"Talk about things you like to do..."
I love to open my new bedroom curtains in the mornings, especially on sunny mornings like today. I fell in love with them on Etsy, vintage Kaufman hydrangea pink cotton jacquard fabric.
Even on cloudy rainy days they cheer me up and so does my large aloe plant that I nursed back to health during our time in Florida and carried him home without asking his owner, my daughter. He's the third person I talk to every day, after telling BreeBree and James Mason good morning.
I like to go to the kitchen and find crispy bacon that RH has ready for breakfast to go with the blueberry muffins with streusel topping that I made yesterday.
They have buttermilk in them and the first Florida blueberries of the season...and I kind of went overboard with the streusel topping....."talk about things you like to do."
I like to make my bed up in the morning and put the final touch on it, the vintage hanky that my granddaughters gave me to remind me of my dear Otis and Milo.
And this morning I propped two other things there to show you something that came in the mail the other day...
"Talk about things you like to do...."
Not only do I like to read, I wonder how in the world I ever put off buying these two Susan Branch books because I am head over heels in love with the first two in her true story trilogy. Just started the second one this morning but peeked ahead to see if Joe comes into the story in it--and yes, he does at the end!
"Talk about things you like to do..."
Like ordering the third book, A Fine Romance?
Oh, yes! "Happy talk, keep talking happy talk..."
Anyone else out there have any happy talk to talk about?
We need it now more than ever, don't we?
Later, as per request:
Blueberry Streusel Muffins
Diane Phillips in Perfect Party Food
Topping:
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
Muffins:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1. Topping: put brown sugar, flour, cinnamon in food processor and pulse to combine. Drop butter on top and pulse until mixture begins to form small, pebble-like nuggets.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.
3. Muffins: in electric mixer cream the butter and sugar in large bowl till fluffy. Blend in the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. Sift in the flour and baking powder, then drop the blueberries on top of the dry ingredients and stir until just blended, being careful not to break up the blueberries too much.
4. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup and top with 1 tablespoon of the streusel topping. Bake until golden brown, 17 to 20 minutes [my oven took 21 minutes.]
Later, as per request:
Blueberry Streusel Muffins
Diane Phillips in Perfect Party Food
Topping:
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
Muffins:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1. Topping: put brown sugar, flour, cinnamon in food processor and pulse to combine. Drop butter on top and pulse until mixture begins to form small, pebble-like nuggets.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.
3. Muffins: in electric mixer cream the butter and sugar in large bowl till fluffy. Blend in the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. Sift in the flour and baking powder, then drop the blueberries on top of the dry ingredients and stir until just blended, being careful not to break up the blueberries too much.
4. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup and top with 1 tablespoon of the streusel topping. Bake until golden brown, 17 to 20 minutes [my oven took 21 minutes.]
Oh, how I love those Susan Branch books! I recommend them to everyone. Your curtains are lovely, and the muffins look so yummy! Have a good rest of your day!!
ReplyDeleteChris, even though I faithfully follow Susan's blog I didn't order the books before this because I wondered if reading the cursive writing in it would strain my eyes. Boy was I wrong! Now I wish all books were written in cursive. It's so much more personal. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteI've pulled out some of my Gladys Taber books and have been enjoying them. They're nice and calming-just quiet day to day life.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, Jan! Time to get a few of mine out too. Gladys would be such a word of wisdom in this trying time.
Deletethat simple little song from South Pacific is one of my favorites. and I love the way she sang it and used her fingers and thumbs talking... and then with her palms outward and her smiling face the sun! I heard it all through this lovely post.
ReplyDeletethank you Dewena. it's perfect. I'll revisit often for its simple feast of beauty and simplicity and Happy Talk! I wish I could have one of those muffins. :) xoxoxo
I wish I could give you one of the muffins, Tam! With melted butter and some of our local honey--although your own local honey would be better for you, I guess. I loved Bloody Mary singing that song too. Christy and I watched it over and over when we rented it long long ago. She had just broken up with a boyfriend and went around singing "I'm going to wash that man right out of my hair" all day long! But Some Enchanted Evening, when Emile sings it--swoon time!
DeleteOh, those buttermilk blueberry muffins look SO delicious! You can never have too much streusel! I miss fresh - heck - even dried or frozen blueberries, since we don't get them here on the island. I can almost taste those edible, blue jewels bursting with juicy sweetness!
ReplyDeleteYour new curtains are very pretty and I believe they feature your favourite colours - those lavender and chartreuse tones, right?
Every morning, regardless of the weather, throwing open the shutters to reveal all the beauty that surrounds me, makes me happy. The aroma of hazelnut coffee brewing and sourdough slices toasting, fills the kitchen with familiar aromas. The colourful bric-a-brac in my 'happy' kitchen stimulates cheery chit chat, but since I'm usually alone at breakfast, apart from the birds serenading me, I look forward to all the lovely greetings that come in via phone calls or messages from friends across the globe, bidding me good morning.
Have a lovely Thursday,
Poppy xo
You remembered! All purples and chartreuse! That's my happy talk. Wish I could air mail some blueberries to you, straight to your pretty kitchen. The famous one that when I saw it I knew we were going to be friends! I'm wafting a good morning to you in your kitchen, 5,827 miles away, give or take a few miles--I just looked it up!
DeleteHello Dewena,
ReplyDeleteI love the vintage curtains in your bedroom. They are so beautiful! And I wish I had one of your blueberry muffins, too. So, I've put them on the list for breakfast in the morning. Your blog is always beautiful. Thank you for the reading suggestion. Have a good day today!
Good morning, Lottie! I'm so glad you love my new/old curtains! I got them from thedaysisters on Etsy and they were in lovely condition and smelled so good. Thank you for visiting and I hope your muffins are delicious!
DeleteI love your posts so much, Dewena! They are like chatting over a cup of tea with a good friend. Of course, I love anything home related, too. Your curtains are gorgeous. *swoon* And that plant looks so healthy. I love house plants! (Outdoor ones, too.) Those muffins have me drooling. One can never go overboard with streusel. ;-) Please, oh pretty please, share the recipe?
ReplyDeleteThe Susan Branch books...that trilogy is one of my all-time favorites! I slowly devoured each book as I got it. I know from reading her blog, that she's working on a fourth book. I can't wait until it's published.
xoxo
Thank you so much, Melanie! I'll try to add recipe later today. And I remember that you were one of my blog friends who highly recommended the Susan Branch books. I'm so glad she's writing a 4th book! Her books are a happy place for anytime but especially for these days so I'm kind of glad I just now got around to ordering them. I've been trying to stretch the Isle of Dreams out more slowly than the first one because I don't want it to end! Savoring each line, each drawing and each quote. I wish I could give the Fairy Tale Girl to each 16 year old girl to help them avoid some heartbreak in life.
Delete