Healthy Dark Chocolate Cake + Recipe

What I like about this cake besides it is very healthy; it's light and not a super sweet cake. I can eat this without feeling guilty and being overly full in the stomach. I am always in the look out for a delicious healthy diet food recipe and I am not disappointed with this light yummy cake !

 

Recipe

FOR THE CAKE

~ Cooking Spray

~ 1-1/2 cup self-rising flour

~ 1/4 cup finely ground almonds

~ 5 tablespoons cocoa powder

~ 1 teaspoon baking soda

~ 1/4 teaspoon salt

~ 4 ounces beets, peeled and finely grated

~ 4 ounces low-fat buttermilk

~ 2 tablespoons strong black coffee

~ 3 large eggs

~ 3/4 cup sugar

FOR THE ICING

~ 1/2 cup dark chocolate, cut into small pieces

~ 2 tablespoons strong black coffee

~ 2 tablespoons honey

~ 3 tablespoon light heavy cream

For the top (optional); Organic, unsprayed rose petals (I am using organic unsprayed DRIED rose petals)

1. Preheat the oeven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly spray an 8-inch springform baking pan with cooking spray.

3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, ground almonds, salt and baking soda, and set aside.

4. Using a standing or handheld mixer set at medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar for 4 full minutes until pale and fluffy. On low speed, beat in the grated beets, followed by dry ingredients. Add the buttermilk and coffee, and beat until the batter is smooth.

5. Pour into the pan and place in the middle of a hot oven and bake for 30 minutes. Test with toothpick inserted for doneness; it should come out clean. Bake for an additional 5 minutes if needed. 

6. Cool for 10 minutes or so in the pan and unmold onto cooling rack. Cool on wire rack until cold.

7. To make the icing, prepare a double boiler.

8. Combine all the ingredients and gently stir until the chocolate is smooth. Stir occasionally until the mixture thickens.

9. With the cake still on the wire rack, pour the icing liberally over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides. Transfer onto a plate or cake stand for serving and garnish with rose petals.

 

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Journal + Home Decor

I love looking at interior pictures in an interior magazine. When I see the interior picture that I like; I tore the pages and keep them in file. Those tear sheets of interior are basically ideas of colors, furniture, grouping of art, or a simple display like   flowers in a particular vase on a table or memorabilia being displayed, table lamp, anything that inspire me.

Over time I collected many tear sheets of interior, beauty, fashion, etc. Hoping that some day it could be useful. But most of the time, I totally forget about them and left in the file somewhere in the book case. Then I started to make a journal out of them. I have been collected ephemeras for quite sometime now. Last seen here.  It could be a clothing hang tags, perfume boxes, interesting picture from magazine, glass beads, vintage lace, etc.

So I started to make a journal out of these tear sheets hoping that one day when we (Steven and I) moved into a new home; these journal will come in handy.

What I like about the above interior picture is the group of figure drawings hanging above the sofa. I also love the monochromatic grey and soft brown color. I embellished the picture with small decorative key, clothing tag, bed cover picture from Anthropologie catalogue and others that I have been keeping for quite some time.

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I remember reading about the above Parisian apartment interior. I love the color; greyish with soft coral curtain, bench and flowers in a large vase on the floor. This apartment has a high ceiling with beautiful decorative white moulding; a typical Parisian apartment. I just love it ! I seem to gravitate to a grey color interior with an accent color here and there. I love doing this journal collage ! I added glass beads in a plastic pocket from when I used to make mood boards when in school many years a go. I also added a decorative with hand writing prints paper.  I wrote a small note on a tear cookie wrapper  we bought when in Milan the last time and  glued on  the top of the picture. So this is a glimpse reminder of that trip every time I see this journal page.

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Thank you for reading !

Laduree Recipe Book + Surgery Cancellation

So the surgery has postponed for two weeks. My 3 times blood test shows that I am pregnant. How strange when I know that I am not pregnant, it must have been an error during the test, somewhere ! 

We went home and I felt so tired from getting up very early morning at 5:00 am that morning so I went to bed immediately. I felt the rush of relief from thinking by now I should have been in the ICU with big surgery scar on my stomach feeling groggy with strong sedation in me. I know exactly how it feels since I was there 8 years a go. But nothing has happened to me right now, well at least not until 2 weeks time.

I was floating in my own mind between a sleep and waking up trying to relax when Steven walked in through the door. He finally came into the bedroom and handed out this pretty little soft greenish book and put in front of my face and on the  bed. I knew it was the Laduree recipe book that he ordered for me. I flipped the pages looking at the pretty pictures and said 'thank you' to him for buying it for me.

I love the small gesture from Steven, and the pretty little book that I own now making me happy and made my life more beautiful in the middle of this health situation. Steven knows I love Laduree and their macarons so he wants me to treasure the pretty book.

I love how I feel about my life now even though I have this time bomb monster in my body that needs to be fixed. Perhaps the surgery and what has happened with my health for the past  8 years has something to do with what I feel. Life is so precious now and small things became dramatically beautiful and meaningful.

I won't lie that I have my up and down moments but I feel the big change about my out look toward life. I am more happy toward simple things and cherish our peaceful life together. I feel like I am the luckiest person a live given the condition of my health, been divorced and far away from my own country, family and my only son. I can see the big picture of my life that I am destined and grateful to be here and as they say "everything happened for a reason." It sounds a bit cliche but I like the phrase. With a strong believe and determination I like to believe that something good will happen to me in the future.

Laduree, Sucre  available at Amazon.com

I am in awe to have received emails, card, phone calls of 'prayers' and 'wishing me well' from relatives and friends. These wishes and prayers can only make me even stronger facing the up coming surgery. And I will take those prayers and wishes to the surgical room with me.

From the bottom of my heart, "Thank you so much, and you have moved me in a way that you can not imagine and made me even stronger, thank you!"

Now I have 2 weeks in front of me to blog, be happy and enjoy a normal life with Steven and perhaps my son and my parents will be coming to visit us.

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Thank you for reading !

Lavender Cookies and Lavender Lemon Soda to Uplifting my Mood

This will be my last post before the surgery in 33 hours from now. 

I am finally accepting my faith. I accepted the surgery procedure on me with it's surgery scar and all the consequences. I have no choice. And I want to live for a very long time. There are so many things to do  in the future and I want to do those things when I finally recover from this ordeal. 

I have been wanting to blog this delicious Lavender cookies and very soothing Lavender Lemon Soda. I knew this will be a perfect treat during a hot summer day. I love the aroma of Lavender because of  the soothing and the calmness aroma that comes out from it and yet it is so soft and gentle at the same time. I love it in cookies and I love it in drinks.

Today after taking the pictures; I finally get to taste the Lavender Lemon Soda and oh how wonderful the taste of lemon mixed with lavender and soda! The taste is unbelievable gentle with a herbal bouquet aroma. Aggghhhh.......!!! Definitely my favorite drink during a hot summer day. And I will have lot of it in the future. The cookies are just as good; it is buttery and  melt in your mouth. This simple cookies are such a treat to have with  herbal tea while sitting in a beautiful garden on a lovely afternoon.

 

I just spoke with my son on the phone. I am very happy now. He finally had an idea about the surgery procedure. And he told me; now that he finally knows more about it, he is not so worry anymore. We said goodbye and there is nothing more that makes me happier then to hear him saying "I love you" .

{I forgot to put this lovely picture that I want to include originally so I added later on}

Do you see the tiny bubbles in the bottle ?

Recipes

Lavender Lemon Soda

~ 2 teaspoon Lavender buds

~ 1/2 cup truvia or sugar

~ 1/2 cup water

Mix and boil.

~ 1/4 cup Lavender syrop {above}

~ 1/4 cup lemon juice

~ 1-1/4 cup Seltzer water

~ Ice cubes

Pour into a glass. Or doubled, tripled to store them in a jug.

Lavender Cookies

~ 8 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature

~ 1/4 cup superfine sugar

~ 1 1/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon organically grown fresh or dried edible lavender flowers.

In a medium size bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill dough for at least 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/4 inch thickness. Using a cookie cuter cut out cookies and place on a baking sheet. Stamp cookies if desired. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes until edges of cookies are just starting to turn brown. Cool for a few minutes on the pan, then using a spatula transfer to a cooking rack.

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Note: I am using scrap booking stamps  & available at Michaels.

Then I will walk through the beautiful lavender field. I will be bathed by the soothing aroma of lavender; I will smell the calmness of thousands of lavenders flowers around me. I will be very happy. And when I finally reached  the other side of the lavender field; I will see my son's, my husband's and my parent's face smiling at me. I just know my life will start all over again; I am happy ...............

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Macaron for Baby Shower

I finally managed to finish all the necessities to create the macarons for Dawn's baby shower on Saturday despite receiving the devastating news that I will have a serious surgery this coming Tuesday just a few days a go.

Looking at these pictures; I was very braved to ask to make these stands and represent them on Dawn's baby shower since I knew not many people knows what 'macaron' is.  I was not sure to go ahead and present them since I do not have any energy to do anything after hearing about the surgery need to be done in a few days . I gathered some courage and try to smile in the party  so with my sweet husband; Steven's help there they were  my little blue macarons on a vintage plates with vintage cups and white flowers. 

I was not sure what people are thinking about it. I am sure it was an unusual presentation but I enjoyed doing it. Yes, macaron does for certain people and not everybody likes it. I completely understand that !

"Christine & Carmella, thank you so much for letting my macaron be a part of Dawn's baby shower celebration and displaying them!"

Thank you for reading !

Macaron A to Z {Part 4}

Macaron's feet {PIED}

Macaron is not a 'macaron' without it's pretty 'feet' or 'pied' in French.
{Foot is the curly bottom part of the macaron shell.}

 

I have been baking these pretty little treats for the past 2 months and each time they came out different. Since I have quite a few of them in the freezer from baking them at different time and at different oven temperature; so I am curious on how their feet looks like. So let's take a look at their feet !

But first I am curious on how the famous Macaron bakery 'Laduree' and 'Pierre Herme'  looks like. For comparison I put them here as well.

www.laduree.com

www.pierreherme.com

 www.notsohumblepie.blogspot.com

And MINE !

See how they look different one another ? I must say the no. 1, 3, 4 and 6 has the best looking 'feet'. No. 2 and no. 5 are over baked; therefore the feet came out larger and thicker  than the rest of them. Plus an over baked macaron creates a interior gap between the chewy filling and the crispy skin. {last post here} So now I learned !

Now how about the dome (the very top part) ?

Clearly the one that has good looking feet also has a 'good dome'. Not so flat but also not very domey. These macarons are the closest looking to Laduree's, Piere Herme's and NotSoHumblePie's macarons shape. So lesson learned !

Another picture of my MACs

Have a lovely Memorial Day week end Everyone !!

One Afternoon with Tulips & Macaron

Steven, my husband just came back from work and brought me fresh tulips. How pretty ! I can not resist on putting them in a white antique porcelain water jug that I bought a few years ago from Ebay. Then the thought of taking pictures of the tulips with the macarons came into my mind. Yes, more pictures of macaron;  why not ! I love taking pictures, setting up the props, setting up the lighting, moving the objects around to get a good composition and see how the pictures will come out.

Here they are !

 

Enjoy them !