Blueberry Imagination

A couple weeks ago, I was at my parent's house visiting the family and trying to entertain myself in a town that does not have a lot to offer me anymore. Apart from my family and a few friends I have left, there is a movie couple movie theaters, a Walmart, a Family Fun Park (Go-carts and Miniature Golf), and a bowling alley. I used to enjoy these things when I was younger, living off my allowance and what ever my parents provided for my entertainment. The bowling alley is starting to become run down and is utilized by few people my age. All of them, older men and women involved in the local bowling league or are just there to get a few drinks at the bar. The family fun park is still prosperous and a decent hang out spot, but I choose not to visit because I do not want to pay over $5 for one 5 minute ride on the go-carts or $10 for a lame miniature golf course. What's a miniature golf course without a windmill and a castle? Come on! I do partake of our local movie theater, owned by a local family. I love going to the movies. It is what my friends or boyfriend and I did when we lived in town. I would go every day if I could. Unfortunately, I am a broke college student not wanting to pay $7.50 per ticket to go to all of the movies. Don't get me started on Walmart ( or as we call it "Mallmart") Walmart was the only thing in town that was open 24/7, apart from Dennys. My friends and I frequented Walmart a lot because there was nothing else to do. Sometimes we would dress up in goofy outfits and parade them around Walmart. Crazy, I know, but that was our entertainment. We used our imaginations.

While visiting my parents, I used my imagination once more or shall I say a couple times more. I began making up my own muffin recipe. Muffins...because I was really craving them. I looked in the fridge, saw three containers of these beautiful, plump blueberries. I pulled them out and started compiling all the ingredients I know are in a basic muffin recipe. Flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt for dry ingredients and eggs, milk, and veggie oil for the moistening agents. I mixed the dry ingredients, making sure they were distributed well, and then mixed in the liquid. I needed to add a bit more milk to make the batter the right consistancy and then tasted a little. Sweet, yes. Definitely a good start for a basic muffin. It needed more, a bit of flavor. So I go to the cupboard, pull out the first ingredients that pop into my mind, cinnamon and pure vanilla extract. I pour a good amount in, stir it and then go in for another taste. Perfect, or almost perfect. Nothing is perfect in my opinion. Good enough though, to start pouring in the freshly washed blueberries. I fold them in carefully, taking extra care not to smoosh any of them. Next, I pour the batter into my already prepared cupcake pans (lined with pretty wild flower cupcake papers.) I then crumble on top, my muffin topping of flour, sugar, and butter. It's time. Here goes nothing. I then place my experiment into the toasty oven. I become very anxious. Are they going to turn out? Did I use all the ingredients I needed? I only had to wait 22 minutes and then they would be done. Those 22 minutes took forever, probably because I was so impatient for them to be done (and I was really hungry.).........Timer goes off! I pull them out, they look absolutely decadent. I place them on a cooling rack and wait a few minutes for them to cool. When I felt I could not wait any longer, I bared the almost too hot muffin and started tasting it. So fragrant, so full of flavor, and had a beautiful crisp top and moist body. It was heavenly. My family found out about the muffins and they swarmed in to grab their breakfast. It was great. I enjoyed knowing they loved the muffins and that I had supplied a brief moment of happiness for my family. Food brings happiness, especially when it's made with love. So, even when I was in town visiting for the weekend, I still resorted to my old ways and used my imagination. My imagination...always there for my entertainment.