Sunday, February 10, 2013

Three Negronis Later

And I am writing, I should have written before drinking, but I'm sure it matters not one whit. Now or later it's going to feel the same.

Our little doggie BeBe is quite ill, we finally took her to the emergency clinic in Chico today. Two nights and days of being poopy and sick. Pancreatitis is back and apparently what miniature schnauzers get quite often via DNA about 30% of them get ill.

BeBe and Natalie
What is a wake up call for me is I miss her so much today, she lays in her bed near my computer and art table, she snores, she doesn't care that I am creating or making money on the stock market. She grounds me.

She, I bought a few months after my Father's passing, I needed someone, something that I could cuddle, hug, talk to without judgement of any sort, very selfish. But this is what my Father gave me throughout my life. Never judge me, never imposed his ideals or thoughts on me, and expected me to live his type of life, and we were so different.

He was the most loving man for his wife, his family, and yes most importantly to me. William Blackwood Lawther, you won't read about him in history books or anywhere. But he was important. He would be gone for months down to Bletchley, England. He was stationed in Sierra Leone during WWII (I always wondered why Africa?) He was the last man left on the outer islands in Scotland after WWII and thought they (government) had forgotten about him. He was special in more ways than one. He kept secrets, he held those important to him close, he cared in what was a simple way, but complicated.

So back to why I am writing this note, BeBe was bought because I needed her to help me with the passing of my Father. Today she is in the hospital, and very ill. I am back to 2004 when I didn't deal with my Father's passing, I need to deal with life in a different way I need to hold memories dear and not fall apart.

I've dealt with death before, the passing of my Daughter Kimberlie at a very tender and young age (but I was immature in age and mind, I didn't grasp fully the loss) I dealt with my Mother's passing but I had my Dad to lean on. I leant on BeBe I now need to lean on myself, and grow emotionally.

Or else!!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

It's cold, I mean really cold

Fire Pit is chilly
Managed to survive the norovirus and live, and managed to catch it again. Had to take my husband to the hospital for some out patient surgery last Friday and lo and behold, I have succumbed to the stuff again. Be gone virus!!!

Seems as though loads of folk are getting queasy, so I'm not alone although this is the first time I have had a stomach virus.

I broke ice on the pond this morning so that the birds could get to some water, and I also chopped veggies, apples and other miscellaneous titbits for them. The ground is extremely hard and I am sure the birds are not used to this weather any more than I am. A killing frost!!

Frozen cloche
Several weeks ago I managed to paint a painting that became a gift to Jeff Forsdick, my sister's lovely partner in crime and life. Jeff lives around the 8000' level in the middle of no where, well I suppose that's relative, it's quite isolated. Any way, we stayed with Jeff and Agnes in October along with another visitor. Jeff's place is wonderful, in fact pygmy bunnies live around his home, they are quite endangered, and was also another inspiration for a painting of bunnies and snow. So I finished the moose and the pygmy, and then thought about England, and my Dad which of course means Bluebells and his passing in May.  Which could have made me really low but then my sister at Christmas time went snow shoeing with Jeff looking for fox under the full moon at the Green River, and I thought I'd do a fox in bluebells.

All of this of course is making staying indoors less boring, which is good, but I must admit I can hardly wait for it to warm up to around 50 degrees so that I can go outside again and keep my blood flowing and my fingers don't turn white from the cold.

There's a wee moose loose in the hoose
Incognito

Bluebells & Fox




Thursday, January 10, 2013

Gluten Free Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Lavender & Honey Glaze

1 tablespoon butter
1 package GF Betty Crocker Yellow Sponge Cake Mix
2 tablespoons of GF flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup coconut sugar
Zest of one whole lemon
1/2 cup local extra virgin olive oil
⅔ cup lactose free milk
1 tablespoon lemon extract or liqueur
¾ cup honey
3 sprigs lavender


Preheat oven to 325°. Grease an 11-cup bundt pan with butter and dust with 2 tablespoons GF flour. Set prepared pan aside. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat eggs and sugar together until pale yellow, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 3 cups flour, lemon zest, oil, milk, and extract and stir with a wooden spoon or electric mixer (that's what I used) until well combined. Spoon batter into bundt pan, and smooth out top with the back of the spoon.


Bake until cake is deep golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 minutes (I live at 2000' so additional time is needed to bake, adjust for elevation). Transfer cake to a wire rack to let cool completely in its pan.

Meanwhile heat the honey and lavender sprigs in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for about 7 minutes. Remove from heat, remove lavender sprigs, and once the cake is cool, remove from pan and drizzle the honey over the top of the cake.

Golden Brown cooling down

Honey and Lavender glaze

This cake was delicious, even my husband gobble this down, didn't taste like a gluten free cake at all. I kept covered out on the kitchen counter top and it held well for three days, all gone after that.


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Original recipe from Edible Shasta & Butte County, California
Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Lavender & Honey Glaze
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups plus
2 tablespoons flour
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
Zest of one whole lemon
¾ cup local extra virgin olive oil
⅔ cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon extract or liqueur
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ cup local honey
3 sprigs lavender

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease an 11-cup bundt pan with butter
and dust with 2 tablespoons flour. Set prepared pan aside.
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat eggs and sugar together until pale yellow,
about 1 minute. Add remaining 3 cups flour, lemon zest, oil, milk, and extract and stir with a
wooden spoon until well combined. Add baking powder and stir until thoroughly combined.
Spoon batter into bundt pan, and smooth out top with the back of the spoon.
Bake until cake is deep golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean,
about 40 minutes. Transfer cake to a wire rack to let cool completely in its pan.
Meanwhile heat the honey and lavender sprigs in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for
about 7 minutes.
Remove from heat, remove lavender sprigs, and once the cake is cool, remove from pan and drizzle the
honey over the top of the cake.