T minus 30

I may have missed the fondue party tonight because of a take-home final, and more importantly my thesis, but I found a way to celebrate the 30 hour countdown...ice cream for dinner.  I'm starting to think this gurgley stomach is actually due to sugar overflow and not nerves.  Wish me luck!

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Parallel Universe

Somewhere in a parallel universe, I have already finished my Master's thesis, with a topic of "The Implications of Basket Weaving on Modern Society."  Alas, in this universe I am no where near completion of my thesis.  One thing I am done with...class.  Yes indeedy, today I celebrate my last college class.  Forever?  Who knows what the Universe has in store for me.  While I am still leaps and bounds away from really being done for the semester, I am taking several moments today to celebrate how far I've come.  And even though I'm sleep deprived and have had no time to go running the last few days, I made an effort to commemorate my last day of class by dressing "extra nice"--a.k.a. throwing my hair in a bun and putting on one of my favority Nordy's tops.  It's the final countdown.

 

 

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'Tis the Season

'Tis the season to send Santa your wishlist. Thank you PhD Comics for summing up my one and only Christmas wish. 

14 days until my final defense.  Bear Down!

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Final Exam: Blackberry Muffin

I'm sensing a trend.  For the second week in a row, I find myself focused on cooking despite having reached the climax of the academic semester.  With a sample size of two, there is not enough evidence to support this conclusion; regardless, I hypothesize that cooking is my stress release.  Sure, I should be focused on the keys to successful international partnerships, or how to numerically determine performance efficiency.  Yet, after hours of "studying", I find that all I've accomplished is the creation of a light and tasty muffin made with whole wheat flour and fresh blackberries.  This muffin was a distraction, but it was also a real ego booster.  Having created it in under two hours from a fruit I've never utilized before, I feel a sense of accomplishment and can now focus on studying for the rest of the afternoon.  Most importantly, I'm actually looking forward to my busy day tomorrow.  This final exam will be...well, as easy as blackberry muffins. 

Blackberry Muffins

1/2 cup sugar
5 tablespoon melted butter
1 egg
5.3 oz (single-size container) plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup blackberries
Brown sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and lightly grease muffin tin.  In large bowl, combine melted butter and sugar.  Add egg and stir just until combined.  Add Greek yogurt and lemon zest.  In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add half of dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  Stir to combine.  Repeat for second half of dry ingredients.  Gently fold in blackberries.  Fill muffin cups to 3/4 of the way full and sprinkle brown sugar on top.  Bake 20-25 minutes.  Let cool for 15 minutes before removing from muffin tin.  Yields 12 muffins.

 

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