Chocolate Cake

 The best thing I did this past week was to bake a big chocolate cake for Gabby's birthday.

Typically I would go and buy a birthday cake for the Rascals on their birthdays, and now I can see that I've really been missing out on enjoying a process.

It was incredibly calming and cheering, and the cake itself was far more delicious than anything I've ever bought in a shop.

Of course it was also lovely to have the entire house smelling like chocolate cake for the day, definitely a bonus during these StayHome times.

Best Chocolate Cake Ever... It's True
Also So Easy

 Here are the recipes for both the cake and the frosting, though as you can see they are the recipe cards of a madwoman, you can find both of the recipes online here.

 I used my Williams Sonoma non-stick cake pans, and I prepared them first by smushing butter in them and then tapping around some flour.

 The buttercream frosting was absolutely delicious.  The recipe makes plenty, and a good chocolate cake needs lots of frosting between the layers:

 My Lil' Rascal decorated the cake:

 It was a pandemic birthday to be sure but we had a lovely dinner and everyone was feeling so cheerful.  This time is so difficult on young people who really just want to be living their lives and spending time with their friends... my girls are really impressing me with their maturity.  They understand what is at stake for all of us as a community and haven't complained once about having to stay home.

Now that doesn't mean we don't look at each other at some point during the day, every day, to share our anxiety and disbelief.  Who could have predicted any of this?

In general though we are keeping our spirits up, how are you doing?  Do you have young people at home with you?  Do they miss their friends?
xoxDani

Celebrating Friends

 This week was one of "radio silence" (as my friend Laura would say) from Yours Truly.  I can't exactly explain why, except to say that "chatty" was not how I was feeling in the least.  Some friends and family members had some bad health news which had me feeling quiet, and contemplative.
 
Speaking of my friend Laura, tonight I'm hosting a dinner party to celebrate her birthday, well her belated birthday (which I missed when we had the Plague).  I've been working towards this all week, because I was determined to do a full spring clean of my entire house, and have the main floor prepped for the party, by Friday evening.

This feels like a really special celebration for Laura because she herself has struggled with her health since becoming ill last July.  She spent the summer in hospital and to say that we were all frightened is a real understatement.  What did we hold on to during those dark months?  The times we'd had together, the dinner parties and the vacations.  I'd visit her or phone her and we'd talk about being able to have dinner again, or plan a holiday.  Or even to get together for a glass of wine on a Wednesday, anything, normal things.  When we don't have our health the real stuff of life becomes apparent, and intensely appreciated.

So I began the spring clean on the third floor and worked my way down: windows washed, surfaces dusted, ceilings poked at with my lambswool duster.  I hauled the vacuum into every corner, mopped the floors with my favourite wooden floor cleaner (that smells of marzipan).  I went through MrBP's storage closet and dressing room as well, picking out clothes to be mended or dry-cleaned, washing and pressing the rest.  I scoured the bathrooms and emptied the pantries in the kitchen, tossing out the stale and scrubbing the interior of the cupboards with a natural orange cleaner.
It might sounds strange to say it, but this is my therapy.

By yesterday afternoon I was ready for the good bits: polishing the copper champagne bucket and setting up the bar, the dinner table and the dessert cart.

 I found this old Ikea tray (below, on the bottom shelf of the tea cart) at our office some time ago and brought it home.  I remember buying it thinking it would be handy to ferry coffee cups between the little kitchen and the boardroom but it was really never used.  It's very plain but the perfect size to hold ten coffee cups and a pitcher of cream.

Dessert cart in the dining room.
Ready to go.

 I have my dessert plates ready to go on the dessert cart, and left some room for the birthday cake Berna is bringing.

I set the table with my white dishes which is my go-to look for a dinner party.  I used these linens from Provence from one of my favourite shops: Pariscope.

 The tablecloth is really stunning, it is a cotton fabric very lightly coated with an acrylic finish (it does not feel plasticky) which is perfect for wiping up spills of coffee and wine.

 The napkins are cotton as well, without the finish on the fabric.  They wash up beautifully and only need a quick press with the steam iron.

 Laura's birthday present is also from Pariscope, a French market basket that I know she'll love to keep in her car for quick trips to the market.  I drove out to Pariscope in Elora yesterday (completely unsure of what I would buy as a birthday present) knowing that "just the thing" would present itself.

Laura's birthday present waits for her in the foyer.

So now for the menu!  I'll have to figure that out this morning, though as is the custom with our group of friends everyone is helping by bringing something for the dinner.  That makes it so much easier... and helps prevent Crying In The Kitchen.

I hope you have a really wonderful Saturday, whether you have something to celebrate or you're just doing the normal things... which can also be cause for celebration.
xoxDani

Babies

 Twenty-five years ago this morning I was in a long labour in a hospital in St. John's, Newfoundland about to give birth to my first baby.
I was twenty-two years old and not a little scared.
There were a few frightening moments to the labour process but finally at about four in the morning my healthy baby boy was born, nine pounds and the most beautiful face I'd ever seen.

One memory that is so clear to me is waking up a couple of hours later, the sun had risen and it was the most gorgeous, brilliant day (kind of a rare thing in St. John's) and I felt a complete sense of absolute joy.  The clarity of that moment, I'll never forget it!

Ole Rascal was a darling, bouncy baby and my memories of those first months are completely vivid, he was my first baby and he was my world.  I struggled a bit with nursing but after many phone conferences with my Aunt Deb in Toronto I had it mastered.  I learned to master all of the care and the vigilance a mother needs.
 

Age two.

Third birthday.

Eight years old.

 Ole Rascal was always contemplative (even as a baby) and he's grown up into a somewhat serious young man.  He works hard and enjoys a challenge.  We love spending time with him and when I look at him I still see the baby who was all mine.

Eleventh birthday ski trip in the mountains.

Happy Birthday Ole Rascal!

If you feel like sharing a baby memory I'd love to read it.
xoxDani