Sorry for not being around for the last week or so…I’ve been relaxing by the fire and reading a really great book. I also spent a day hand crafting ornaments out of foraged items from around the farm…they are really beautiful! I found all the stuff to make the ornaments on my daily snowshoe around neighboring farms…it’s just a beautiful way to spend your days in December!Ya. Okay. In my next life.
Meanwhile, in THIS life, I am doing everything that you are all doing…scrambling for a parking spot within a few miles of the mall (usually just as the mall is closing); finding random weeknights to have people over (not for an elaborate meal but for some wine and cheese that I find in the fridge); spot cleaning the house because there just isn’t time to do a decent job; throwing together very uncreative weeknight dinners for our family (that has grown over the past week because my kids are back from university); putting up decorations, not in a relaxed fashion with a hot chocolate in hand – but rather, in bits and pieces as I find boxes that weren’t put back in the right place after last Christmas; making “to-do” lists but not really crossing anything off.
Sound familiar?
Not a pretty picture, huh? None of us should feel guilty about not making this season as picture perfect as you think it should be. It’s easy to feel discouraged when things don’t get done…but just remember, nobody’s perfect and behind every “Martha” house is a lot of stress (and probably a lot more wine!).
That being said, let’s make the most of this holiday season.
Don’t fret about perfection…most people feel better when it’s not perfect (it makes us all feel so much more “normal”). So, tonight, when you’re cleaning your dinner dishes, throw this cake in the oven. It takes about 12 minutes to put together and smells absolutely heavenly. The best part is that it can be cut into squares and frozen for company later (just re-heat it and whip of the bananas foster to serve with it…you can even use frozen bananas that you threw in the freezer for banana bread).
Now, you have to excuse me while I go find my ladder (that I have misplaced…who misplaces a ladder anyways?) because I have to decorate my tree that has been in it’s stand for a week and a half.
It’s looks pretty – all naked and everything. ‘Cause really, decorations would just ruin it.
Right??
🙂
Ingredients:
Cake:
2 c flour
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 c molasses
1/4 c corn syrup
1 1/3 c butter
1/2 c brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 c milk
For topping:
1 c unsalted butter
1 1/2 brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c rum
6-8 bananas, sliced
November 13, 2014
I’m stalking your website tonight!!!! I think I’m going to make this gingerbread cake with the apples to go along with the other phyllo cup/custard/ berries dessert! What would be the best apples to use for this recipe? Cortlands or honey Crisp? Would Macintosh work? I know those get very soft when baking?
November 13, 2014
I’m so glad Tracy!! If you would like the apple to keep their shape but get soft, use an apple like Cortland or Gala (or, the trusted old Granny Smith is always a go to because it is always available!). IF you like them mushy, use Macintosh (but I wouldn’t suggest that!).
Let me know how it turns out!!