Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

I found this recipe online and decided to make my own version of it...of course, I had to change bits of it to suit my dietary needs. My family LOVED this cake, loved. I hope yours does too. It's easy!!!!

Dry ingredients:
3/4 cup / 3 oz / 80g spelt flour
1 1/2 cups / 7.5 oz / 210 g Whole Wheat all-purpose flour
3/4 cup / 4 oz / 115g sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Wet ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup / 240 ml good olive oil
3/4 cup / 180 ml whole milk

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped....MORE!
5 ounces / 140 g bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao), chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons un-refined sugar for top crunch

Preheat the oven to 350F / 175C. Rub a 9 1/2-inch (24 cm) fluted tart pan sprayed with oil. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring any bits of grain or other ingredients left in the sifter back into the bowl. Set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk the eggs thoroughly. Add the olive oil, milk and rosemary and whisk again. Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry, gently mixing just until combined. Stir in 2/3 of the chocolate. Pour the batter into the pan, spreading it evenly and smoothing the top. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate and run a fork along the length of the chocolate so that the batter envelops it just a bit. Sprinkle with the second sugar.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is domed, golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool and remove from tart pain. The cake can be eaten warm or cool. Store by wrapping tightly in plastic.

Serves 8 -12.

Recipe adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce.

My New Muse and Elizabeth Gilbert

I have a new MUSE, just discovered actually, and I am thrilled. Muses are curious things you know, iffy at best and, being a bit superstitious, I'm not able to share the who or the what of my MUSE; I fear I may scare it away! I would like to share, however, this video of Elizabeth Gilbert and her TED talk on creativity and "muses"....hope you enjoy!

Contra Mundum

I have struggled my entire life with shyness and delicate sensitivities. I find the world harsh and excessively loud, intrusive, and oftentimes painful due to it's callous and crude mannerisms. I can remember as a child seeking ways of calming and comforting myself when I'd been "out there" for a while. As an adult, I seek refuge in my home, in my family, and in my art. It has always been me against the world. I'm awed by folks who walk freely with no awareness or sensitivities to the pains such that I experience by simply leaving home to enter a crowd or a place as quiet as a coffee shop. Suffering through to manage any normal activity often leaves me exhausted for days due to the amount of energy it takes, the amount of courage I must muster, to engage in a world I find so abrasive. I feel, honestly, feel the energy of every person I am encountered with, their thoughts pour into my being and interrupt my peace. Barraged with energies and emotions that collide with my own, I use all my stores to shake it off; I feel pain all the time with the work of sensing other's pain. I prefer to stay in my home as a means to escape all this suffering. When I began practicing my clay sculpture, at first I would cover every piece with texture in an attempt to armor them from the world, myself from the world. I'm working on moving beyond this now by creating human forms that are naked and expressing my own pain through them.

I also have discovered so many years late, that armoring myself with scarves, coats, jackets, often provide me with a sense of protection from this world that I am far too sensitive to survive in without.

Missing Sister

My sister came to me today in a Spirit Guide meditation. She was dressed beautifully in flowing reds and yellows. We met on a mountain forest trail on a warm sunny day. I held her close to me tightly for the longest time, taking in the smell of her hair, her skin, the feel of her heartbeat against my chest. When she pulled away she looked me in the eye and said, "You need to let go of all of this now." I told her how deeply I wanted to, but that I couldn't remember any of the good times. I felt all I had left of her was her cold form lying in the coffin, the words echoing in the courtroom, the autopsy photos; the smell of death in her apartment. She said, "I'm here with you. I'll send memories of the good times to you, don't worry about me." I couldn't let go of her, she told me to say goodbye, so I did and she walked away.

I struggle to release myself from the grief and all that has come my way since her death. Today, I practiced a type of visualization to further my goal of releasing the trauma and grief from my body. I highly recommend Shakti Gawain's book, "Creative Visualization" as a guide to anyone, to everyone.

I am opening my heart and mind to receive all the good of my sister and release all the memories of her murderer's act. God be with me and all of you suffering with loss.