Walking On Sunshine

 

I pull the shades to the morning sky. The sun has not yet peaked from behind the Alps. Mountains like a fortress encasing this little French ski town. I brush my teeth, wash my face.  My clothes laid out the night before. Ski socks, long-underwear, turtleneck, ski pants and jacket all decided. I grab my boots, skis and poles and head to the elevator, down to the main floor.  A man brings out fresh rolls, croissants, fruit and arranges them on the counter in breakfast room. The coffee is strong, bitter, delicious, awakening me, warming me. I sit at a table by the window overlooking the Arve river below. The aquamarine waters from the glacial torrent rush by. Glaciers melting above town have supplied this river and its beautiful hue. I am so happy to be back here, ready to ski the Vallee Blanche. I eat my toast with jam and sliced bananas…comforting fuel for a rigorous day with my guide. Soon I’ll be wearing a harness and crampons to hike with my equipment down the face of the mountain covered in loose snow, exposed…and then ski untracked powder for miles. I have come here to test myself, to leave all my worries behind, for a day.  Just to be me, on a mountain with no other cares. Maybe I’ll ride through town after on the horse drawn sleigh driven by the old man with his furry horse at full gallop singing Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves.

Fall

 Nothing Gold Can Stay 

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

~Robert Frost

Apfel

 

Don't still under the apple tree with anyone else but me...

Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and being alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You have to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes too near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself that you tasted as many as you could. ~ Louise Erdrich

Fall

See those threes turning gold in the hills..

LOVE

I used to send this flower to you on your birthday...and on Mother's Day. 

Miss you, Mom. 

Banana Bread Perfection

 

I perfected my banana bread recipe.  I’m pretty psyched about it. It’s a recipe I ad-libbed from the banana bread I had last summer in Maine. A gorgeous banana bread topped with a unique poppy seed streusel that made my heart sing. Well, kind of…it was of course (like most bakery banana breads) made with too much oil and/or butter…too rich.  But, the components were there…they just needed to be modified. And so I modified…and now, I’ve got it.  And I love it. It has just the right amount of whole grains, just enough to add a nutty depth…but not to weighed down with full whole wheat flour.  It’s a perfect mix of white whole wheat flour, whole grain oats and all purpose flour…keeping it light with a sense of heartiness. And there is very little added oil…just enough to make sure all the ingredients combine, integrate and, most importantly, fully cook.  Applesauce is my secret weapon. It keeps the bread moist and happy without adding extra fat from oil. Some chia seeds are tossed in for a playful pop on the palate…and then the streusel. Yummmmm…. Brown sugar, butter…yes melted butter…real butter for flavor and decadence… just a tablespoon or two combined with cinnamon, nutmeg, oats and a little flour…and a huge dose of crunchy umami poppy seeds.  Spread all over the top for the best banana bread ever. Baked for 55 minutes…to golden brown perfection. It's your lucky morning...you don’t have to wait in that crazy line that inevitably forms at the super popular bakery/coffee shop with its hipster/instagram following. Not sure why they don't don’t open until 8am, because by then the line is down the street and everyone is already hangry. And, they might even give you the heal...And still charge you $4 for the slice. My recipe saves you so much stress. Namaste. 

Why do you suffer?

Remind me next time @ the unfair amount of (rocky!!) climbing to be had before you get to the long sweeping super fun downhill. Because it may or may not be worth it for the drug that keeps you coming back for more.