Summer Recipes: Lavender Lemonade Pound Cake

It's summer! The sun, the heat, bright blue skies, and lots of outdoor fun. Summer's colors have inspired me to eat colorfully too. Here's a series of quick and easy recipes that have made my summer bright and cheerful so far. Life doesn't have to follow any order and so, I'll begin with something sweet.

Lavender Lemonade Pound Cake

This is my version of a reduced sugar basic Lemon Pound cake. Pound cakes make a great accompaniment for breakfast, a coffee break or a summer night picnic.

For 8-10 servings, you'll need -
2 sticks (1 cup) butter at room temperature
3/4 cup evaporated cane sugar
5 eggs
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest (zest the lemon before you cut it to squeeze the juice)
2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
11/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon dried lavender buds


Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan; I like to use a bundt cake pan for this because it looks prettier. 
2. Beat the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until light ad fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time while beating after each addition. 
4. Add lemon juice and zest. 
5. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl and add them to the mixture. Add the lavender. Beat until smooth.
6. Pour in to the pan and bake for 1 to 11/2 hours, or until it tests done with a toothpick or knife. 
7. Cook the cake pan for a few minutes; turn it out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. It tastes best when served warm with vanilla ice cream and blue berries. Or, try it with a fruit sauce or whipped cream.
9. Most importantly, ENJOY!

I swear it tastes like lavender lemonade that you get at fancy cafe in the summer.

Look out for more colorful recipes and a easy to fix Mexican meal.

I have a fridge magnet that says - "Love people. Cook them good food."

I do!

Future By Design - The Power of Doing, continued...

I was keenly looking for a bit of inspiration yesterday and it came to me. I wish everything in life would come to you that easy...if you keenly looked for it. More and more, I have begun to believe deeply in the power of doing, the power of moving your cheese. If I think of something and do one little thing towards accomplishing it, a lot of paths open up, ideas flow, connections get fired, and things start happening - like magic, if you believe in it. 


One such little action led to a great discovery yesterday. I came across a fascinating man's story; his name is Jacque Fresco. You may heard have of him, but I marveled at this self-taught multi-disciplinarian and design visionary on knowing that he is compared to the likes of Einstein and Da Vinci for his super-mind.


Last night, I chose to watch something interesting instead of reading before going to bed. I was inspired after a conversation with a friend about documentaries earlier that day, and started looking through my Netflix Instant Play choices when I stumbled upon a film called Future by Design. The name caught my attention and I was introduced to Jacque Fresco's incredible work and ideas. This 95 year old thinker and scientist is a controversy and his dreams seem unreal; nevertheless, he believes in them and lives them. Once again, if you focus on what the human mind can accomplish, he's a marvel. Check out his film and this New York Times article about Jacque Fresco.

The Power of Doing

Since I stopped my early morning commute, I have also gotten away from listening to Amy Goodman's Democracy Now and Sonali Kohatkar's Uprising - two shows that got the wheels turning for me every morning and reminded me that a whole world exists beyond my daily 150 mile commute.

This morning, as I was returning home after dropping off a friend at the airport for an early morning flight,  I took my opportunity to listen to my favorite public radio station. 6:30 am - Amy Goodman was on and it was like old times right away save the long road to reach work; I was going home. 

Goodman's stories are solid and controversial and what she was talking about this morning made me come home and go to her website right away not thinking even once about the cup of Earl Gray that usually starts my day. It was an interview with Assange and Zizek. Two people who have definitely changed how history will be read. Politics and opinions aside, I was reminded how people like Zizek, Assange, and Goodman, in spite of all the challenges they may face symbolize the power of doing...without wasting a second of their lives. 

One link led to another and I came across this incredibly powerful short film called "We Miss You" made by student film-makers from Germany, who have in their own powerful way, like Zizek, Assange, and Goodman, taken talent, wisdom, and courage to make a very important point. 

Watch "We Miss You"

Do. Doing is powerful.

"...Don't let others sway your heart..."

Discovering Fluevog shoes was like finding a new piece that fits in the puzzle called "Ideas and things that define me." It was a memorable moment of discovery of an idea, a value, something tangible that makes life a bit more interesting. My friends recently asked me to share my Fluevog story with them. Just a photo comment on Facebook is not a respectable way of talking about these things of beauty. Here's my story.


Few years ago, I was in Seattle for a teaching conference when my friend and I noticed a store window displaying interesting looking shoes. We took a break from the rain and I followed her inside the store to find shoes that looked like a Dr. Suess poem - dreamy, feel-good, and beautifully created. And, they came with a price tag to match the quality. Priorities were different then and I put this discovery down in my book of memories to keep.

Later that year, without being aware of what I was buying, I picked up my first Fluevog shoes, a pair of tan boots, for an unbelievable bargain at a liquidation sale. These boots are great for travel and for staying warm on a cool day. More importantly they come with comic relief - my man never misses to notice them when I have them on and address me as Lady Robinson Crusoe or something like that. I noticed the Fluevog signature imprint on the boots only after I had consciously bought my second pair and realized that the boots had the same signature mark of Mr. Fluevog on their soles. Hallelujah! I had joined the cult.


Imagine, and wear your imagination; two boots and two pumps later I have understood that life's too short to not wear Fluevogs and to not to be absolutely comfortable with who you are. I plan my Fluevog purchase when a design catches my attention. Thanks to hubby's sharp deal catching skills online, something tells me that it's not the end.

Your Fluevog pair comes to you in a simple white box with the Fluevog logo on the side, but what's inside is what matters. I love the felt shoe bags that come with each pair with a simple and personal message from Mr. John Fluevog.

There's no way I'd do it differently.

If you believe that your God is better than another man...

I am devoted to Pandora radio while I work or work on my photos on the computer. The music in the radio station you create builds up with your preferences. And, the best thing about it is that you can bookmark your songs, learn more about the artist, and even get lyrics of songs.

I came across Lizz Wright recently and have been "liking" her songs consistently; so, they play more of her music for me.

This beautiful title song from her latest album, Felloship, just played and it sums up basically how I feel about all the wars and the people on both sides who fight them.

  Fellowship Lyrics

  Lizz Wright's  Homepage

Enjoy and let the music make your day because -

"You are the music while the music lasts."

-T. S. Eliot