In the Kitchen

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IMG_3579
Apples. One of my all-time favorite fall foods. But want to know something a bit weird, I’m not an apple pie kind of gal. Instead, I like me an apple cake. While scouring Pinterest (my addiction) for inspiration for my sister’s 30th birthday dessert bar, I came across the below recipe. And aren’t I glad I did. The simplicity of this recipe coupled with the rave reviews have made this a staple in my fall recipe repertoire. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Apple Cake
– 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
– 1/4 tsp cinnamon
– 1/4 tsp salt
– 1/2 cup granulated sugar
– 1 3/4 sticks of butter (7/8 cups), melted
– 2 large eggs (room temperature)
– 1/2 cup plain yogurt (I use 2.5% greek yogurt)
– 2 apples (peeled, cored and thinly sliced) *I prefer Braeburn apples
– zest of 1 lemon
– 1/3 cup granulated sugar for topping

Yield – 1 8-inch cake

Directions
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Butter 8-inch circular cake pan.
2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle, beat the 1/2 cup of sugar with the melted butter until it has lightened.
4. Add in one egg at a time and combine completely.
5. Reduce the speed and add in flour and yogurt in alternate batches, beginning and ending with the flour.
6. Fold in by hand the apples and lemon zest and pour into 8-inch round cake pan.
7. Sprinkle over top the 1/3 cup of sugar.
8. Bake cake for 50-60 minutes, until tester comes out clean.
9. Let cool completely before devouring!

Fall Fashion

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Happy second day of fall! Is this your favorite time of year too? With each change of season, I have a good/bad little habit… I clean my closet. And this weekend I realized that I need to add a few new items to my fall mix and thus I created a little wish list.

– As I have confessed before, I just have a thing for a beautiful white top and this one is sheer perfection.
– Sadly, my fall clothing budget will not allow me to purchase a pair of black leather pants so am hoping these will do the trick!
– I love, love, LOVE cozy sweaters! This one and this one need to be mine.
– My army green pants have seen better days so I think it’s time to invest in a new pair.
– Every closet needs a Chanel inspired jacket.
– Hands down, the best tall boot on the market. I have them in brown and think the black need to make their way into my closet!
– And because really, who doesn’t need a new purse? This one will be lovely with my new “leather” pants.

What are you lusting after this fall? Do share.

To H

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Letter H
I realize I didn’t make a formal introduction of the sweet little girl I was wishing happy birthday to a few weeks back. Forgive me. Her name is Henrietta. She is my god-daughter; is blessed with two of the greatest people I know for parents; and is the big sister to sweet little A. I thought it might be fun to share with her some lessons I have learned along the way. The first… take notice!

*************************

My sweet H –

I simply can’t believe you turned three a few weeks ago. I still remember making the trip down to Collingswood to meet you when you were just a few weeks old. I knew instantly we had a special bond and I am so honored to call you my god-daughter.

First and foremost, I must say, I am writing these words simply as a point of reference for you. Now that I am in my thirties (not quite sure how this has happened) I realize that I wish I had been told similar things in my younger days. Not that I regret anything but I think points of view are always good to have and to hear. As your Mommy may have told you, I have been through quite a few changes these past few years. Last year, I decided to leave my steady life in Boston for Nantucket. I call it “my pause on life.” I wanted and needed some quite time to listen to that inner voice of mine (first lesson – listen to yours too) and you know what I have come to realize, the things I loved to do as a little girl are exactly what I am doing right now. Writing. It is something I did all the time as a child. Poems, short stories, our neighborhood paper. I loved to write. And somehow, along the way I lost that.

So my sweet H – my first lesson for you is this: take notice. If you find yourself doing something and loving every minute of it, maybe just maybe that is your calling.

Until next time, know that I think of you often and can’t wait to hear all about your vintage car birthday party this weekend. So sad to miss it.

Love you to the moon and back, my dear!
Auntie May

Remembrance

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The world changed that day. 12 years ago. I was just three weeks away from moving to Boston and so hopeful for that next chapter of my life to begin. I had spent the summer working at an island law firm in the hopes that it would help me land that big city job. I remember the first phone call that morning. Andy R. The high-intensity NY businessman who was not only selling an island home but purchasing one the next day. “A plane has crashed into the World Trade Center. I can see the smoke from New Jersey.” I hung up the phone confused. How could this be? I had been on the observation deck years earlier. I was told that on a clear day you could see the curvature of the earth.

We were unable to access the Internet at the time as the network was congested (hard to believe, I know). And then, the second call letting us know what was going on. An attack. Thinking about it now it is still difficult to comprehend the magnitude. My innocence was lost that day. But in the days that followed, my faith in human kind ignited. In the end, love will conquer all. We must love our neighbors, our partners, our friends, our adversaries and most of all, ourselves. Remember this!

I stumbled upon this poem earlier. The beauty of the written word is so powerful. Holding you all close to my heart this evening!

Bright blue September skies
Hold all of the promises of tomorrow
And all of the memories of the past
September has a language of its own
One that I am not sure I understand most years
Where fall means stand up and hurt means
Hold on and hold still and hold up
September brings clear night stars
Which invite me to swallow the failures of before
And the regret of unfinished and to taste the sweet
Big Dipper full of the human experience
All good and bad and ugly and utterly elusive
No matter how much it hurts
When the hydrangeas start to go by
It’s time to soothe my heart again
To empty it of the pain of loss
And to keep the good and feel in my soul
That we never forget love and it all stays
All of it, every last little coffee date or hand in hand
We get to keep it, and add to it
What a precious privilege that is,
To know beyond certainty
That all of the days of my life
No matter what
I am the one
Who gets to keep your love.

Source: http://darlingmagazine.org/blue-september/

An Education

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MHC
Mount Holyoke College. The oldest all-women’s college in the country. My alma mater. Gosh, I loved my time there. Hard to believe that today the Class of 2017 moved onto campus.

Last week, I came across an article listing out the “Top 5 Reasons to Consider a Women’s College“. So for all your young ladies out there considering your schools of choice (Kate, this may be for you), here is my “Top 5” list of reasons to consider MHC:

1. The people – I know I am quite biased, but the student population at Mount Holyoke is the creme de la creme. The women I shared the classroom with came from literally all corners of the globe and truly taught me just as my professors did. And the friendships I made, they have stood the test of time. My nearest and dearest are my sisters from MHC!

2. The campus – Consistently ranked one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, the grounds at Mount Holyoke are breathtaking. Walking around upper lake after a long day of studies always provided that little bit of reprieve I needed. The gates, the ivy-covered buildings, the dorms themselves (walk-in closets, why yes). I still get shivers down my spine driving up Rt. 116 and seeing the clock and the infamous gates.

3. The food – Milk and cookies, gracious meals, Tailgate Picnic… and that is without even crossing the hill to Amherst or the water to Northampton. Really, the happy valley is where it’s at. Seriously, though, if you chose MHC, you will be spoiled by the dining options. And no, I did not put on the “freshmen 15” thanks to the mandatory P.E. requirements!

4. The legacy – I was so proud to be the first in my family to graduate from college and walking across the stage in Kendall to receive my diploma (sadly it was raining so we didn’t graduate in the amphitheatre), was one of the best days of my life. But, the truly great thing is the recognition I have received over the past 10 years as a product of a women’s college. Our legacy is strong and deep and one that just gets better with age. And, returning back to campus for reunions and seeing the women who graduated before returning nearly 60 years later, it is overwhelming. A sisterhood like no other.

5. And of course, the education – Cause really, that is what college is all about. First and foremost, Mount Holyoke is part of the 5 College consortium, which means you can take classes at Hampshire, Smith, Amherst and UMass. A great value to pass along to your parents. In all seriousness, though, the time that my professors put into my studies was remarkable. Almost all were willing to meet with me at anytime to discuss a project, an assignment, that paper that I just couldn’t get started. And, the other really cool thing is that I connected with a handful outside of the classroom. Dinners at their homes, babysitting their little ones, it was a family. And one that at times, you need.

This quote pretty much sums up my feeling on why you should go to Mount Holyoke: “We need women who are so strong that they can be gentle, so educated that they can be humble, so fierce that they can be compassionate, so passionate that they can be rational, and so disciplined that they can be free. We need uncommon women. And here you are. And how deeply reassuring to me it is to know that wherever we go, there you will be.” Mount Holyoke is the meeting place of uncommon women. So, if you are uncommon, MHC is the place for you. Look forward to having you as a sister in the future!

Risk

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Be You
Well… this is a post I have wanted to write for sometime. As I revealed a few weeks ago, I was hurt back in 2006. A hurt I was certain I would never recover from. And then, as with all things, time healed the pain.

After the rebound relationship, and “the right one that became the wrong one” and the ever so tragic (re)connection with a college beau, I officially swore off dating. And naturally, that’s when it always happens. It was March 2011, Boston. I had just returned from a little jaunt to Parrot Cay in Turks and Caicos, where I made the decision to stay single. We of course know what happens next.

It was one of those first spring days in March, a Friday to be precise and the hope of a new season was in the air. My girlfriend, her husband and I made our way to the Liberty Hotel, a hot-spot in Boston at the time. I was ordering drinks for all of us and was trying to be the nice girl in a crowded bar so asked the gentlemen behind me if he needed a drink… a coke and rye his response. When I turned around with drink in hand, there he was. M.  I apologized for not getting him a drink and he told me not to be silly as he held up his cocktail. He commented on my smile and I joked and said “tell me something I don’t know.”

My friend and her husband had to leave as she had consumed a few too many cocktails and as I walked them outside, I realized I had to make a decision: to call it a night or walk back into the crowded bar by myself to a man I had just met. Looking back, there was no choice at all. I walked right on in. The next few hours went by in a flash. Talking, joking, laughing. It was so natural. At the end of the night (morning, really), we parted ways. He asked for my number, which I kindly declined to give as really he wasn’t going to call. But he pressed and I gave in. As I drove away, I was certain I would never hear from him again.

But I did. M… he surprised me. And so began our friendship. Two weeks later, he invited me north to Toronto. At first, I kindly declined the invitation. How could I get on a plane and travel across international borders for a boy I knew so little about? But as I mentioned in last week’s post, I am a romantic and thus followed my heart and said yes. I booked a flight, a room at the Drake Hotel and counted down the days till my first Canadian adventure.

And what a weekend it was. A trip to Niagara Falls, oysters, my first caesar, exploring a new city with a new friend… I was on cloud nine. And thus began our long distance courtship. Phone calls and emails, and texts, and IMs… it was all just so easy. I invited him back to my city for Memorial Day weekend. Enjoying a place you love with a person you care for… it doesn’t get much better. The familiar takes on new meaning. The food at Ten Tables was that much more amazing. The bench on Commonwealth that I spent so many nights on was different now as we had sat there together. And then the time came to say goodbye. Neither one of us were very good with these. I stood at the beginning of the security line at Logan, watching him pass through check-points, waiting for him to turn around and smile. When we spoke that night, he said “I wanted to turn around but knew if I did I would never leave.” My heart (and head) were falling and falling hard.

A few weeks later, it all changed. After a weekend in Montreal, he began to pull away and days later I got the phone call I knew was coming. He said he couldn’t do it anymore… that I deserved more than he was capable of giving. A cop-out. Perhaps. Words I have heard before, for sure. I have had such a hard time letting him go. After several months I had my moment of clarity. M was the first man who allowed me to be me. Who enjoyed being with me for just how I was in those moments. I was just me and for a time, that is all he needed.

I haven’t spoken to M in nearly 18 months. He says it’s too hard to hear from me. I think of him nearly every day. But he taught me a very valuable lesson and for that I am eternally grateful. And I know he has brought me one step closer to the one who will want to step up and give me everything I so greatly deserve as he too knows I will do the same for him. Risks are good and although you fail at times, a lesson is always learned. And what good is life if we aren’t learning and growing.

 

Movie Monday

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Before Midnight
I think I have said this before but I am a true romantic and thus a sucker for a beautiful love story. The Before Sunrise trilogy, which I was just recently introduced to, may just be my favorite. If you aren’t familiar with these movies, please allow me a brief introduction.

The first movie Before Sunrise premiered in 1995 and introduced the world to Jesse and Celine, an American boy and a French girl, who have a chance meeting on a train and decide to disembark in Vienna, unplanned of course, and spend an evening together exploring the city and their new friendship. The film ends with Jesse and Celine at the train station making a plan to visit each other in the same spot six months later. Will they meet again?

Fast forward to 2004, Before Sunset. Jesse is in Paris promoting his recent novel about an evening encounter that turns into love (a work of fiction, of course). Through the crowd at the Shakespearean Book Company, where the reading takes place, Jesse catches eyes with Celine. They spend the afternoon walking Paris, similar to their time in Vienna, discussing life and the years lost. We learn that Jesse did indeed travel to Vienna to meet Celine. They share stories of their current relationships, their jobs and the love they still share for each other. The film ends with Jesse and Celine at her apartment. Will Jesse leave and get on the plane back to his wife and son?

Nine years later, we get our answer. Before Midnight begins with Jesse and Celine together in Greece with their two beautiful girls. Did true love prevail? You will just have to watch these films to find out!

These films show us the poetry of everyday life… how the simple choices we make can change our lives forever. Would you get off the train to spend an afternoon with someone you just met? Would you fight for the one who got away? My answer is emphatically YES! I will share more of my own “before sunrise” story later this week but let me leave you with this beautiful thought… “You can never replace anyone because everyone is made of such beautiful, specific details.” Embrace the wrong ones that got away. Don’t try to forget them. They lead you to what really matters. And as a sweet lady told me last week, “Remember, Maybeth… it only take’s one.”