A Saturday Recipe

I have always loved this time of year, the subtle hints of cinnamon that waif thorough the air.
The growing warmth throughout the home that long put away decorations bring.
Colored lights, my family puts them everywhere.
Yes my family loves Christmas and winter. My mother has been decorating and decorating enthusiastically. A bit of spruce green hangs over the back door inviting goodnatured cheer,
While varied lights add to the charm of open doorways, and red cranberry beads wrapped around and through the kitchen shelves give a Christmasy pop of color here and there.
There is a twig tree that we created ourselves, from birch branches. We like doing things a bit differently, and there is no space in the living room for a traditional tree.
The winter curtains are pressed and set to hang, the whole house is becoming a cozy winter retreat.
On days like today when the sky is so grey the trees are just a hint of black silhouette here and there, and the fog seems will never dissipate. Its nice to have warm scents drifting through the house.
So I thought why not give a recently tried recipe to my dear followers ?
To add to there cozy winter evenings,
The recipe is called Velvet Spice Cake. Isn't that just the best title ever ?
This recipe will go nicely with some sort of festive tea or coffee, and will pass nicely as a breakfast cake on Sunday morn with out an icing of course.
I made this last evening for the family, and it was taken with mostly wonderful reviews.
The cupcake had soft hints of spices, and the consistency was dense yet moist as ever.
My family loves a dense cake, being Italian and all.

Velvet Spice Cake, 

Have all ingredients at room temperature, Preheat the oven to 350˚ 
Grease and flour one 9 inch tube pan. 

Sift together: 
2 1/3 C flour 
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda 
1 tsp grated of ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon 
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt. 

In the bowl of a mixer beat until creamy 
1 /12 sticks unsalted butter
Gradually add and beat on high speed until light in color and creamy in texture, 2-4 minutes: 
1 1/2 C sugar 
Beat in one at a time three egg yolks. 
Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with 
3/4 C plus 2 Tbsp yogurt or buttermilk
Mix until incorporated batter will be a bit sticky: 

In a clean mixing bowl, with a clean whisk, 

beat three egg whites 
1/2 tsp cream of tartar 
until soft peaks form. 
Gradually add 1/4 C sugar in half tablespoon intervals. 
continue to beat until shiny and stiff peaks form, but the whites aren't dry. 
Add 1/4 of the egg whites to batter, fold in gently. then add the remaining amount folding Not beating. 
scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 35-40 minutes. 

The pictures aren't so wonderful, but I was rushing. just ignore the bad quality.
I used greek yogurt, and brown sugar, and added the rind of one orange, and a 1/2 C of pecans to the batter.
This recipe was delicious.
I hope you like it.

Autumn's Pleasures

  How can it be that autumn is so fully here, and I forgot to post about it ? 

Its strange to think that this time last year we had a thick layer of snow covering the earth. 

And this year it is so different, oh true the leaves have changed, and how wonderfully indeed to see the autumn colour's, but autumn seems to be a bit tardy. Autumn, not the cold. 

Though we have had some deliciously blustery days, it seems the rain is more adamant than the sun. And so we have more rain than those cold but sunny autumn days, the kind that give you all sorts of feelings, like running through the woods for no reason at all. And wearing those long shut away boots and pullover cardigans. The crisp air stinging ones cheeks, and the crunch of dry leaves underfoot. Ah, I do love autumn. 

                                                                      Though I'm not complaining about rain, I do love rainy days. 

perfect for that forgotten cup of tea, and that book you haven't cracked a page to read in ages. 

I have been spending my autumn, trying to be as creative as possible, Drawing, something I haven't done in ages, sewing, knitting something I want to be better at, and making goodies to put on my families Etsy site. I promise a post about that soon. 

So where does writing get placed amid all that creativity ? unfortunately on the back burner, and screaming THERE'S NOT ENOUGH HOURS IN THE DAY would be cliche´. Honestly I don't know how people are so creative with all the normal living to be done. But that's not what I started this post about, so I'll refrain from any further thoughts on this subject 

It seems August was in some kind of hurry, he wasn't very nice, and he wasn't very friendly. 

and October is shaping up to be quite the same as its predecessor. Oh well, I shall have to enjoy autumn in fast forward because soon enough it will be winter and that can seem to last forever. 

Cinnamon, apple cider, warm soups, lazy days spent under a large coverlet, pies, apples, apple pie, 

those distant waifs of some ember burning far away in the air, a harvest moon. 

These just skim the surface of why autumn is so enticing. 

I hope you are having a stupendous autumn,

 I would love to know what you love about autumn. 

Photo via pinterest 

Of A Lazy Wednesday Afternoon

Life seem to be constantly going, wither its housekeeping, meal making or any other unexpected chore that seems to be coming out of the woodwork lately. There are some times that are relatively peaceful, and might even be called "lazy" These are very rare mind you, but none the less today this afternoon has been just that for me. Out my window there is a million tiny flakes that are bent in delaying my dreams for spring, covering the ground in a white blanket, I'm having all sorts of wintery inclinations just because of the picture that is slowly building outside. I'm sipping a steaming cup of coffee as I write and all day have been having urges to shamelessly tromp through the snow with the ardor of a child. Ah its a sweet thought

but the days demands are building and I can feel my lazy afternoon coming to a rapid close. But still I linger just a but more day dreaming all sorts of things that would be wonderful to do whilst in the snow. 

 Of certain battles that would be most exciting to be apart of knights and horses all battling in the snow covered hills of times past winter fashions from the ancient days and the old countries. I would love to write all sorts of things about the winter fairies that used to play in my imagination when I was a child, their adventures ignited me to see winter differently as a child, always looking for the tiny creatures that made the snowflakes. I have been most fondly dreaming of a book, I haven't cracked the pages of a book in how long ? I cant say. I know this can't particularly be done outdoors in the falling snow but I know that to sit be a window and enjoy both would be wondrous. 

What are you doing with your afternoon ? I do hope its something you love.

                                                                                                                                 Photos via pinterest

Of Ice and Fairies and maybe even Spring

 Today was a cold, cold day.
  Ice glazed the windows in patterned designs, I couldn't help but imagine tiny fairies in there cozy winter garb drawing ice masterpieces over the windows throughout the night, what tiny fingers would make such intricate pictures, seeing it tempted me to draw some of my own altho I could not do as good a job as my dreamt of fairies. I also imagine two sisters seated at a window with precious thimbles in hand drawing designs on there icy canvas, as you can read I can't resist being thrilled by icy windows.

The sun did little good to warm the inhabitance of this day, here where I live. Mr sun were you warm all alone in your great big sky, or did colds icy fingers reach even you ?
Its a strange thing when all the world around you if frozen, the ground beneath my feet didn't make a sound the spindly fingers of the trees blew sharply in the icy wind taking my breath as its own,  I wonder if the cold branches dream of spring as they sleep. Ah spring I can easily dream of it on a day like today. babbling brooks, warm breezes, new life. Not that I don't like the cold, I do there's something cozy about it I think of all sorts of things but on a day like today, I must dream. though now its dark outside and I shall soon retire to bed I am sitting here thinking of the cold day, and of the beauty and something else I can't put into words. I must end this post but I hope all of you dear readers had a lovely day, and are enjoying your first week in the new year.
I must ask on long winter days do you dream of warmer weather ? or do you dream of fairies and ice and enjoy all this season has to offer, or do you do both ?