I know Tennessee supports capital punishment, but seriously, we’re selling electric chairs in online forums now?!? :P :)
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I don’t attend a church like this, but I’ve visited plenty, and this video is SO TRUE and hilarious.
“Sunday’s Coming” Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.
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(taken on my 30th birthday last year, when it was hot)
One of my favorite Summer Things is getting into my hot car after a long day of shivering in an over-air-conditioned office. I love that moment of the heat seeping into my bones and reviving me. After a few minutes, I find it as oppressive as the next person, but I feel cheated if I don’t get that baking feeling. Nowadays it’s so hot that all I have to do is step outside to bake. Then I’m thankful that my car cools down quickly.
I’ve never finished Brave New World, but I’ve read some of it, and the part that’s stuck with me is about how the different classes of people were conditioned pre-natally. One of the lower classes was exposed to certain temperatures so they’d have a “horror of cold.” I often think of this when the subject of hot- or cold-naturedness comes up. You’d think I was part of that anti-cold class, but I guess it was enough to be born naturally to two Florida natives.
This weekend I took the plunge and bought a new couch and loveseat! :)
(Not the chair, though…too giraffey)
It’s ironic that I searched for a blue sofa for over a year, and then drove all the way out to Henco just to end up with beige. But this furniture is everything I wanted design-wise, and it’s better quality than I would have found at Value City. If it looks too washed out in my yellow living room, I can accent with pillows or something. Worst case scenario, I can repaint the living room, but I don’t think that’ll be necessary. The furniture will be ready for pickup in a month or less. I’m planning to invest heavily in Sticky Paws once I bring it home, because THIS couch will not be a kitty jungle gym. I’m excited about having “real,” contemporary living room furniture for the first time. I’d like to get a new coffee table and side table too, but those are less-picky items and should be easy to find on Craigslist or something.
In other news, I’ve been baking a lot, and every recipe involving baking powder has come out almost inedible. I’m paranoid about baking soda and powder measurements due to multiple teaspoon/tablespoon mixups in the past, so I knew I was using the right amount. I couldn’t understand it. Then someone suggested I check the expiration date:
Mystery solved. I didn’t know baking powder could go bad, but this can pre-dates my residence in my house. Wow.
Add a Comment + Posted in: baking, domestic
I got this recipe from my friend Robin at least a year ago, and now I’m sorry I waited so long to try it!
Chocolate Cherry Zucchini Bread
Makes 2 loaves (although I halved it to make only one)
Ingredients:
3 eggs (I used egg whites)
¾ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 ½ cups white sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour (I used half white, half whole wheat)
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
½ cup dark chocolate chips
2/3 cup dried cherries (I used fresh)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease and flour two medium loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Mix in oil, applesauce, and sugar, then stir in zucchini and vanilla.
3. Combine flour, cinnamon, soda, baking powder, salt, chocolate chips, cherries, and nuts; stir into the egg mixture. Batter will be green, but bakes up brown.
4. Divide batter into prepared pans. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until done.
This bread is so amazing that I ate almost half the loaf by myself on the first night. :P
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