The Best Blueberry Muffin Recipe EVER.

Yes, Ever!

I made these on Saturday night and come Monday morning all 24 of them had mysteriously vanished (and no, they were not fed to the dog or somehow made their way to the trash can)

I took the recipe from Food Network and tweaked it a bit to make it my own.

• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, at room temperature
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup nonfat half and half
• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp basking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cup blueberries (if using frozen blueberries do not thaw)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add cupcake liners to the pan.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (at least 3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time while mixing. Add sour cream, milk and half and half and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry mixture to the batter and mix well. Fold blueberries into the mix being careful not to over stir.

Fill cupcake liners until 2/3 full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes approx 24 muffins.

One thing I did learn by making these... if you are going to tell your coworkers all about how wonderful they are, make sure to bring some in and share :)

Where did I lose my way?

I went to school with a dream. A dream that with my education would come with a good job. A job that could get me the things I need from life. It would be interesting, challenging; something that required my degree and would make a difference.

I graduated.

As I look around, nothing has changed. There is nothing I can really do with my degree and I feel a bit duped. Education is supposed to open doors! Instead, I'm laden with debt and working in a position that doesn't even require a degree.

All that hard work and dedication for this?

...

My Choice of a Plane Read: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

This past weekend I found myself with a four hour round trip plane trip in front of me. Now, either I could sleep on the plane, make conversation with my unknown neighbors, twiddle my thumbs or read a book. After much deliberation I chose to bring a book. Those of you who known me know that I have plenty of unread books on my bookcase to chose from for situations such as this (I am what is known as a bookaholic), but I live for reasons to go to the bookstore so off I went in search of an exciting read. I must admit, I did my homework beforehand and had a pretty good idea of what I was going to get, so I walked over to the fiction section and scanned the authors last names.
... A... C.... H...
Nope, have to go around the corner..
....J..... K.. L
There it was, the first book in Stieg Larsson's Millenim series.

If I would have known that the literal translation of the Swedish title was actually "Men who Hate Women" I probably would have never picked up this book in the first place, but since it was cleverly named "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" I picked it up and gave it a chance. I must say, not what I was expecting at all, but very well written and gripping nonetheless. What initially starts out as an investigative reporter working on a very cold murder case turns into something I would have never imagined. Filled with twists and turns, suspect after suspect and lets not forget drama, I was not able to put the book down!*

Admittedly, it was a little dry to start out with, but after the set up, the introductions and all the back ground was out of the way, the meat of the story did not disappoint. If you like gritty crime dramas that do not hold back, I would recommend this book for you.
Now, I need to find someplace else to fly off to so I can get started on the second book!
__________________


*On the plane, off the plane, by the pool, when I got back home. Clearly, I became addicted.

Pure as Snow

Vision is not reserved for the eyes alone.

For anything to be seen it must first be accepted.

Where else but here?

Where else can I pay almost $900 a month to listen to elephants frolicking upstairs, a guy with a baby who likes to scream in a megaphone pointed towards my wall on one side and a couple with surround sound rival any Dolby digital system at the cinema on the other. Not to mention people downstairs that like to slam their door like they are keeping the beat to a heavy metal marathon?

Oh thats right, my place.

The best way.

With a heart as pure as white rice. Or snow, but snow melts a little too easy.

Easter, for all its worth.

Easter in itself is a strange holiday. Its like they couldn't pick just one thing to celebrate so they mushed fertility rituals, celebration of a god that rose of the dead and a big creepy easter bunny that puts candies and gifts in children's rooms while they are sleeping and hides eggs in the yard when they are not watching all into one day and called it "Easter". Personally, I just like looking at the cute, fuzzy baby chicks. Happy Easter, whatever you are celebrating, everyone :)

Rebecca, the film critic (at least for a minute or two)

Writing about “An Education” got me thinking, what else have I watched over the last couple of weeks? (way too many movies I am thinking) Here is a rundown:

How to Train Your Dragon: 5/5

Hiccup, a young viking boy desperate to prove to his father and his clan that he is deserving of the viking name, wounds a dragon that everyone is deathly afraid of. He finds the dragon, still alive, and contemplates killing it, but while his knife is raised all he can see is his own fear coming from the animals eyes so he decides to let him live. The problem is that its tail has been crippled and he is unable to fly. The boy helps the dragon get back in the air and proves to his village that dragons are not the beasts that they make them out to be. This was the first (and probably last) film that I have seen in 3D, and while it was good at the time the 3 hour headache I had after I got home pretty much made the decision to go 2D from here on out. The movie itself was cute, child appropriate and very entertaining to watch. Not only has it been requested that we purchase this film when it comes out, we actually went out and bought the books it was based on. A win/win in my book!

Coco before Chanel: 4/5

I love a good foreign film and this was French with English subtitles, which I know can be a turnoff for some, but this picture was good on more than one level. The costumes and the set design were done very beautifully, there was one scene where it was a little surreal seeing the french gentry on the beach in their corsets, flamboyant hats, lacy umbrellas and pompous fluff. Personally, I was really interested in the story due to my background, but I think it could have been a little dry for someone who didn’t admire Chanel for her impact to fashion. It was for this reason why I was glued to the story, but I doubt anyone who was uninterested in fashion would even think of picking up this film.

Brothers: 3/5

Set during wartime Afghanistan, this movie tells the story of an American solider who goes to war, is captured by the enemy and does the unthinkable to get back home. His wife is told that he is killed in action however and she starts to get on with her life back at home, namely, she starts a pseudo relationship with his brother who was there helping with the children (his nieces) cope with the loss. I think it does tell a great story of what happens mentally to solders that deal with the immense stress of battle and how they are not always ready to be simply immersed in “typical” society, but the movie itself was a little dry and boring. I was watching the clock, wondering when it was going to be over, which I think was quite unfortunate because they were telling a great story. I think I shall look for the original version of this film (this was a remake) and see if they did a more entertaining job.

The Time Travelers Wife: 2.5/5

A story of a man who travels through time against his will* (how often does one little sentence sum up an entire story??) It was recommended I watch this movie by a friend and while I should have known the “greatness” was probably going to be lost on me (being mostly against sappy chick flicks) I didn’t find it horrible. It was slow, drawn out and a little cheesy at times, but the overall story was original and somewhat interesting. I wouldn’t really recommend it, nor would I ever watch it again.

* A Note to Children, Gullible Men and Women alike: If a naked man ever comes stumbling out of the woods claiming to be your friend/relative and/or romantic partner from the future do not stick around to see if they are telling you the truth, Run dammit RUN!!

An Education

I’ve been watching quite a few movies of late, but I have to say that my favorite out of the bunch has got to be “An Education”. Its a story of a school aged girl that has everything going for her; she has straight A’s, means to not only get into a college like Oxford but a family to pay for it for her and set goals for what she wants to do with her life after college. All this changes after a chance meeting with an older man. I won’t give away the story, but when it comes down to it this film has a very clear and important message: you must never give up on yourself. Five stars! :)