Day 154: 2/12/12 - "Walk"

"I'm learning to walk again
I believe I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
I'm learning to talk again
Can't you see I've waited long enough?
Where do I begin?"

-"Walk" by The Foo Fighters

Practice, Practice: I've been having so much trouble with the muffins I've made lately actually coming out of their paper wrappers, that I decided to bake some today to try them out.  I actually made 3 kinds and at first taste, they all seem pretty good, though I think I let the lemon poppy-seed ones bake a little too long.  I'll be able to fix that next time since I tried baking all 3 types at the same time to save time - bad idea when they need to bake at different degrees.  The chocolate with chocolate chip were pretty good and the banana nut were very tasty!  I hope they are liked when I make them for the presentation next week.

Chocolate, Chocolate-Chip Muffins

chocolate - chocolate chip

1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp cocoa
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 cup skim milk
1/3 + 2tsp olive oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and line muffin tin with paper (or spray).  Combine the dry ingredients and 1/2 of the chocolate chips in a large bowl and set aside.  In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients together.  Mix the wet and the dry, just until combined - the batter will be lumpy.  Spoon batter into prepared tin and spring remaining chocolate chips on top.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

lemon poppyseed

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tsp lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with paper (or spray).  Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Whisk the egg, buttermilk, and lemon juice in another bowl.  Make a well in the flour mixture and pour the buttermilk mixture into the well.  Add the melted butter and with a spatula, blend with quick strokes, being careful not to over mix.  Gently stir in the poppy seeds and the lemon zest.  Spoon batter into prepared tins and bake for 20 to 22 minutes.

Banana Nut Muffins

banana nut

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line muffin tin with paper (or spray).  Combine the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.  Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl.  With a mixer, whip the remaining bananas and sugar for 3 minutes.  Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat well.  Mix in the dry ingredients.  Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula.  Spoon into prepared tins and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

Watching the Grammy's: The Grammy's have been a bit overshadowed tonight by the death of Whitney Houston, but I think they've done well to pay their respects.  Jennifer Hudson's tribute was beyond beautiful (and saddened me to the point of crying).  I also found there were some interesting performances and also some things I really didn't want to see.  I know I could do without Chris Brown being celebrated over and over again.  And who is this Dead Mouse person?  What's with the headgear?  Oh well, they are making bank and I'm still on the day to day.  Loved hearing Adele again and glad her voice is stronger than ever.  Hope she continues doing well.  But what the hell is this production thing that Nicki Minaj is doing?  I know what performance art is and I see it mixed more with music (Lady Gaga) but seriously, can we just get the music?  I really don't care if she can act or act crazy (same thing?).  I'm not a fan of Lady Gaga or Nicki Minaj...I think I see why now...

Crying: I cry more easily these days and I'm just now starting to understand why.  I hope I can keep it together in the future, but for some reason my emotions, both good and bad, now swing almost violently from one area to the next.  I anger more easily (usually at myself) and my level of frustration with myself is almost overbearing.  My sadness swamps me at the oddest moments, when I least expect to be feeling that way.  I'm having fewer moments of spontaneous happiness and what I sense as humorous tends to be more sarcastic than normal.  I'll keep an eye on this as best I can but I suspect this is just the way my life will be from now on.