Harry Potter and Coffee Cake

Hello, almost weekenders! Three cheers for Fridays!

What a week it has been. Late last night and into the early morning, I had the pleasure of going with a group of friends to the midnight showing of the final Harry Potter movie. Not only was the movie enchanting, but the entire evening of festivities was wonderfully enjoyable. We arrived at the theatre around 8:45 pm to find over a thousand people waiting in anticipation. People were decked out in HP gear, talking in English accents, and casting spells on each other. There was even a wizard band. You don’t believe me? Check it out yourself.

For real.

Now, I’m not a die-hard fan. I haven’t read the books; I haven’t seen all the movies. But, the excitement was contagious and I thoroughly enjoyed the anticipation and the motion picture. I am even inspired to read the books! Crazy, right? Downfall to the night: we got back around three this morning, and I had to work at eight. I definitely didn’t get the beauty rest that I wanted. However, one thing made my Harry Potter hangover not so bad. Six words: banana, chocolate chips, cinnamon, coffee cake.

On my day off yesterday, I really wanted to bake something. I checked the pantry and fridge, assessed my ingredients, and searched around the web for something delicious. I came across several recipes for coffee cakes and adapted them to fit my interests, taste buds, and ingredients. Thus, I bring you: banana coffee cake with chocolate chip and cinnamon streusel.

Ingredients:

1 cup chocolate chips (milk or dark chocolate- your preference!)

½ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup white sugar

1 ½ cups flour

½ cup butter (room temp.)

1 egg

3 large mashed bananas (I usually use frozen bananas; they are easier to mash once thawed)

1 6-oz package of Greek yogurt (some recipes call for buttermilk-I prefer yogurt)

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2.       Grease a 9x9 or 8x8 inch baking pan

3.       Make streusel topping- stir brown sugar, chocolate chips, and cinnamon together

4.       Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a separate bowl

5.       With an electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and egg together for two minutes

6.     Mix in mashed bananas and yogurt

7.       Gradually add bowl of dry ingredients

8.       Blend well

9.       Pour half of this batter into the baking pan

10.   Pour half of streusel mixture on top of batter

11.   Repeat steps 9 and 10, layering the remaining batter and streusel

12.   Bake for 44-48 minutes, or until a fork or toothpick comes out clean

13.   Allow to cool for a few minutes

14.   Enjoy with coffee or English tea

Easy-peezy, lemon squeezy.

I brought this coffee cake into work this morning and it was hit. So, TRY! You will have no regrets J

Till next week, flowers.

XO.

Yoga!

It’s Wednesday, cherries! And we are half way through the work week. How’s your state of mind today? Mine is a bit hazy, to be honest. Time seems to be flying by and no matter what I do, I just can’t quite convince it to slow down for me. If you find yourself relating, worry no more! I propose to you: yoga.

I don’t regularly do yoga. I went to a few classes with friends in high school, but never got hooked. However, as I was flipping through the channels the other night, I came across a program that was investigating the many benefits of yoga. To double check the validity behind their claims, I whipped out my computer and did a little yoga research. For what I once thought to be simple stretching and deep breathing, I found that the practice of yoga is actually much more. In fact, for many people yoga is a lifestyle, encompassing multiple aspects of their lives.

Yoga poses are specifically designed to cultivate self-discipline, awareness of body, balance, and freedom. The goal is to bring healthful harmony to both the body and mind. What a cool thought!

On the physical side of things, yoga has proven to lead to better alignment and less strain on the joints, muscles, and organs. Strength and flexibility are intertwined and key in the poses. Through the process of yoga, individuals learn how to listen, become in-tune with, and respond to their bodies. This awareness is invaluable. Why not try to treat your body well?

Surprisingly, yoga is just as helpful on the mental side of things. By practicing physical relaxation and awareness, this intelligent state of being will naturally overflow into other aspects of the person. The mind will follow along by quieting the constant flooding that most people experience from worries, thoughts, and to-do’s. In fact, many report feeling happier, more content, and less stressed after a yoga session.

Correlations have also been made that connect yoga to a decreased risk of heart disease, strokes, arthritis, migraines, and asthma.

Booya. It’s hard to find a downside, isn’t it? Needless to say, I’ll certainly be making more time for this whole-person form of exercise. I hope you consider it, too. If you prefer group yoga classes, these are available at most gyms and in specific yoga studios across the valley. However, if you prefer to practice from home, yoga videos and books are popular. I tend to be a home-body, so I prefer to be on my own for this central time.

Daises, consider enjoying some yoga goodness! Thanks for turning your attention this way for a bit; until next time. Love!

XO.

Simple Pleasures

Good morning and merry Tuesday! I had a fabulous Monday and have high hopes for the remainder of this week. I wish I were better at remembering to thank the Lord for the many blessings he pours out on me; none of which I deserve. He is constantly surprising me.

I’ve been thinking a lot about simple pleasures, the little, day to day things that make me smile.  I’ll share a few of mine with you and, together, let’s appreciate the details.

Falling asleep to a good book

I’m currently reading “The House at Riverton”

It’s about the war, love, and an aristocratic family. Read reviews. Highly recommended!

The ten minutes after finishing a workout when endorphins are in full swing

Hot deals while shopping; aka more bang for your buck!

Playing with children and witnessing their imaginations, innocence, and joy

Slowly sipping an iced coffee in the summer time

3 pumps caramel and a splash of milk, please. Aj’s Fine Foods knows what’s up.

Talking on the phone with a dear friend

When time seems to fly by at work

The sound of rain on a rooftop (hello, monsoon season!)

Those outfits that I adore and don’t mind waking up extra early to compile

Great hair days; these make me feel borderline invincible

Writing myself encouraging post-it notes

Yes, I just admitted that

& reuniting with great friends

This is JACK: Jane, Alexa, Chelsea, Kristin

These girls have seen me through thick and thin, and I love each of them very much.

Cheers to the past, present, and future!

Dandelions, I hope today is sunshine for you. The good kind, not the AZ heat kind. Be warm and be loving.

XO.

Homemade Cilantro, Lime, and Jalapeño Hummus

Good day, fancy folks! As promised in my crazy weather post, I bring you a new recipe to try.

I’ve been craving hummus for awhile and, with a free afternoon, I decided to tackle that craving.  Momma was ever so wonderful as to buy me two cans of chickpeas so I was already off and running. I made a trip to the Fresh ‘n’ Easy market by my house and picked up some fresh ingredients and found onions, limes, and jalapeños in the clearance section, expiration dates of July 8^th. This was perfect because I saved a pretty penny and knew I would be using the ingredients right away anyway.  It’s fun to be thrifty! So, the recipe is as follows.

Homemade cilantro, lime, and jalapeño hummus

Ingredients:



Note the clearance items!

 2 cans garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas), rinsed and drained

3-4 tablespoons fresh lime juice (I got this much juice from two small limes)

3 cloves minced garlic

3/4 cup fresh cilantro

2-3 tablespoons minced, seeded jalapeños

2 tablespoons dinced onion

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/4 cup water

Salt and pepper to taste (I put quite a bit of each in order to bring out the flavors of the veggies)

Pita chips, pretzels, or warm tortilla to accompany hummus

1. Rinse and drain chickpeas

2. Squeeze lime juice

3. Mince and dice garlic cloves, Jalapeños, and onions

4. Chop up cilantro

5. In food processor, combine chickpeas, lime juice, water, jalapeños, onions, garlic, garlic powder, salt, and pepper

6. Blend until a smooth mixture is the result

7. Transfer mixture into a bowl and fold in chopped cilantro

8. Mix until fully incorporated and serve

9. Delight :)

Sunshines, your work week is in the homestretch!  Have a lovely weekend and try to be intentional in your relationships. Love, love.

XO.



Weather Adventure

Good morning, Wednesday lovelies! We are officially half way through the work week, which easily merits a smile!

This morning, I was going to blog about a delicious homemade cilantro, lime, and jalapeño hummus recipe that I threw together. However, after getting caught in the great Phoenix dust storm of 2011 last night, I thought I'd share a little account of my adventure instead. But don’t fret! Recipe to come later this week.

Me, Meghan, Anne, and Anne’s friend, Laura, decided to spend our Tuesday night together. We planned to go out for ice cream, do a little grocery shopping, and finish up the night with the Bachelorette. It was a fool proof plan of ultimate girl time. However, after we had visited Mojo at the Biltmore, we noticed a scary-looking, brown cloud in the distance. With 75% of the group being from the Midwest, a part of the country not known for monsoon or dust storms, we were all pretty excited over the unusual weather. We hopped in the car and started to Trader Joe’s for shopping. Luckily, we made it inside before the storm hit, but it was a close one. We lingered on the covered patio, whipped out our cameras, and got coated in dust. It was a pretty neat experience! Enjoy the first-hand photos and be sure to check out more detailed accounts of this fantastic storm!

 At the Biltmore in Scottsdale, storm in the distance.

Outside of Trader Joe's, storm closing in

On Trader Joe's covered patio, storm passing over

Safe inside the store, storm passing, little boy fearing for his life

What an action-packed night.

Happy Wednesday all around! Take a little time for yourself today, charms. Until next time,

XO.