Just Fun

Baking Muffins in Broad Daylight

/ still a dreamer / 1 Comment

What a shocking idea. Now this may not be so for some of you reading this, but baking for myself has been a rarely-indulged-in luxury for quite some time. And on the occasions when I do bake, it’s usually to bring to someone else’s house for a gathering. Well, not today. I felt like baking muffins, and bake I did. I went through my recipe stash with something apple in mind, and found it … Apple Buttermilk Muffins.

In broad daylight … the audacity. An accusing voice from somewhere within nagged me to get going on my taxes, complete another drawing, go food shopping, and please! Clean!

I’ve really got to get a better grip on that no-fun, party-pooper. And baking just for me was a step in the right direction. Perhaps I gave in a wee bit when I cleaned the whole top and hood of the stove, but really, we have to start out in a clean spot, right?

I popped in the Breaking Dawn CD – such a great album – gathered ingredients, and happily chopped, measured and whisked. Although many muffin recipes have you making 12 muffins, I always make 6 bigger ones. They came out gorgeous, and then I had the audacity to have more fun – yup, in broad daylight – photographing them. And then eating one. (OK, actually not in that order.) Mmmmm, mmmm, mmmm.

You can make these truly chock-full-of-apple Apple Buttermilk Muffins, too. They’re from the Mr. Breakfast web site which has way more than muffins; it’s got everything you could ever think of in the way of breakfast, which is my favorite meal of the day. Enjoy!

Leftover Tombstones

/ still a dreamer

Thanksgiving is almost upon us, so I have one more chance to post a photo of something that caught my eye when I was out walking. Much like political signs left way too long and all over the place like so much litter after an election, there are always some people that have their holiday decorations out far beyond the holiday. In this case, I’m glad they were still there, because driving by didn’t give me the opportunity to read them. So this is the last I’ll have to say about Halloween!

Although Party City and other stores have a pretty big selection of tombstones at Halloween, I find that people who make them themselves are far more clever. These were all pretty funny, but the one that made me stop and laugh was the one in the center. Nice and simple – Trespasser.

In case you can’t read the others – Noah Moore – I told you I was sick; Here lies an atheist – all dressed up with nowhere to go; and Dr. Gonzo – too weird to live, too rare to die.

Note the broken pumpkin .. which brings us to our next seasonal item … pie. Hello, Thanksgiving!

Nov. 26 – Shop Small Business Saturday

/ still a dreamer

Here comes the onslaught – the endless ads and commercials on radio, TV and web -all promising you the perfect Christmas if you just buy from them. And who is ‘them?’ All the big box stores that have multi-millions to advertise, of course.

But while everyone is busy cramping about the crappy economy, they’re also busy running out to these same stores to get a deal. And this while the small businesses in your very own neighborhood are languishing and slowly shuttering their stores due to lack of sales. People … here’s the chance. Shop local!

“The 2nd annual Small Business Saturday® is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. On November 26, we’re asking millions of people to shop small at their favorite local stores and help fuel the economy. When we all shop small, it will be huge.” What a great idea.

How about it? Nirvana is not really at Wal-Mart, and by shopping at the small businesses in your town or county, you keep merchants alive who are trying so hard to bring you what they think you want. Got a car wash? Get some gift certificates for friends or family – who wouldn’t love someone else cleaning their car inside and out .. or detailing it? Gift and card shop? There’s always something special for a hard-to-get person, and you’ll most likely be buying Christmas cards. Have a favorite restaurant in your area? pizza place? cafe? Again – gift certificates to eat out are a real treat in this economy, and bound to please anyone. It’s not rocket science, just a shift in thinking.

There are so many options before blowing it all at a big box store. Help your local businesses thrive and get cool stuff for your gift recipients. And although Small Business Saturday is November 26, spread the wealth and expand the time frame. Think small – you’ll feel great.

In this post you see photos of just a small portion of the wide selection of what’s in store in a small business not too far from me. It’s primarily a card and gift shop with an amazing assortment of things inside; it’s called This `N That on the Corner, and it’s located at 38 Bridge Street in Milford, NJ. Shopkeeper Tracy puts her heart and soul into searching out great merchandise and also features local artists. You can come to my neck of the woods and shop here if you’d like – she’d love it! – or maybe take a look around your own neighborhood with new eyes.  The season of giving is upon us – happy small business shopping!

Thanks, Halls, for the Pick-Me-Up

/ still a dreamer

Finally. My head was starting to clear a wee bit from this seemingly endless flu/virus/whatever and I actually had something I wanted to write about. So I popped a Halls honey-lemon cough drop, gathering my thoughts, and then was stopped in my tracks. There was a message on my cough drop wrapper!

Now, anyone that knows me or even occasionally reads this blog knows how hard I lean towards a positive or inspiring message. And suddenly, there was a whole bunch of them! I decided to scrap what I was planning to write and scan a couple wrappers just to share this unexpected little find. On the unwrapped cough drop at left, is “Dust off and get up.” Always good advice!

And here on the other two, you can read some more, plus a trademark saying Halls seems to have called “A pep talk in every drop.” Who knew?

I swear I don’t work for Halls Cough Drops and am not related to anyone who is, but this just took me aback. Do I expect a bit of wisdom from Celestial Seasonings or my Yogi tea? Of course! But my little ole OTC cough drops? Nah. Who’d think?

And what’s more delightful than a happy – and uplifting – surprise! So – keep your chin up, hi-five yourself, put a little strut in it and heal your sore throat. Go, Halls.

Ice Cream Challenge Results

/ still a dreamer / 1 Comment

And the winner in the chocolate category is ….. drum roll, please …. Friendly’s  Classic Chocolate!

Late last September I entertained a moment of frivolity and decided to pursue my own personal ice cream taste challenge, based on a link a friend had sent me where brands had been rated, first chocolate, then vanilla. Recently, I was asked whatever happened to that? I did take the challenge – tough as it was, consuming chocolate ice cream – I just never posted the results. So here we have them.

Although I never did get down to Trader Joe’s to sample their chocolate, and I did have to substitute Blue Bunny for Blue Bell, I still sampled the site’s top ranked flavors. Being a huge Haagen Dazs fan, I was pretty sure that it would rank tops on my personal list, but it did not. Indeed, the Friendly’s Classic Chocolate was the best in my book, too! Creamy, chocolate-y and quite yummy!

As for vanilla … I did try Haagen Dazs, (not exactly for the first time!),  Blue Bunny and Friendly’s Vanilla. I’ve had Breyer’s in the past and there’s so much air, it’s soup in a short time. Friendly’s? Can’t really compare to their chocolate.  But my vanilla fave, and I wasn’t surprised, is Haagen Dazs. So rich, creamy and vanilla-sweet.

Someday I hope to sample Trader Joe’s, and I will continue in my research, sampling both flavors because …. well, it’s ice cream, and it’s there! Happy summer scooping!!