Saturday, February 23, 2008

Grandma Shumey's Date Bran Muffins


Easily mixed up in a food processor

Not too sure about these new silicon muffin cups, so I didn't fill them too full. I sprayed the muffin cups with Pam ,first.

Cute new mini baker that Sonia gave me for Christmas . I sprayed that with pam too, before filling it with the left over batter.

Voila... all done...and yummy!

First, chop nuts a bit in the food processor then take out and set aside.
Second, heat about a cup of dates in the microwave for 30 seconds...makes them much easier to chop. Chop into small bite sized pieces and reserve for later.

Heat oven to 375*
Spray muffin cups with PAm


So back to the food Processor...

put in 1/2 cup of margarine
1 cup brown sugar
2 tblsp of Karo syrup ( corn syrup)
1 egg.
Once it is all in the food processor, give it a whirl to cream up the ingredients nice and smooth.

A 4 cup measuring cup works ideal...Put in 2 cups of bran buds, and 1 cup of white flour. Stir a bit to make an even blend. Add 1/2 tsp of salt. Stir altogether and set aside.

In a one cup pyrex measure cup, pour in a cup of milk and add 2 tspns or a little more of white vinegar to make sour milk and then just before you use it, add 1 tsp. of baking soda. This will foam up, so be ready to dump a bit into your creamy mixture.

Now, you are going to add wet and dry ingredients to your creamed mixture, alternately. I dump in about half the flour and bran mixture, then half the milk, then give the processor a whirl, then I add the remainder and give it another whirl. You don't need to over mix this,as it is muffins, not a cake that we are making:-)
Lastly add your chopped nuts ( walnuts or pecans) and add the chopped dates ( or raisins). give it another whirl and then you are ready to fill the muffin cups. I had a little extra, so I used the mini-baker.

Bake at 350 for ten minutes, and then lower heat by ten degrees, and continue baking until they are cooked...about 20 minutes ,more or less. Take out of oven and immediately dump out of
Silicon baking cups. Those are some fun and come in cute colours and are easy to store and clean up quick. No need to bake in a muffin pan, apparently....just on a cookie sheet.


"The Creator"
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Nordic Walking USA

Nordic Walking USA
If you are inrterested in any more of the many aspects of Nordic Skiwalking, then check out Claire's website, that offers links to many other Nordic walking clubs, and tips on suitable shoes for all seasons. Thanks, Claire, for visiting my blog.

"The Creator"

The Great Lunar Eclipse...


Emil and I took it all in, right from the bedroom window! Actually, I nearly drove off the highway several times on the way home, just trying to get a glimpse of the moon slowly getting munched away by earth's shadow.
The photos above are in reverse order, so this one above is of the moon as it was coming out of the eclipse, taken from my studio balcony.

I love this one, because I caught the Saturn and Regulus, framing the eclipsing moon.

This is about half way through the eclipse.

Finally, this is the beginning of the phase after the total eclipse,when the moon is starting to light up again. Much to our surprise, the light crept in from the bottom...seemed all wrong, but what the hay do we know?
The next one won't happen until 2010, in December, so I hope everyone caught a glimpse of it tonight, because it will be along time until the next one! For some outstanding photos, go to Spaceweather.com
"The Creator"
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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Lunar Eclipse

I nearly forgot to tell everyone that on Wednesday the 2oth, there will be a full Lunar eclipse...the last one we will get to see until 2010!

It starts at 5:43 PST and will be in full darkness around 7:03pm. Check here for a nice animated look at the moon eclipsing.

LUNAR ECLIPSE: On Wednesday night, February 20th, the full Moon will turn a delightful shade of red and possibly turquoise, too. It's a total lunar eclipse-the last one until Dec. 2010. Sky watchers in Europe, the Americas, parts of the Middle East and Africa are favored for good views of the two-hour event. Visit http://spaceweather.com for full coverage including maps and timetables, live webcasts and discussion.

"The Creator"

Nordic Skiwalkers


These are my new Ski walkers...I am taking the photo, hence the odd angle. The square holder is removed before one starts to walk.



I am happy to report that the snow has melted a bit since this photo was taken

Light weight poles and cork grips with good Solomon Swix gloves to rest your hand in. No need to put the death grip on the poles.

The bottoms of the poles come with both a rubber grip and a metal point for the snow and ice.

So far, I have been out nearly every morning since we arrived back from the Dominican. I only have about a half hour to spare in the am to walk, but that is good for now, when the roads are turning to an ice slick. When the weather improves, I might be able to work it up to an hour. On Sunday, I walked to the ferry and back...a long walk for my gimpy ankle and knee...maybe a little too long, but a stint in the hot-tub, ironed out the kinks. On Friday night and Saturday, I had forgotton to take my glucosomine and chondroiten that I faithfully take every day. I think that is why my knee and ankle were worse than usual. Other than those minor issues, I love my skiwalkers and hope to improve my walking skills. ( Like I didn't walk miles every day when I was a teenager!) ( Of course that was a few years ago!)
Oh yes, for joggers and walkers out there who own an Ipod, one can download great electronic beat music for walking or jogging to at Podrunner.
You may subscribe to it in Itunes, and you'll receive a a new hour of music every few days... Lots of fun!


My cousin Ed came to visit me today at the store...Yahoo... That was so nice ! We had some laughs and a cup of tea and discussed retirement...Looks like it is treating him pretty good! Thanks Ed for dropping in! You made my day!

Happy Birthday to Robert! The big 14 today! Hard to believe he is getting all grown up. Hope you had a good one!
Time for beddy bye...the morning comes early!
"The Creator"
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Monday, February 18, 2008

Week-end


Soleil moved into the dog's bed in the living -room. Silky's nose
was out of joint big-time, but the old cat wasn't moving!

Our big Texas Hold'em game on Saturday night.
Emil and Bill split the pot sometime after midnight!

Sunday was a gorgeous day with a beautiful sunset kissing our mountains.

Now, if only the snow would melt......

The week-end went by so fast, I felt like I needed another week-end to rest up!
Okay, I was going to write something intelligent...
Oh, Yes... I made these little Spinach BAlls from Correna's Justice Dept. Cook Book for the Poker PArty... Seems like everyone liked them , but maybe me:-). I think I would have liked them with cranberries and gravy on them:-) Anyhow, they are pretty good nibblers to bring to a party.

Here is the recipe...

Big Hit Spinach Balls


2 pkgs frozen chopped spinach- thawed, drained and squeezed out
1 pkg ( 2 cups) stuffing mix that you have prepared and let cool
1 cup Parmasean cheese
1/4 cup melted butter
4 green onions chopped
1 red pepper finely chopped
3 eggs

Make stuffing according to directions , let cool
Preheat oven to 350*
Combine all ingredients and shape into small walnut sized balls. Bake on greased baking sheet for 15 minutes. Serve with dijon mustard or your favourite creamy dip.


Okey, I have to try for earlier bed... just too pooped in the am.

So before I say nighty -night... I want to wish Robert a Happy 14th birthday tomorrow...Holy tummoli... he's getting all growed up... Kaleigh will be next!




"The Creator"
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