Thanksgiving

We had a lovely little gathering with C's brothers on Wednesday and on the actual day we just relaxed. I took the new to me bike out for a spin along the river. Enjoy your weekend!

How to Run

Running has always been trouble for me - sore feet, side cramps, odd shoulder pains, etc. But recently I've been able to coax a few miles from my legs and learned to enjoy a modicum of running. I've tried to focus on a softer landing rather than slapping my feet down half-hazardly on the ground. Here, perhaps, is the next level of soft and pain-free running via the NYT
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Chocolate

The most recent lovely thing that I would like to share is a recipe for some really rich and delicious chocolate cupcakes. Context: Mr. J and I have a lot of food restrictions, but we like to eat well. The foods that make the cut vary over time, and not to belabor the point, but right now we're looking at a low-carb low-soy diet with total avoidance of gluten, dairy, corn, eggs and bananas.

Cooking is a huge part of our lives, and due to recent changes in diet, dessert has become quite a challenge. Thus, when we were having two charming friends over for dinner tonight, it seemed like the perfect excuse to try a chocolaty experiment.  I'd love to share some photos with you, but since the experiment was a success, there's nothing left to share. :)

The recipe below was inspired by a recipe for Little Chocolate French Fudge Cakes, which is found in  The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper, a delightful exploration of weekday cooking ideas by Lynne Rosetto Kasper and Sally Swift.  Lynne hosts a public radio show called the Splendid Table which explores all sorts of topics related to eating, and is the author of another fantastic cookbook The Italian Country Table, which is full of excellent, easy to follow recipes (with specific wine pairing suggestions!), but I digress. 

Chocolate Cupcakes

Almost 4 ounces (i.e. two blocks) Scharffen Berger 70% (or similar) chocolate

1-1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, broken up (I used Ghirardelli)

4 Tbs. coconut oil (solid below 76 degrees, liquid above)

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1-1/2 tsp. gluten-free/alcohol-free vanilla extract

Ener-G Egg Replacer for two eggs, plus a little extra (less than an additional egg)

1/4 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 cup plus two Tbs. Sucanat

1/8 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. tapioca flour

1 Tbs. sorghum flour

1 Tbs. amaranth flour 

3.5 or 4-ounce semisweet chocolate bar, broken into bite sized pieces (my choice was Noi Sirius Icelandic Chocolate, 54%, available at Whole Foods)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. (A oven thermometer has made all the difference in my gf baking and is highly recommended.)
• Prepare a cookie sheet by placing 9 freestanding silicon muffin cups on it.
• Combine the broken-up bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl to melt. I used medium power and it took about 2.5 minutes, plus some stirring during and afterwards.  If the coconut oil is in a solid state, melt it in the same bowl with the chocolate. If not, stir it in afterwards. 
• Whisk together the cinnamon, vanilla, egg replacer (follow package directions before adding it in), Sucanat and salt.  Stir in the flour.  Then add the chocolate/coconut oil mixture and stir until it the entire mix reaches a batter or cake-mix-like consistency. 
• Blend in the bite-sized pieces of chocolate.
• Divide the batter evenly between the nine muffin cups. 
• Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the center no longer looks like a molten pool and is sort of firm to the touch.  
• Cool for 5-10 minutes before either serving, or moving the cupcakes to a rack to cool further.  If you try to move them too soon, the middles will sink down (but they will still taste delicious).  They are a tiny bit crumbly on removal from the muffin cups, so, as with almost all gf baked goods, be gentle.

Serving suggestion: These are incredibly rich and we served them with ripe strawberries and an ataulfo mango. Our friend suggested that some sort of alternative (or real) whipped cream would also be a nice accompaniment. Enjoy!

Apricity

  ‘The warmeness of the Sunne in Winter.’ Cockeram 1623.

-OED online version March 2011

The wise editors of the OED have categorized "apricity" as an obsolete word.  It appears indeed not to have been much used since it was defined by Cockeram (apparently the author of one of the earliest English language dictionaries).

Astute readers of this post will notice that it was written in the early spring, not winter (although for the record, it did snow here yesterday).  Yet it is my favorite word, and one that, metaphorically, describes my goal for this blog.  The word "apricity" represents, for me,  the idea of the little spots of joy and interest in life, much like the luxurious feeling of the warmth of the sun in winter.   Particularly the tiny simple pleasures, clever ideas and bits of beauty that standout like tiny pinprick stars against a lifetime's background of major events and daily routines.

I envision this blog as a place for me to pursue creative interests, and write about anything that gives me the warm fuzzy feeling of apricity.