potato salad.

last night was one of those where you rush into the house, rustle up dinner and are back on the road not too long after. we have a lot of those nights - something about church life requires it. at times i find it exhausting, but usually, i love that we have a community to love us, a place to go that feels like home, and adding a good meal to that is just icing on the cake.

years ago i created a roasted potato salad with pesto. it might be the first real 'recipe' i ever thought of on my own, i was proud and my family LOVED it. one night at a dinner party a friend of my mom's asked for the recipe, the highest praise. but the beauty is that it's just humble ingredients.

heading home last night, knowing i was short on time and there were few ingredients in the fridge i wondered what i could do with eggs, bacon and potatoes that wasn't breakfast for dinner...an hour later this was on the table...and it was good enough for lunch today.

roasted potatoes and red pepper, greens slightly wilted by the heat, crispy fried bacon, and just perfect hard/soft boiled eggs (i'm talking about the sweet spot in between a soft boiled egg and a hard boiled egg where the yolk is just slightly gooey and the whites are hard).

pesto potato salad meets breakfast.
serves 3-4

time required: 45 minutes, 25 hands on.

ingredients:

• 6 eggs 
• 1/2 kg (1 lb) of baby new potatoes
• 1 red pepper 
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 8-12 rashers (strips) of bacon 
• two large handfuls of greens (i used baby spinach, watercress and rocket) 
• 2 tbsp pesto (prepared or homemade) 

directions: 

• heat oven to 200 C, 425 F, place a medium pot of water onto boil, cut bacon into 1/2" pieces, roughly dice (1") potatoes and red pepper 
• spread potatoes and red pepper on baking sheet, toss in olive oil and season with salt and pepper, roast for 30-45 until golden and crisp
• over medium-high heat fry bacon until crisp, once done, set aside, but do not drain (you want the flavourful fat)
• once water is boiling cook eggs on a low simmer for 7 minutes (essential for the perfect middle). when finished run under cold water for a minute to allow handling, peel and chop roughly.
• once potatoes are roasted transfer to bowl, along with roasting oil, add bacon and rendered fat and toss with pesto. add salad greens. 
• plate salad, add eggs, enjoy. 

fifteen.

15 week baby bump. yes that is laundry in the background. just keeping it real. i'll probably not do this every week because i'm bad at keeping things like this up, but every so often i'll jump on in with a bit of a pregnancy update! 

How Far Along: 15 weeks
Size of Baby:  orange
Total Weight Gain/Loss: +4 ish 
Gender: keeping it a surprise!
Movement: nada. but soon hopefully!
Sleep: sleep has improved massively with the second trimester. so that's a blessing. 
Maternity Clothes: yes. mainly. occasionally i can wear non maternity trousers with a bellaband - but that's getting less and less comfortable. and while i still fit into non-maternity tops they aren't long enough to cover the stretchy panel of maternity trousers. :) 
Symptoms: nausea has completely gone away, although my sense of smell is super strong and my stomach can quickly be turned! otherwise, round ligament pain, sacral-illio pain and a nosebleed. 
Aversions: emptying the rubbish bin! 
Cravings: cheese. chocolate milk. salt & vinegar crisps (chips for those of you across the pond). water - i get very suddenly thirsty, even if i've been careful to keep my liquids up. 
What I miss: honestly? a beer. yesterday it was lovely and warm and relaxing and sunny and the only thing that would have made it more perfect was a cold beer. le boy said he was willing to take one for the team in this case ;)
Worst Moment of the week: nothing really. le boy might go with my mood swings, which have definitely increased...whoops. i'm quick to apologise for my crazy, and blame the baby of course!
Best Moment this week: super enjoyable, relaxing and productive saturday that included a coffee date with a girlfriend, walking to and from pregnancy yoga class (in my neighbourhood!) a bit of pampering, fresh flowers on the way home and chatting on the phone with marvellous, an impromptu visit from friends and their cub, and hosting a small dinner party later that evening.   oh and starting to plan the 'babymoon' by purchasing our flights to italy for this summer! 

linked.

may i just encourage you to visit this today?

may our days reflect this balance of the word and work and wandering. amen and amen.

ann voskamp on how to keep sanity. 

via incourage.me

december.

i've been quiet recently. but much to the chagrin of those who know me - that's never going to last long.

i missed reviewing october/november so here's a combo post.

::october/november recap::

spiritual: 

• we've started a new bible study in our homegroup and we're moving through it, will finish for christmas, it's been revelatory to grasp the concept of grace more fully 
• working my way personally through the beth moore proverbs study: wising up - and let me tell you, i am! 
• started a breakfast bible study with some ladies from church, so good to be drinking the word (and coffee) with sisters in christ! 
• memorised: ephesians 2:8, philippians 4:6, habbakuk 3:17&18, psalm 127:2

mental: 

• read: case histories by kate atkinson, readable but not my very favourite 
• read: start your family by candice and steve watters, a good biblical overview of the role of family in a believer's life, now the question is when to start? 
• winter of the world by ken follett, the second in a trilogy spanning the entire 20th century, readable, gripping, multiple storylines and LONG, but in a good way, worth the read, but absolutely necessary to read the first book! 
• the secret keeper by kate morten, this book has been much touted this autumn, and it's good and a compelling read, but it feels very similar to other kate morten books, in the way that all john grishams feel the same? it's a formula, it works, but it loses its magic once you've got this insight...sorry. 
• dear life by alice monroe, this book of short stories stole my heart, i ached for each snippet of life that was detailed. it probably helped that the stories mainly take place in places so familiar i could exactly picture the scenery the bleak and beautiful scenery of southwestern ontario farmland in winter, the beauty of lake huron in high summer. in honesty it made me a little home (and heart) sick, and isn't that what the best of books do to us? if you are familiar with the places of southwestern ontario, particularly those communities near the shores of lake huron, read this. 

physical: 

• i didn't start a 10 km training plan, but i have lost 40cm since july, so i'm feeling pretty great 
• i can leg press 100 kg, yup, you read that right. these quads are on fire!

creative: 

• well i quit photography class. that's ok. 
• i did photograph a friend's wedding and if i say so myself, the photos are at least passable for decent, mainly.
• i've knitted three jumpers and two hats. 
• knitted the cosiest throw blanket in the world

::december intentions::

spiritual: 

• finish off beth moore proverbs lecture series
• finish off bible in a year two years
• advent bible study, slow down, wait expectantly for the saviour of the world. 
• two more scriptures make 24 for the year! 

mental: 

• reading against a deadline: great expectations and life of pi (i know) both before i see the films, big hopes people. 

physical: 

• 'tis the season for cakes, and dinners and lunches, and deliciousness, so let's do this alongside the gym eh? 
• legpress 110 kg by 2013!

creative: 

• christmas cards
• christmas knitting 
• christmas decorating
• christmas baking 
• christmas day menu - so many decisions! 

quitting.

i quit this week.

no, not my job. but the period of frenzy that gave way to the deep discontentment at work was met by god's unfailing grace and we are back in a place of sweet contentment, affirmed in the knowledge that i'm here for a reason and a season (just a season longer than i had originally anticipated).

i quit photography class.

earlier this autumn when signing up for both junior league and photography class and adding that to leading bible study and actively participating in our church community and being intentional in my friendships and my marriage, oh and that small part of my day called work; i did wonder if i was biting off more than i could chew. perhaps i should listen to that internal prompting a little more? two weeks into class i knew it was going to be a bit much to handle. i knew because i was struggling to make it all fit. i knew because it meant that i was definitely out of the house three nights in a row. i knew because it felt like my life was spinning out of control. i knew because that angry monster of anxiety that's been on my back all autumn was getting bigger and louder and more overwhelming. i knew that something had to give.

but what's funny is that while dropping the photography class was the obvious choice - it's a finite course of 10 weeks, it was offered at our local community centre so it was relatively inexpensive, and i had only gone for two weeks so it wasn't as if i had half a term of work behind me - my first thought was to drop my volunteering with junior league. and so i got to thinking about it. because really dropping junior league didn't feel right. i had invested a significant amount of time and money and i did enjoy the people and the cause. so why was i thinking to quit it instead?

i think it was my own selfishness getting in the way. i wanted to do the photography course, but it was only going to benefit me, there wasn't going to be a significant impact to the wider world. now please hear me, i think we should do things in our spare time that bring us pleasure and joy. i already do a lot of those things. i read and knit and watch tv and go to movies and cook and workout. we travel extensively and have a nice home. i am not saying that taking a photography course wasn't a good thing to do, i am saying that one of those other good things i just listed would have had to go instead, and i wasn't willing to make that sacrifice.

for a couple of weeks i wrestled with quitting junior league, it didn't feel right and yet staying felt overwhelming. i took it to god in prayer and discussed it with le boy. i chatted about it with friends. and then i realised that actually, what i was being called to lay down wasn't junior league, it was the photography class. and when i did. when i made the decision, the feeling of relief that swept over me was remarkable. i need flexibility in my evenings. to spend time with my husband, to cook and keep our home, to go to the gym or see a friend for a glass of wine. i need the flexibility so that i can give of myself in the homegroup we lead, and the church we attend, and the volunteer activities i am invested in.

last night i realised the reason why this felt so right is because it lines up with our value statement. before we were married le boy and listed our ten values in order. i made a word collage with them and it hangs in our living room. and i realised that i had made the decision in accordance with those values. and then last night when i was worrying about one item over another, i realised, go back to the value statement, what we have decided is important to us as a couple - use this to make decisions.


our values in order are:

god
marriage
family
hospitality
community
health
adventure
learning
travel
service

and so when one part of my life conflicts with another, i will choose according to our values. in some ways it made the decision making process, the weighing up and going back and forth in my mind, the pit of anxiety in my stomach about making the right choice, simply disappear. i know we've already thought long and hard about what we value, so more often than not, making a decision in submission to those values will be on track as well. and that my friends is what i call a lesson in the freedom of obedience.

wood walk.

we returned tonight from a week in yorkshire.

delightful.








:posted on the go:

cycle.

i don't really know where i've been except to say that this august has flown by and it's been non-stop the entire time.

it's been good though, making me re-evaluate how i want to set up patterns of work and play and how to make life easier. there have been a few breakthroughs regarding how to make the most of the moments we are offered. maybe, i'll get back into a posting routine and share a few of those thoughts.

but first. really the reason i was mia for the first half of august is that the olympics were on - normally a distraction that can be mediated with television and screaming wildly - it's a completely different experience for it to be HOSTED in your hometown.

let me just say - i am SO SO SO proud of this city we call home. there was nothing but goodwill and generosity and truly joyful spirits around this part of the world for two weeks. it was so great that i'm very much looking forward to doing it all again in a couple weeks time for the paralympics. london was on show for the entire world to see and it was fun to be part of it. even in small ways. travel around the city was fantastic, the vibe and excitement was palpable and really, olympic spectators are amongst the nicest of sportsfans...

it was a great pleasure to be able to experience a few events in person, a kind friend gave me a ticket to the diving, which i'll re-live in a future post (you see i really am serious about getting back on the blog). but first, it was the men's road race. the truth is, i live with a cycle-fanatic. i'm not even exaggerating. i believe that our summer vacations will hence-forth be scheduled to coincide with the tour de france, it's just so fun to watch from first thing in the morning! and given that le boy has spent no less than eight months looking for just the 'perfect' new bike (still as yet, undecided...) you can appreciate that really, we're cycle-mad. to have this event in our own backyard (literally) was beyond incredible.

we met up early on the saturday morning with a couple of friends from around town and cycled (how else to get to the route?) to richmond park, the favoured cycling destination in greater london. i'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

august.

it's been a week of catching our breath. the kind that you never feel finished. i mean really, how is one supposed to complete anything with hours of olympic coverage to catch up on? i miss my childhood summer holidays - it's the only time i remember having absolute freedom to watch tv for hours on end, how can a parent really say, stop supporting your country and go outside? plus it was usually 35 outside and humid and really midday and outside was less attractive, to everyone.

but now, i'm working and depend on sneaking peeks online during the day and using catch-up player in the evenings. it's a bit bizzare to live in the same city as the olympics. and it's great. plus it's bringing friends back to us for a week, so in my opinion, it's amazing!

this weekend will be spent assembling IKEA dressers (yes!) and organizing the last of our clothes. i can definitively say that  we officially have too many workout clothes. it's crazy. insane-crazy. i'm not sure i'd be exaggerating if i said that fully one-half of the combined wardrobe was workout gear. i told you. insanity.

we'll also celebrate our first anniversary - but that deserves it's own excitement. and post.

last week we started off the olympics with a viewing of the road race. there were high hopes for a british medal that just weren't to be, but it was great to get out and see the excitement of the cycling community, in a place we so regularly enjoy. le boy kept saying, "it's just so weird to see them cycling on my cycle route..." i'm going to diving on tuesday with a friend, and i'm so excited! and we're hoping to catch some more live events over the next week.

july recap: 

spiritual:

• i've kept up with the nehemiah study and LOVE it! such a great dig into the old testament, it has been a blessing on my summer. 
• memorisation has flagged a little, with travelling and a bit of laziness, but neh 2:18 has been a great scripture to think about regularly. 

mental: 

• completed three books in july, each of them such wonderful reads that i believe the deserve a little post all their own. but if you've not yet read the following, download them to kindle, rush out to buy them at your local bookstore, or click on over to amazon...beautiful, inspiring reads, each of them.
• a visit from the goon squad - jennifer egan 
• state of wonder - ann patchett 
• gilead: a novel - marilynne robinson 

physical: 

• i wanted to be active everyday of our vacation - this was easily achieved in the hot (but dry heat) california. not so easily achieved in ontario where our days were packed from morning to night and the humidty was almost oppressive. it reached over 40 one day, that did me in. 

creative: 

• plane crochet - a nice little basket for my knitting in the front room 
• diy around the house - pillow covers sewn, spray painted picture frames, lots of painting in a small room, dreaming up finishing touches 

::august intentions::

spiritual: 

• finish out the nehemiah study strong 
• pick up the last of my bible-in-a-year-two years plan and get to work on finishing it 
• memorise three scriptures 

mental: 

• reading 'the art of fielding' by chad harbach and finding it absorbing. 
• read something else 

physical: 

• i will admit that i've started weight watchers - and it's working! i've lost 4.5 lbs! which feels really, really good. i'm using the online plan and think that it might be the key to some success for me. i realised that really, i'm already so active that i have to change my eating habits (particularly that cheese as an afternoon snack habit)
• my trainer has me on a new four days a week strength plan and i would LOVE to actually hit the gym consistently four days a week - i'm looking forward to some serious strength gains this month! 

creative: 

• finishing the drapes and bits of home-dec sewing that are languishing (on my kitchen table no-less) 
• finishing off decorating the spare room and 'lounge' ie family room 
• begin my autumn knitting project. i realised that i needed to get going if i wanted to actually be able to wear it come the cooler weather - which here, is sadly, just around the corner

enjoy august friends - i just love the meaning of the word - to inspire awe and admiration - i am hoping that this month does just that for all of us! 

july.

oh it's that time again. a new month, a new post, a new page.

june recap:

spiritual:

• memorised jer 31:3 & psalm 34:1
• finished reading the power of a praying wife - this book has completely brought my prayer life, for our marriage and for my husband, alive! i worked my way through this book day by day this month and intend to continue to do so daily, but i can see how if we were walking through a difficult season i may turn to just a few prayers for specific times. 
• started nehemiah: a heart that can break, by kelly minter, alongside the living proof beth moore blog, this is my first workbook bible study and i am already loving it. having specific things to do each day and questions to answer is definitely my style! i'm so looking forward to this summer spent in nehemiah. 

mental: 

• canada - by richard ford was an epic tale. it is a story of crime, but really it is a story of how we are redeemed, of how our past does not dictate our future, of how life can be shambles and slowly it can be pieced back together, of how life can seem very good and within hours a life can change. it's long but in a good way. 
• still reading francis chan's crazy love. 

physical: 

• i'm struggling in this area. partly it's my own issue, seeing progress as only a weight issue. but with all the gym time i'm doing, i'm not losing pure weight. i'm trying to come to terms with that. but i am doing very well with rehab - i'm single leg pressing more than 60kg, i'm choosing to work exercise into my daily life and i'm working on my head space regarding my body and my weight. 

creative: 

• sewing has happened. 
• knitting has happened. 
• crochet has happened. 
• baking has happened.
• i'll try to post about each in time. 

::july intentions::

we're away on vacation for the middle two weeks - hello california and ontario! i'm so looking forward to some summer reading, warm weather and being active.

spiritual:

• keep up with my nehemiah daily study, and video sessions
• continue with memorisation - this week we're memorising neh 2:18: i told them how the gracious hand of my god had been on me. 

mental:

• reading the goon squad a recommendation from julie at fresh basil - and liking it already. 
• summer reading choices are coming later this week, so stay tuned! 

physical:

• we're running in a colour run in a couple weeks, a 5K where they throw colour dye at you the whole time and you end up a rainbow - sound hilarious and really fun, plus i'm doing this with one of my old running partners who's moved to the Bay Area, so that's awesome. 
• i have a goal to break a sweat, from movement and not from humidty or heat, 5 days a week this month. 
• i'm going to focus this month on inches. i'm hoping to lose two inches overall. and i'm not going to look at a scale for a month 

creative: 

• some plane creativity is upcoming - namely, crocheting and socks, but that will be good! 
• i started our new living room drapes over the weekend, one is done, the other, isn't started, i'd like to be finished by the end of july. 

scotland.

there will just have to be two posts for this. not because the pictures are unending, even if they are. but because i've been too lazy to transfer the pictures to my laptop...that's right people. but the nights have been filled with knitting and cookie baking and the weekends have been filled with sewing and friends. these are good things. and required more attention than a post about scotland.

but here's a quick recap.

we flew. we drove. we slept. we ate (super amazing food here.) we 'walked' which in british parlance means we hiked our butts off up a fairly significant 'mountain'. we saw (loch ness). we bought wool. (i bought wool, we were in scotland, after all). we visited friends. i'll give it more words another time. for now, enjoy the instagram tour.

weekend plans.

this weekend i will:

• host dinner tonight for a few good friends, i prepped much of it this morning. i'm doing a lentil & tomato salad from ottolenghi's plenty, this broccoli & bacon salad by jamie oliver, and bbq'd sausages and chicken with our new favourite (and spontaneously created by me last week) sauce: tomato ketchup,  worcestershire sauce and red wine vinegar.
• meet some old girlfriends for picnic (hopefully) lunch - haven't seen these girls in years! 
• buy a new sewing machine, mine has bit the dust and it's time to replace it!  
• go to the movies with my guy 
• sew a slip cover for a bookcase-cum-sidetable 
• enjoy a free day while le boy is in an incredibly long cycle race, luckily he doesn't ask me to attend as well 
• go to evening church and enjoy the late evening light on the walk home 
• listen to podcasts 
• chat with the fam 
• read more of my current (and excellent) book: canada by richard ford 
• block my recently completed cardigan! 

happy weekend. 

wednesday wanderings.

the sun has finally broken through! this momentous event deserves recognition. as someone said to me yesterday, all this weather tracking just tells us what we already know - this has been the wettest spring ever. and it really has, rain and rain and COLD. yesterday there was not one, not two, but THREE hail storms. not pretty, particularly seeing as i was caught in one as i dashed from bus stop to train station.

i read this blog post today and thought, yes, i should go for a walk. so instead of rushing to the gym for a lunch time workout, i strapped on my trainers and took to the streets. who knows if this weather will last - it would have been an injustice to mankind to bury myself in the basement of a building sweating it under florescent lights.

i popped in my headphones and listened to my bible readings for today. have you ever listened to scripture instead of read it? it's a completely different experience. i'm not sure i concentrate as well, i learn very well from reading - all those masters papers i suppose - but hearing the word changes it. makes me hook on phrases that i might miss otherwise. not a substitute - just a different manner of engaging with god.

so i wandered around, and remarked to myself how amazing it is that i work in the centre of iconic london. from the staff room window i can see st paul's, down the street is trafalgar square, next door is the royal courts of justice and over the bridge is the london eye. it's pretty spectacular and it's worth remembering. i'm sure it won't always be this way.

what a day for a walk. for the word.

let your steadfast love, o lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. psalm 33:22

may.

april was fantastic, but fast. and i kind of feel that despite a trip to florida, it kicked my butt. we were exhausted before we arrived. and we spent the best part of our time there lounging in front of the pool, reading. it was bliss. and so so needed. but once we got back, i never felt like i got april back in control. so it is, i suppose. i tried to wrest control in a last ditch effort on monday night. i thought, i'll roast a chicken, on a weeknight, and my husband will called me blessed. he did. it was fantastic, and yes, you can roast a chicken (a small one) on a weeknight and still eat at a reasonable hour. on tuesday, i woke up with searing pain down my neck, don't know what caused the neck strain, but i got a sick day for it.

i'm not feeling that may is off to the greatest start. what with the neck, and the weather here in london is beyond terrible, we're talking 8 degrees terrible, and rainy and grey - i can see my breath outside, it's just sad. and i'm praying that my tomato plants make it, if not, eh, i'll buy some more i guess.

but there were some highlights for april:

spiritual:

• memorised deuteronomy 14:2 & zephaniah 3:17 - i've been using redstamp to create prayer cards that act as my background for my phone. i LOVE them! 
• attended the hillsong women's conference - colour - such a fantastic time of teaching and worship and prayer. 

mental: 

• read a lot - a lot of books, and for this single reason, april was redeemed
• one day - david nicholls, i know, old and probably the last person on the planet to read it, it was absorbing and a great holiday read
• the grief of others - leah cohen, poignant and well written from a variety of characters points of view, absorbing and arresting, it's well worth the read 
• escape - carolyn jessop, this was on the bookshelves of our condo, it is a fascinating look inside the cult of the FLDS, and while being a quick read, you do desperately want to know the story. 
• a homemade life - molly wizenberg, fabulous. a memoir, about food, with recipes. hands down fantastic. i felt like i was eating on each page, and there are so many things i want to make from this!
• the tiger's wife - tea obreht, in a list of great reads it's hard to pick one that was greatest, but this might just eek through, if it weren't for what follows...
• crossing to safety - wallace stegner, i'm placing this alongside one of my other favourite novels on marriage - two-part invention by madeline l'engle. it might have been the most beautiful read of this year so far. i couldn't put it down, couldn't stop underlining, couldn't wait to pick it back up. it gave words to sentiments i have about my marriage, and gave me hope for what our marriage could become. it's an honest and achingly beautiful look at the inner workings of a long marriage, and all that entails. go read it now. 

creative: 

baby items have been made, and upon delivery to waiting parents will be produced for the blog, i've picked back up my cardigan, i keep meaning to buy blackout lining for curtains, i keep forgetting. 

physical: 

• not the greatest month from a physical fitness standpoint buti had a great appointment with the lead physio for my knee op though and all is progressing well - so that's good. 
• i turned 28 - and i guess given that i've seen how our bodies are not indestructible, i'm just happy that it's working, that it keeps working and that god-willing it will be that way for a long, long time. 

::intentions for may::

spiritual: keep memorising scripture, i'm finding it such a blessing to my walk. keep digging into the word. 

mental: for my birthday i got a kindle, hence the huge amount of reading last month - i'd like to keep this up, i'm a far happier person when i have my nose in a book. 

physical: my trainer has set me some goals for this month and given me a diet plan. i'm putting my foot down and getting serious about getting my pre-op body back. i know it's possible, it's a matter of discipline and will-power. 

creative: finish my cardigan, bake more (yes i realise this contradicts the previous goal) 

favourite things.

a few of my favourite things.

dry shampoo - i know that this isn't new, it's not even new to me, but this brand i've been using the last few months is better than any other i've ever tried. charles worthington balancing act.

make up pallets - i hate, and i mean it, carrying around dozens of bits of makeup. i have a simple makeup routine at the best of times, this pallet has done wonders for my post gym makeup routine (as in it gives me incentive to actually put it on!) and i'm so excited to have a small makeup bag for our trip this week - no need for a baggie of liquids at airport security! jemma kidd bio-minerals essentials kit in rose.

grocery delivery - you read that correctly. we get our groceries delivered. a flat fee for the year and we can order as many times as we want, whenever we want. it's freed up so much of our time. a complete fix for our time-crunched city lives.

navy - it's my new black. and i've based my florida wardrobe around it.

travel scale - we don't have a scale in our house, and more than once we've been burned on our way back from a vacation. i picked up this little gizmo the other day and already it's been useful! plus it's pink.

so there you have it - my completely frivolous, totally ridiculous, current favourites list.

on our table.

i've been on a huge baking kick recently. but my hand mixer bit the (flour)dust in february while making le boy's birthday cakes and i've not yet replaced it (plagued by indecision between a stand mixer and a hand mixer - any thoughts are welcome!) so i've been on the look out for baking recipes that can be done without a mixer, i mean, these are recent inventions, but baking's a pretty long-standing experience right?

first up was the yogurt cake featured on the kitchn. so easy. so good. i followed the recipe until i realised at the end that i don't own a spring-form pan (to be remedied asap) but evenly divided between two 8-inch pans seemed to work a treat - the best part? one is wrapped and sitting in my freezer, waiting to be defrosted and put to work at some point in the future. :)

image via thekitchn.com

second (but not in taste) was no mixer chocolate chip cookies or ccc's as marvellous would say. these are dense and chewy (due to the lack of a mixer) they take a bit more effort i suppose, but i don't know that i'll go back to a mixer for cookies...bold statement, i know. i reduced the number of chocolate chips and le boy still declared these to be his favourite ccc's ever - why? the sheer number of chocolate chips - gotta love that guy.

image via thekitchn.com

finally the other night i used a skinny taste recipe for a low-fat red coconut thai curry. ah-maz-ing. unbelievably good. although i was only cooking for us two, i made the entire portion of sauce and froze some, so next time we want thai curry i just defrost, throw in some shrimp and 10 minutes later, i'm the genius of the kitchen, sigh.

image via skinnytaste.com

these all were incredibly easy and so so good. enjoy!

cake.

sometimes, i don't know why, i get it in my head that the weekend will be incomplete without a cake. the thing about cake though is that with two of us, it's usually a little while before the entire cake gets eaten...so i'm always on the lookout for cakes with some heft and that appear rather dense and moist.

101 cookbooks is one of my favourite cooking blogs, although i'm usually too intimidated to actually cook anything from the site - the strange and wonderful ingredients are just so california, and i definitely live in england (grin.). but when i saw this last week, i knew i had to make it. pitched as the perfect cake for toting around, i knew it would have the resiliency to stand strong for days to come - and indeed, we're still eating it - it's been packed for lunch today!

a colleague and i the other day were remarking that while we don't crave a treat after dinner necessarily, after lunch at work, it seems almost imparative. perhaps it's the whole having to eat lunch at your desk? the blandness of being at work? or just the need for a midday pick-me-up? personally, i think it is due to my packed lunches as a child always including a cookie or a square, something to finish off the lunchbox...lunch treats are the best kind.

i won't attempt to rewrite the recipe, heidi does it so well here. i'll just tempt you with instagram photos of the gorgeous, delicious, luscious and wonderful thing that it is. it's not even all that sinful - what with yogurt, maple syrup and whole wheat flour, it's practically healthy! i could see this making an foray into a regular baking routine. a cake that can last.

geneve.

geneva, a city for international politics and business and travellers seeking a gateway to the mountains. it's not exactly on the top-ten list of coolest spots in europe. it's a city with purpose: banking, the UN, watches, you know swiss things. as i was researching geneva i read this small but incredibly interesting fact: geneva was one of the hotbeds of the reformation. the reformation that broke the protestant church from the catholic church, the reformation that refocused christians on the central tenants of christian faith, as taught by jesus. encompassed by the 'five solas' they translate into 'by grace alone, by faith alone, through christ alone, through scripture alone, to the glory of god alone.' this is the bedrock of protestant thought, particularly in the reformed and presbyterian traditions.

via: www.monergism.com

john calvin spent much of his ministry in geneva and consequently there are many significant sites in the old city associated with the reformation. the international museum of the reformation was absolutely excellent. it gave a great overview of the story of the reformation from its beginnings and martin luther, through to how it is currently expressed in present day. a fascinating story and a very well appointed museum, definitely a must-see for anyone visiting geneva. 

we were also able to visit the small church where calvin preached more than 2000 messages! in the early days the geneva council required him to preach three times a week and twice on sundays, this was later reduced to once on sundays, and three times during the week.

and finally we climbed the bell tower of the cathedral. it was a spectacular day, crisp and cold, but with brilliant sunshine! the climb was personally very gratifying for me, as i was exactly one year post injury and three months post surgery and able to do it all without pain! recovery is definitely in progress. 

geneva's famous fountain, from the roof of the cathedral

after a lunch of cheese (what else?) and crepes (oh my!) we started to head for the mountains. it was wonderful to finally see some of the city that i've travelled through many times in recent years, but only ever enjoyed the airport. and it was a real blessing to learn more about the history of our faith and the struggles that so many endured to keep the faith. 

the coffee. it comes with a chocolate and a glass of water - it's pure genius.