Green and Yellow . . .

Yesterday, while driving, my daughter was chatter-boxing her way

 through her wishes to have a dress for each season.

"Like the little girl in the orange book . . ." 

It took me a minute to realize she meant The Sun Egg, by Elsa Beskow . . .

  (one of the best children's books ever I might add) . . .

 "That she has a dress for every season, it would be so fun . . . "

 I held my tongue over the fact she has numerous dresses for every season. 

I am assuming she was fantasizing (I often did as a child) of the simplicity ~ 

One dress for each season, nothing more. I was quite enchanted by simplicity. 

I never gave up dolls or clothes to only have one, but I found the notion quite romantic.

Anyway, she then proceeded to describe the colors of each dress. 

" Should spring be green and yellow? I think spring should be green and yellow." 

She later changed it to pink and purple, but green and yellow stuck with me.

Tonight while preparing dinner I realized how bright the yellow-orange 

of the egg yolks were, and how green the fresh picked kale was . . . 

Yellow and green, such a springtime meal. 

My daughter was right, spring really is filled with yellow and green.

Yellow chicks ~ Green grass

Yellow flowers ~ Green stems

Yellow dress ~ Green meadow

                                                                                Copyright Marica Thompson 2012

Can you think of anymore?

Happy yellow and green springtime ~ Marica

Fast and Easy Almond Paste

I love almond paste. I've seen marzipan sold in packaging, but it was always way to sweet and not so tasty.

 A while back I was messing around with making croissants and wanted to somehow make them almond filled.

I threw some almond meal, agave and lemon juice together. It worked and was quite good. 

 Then a couple of evenings ago I was intensely craving almond croissants. I made them, but this time, instead of lemon juice I used vanilla. That was the trick, The paste was absolutely perfect. 

 I don't have exact measurements for you, but it is best if you do it by feel anyway.

Combine desired amount of almond meal with agave until is becomes sticky and holds together. 

Add roughly one teaspoon of vanilla for every cup and a half of almond meal. 

Be sure not to eat it all while you test it, that could be a problem. 

                                               Best wishes ~ Marica

Brugmansia from cuttings . . .

I am so excited . . . A few weeks ago I cut a small trimming from one of our Brugmansia bushes 

and set it in water with the hopes of it growing into its own tall plant someday. Some plants 

have this amazing ability, others don't. Because Brugmansia have such thick watery stems, I thought 

they might be good candidates. Most succulents are really easy to pluck and replant, Brugmansia have a

 similar thick outer skin and wet inner stalk. After the first few days the big leaves wilted so I cut those

 off, but the younger leaves continued to thrive. Then just yesterday, I pulled the stem out of 

the water and there they were . . . Little white roots . . . 

I love Brugmansia, although they are poisonous, 

they remind me of all the magical Alice in Wonderland like gardens . . . 

 And now that we live in town where it doesn't get so cold, I really wanted to grown them.

 It's truly amazing that it's possible to divide and create whole new plants just from cuttings.
My husband and I are constantly plucking bits of our succulents and transplanting
 them to new locations.

So  anyway, I settled the new Brugmansia baby in soil, set it out in yesterday's rain,
and am crossing my fingers it likes its new home. 

 Then I went and cut a new stem, and am starting the process all over again . . .

                             ~ Marica

P.S. I originally published this post with the name Datura instead of Brugmansia. I guess there is a 

subtle difference. Datura are basically annuals although some varieties have perennial root stalk.

 Brugmansia are perennials. Brugmansia are commonly known as Angel's Trumpets where as 

Datura has been called Devil's Trumpets or Devil's Weed. I found this old gardeners saying:

 “Angel’s Trumpets point down from heaven; Devil’s Trumpets point up from Hell”

Thank you Rosemary, for pointing this out : ) 

What a long skirt can do . . .

Today we got another good rain . . .

Everything, including us, have been soaking it up . . . The kids ran outside to feel the pour and played "lost children", which is always amusing to me because I used to play that same game when I was a kid.

The new bean sprouts doubled in the wetness . . .

And our first potato plant emerged. Thank you clouds . . . 

Yesterday I wore a long skirt and my wide brimmed hat.

 I spent a fair amount of the morning out in the tea garden . . . 

With a shovel . . .

The clouds were silver tipped and hovering in the corners of the sky.

 I weeded and hung laundry as the still wet grass made the edges of my skirt damp. 

I checked new sprouts and the young lawn. And just when I felt it couldn't possibly 

feel anymore storybook, the rabbits in our hutch began to bound around together. "I feel like Beatrix Potter" I thought . . . And then "I'm nuts!!" At what point am I going to stop feeling like characters from books I read? I used to be Sara Crew from A Little Princess (a book I read nine times over as a kid). And of course, Laura Ingalls from all the Little House on the Prairie books. I loved it. 

But now??? Am I still supposed to have that happen? 

Dare I ask if anyone else still slips into moments where all the stored up inspiration from 

truly amazing characters filters in and adds color and intention to something so simple as, 

lets say, making soup??? Hmm, I bet I am not the only one . . .

                                                      Cheers to spring time ~ Marica

Raw Coconut Cake Recipe . . .

Last post I gushed about food . . . 

This post contains the recipe for the cake mentioned

 at the end of that somewhat overly enthusiastic ditty. 

I believe I will continue to try to perfect it, 

but after a slice of this cake today, I enjoyed it so much

 I decided to temporarily call it finished.

This recipe is actually pretty simple, although somewhat messy to make. 

Unfortunately you have to have the right ingredients and most of 

them don't tend to be typical pantry staples. 

Raw Coconut Cake

For the filling blend in a blender until smooth:

2 fresh baby coconuts water and pulp

Add:

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup coconut oil or butter (butter is so yummy)

1/2 cup soft dates, pitted and peeled

4 tablespoons soy lecithin 

pinch salt

For the crust knead together: 

1/2 cup soft dates

2 cups raw almond meal

2 cups dry shredded coconut

1 tablespoon (more or less to taste) fresh ginger crushed 

a dash salt

zest of 1 orange

And a bit of coconut oil or butter until the dough is shape-able. 

Press into a wax paper lined 8-9"cake pan.

Be sure to make the crust go up the sides a bit.

Pour filling into the crust and then refrigerate at least several hours.

Overnight is best. 

                                                Best Wishes ~ Marica

I think I'm in love with food . . .

Can you be in love with food?

Is it possible to actually feel so enamored with what is made in the kitchen

 that it makes you tingly and breathless . . .

Simple stuff like rolled dough and  jars of flour . . . 

 Pretty things like thumb print cookies . . . 

 Made with almond-butter . . . 

 And strawberry jam . . .

 Ice tea in pitchers and Yerba Mate in tea pots with ginger . . .

 Cinnamon-rolls  . . . 

 That become part of late brunch . . .

Raw coconut cake . . .

That I am practicing until I get it just right . . .

I realized I can't stop in the kitchen. 

Dinner every night can be a burden and certainly not magical,

yet on a whole I find food compelling . . .

I probably don't eat half of what I make. It is not, in fact, about the eating . . . 

Although I do a whole lot of that too . . . 

It is about the preparation,

 the concocting,  

the smelling, 

the feeling, 

the tasting . . .

the adjusting . . . 

 It is about the colors and the compilation.

The completion . . .

All that makes me in love. I don't know what else to call it.

                       ~ Marica

Red with black spots . . .

I caught a ladybug . . . 

Not in my hands but with my lens . . .

He was a stowaway in the chard . . .

 And was the crawliest thing I had seen in a long time.

                                                                                       ~ Marica

In the kitchen over the last few days . . . And a beginning baker . . .

A lot has been happening in our kitchen over the last few days . . .

Bread  . . .

And jam . . . 

Cake . . . 

And well, more bread . . .
But the exciting part of what's happened in our kitchen over the last few days was this:
This eight-year-old girl here made her first loaf of bread and baked her first cake . . .

This wasn't her just stirring and pouring and tasting the spoon . . .
This was the real thing . . . The real start to finish deal!

And I have to say, it is a little like passing on the torch . . .  Not to get sentimental or anything . . .  

THIS CAKE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl mix:

5 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup sugar

3/4 cups safflower or grapeseed oil

Zest and juice from 1 orange

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch salt

3 cups unbleached white flour

(she used spelt)

3 teaspoons baking powder

(although I want to remake it with just 2 + 1/2)

Pour into an oiled budnt pan and bake at 350 degrees

 until a knife inserted comes our clean.

I am guessing 35 minutes, but we didn't actually time it. (Sorry)

Once cool enough, turn out onto a plate. She drizzed the top with our

fresh strawberry jam . . . And it was delicious!!!

                                                             To all the bakers out there, cheers . . .  ~ Marica

To the snow, to the snow . . .

When you're a California baby, snow is a mystical bit that makes its way

 through stories and Christmas illustrations . . .

 You might be five or even ten before you witness snow . . .

 And if you do encounter this wondrous white powdery ice, it is likely 

you drove a fair distance to get there . . .

Today, after heavy rain last night, we woke up to find snow atop 

the mountains that surround our valley.

We decided to take the mountains up on this invitation and drove the windy highway hoping 

to get close enough to actually play in the snow . . .

And we found it!!!!

Not too too much, but enough . . .

Enough to make snow balls . . .

And a tiny little snowman . . .

Our boots got covered in mud . . .

 And snowflakes dashed in our faces  . . . 

Mittens got soggy . . . 

And it looked like winter . . .

What a perfect afternoon . . .

                                                                                  ~ Marica