Foodie Friday: Delicious Cake!

So this week, I really don’t have a recipe for you. All I can say is that it’s been a little hectic, and nothing gets me into a better mood quite like chocolate. Luckily for me, Smitten Kitchen had a lovely recipe for a chocolate loaf cake early this week. I admit, I tweaked the recipe only slightly — I used plain milk with some raspberry vinegar since I can’t really justify buying buttermilk for one recipe. I also realize we just had cake last week and I’ve been whining about weight loss, but I have left over whipping cream, a bag of thawed strawberries, and a desire to enjoy something chocolaty. I actually mixed all of the dry ingredients together on Wednesday for fun and later convenience.

Anyway, here’s the finished product. Next week, I’ll probably try to come up with something a bit healthier to share.

A slice of deliciousness

The batter had a mousse-like texture to it, inviting me to enjoy some delicious raw batter. Because my oven is rather ridiculous, it only took about 43 minutes to bake the cake (the recipe originally called for 60-70 minutes — if I left it in there any longer, I’d have a charred, inedible brick). I served it with a drizzling of strawberry puree and a dollop of whipped cream. It was the perfect dessert to end this week on a sweet, chocolatey note.

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Thankful Thursday (August 5th)

Some days you have to really dig deep to find the brighter side of life, but I think just the action of doing so helps to bring perspective to any situation. I mean, I don’t live in some third world country with no clue as to where I’ll find the next meal for my family. We’re not war-torn or ravaged. We have a roof over our heads with a climate-controlled interior. We have food to eat. We live in a reasonably safe environment — even if you take into account that it seems like home invasion robberies have become more common around town, it’s still relatively safe when compared with places like Somalia or Ethiopia. We have each other, too! And what could be more important than family? As a person who places a lot of value in family, I couldn’t imagine anything more important. I think that I need my kids as much as they need me. Really, I couldn’t imagine a life without any of the three of them. They’re all very important to me.

So while I may not own a house, I have a family that makes this apartment a home.

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Mindful Monday (August 2nd)

As I was showering this evening, I lost the time between squeezing the shampoo into the palm of my hand and exfoliating my skin. Did I wash my hair? I thought to myself. I couldn’t remember the process of lathering my hair, massaging the shampoo into my scalp to clean away any impurities. I couldn’t remember rinsing the shampoo down the drain — I couldn’t. What had I been doing as I was washing my hair? I was realizing that it’s been an entire month since this impromptu vacation began. I was recalling the emotions, recalling how I felt the moment I was given the bad news. As I was grabbing my facial scrub, I shook myself out of that and reminded myself to just let it go. It’s over, it’s done with, there’s no point to giving that moment in my life further attention. And somehow, that crept back into my mind and stole a few moments from me yet again. It’s amazing how one’s habits are so deeply ingrained. It’s been about seven months since I began my quest to become more mindful, and — while I could do better in regards to being present in the moment — I’ve made serious strides to stay mindful and truly appreciate every moment.

That being said, I intend to begin tracking my time during the upcoming week. Really, where is it all going? Some days, I feel that I am squandering my talents and could be doing more to make this upheaval work in my favor. Other days, I feel I’m giving it my all and doing my absolute best. I guess it just depends on how the day goes. So this week I’ll be tracking everything I do for every hour. Check back next Monday to see how I did.

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