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Ode to Autumn Cake--Foodie Friday

I created this spice cake recipe as a little homage to the autumn season. It is very nicely spiced, and very easy to make.  The hint of lemon in the light frosting creates a lovely counterpoint to the spices. For variation, add chopped nuts and/or raisins to the cake batter. This cake would make a beautiful dessert for parties and holidays in autumn and winter.

Buttermilk Spice Cake with Creamy Lemon Frosting --makes one 8-inch cake, 8-10 servings

For the cake:

1/3 cup butter, melted
1 2/3 cups buttermilk
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cardamom

Creamy Lemon Frosting: 1/4 cup butter--softened, 3 ounces cream cheese--softened, 2 cups confectioner's sugar, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1-2 tablespoons milk or water, if needed to make frosting more easily spreadable

Walnut halves/large pieces--optional, for garnish

Pre-heat oven to 200*C/400*F, lightly butter and dust with flour an 8-inch cake pan.  Blend the butter and buttermilk.  Add the remaining ingredients, blend well.  Pour cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until cake tests done.  Cool cake on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes before turning the cake out of the pan to continue cooling on the rack. Once cake is cooled frost and decorate as desired.  For the Creamy Lemon Frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese until creamy.  Add the confectioner's sugar and lemon juice, adding a little milk or water if necessary, then spread on cooled cake.

November is the month of gratitude and Thanksgiving. Around blogland there are a lot of different and fun ways to join in daily on expressing one's gratitude.  I'd like to join in on them all!  But realistically, right now I can't post daily... But to share a little extra with all of you, join me here each Friday during November and I'll dish up a good recipe--Foodie Friday!  It's a busy time of year for many, and food a lovely way to come together and share in the busy days.

This weekend is Father's Day weekend here in Norway.  We'll be having Dear Husband's parents over for dinner.  It will be good to share our table, enjoy good food and catch up. 

With much cooking, cleaning and all sorts happening here, I may not be online much this weekend... So I will look forward to seeing you early next week.  Wishing all you dear family & friends a wonderful weekend ahead!  Eat, drink and be merry!  :o)

P.S. If you've not stopped by lately, all this week at my other place, A Certain Slant of Light, I've been posting photos...little autumnal tributes...

My Dearest Friend...Abigail and John Adams

"Love sweetens life..." --John Adams

My Dearest Friend--Letters of Abigail and John Adams is a portrait of a marriage and all life gathered in it. This is a beautiful book.  This collection of letters, such valuable letters, was written by two extraordinary people and concerning the times unique to American history.

Abigail and John Adams' words express, what is for us modern folk of 2009, an inspiring partnership between intellectual equals with a shared quest for love, life, happiness, purpose, faith, and national duty. From the fun and flirtatious courtship letters, to the contentment of early married life and growing family, their story takes shape.  The years flow by, many times with John away for very extended periods helping forge the new national independence and government.  The letters show how love is sustained and nurtured during such periods of separation--times of joy and sorrow, illness and war.  Their animated and engaging correspondence covers some of the most important early decades of America's emerging history, the very formative years. History as it happened they discussed.  Events, politics, people and social happenings as well, all mingle in the letters along with everyday matters and concerns, family life and their Massachusetts farm.  It is the story of America in her infancy, struggles and gains.  Most of all, in these letters, is one of the greatest love stories ever told.

"I dare not express to you at 300 miles distance how ardently I long for your return... Let me know when you think of returning to your most Affectionate -- Abigail Adams"

There is a "danger" in wanting to quote much from this book.  There are so many wonderful passages!  So many times I was struck while reading this book, as well as the John Adams biography I read last year--the power of their expression, the sheer amazement of the enormously  difficult times in which they lived, the tragedies they endured, those long absences apart from each other, and the personal sacrifices they made on behalf of their nation... so much shook me to the core.  I learned so much about the dynamics of an equal and intellectually stimulating marriage, about early American history, about human nature and love.  This will be a book to turn to again.  My dearest friends, if you get a chance to read this book, do.  Out of all the books I've been sharing  here throughout the year, this one receives the highest recommendation.

This book will be my last "classic" for this year.  I will, of course, be reading.  But I won't be writing on a specific book for the month of November.  Looking ahead in the calendar to the weeks ahead, with Christmas fast approaching, there may be less time for reading than usual. We will also be going to the USA in December to celebrate the holidays with my family there.  So there will be much to do before we travel in but six weeks time!

Still thinking about books and next year though... Would anyone be interested if I continue with writing each month about a select book? I don't think I'll focus solely on classics though, but mix it up a bit.  I will at least continue to feature current reading in the left hand sidebar, as well as what I'm listening to.  There too, I'll share more than just the classics in music.

And speaking of music... During the month of November Dear Husband and I will be listening to Rimsky-Korsakov!

What are you reading and/or listening to right now?

Thank you for stopping by to share a love of reading with me here, and much else!  Wishing you all a wonderful new week ahead!

Here... Now...

What's happening right now?

• Life is ABUNDANT! ... you know, that good kind of busy... :o)
  
• Admiring the autumn beauty while she's  here... The leaves are falling fast!
• Still smells like fresh paint around here... Soon finished (temporarily at least!) some home interior projects.
• But no painting this weekend... Pure fun is penned in on the calendar!
  
• Riding a huge creative wave... Blissing out on fabric, beads and other sparkling delights--more on that soon!
  
• Finishing my reading for this month. (See the sidebar--left.)  It is so good!  I will share impressions on the book next week.
• Creating a superb spice cake recipe... Will share soon... mmm... I promise it will be worth the wait...
  
• Trying to think Christmas... LOL!... Need to get organized, gifts made, jazz up my Etsy shop with a few more temptations...
  
• Happy that so many of you visit here so often and share such warm comments--thank you!
• I've not forgotten about that giveaway I mentioned a couple weeks ago... Dreaming up a gift...
• Just feeling sooo much LOVE !  

 What are you doing right now?  Wishing all you dear family and friends a weekend abundant with fun!  HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  :o)

P.S. More Mother Nature at my other place, A Certain Slant of Light.

Everyday Nirvana

"Happiness and love are just a choice away."-- Leo Buscaglia

The world at the end of my yoga mat... an everyday moment... a moment of nirvana...

Nirvana is a moment of pure clarity.  A moment of luminous consciousness.  In Buddhist teaching, nirvana is the ultimate state of being, where one is free of suffering and affliction.  I have experienced such moments, where I encounter supreme elation and joy.  I feel suspended in time, or rather out of time.  I step into an altogether different, wondrous plane.  A giant ...aaahhh... moment.

One day, at the tail end of last week, I experienced one of these magic moments, something I call everyday nirvana.  It happened somewhat unexpectedly, as such experiences often occur, and are meant to.  That way I appreciate them all the more.

These days I am learning to make friends with pain.  Recurring bouts of tendonitis and restricted mobility in the hip area (this is my fault entirely--too much sitting throughout the day for prolonged periods) has meant some serious physical discomfort to deal with for a while now.  I try to keep my yoga practice going and challenging in spite of the pain.  Small adjustments help, tweaking the practice each session to correspond with what's happening in my body and brain.  Each time on the mat is unique.  Last week I was experiencing quite a lot of physical pain.  Practice on the yoga mat was hard.  My concentration wavering. Lighting incense helped me to keep the focus, to breathe... My JOY touchstone a gentle reminder to be patient, be kind...

Instead of punishing myself mentally for not slowing down enough so the tendonitis flair ups weren't so frequent or so bad, and not to beat myself up for not practicing yoga twice a day so the hips were more flexible, I decided to try loving the pain.

To love something that is distressing, hurtful or annoying--be it a physical or mental discomfort--might seem impossible under some circumstances.  But surprising things can happen when we turn to love and compassion.  To experience and give love and compassion to others, we have to start at home--literally, with ourselves.  Love is a choice, a state of mind.  The mind can then transform the bodily experience.

Meanwhile... back on my yoga mat... Seated in a forward bend--trying to get the hips to release a little more...come on...you can do it!--I spied Charlie's cat toys nearby.  They looked almost like a little offering to the Buddha and my yoga practice.  SMILE.  Instantly the mood lightened.  LOVE brought me back to center.  I was graced with a flood of warm inner light.  JOY!  I decided to love my hips, and give them the thought that maybe one day they will glide more smoothly into forward bends and angles.  I decided to love my hands and wrists in spite of the tendonitis and try to be kinder to them.  I even decided to love my feet--especially this big toe with the trace of a scratch across it still--my feet which I consider one of my "ugly" features... But that's a whole other story!  LOVE in motion every moment of the day--that is my motto and my aim.  Even if that comes with somewhat limited physical motion sometimes!

We all experience pain--physical or mental.  Try love as a remedy next time you are hurting.  I hope you will cope better.  If you need a little extra help, try cat toys for some smiles.  And I wish that some everyday nirvana will JOY your world.

LOVE and JOY to you all, my dear family & friends.  :o)

P.S. For a moment of serenity, stop by my other place, A Certain Slant of Light.