What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Taking a long walk or a bike ride and then Lying in the grass on a cool spring or fall day (or in the shade on a hot day) reading a good book with someone who makes you smile.

What is your greatest fear?

Fears change over time, so it is impossible to have a single “greatest fear”. But frequently my greatest fear is that I cannot play political mind games well or that I will die in some spectacular crash before I’m ready.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Historical? I’ll have to come back to you on that.

Which living person do you most admire?

My parents. Who are two people… but to me they are one.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

I’m pretty stubborn sometimes to my detriment and I don’t like to be told what to do.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

It is tempting just to list the seven deadly sins here, but I’m going to go with Liars. I really can’t stand dishonesty and backstabbing SOBs.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Fluevog shoes, d’uh. Well, that and alternative methods of getting pregnant. All women should be so privileged as to have access to these two things, they are among our greatest liberators.

On what occasion do you lie?

I’m more likely to purposely omit telling you something than to actually lie outright. I hate lying. Actually, really, the only major lies I’ve ever told were to my parents when I was a teenager/young adult. And then I did it to protect my privacy/because I thought they’d be embarrassed or upset with me if they knew the truth.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?

I could do with some toning.

When and where were you happiest?

Wow, mostly when I was living in the various places I’ve lived in outside of my home country. And pretty much every single day I’ve lived since I graduated from high school. The day I was conferred with a PhD was a major highlight, too.

If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

I’d have children of my own.

If you could change one thing about your family what would it be?

We’d all live closer to one another. I miss them.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

The Ph.D.

If you died and came back as a person or a thing what do you think it would be?

Well, I’d have to believe in reincarnation first. I’d be some kind of beautiful colourful bird — a parrot, I think.

What is your most treasured possession?

hmmmm… again, a number of options … a) my yellow blanket (which is my version of Linus’s blanket), b) my dollhouse (first thing I bought with my own $$), c) my Afghan carpets, d) my Fluevogs (esp my Ivans), e) literacy, f) my Ph.D.

I could go on and on.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

I have to divide this into two types of misery. Emotional Miseries: Depression*, mourning, heart break. Practical miseries: poverty, slavery, forced marriage, genital mutilation.

*By this I don’t mean it flippantly. There is a history of deep real unimaginable to most depression in my family and watching those members who suffer from this has given me a great appreciation for what this word really means. I do not use it lightly, ever.

Who are your heroes in real life?

Anyone who gets by on $1/day.

What is it that you most dislike?

Lying and dishonesty.

How would you like to die?

I don’t even want to think about this. I have so much living left to do.

What is your motto?

If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.

Clevergirl’s First Try at Baked Oatmeal:

Ingredients

1/4 cup real maple syrup
2 T brown sugar + extra to sprinkle on top.
2 eggs
1 cup skim or 1% milk + c. 1/4 to 1/2 cup more to add moisture as necessary
1 medium or 2 small really ripe bananas mashed.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4-1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch nutmeg (c. 1/8 teaspoon)
wee sprinkle of ground cloves

Directions

Beat together eggs, brown sugar, maple syrup, milk, salt, baking powder, spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves). Add the mashed bananas and the oatmeal and stir well. Add a bit more milk if too dry. stir in cranberries and walnut pieces. Pour into a lightly greased** pan (I used a pyrex). Sprinkle with extra brown sugar to taste.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)until firm, about 35 minutes. Serve hot or cold… (I have cooled mine down, cut it into big wedges and am taking it to work to eat for breakfast this week).

** You can grease your pan with a little butter or marg … or even use a low-fat cooking spray if you like that kind of thing.

For further variations: Google “Baked Oatmeal Recipes”.

P.S. I think it would make a good “dessert” item for a brunch or breakfast with friends. Served with Swedish Vanilla Sauce. mmmm…

I needed a few presents for Easter, so I made these muffins to take to people as gifts. The recipe comes from my usual muffin book, but I have to confess that I find it confusing that they should be called “muffins” because they have icing on them which in my book makes them cupcakes.

Ingredients:

For the Muffin:
1 cup self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup superfine sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
5 tablespoons low-fat lemon flavoured yoghurt
finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg, slightly beaten

For the Lime Syrup:
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
2 heaping tablespoons of superfine sugar

For the icing:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
Yellow and green food colouring
30 mini sugar-coated chocolate Easter eggs

1) Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line 10 cups of a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cups.

2) For the muffins: mix the flour, baking soda and sugar in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter, yoghurt, lemon zest, lemon juice and egg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix briefly until just combined.

3) Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing evenly. Fill any remaining/empty muffin cups with hot water. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until risen and golden.

4) While the muffins are baking, make the lime syrup. Put all ingredients in a small saucepan and gently heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 5 min., then pour the syrup through a find strainer into a bowl. Drizzle a little of the warm syrup over the hot baked muffins. Leave to cool completely in the pan.

5) For the icing: sift the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. Gently heat the butter and lemon juice in a small saucepan until melted Pour the melted mixture over the powdered sugar and stir until smooth and glossy.

6) Spoon half of the icing ingot a separate bowl. Add two drops of yellow colouring to one icing and a drop of green colouring to the other. Stir until blended, then use the icings to decorate five of the cold muffins pale yellow and five pale green. Decorate each muffin with a cluster of three mini Easter eggs. Leave to set before serving.

From: Atkinson C. (2006, 2008) Muffins Galore London: Octopus Publishing Ltd. pp 104.

————–

Clevergirl’s Notes:

1) If you don’t have low-fat lemon flavoured yoghurt, or simply don’t want to use it because it has gelatin or whatever… use plain yoghurt instead and then use the zest of a whole lemon.

2) If you can’t find a lime, like I couldn’t as they are out of season, then use a small orange and use approx 1-2 T of orange juice. And if you are lazy like me, don’t bother with the straining.

3) re: the mini eggs. The recipe doesn’t say this, but we all know that the main such ones available on the market are by Cadbury’s. If you can’t find Cadbury’s mini eggs where you live, like I couldn’t, you might be able to find slightly larger candy-coated chocolate eggs… or perhaps just use chocolate eggs without the candy coating.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup superfine sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup carrot, finely grated
scant 1 cup dried apple, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped.
1/2 cup flaked coconut
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

1) Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan or line the cups with paper muffin cups.

2) Mix the flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir in the carrot, apple, raisins, walnuts, and coconut.

3) In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, buttermilk, milk and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients and mix briefly until just combined. Carefully spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing evenly.

4) Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until risen and golden. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

From: Atkinson, C. (2008) Muffins Galore London: Octopus Publishing Ltd. pp. 87.

Clevergirl’s variation:
*Instead of raisins, walnuts and flaked coconut, I used dried cranberries, slivered almonds and shredded coconut. In the case of the coconut, I only used c. 1/4cup as flaked coconut takes up a lot of space and shredded is very small.

*Instead of milk AND buttermilk, I used 1 cup buttermilk.

OK, the philosophy of wealth and richness aside, let’s just say that I am a life long saver on a deeply practical level.

So, should it surprise anyone who knows me well that I’ve got a new blog addiction and that blog addiction is for the blog Always Save Money?! A Canadian female blogger who believes in the work of Gail Vaz-Oxlade and the basic principles of saving money. How can I resist?!

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash
1 small red onion chopped
1 garlic clove crushed
c. 3 cups of water/veg stock
c. 2 teaspoons dried thyme or to taste.
4-5 generous and heaping tablespoons of plain yoghurt
juice of half a lemon
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Method:
1) Cook the butternut squash in your pressure cooker following instructions for your pressure cooker. Note that I tend to spray my squash with veg/fruit spray before I do this, but I’m scared of pesticides and dirt.

2) In a soup pot, fry the onions and garlic in some olive oil until translucent. Add the butternut squash flesh, thyme and the water/stock. Cover and simmer for about 5-10 minutes (or when you get bored).

3)Remove from heat, open the pot, and use your hand blender to puree. Add the yoghurt, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Combine and taste.

Let me know what you think! I think it is soooooo yummy.

Corn and Cranberry Cookies:

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup fine cornmeal, plus extra for dusting.
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1 egg
Zest of one orange
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375ºF

2) Put the butter, cornmeal and flour in a bowl and blend. Stir in the Sugar.

3) Add the egg, orange zest and cranberries and mix well with your hands until it just comes together.

4) shape into small sticks and roll in the extra cornmeal. Place on a non-stick baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until just starting to brown.

From: Bellafonte, J. (2008) Cookies Galore; London: MQ Publications; p. 116.

Notes: I did not have a really fine cornmeal, so I used polenta & it worked just fine. I used my hands for the whole process, actually. At the first stage, I rubbed the butter into the flour and cornmeal.

From Stuffexpataidworkerslikdotcom… and I gotta say that really did lol a bit, or was it a snort? Either way, I can assure you that I’ve sat on a few of these in my time. Some of which actually did mange to reinvent the wheel, the rest? Well, more like the picture above.

And hey, if we can’t laugh at ourselves, who can we laugh at?!