project 365: week twenty seven: July 2nd, 2011 - July 8th, 2011

July 2nd, 2011 We made a queen hat and then wore it everywhere.

July 3rd, 2011 Still wearing the queen hat.  In Eglinton Park with Grammy.  It'a a pretty great queen hat.  Also if you're interested in hearing a steady stream of genderific strangeness feel free to walk around Toronto for 2 days with a toddler in a crown. Its astonishing actually.

July 4th, 2011 Day one of of our East Coast Adventure.  Here we are on the Forth of July in Cobleskill New York.  A very nice town nested between the Adirondacks and the Catskills.  By total fluke the hotel we were staying in was the place to be to see fireworks on a mountain.  

July 5th, 2011 Rebecca in Portland Maine using her new "monkey knapsack" which she loves and it helps me not have a heart attack when walking on piers and cliffs (I also hold her hand but lately she's been taking off so this is amazing).

July 6th, 2011 Crossing the Waldo Hancock Bridge into Verona Maine on our way to BaaHaabaah.

July 7th, 2011 Rebecca and I take a rest to nurse on the summit of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. 

 July 8th, 2011 Today we rode the Carriage Trails in Acadia National Park, swam in the Atlantic, built sand castles and picked more "bears".  We were able to tell some kids about our blueberry find and spent  an hour listening to them pick them and eat them and let out the occasion blueberry induced giggle fit.

Rebecca's Thoughts on Blueberries in Maine

The nice thing about staying somewhere new is that sometimes there are surprises.  

Like blueberries outside your cabin door.

Your mother will find you a funny bowl with a handle. Then you get to pick all the "bears" until the aren't any blue ones left.

There may also be some critters.

You can eat some now and also save some for later.

Your mother can take pictures of them.

Even though they are for eating.

Then you should eat them all up.

Recipe: Honey Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

These are some of of favourite muffins and we eat quite a few of them. We have slowly been switching to organic foods in our panty so beside the salt and baking powder, the ingredients we use are all organic.  The nice thing is that it makes no difference to your baking whatsoever. 

This recipe will yield 2 dozen muffins. 12 to eat right away with spoonfuls of jam and 12 to eat for breakfast with your family.

dry ingredients:

3 cups of flour

1 cup of uncooked oatmeal

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup of sugar

4 teaspoons of double acting baking powder

wet  ingredients:

¾ cup of soft butter

½ cup of honey (coat measuring cup with a drop of oil to help with pouring)

1 ½ cups of milk

4 eggs

additions:

2 cups of blue berries.  Frozen ones work wonderfully.

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine your dry ingredients.

Mix your wet ingredients.

Add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredient ¼ cup at a time until fully mixed.  Honey is pretty magical stuff and it acts as a preservative in baking helping your muffins last longer.  We’ve been using local honey from our farmers market, the latest delicious jar from Bees Universe in Innisfil Ontario.

Fold the blue berries in to the mixture by hand.  If using frozen, dust them in flour by adding a teaspoon or so to the berries and shaking them up in a Tupperware container.  This will prevent you from making blue muffins.

Spoon into well buttered muffin trays and bake for 20-25 minutes.