Sadness

This week has been a tough one. Unfortunately, one of my freshman students committed suicide on Tuesday. They don't prepare you to deal with this as a teacher. Not that anyone really knows how to handle it. I can't lie and say that he was my favorite student, yes I do have my favorites, but he brought a sense of humor to the class. He complained, never did his homework, and went out of his way to annoy people. But, he was quick witted, understood my sarcasm, was always asking questions about why something worked out this way or that, and always answered me with, "okay, boss." I was a mess on Wednesday, unable to look at his friends without crying. No one should have to handle this and certainly not 14/15 year olds. The school halls were silent,as were most of the classrooms. Some teachers who had the student talked to their classes about memories they had of him. I couldn't even bring myself to say his name. They had grief counselors available to students and teachers, and one followed the student's schedule. Luckily, she was able to speak to the class about different ways of grieving.
I went to the memorial service, where the venue could barely hold the amount of mourners. Friends and family shared some memories and everyone mentioned how it wasn't his time. My hope is that students now take advantage of our counselors and seek help if they are considering suicide. Such a sad week.....

Coffee Cake Muffins
adapted from sweetpeaskitchen.com
Oven  350

For the Streusel Topping:

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

For the Muffins:

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups sour cream

For the Milk Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk

Directions:
For the topping: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture. Mix on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes before using.
Line 24 muffin cups with muffin liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

For the muffins: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.











In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time,scraping down bowl as needed. Stir in vanilla extract by hand. Add flour mixture and sour cream and stir until just combined.








Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Sprinkle half of the strudel mixture over the muffins, gently pressing it into the batter. Sprinkle evenly with remaining strudel mixture.
Bake rotating the pans halfway through until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool completely before removing muffins.
To make milk glaze, whisk the powdered sugar and milk together in a small bowl.
Place muffins on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and drizzle with glaze.