Chocolate Chip Muffins.....and a guest post from Gus

Hi all!  It's me, Gus.  Also known as Goose, Guzman, Gustopher and Angus.  Used to be known as Goose-Poop and Gas, but I've put those days behind me.  (Pun intended, hehe.)

Today's my day to warm you up while Fran gets her playlist together.

In case you're wondering, I don't call her Fran to her face.  I don't call her anything at all, but I think of her as The Source Of Food.  Or TSOF, for short.  And since I'm an anagram-lover, let's go a little bit further and change TSOF into SOFT.

Yeah, she's soft in so many ways, but she's especially soft in the way she turns to putty in my paws and the way she melts when I gaze upon her with my puppy-dog eyes.

But enough of that, I've got a tutorial here for you today.  Do you remember last year when Fran posted a couple of videos of me catching a Frisbee?  Let me give you a step-by-step of how it's done.

How to Catch a Frisbee, By Gus

 Chase that Frisbee until it starts to hover.  It's gonna hover and hesitate right before it drops.  Get ready to grab it just as it starts to descend.

 Leap up and open wide!

 Land gracefully.

 Apply the brakes so you don't crash.

That's it in a nutshell.  I hope Caitie and Erin like this post.  They begged Fran not to let me take over her blog, they said it would be annoying.  

Hopefully, they don't find this too annoying and I'll get a chance to write another tutorial someday.  Actually, since I'm here now and I'm not really sure they're gonna allow me back anytime soon, I'm gonna give you another tutorial but it's gonna be really quick since Fran's almost done with her playlist.

How to Cross the Street, By Gus

Look to the right.

Look to the left.

If no cars are coming, proceed with a smile on your face.

See ya!

Gus

Today's Playlist

"Learn To Fly".........Foo Fighters

"What I Got".........Sublime

"Everybody Talks".........Neon Trees

"Beautiful Day"......U2

"Don't Stop".........Foster The People

"Buddy Holly".........Weezer

"Gold On The Ceiling".........Black Keys

"When I Come Around"........Green Day

"Re-Education (Through Labor)"........Rise Against

"Sixteen Saltines"........Jack White

Chocolate Chip Muffins (makes 12 muffins)

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup sour cream
• 5 tablespoons butter (melted)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips (semi sweet is best!)
• sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Gather your ingredients.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners (or use non-stick cooking spray, like PAM).

 Place the dry ingredients into a large bowl.  Flour, sugar.......

baking powder, baking soda.........

and salt.

Whisk to combine.

Place your butter into a medium bowl and microwave it for one minute on HIGH to melt.

Add the remaining wet ingredients to the melted butter.  The sour cream,

 egg, and vanilla.  Mix well.

 Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Stir just until combined.

 Stir in the chocolate chips.  I used mini chocolate chips, but you can use whatever size or flavor (semi-sweet or milk) that you like.

Fill the cups in the cupcake tin about 2/3 full.  I used an overflowing 1/4 cup measuring cup to try to get even amounts into the cups.

 Sprinkle the tops with sanding sugar.  I like the crunch that the sugar gives the top of the muffins, but feel free to omit this step if you want to keep the sugar content down.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 to 18 minutes.  For the record, my muffins took 18 minutes.

 Enjoy!!