A SLIPPERY SLOPE, COVERED IN CHOCOLATE

(Turkish apricots, dunked in dark chocolate, awaiting to be eaten -- Portland, last Fall)

It is dangerous to think of all the things I miss about being home -- counter-productive, saddening, dis-heartening, and guilt-inducing. I feel so incredibly lucky to be on this adventure and taste a very different life . . . Everyday brings some new issue and way of doing things -- as I've said before, it's fascinating, beguiling and wonderful.

But there is a little black cloud that settles over my mind when I'm feeling a bit low -- and that is I really miss baking and sweet-making. Sure there are crepes, rice-puddings and chais to be had here -- plenty of them! and there are a few bakeries around town that make passable brownies. They definitely lack in cocoa powder though -- they just don't throw enough in to their chocolate cakes (which, by the way all have funny titles like 'Chocolate Ecstasy,' amongst others)... In Portland, after a tough day -- I'd turn to whipping up a batch of cookies, a pie crust, a new and complex recipe . . . Or, just dip something -- ANYTHING -- in chocolate -- as seen above.

You see, I'm a simple girl -- I like baking and chocolate. Being without an oven for this long has been a challenge for my psyche. Buying goodies just doesn't pack the same therapeutic benefits.

So, yes, I will be happy to bake again one day. I also wouldn't mind walking on a sidewalk again! Until then, I leave you with a happy image of chocolate-covered apricots, resting in my old yellow Portland kitchen. There's really no recipe -- just melt high-percentage (60-70%) dark chocolate, I like Scharffenberger or anything from Cacao, careful to not let it burn and dip to your heart's content -- feel your spirits lifted! Works every time.