In the same vein as a second semester home-ec class in 1977, here is a genuine muffin. Not cake batter in the shape of a muffin, but a not-too-sweet muffin with the coarser crumb that defines old school homemade muffins.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees-this is always the first step.
List of ingredients-get them gathered with the proper cooking utensils second.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 TBS powdered buttermilk
2 TBS Poppy seeds
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 lemon
1/4 cup powdered sugar plus more for glaze
Ingredients for Lemon Poppyseed muffins2 cups all-purpose flourAbout 1 cup granulated sugar (adjust to how sweet you want the muffins to be)2-1/2 Tablespoons powdered buttermilk.2 teaspoons baking powder.1/2 teaspoon baking soda (to activate the buttermilk).2 Tablespoons poppy seeds.Mix dry ingredients.1/2 cup oil in a 2 cup measuring cup (this is canola oil).1/2 cup milk (this is non-fat).Add 2 eggs to wet ingredients.Microplane the entire lemon zest into the dry or wet ingredients (this time into the dry, with a quick stir).Cut lemon in half. Juice.Remove seeds from the juice. Reserve the juices lemon halves. Add juice to wet ingredients.Mix wet ingredients well.Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently fold and stir just until all dry ingredients are incorporated.Spray muffin pan with oil. Make sure your oven is preheated to 400 degrees.Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.Set timer to 20 minutes.Stir up the lemon glaze, start with 1/4 cup powdered sugar.Squeeze juice out of the reserved lemon halves.Add a little milk. The glazers is adjusted by adding a little powdered sugar and a little milk or fresh lemon juice and lemon pulp and lemon zest left on the microplane until it looks right.Stir glaze.Add the lemon zest!Remove from the oven. They should be deep golden brown and spring back when touched. Don’t burn your fingers!Put just a little glaze on top!According to my home economics teacher, never use a knife on muffins. Just pull open gently and place a pat of butter inside.
Goal: two cities, five weeks, one suitcase (must weigh less than 50 lbs to win)
So, added to last week’s styles are sturdy clothes for winter in Johannesburg, with excursions to see lions, leopards, Victoria Falls (on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe), and I hope to see some elephants, rhinos, giraffes, and zebras as well as all manner of springbok and other deer. I will still be working and trying to find some great candid photos of some of the life in South Africa.
It all fits! And I weighed the bag on my digital scale — 24 lbs! Of course, that is before beauty products. This exercise is helping me with my packing anxiety. At least for the short term.
So, for my trip to Frankfurt, and then the next four weeks in Joburg, I have added layers. Here’s the bullet list:
Cargo pants, heavy weight and ready to be destroyed
Camouflage print pants
African wax print skirt
Vintage yellow polo sweater
Yellow cardigan
Olive lightweight wool sweater
White T-shirt
White thin cotton turtleneck
Black T-shirt
Mauve T-shirt
Metallic tank sweater
White rain shell
Hiking boots
Birkenstocks
Black flip flops
Olive drab jacket with “flair”
Three scarves, one cotton gingham, one rayon, one polyester (all white background, with black and a hint of accent color)
I think that I might be doing at least one more adjustment…
This is the suitcase — not too big, but definitely a checked bag.
Goal: 1 suitcase for two cities, 5 weeks
Week 1 Frankfurt, Germany: Build around Brooks, Ltd. LoDo Shirt
This is the second blog planning my packing list for travel to Frankfurt, then on to Johannesburg, South Africa. I am using my inspiration shirt, named after Denver’s Lower Downtown, hence the ‘LoDo’ part of the shirt description. LoDo is where Brooks, Ltd. atelier is located and is also the part of town you see college students, out-of-towners, and business folks mingling together at restaurants and venues.
I might have mentioned that I have “packing anxiety” and that has driven me to plan this trip well in advance. So, I am testing out my one-suitcase bullet wardrobe plan, beginning with five ways to wear the LoDo shirt while working, drinking kaffee, and shopping in Frankfurt, Germany. Oh, and I should tell you, I am going to be eating like a German foodie.
Here’s the bullet list for 5 choices for the first week of five weeks on the road:
Lilac cotton zip-front LoDo shirt, that doubles as a lightweight jacket
Navy slim-legged pants (J. Crew)
Black leggings
Jeans
Silk floral shell — vintage from the 80s
White lightweight cotton turtleneck (think of the movie ‘Something’s Gotta Give’)
Black vintage Chanel Logo T-shirt (best all around T-shirt ever)
Black ballet neck tea-length dress
Black waterproof loafers (Hunter)
Black logo tennis shoes (Coach)
Silk print scarf
Black scarf
Rhinestone necklace (J. Crew)
These five choices easily fit into the suitcase with plenty of room for next week’s challenge– 4 weeks in Johannesburg!
100 Shoes Blog 