We’ve reached the point of summer when I sometimes can’t stand the thought of a hot beverage in the morning. Last Sunday morning I awoke after feeling hot all night, and found a forgotten bottled Frappucino in the back of the fridge. It was almost frozen solid, because that’s what happens to things that get pushed to the back of my fridge. I wasn’t even 100% sure it was still good. But I ran it under hot water for long enough to de-solidify most of it, and drank the entire bottle in one go. In that moment it was the best thing I had ever tasted. (Happily, I didn’t get sick.)

After that, in an attempt to class things up, I decided to brew a pitcher of Pioneer Woman’s iced coffee. I’m having my first cup this morning, and it’s delicious! (The 1% milk instead of Coffee-Mate is better for me, too.) But how do you keep all the sweetener from settling at the bottom?

In other news, I patchworked a Google map of Manhattan (with neighborhoods and pertinent areas marked) and taped it up in my cube where I’ll see it every day. I want to have an excellent sense of location and direction when I’m in NYC. Do you think I’m excited??

4 Comments + Posted in: food

My love affair with blueberries continues. Now is the perfect blueberry time when every pint is fantastic, and I eat at least a pint a week all by myself, usually standing over the sink. But blueberries this good deserve more dignified treatment.

So last night I pulled out this muffin recipe I’ve been saving for a while. I tasted the batter, as is my custom, and it was so delicious that I thought these muffins must be like 300 calories each. I mean, they even contain real sugar (not Splenda)! But after consulting ye olde recipe calculator, I’m pleased to announce that they’re only 108 calories each, and chock full of fiber and protein. So eat up!

Blueberry Bran Muffins
From Allrecipes. Makes 1 dozen.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups wheat bran
1 cup 1% milk
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar, not packed
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
1 cup blueberries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F and prepare muffin tin or cups.

2. In a medium bowl, combine wheat bran and milk, and let stand for ten minutes.

3. In a large batter bowl, combine applesauce, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add bran mixture.

4. In a third bowl, sift together flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the large bowl and stir just until blended. Fold in blueberries.

5. Scoop into muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes.

2 Comments + Posted in: baking

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Things I Learned While Painting My House This Weekend

1. Commercial paint sprayers will save you DAYS of work.

2. My dad and I make an excellent team. (well, I already knew this)

3. It’s impossible to freehand a clean line when painting stucco. Even with a tiny brush.

4. Some people still think it’s funny to honk at someone precariously balanced atop a ladder.

5. Even atop a ladder, I am frustratingly short.

6. My next door neighbor needs to remember that I actually own my house and am not just holding it for him, so I don’t need to hear or heed his opinions on my paint color choices.

7. I don’t want to work in my front garden bed ever again except to garden.

8. Exterior paint is unbelievably expensive. (I spent as much on paint as I did on my plane ticket to NYC.)

My dad and I have been talking about painting my house since I moved in almost six years ago. This weekend we finally did it, and I’m SO pleased with the finished product! I feel like my house looks more substantial and housey now, and the new colors complement the brick so well. The front door (which has been red for several years) is now my favorite part of the house. The storm door finally seems to belong. I also think the trim around the door sets it off nicely.

Colors are Behr (from the Home Depot) – Dried Basil and Polished Pearl. I was nervous about using an off-white because it often looks dingy to me, but this one paired nicely with the green – a pure white might have been too harsh. I’m happy that my gut instincts for color are still good.

My house finally looks the way I’ve imagined for a long time. Thanks to my dad (as usual) for making it happen!!!

7 Comments + Posted in: domestic, family

Since I’m usually pretty busy (and reading when I’m not busy), I can’t keep up with very many TV shows. This often works to my detriment when all my friends are obsessing over a show together, and I know I would love it too, but I’ll never have time to catch up. Several such conversations have inspired me to make a list of the unwatched shows that I most want to see from beginning to end. With one exception, I’ve stuck to shows that are complete – adding in-process series would make it too overwhelming. (#1 would be Downton Abbey. Not watching it is seriously starting to affect my social life.)

1. Friday Night Lights. It’s crazy that I wasn’t immediately obsessed with this well-loved tale of triumph over adversity through football in small-town Texas. It has everything I look for in a story.

(source)

2. Battlestar Galactica. I’ve heard it ends terribly, but so did Lost, and I still didn’t regret getting involved in that. It seems like another show that’s important to the cultural conversation.

3. Gilmore Girls. I know. I know. I know.

4. Doctor Who. If the constant raves of friends with good taste weren’t enough to convince me, this graph would do it.

5. Avatar: The Last Airbender. I’m not into anime, but I’ve heard this is a must watch for writers because the plot writing is phenomenal.

6. Freaks and Geeks. I was the target age/audience for this show when it aired, but I missed it somehow. It features a lot of now-famous actors, including Jason Segel, whom I find very endearing.

7. Felicity. One of the most popular melodramas of my college years, but again, I never saw it. Plus, I think it was J.J. Abrams’ first show.

Basically, if I ever have to be on bed rest for an extended time, I already have a plan in place!

15 Comments + Posted in: tv

This morning I booked a plane ticket to New York!!! I’ve never been to NYC, unless you count a trip I don’t remember when I was a toddler, or a layover at JFK when I was fifteen. The city has been tops on my list of places to go just because I’m interested – not to visit family or friends. This is the first time in my life I’ve had the funds and vacation time to do that kind of travel.

My best friend from college, Emily, volunteered to go with me and even used her own frequent stay points for our hotel. Em and I haven’t spent a real stretch of time together in years, so that’s great enough in itself, but I can hardly believe I’m actually going to the most famous city in the world!

this will be me

We’ll only have two full days in NYC, so I’m not going to attempt to do everything this trip, but I welcome suggestions for must-sees, must-dos, and must-eats! We definitely want to see at least one show (maybe Newsies), and I’m trying to get us Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tickets. I also think the Circle Line tour would be a good way to see a lot of major sights in a short time. I know it’s uncool to do really touristy things, but I don’t know how you avoid that unless you spend months there. Other than that, I’m pretty open!

7 Comments + Posted in: travel