Old Friends and Blueberry Coconut Muffins

This morning we went on a family trip out to visit some old friends who moved quite a ways out of the city last year. We miss them dearly, and it has gotten harder to find any time during the week to see them, so we planned a little Saturday morning gathering at their house.  The kids got along GREAT and we were able to drink some yummy home made chai tea (Jennifer I still need this recipe from you) and eat these fabulous muffins and let's not forget the delicious garden cheese spread that we are now going to search out at the grocery store. Jennifer and I met over 4 years ago at our very first ECFE class when Miles and Everett were just little babies. We became friends immediately and started hanging out weekly as we lived less than a mile away from each other. We would meet and swap out recipes, share crafty projects together and let the boys play. We've always had a lot in common and I miss our time together so much. Anyway, whenever she makes something new, I need the recipe and we both usually love the same types of foods. These muffins that she made are soooooo good. I could have eaten them all (I'm pretty sure Evie had several). To my surprise they are actually a recipe off a food blog that I follow called Two Peas and Their Pod. I am making these ASAP. We are big coconut fans around here.

Blueberry Coconut Muffins

Yield: 10 muffins

Cook Time: 18-20 minutes

Coconut muffins made with white whole wheat flour, coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut, and blueberries. Coconut fans will go crazy for these muffins!

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 large egg (or flaxseed replacement, see note)
3/4 cup lite coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease muffin pan or line pan with muffin liners. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.

3. In a separate medium bowl, mix coconut oil, egg, coconut milk, and vanilla together.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula. Stir until just combined. The batter will be thick. Gently fold in the coconut and blueberries.

5. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer muffins to a cooling rack and cool.

Note-you can make this recipe vegan by replacing the egg with 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds and 3 tablespoons water. Stir together until thick and add to coconut oil, coconut milk, and vanilla.

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A visit from Kiki!

My long time friend Kiki came for a short visit this past weekend.  Kiki and I go way back.  We met in college and really got to know each other very well when we spent a semester together studying abroad in Scotland and then being roommates the rest of our college years. She is a very dear friend and we were SOOOOO HAPPY to have her come stay a couple of nights with us while she was here working in Albert Lea.  She lives in Montana and I was lucky enough to catch up with her this past August when I spent a long (much needed) girls weekend in Missoula.   She is one of those special friends that you can just pick up where you left off and enjoy every little second together.  It was a short visit but we were happy to get some quality time in with "Aunt Kiki". To say the kids loved their time with Kiki is an understatement. They are still asking when she is coming back and when we can go to Montana to see her. I hope soon kids, I really do.

Friday night we were able to get a couple of the Scotties together for a wee reunion. It was great to see everyone! Christina and Steve came with their adorable daughters and Dean and Stacey were able to stop by for a very quick visit.  We got to catch up with some drinks and pizza while the kids all got along, which for parents is always nice.

Can't believe it's been over a decade since we were all abroad together living the life in a Scottish palace. No big deal.

Me, Kiki, Dean, Christina & baby Eloise (the best behaved baby in the world I might add).

Evie and Miles hanging with their new best friend.

Our friend Jay Cooke

Okay, so we don't really know who Jay Cooke is and he isn't really our friend, but we did go to the state park named after him and spent the night in his wild backyard. We put the Honda Element to good use and packed it up with our camping gear and coolers, picked up the Lockner newlyweds and hit the highway going north towards Duluth. Sam ended up taking over the driving midway (thanks Sam) so I could sit in the back with Sarah and look at respectable Hollywood gossip magazines. Can you believe Brad and Angelina used IVF to have twins?!

We were a little unprepared for our 2.5 mile hike into the wilderness of Jay Cooke State Park. I guess the best way to explain is by showing you a picture. Sam prematurely won the award for best sport, but then I had to revoke it since he threatened to leave me on the trail when my cooler busted open and would not close.

Somehow Sam got stuck with the largest cooler and two backpacks.

Tim may look more prepared than Sam, but you do not see the second cooler in this picture.

Note: This is not the trail, it is the park entrance. The trail was filled with cliffs, rocks, swamps, bogs and fallen trees. Oh and biting blood-sucking horseflies.

Once we got to our remote camping site (a strenuous hour+ later), we cracked the Sparks, explored our surroundings, cooked up some food and played a killer game of devil ball with a log bat and a perfectly shaped rock ball. Note: this is not a safe game, nor is climbing 20 feet into a tree on a cliff, and forging a rushing rapid filled river just for the sake of seeing what the rocks look like on the other side. Sassy boys!!!!

I also feel the need to mention how much we learned about each other while spending the night under the stars with just nature's backyard to entertain ourselves. The dominating topic somehow turned to super powers and we found out that Sam would choose to be invisible (I won't even go there, stay away from mysterious air-floating cameras) and Tim wants to fly. Sarah and I just want to destroy evil with our fire throwing and laser shooting selves.

What would your super power be?

Oh how beautiful you are Jay Cooke.

Night in Milwaukee

Last weekend Tim and I loaded up the Stratus, filled up our 70's era cooler and drove the 5+ hours to Milwaukee to visit Sarah and her fiance Joe. Sarah is one of my dear friends who just a little under 6 years ago was a total stranger. After a little incident of fate, she was brave enough to drop everything in her life and move to Madrid with me to teach English. I decided it was past due that I visit her in M town so we found a night that worked and off we went.

Her and Joe live in a super cool part of Milwaukee. I have to admit I'm starting to like that city, it is really cleaning up it's act. Well the part we were staying in anyway. They live in such a great spot within walking distance to the lake, shops, restaurants and even Urban Outfitters...which of course we had to drag the boys into, well kind of! Tim and Joe talked finance (yawn) while Sarah and I caught up. We saw the sites, drank some stiff margaritas and ate some killer mexican food at my new favorite spot, La Fuente. All in all it was a fabulous weekend with great weather and amigos.

After a few pitchers of rainbow margaritas at La Fuente...mmmmmm.

After a few rounds of bean bags (which I am horrible at).

The Dog House

Welcome to the dog house, where the dogs are crazy and the people are going crazy. Up until a few days ago our house had one dog and seemed quite quiet and orderly, now there are 3 and the place has quickly turned into a total disaster zone. I can't even remember what it is like to have 1 dog just after 3 full days of having 3, which conveniently forms an official pack. That's right, there is a pack of dogs living with us, wild dogs. Let me explain...Tim and I are watching the Lockner's dogs while they enjoy their first week of marriage in Napa. We offered to watch them since they are brand new to the family and we love dogs, so we never thought twice about it. I introduced you to the Boston brothers Bruno & Rosco about a week ago, and after getting to really know them, and by that I mean spending a few days living with them, I feel it is necessary to re-introduce them. Please meet the devil dogs also known as Hey Stop That, and NO Bad. No, I'm kidding, well...kind of, okay, not really. These little guys are absolutely adorable and we do have our special moments together, but please do not be fooled by their cute innocent ways. Deep down behind those sweet little puggy faces and big brown wide-set eyes are two little terrors at heart. I never imagined two puppies would be this much work. I have had a terror puppy before, just under two years ago and we still have bad moments. (Oscar, I'd like you to explain the poop piles in the basement.) But I don't remember this. Chew toys are not interesting but somehow rocks are, oh and doors, woodwork, dresser knobs, tables, shoes, garbage, aluminum cans, you name it and it has been chewed
on these past few days. Also having two puppies means having two little wiggling
bodies peeing and pooping all over your life. And I don't mean it like they are ruining my life, I mean they are literally peeing and pooping all over it. Reminder - do not put cute puppies in your bed, it leads to yellow sheets. And just when you are cleaning up after one the other is most likely squating behind you leaving a puddle.

Now I don't want you to think that these dogs are not the sweethearts that they are, because they do have very good qualities too, but they are puppies and there are two of them and they test your patience even when you really really
love dogs.

Oh what am I saying, I take it all back. Look at that face!

Just looking a bit frazzled as I round up the boys.

Don't you want to pet me? Huh? Huh?
Nap time on the couch.

Oscar is a good boy!

Wedding Weekend - Part II

As I explained in Wedding Weekend Part I, Tim and I had two special weddings this past weekend and I feel they both deserve separate blog entries...

Saturday night our friends Sam & Sarah were married in an outdoor ceremony at the Sculpture Garden in Minneapolis. The wedding was small and intimate and the happy couple really lucked out with great weather. I have to tell you, having to attend two outdoor ceremonies two nights in a row really made me nervous, there had to have been one night of crummy weather, but these marriages were in the stars because the weather was sunny and warm.

Sam & Sarah exchanged vows in front of their close family and friends and then we all headed over to Solera for a night of celebrating. The whole wedding was really nice and had a very intimate private feel. The room at Solera was filled with orange and green paper lanterns, scattered candles and orange Gerbera Daisies. The food and drinks were great and we got to spend the night hanging out with our friends here in Minneapolis, along with the guest of honor Mr. Andy Dufresne A/K/A 'Doof" who flew in all the way from San Francisco to celebrate with the Lockners. We were lucky enough to have Andy stay with us as our second house guest and got to spend extra special time with him which was nice since when he was here over a month ago for our wedding we didn't get to spend much quality time together. I think he enjoyed his stay though he really looked ready to get back to California after a weekend with the Vedders.

Sam & Sarah we wish you the best! Hope you are having a great honeymoon in California enjoying the wine country. Your dogs are making our lives quite eventful. More on that to come...oh and I still need to post pics for this wedding as well.

Wedding Weekend - Part I

This past weekend Tim and I had two weddings to attend. Friday was the McHenry wedding and Saturday was the Lockner wedding. Let's just say there was a lot of love being celebrated over Memorial Day weekend this year. Since both weddings were special and unique in their own way, I feel they deserve separate blog entries so we begin with Wedding Weekend Part I, the McHenry wedding....My friends Steve and Christina tied the knot Friday evening in an outdoor ceremony on the lawn of the Gale Mansion in Minneapolis. The ceremony was beautiful and the weather was perfect for their night. Steve is a friend from La Crosse and Christina is a member of the infamous 'Scotland Crew' so it was an exciting mix of old friends for me and also for Tim. It was awesome seeing a bunch of old college buddies that I haven't seen in years along with a few of my Scotland buddies including Chip, Bryce, Dean & BJ. Christina looked amazing and their wedding was fun and creative, I loved Christina's crafty touches on everything, including handmade natural soaps we received as party favors and the yummy cupcakes. We spent the whole night catching up with old friends and enjoying the night. Kelly & Zak came to stay with us and broke in our brand new guest bedroom. Once the wedding celebration came to an end, the wedding party headed over to Brit's to continue the fun, where we also ran into Sam & Sarah and some other friends out celebrating the night before their wedding.

I have lots of pictures that I will post later. Steve and Christina are now enjoying their first 3 weeks of marriage in Australia and New Zealand. Congrats McHenrys!!!

'Non' Bachelorette Party

This morning I am feeling slow, mainly because I had 1 sangria and 2 beers, and yes that is enough to make me a bit on the 'slow' side the next morning. Our 'attorney friends' as I like to call them are getting married next Saturday and the girls celebrated at Chino Latino last night with lots of good food, drinks and above all great conversation. Sarah looked stunning as a bride to be in her pretty red dress and everyone was enjoying the night. I got to meet Tina - Sarah's sister - she is absolutely adorable and I had a great time talking with her about life, dogs, and family. The food was good, the conversation was good, the night was good. The smores were delicious!!!