fail.

A muffin fail yesterday, but a bread-muffin win. 

Pineapple Zuchinni “muffins” makes 6 big ole bread muffin-y delights 

• 1 1/4 c. spelt flour (or whatever flour!) 
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. shredded zucchini
• 1/2 c. finely chopped pineapple (I popped some fresh pieces in the food processor) 
• 1/2 c. milk (I used vanilla almond milk)
• 1 tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 flax “egg” (or one normal egg!)

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately. Pour into 6 muffin tins or liners and sprinkle a little granola on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. 

So what if these muffins spilled all over the side of pan, didn’t rise, and didn’t have that special muffin “fluff”? They were still yum yum yum. More like a moist bread than anything, I’ll probably throw the batter into a bread pan next time. Or just eat the batter, because zucchini and pineapple are healthy, right? 

unconnected.

We have no internet access or TV at home and life’s been great as a result! I thought I would miss the constant flow of information, but I really don’t! No constant distraction forces me to get clever in keeping myself busy. A little disconnection (or a lot) is good for the soul.  In the meantime, I’ve been…

Admiring the ceiling of my favorite coffee shop… I’mma paint a ceiling a mauve-red color like this one day. I loveeeee.

Admiring my studious worker while admiring the outdoor space of my favorite coffee shop. This kid works hard for no pay. 

Intaking yummy beverages while in said outdoor space of said awesome coffee shop. 

Going to local theater events to watch Emily, the master Andean conch player, weave her magic. 

And finally, making cookies, of course! Of the coconut, almond butter, chocolate variety. I pawned these off on Q. as “not-vegan-I-swear!” cookies and he couldn’t tell the difference. I’m definitely not a vegan, but vegan baking is fun. These cookies were a success.  Recipe found here!

With sweets this yum, who needs TV?

bits of MN.

Out and about in good ole Minnesota…

Decorating on a poor student budget with primary colors!

Situatin’ baby bun-bun in his newly borrowed cage!

Refueling with strawberry banana oats.

Hanging out with the resident beauty queen.

And some dog sitting…

Lexi and Lupito!

And finally, a “new” bike from my gramps!

I <3 summer. 

home!

After 12 hours of transport via bus, airplane, and my two legs, Mr. B and I are finally home! 


Aaaaand, this is all I’ve been doing:

Cleaning the dirtiest floor. Ever. 

cleanin’ house

I’m leaving for the summer (!) tomorrow at 9:00am… so excited! But also super nervous and anxiously trying to close down shop here for a whole three months! Whew. So today I scrambled to pack, spot clean my apartment, mentally prepare Mr. B for the 12 hour airport experience tomorrow, and basically tried to tie up any loose ends.


First though I stopped to “smell” the rhododendron growing around my porch outside. Aren’t they pretty? They reach alllll the way up to the second floor of the house! 

Next on my list was to pick up some summer (and airport!) reading at the local used bookstore. I love this little place. I scored four books for only $9! Most of them were like new, too! I picked up:

• Runaway, Alice Munro
• What the What, Dave Eggers
• Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, Winterson
• A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, Dorris

Next I was off to tame my scraggly mane and decided to get myself a haircut. The stylist I see is not the friendliest person around, but I do like the way my hair turns out when she’s all finished. This time she left conditioner in my ear (eew), visually chastised me for waiting two months to get a haircut, and eye rolled me when I told her I used a box dye about a year ago. Hah. But I would still see her again ’cause I like the final result.   


I was starving after all that loving attention, so I whipped up some French Toast, ala summer style:

Strawberry Nut French Toast Sandwich

• 2 pieces of bread 
• 5 or 6 mashed up strawberries
• 1/3c. almond milk
• 1 egg
• 1/4c. walnuts (or nut of choice)
• 1T almond or peanut butter

In a small bowl, whip the egg and almond milk together and set aside. On a separate plate, spread the almond or peanut butter on one slice of bread and layer the mashed strawberries on top. Dip the other slice of bread in the egg batter and gently set into a greased skillet. Then carefully place the strawberry nutty slice on top of the battered slice. Next spoon the remaining egg batter on top of the whole sandwich. Cook on medium-low heat on both sides until toasted. 

And of course, I dolloped mine with whipped cream and sprinkled with flax seed, for a good healthy measure. 


I’m off to bed! Here’s hoping tomorrow is stress-free! 

plymouth.

One thing I love about New England is the close proximity between cities, states, and of course, beaches. Day trips are quick, cheap, and are always refreshing. Nothing like experiencing new places! Today three of us took a day trip to Plymouth, Massachusetts, home to a pretty famous colonial rock…

The rock that started it all.

Plymouth is home to lots of little shops, boutiques, cafes, and CREAMERIES. Yum.

On the port.

Mayflower II. Maiden voyage 1957. Classy, history.

And logically, we couldn’t leave until we checked out some beaches! 

Green Harbor Beach

Me and Michelle… and five fingers!

A long, sunny day! I’m off to bed! 

nutty peach cobbler.

Last night my lovely college roomie and her future man Rado came home with me after I visited her in Boston for her 25th (!) birthday. We got a couple drinks and shared good conversation! I miss living together with all my college buddies.

After I dropped her and Rado off at the bus station this morning, I was in the mood for something sweet. I whipped up some peach cobbler with walnuts and almonds, perfectly portioned for one. Simple to make, too!

Nutty Peach Cobbler (serves ONE hungry person) 

• 2 small chopped peaches
• 1T oats 
• 1T all-purpose flour
• 1T butter 
• 1T granola (I used a vanilla almond version)
• 1T brown sugar
• 2T of chopped nuts (I used walnuts and almonds)
• splash of vanilla extract

Toss the chopped peaches in the bottom of a small greased oven-safe dish (I used a round Pyrex). Splash with a little vanilla extract. In another bowl, combine the remaining ingredients until crumbly. Top over the peaches and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. 

And of course I topped the whole thing with a little whip cream and a splash of almond milk. Preeeety tasty! Happy Saturday night! 

shenanigans.

I got the weekend started early this week by attending an end-of-the-school-year dinner this past Thursday. Shrimp pesto and Nutella cupcakes with good friends = happy times.  

Of course, it’s always a good sign when parties are preceded by ice cream runs!

Home-made Almond Joy coconut ice cream with walnuts. So yum.

For the dinner party, I made Nutella cupcakes, topped with some smashed dark chocolate covered espresso beans. These beauties seemed to be a hit!

Then we stared down wine glasses in a fit of post-semester/cupcake malaise, which was followed by a series of blurry camera photos! 

Michelle, moi, Serena

Not sure whose idea this was!

Some good lookin’ grad students: Serena, Paula, me, and Michelle!

It’s soooo good to be done with the semester!

when all else fails.

… just make a fruit salad. 

Yum. </3

banana bake.

So, even though I’m leaving my apartment here for the summer and alas, can’t check all my plants onto the plane headed home, I couldn’t stop myself from picking up some new pretties while at Lowe’s today. 

Succulents and cacti are just too bee-yoo-tiful to pass up! Two of these guys I’ve had for a few years, so I replanted them next to some colorful cacti to spruce things up. Voila, a mini succulent garden! I’m pretty bummed I can’t take these home to Minnesota in a week. 


I was also pretty bummed after dinner tonight. Mostly I felt like this:

Which means “where’s the dessert?!” I’ve been bored with my current baked goodies so I decided to bake something new (again). This time though I adjusted the recipe to make two servings, instead of like, y’know, fifteen. The result? 

A yummy banana walnut bake! I adapted the recipe from here and I ended up making two servings instead of one! Here are my changes:

Ingredients (for TWO servings):

• 1/2 sliced banana
• 1/4 cup raw oatmeal
• 1/4 cup pancake mix
• 1/4 chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp. cinnamon 
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tbsp. almond butter
• 1/3 cup So Delicious coconut milk
• 1 chia “egg” (1 tbsp chia seeds + 2 tbsp water, mixed separately and set aside for 10 minutes)

I mixed everything together, poured into a small Pyrex and baked at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. 

Turned out perfectly gooey as I like it. Topped with a little vanilla ice cream (and whipped cream, mmhm) and a drizzle of agave. Hello, yummy. My tummy is very very satisfied. :)