Strawberry Muffins

I recently bought some strawberries with no plans for them... and decided to make muffins!  Strawberries are a berry... and blueberry muffins are common and popular, right?

Strawberries are often cheaper than blueberries and the prices can often dip low, so this is a great recipe to keep handy.

I'll have to go check where my strawberries are from but CaliforniaStrawberries.com says shipments from the northern California areas begin in April, peak in May or June, and continue through November and that strawberries are also grown as an annual crop in California.

I do wonder why strawberry muffins aren't as common.  Maybe it's cause you have to put extra work into slicing the strawberries so blueberries are easier...?

I just googled recipes for strawberry aqua frescas and that's what you might be seeing next!  (It sounds super simple: strawberries, sugar, lime, water, ice and some mint sprigs!)  Last summer I made strawberry popsicles and they were a hit!  Guess I have lots of ideas for strawberries after all.  :)

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Strawberry Muffins - adapted from All Recipes

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar 

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup chopped strawberries, plus a little more to press into the tops

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, line muffin pan with paper liners.

In a small bowl, combine oil, milk, egg, and vanilla. Beat lightly. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, brown sugar, and white sugar. Toss in chopped strawberries and stir to coat with flour. Pour in milk mixture and stir together.

Fill muffin cups a little over 3/4. Take the "plus a little more" strawberries and press at least 3 small pieces into the the tops so that the red parts show.  (I like having my muffins speak for themselves what kind of muffins they are!)

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes.  Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans to cool on a plate (or a cookie rack).

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What are your favorite kinds of muffins?  Have you had strawberry muffins before (since they don't seem as common?)

Maple Snickerdoodle Cookies

Since people are requesting I SEND snickerdoddles... from the South Bay to Australia... I thought I'd just do a public service and post the recipe so y'all can make it!  You know...

"give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" ~ English Proverb

Seriously guys, a LIFETIME of cookies.  Doesn't that sound like a much better deal?  :)  And while we're at it, we should all read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie!

This is my go-to Snickerdoodle recipe!  I realized I only have Kickerdoodles (snickerdoodles with a kick) on my blog, so I shall post these Maple Snickerdoodles!

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Maple Snickerdoodles by Lovin' from the Oven

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup salted butter (or you can use unsalted and add about 1/4 tsp salt)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tblsp real maple syrup
• 1 egg

• 3 parts sugar to 1 part cinnamon (this is the only thing I really changed.  I found that 2 parts sugar to 1 part cinnamon made them very dark and I think a lighter mix of cinnamon makes them prettier and less "burnt" looking)

Note: you will need to refrigerate the dough for at least an hour before baking!  I wanted to highlight this cause sometimes I don't read through the directions first and then find out I have to WAIT.  I also would recommend mixing everything in a plastic bowl, not metal, if you plan on refrigerating the dough in the bowl.  I usually like to put it in plastic/saran wrap into a little package before putting it in the fridge.  It seems to not dry out as much.  See below for a picture!

1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cream of tartar, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the maple syrup and egg until combined. Add dry ingredients, stir until just mixed.
3. Refrigerate dough for at least an hour.  I like to wrap it in plastic wrap instead of leaving it in the bowl.  See below for picture!
4. Preheat oven to 350F.
5. Roll dough into balls. Roll each ball in the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Arrange balls on cookie sheets, with space in between.  (I usually do 12 cookies to one cookie sheet.)
6. Bake until tops are crackly, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and leave cookies on sheets to cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Eat a few and then when they are all cooled, box 'em up!

Dough wrapped in plastic wrap before refrigerating for at least an hour.  Like a block of C4!  :oP

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Let me know if your cookies turn out wonderful!  What are your favorite flavor of cookies?

      

Hello, is it me you're looking for?

Oh poor neglected blog.  No excuses but here to say, if you find yourself here -- come visit the much more used and updated Instagram. :)

And.... I'm baaaack!

Have ya missed me??  Oops - must have taken another summer hiatus.  Sometimes I'll open Blogger, stare at it, and then close the screen.  {sigh}  Anyway - hopefully I'll have a constantly steam of stuff to write about because... we just returned from a two week cruise to Europe!  :)  We hit "6" countries on this cruise (though one was technically just a long layover...) and had a great time.

I may catch up with my work trip to Chicago and other things that have happened since while sorting through my gazillion (or rather 1,196 on-camera) pictures.  :)  I have also been terrible with my emails, which is usually my favorite form of communication, so I need to tend to that first!

Enjoying the annual 3-ish-days of HOT weather in the Bay Area!  It's like we brought the Mediterranean weather home.  The "warm Mediterranean weather," since the Bay Area technically has Mediterranean climate.  Perhaps more often in the East Bay.  :]

Be back soon!

Summer Printables from Oh Happy Day!

Happy July!  Oh my this summer is flying by quickly!  Since I don't get "summer vacation" anymore, summer is not as awesome, though the weather is somewhat a bit nicer.  (Until the SF summer fog rolls in...)

Oh Happy Day has a lot of craft ideas, but my favorite is the one Amy Moss shared on Oh Happy Day last week!



(Source)

She also provides a version with "Happy Summer" printed on the popsicles, ice creams, and watermelon slices.  I just printed out a sheet of these - though I don't have a clear purpose for them yet!  Perhaps some cards to send to people!  I also like the ideas she shares for using them as part of the wrapping or packaging for presents.  I'll be sure to report back if I do something cool with them.

Hop on over to Oh Happy Day to download the Summer Printables!

What would you use them for?

Minion Goggles!

I LOVE MINIONS. I'm not sure why besides the fact that they're cute... and I find them hilarious.  :oP

This is a clip of Carl doing his BEE-DO.  CRACKS me up.

Anyway, I found out you can print out your very own minion goggles!!!  :D  Now you're all ready to be a minion geek.  However, don't goggle and drive.

 

You can download the original PDFs here.

Modeled by yours truly.  If you love the minions, are single and female... my tip is... find a man who will wear minion goggles with you.  :)

 

Here is another clip of them singing the banana song... which cracks me up as well.  :D

 

 I think I giggle like a 5 year old when I watch this. 

 

Despicable Me 2 is coming out next week, July 3!  Are you going to watch it?

                               

Another whirl in DC

Had a work trip to DC early June for our annual convention!  For a staff of 9 + 2 interns and an events coordinator - it was a smashing event with 250+ attendees!  We pulled some really long days starting at 7am EASTERN TIME (ohmygoodness that is early), plenaries and workshops through 5:30pm,  some kind of reception through the evening, and after parties - so I often didn't get back to the hotel until like 10pm!

Here are some mostly non-work related pics.  :)

 

Full day meeting on a Sunday!

Thomas Circle Plaza from the rooftop of the Donovan Hotel

Our biggest bigshot speaker, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan!

Immigrant rally on the Capitol Lawn

 

That is all to say... I survived our annual convention!  :)  It was a lot of hard work for all our staff, but I think it went well and people really enjoyed it.  I was told they were at one time hosted in Hawaii... but no one showed up to the workshops.  haha.

 

Does your work have conventions or do you go to them for work?  Aren't west coast to east coast mornings the worst?