Zahra's Books N Things

As some of you know, I'm a member of "WOW" Women of Wisdom, an all womens bookclub that meets once a month to discuss a book that was chosen by the host/moderater of the month ~  Our meeting for this month is this Saturday @ Red Robin ~ So I headed over to my neighborhood bookstore (Zahra's) and  purchased the book of the month "Be Careful What You Pray For" by Kimberla Lawson Roby ~ Now mind you, I should have picked this book up several weeks ago, so for the next couple of days, I will be reading non-stop to finish this book by Saturday  (SMH.....Procrastination....something I'm definately working on)

Zahra's Books N Things is one of the top rated Black owned Bookstores that carries pretty much every book that has been puplished by a black author ~ They carry all the new releases and if it's not in stock they will take your contact information and give you a call as soon as the book arrives.

Zahra's carries lots of authentic African artifacts and art, straight from Africa ~ The owners personally travel to Africa to pick up different pieces that are displayed and sold in the store ~ This bookstore is a great place to buy gifts from the Cidne Wallace Collection and they sale many pieces by Annie Lee as well.

They buy and sell used books at a discounted price as low as 95% off , and they have hundreds of books to chose from with prices as low as $3.00 ~ They also carry oils, calendars, purses, totes and  little trinkets that are great for collecting or giving away as gifts

The location is perfect (Corner of Plymouth and LaBrea in Inglewood, CA) and there is plenty of parking in the back ~ If you're ever in the area, Zahra's is definately a joint worth checking out ~  Happy reading!

Zahra's Books N Things

900 N La Brea Ave

Inglewood, CA 90302

310-330-1300

Lemon Yogurt-Poppy Seed Muffins

Ok..so I've been on a baking kick this week and last night I decieded to make a batch of Lemon Yogurt-Poppy Seed Muffins ~  A couple of days ago I made Blue-Berery muffins and I have to admit, those were much tastier  ~ But I guess I won't complain since this was my first time attempting to make these Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins ~ I think next time I will add a little lemon juice (even though the recipe does not call for it) to give it more of a lemony taste ~ I think I've had enough sweet treats for a while, so I'm hanging up my "Betty Crocker" apron and throwing on my "Rachael Ray" apron (lol)  Enjoy!

Prep time: 15 mins 
Bake time: 25 mins
Makes: 12 muffins

Muffins

1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 container (6 oz) Yoplait® Original 99% Fat Free lemon burst yogurt
1 egg
1 3/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons poppy seed
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice

1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Grease bottoms only of 12 regular-size muffins cups, or line with paper baking cups. In large bowl, beat milk, oil, yogurt and egg. Stir in remaining muffin ingredients until flour is moistened. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

2. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan. In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over warm muffins.

Purchasing
One lemon will do the trick! You'll get about 3 tablespoons juice and 1 tablespoon grated peel from one medium lemon.

Success
For the moistest muffins, be sure to thoroughly combine the milk, oil, yogurt and egg before adding the dry ingredients. Once dry ingredients are added, you want to mix the batter as little as possible.

Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive ~ Elbert Hubbard

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

A couple of days ago when I made my Strawberry-Banana Parfait for breakfast I noticed that the yoplait container contained a couple of recipes so I decided to check out Yoplait.com and boy oh boy was I surprised at all the different recipes that contained yougurt such as Warm Chicken Taco Salad to Lamb Burgers with Rosemary-Mint Sauce ~ This Lemon-Blueberry Muffin recipe caught my attention and I thought it would be interesting to make because I'm really not that big on blue-berries, but the thought of using yogurt instead of butter to bake sparked my interest...so I headed to the store...grabbed a lemon, vanilla yogurt and a container of blue-berries and headed to the house to start baking:) ~ The muffins only took 15 mins. to prep and around 20 mins. to bake ~ This is definately a great, quick recipe worth trying out and taking to the office ~ Trust me..your co-workers will love them! ~ I'm definately a fan of blue-berry muffins NOW...well atlest a fan of mine (lol)

Prep Time:15 min
Start to Finish:30 min
Makes:12 muffins

1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 container (6 oz) Yoplait® Fat Free vanilla yogurt
1 egg
1 3/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fresh or frozen (do not thaw) blueberries (<---I used fresh blueberries)

1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Grease bottoms only of 12 regular-size muffins cups, or line with paper baking cups.

2. In large bowl, beat milk, oil, yogurt and egg using wire whisk or fork. Stir in remaining ingredients except blueberries, until flour is moistened. Gently stir in blueberries. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

3. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan