Burning the Old Year
Letters swallow themselves in seconds.
Notes friends tied to the doorknob,
transparent scarlet paper,
sizzle like moth wings,
marry the air.
So much of any year is flammable,
lists of vegetables, partial poems.
Orange swirling flame of days,
so little is a stone.
Where there was something and suddenly isn't,
an absence shouts, celebrates, leaves a space.
I begin again with the smallest numbers.
Quick dance, shuffle of losses and leaves,
only the things I didn't do
crackle after the blazing dies.
~ by Naomi Shihab Nye
Dark Chocolate Ginger Molasses Crack Cookies
December 29, 2013
Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake
December 23, 2013
Country living comes with roses and barbs - it's quiet, atmospheric, and usually includes daily visits from various boreal creatures (some more welcome than others). For the past month or so I've shared my shower with an tiny spider named Miranda...assuming she's a "she." The Tempest is my favourite Shakespearean play and, like Miranda, the wee spider appears oblivious to the evils of the world. She wove an intricate home in the topmost corner of my shower stall (it slants at the end below the staircase). Miranda and I are very mindful of each other's personal space - I'm careful about errant shampoo splashes whilst she is mindful about not making any sudden movements. Strange as it may sound, there's an intangible repose found in her presence. Miranda is always there - no matter how hectic and frazzled my day has been, her drama-free nonchalance puts things back into proper perspective. Hopefully she will weave around throughout the winter - based on the chaotic weather we've had so far, it's going to be a long one.
Speaking of unexpected lovely things amid chaos - last week Laura, of the exquisite food blog Tutti Dolci, sent me three Meyer lemons from her very own tree! I was literally over the moon! It's been a manic jumble of snow, thunder, ice...and snow again. Lemon love from sunny California was just what I needed. Thank you, thank you, Laura!! xo
Labels:
Bundt Cake.
cake.
Lemon
Whole Lemon Ginger Bars
December 13, 2013
"Sometimes, when light strikes at odd angles
and pulls you back into childhood
and you are passing a crumbling mansion
completely hidden behind old windows
or an empty convent garden guarded by hemlocks
and giant firs standing hip to hip,
you know again that behind that wall,
under the uncut hair of willows
something secret is going on,
so marvelous and dangerous
that if you crawled through and saw,
you would die, or be happy forever."
~ Sometimes, When the Light by Lisel Mueller
Lemons will always be sultry mid-summer light shining through sheer curtains onto a dark wood floor - a chiming Grandfather's clock, lush ferns, and slow sunsets. My icy fingertips are already nostalgic for warmer days. Thank goodness for lemons, butter, and the throat-tingling heat of fresh ginger.
Cranberry Pie with Rosemary Buttermilk Crust
December 5, 2013
I tend to be fussy over seemingly benign things - particularly pie crusts, headbands (84% of them fly off when I talk) and what pantofles I'll slide into at the end of a day. I absolutely positively cannot stand thick-bottomed slippers. Walking around with two bouncy mattresses strapped to my feet is fun at first, especially when it feels as though I can converse with the moon, but I have a cat who is prone to chasing phantom mice - stability is a necessity. Last year I finally found perfect foot-hugging, ballet-ish slippers. They're warm, flat, and help me avoid the discomfort of walking on the errant cat litter that loves to taunt me as soon as I put the vacuum cleaner away. Sadly, I am now short one cherry red slipper.
While this scrumptious pie was baking, some of its berry juice decided to abandon ship. By the time I heard the hissing smoking splashes landing on the bottom of my oven, it was too late to think...rationally. I only had one oven mitt sitting on the counter and instead of reaching for a dish towel, which is what any sane person would have done, I pulled off one of my slippers and stuck it onto my other hand. Like a Boss, my beloved slipper took one for the team. It's covered in burnt juice and pride. Luckily the pie made it through!