Pumpkin Muffins

I don't usually do many "cooking related" posts.  Because let's face it, I'm not THAT great of a cook and also, there are plenty of other foody blogs out there more worthy of reading than mine.  Take my friend Sara's blog, she's MUCH more creative in the kitchen than I am.  The things she makes are out of this world amazing!

But, while browsing PINTEREST, I came across a recipe for pumpkin muffins that I knew I could most definitely do without messing it up that bad.  It's hard to get into the spirit of Thanksgiving when:
A. You live in a country that doesn't celebrate American Thanksgiving.
B. Your hubby doesn't have the day off of school.
C. It's like a bazillion degrees here and feels NOTHING like November. 
D. A turkey here costs like $100.00US.  It better be worth it.  (Oh yea, and I'm cooking it.  What the heck!?!?)

So I thought pumpkin muffins might put me more in the Thanksgiving mood.  You can check out the original recipe HERE.  It's super easy, but I added a couple things to spice it up a bit.

All you REALLY need are two ingredients. 

A can of pumpkin and boxed yellow cake mix.  No eggs, butter, or oil necessary.

You mix the two together.  I added a teaspoon of cinammon and a 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg.  Just cause.

Oh yeah, and then I added lots of chocolate chips.  Because chocolate makes everything better.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top for added sweetness.  And then enjoy!

They turned out great and they were soooooo easy!

Julie's Birthday

Yesterday was my BFF Julie's 25th Birthday.  And since both Kevin and Josh had finals yesterday, I decided that we needed to make sure we had a fun girl's day in honor of her birthday.  With significant others in medical school, your girlfriend's really have to step up because we all know that the boys have no time to deal with it!

We started out the day with a trip to Eldon Square for a mani/pedi.  It's the only manicure I've gotten in Newcastle and oh how I have missed it!  We had fun chatting with the women who were doing our nails, especially since they were absolutely in love with our American accents.  They wanted to know how many movie stars we've seen since we both live in Southern California.  Haha. 

Next we did a little shopping around the mall and then headed to TGI Fridays for a birthday lunch.  We've both put ourselves on a fairly strict diet since we are going to be in a bikini in Spain next weekend, but yesterday, we indulged ourselves in all things carbs, calories, and fat.  Let's just say I didn't step on the scale this morning because I don't want to know what the damage is and I'm glad I went on a 3.5 mile run yesterday morning.

A birthday martini and margarita

Birthday Brownie. Yum!

After lunch, we both headed back to our flats where I proceeded to spend at least an hour or more on the couch consoling my stomach that was hating me for stuffing it full of sugar and grease.  But after Josh and Kevin got home from their tests (Kevin's done with finals and we are SO jealous!),  as if we hadn't been bad enough with our diets for one day, we headed over to the Chinese takeaway place down the street.  I didn't order anything but a Diet Coke.  I couldn't even think about food, but Josh was in heaven since we haven't had it this whole term.  We took it back to Julie and Kevin's where we they ate and the boys chatted about their tests.

Then it was cake time! Because we all know that birthdays are not complete without a birthday cake and candles. 

The birthday girl made a wish and blew out her birthday candles.

And then we all ate lots of cake.

Julie and Kevin

It was a great day and I hope that the birthday girl had a fabulous UK birthday.  The real celebration begins next weekend when all four of us head to Ibiza, Spain for some fun in the sun.  So Happy Birthday to my friend Julie.  I hope it was extra special.

Josh has one more final on Monday and we are so ready for term 2 to be over.  I'll let you all know how it goes next week!

A Day For The History Books

Once upon a time there was a common country girl named Kate.  But far away in a castle in London, there lived a handsome royal Prince named William.  All the girls in all the land wished and prayed that they could become William's Princess.  Fate brought country girl Kate and the handsome Prince together.  They fell in love and nine years later, on April 29, 2011, the Prince made Kate his Princess while billions watched.  And they lived happily ever after.

The End

I guess it's not the end.  It's actually more like the beginning.  It's a fairy tale story that touches the heartstrings of any girl who has ever watched Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, or The Little Mermaid.  We've all done it.  Hoped and dreamed that our Prince Charming would one day find us and sweep us off our feet.  And some of us, like me, were even able to find him.

As I watched the Royal Wedding of William Prince of Wales and Kate Middleton yesterday, I couldn't help but feel like I was witnessing one of the most historical moments of my lifetime so far.  When I think back to where I was during some big moments in history during my lifetime, only a handful come to mind.

1. The day O.J. Simpson was pronounced not guilty of murder.  I know this seems strange, but it WAS a big deal.  I hardly understood what was going on, but I remember being in my fourth grade teacher Mr. McCall's classroom.  Lots of the teachers had the news on their television and were extremely upset and surprised about the final verdict.
2. September 11, 2001.  I doubt anyone in the world, but especially anyone living in the United States will ever forget this day.  I found out right after I got to Stockdale High School that morning by friends in front of my locker.  It was scary and there was a lot of uncertainty about what would happen after that day.
3. The day Barack Obama became President of the United States of America.  I may not have voted for him and I may not agree with all of his policys and actions as President, but no one can deny that it was a big day in the history books when Obama became the first African American President of the USA.

And now, I will always remember that I was living in Newcastle upon Tyne, England when Kate Middleton became The Duchess of Cambrige by marrying Prince William of Wales in what was the most watched wedding in the world's history.

As fun as it might have been to go down to London to be part of the chaos that was the Royal Wedding, I quite enjoyed just watching it live from the comfort of my flat with all of my fellow SGU SO's and their children.  It was especially fun since I was just in London in March with my siblings, and I not only recognize the famous places passed on the Royal Route from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, but I have walked along almost exactly the same route.

I invited all of the SO's over to my flat for a Royal Wedding Tea Party complete with tea, scones, cakes, and finger sandwhiches.  It was a lot of fun "oohing" and "ahhing" over Kate's absolutely stunning wedding gown.  Which, by the way, looks surpisingly similar to my Mom's wedding gown worn almost 27 years ago.  Apparently, Mama's got good taste.


Mama may not be a Royal, but she sure looked like a Princess on her wedding day.

My contribution to the tea party was a homemade Union Jack cake.  Although, I felt a little unpatriotic making a red, white, and blue cake that wasn't an American flag.  But, it turned out perfect and I am constantly surprised at my ever increasing abilites in the kitchen.

That's "made from scratch" whipped frosting too!

I did a little decorating for the party, because honestly, how could you not when all the stores are full of wedding paraphernalia.

It was a really fun day with the girls.  I am sure that we will all remember where we were the day the Prince and Kate were married.  It's a day that will be put in the history books....well at least the UK history books!

One big group!!

Spring Chicks

Tomorrow, Josh and I are hosting Easter Sunday Brunch at our flat for our Newcastle "family."  Everyone is bringing/making at least one thing for our potluck.  I am in charge of a salad, mashed potatos and gravy, and a dessert of my choice.

I frequently visit the website "Our Best Bites," and if you haven't looked at it before, you should definitely check it out here.  They have some GREAT recipes and some really fun crafts.  Julie and I have used quite a few recipes from here including the amazing Baked Potato Soup , Creamy Chicken Taquitos, and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Josh absolutely loves everything I have made from this website...and he is sometimes hard to please.

So, when I started looking for a good Easter dessert, this was the first place I checked.  And sure enough, "Our Best Bites" didn't let me down.  They had the cutest Easter cupcake recipe up and best of all, it's ridiculously easy to make!  I guess part of the reason this particular recipe is so easy is because you can make any type of cupcake that you want and then just use the "recipe" to decorate it.  I bought Betty Crocker boxed cake mix and frosting and baked some chocolate cupcakes.  I would have preferred white cake, but alas, the joys of living in a foreign country...

Next, I frosted them with white frosting which I added a teeny tiny amount of yellow food coloring to.  Then I used shredded coconut and added a few drops of the food coloring and mixed it together well to make baby chick hair, errr fur,  ummm feathers, fuzz?? What exactly do they have when they are born?? Ehh...you know what I mean. 

Shredded coconut with yellow food coloring.

 Using brown, blue, and green M&M's for the eyes and orange Starbursts cut up and molded for the beak...

I was able to create these adorable little Spring Chicks for our Easter lunch.  Aren't they just so cute!?!

I just think they turned out perfect!  I can't wait for everyone to see them tomorrow.

Happy Easter everyone!