Sunday 29 March 2015

Rhubarb, strawberry and rose sorbet recipe

A delicious and refreshing recipe for rhubarb and strawberry sorbet with a hint of rose

Rhubarb, strawberry and rose sorbet
Stunning: rhubarb, strawberry and rose sorbet 

SERVES
8
INGREDIENTS
600g rhubarb
400g strawberries
450 ml stock syrup (see below)
Juice of I lemon
I tbsp rosewater
METHOD
To make 600ml stock syrup, put 375ml water with 260 g white sugar and 115 g liquid glucos in a heavy bottomed pan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, then leave to cool. Store the syrup in the fridge where it will keep for several weeks.
Put the rhubarb and strawberries in a large pan with the stock syrup, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 3-4minutes, until cooked. Pass through a fine sieve, discarding all but 1 tablespoon of the strawberry seeds.
Stir in the lemon juice and rosewater, adding more to taste if needed. Chill thoroughly then churn in an ice cream maker or pour into a shallow container & freeze, breaking up the ice crystals regularly.

Tolstoy’s Macaroni and Cheese and Other Recipes from Classic Authors

It’s not unusual to find a contemporary author that includes recipes within a book’s pages (see Sarah McCoy’s The Baker’s Daughteror to even publish an entire cookbook (see Patricia Cornwell’s Food to Die For). Authors share recipes and food photos via social media. We see how food affects their writing, and we pick up some great tips for the kitchen or restaurant recommendations.

This is just one of the many ways that we connect with authors today that just wasn’t an option before. It’s a good thing, then, that we have access to the letters and journals and recipe cards of the great authors – like this recipe from Leo Tolstoy for Mac ‘N Cheese (via the fine folks at Open Culture).
When I saw that link reposted over the holidays, it got me wondering what other great recipes I could find out there from some of our favorite authors.  Take a look:
dj-dickinson-jumbo_custom-a6b077c720ef0ca346c544cfad112ed2f8970767-s800-c85
Emily Dickinson’s recipe for coconut cake (via NPR)
borsht
Allen Ginsberg’s Summer Borscht (via The Allen Ginsberg Project)
Beatrix Potter's Gingerbread
Beatrix Potter’s recipe for Gingerbread (via The Kitchn)
Hemingway's Hamburger
Ernest Hemingway’s Wild West Hamburger (via Saveur)
There’s also  Sylvia Plath’s Tomato Soup Cake (via The Guardian) and George Orwell’s unpublished essay on British Cookery, including recipes for a Christmas Pudding, Treacle Tart, and other British delicacies (via UCL Library Special Collections).
On my little trip down this particular literary rabbit hole, I also discovered a super-cool blog called Paper & Salt that “attempts to recreate and reinterpret the dishes that iconic authors discuss in their letters, diaries, essays, and fiction.” It’s definitely worth checking out.

I Miss You Today.

Via Kelly Smithon Jan 28, 2015

Erin Stoodley/Flickr

You are the first thing on my mind as I wake up this morning.

You have not been on my mind or in my heart for a long time now, but today, lying in the bed we once shared, I wish your legs were intertwined with mine; your feet on top of my feet, your knees bent towards me, feeling the warmth of your skin on mine.
I lay on the side of the bed that was once yours and with my eyes closed, I can feel your arms around me, holding me close as your morning body heavily settles against mine. Your face snuggles into my neck and the sigh you give every morning comes alive in my memory.
Barely awake, I feel you squeeze me, making me feel safe and protected in our home, our bedroom and in your arms.
I miss you today.
Standing alone in the kitchen I suddenly crave breakfast food. I think back to the Sundays we would throw on whatever clothes happened to be closest to us and get in the car, headed toward breakfast tacos.
We would call your parents from the car and make funny faces as they went on and on about the latest family gossip. Sometimes we would sit in silence and other times I would talk and talk about nothing in particular, but you would smile… because we were together and we were happy just being close to each other.
I miss you today.
Outside the air is perfect, the sky above is blue with scattered clouds and there is a slight breeze against my face as I walk to the car. It makes me miss your hands; their smoothness, the security they represented, and the way one would always grope around from the drivers seat until it was safely entwined with mine.
I loved the way you would grab onto me as if you were afraid of losing me.
I miss you today.
I drive past places we used to go together and begin thinking of things we could do if you were here. Instead of being in the car, I’d still be in bed. We’d be sleeping in without a care in the world. Our bodies would be close. Your heartbeat would vibrate against my face as I’d lay my head on your bare chest.
When we’d get hungry enough to pry ourselves out of bed, we’d make a fatty, delicious breakfast in the kitchen. Together.
If feeling energetic, we would visit open houses and plan our future as we toured each one.
Or we would just lay on the couch and watch a game. Your head would be in my lap as I’d move my hands through your rich black hair until you close your eyes with satisfaction. I would feel you adjust your body as you’d indicate where you’d like to be massaged next.
We would settle into each other without a worry or a care, because we’d know, no matter what, that we would always be together.
I miss you today.
But today you have a new life. You have a new Sunday routine with someone else. Maybe it’s better. Maybe it’s not. It’s just no longer with me.
Maybe you miss me at times. Maybe you want to wake up with me at times. Instead we have gone our separate ways. Instead we found that we did not work well together.
Today I miss you, but I also feel hopeful; hopeful that soon I will have a new Sunday routine with a man who I can feel both happy and comfortable with. Maybe he will help me forget about you. Maybe there will be days just like today when I will wish I were still waking up with you, embraced by love we once shared.
As for now, we’re finding our own path without each other.
And with each new day that passes, I think of you less and less.
But today, I miss you.

Saturday 28 March 2015

Remember Who you Really Are.

Via Alexa Torontowon Jan 4, 2015
Contemplation

You are not what you do. You are not what you don’t do.

You are not the job title. You are not a labeled societal sub group.
You are not your personality;
You are not a happy person, a depressed person or an angry person.
You are not a definition of your own qualities.

Who are you? 
You are not who your mother says you are.
You are not who your best friend says you are.
You are not your own descriptions of yourself.

Drop all the labels, titles, designations, descriptions, accomplishments and even failures.

Below the labels, beneath the layers, on the most subtle level…

What do you feel?
What is left?
What is there?

Who are you?

If you are not what you do,
If you are not what other say you are,
If you are not a set of descriptions,
Who are you?
Lets move a little deeper.

You are not defined or confined by the limits of your physical body.
You are not your beating your heart, you are not your breath.
You are not your mind, emotions or thoughts.
If you are not all these “things”…
Who are you?
A better question may be not who are you, but what are you?

Take a deep breath into every cell of your being. As you exhale release all the labels, all the descriptors, titles, both other and self created. Bask in this space.
What are you?
Close your eyes and feel your way to it. Don’t define it, don’t put it into words, but feel it completely.
Do you feel a sense of spaciousness, of limitlessness, of infinite potential?
If you are not all or any of these things, if you can not be defined or put into words, but only felt.
What are you?
Remember who, or better yet, what you really are.
Remember your potential, remember your limitless possibility.
Remember that you can not be defined, by self or other.
Remember what you are, where you come from and why you’re here.
Remember your knowingness, your awareness, remember your truth.
What are you?

You are the awareness of all these things.
You are embedded deep within yet extend far beyond.
You are the driving force of all these things.
You are both the wave and the ocean.
You are both the dance and the dancer.
You are both the creator and the container.
You are me as I am you.


The Greatest Bob Marley Quote, Ever.

Via on Feb 6, 2015

bob marley

There are some things I read that cause me to kick myself in the shin, say, “Dang, I wish I wrote that,” and then give up writing forever.

This quote is one of them:
“The biggest coward of a man is to awaken the love of a woman with no intention of loving her.” ~ Bob Marley.
Dear Bob Marley,

Friday 27 March 2015

55 Rules For Love.

Via on Nov 13, 2014
bathe together

Rules for love.

1. When it arrives, cherish it.

2. Whatever you accept, you will get

3. Understand that love is a mirror—it will show us who we are if we allow it to.

4. Only we can make ourselves happy, it is not the other person’s responsibility.

5. Don’t say words with the intent to hurt.

6. Accept and forgive easily.

7. Don’t be scared to disagree, it is healthy.

8. Never be too busy for each other.

9. Do not punish.

10. Accept honest criticism, it is good for us.

11. Admit when you are wrong, quickly.

12. Support each other when the going gets tough.

13. Live in the moment—be present.

14. Leave the past where it belongs.

15. Leave drama out of it.

16. Don’t try to control.

17. Allow a small amount of jealousy.

18. Don’t use comparisons.

19. Celebrate differences.

20. Communicate openly and honestly.

21. Listen very carefully.

22. Don’t judge.

23. Don’t manipulate to get results.

24. Learn and grow.

25. Don’t try to change each other.

26. Don’t condemn each other’s family and friends.

27. Lines, flaws and imperfections are beautiful.

28. Trust your instincts, but don’t be paranoid.

29. Don’t compromise your morals and values and don’t expect them to either.

30. Instead of power, aim for balance.

31. Space is needed to breathe and to grow.

32. Accept that you are both unique—never compare.

33. Have fun, laugh and play—a lot.

34. Be each other’s best friend.

35. Don’t play mind games.

36. Do not carelessly throw away love.

37. Don’t waste energy with negative thoughts.

38. Compliment often.

39. Discover each other.
40. Be attentive and understand what’s not said.

41. Do at least one romantic and thoughtful thing every day.

42. Take picnics and sleep under the stars.

43. Don’t just speak about it, show love.

44. Walk together, cook together, bathe together, read together.

45. Do not be afraid, love requires surrender.

46. Be loyal and faithful.

47. Trust.

48. Be grateful.

49. Fluidity is good, accept change.

50. Don’t sleep on a fight.

51. Don’t cling to it, know when to let go.

52. Discover what turns you both on and explore it.

53. Make love, but also f*ck (regularly).

54. Give and receive without measure.

55. Never gamble with what you can’t afford to lose.


“You know you’re in love
when you can’t fall asleep
because reality is finally
better than your dreams.”


Thursday 26 March 2015

“It is sometimes an appropriate
response to reality to go insane.”
~ Philip K. Dick
‪#‎lifeandpoetry‬