A cup of tea and a recipe for a Mocha Muffin...

Monday already?? I don't feel as though I've even slept since Friday!!  I wasn't going to post a recipe this week, but it was a rainy Sunday, and I needed an excuse to use my new measuring cups...

They were a steal from Target... not literally; I swear I paid for them... but they were a bargain and work a treat...

I love that they have a little spout for pouring... usually, I end up spilling half the mixture on the work surface, and so, anything that results in less clean up is a major plus, in my book!

Anyhoo, I decided to make a Mocha Muffin...  I figured I may as well share them with you...

I always pick these muffins up from Wegman's, a local supermarket that I would put on par with Waitrose... to all those that don't know either, I'll just say they're amazing... Wegman's bakes the best muffins... I always pick up one several if passing through on the way to my in-laws...

Anyways, because I can't wait between in-law visits to eat these, I decided to have a bash at baking them myself!

The hubby gave them a big 'thumbs up,' and so, he'll be taking them to work this week... they'll provide sustenance (and that much needed caffeine hit all in one! What a bonus!).
Have a great start to the week! Lx

Mocha Muffins

Ingredients

2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon of baking powder

½ cup of sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup of milk

½ cup of butter or margarine (1 stick) melted

1 large egg

1 tablespoon of instant coffee

1 tablespoon of boiling water

Confectioners sugar (for dusting)

Method

1.   Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a muffin pan with 12 muffin cases.

2.   In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.

3.   Stir in the chocolate chips. (I add a few extra chocolate chips… so that they are super gooey).

4.   In a medium bowl, using a fork, beat the egg, milk, and cooled melted butter.

5.   In a separate cup, dissolve the instant coffee in the boiling water and mix. If you like you can add a another ½ teaspoon of instant coffee… if you like your caffeine!!

6.   Add the coffee liquid to the egg and butter mixture, stir until blended.  

7.   Add the liquids, to the flour mixture and stir until just blended. Don’t over mix (the batter should still look lumpy).

8.   Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases. I use an ice-cream scoop to ensure, nice equal sized muffins. Bake until a toothpick inserted, comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

9.   Remove the muffins from the pan (still in the cases) and cool on a wire rack. Once cooled give them a quick dusting of confectioners sugar… don’t worry if you haven’t got any, it’s just to make them look pretty!

A Friday Flower & some vintage finds...

I can't believe that it's Friday already... where has the week gone? Just having that one day off really throws me off kilter and I spend the rest of the week attempting to catch up...

Anyhoo, here's this week's Friday Flower offering...

I picked up the vintage jar and a (not so vintage) lace cloth while at the cabin... there are so many antique shops in that neck of the woods that I really was like a kid in a sweet shop... unfortunately, I was still on the equivalent of a 10 penny budget and so that hampered my buying power... that, and the fact that I'm pretty much tapped out on space in our little home...

Despite these limiting factors, I was, as we say in the north of England, chuffed to pieces with my purchases... so much so, that I'm sharing some of them here with you today!

I'm also linking up with the lovely Melissa.  Her blog is addictive... I spend too long pouring over her beautiful pictures... Go and have a look, you won't be able to tear yourself away...  If anyone else wants to join in with ' A Friday Flower'  let me know... the more the merrier...

Have a happy weekend and I'll hopefully be catching you next week!

Lx

My Friday flower is dedicated to the memory of my Aunt Margaret who was lost to cancer 21 years ago this past Wednesday.


Want to Join in with A Friday Flower? Post a link to your page here....

Coffee and a sidewalk sale

The other day, I popped into my favourite farmer's market to pick up some coffee for the hubby, only to find that they were having a sidewalk sale and selling off all their plants and display items at 75% off.... needless to say, I didn't just leave with the coffee...

I just love this store, as it definitely has an 'English country garden' feel about it, and so, perfect for what I am trying to create, here, in New Jersey... Practically everything was on sale, and at bargain basement prices too... so much so that I had to grab a sales associate just to check that they weren't going out of business!
Anyways, I snapped up these for the home...

I'm overrun with oil and vinegar bottles, but, at these prices, I figured I could find some other use for them... Any ideas?

I also picked up this cloche for the garden. I've been hanging my nose over it for a while, but deemed it out of my price range... it looks very pretty, but I'm not very sure as to the practicality of it.. I guess I'll have to wait for the spring to sow some seeds in the little pot and see what happens... meanwhile, I'll just marvel at what a bargain I picked up...

My brother had left me some cash on the strict instructions that 'it had to be spent on the garden'... him being an avid gardener and all...and so, I picked up this little chappy... just so I don't forget my roots... we've named him King Richard... we're hoping he'll scare our cat away from the borders... she's a pretty skilled hunter, despite having 3 large bells around her neck...

So as not to leave the girls out of this shopping frenzy, I picked up this little potting table... they've developed a love of gardening, but it usually involves them digging up my borders... hopefully, this will entertain them and lead them away from their destructive play.... I doubt it though...

All in all, I did pretty well for myself, and only a few dollars lighter on the pocket. What a rare triumph!



Oh yeah, and I brought the coffee... my hubby tells me that,  'It's the best coffee around', but I'll take his word for it, and stick with my cup of tea!

What a beautiful Summer

It's official, Summer is over... well, in our house anyway... The last holiday barbecue has been had... everyone's back at school, the flowers are beginning to fade, and the preparations for fall have begun... But, just before I bid adieu to a beautiful summer, I wanted to share this one last image with you... taken on a lazy Sunday afternoon stroll in Cape Cod... I'll hold onto this image during those long cold nights ahead of me... and for anyone heading into the Summer months... look what you have ahead of you...  Me, I'll be saying... till next year...
Lx

A cup of tea and a recipe for Orange Cranberry Breakfast Muffins...

Well, it's back to school for the hubby and my eldest daughter... Yeah, the hubby also runs on the academic calender, and so, I've lost my Summer helper...that would be the hubby, not the daughter...
Having the whole family at home over the Summer is definitely a blessing (especially when  it comes to having someone to help with those diaper changes), but, by the close of the holidays, I'm desperate to have a bit of structure in my life... wearing p-jams past 10am each day is not a good look... not when it's 7 days a week for 2 months straight!

I decided that I would send them off on their journey into the new academic year with full tummies and raring to go, and so, I decided to whip up a batch of muffins. The hubby leaves at an ungodly hour, and so, usually eats breakfast on the fly (the crumb situation in his car is out of control)...

Anyhoo, I figured an orange cranberry muffin would fit the bill nicely for all parties involved...  Both the kiddies and the hubby like these... and, come to think of it, me too (and I'm not a muffin gal)... they're delicious split and toasted with a bit of butter, and a nice cup of tea to wash them down... a perfect way to start the day... and the new 'academic' year!

 

Orange Cranberry Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon of baking powder

½ cup of sugar

½ cup of ground almonds

Dried cranberries (soaked in orange juice for at least 1 hour)

zest of one orange

½ cup of milk

½ cup of fresh orange juice

½ cup of butter or margarine (1 stick) melted

1 large egg

Method

1.   Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a muffin pan with 12 muffin cases.

2.   In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, ground almonds, soaked cranberries (drained of juice) and orange zest.

3.   In a medium bowl, using a fork, beat the egg, milk, orange juice and cooled melted butter.

4.   Add the liquid mixture, to the flour mixture and stir in, until the flour is moistened (the batter should still look lumpy).

5.   Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases (I use an ice-cream scoop to ensure, nice equal sized muffins). Bake until a toothpick inserted, comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.

6.   Remove the muffins from the pan (still in the cases) and cool on a wire rack; or try them, while they’re still warm... I love to split them, toast them a little and serve with a drop of butter and a lovely cup of tea!

Run for the hills...

With the threat of Hurricane Earl looming over us, the hubby persuaded me to jump ship and head for the hills... The Cabin.. I was not happy with this... you could say I was a grump... pretty much like this chap below...

Anyhoo, it turned out that the wrath of Hurricane Earl (for us in New Jersey) surmounted to not a single raindrop and a few toppled down plant pots... sooo, you could say, it was a wasted trip to the cabin... especially as I had a list of chores as long as the Magna Carta at home...
On the other hand, the hubby was delighted to get away (shirking on his household chores), and asked me to see this as our last hurrah before the academic year started... I was not convinced, but showed willing...

Hmmm... and so, while there, I pushed all thoughts of our house being whisked away like a scene from The Wizard of Oz, and embraced the cabin life once more... It certainly is a place that forces you to relax. The hubby always says that, 'time doesn't exist in Lackawaxen'... and, for once, I have to agree with him... everything moves at a much slower pace...

The leaves were slowly turning...  and there was a chill was in the air. As Fall rolls in, there's no better place to showcase it than in the mountains...

And so, after a visit to the petting zoo, a spot of antiquing, and a couple glasses of red, I was finally relaxed, and all thoughts of Hurricane Earl, laundry, ironing, gardening etc. had been washed away...

...in fact, I'd go as far to say that I was the most relaxed I've been in a long while... It's amazing what can come out of a hurricane...

Hoping that everyone in the States is having a lovely Labor Day weekend... and to everyone else, have a happy Monday!
Lx

A Friday Flower

I decided to make Friday a flower day. I usually pick up a bunch each week and, if you're like me, you'll never tire of seeing a flower... It's my 'thank you' to you, for sticking with me, spending the time to read my thoughts and feelings, or just simply flitting through... thank you for just visiting!

Had to include this, as I love this picture of my little girl...

I started this blog thinking not a person in the world would read it, and the fact that I read your lovely comments makes my heart swell...

And so, again, thank you!

On a side note, I write this blog at the cabin... it's an impromptu visit, as we are escaping Hurricane Earl, which is due to batter the coast any minute... We literally ran for the hills! Hopefully, when we return tomorrow, our rickety old house will have made it through the storm and still be standing... but not in 2 feet of water... again!

Have a great weekend everyone!
Lx

Do you have a place for 'Stuff'?

I think I've mentioned before that my house is tiny... teeny weeny tiny... I think the neighbours are in awe of what we have managed to pack into this place... In fact, I don't think this, I know this, because one neighbour asked me, "How do you all fit in there?" We're packed to the rafters!
Anyhoo, this little old house forces me to be organised... The hubby even brought me an annual subscription to Real Simple... the bible for organisation freaks! Over the years, I've managed to use every square inch of this place and, more importantly, I have learnt to let go. With each change of the season, I have a clear-out... usually, it's in the girls room, as they seem to be the worse culprits when it comes to collecting useless bric-a-brac and tat... I think the girls call them toys..

However, just like Monica in 'Friends,' I have a dirty secret... hers was a whole closet full of stuff, tumbling out when the door was opened... I haven't got the room for that, so my clutter is compacted into this tub.... a tub full of 'Stuff'... I went through it today looking for some scissors and it consisted of:

• kids' paintbrushes
• wine corks
• World Cup 'England' clappers (we were knocked out pretty early, so these didn't get much use)
• 'England' bunting
• A mini American flag (no bias in this house)
• A glove puppet crafted by a teacher  my daughter
• Strawberry bubbles

There weren't any scissors in the tub...

The fact that these items are taking up valuable space in the kitchen just shows you that these must be an important part of my everyday life.. otherwise, why would they be sitting on top of the microwave?
The big question is... did I throw any of it out? Absolutely not... I'll be using it all again... at least if we get to the next World Cup in 2014 and there's always a need for strawberry bubbles in the kitchen!

Do you have a junk area in your house or is it just me with a guilty secret?