Monkey Muffins and A Marriage

For some time now, I've been dying to try this recipe for Monkey Bread Muffins that my sis-in-law posted. I modified her recipe a smidgen, for the original, visit dance your way back to Zion or click here to see the post.

This is one of those rare instances where the modified recipe is actually a little more complicated than the original, it all depends on what you have on hand when you go to make these delicious heaps of sweet-goodness.

Monkey Bread Muffins (modified)

What you will need:

Bisquick baking mix

Butter (or margarine)

Sugar

Cinnamon

1 c. Powdered Sugar

4-5 Tbsp. Milk

1/4 tsp. Vanilla

This recipe yields about 18 muffins

1.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Follow the directions on the side of the Bisquick box for making a batch of biscuits (it's a "just add water" recipe).

3.  After rolling out your biscuits on a floured surface, instead of cutting out the biscuits, cut dough into 2-3 inch strips.  Take each strip, and cut diagonals across it, making triangular-shaped chunks (kitchen scissors worked well - a pizza cutter might be easier).

4.  Take out your muffin pan, put about 1/2 tsp. butter/margarine, a sprinkle of sugar, and a sprinkle of cinnamon in each cup.

5.  Fill each cup with your biscuit chunks (about 4-6 will fit in each - depending on their sizes).

6.  Top off each with another small pat of butter, about 1/2 tsp. of sugar, and another sprinkle of cinnamon.

7.  Pop in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.

8.  While your muffins are baking away, prepare some powdered sugar icing to drizzle on top! (from Better Homes and Gardens original cookbook).  Begin with 1 cup of powdered sugar in a small mixing bowl.

9.  Add 1/4 tsp. of vanilla and 1 Tbsp. of milk.

10.  Mix together with a fork or small whisk until combined. Continue to add 3-4 additional Tbsp. of milk until it's at a drizzling consistency (this is according to the cookbook, I only needed 2 more Tbsp. of milk...)

11.  Once your monkey muffins are done, take them out of the oven, and drizzle on powdered sugar icing liberally (may need about 1 1/2 batches of icing, depending on how much you use).

12.  ENJOY!!!!

Notes:  

Again, this is more complicated than the original, so if you think this is too much work, you can still enjoy them, check them out here!!!

If you are single/married with no children, I highly recommend cutting this recipe in half - these are delicious, but very rich and fattening, you don't want to have a bunch of extras hanging around waiting to be eaten :O)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

...in other news, a couple good friends of ours got married yesterday! I've never been to an Orthodox wedding, let alone an Orthodox Church at all, but it was a beautiful ceremony!

 Congrats to the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Sellers! 

Much Love To All,

Cheryl

"Like Waking Up..."

"...from the longest dream, how real it seemed, until your love broke through. I've been lost in a fantasy, that blinded me, until your love broke through." ~Keith Green

So now that my blog has a wonderful new make-over (don't you just love owls?), I'm going to begin making over it's contents as well...

Once a week (I'm thinking Thursdays...), I want to post about one thing I am thankful for.  I have been in quite a rut lately, and not a good one. I think this will really help me remember the countless blessings that I have been ... blessed with!

I also want to do a literary post once a week.  It's been a while since I've read anything new, so I want to use this as a challenge to find something different to read and to make a post on my thoughts whilst reading.  What book do you think I should begin with? 

Harry Potter (book 1)

Frankenstein

Gulliver's Travels

The Time Machine

The Adventure's of Sherlock Holms.

PS-if you're going to vote for Harry Potter, I need someone to lend me a book...

And my third post for the week?  Updates on life, new pictures, random thoughts, or whatever I feel compelled to share :O)

And I will finish this post with a little bit of everything 

*deep sigh and holding of breath*

Here we go!

Thankful - 

The other day a friend of mine posted a quote by Keith Green on Facebook (if you don't know who he is, click here!) I suddenly had the urge to listen to his music - his wonderful, straightforward, honest, simple, music.  Having none of my own, I looked him up on YouTube and listened to several of his songs - my favorites are "Your Love Broke Through" and "Make My Life a Prayer to You." ...all I can say is that God really spoke to me ... through someone who died 5 years before I was born, via YouTube.  Yes, my God is awesome, and I've really been thanking him lately for the blessing of Keith Green's music. Like I said, it's so simple, and so honest, every word is felt in my heart.

Literature -

About a week ago, I began reading Jane Eyre (for the second time), and I must say I like it much better the second time around.  It does get a little dry in some places, but I now know what places I can skim over and not be dragged down by Charlotte Bronte's minute description of every detail.  This compelling story is set amid a whirlwind of illusions, much symbolism and gothic style.  It's for the truly romantic, as well as down-to-earth, as well as literary-nerd, at heart.

Current Happenings -

This Easter, my husband had to work all weekend! So rather than being stuck home alone, my in-laws adopted me for the day.  I went to church with them Sunday morning, had dinner with them and went to visit some family that evening. I also made my husband a wicked-sweet Easter basket that he came home from work to, Sunday morning:

Then, the day after Easter, our friends Chris and Katie came to visit with their yorkie-puppy Mario (oh yeah, our friend Ben was there too :P )

and he fell asleep in my arms <3 

I seriously miss this girl...and now her puppy too!

...then, yesterday, I went to the Tigers'-Mariners game at Comerica Park with my wonderful husband and his brother, Jake.

 Jake and Adam

LOVE!

Okay, the Tigers' may have lost, but we still had a fun time!

That's all for now, 

Much Love to All!

I've Been "StageStruck!"

So as I mentioned in my previous post, my husband and I visited Spring Arbor this past weekend to watch the debut of "StageStruck."

....At this point you're probably asking yourself, "what in tarnation is StageStruck?"....

Well, let me enlighten you - 

A couple/few years ago, a couple friends of mine had this idea to write a musical about the parts of theater that the audience doesn't see - namely the techies.  

(For those of you who have not done theater - you should probably know that for about every actor seen on stage in a play, there's usually at least one backstage: stage managers, sound techs, lighting techs, costumes, props, hair and make up, backstage crew...and they put in A LOT of work).

Anyway, these friends of mine (David and Liz, to be precise) had this idea for "Techies the Musical."  Then they made the decision to hire on a script writer - so they asked Breinne, and she took on the job.

It was about this point in the process - after Breinne was "hired" on (in quotes due to the fact that she was not paid), and David disappeared into the wonderful world of Disney for a semester internship, that I moved into an apartment for the year with Liz, Breinne, and some other pretty amazing ladies.

Through - much - toil, and many deadlines, Breinne had the first draft of the script written and Liz had about half/two-thirds of the music written.  The basic story had changed much since it's first vision, mainly due to the absence of it's visionary - David, but that was not necessarily a bad thing - it was actually quite the opposite.

To shorten this already lengthening story, the script went through - many - read-throughs for the theater professors (Paul Patton and Jen Letherer), and I was extremely blessed to be a part of this process.  Both Adam and I sat in on, and read for several of the beginning re-writes.  A typical day that year would see me walking into the apartment with Liz at the piano writing yet another song.  The Spring semester ended with a rather intense read-through.  Liz and Breinne had to find readers who could actually sing their parts as well, teach them the music, and have them read/perform for the professors and a very small audience.  It may not sound like a huge deal, but it was quite the obstacle - especially since they were trying to keep everything on the DL - and news like a student-written musical spreads like wildfire in Spring Arbor.

Anyway, we have since left Spring Arbor, and Breinne and Liz have continued to labor over the script and music.  Since the story was not the same as the original "Techies" vision, it was renamed "StageStruck."  I cannot even fathom how much work was put into the continuing re-writes, read-throughs, chopping, and editing.  Neither can I fathom the work put in writing and re-writing melodies and lyrics, AND writing out all of the orchestration for all of the instruments.  Their sheer talent alone astounds me.

And this is no typical student-written production, it is FABULOUS. The music is catchy, fun, and breathtaking.  The story and character development are realistic, meaningful, and will keep you on the edge of your seat at some moments while dying laughing at others.

It's the story of the last few days before a play's opening night.  The techies are tired of being walked all over and unappreciated, so they retaliate by locking up the actors backstage and trying to run the show themselves.  Of course this is unsuccessful, and they discover that they need the actors just as much as the actors need them.

The mere fact that - students - wrote this play, and that they actually brought it together, directed it, choreographed it, PRODUCED it - is absolutely remarkable.

I have played but a very minute part in this process - I've really been more on the sidelines than had an actual part in it.  But to see it in it's infantile stages, and then to see it all come together and be performed fully and beautifully was a feeling I can't describe. What Liz and Breinne felt, I can't even pretend to know.

So congratulations, from the very bottom of my heart, to two beautiful, talented young ladies.  To see how much your cast and crew loved the story and the music, and how dedicated they were to it, is a true testament to the hard work, love, and devotion that you have put in.  I love you both and truly hope that you will be able to get this work published.  I will be praying for you!

Breinne Reeder - writer

Liz Sutton - composer

(T-shirt made by Breinne for me last year, during the big read through at the end of the semester <3 )

Well there you have it, the very rough story of StageStruck, how it came to be, and why I've been so ecstatic about it.

Please be praying for Liz and Breinne - they need to get StageStruck copywritten as well as published, which costs money.

Much Love to All,

Here's to hoping that some day, the rest of the world will get a chance to be "StageStruck."

Cheryl

ABC's of Me

I actually stole this from my sister-in-law's blog, who stole it from someone else...

age: 25

bed size: Queen

chore you hate: Taking out the trash

dogs: Someday! I want a puppy SO bad right now :(

essential start of the day: Coffee and breakfast

favorite color: Greens, purples, and blues :O)

gold or silver: White gold!

height: 5' 7"

instruments I play (or have played): Flute and a little guitar

job title: Currently unemployed, but I like to go by "house wife" :O)

kids: Ask me again in about 3 years, then you MIGHT get a response

live: The very tiny, yet quaint, town of Dundee MI

Mom's name: Janet

nickname: depends on who you ask - Cherio (Kathie), Cherylyn (Katie)

overnight hospital stays: Once - I had a concussion when I was 9 yrs old.

pet peeve: Bad grammar, use of the word "ain't"

quote from a movie: Hmmm....I have waaaayyy too many of these...let's go with:

"Life is short, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it" -Ferris Bueller's Day Off

right or left handed: Left

siblings: 3 sisters, 1 brother, 1 sister-in-law, and 5 brothers-in-law...

time you wake up: I've been spoiled lately - whenever my body decides it's time

underwear: preferably cute ones - I like lacy ones...

vegetables you dislike: green beans :P

what makes you run late: My husband, haha. Just kidding, I don't ever run late - it's actually another pet peeve of mine...

x-rays you've had done: head (c-scan), foot, and teeth

yummy food you make: mostly baked goods - cookies, apple pie, cake

zoo animal: Elephant!

So what else is new in life? A LOT lately...

The other week I went home and visited my family, including all my ADORABLE nieces and nephews, here's the most recent pics of them:

Sophia (7) and Gwen (8) dressed as their favorite book characters: Juney B. Jones and Fancy Nancy :D

Isaiah (3) and Eleanor (2) reading books :D

...aaaand...

....drum roll please...

...the newest addition to the family...

...my FIFTH nephew/niece...

 Okay, stop a sec - isn't there a gender neutral term for this? Like there is for siblings and parents? ... someone should invent one...

 ...ANYWAY....

Here he is!

Jackson Henry Matthew! Just sittin' there looking adorable :O)

Other than that...

Adam and I went to a Tiger's game on Sunday afternoon with his family and the two of us went back Monday afternoon to see Verlander pitch!

True, the Tigers lost both games, but we had fun regardless!

After Monday's game, we had dinner at Fuddruckers - BEST burger I've ever had,

then we saw Adjustment Bureau - I highly recommend it, excellent movie,

and then we grabbed some Cold Stone before heading back home.

QUITE the awesome day, I must say :O)

Other than that...

I had my job interview at Cabela's yesterday, and once my drug test/background check come back, I'll have a job! I should be hearing back from them in about 2 weeks.

Other than that...

This weekend I am going to see a musical at Spring Arbor that was written and directed by two of the most amazing girls I have every known/lived with, but more about that next week, after I actually see it :O)

THE END!

finally...

Love to all!

Cheryl

"Life Moves Pretty Fast..."

"...if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." -Ferris Bueller


In my family, I come from a long line of pack-rats - beginning with my mother.  Call it sentimentality if you will, or call it not being able to let go of the past, either way - it's extremely difficult for us to throw out anything that has even the remotest memory attached to it.


Lately I've been making the attempt to go through my boxes and boxes of belongings and throw away things that I either have no use for, or don't really need to hold on to.  Pictures and awards from high school, I'll keep.  But do I really need to hold on to my hall passes, used planners, and every note a friend ever wrote me? I don't think so.  It's been quite the painful process, detaching myself from these physical objects - useless, though they be...


Why? Why is it so hard for me to let go?  


...Nonetheless, to help myself along, I just ask, "in 20 years from now, will I regret throwing this out? Will I even remember that I had it in the first place?"  


If the answers are "no", then why is it still a little painful for me to let go?  


Now I've taken an even bigger step. I've dealt with letting go of things from a much more recent past: my college years.  I won't lie, one of the biggest obstacles in my life lately has been trying to move on from college.  They were the best years of my life.  So much joy, so much passion, so many dear ones.  
Getting married and graduating were the first steps to moving on.  I suppose if I had an actual job and didn't just sit around all day, this would be a much simpler task.  But when all you have to do is sit around and reminisce about the past and long for those days again, then difficulties arise.  Don't get me wrong, I  have nothing against reminiscing - I actually think we can learn a lot from our past, even years and years later.  But when it takes up a majority of your time - well, "too much of anything is a bad thing" - as my favorite saying goes.


...But I digress: letting go.  I am attempting to move forward with my life.  And before I do so, I need to let go of my past.  And I have begun the process with one of the hardest things I've had to do - letting go of much of my college ... stuff.  Anything that I don't need to hold on to - that I won't remember years from now: notebooks filled with notes from Cline, Harter, Veydt, Letherer, and Patton classes...mod-podged shoe boxes...even chapel schedules...


...and it was painful.  I did shed a tear or two, coming to the realization that I would never again take classes at Spring Arbor, be a part of a theater production there, or live on it's campus again.  I would never live in an apartment full of wonderful girls, stand in the wings backstage tearing up at the end of a play, or sit and listen Patton's deep theological ponderings.


I suppose letting go has been so difficult because life has crept up on me so fast, I wasn't ready to be done with college, I am not ready to be an adult in the "real world" - at least, I don't feel like I am.


And here's the hardest part:  I had to come to terms with the fact that it's okay.  It's alright that I'll never experience those things again, because my life ahead of me is going to be full of enough adventures and learning experiences: my first teaching job, getting my masters, my first house, my first child (the latter two YEARS down the road).


...Now my youth is packed into a mere two boxes - one for childhood and high school, one for college - and a new era has begun.  I'm naming it the era of Cheryl Hoskins.  I loved being young, I loved being a teenager (I actually cried when I turned 20), and I loved being an early-20's adult.  I am now in my mid-twenties and find that ready-or-not, frightened-or-not, the rest of my life is beginning.  


And I'd better hop on board before it leaves without me.

Much Love to All,

Cheryl

Life Updated

Well it's been while since I've updated "the world" (aka the whole 2 people who read my blog) on what we've been up to in the new-Hoskins household (except we don't have a house...apartmenthold?).


Adam's been loving his job; I am uber-happy for him! He's making just about enough money for us to live off of for now (I really need to get a job...but more about that later).  It keeps him busy, it gives him a good workout, he really enjoys what he does, AND it gives him a tuition-reimbursement to get his masters.  He's looking into getting masters in criminal justice/public management with Colorado Tech University - it's all online, fairly inexpensive, and the cost covers all of the books and materials he needs for the classes.  Needless to say, I am very proud of him :O)


On the other hand, I've been stuck in quite the rut lately.  I'm unemployed, I sit at home, watch way too much TV, and basically only get up off the couch to clean the kitchen/dining/living rooms (which only takes a collective 1 hour every day).  Needless to say, I've gained quite a bit of weight, am in horrible shape, and have been fighting depression off with seasons of I Love Lucy in one hand and and a broom in the other.


Time for a change?  I'd say so.  I've applied to a few businesses around Dundee, but there are tons more I can apply to also.  I really need to apply for my teaching certificate - which requires that I first get certified in CPR/First Aid.  AND Ever since the shelving on Adam's half of our closet collapsed a few weeks ago, I've been afraid to open that door most days.   Behind it lingers a deep pit of debris overflowing with a horrid wreck of flotsam and jetsam.  Okay, maybe it's not that bad, but the mind wanders.


In short (wait, too late for that...), I am currently taking steps to get my life back in order and put me on the fast track to a happy, healthy, productive life.  


We had the good fortune to get a sizable sum of money back from the government this year, and we used most of it to pay off 95% of our credit accounts.  Good bye to all of those little payments that nickel-and-dimed our money away every month!  So, I took some of the extra money and registered for a CPR/First Aid class/test.  If all goes well, I will be certified by March 18th and therefore be able to immediately take steps towards getting my teaching certification=me being able to get my resume out there and start applying for teaching positions ... have you seen me ecstatic? Well here it is :D


On top of this, I'm setting weekly goals for myself that include things like:  getting the closet cleaned out, eating healthier (cutting sugar out of my diet gradually - it's my single biggest downfall), staying active, and applying for jobs.


And that's life so far.  I'll keep you updated on how the progress on my aforementioned goals is going.  Adam and I are beginning to be in a pretty tight financial situation with more and more students loans becoming due.  All prayers are appreciated!

Much Love to All,

Cheryl

World's Most Amazing Cookies

Okay, so I know that when I started this blog, I said I wouldn't have recipes to share.  In my defense: this isn't my recipe, I got it from my cookbook.  That being said, I made these amazing cookies...

It had been a while since I had baked anything, and my baking-senses were tingling.  I had all the basic ingredients (flour, sugar, butter, etc), all I had to do was find a recipe.  I also had about half a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips that I wanted to find some use for.  I came across this recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook months ago and had been wanting to try it, they were called "Peanut butter-Oatmeal Rounds."  The best part? The recipe called for either 1 cup of chopped nuts or semi-sweet chocolate pieces.  Perfect.  I set to work right away ...

...The recipe said that the cookies should bake for 10 minutes, but knowing how hot my oven gets, add to it the fact that I like my cookies really soft and chewy, I set my timer for 6 minutes, and they came out perfectly.

I love peanut butter cookies, I love chocolate chip cookies, and I even love oatmeal cookies (without raisins, please), and these cookies are a perfect marriage of the three.  I knew my husband loved them when he took a bite of one, looked thoughtfully at the ceiling for a few seconds, then quickly grabbed a second.


Here's the recipe:


3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped cocktail peanuts or semi-sweet chocolate pieces (I had a little bit more than a cup of chocolate chips, so I just added them all in! You can never have too much chocolate).


1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed about 30 seconds or until combined. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Stir in rolled oats and peanuts.


2.  Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Transfer to a wire rack; cool.


And don't forget to clean up afterwards!  

Happy Baking!

With love,

Cheryl