July 2012

You are currently browsing the monthly archive for July 2012.

Seek goodness everywhere, and when it is found, bring it out of its hiding-place and let it be free and unashamed.

William Saroyan

 

 

Tags:

New World

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.

Anais Nin

Tags:

 

A quick and easy cake for summer, with raspberries from our own patch!

 

Raspberry Sponge Cake

2 eggs

1 cup flour

1 t baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2/3 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

milk

1/4 t almond extract

Cake:

Sift flour and baking powder; set aside. Beat eggs in a medium bowl until thick, 3-4 minutes. Gradually add sugar, beating another 4-5 minutes, until very fluffy. Add the almond extract and flour mixture; beat on low until combined.

Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan until butter melts. Add to batter, beating until combined. Pour into a greased 8″ or 9″ square pan. Scatter the berries over the top. I think blueberries would work, too, something light, as they will sink to the bottom, so be sure your pan is greased really well. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan.

Glaze:

Sift powdered sugar into a small bowl. Add almond extract. Add milk until glaze is thin enough to spread in a layer over the top of the cake, 1-2 tablespoons.

Enjoy!

Oh, and maybe watch the latest from Jim Gaffigan while you eat, because sweet and hilarious are a terrific combination.

Happy Birthday, Jef!

Tags: ,

Gradual

I began to have an idea of my life, not as the slow shaping of achievement to fit my preconceived purposes, but as the gradual discovery and growth of a purpose which I did not know.

Joanna Field

Tags:

So many things happening here – summer, glorious summer, has arrived, and I’ve been enjoying it ever so much, silliness and heat and bright light with sunglasses, sprinkled with every manner of ripe, delicious fruit. I devour cherries by the pound with nectarine and cantaloupe chasers, a steady drip of succulent juice on my chin. And the plums will be here soon! The feeling of warmth, too, without layer upon layer of clothing is blissful, and that heavenly blue of the sky is what keeps me going through the long wet of winter and spring.

We’ve been reading a lot, nearing the home stretch on the first book of The Game of Thrones. We sit in the living room, and I draw and paint while he reads, sometimes slowly sipping a little whiskey or port. He needs no other distraction, happy to close his eyes, a cat on his lap, while I take my turn at the page. It all feels so homey and old-timey and special. It’s too bad the book isn’t as pleasant as the ritual. Drat, my friends, I am not terribly keen on keeping up with this story. I’ve tried, but it just isn’t my cuppa – far too much detail for this reader, of every kind. And I can’t help but feel that every character is a bit of a caricature, too. Oh well. So this one is it for me, and the hubster will fill me in on the rest, or perhaps we’ll get the television series off Netflix. Perhaps.

This photo demonstrates how impossibly adorable and spoiled our cats can be. Milo, as of late, loves to cuddle while I write. At first, he’s like a sack of potatoes over my left shoulder, purring and nudging my cheek, with me doing my best to type with one hand. When I decide he is too heavy, he squeezes behind me. Then, like Napoleon across Europe, he conquers the seat, until there is scarcely room for my own bottom, and he has to be exiled to St. Helena (also known as the hallway).

Finally, don’t be surprised if you don’t hear much from me over the next few weeks. I’m going to be out enjoying the weather a bit more, finishing some projects, generally letting the little man take hold of the world, if he is so inclined.

Happy Summer!

« Older entries