes my pegged pants with layered socks (alternating colors on each side), there goes that 3 months I freaking STARVED on the Atkins diet, AND my ultra hip overalls in high school. Always, underneath, I was wearing packaged undies. No matter what I did on the outside, it wouldn't change my less than amazing under things. If only I had known. Le sigh. You know what? Nope, I was born a cotton girl, and I will live each day secure in that knowledge. It softens the blow a little that I have always hated the cool kids, and was never interested in being one. (maybe way, way down deep, but mostly not even there, it's just not my style) If I were to have a label it would read more like redneck, hippie, funky clown. Cool? not even a chance. Fun? You bet your sweet ass.
ps, nobody wants to see this booty sporting a whale tail. Your welcome.
psps, these opinions are all my very own, and I have not been compensated by Hanes in any way. Although, I totally should be, since I ROCK the cotton boy cuts that come in a 3 pack at Target.
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