Love

I am not talking about the commercial aspect comprising of red hearts, pink balloons and chocolate truffles.  Those are great too if you happen to come by them occasionally in life but what I am writing about here goes deeper than that.  Deep enough that it touched my soul.  I am referring to the short story by the French writer Guy de Maupassant entitled, 'Love'. If you have never read this story then I implore you to do so, just once.  I read the story during my school days as part of my English class.  What I took away from the story in its last few paragraphs has left a lasting impression on my heart.  The author describes love through the story of two game birds in a manner that can only be described as sheer genius.  Unfortunately, I do not possess the writing skills that could do justice in elaborating this emotion any further.

What I could do was the next best thing: incorporate a couple of modern day symbols of love into one brownie treat to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary.   Swans are soul mates for life, a dark chocolate bed of ganache and brownie are your ultimate guilty pleasures and the few crystals of snow/ice completed the happy heart in me.  I think it was the big slice, spoon, bowl and dollop of ice cream on top that did it for my significant other!

Good Luck!

I thought long and hard on what to put on a baby shower cake I was about to make.  All the usual designs that came to mind at first were cliches at best.  Cute babies, teddy bears, ducks, animals, 'hearty congratulations', 'best wishes'...the list was endless.  While all of them were appealing they just didn't jive with me.  So, I decided to be bold and true and not keep the expectant couple in any kind of false hope or pretense any more.  I think 'good luck' is actually more apt for first time parents (who rarely have a clue what they are in for) than any other greeting.  For it is 'luck' alone that could possibly ensure an easy delivery, a baby who sleeps through the night, has predictable feed times, doesn't need a zillion diapers a day and never, ever barfs on your best clothes.  None of the other inscriptions would come even close to making these possible. 

I have also realized the true significance of a baby shower besides helping the new parents with commercial items of use.  It is to impart to them a false sense of joy and hope that their lives will be filled with fun and happiness over the next couple of years.  The reality is perhaps all too well known for established moms and dads.  Never before in your life would you have imagined that the word 'poop' could have such a high significance in your discussions at home, work, doctor's office and in day to day socializing.  How in the world can something so adorably cute and cuddly ever produce something that could best be described as a weapon of chemical warfare..I say forget the gases Soldiers, just throw poop diapers at your enemies to suffocate them.  Cheaper and just as effective...even biodegradable!  What's even more surprising and offers solace is the fact that you soon get to a state where you are comfortable leaving the dinner table, changing one and coming right back to your meal without so much as blinking an eye.  Once you have reached that stage, you need not fear anything else in the world ever again.  And if this alone was not enough there is nothing in this world that will test the strength of your marriage than a seemingly adorable  8lb bundle of joy.  If you survive the first year together, rest assured that you can survive a nuclear holocaust.

All said and done, we eventually recover after a few years and sometimes go through the same experience a second time or more...(I can see why Martians think us to be super idiots).  So there must be some magic beyond the sleepless nights, the smelly clothes and endless domestic fights.  It's the magic in those innocent eyes, the love in their hugs, the silly giggles and the fact that babies don't discriminate.  They have no pre-conceived notions about the world and they don't care if you are rich or poor, fat or thin, dark or fair...All they care about is love and hugs and if you ask me, that's a lesson we need to learn from them.

Birthday

Dang! Another year has gone by and I am another year older.  I am not sure whether to rejoice in the fact that I am 'wiser' or keep a somber mood because I am older.  I truly doubt if I am any more wiser...  We may have mapped the human genome, explored the surface of Mars and developed crops that produce their own pesticides, but we know so little about our own brains.   Not a single scientist can yet explain the complexity of our cognitive skills with respect to age.  So what's with the phrase: older and wiser.  I think it's just a ploy to lure people to be happy on each birthday because happiness can work miracles on preserving life and youth.  So, perhaps it is not a bad ploy after all.  I felt on top of the world with greetings and warm wishes from family,friends and a delightful 'four fairies' Hallmark card from my mother.  I no longer care about the wiser or older, just happy to be alive and joyful.  I don't see wrinkles on faces anymore, I see them as 'life experiences', something you cannot beg, borrow or buy.  And I firmly believe that laughter is the best medicine for holding on to your youth.

I set out to make my own sweet little guilty delight out of a white cake with roses and strawberry whipped cream frosting.  I wanted to make as many rose buds as my new age!  Darn...you realize how silly a challenge like this is when you are no longer 10, 20 or 25.  Okay, at least have the courtesy of reading through this posting before you go back up to count them if you really want to  (and shame on you if you cheated)...My vanity still prevents me from writing the number down. 

And what ultimately made my day were long stemmed red roses, the box of chocolates (wrapped in pink also -freakishly scary) and the bottle of red wine that walked through the door in the evening on the arms of my three most favorite people in the world.

Let it Snow

"Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful...And as long as you love me so, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow..." The amazing lyrics of the popular winter song by Sammy Cahn is one of my favorites.  It describes an incredibly romantic setting of sitting by the fireplace with the lights turned down low and eating popcorn with your loved one during a snow storm.  And talking of romance, what a great way to start a new year!  A cake for a wedding anniversary. It is incredibly romantic to hear of a couple celebrating their 39th wedding anniversary.  It gives me hope and tells me that love, patience, understanding and compromises along the journey lead to such magnificent moments of celebration...Here's wishing the magical couple many more decades of health, love and soul-satisfying happiness.

Wedding-white buttercream fondant was used to ice the cake.  Snowflakes were made of royal icing.  Sugar and peppermint pearls completed the decor.