Monthly Archive for February 2011
a beautiful thing
not silly in the least
I’m not much of a Valentine’s girl, as I’ve said here before. To recap: the whole thing is just a little silly, in my view. The chocolate and the booze that it encourages, however, are not silly in the least. Oh, no. Champagne on a Monday night? Don’t mind if I do! A palm-sized turtle offered up last Friday night, just before I was about to head to the gym and then dinner (the confection threatening to negate the first and spoil the second)? Of course, I’d love one!
So, for this February 14, I’ve baked a cake that combines the two, all in a lovely bundt ring—a seductive cake shape if ever there was one. For the booze, this cake wisely selects bourbon. And, chocolate-wise, the cake goes for super dark and brooding. The result is astonishingly good.
especially the oatmeal
Mornings, around here, in the winter are quieter and slower. Well, I should clarify. Weekend winter mornings, around here, are quieter and slower. Weekday mornings—a blur of alarm clocks and yogurt, eaten quickly, and lost gloves, and running to catch the train—are another matter altogether. On the weekend, though, it’s still and peaceful. There’s no summery urge to throw open the windows, no fall-like need to seize the day, no spring-ish excitement about the warm air that may come. Instead, the urges go something like this: wrap up in something warm; clutch a mug of coffee; settle onto the couch, feet tucked beneath you; when hunger arrives, oatmeal.
This week, we had a bonus morning like this—one that fell smack dab in the middle of the week, courtesy of the Groundhog Day Blizzard ’11. So, with a snow day issued, Wednesday morning unfolded much like the above, including the oatmeal. Especially the oatmeal.