Remembering tomorrow

Xavier Encinas via

Last night I had the craziest dream. All of my "tomorrows" of 2011 (you know, dreams, coffee catch ups, plans and nice stuff) flooded my memory. Everything I love(d) was under the spotlight in a madcap, circus-like roadshow. Gets weird. Every face I knew exactly this time last year (the people I'd work with, the ones I'd join in coffee queues, the mag shop owner) starred in the show donning top hats, tutus and attempting some kind of act.

"Remembering Tomorrow" via

Gets weirder. Today, as I'm struggling more than ever to find something all new and original to post, I resort to clicking into my drafts. The one I look to is appropriately titled "remembering tomorrow." This is where the "ooh's and ahhh's" chime in and an unexplainable jumble of crock slots right into a some sense (at least for me).

Rambles aside, I'm not one for digging up the past but if I didn't send myself batty dreaming about last year's "tomorrows," I can't imagine when I would've been pointed back in the direction of Encinas' work (saved in this draft post) to share it with you lovely readers. Check it out. Hope you like it.

Recipe: Choc Brownies with Chipotle Ganache



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 For those who don't know, I've been on a health kick - minimal carbs, less sugars and more greens have been the go and so far things are looking good. Unfortunately for me, cravings for the odd chocolate-dipped-anythings aren't fading so I went searching in the one direction I knew would serve up the goods minus the guilt - raw food recipes! I've always been intrigued by a raw food diet but was always a little afraid of letting go of the cooked stuff. I know I won't ever be a complete raw-convertee but I sure can see my cooking repertoire expanding thanks to discovering this site. First to be trialed will be the craving-crusher, butter-and-gluten-free, totally raw Chocolate Brownies drenched in Chipotle Ganache. Yep, I did say butter and gluten free!


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 Choc Brownies with Chipotle Ganache

Ingredients:
2 cups walnut pieces
1 cup cocoa
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
Pinch of coarse salt
2 cups Medjool dates, pitted (do not substitute these for the drier, smaller ones)
1/2 cup dried figs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp Agave nectar (or honey)

Ganache:
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup plus a bit more, chopped dark chocolate
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
1 tbsp Agave nectar (or honey)
In a food processor, add the walnuts and process until fine. Add the cocoa, and process more (scrape the sides down). Add chipotle, cinnamon and salt; process until combined. Add the dates and figs, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping after each addition. Add the vanilla and agave. Add a touch more agave if still dry. Press into a 8x8 inch square pan. Set aside while you make the ganache.
Ganache preps: combine chocolate, chipotle and agave. In a saucepan, heat cream until it starts to simmer. Pour over the chopped chocolate mixture and stir very well. When it is smooth, pour ganache over the brownies, smooth the top and refrigerate for 50-60 minutes until set. Cut into squares and there you have it!Butter-free, gluten free glory. Recipe from
Rawmazing.

Friday's Finds

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Working behind a corporate desk on a part time basis has its benefits. The main pro being that Friday is no longer a work day! The itch for the weekend doesn't fade, though so here's a few links to see us all scoot through to 5pm a little easier.

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1. Ever wondered what dough would look like as art....when plonked on someones head? Check this out, not just because it's my write up!
2. You're probably all aware that I face an ongoing battle with a caffeine addiction I can't quite shake. Main reason being, tea doesn't feel like it has the guts of a good strong latte. Untilnow. These shark infusers are ready to change things.
3. It's always easier to get a chuckle from someone else's woes. It's also the inspiration behind this blog where photos of miserable people pointing at dog turds and trees in their gardens shine.

A date for one.

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Yesterday's day trip wasn't the only interstate-er I've embarked on solo but it was the only one out of many that I've taken a moment to break the cycle I deem essential - of keeping up with busy thoughts and lists to be done.

I spent the little time I had wandering (at a rare snails pace) the streets and kicking back over brewed tea leaves. I met with a friend or two, we chatted over our happenings, laughed over nothings and delved into the deeper of life's details. Until the time came for one - me. Amongst the coffee machine clangs and surrounding chats, I sat alone with a whirl of my emotions stirring, ready for the taking. When I look beyond my mind's quick response to distraction, I can reach them. I overcame that self-imposed awkwardness solo-tea-drinking can be paired with and slipped away into the sweetest moments of some kind of relative alertness. I was miles away from thoughts of tomorrow's commitments. I focused on the sunlight dancing through the trees, I opened a book, even took pen to paper and jotted thought. These are the little things that if I take time for, guide me to a simple quiet within me.

I rested in this moment for the little while I spent on my date-for-one. I reminisced on my days spent pursuing life in another city, solo; a memory now flooding its gorgeously bright light in every direction I set my dreams towards.

I figured there must be a light bulb moment in everyone's days. Mine was then; only at that time, completely alone, was it possible to ponder my dreams and directions to shape an unshakable bond with every ounce of who I am.

source to come.

I read a contributor's brilliant few words from the mag (Kinfolk) I held in my company - "solitude fortifies me. It cultivates me, someone worth sharing." Yestarday, spent in my own simple quiet, I couldn't have put it any better. I restored an energy of possibility into my being, refined my thinking and nurtured someone I too find worth sharing. It’s something I promise myself to take part in, if only for a moment. Daily.

Friday's Finds

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Friday's links-to-the-rescue couldn't come sooner, huh?

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1. If you have less plans and more time on your hands this weekend, Check out how to update the old wicker basket into something pretty DIY fabulous.
2. Thank goodness for this collection of vintage vogue covers!

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3. So I don't have any bambinos of my own, but I do have enough rugrats from family and friends crawling around the place to know a good outfit when I see one. For the littlies that is. Oeuf's new range is all over the cuteness thing with and extra quirky-something. Check it out..

See you on the other side of the weekend!

Road tripping

You might remember that road trip I carried on about? Well the trip is well and truly over and we've managed to settle (just) back into our day-to-days.

I was giddy like a bambino for the 10 days the boy and I would spend driving around Tasmania. That first photo is a dead giveaway - as I carried on in song and dance, excited as ever, the boy took charge of map and road driving us from sandy beaches to cliff-skimming paths, out of bogged rainforest roads and back on track through the most picturesque land I've seen. Here's how we spent our days...

via Wursthaus Hobart

Finding civilization after that minor 'slip', let alone discovering Hobarts famous gourmet Deli, was well worth the wait.

And if you don't get your tush to Hobarts famous bakery you'll be committing crime#1. Just saying.

Our drive took us up and around the mountains and witnessed us sneak a peek above the cloud tops. Yup, we were perched pretty high. Perfect time to introduce you to my "happy song!" At times when my passenger door lined up neatly with the edge of the tallest mountain edges, I was quick to flick on a sweet little track that went like this...saved my day and the driver's patience I'd say!

...we even saw our boots dig a few feet deep in snow. Thankfully we took the road back to ground level before our car tyres snuck their way under too!

x.

Body balance

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Just wondering how everyone else in winter-drenched towns is coping with all the second-serves of hearty meals, red wine and cheese platters these months call for? Personally, I'm feeling ready to exit hibernation and would like to tell my jeans where to shove their subtle "hint" of strain. So the time has come. A little detox for 2012 is in store! You might remember my post about this a while back? Well, it's on again. Over the next two weeks I'll be focusing on what Mr Duigan (trainer to Ms Macpherson herself) prescribes; less sugar, more greens and upping the cardio burn. Here goes.

Join in if you want. I'd love to see how someone else goes with the ups and downs of cleansing and detoxifying! I'll keep you posted on my progress anyway...