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Saturday, October 22, 2011

fall



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Sunday, October 16, 2011

whole-grain blueberry muffins



i've been dying to make this recipe from one of the latest Real Simple magazines, and i decided that this lovely Sunday afternoon would be just the time--one last hurrah before school starts back tomorrow. yes, baking blueberry muffins is a "hurrah" for me, especially when my house smells like a creamy pumpkin (thank you, Mom, for the trip to b&bw), when i know there's a fall breeze outside, when i've been off work for 4 days, and when i have a don chaffer genius playlist playing. oh, and i'm drinking a cup of tea. yes, these are the hurrahs i most long for these days.

here's the recipe:

ingredients
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
1 c old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 c flaxseed meal*
1/4 c pecans
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt**
1 c plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp grated orange zest***
1/4 c orange juice
1 large eg
2 c fresh blueberries or one 8-oz bag frozen blueberries

*i didn't feel like a trip to trader joe's for one ingredient...so i left this out
**i didn't notice the kosher part...i used iodized
***my orange went bad before i could make the recipe...so i left this out

directions
Heat oven to 375 F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners (or these supercool silicone ones like i just got and used for the first time today).

In a food processor, process the flour, oats, flaxseed meal, pecans, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until finely ground.
In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, butter, orange zest, orange juice, egg and vanilla.
Add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated (do not overmix). Fold in the blueberries.
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 22-25 minutes.
Enjoy! I suggest with a cup of tea :)


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Thursday, October 13, 2011

dating cards...what now?

i guess we have upgraded from the scribbled number on a napkin to this...

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Tuesday, October 4, 2011

i am in stage 2

today i had the realization that i am going through something akin to culture shock with my first year of teaching...to refresh you on the stages:

Stage 1 - Excitement
The individual experiences a holiday or 'honeymoon' period with their new surroundings.
They:
. Feel very positive about the culture
. Are overwhelmed with impressions
. Find the new culture exotic and are fascinated
. Are passive, meaning they have little experience of the culture

Stage 2 - Withdrawal
The individual now has some more face to face experience of the culture and starts to find things different, strange and frustrating.
They:
. Find the behaviour of the people unusual and unpredictable
. Begin to dislike the culture and react negatively to the behaviour
. Feel anxious
. Start to withdraw
. Begin to criticize, mock or show animosity to the people

Stage 3 - Adjustment
The individual now has a routine, feels more settled and is more confident in dealing with the new culture.
They:
. Understand and accept the behaviour of the people
. Feel less isolated
. Regains their sense of humour

Stage 4 - Enthusiasm
The individual now feels 'at home'.
They:
. Enjoy being in the culture
. Functions well in the culture
. Prefer certain cultural traits of the new culture rather than their own
. Adopt certain behaviours from the new culture

i have been flip-flopping between withdrawal and adjustment, as i feel is sort of normal with culture shock, anyways. it's not always a perfectly smooth or linear transition. currently? i am in stage 2.
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