Yesterday was so sunny & mild, it would have been a pity if we hadn't been outdoor. So we went to Disneyland, and stayed all afternoon. We went inside the park itself too, but also walked around the hotels, as usual. As the boys run & play in the grass/green areas, it was good for them to play as it was not wet or muddy. There are lots of colorful species of trees around the Disney hotels, probably lots of different maple trees. It gets so beautiful in the autumn season ...
There were also some beautiful flowers in corners people usually don't go to ... (in remote corners of hotels gardens, for instance) As we live close to Disney, it's not what's inside the park that appeals us the most. We care about all the work that had been (and is being - all the time) done in the gardens/green areas of Disney. All the buildings themselves too. People see the magic (or not at all, I admitt) when they visit Disneyland Parks, but all these buildings were built by lots of people, all these trees were planted by as many people, all the flowers too ... and there are so many people working to maintain all this ! (and clean all that mess too) 
OK, so that was your little tour of Disney for today. :)
By "Double Trouble" (today's title), I'm reffering to the muffins I baked yesterday afternoon. I had prepared everything before leaving for Disney, and all I had to do when we came back home was putting them in the oven ! That felt so easy !! Ahah ! So ... my Double Trouble muffins are in fact double chocolate muffins. They came out very tasty & perfectly moist. Something I'll do again soon. Here is the recipe ...
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
DOUBLE TROUBLE MUFFINS
aka DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MUFFINS
makes 24 muffins
ingredients :
375 g self-raising flour
2 eggs
125 g caster sugar
375 ml milk
150 g melted butter (unsalted)
200 g dark or milk chocolate chips
a dash of vanilla sugar
1 teaspoon of instant coffee (optional)
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
----------------------------------------
Preheat the oven at 200/220°C ~ 400/425°F.
Either grease your muffin molds with melted butter or oil, or don't grease it, if you own a flexible mold like I do.
In a large bowl, sift the flour & add the sugar, the vanilla sugar, the cocoa powder & the chocolate chips. Mix in.
Whip the eggs with the milk, and add the instant coffee if you want (and if you won't give these to children, because of the cafeine).
Mix in with the dry ingredients with a metal spoon, but DO NOT knead too much.
Melt the butter & mix it in, still NOT kneading much. The dough must be irregular & full of lumps !
The success of making muffins resides in making the dough very irregular & not kneading it much !
Fill your molds (3/4 of each - to let the muffins rise) with a teaspoon (easier).
Put in the oven for 15 or 20 mn (200/220°C ~ 400/425°F) until a skewer/knife hammered inside a muffin goes out totally dry & clean.
I prefer not to bake them too much because it keeps them moist.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
I went shopping for food this morning, had a load of laundry done & ironed too, I washed the dishes, and dinner for this evening is ready. (with the great help from my hubby, he's the best to plan -and prepare- the week meals) I hoovered yesterday, so I can focus on different things this afternoon. :) I hope you all had a great weekend and will have a super start of the new week !! :) Sending much love to everyone ! OXOX
There were also some beautiful flowers in corners people usually don't go to ... (in remote corners of hotels gardens, for instance) As we live close to Disney, it's not what's inside the park that appeals us the most. We care about all the work that had been (and is being - all the time) done in the gardens/green areas of Disney. All the buildings themselves too. People see the magic (or not at all, I admitt) when they visit Disneyland Parks, but all these buildings were built by lots of people, all these trees were planted by as many people, all the flowers too ... and there are so many people working to maintain all this ! (and clean all that mess too) 
OK, so that was your little tour of Disney for today. :)By "Double Trouble" (today's title), I'm reffering to the muffins I baked yesterday afternoon. I had prepared everything before leaving for Disney, and all I had to do when we came back home was putting them in the oven ! That felt so easy !! Ahah ! So ... my Double Trouble muffins are in fact double chocolate muffins. They came out very tasty & perfectly moist. Something I'll do again soon. Here is the recipe ...
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
DOUBLE TROUBLE MUFFINS
aka DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MUFFINS
makes 24 muffins
ingredients :
375 g self-raising flour
2 eggs
125 g caster sugar
375 ml milk
150 g melted butter (unsalted)
200 g dark or milk chocolate chips
a dash of vanilla sugar
1 teaspoon of instant coffee (optional)
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
----------------------------------------
Preheat the oven at 200/220°C ~ 400/425°F.
Either grease your muffin molds with melted butter or oil, or don't grease it, if you own a flexible mold like I do.
In a large bowl, sift the flour & add the sugar, the vanilla sugar, the cocoa powder & the chocolate chips. Mix in.
Whip the eggs with the milk, and add the instant coffee if you want (and if you won't give these to children, because of the cafeine).
Mix in with the dry ingredients with a metal spoon, but DO NOT knead too much.
Melt the butter & mix it in, still NOT kneading much. The dough must be irregular & full of lumps !
The success of making muffins resides in making the dough very irregular & not kneading it much !
Fill your molds (3/4 of each - to let the muffins rise) with a teaspoon (easier).
Put in the oven for 15 or 20 mn (200/220°C ~ 400/425°F) until a skewer/knife hammered inside a muffin goes out totally dry & clean.
I prefer not to bake them too much because it keeps them moist.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
I went shopping for food this morning, had a load of laundry done & ironed too, I washed the dishes, and dinner for this evening is ready. (with the great help from my hubby, he's the best to plan -and prepare- the week meals) I hoovered yesterday, so I can focus on different things this afternoon. :) I hope you all had a great weekend and will have a super start of the new week !! :) Sending much love to everyone ! OXOX
yum, those muffins look lovely. I've been busy cooking this morning, and made some fairy cakes. I do the same, try to cook them slightly less than over to keep them moist instead of dry and yukky!
ReplyDeletelove the autumn leaves photo. Ah, just love this time of year!
Right. I must make a move. Seems we have both been decluttering lately Sonia. I've just finished tidying up and reorganising my wardrobe. I'm going to whisper this but *sometimes I think I have too many shoes and handbags!* ARRGHH! Did I really say that?! ha ha ha xxx
Ciao cara Sonia! Just leaving some love :) on your msg board. Thanks for the recipe, I'll try it ASAP! YUMMY! Happy Monday, dear!
ReplyDeleteHello Sonia, I love Disney photos & your chocolate muffins look yummy. I love maples for their pretty fall colors & you seem to have had a great time around Disney. I guess you'll miss going there so easily when you move to Montpellier. Did you know that there's a Montpellier in Vermont? It will be nice to be closer to your family though. I hope your week starts well, it's great to see that you'll add graphics again soon. I'm looking forward to see them. Hugs
ReplyDeleteHi Sonia! I enjoyed my tour of Disney! hehe! But you are right about the great care that goes into the park! Thats what makes it such a magical place to be. Those muffins look yummy! Thanks for the recipe! And thanks for the strawberry stain tip!! Lotsa hugs!!
ReplyDeleteHi Sonia! you must have season passes to Disney Paris? Justin lives close to Disneyland and used to always have passes so he could go often. It's the same here- lovely, well-maintained gardens and always so clean. It would be fun to visit your Disney and see how it differs. Have a great week ahead! (((Hugz)))
ReplyDeletehave a lovely Tuesday Sonia :o) xx
ReplyDeleteLovely photos Sonia, looks like it was a beautiful day. I'm enjoying the cooler sunny weather :o)
ReplyDeleteThose choccy muffins look amazing!
Hope you've had a good day :o)
Happy Tuesday, Sonia! When you live in an apartment, I know you must miss having a garden yet when you live in a house with a big yard then you get tired of all the yardwork! ;) Do they ever have anything like co-op gardens in Paris? (((Hugz)))
ReplyDeleteCiao Sonia, just wanted let you know that our Photo Album is back online, with new photos of Trieste, Torre Mondovì (where we have spent our holidays in August) and Scotland… finally! LOL! We'll add more tomorrow. Nighty night!
ReplyDeleteCoucou ma Sonia :) Thanks for your darling comments yesterday, you are the sweetest! And how lucky you are to be living so close to Disneyland, I love the photos! We were supposed to have gone to Disneyland Paris next month, as I was having a meeting at our factory (not far from Reims), but sadly they changed the location of the meeting to our subsidiary in Belgium... sigh! So now we have to wait again before we get to go to my beloved Disneyland... sob, sob! But on the bright side, we get to go to Belgium and Holland instead, and already next week too, so that's a treat :) Oh, and those muffins look absolutely fantastic! I have actually never tried baking muffins myself, but after reading your blog for a while now I feel the NEED to start baking... hehe! Passes une bonne journée ma belle, gros bisou!
ReplyDeleteSusanne xxxxx