Forsythia…
for bursting buds,
for warm sunshine,
for bright blue skies,
for puffy clouds,
for greener grass,
for gentle breeze,
for birds singing,
for longer days,
for Easter’s near.
First signs of Spring.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Photography
More AND Less
Thoughts at dusk while riding home from a celebration of life service for a young girl whose life was cut short much too soon…
More presence –
Less distraction.
More compassion –
Less indifference.
More generosity –
Less accumulation.
More tolerance –
Less narrow-mindedness.
More kindness –
Less cruelty.
More love –
Less hate.
Cherish the moments!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
First Day of Spring
Today is the first day of Spring!
Spring always brings with it such energy,
such hope,
the possibility of renewal.
We are awaiting our first McHendy grandchild (my BF’s daughter is due any moment).
I am also mourning the tragic loss of a grandchild to other very good friends.
Life is so precious.
So fragile.
Cherish the moments.
Hugs,
Jodi
Choose Flowers!
Your mind is a garden.
Your thoughts are seeds.
You can grow flowers,
or you can grow weeds.
– paraphrase from William Wordsworth
Choose flowers!
Cherish the moments.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Charlie and the Girls Next Door
A new girl moved in next door, and I’m in Loooooooveee!
My neighbor, Pippa, got a new sister named Twiggy! She is a rescued dog, just like me, so she has a special place in my heart. ❤
She is beautiful and friendly, and I am one of the luckiest boys on the planet!
We had a little time to visit yesterday on my walk, because Pippa and Twiggy’s mom was taking them for a walk too!
Hope you are finding as much joy this weekend as I am! And if you are not, you might want to go out to your local animal shelter and adopt a pet like our parents did! We have so much love to give!
Woofs & Wags,
Charlie
Cloudy
Cloudy with thoughts of…
cottony comfort
feathery fluffiness,
delicate dreams.
Cloudy with the opportunity to…
embrace the breeze,
find comfort in the shadow,
feel the freedom to fly.
Cloudy with a chance of…
clear thoughts,
a bright future,
a sunny attitude.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
The Old Porch Swing
The Old Porch Swing
The Seasons you have endured…
Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.
The Generations you have supported…
Great-Grandparents, Grandparents, Parents, Children, Grandchildren.
The Conversations you have held…
Politics, religion, love and hope and promise, arguments unresolved and resolved.
The Moments you have cherished…
First kisses, proposals, joys and heartbreaks, celebrations and sorrows, announcements and secrets.
Memories of a family.
Memories of an old porch swing.
Harmony.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
A Peaceful State of Mind
Abstract Cobalt Teal & Inka Gold (inspired by Debi Riley)
Wishing you waves of peace
richness of gold
and a world of happiness
this Sunday and always.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
This abstract piece I created was done on a 5×7″ sheet of 140 lb. cold press shizen professional grade rough texture rag watercolor paper that is 100% recyled from post consumer waste. I love the texture of it and bought a package of 100 sheets through Blick. I’m curious to know if others have tried it. I typically use Arches, but am loving this paper.
I began by slathering on some Inka Gold acrylic paint with a palette knife leaving it thicker and lumpier in some places. After it dried, I added some cobalt teal blue watercolor to one side and then mixed a bit of lemon yellow into it for the green on the other side. Before it dried, I placed a crinkled up piece of saran wrap on it, which I did not remove until the paint dried. It is really beautiful in person, and I am even making card prints from it for our ETSY Shop.
The End of the Rainbow
An unseasonably warm day in February this week
started with bright sunshine,
drenched us in refreshing rain showers,
and ended with the brightest, most colorful rainbow.
Right in our very own back yard.
If you cannot find me,
look deep in the woods
amidst the moss and twigs and fallen leaves.
I’m searching for the pot of gold,
dancing and celebrating with the leprechauns.
It is the Season of Magic.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Bailey’s Irish Cream Chocolate Mud Cake
Do you every just get a “hankering” for something? Something you don’t usually have, but you just get stuck in your mind that you really, really, really want?!
That’s how I was feeling this past week about chocolate cake. And chocolate cake is not something I usually make/eat/crave.
But – there was no getting it out of my head, so what’s a girl to do?! Bake cake!
And when I found this recipe for a “boozy” chocolate cake – well – even better! But dang, it was in metric measurements, and try as I could to search for it in U.S. equivalents, no luck. So I postponed doing it the first day I thought of it, but then just bit the bullet the next day and converted it myself. I’m not sure if I converted exactly or correctly, but it turned out absolutely amazing!
Oh Dear Me! This is a real treat for the hankering! It is rich and dense and chocolately and smothered in a decadent Bailey’s chocolate ganache! I only needed a few bites to satisfy.
Hubby loved it too!
After our couple of bites/slices, however, I decided to put it in the freezer to save for special occasions or special guests. I’m guessing it will freeze well (as all cakes do), and be just the thing to pull out and slice when “needed!”
So here it is – the Bailey’s Irish Cream Chocolate Mud Cake – converted for us U.S. bakers and also in Metric equivalents.
Are you craving chocolate cake yet?! Grab that bottle of Bailey’s and get baking!
Baileys Chocolate Mud Cake
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 1 1/3 sticks butter (10.5 Tbsp) or 150 grams
- 3.5 oz or 100 grams dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup or 100 grams sugar
- 1/2 cup or 100 grams brown sugar
- 1/2 cup or 50 grams cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup or 180ml Baileys Irish Cream Whiskey
- 1 1/3 cups or 170 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsps baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs, room temperature
Baileys Ganache:
- 7 oz or 200 grams good quality dark chocolate, chopped
- 3/4 – 1 cup or 200ml Baileys Irish Cream (you can also do 1/2 cream and 1/2 Bailey’s if you don’t want it quite so “boozy,” but what the heck?!)
- pinch of salt
- 1 – 1 1/2 Tbsp or 15 grams butter, softened
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325° F (160°C). In a pan over low heat, melt the butter, chocolate, sugars, cocoa powder and Baileys. When chocolate and butter has melted, whisk together to combine making sure to get rid of any lumps of sugar or cocoa powder. Remove from heat and leave cool for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, grease and line an 8″ (20-21cm) round cake pan.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. Add the eggs to the slightly cooled chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Gently fold in the sifted flour mix until free of lumps.
Scrape into cake pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean (Be cautious, however, as this is one cake you don’t want to over-bake so better to be a little under than over). The top of the cake will have some beautiful cracks. This is normal for a mud cake, and you will be covering it with a lovely and oh so concealing ganache anyway!
Remove cake from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing and cooling completely on wire rack.
To make the ganache, heat the Bailey’s and the salt to a simmer in a pan (be careful to not get the heat too high and catch the alcohol on fire like I did!). Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Stir until completely incorporated, and then stir in the butter.
Set aside at room temperature and cool until it is thick enough to spread over your cooled cake (or if you are as impatient as me, put in the freezer to cool more quickly). Gently stir the ganache occasionally as it cools to keep the temperature even and the ganache smooth.
When it is cooled and thickened, spread the ganache on the top of your cake and let it drip down the sides.
Enjoy!
Recipe found at: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 