What's For Breakfast? Three.

So just gona jump right back into this thing. Almost a whole year has gone by since my last post and its summer again. A lot has changed and yet at the same time not really. But I digress. So thus far I am calling this the monsoon summer but the last few days the sun has finally showed its self and the berries have come forth in abundance. I have picked red currants, sour cherries, and black raspberries. But what to do with all this bounty? 

Muffins of course! 

I made the Bran and Current Muffins from MarthaStewart.com  for my dad who is a big fan of bran muffins. If you are like him you will love these. However if you are like me these taste just a little too healthy (no sugar added). Now that is not to say that I don't like them with honey or some current jelly. Since the recipe only used 1/2 c. currents I still had some left for jelly. 

The Recipe: 
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, plus more for oiling pans
1 cup unprocessed wheat bran
1/2 cup prune juice
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup currants
3 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil nine standard-size muffin cups, or line them with paper liners.(I do not recommend the paper liners because they stuck to the muffin.)

Combine wheat bran, prune juice, yogurt, currants, molasses, oil, egg, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Stir dry ingredients into the bran mixture just until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix.

Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes.

Put those berries to good use with these easy breezy muffins. 

The Henna Hair Dye Experience

Thanks to Amelia Pond from Doctor Who (one of the best shows ever)I have wanted red hair for quite some time. I was waiting for the opportune moment for a drastic change and it finally came as I would be transferring Universities in the fall and becoming a design student. It was now or never.

I waited till precisely two weeks before move in day to schedule a cut and color (might as well get bangs while I'm at it). However, this turned out to be a traumatic experience. When the old disgruntled hair stylist finally began painting my hair with product she asked what I did to get my air so blonde. I casually said I use Sun-In quite frequently. Then she began screaming, "we need to get this out of your hair now!". Oh my goodness I thought my hair was on fire or something. According to this lady Sun-In has metallic salts, which react with the dye causing your hair to fall out. So I left the salon the same as when I came in, except now I felt like a sad wet puppy. 

I refused to accept defeat so I researched the contents of Sun-In as well as natural hair dye alternatives. Firstly, I found that Sun-In no longer contains metallic salts (it also says this on the bottle's label)and Second I found out about Henna for Hair. 

Henna Hair dye intrigued me because body henna is pretty cool so why wouldn't it look awesome on hair too. I looked through many photos and success stories. Also Henna dye is 100% plant based product that has been used for thousands of years and will not harm hair in any way. I also liked that the outcome was a little mysterious. It the resulting shade depends on the starting shade, so the end result can not be guaranteed. I did not mind this not knowing. 

So after much consideration I ordered 500 grams of Ancient Sunrise Rajasthani Twilight from www.mehandi.com. 

What you receive is a green powder. To make the Henna you have to mix the powder with lemon juice and then let it sit at least 8 hours in a warm place. I suggest someone else apply it to your hair, I for example employed the help of my dad. Also this helper should definitely wear scrap clothes and gloves. I found it helpful to cover my ears with plastic wrap and Vaseline. Remember the henna will stain skin too.(www.mehandi.com. has a very detailed pdf of anything you need to know about Henna Hair dye including detailed instructions on how to apply it, http://www.hennaforhair.com/freebooks/hennaforhair.pdf) But the most important part is to take a before picture.  

Before

Unfortunately, it will look and feel like you have a pile of dog poop on your head for the 2 - 6 hours that you leave the dye on your head. I left mine for only two. Then when you rinse it all off you will emerge looking like the little mermaid and smelling like a wet dog. (The hair will have a certain faint smell for a while afterwords. I don't really like it but other people actually enjoy the fragrance)

After 24 Hours

The color will darken as it oxidizes so here is a photo 

After 2 Weeks

This photo was actually taken right before I applied a second coat of the dye to cover the roots and get a richer color.

Personally I'm loving the new color and I've gotten several compliments on it. My mother however, as not yet fully gotten over the change. Henna dye was a good natural option and in conclusion, I would recommend this product. If you have any questions about my experience with Henna Hair Dye feel free to ask.

Ways to End Summer

So it is a sad but true fact that summer is almost over. With the realization that I will be going off to school in about three days it has become crunch time to accomplish some of my summer goals that have been pushed to the side until now. There is simply so much to do this weekend. 

Today began early at 6 am! I had to get up early to work on a project I started the night before (more details to come soon, its still not done yet) Then, I had enough time to make blueberry muffins for breakfast. Then we headed off to Syracuse to go to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo one of the places I have been wanting to revisit this summer. 

The place is pretty much the same as it has been with the addition of a few animals and the loss of some others. There were new Sand Cats, two baby snowy leopards, and Fossa (the ones from Madagascar that eat the lemurs). Although the baboons and the Hyacinth Macaws were nowhere to be seen. Also, they added a pachyderm palace, which is a very nice addition to the elephant exhibit.

Fun Fact: how many pounds of poop do seven elephants make overnight? **(Answer below)

On the way out we were lured to the membership desk by the goody bag on display and we soon became proud Adopt an Animal Parents to a Fennec Fox, undoubtedly one of the cutest animals in the zoo. 

"Oh yeah, you think I'm cute."

Pretty sweet gift bag

After disapproving of some of the animal names at the zoo (Who names an elephant Chuck?) I had to give the stuffed fennec fox a right proper name, so I chose Harry. Having a bit of British fever lately due to the Olympics and the fact that I'm currently reading a biography of the Queen, the book Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, I realized that he does bear a similarity to Prince Harry indeed. 

Also, I just found the website zooborns.com that have photos of baby animals born in the zoos around the world. You can search by zoo or by species on the site. I was able to find pictures of our adopted Fennecs when they were born earlier this year on April 21. As well as pictures of the two baby snowy leopards born on June 14, who were not on display when we were there.

**Oh yeah, seven elephants produce about 800 lbs of poop overnight. That's a lot of poop to scoop. 

Also while in the Syracuse area we grabbed a bite to eat at Heid's of Liverpool. Its one of those classic no-nonsense hot dog  places (opened in 1917). Although, I ended up having some delicious chicken tenders and a pickle instead of a hot dog.

Like I said, there is a lot to cram into these last few days. Today was the only free day to go out to the dinner at the one place I've been dying to eat at all summer. And although I felt terrible about eating out twice in one day we just had to go to Nicky Doodles. I used to think McDonald's had the best french fries but ever since I've tasted Nicky Doodles' fries I have changed my mind.

Apparently some of the local animals think their food is good too. There was a skunk prowling the grass under the picnic tables as we got there and some people running for their cars, while others pulled out their camera phones to snap his photo. According to the workers the skunk and his partner in crime,who was not present this evening, are actually frequent visitors to the establishment. Needless to say, we chose to eat inside.

So for dinner I had a Raspberry Rondezvous Sundae (it was beautiful and delicious) and french fries for dinner. I think I shall ave to go for an extra long walk tomorrow. Oh darn it - tomorrow we'll be at the Church Bazaar and they have fried dough...  

Twine Vase

Yesterday was the dreariest day of the whole summer. So gray, rainy, and cold - an inside day. Not a big fan of inside days. I did my best to occupy myself but inevitably I ran out of ideas around one o'clock. I resorted to pacing around the house pulling on my pigtails, however when I became constantly assaulted with the words: "Would you like to sort underwear for me since you have nothing to do?" coming from my mother I knew I had to find something to do. And fast.

So I grabbed the first blank canvas I see, which happened to be a glass vase-like container form a garage sale, and resolve to make something out of it. 

Ok, this is not the most interesting craft in the world and it doesn't take a geniuses to figure something like this out but here it is:  

Twine,Gel Medium or Mod Podge, Some Kind of Container, neon yarn 

(I think this would look great on wine bottles too)

Apply medium with a brush to the container about two inches at a time. Starting on the bottom edge wrap the twine around the container Until it is covered. Then I added a neon stripe to make it a little more interesting by applying gel over the first layer.

VOALA: A new vase has appeared right before your eyes.

A Photo Safari

One of the things I've been wanting to do that I finally did, was go on what I was calling a "photo safari" in downtown. Now Downtown Utica is known to be a little sketchy with tons of pawn shops and empty buildings, but there is a lot of nice historic architecture. Hey, you never know what you'll find if you go explore somewhere you've lived near but never payed attention to. Here are some of the images I shot:

                                                     

Custom Glitter Nail Polish

This is quite possibly the easiest and funnest DIY ever. The only thing I wish I knew is why didn't anyone tell me about this years ago? Glitter + Clear Nail Polish = home made glitter nail polish custom to suit your needs.


When I am really craving a new nail polish and finally go to the store to pick one out I am always drawn to the glittery ones in the front display yet always end up picking something more versatile instead. Also, the glitter nail polishes I already have are not glittery enough causing me to have to pile on layer after layer to get to the proper amount of glitter and by then the polish is so thick it will never dry and will inevitably get smudged. Solution - make your own polish just the way you like it. Also am I the only person with like five bottles of clear top-coat lying around?


So here's the scoop:

Package of assorted Glitter & Clear Nail Polish

I poured a little of the polish out to make room for the glitter because this one was very full. You will need a piece of paper rolled into a funnel to get the glitter inside neatly. The glitters I used in this combination were shades of pink, red, orange, and gold.

I call it Sunset Sparkle

So, pour as much glitter in as you want then shake well or stir with a toothpick. That's it.

This is the Sunset Sparkle painted on top of my all time favorite nail polish - Revlon Top Speed in Chili. Its my go to color and it drys fast and hard, good for inpatient people like me.

I actually made this one first. I call it Space Junk. To make this one I used larger grain glitter as well as the finer stuff used for Sunset Sparkle. I absolutely love this one because it is very sparkly. If your going to wear glitter polish you might as well go for the gusto. I used this on on top of Revlon Top Speed in Royal. Don't forget: glitter nail polish is also great for toes in the summer. 

What's for Breakfast? Two

Oatmeal-Raisin Cupcakes 

& 

Kiwi Strawberry Smoothie

Last night despite the fact that it was 86 degrees in the house (yeah, no air conditioning) I found myself baking cookies. Smart right? Anyways, I say cookies because my dad has been hosting an optional workshop at work every other week, and upon request I bake cookies for these days as a reward for those who show up and as as incentive to others. This week I made Oatmeal-Raisin cookie cupcakes from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. 

So I probably misspeak when I say "I was baking cookies" since my selection was found in a cupcake book but these confections seem to me one part cookie, one part cupcake, and one part muffin. 

The recipe:

3 3/4c. old fashioned oats

2 1/2c. flour

2/3c. oat bran (I used wheat bran instead)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2c. butter(3 sticks)at room temperature

1c. sugar

1c. packed light-brown sugar

4 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1c. sour cream

1 1/2c. raisins

1c. sweetened flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 375 or 350 convection

Line muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk 2c. oats with the flour, oat bran, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

With an electric mixer on medium-high, cream the butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating after each addition. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Beat in sour cream. Stir in raisins. 

Transfer 2 3/4c. batter to another bowl and add remaining 1 3/4c. oats and the coconut.

Fill each lined cup with 2 Tbsp plain batter and top with 1 Tbsp oat-coconut batter. Bake 18-20 min or until cake tester comes out clean. 

makes about 30.

This morning to go with my cupcake-cookie I whipped up another smoothie from the Food Network 50 Smoothies booklet. My ingredients were limited this morning as I rummaged through the kitchen but luckily I found a recipe with only 3 ingredients and ice needed - the Kiwi-strawberry smoothie (#11 in the booklet). This smoothie also happened to be the inaugural usage of my new blender, the Ninja Pulse. 

We decided to throw out our old smoothie maker when my dad pulled a piece of the blade out of his mouth after taking a sip of his blended ice coffee. Since then I have been using the old blender which was on its last leg and as also now met the same fate as the smoothie maker. So using this new and powerful machine was quite exciting. I also like that it comes with four single serve cups and a larger container too. The texture of this smoothie turned out perfect. Dare I say the best I've had at home thus far.

Anyways, back to the smoothie. Super easy, super yummy, and healthy too. 

Recipe: 

1 kiwi

1/2c. strawberries (I used them frozen)

1 Tbsp sugar

1c. ice

blend.

makes one smoothie