Berry Baking

I love baking. It's therapeutic to use a hand-beater, roll dough into cookies, or lightly boil a berry sauce (while stirring continuously). And today, while baking, I realized I've never blogged about this particular hobby. So, here 'tis.

Today's bout of baking was inspired by visiting Thunderbird Berry Farm this morning to pick blueberries with my mom and younger brother, Joshie. (Picking berries - also therapeutic)

With 8 pounds of fresh, sun-warmed blueberries strewn about the kitchen, I felt compelled to bake something! I chose Blueberry Oat Bars from allrecipes.com, which is my go-to baking/cooking website. These were scrumptious! An all-around hit.

But something else I realized today: I alter every recipe, sometimes beyond recognition. Here are the changes I made to this recipe:
1) substitute 1 cup whole wheat flour & 1/2 cup all-purpose flour for 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour;
2) substitute 1 cup brown sugar for 1 1/2 cups white sugar;
3) add 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon;
4) double the amount of berries from 2 cups to 4 cups;
5) and use blueberries AND blackberries!

And voilà!

Please note: photography is not one of my hobbies.

Time for a Little Update...

I’ve been visiting my hometown (Tulsa, Oklahoma) for 8 days now. While spending quality time with my family and old buddies has been terrific, I have to admit, I’m suffering from a bit of culture shock. Here’s a few noticeable differences from my Boston life:

1) A bigger car is a safer car.
2) Walking is bothersome. Why would you walk or ride a bike or take public transportation to get to your destination when you could drive the aforementioned over-size vehicle? What kind of government propaganda is that?! (I think I’m developing blood clots in my legs.)
3) Wal-Mart rules!
4) Kenny Chesney is immensely talented. (I guess that’s the thinking you develop when country music constitutes 89% of the available radio stations.)
5) This is a serious one – the average Boston resident really is abrupt. The other day, the cashier at Wal-Mart thanked me for visiting and wished me a nice day with a very genuine-looking smile. I was immediately shocked/suspicious, and opted to ignore her because she must want something. My sister informed me I was embarrassing her.
6) Organic food is expensive, hard to find, and gross. (Thank you, Mom, for not believing any of this.)
7) Insects are just a part of life. (Which is true, I guess. But I really enjoyed my life without them.)
8) The sun is SO BRIGHT. I had forgotten what real, un-hindered by clouds or buildings, sunglasses-are-not-optional sunshine feels like.
9)Roadkill happens. And it's disgusting. Please note, I saw one roadkill victim during the entirety of my time in Boston, and it was a kitten.
10) Females should have medium to long hair, or else they look like a boy or a 60+ woman. Which is unfortunate, seeing as my hair now looks like this –

Again, thank you, Mom, for not believing any of this.