Eat like us: Donut Muffins - sb

Well, it’s time for another recipe. Unfortunately we gobbled this up ASAP, so there aren’t any pictures. There’s a bit of a story - I’ve been looking for a good muffin recipe since I seemingly used the world’s worst lemon poppyseed one last week - it wasn’t spongy, it was crumbly and dry. GROSS, and what a waste of a Meyer lemon. I was mad. 

Fast forward to this week. I wanted something a little sweet, and I stockpile baking ingredients usually… except, well, I was out of butter. This recipe used margarine, and I figured Smart Balance was close enough and probably better for me anyways. It uses NO eggs - it’s vegan if you use margarine and some sort of soy/rice/almond milk! - and produced the world’s fluffiest muffins, really!

So… without further ado, I present Donut Muffins, adapted from an allrecipes.com recipe. It makes six normal sized muffins and doesn’t really taste like donuts, but it’s a good base recipe for any sort of banana/berries/apples/etc you’d like to throw in!

• 1/4 cup light Smart Balance
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 cup AP flour

Preheat the oven to 375 and spray your cups with butter flavor spray or use cupcake papers. Melt the smart balance in a glass or plastic mixing bowl in the microwave (I like to cut down on dishes) and then add the sugar and cinnamon. Mix (everything needs to be mixed by hand!) until thoroughly combined and slowly add the milk so that it doesn’t cool the sugar mix completely. Mix that, then add in the baking powder and flour. Mix just until combined (and yes, it will be lumpy). Use a 1/2 cup measuring cup or large serving spoon and spoon the mix into the cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes and then feel free to sprinkle on some sugar/cinnamon mixed together, but it’s really unnecessary. 

If you add bananas, decrease the milk to 1/3 cup. 

If you add berries/bananas/choco chips/whatever, don’t add the cinnamon. Instead, use 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or mix it up! use a flavored extract like maple, lemon or orange!). 

As always, let me know what you think - @thesarahmorgan on twitter

A little change - SB

After living here sorta-full-time for the past couple of weeks, I’ve discovered something: our townhouse isn’t so great for ventilation. I mean, it’s got vents in the bathrooms, but on the whole it’s pretty bad with circulation. Lately, after I’ve been cleaning the kitchen or our tiny downstairs bathroom, it smells like bleach/cleaner for hours and hours. 

So, after some consideration, I’ve started (mostly secretly) switching over to natural cleaners or natural-based cleaners (I still like some antibacterial protection here, sue me).

Well, ok, not the whole green works line, but the toilet cleaner; I’m using a lemon based floor cleaner with antibacterial stuff in it; our laundry detergent is “all natural” and smells AMAZING! I think the clothes are even staying nice and scented when we wear them, too - the other stuff kept wearing off. 

The verdict, then? Less headache-inducing smell lingering in the air. These all-natural products have been about $.50 to $1 more expensive per bottle, but considering it’s just the two of us and our tiny apartment, it’s not that big of a deal. I think I would never switch back from the laundry detergent - it smells like apples and with fall arriving shortly, that’s never a bad thing! 

Got any great all-natural products? Tweet me! @thesarahmorgan

link love sunday - sb

it’s back since wedding stuff is over! phew! I’m not done editing honeymoon photos or anything, but it’s time to love more links.

• hi, best cheesecake ever! if you make it because of me, you have to share a slice :)
• i love inspiration boards in real life… so adorable
• perfect purple fall shoe
• this calendar is cool, but i’d hate apples at the end.
• getting ever closer to needing this!
• And with that - as the weather’s getting drier, try this to exfoliate or buy one like it here.
• why heinz ketchup is so perfect - we discussed this article the other day after each reading it and not realizing the other had read it.
• i’ve been in love with this marc tetro print for over a year now - from my first trip to downtown athens.
• finally got my ikea catalog and found this. true love.
• and my most favorite of all: miniatures!

doing 101 in 1001 - sb

Saw this on another blog, and really wanted to do it! So, here it is:

START: 4/13/2010

END: 1/8/2013

1.       Take a cooking class

2.       Lose 40 lbs

3.       Complete the couch to 5k program

4.       Run a 5k

5.       Live through 2012.

6.       Visit Fenway Park

7.       Go to 5 new cities

8.       Take a honeymoon 9/2010

9.       Leave the country

10.   Read 5 books (1/5) : 6/10 - Predictably Irrational, Dan Ariely; 

11.   Learn to dance dance lessons 8/10

12.   Learn to make pickles

13.   Bake an Italian crème cake

14.   Make a pie from scratch

15.   Visit the Georgia Aquarium

16.   Go back to Disney World

17.   Get a new car

18.   Make it through ten pushups

19.   Try a spin class

20.   Sew a dress

21.   Join a church

22.   Organize a craft area

23.   Organize a system of moving  as slow as possible. 5/10-8/10

24.   Go to a musical

25.   Have a game and drinks night Post bridal shower fun @ the hinkles - 7/10

26.   Go to a movie Chad wants to see  Dinner for Schmucks, 7/10 - not great

27.   Try 10 new restaurants (10/10) - Poe’s Tavern, 4/17/10; Loco’s 5/10, Harry’s Pig Shop 7/10; Agua Linda 8/10; Sesame 5/10; Tupelo Honey Cafe 9/10; Fiore’s 9/10; Chop House 9/10; Early Girl 9/10; Barley’s Asheville 9/10; Noodle Shop 9/10; The Sisters McMullen bakery 9/10

28.   Eat from a truck Asheville 9/10, and they were damn good hotdogs

29.   Go to an outdoor concert

30.   Meet an author Brad Taylor :)

31.   Make a book from the wedding blog discontinued due to job

32.   Meet wedding friends in person

33.   Make dinner from Chad’s mom’s recipes

34.   Make thai food

35.   Make Indian food

36.   Try a new dish I refused baby octopus sashimi, 5/10

37.   Try a new vegetable  fresh artichoke 8/10

38.   Try a new fruit honeydew 9/10, ewwww

39.   Surprise my parents with a nice gift

40.   Go an entire week without eating meat

41.   Drink a whole beer without complaining 4/19/10

42.   Make plans for Ireland

43.   Save $4,000 for retirement

44.   Send someone a first anniversary card

45.   Design something for someone for free  4/14/10

46.   Have a breakfast dinner

47.   Visit a wine bar

48.   Go to a gallery opening

49.   Find Cassiopeia in the night sky

50.   Shoot fireworks on the beach

51.   Throw someone a surprise party

52.   Invest in a good pair of heels  6/10. best part? Not even my money

53.   Stop using facebook

54.   Have a girls night

55.   Register to vote

56.   Do karaoke

57.   Write a love letter for each year of our marriage, to be read together at 5 years together, 10 years together, 20 years together, 30 years together and 50 years together

58.   Grow basil  Can’t wait to permanently move. Poor dead basil. 6/10

59.   Bake cookies for a neighbor Do friends count? 7/10

60.   Bake cookies for Mandy and mom and dad and mail them

61.   Visit the High Museum

62.   Start my etsy shop

63.   Get a job in advertising  oh ruffled. turns out i like the marketing position more

64.   Donate things to Goodwill 8/10

65.   Go for a drive in the country  turns out its the fastest (and only) way to get home. 6/10

66.   Go to a festival does it count if you go to the same festival thrice in three different states? i hope so - New Belgium Clips of Faith, 9/10

67.   See a drive-in movie

68.   Take Chad on a surprise date

69.   Buy some Toms Shoes

70.   Buy something nice for Chad

71.   Get a better cell phone

72.   Make the scrapbook into a blurb book

73.   Go fishing

74.   Try to make French Macarons

75.   Get 50 followers on my blog  no longer in service :(

76.   Host a dinner party

77.   Drink a really good wine

78.   Adopt a pet

79.   Volunteer for something

80.   Take classes for the programs I don’t yet know in Adobe

81.   Meet Caty & Matt’s baby, Keeley

82.   Order 3 cool things from etsy

83.   Try a new makeup product Airbrush makeup 8/10

84.   Go to a live jazz band at a bar

85.   Go to a new sporting event Austin, Justin & Nathan’s bike race, 4/17/10

86.   Subscribe to the NY Times

87.   Create a recipe box  bought box already made. if only the cards would write themselves now. 6/10

88.   Make a wedding album

89.   Learn how to screenprint

90.   Get eyebrows waxed

91.   Buy a cute coat

92.   Change my voicemail message

93.   Do a random act of kindness

94.   Photograph street art

95.   Have a picnic on the blue ridge parkway! 9/10

96.   Make whipped cream frosting

97.   Make my own wine

98.   Buy chad’s beer equipment wedding gift, 9/10

99.   Make my own letterpressed things

100. Inspire someone else to do 101 in 1001 Yay Chad! 8/10

101. At the end, create another 1001 to do.