Ani DiFranco is hands downs my favorite musician. Although I love almost all of her songs, and I have several songs that correspond with particular times during my life (or the 12 years since I have discovered her awesomeness), there is one song in particular that is inspiring no matter when I hear it. I won't quote the whole thing, but here are some of my favorite lines...
i'm okay if you get me at a good angle and you're okay in the right sort of light and we don't look like pages from a magazine but that's all right that's all right
we get a little further from perfection each year on the road i guess that's what they call character i guess that's just the way it goes better to be dusty than polished like some store window mannequin why don't you touch me where i'm rusty let me stain your hands
She ends the song saying "let's do it all imperfectly". Every time I hear it, it
helps me let go of the need to be perfect, reminding me that none of us are perfect
and that life is a little more fun when things don't always go as planned.
Which brings me to both pregnancy and baking...
I had always imagined that I would be that pregnant lady who is totally fit, going
to spin class and running and looking generally amazing even with this gigantic
growing belly. While I have tried to keep up a semi-regular exercise routine during
pregnancy (I walk, do yoga, do light weights, and occasionally swim), I am in no way
that woman I imagined. I am still struggling with letting go of this expectation I
had for myself, but as I do, as I remember to do things imperfectly, I feel a little
more free to enjoy the pregnancy and remember that my body is doing amazing things
(even if not training for a marathon).
Here I am at 23 weeks!
In baking, I also have to remember to let go of expectations...
Today, I baked pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. I discovered these amazing goodies
at Spring Garden Bakery in Greensboro (and still treat myself to one whenever I am
in town). My friend Alisa shared her recipe with me, and I decided to finally give it
a whirl. It was all working perfectly until I made the mistake of putting my just
out of the oven, homemade pumpkin puree (yes, I roast and puree my own pumpkin), into
the bowl with the dark chocolate chips. This ended up making a big bowl of chocolatey,
pumpkiny goodness, that turned into good tasting muffins. However, it did take away a
little bit from that moment when you take a bite and taste the pumpkin, then get a
little burst of melty chocolate from the chip. So, were they perfect? No. But were they
yummy and did I eat two of them? Yes. I guess it works to do it all imperfectly and
enjoy the results no matter what.
Here is the recipe and a picture of my new version of pumpkin/chocolate muffins.
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 can pumpkin (or two cups homemade puree)
1 c. melted butter
2 c. chocolate chips
Mix flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl, mix egg, pumpkin, and butter. Stir in chips. Pour wet
ingredients over dry and fold in until moistened.
You can either use muffin cups or grease the pan, either works.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Makes 24 muffins.
