The Sacred Lullaby

I have seen the first 20 minutes of Monty Python's The Meaning of Life several times. However, for reasons unknown, I fall asleep promptly after the "Every Sperm is Sacred" scene EVERY TIME! I don't know what it is about that song. It knocks me out like a heavyweight.

It's not like I don't enjoy the movie up to that part. I think the song is brilliant! I love the old pirate accountants! I laugh out loud at least once every three minutes. But we watched it this week, and yet again I didn't make it. I think next time we are just going to start the movie at the part right after that song.

Well, time for bed...

Wild cherries!

As thrilled as I was over the cherry blossoms in March and April, I am ten times more thrilled over the summer bounty they are delivering! The cherry trees on the trail my lover and I like to run/bike on and one behind our apartment building are just full of sweet wild cherries! I can't wait for them to be ripe! Cherry clafouti anyone?

Food! Glorious food!

Here are some photos from the table...as promised.

Memorial Day: Barbecue in the oven, bacon and sour cream mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese with broccoli.

Brad's lovely pancakes, which are not quite as good as my dad's (but really, whose are?) but are still absolutely divine. These ones are plain, but pancakes at our breakfast table frequently include fresh blue berries and banana slices.

Brad's home made pizza (he even made the crust!), topped with fresh tomato slices and on his half, onions too. I made the salad. By made, I mean took out of the bag and put into the bowl. :0)

We try to eat at the table together as often as possible. I think it's an important habit to get into. It really is a nice time for us to spend together. You'd be surprised how big a two bedroom apartment can feel some days.

Capricious

Okay...so the travel blogs didn't work out so well. BUT that is only because I have resumed my ever growing love affair with my new town. I have to go to work...but more later.

Later:
I've been working a lot... not really...but for me it is a drastic increase after being a house girlfriend for about 3 months. But the work is satisfying so I'm happy. I haven't been taking very many photos...I REALLY should start taking more. Summer is beautiful here. The peonies have bloomed. Unfortunately it's been raining, and we all know peonies are best enjoyed in the sunshine!
The photos I have taken lately are all of meals. Weird, eh? I feel like how people eat is the most accurate reflection of how well people are doing in life. I've been pretty proud of our tabelscape/stove top lately, so I've been photographing it. I'll put the series up tomorrow ( I have a short day at work on Fridays.) The best way to describe our table scape is to quote Oscar Wilde: "Those who live within their means suffer from a serious lack of imagination." While we have modest means, we eat well. I would say my lover and I eat better than most people in our cohort. Three cheers for a boyfriend that can cook!

At any rate...I leave you with this sentiment for how I feel at this very moment:

80 days, eh?

Right now I'm in the middle of settling into my adult life. I'm working, grocery shopping, doing laundry all that good stuff. I'm even working on building a better future for myself by going to graduate school. Of course, now that I feel settled here, all I want to do is travel. Although this town is still very new to me, and I still find novel things to love about it every day, I feel like now is a good time to stretch out in another new place, if only for a week or so. So that's exactly what I'm going to do. This week all posts will be regarding a place I'd like to visit, some for the first time, and some again. Let's start with...

Key West, FL
Beautiful beaches, reefs for snorkeling, Kinos (They are the most comfortable sandals and with such a reasonable price, they are addicting), a surprising number of restored historical sites with guided tours ( like the Hemingway house, the Truman house, and the Pirate Museum and the Conch Train), great food (Key Lime Pie and Rum Runners!!) , a party with every tropical sunset, and beautiful hotels. My family loves it there. My dad and his buddies go every August for the lobster mini season. Oh how I miss my beloved Margaritaville!

Today, my soul looks like this:

I am the Muffin Master!

Last week I made banana muffins from scratch using my own recipe, and they turned out fantastic...so fantastic that I have decided to be "that person" and keep the recipe for myself. However, I do have another muffin journey to share. In the past, when I made the muffins from a bag (you know, the ones that say "just add milk!" ) they turn out about 3/4 of an inch tall, and dry. So I decided to use what I know about baking, and doctor them up a bit. Here is the result:


Gorgeous, right? Here's what I did:

Preheat the oven to 425 (like it says on the package)
Add 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup oil, and one egg.
Mix by hand (you know how to do muffins, ever so slightly lumpy)
Fill muffin tin with 3 tbs of batter in each well. There will only be 5 muffins, so fill the empty wells with water. That way the pan won't warp. (Oh, and if you are using liners...don't leave the empty liner in the well when you put the pan in the oven...they catch fire when you do that. It's scary- I mean, I heard it's scary. Especially when you are a teenager.)
Bake for 18 minutes.

They will be so moist, and fluffy. I know some people (like my lover) prefer really dense muffins (like those banana muffins), but if you like a nice light lemon poppy seed muffin, this is the way to go. It's a really nice and fine crumb.

P.S. All the muffins were gone within 2 hours.