Saturday 13 September 2008

Colours . . .




Frowns can make the start of day
A really dreary kind of grey.
But a smile is sunshine's gold
So will you today a smile unfold?
A smile - and this will make you think -
Puts you - and others - in the pink!!
~Elizabeth Gozney

What a lovely little poem. Just reading it puts a smile on my face, and brings a song to my heart. It's so true isn't it? A smile can turn your whole day around.

Occasionally I have a blue day. You know the kind, one of those days that, for inexplicable reasons, you just feel a bit down in the dumps. Nothing bad has happened and yet . . . you still feel a bit blue and melancholy.



I felt like that most of yesterday. Just a bit blue. No reason that I could put my finger on and yet , when I looked in the mirror, all I saw were my bad points . . . my hair that needs a haircut and is getting greyer by the day, my ever widening hips, all that cake I shouldn't have eaten but I did, not to mention the chocolate . . . all my bumps and wrinkles . . .

My thoughts gave way to all my shortcomings in life. The things I hadn't done, the things I shouldn't have ought to have done, the things that I want to do but wonder if I'll ever have the time to do. Self doubt crept in and I began to doubt that my artwork was really any good at all, that my writing was blah and that I would never amount to anything other than what I am . . . an overweight, middle -to rapidly-aging woman, living far away from my children and other family, and walloping pots from dawn til dusk . . . it was nothing . . . and it was everything . . .

and then . . .

as I sat in my chair during my break yesterday afternoon, I looked down at this . . .



And I saw the smile in it . . . and my whole day turned around, and suddenly things seemed that little bit brighter . . . even though the sun wasn't shining, and the bumps and wrinkles and ever widening hips were still there. The glass suddenly became half full again, and I began to count my blessings again, and I remembered who I was and what I was . . .

"You must know . . . that you are not alone in this world. There are hundreds of thousands of you. You live in many lands. You speak various languages. And every one of you has something divine within you. You are second to none. You are daughters of God."
~President Gordon B Hinckley

and suddenly . . . everything was alright again . . .



Our local shop often has recipe cards that are there for the taking, no charge whatsoever. They are usually quite seasonal and change from one month to the next. I have found that the recipes on them, whilst making good use of all the lovely ingredients that they have for sale in the shop, more often than not, are also really quite good recipes. Occasionally one catches my eye, and I find myself wanting to make it right away, and so I make sure that I purchase everything I need right on the day . . . and so it was with this lovely recipe. From the Waitrose September recipe card collection 2008 . . .



*Plum Tray Bake*
Makes 10 squares

This tray bake is lovely and spongy and creamy and stogged full of wonderfully juicy and sweet chunks of ripe plums. There is not much to improve upon here, except that next time I think I'll add a hint of spice to the batter mixture, such as some grated nutmeg and ground cinnamon, other than that, it is the perfect autumn delight!

200g tub of cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 TBS white sugar
4 medium eggs
175g unsalted butter, softened
175g dark muscovado sugar
200g self raising flour
400g ripe plums, halved, stoned and roughly chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter a 12 by 7 inch (approximately) shallow baking pan and line it with some baking parchment, making sure the paper comes up higher than the rim of the pan.

Place the cream cheese in a bowl and cream it until soft. Beat in the vanilla, white sugar and one of the eggs until smooth. Set aside.

In another bowl, place the remaining eggs, butter, muscovado sugar and flour. Beat with an electic whisk for about 2 minutes until pale and creamy.

Spread half of the batter into the prepared base of the tray. Then dollop on half of the cream cheese mixture. Swirl it through a bit unevenly through the base. Scatter on half of the chopped plums. Spoon the remaining batter over top and dot with the rest of the creamed cheese mixture. Scatter with the remaining plums.

Bake for about 45 minutes until risen and just firm to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin before cutting into pieces. Serve warm or cold, with or without ice cream. Delicious!



*Note - when I make this again (and I will) I shall add about 1/4 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg and 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon to the batter mix. Then it will be perfect!

16 comments:

  1. Glad that you are feeling better. I love the quote you put in of Pres. Hinckley....we all need to remember who we really are....we are daughters of our Heavenly Father who loves us and we love Him. I know that both of us say that in our theme in Young Women's each week....we just have to work on really knowing it....believing it.

    Sometimes I feel down about myself and my accomplishment too....but I know who it is that wants us to feel that way...and it is NOT our Heavenly Father.

    This recipe look devine.... I am pretending to have some with you right now.

    Thanks for the email....I sent one back to you.

    We are having a ward swim party here at our house tomorrow so I'd better get in bed.... I need to be up bright and early with energy to finish getting last min. things ready.

    Have a great Sat. As always I send love. Lura

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  2. Oh MAJ, I am just getting back into blogging now we have a proper connection again. Your comment on my blog made me feel better. Yep it's the weather that's making us feel like this.
    My, how your blog has changed from the AOL one. All you need t do now, it tell me how to set up an alert for you, so I can read you everyday again.
    Gaz xxxx

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  3. It's me, I've done it I think!
    Gaz x

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  4. Glad your feeling better Marie.
    That plumb tray bake looks rather yummy!

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  5. I hope you are still cheery again :)

    It looks like a delicious plum cake that could cheer everyone up!

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  6. That looks soooo good! I'm glad you're feeling better!

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  7. Oh Marie, last night Iwas how you, this things make me think we are only human being! Ionly wanted to go bed, so late, Hubby have to pic the childs of other House and I have the dinner to them (always the same history) finally they arrive and I go to the bath to wash my face and theeh and look at the mirror, ji! I find I was with a lot of wrinkles! and I was so tired to put cream in my face I cut the light and I was to bed, Im old I think, really Im old, well I have 54 what more I hope??
    But Im the morning here Im again and I feel how a girl, (I dont see atthe mirror yet!! ji) Dear all we have these days. Lovely picture of your dog, today Mouska sleep under the MarĂ­a Esperanza bed,....Nice recipe, I love plums, here a litle time more we will have plums soon. Blessings and have a lovely day to all of you, Gloria

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  8. My goodness...I want to run into my kitchen and bake this right away!

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  9. Marie, I think we all have those days. I know I do. Thankfully we all come out of them. Yes, we are all God's daughters - just think of all the sisters we have! That means a lot to me, as I have no blood sisters! That plum bake looks fantastic, I agree with the spices. Much love, Raquel Xo

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  10. Hello, dear Marie! So glad to finally stop by...We're still Stateside--having a SUPER time. We head back to Norway tomorrw. Once home and settled, I look forward so much to catch up with you. I'm feeling low today myself, so my feeling echoes yours. I wish we had a few more days visiting my family..they days just have flewn by. But I know we will be back for Christmas holidays before long...So trying to turn the feelings around. :o) Love today's recipe--LOVE plums! Hope you & Todd are having a lovely weekend! Talk to you soon! Love you heaps!! ((BIG HUGS)) P.S. found beads to your askings while shopping ;o)

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  11. Those blue-sy days can sure work on us can't they? You are a love and you give so much. You inspired me, and I purchased Dorie's book, and it arrived yesterday!! I can't wait to follow your adventures thru it and give a few of them a try myself. Your plum cake is delightful, is the muscovado sugar readily available? I wil have to check my market to see, or perhaps a kitchen specialty store.

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  12. I get that feeling sometimes as well. No reason... just general discouragement. This lovely post will help to remind me that sometimes a simple thing like a smile can make the difference in someone's day. Blessings and (((hugs))) to you!- Jenny

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  13. We all have our down days but don't think that your posts don't affect many people. I have adopted your quote by Marjorie Pay Hinckley to help me be positive each day. Thank you for your kind and Christian spirit and for your wonderful recipes! I just wish I knew how to convert them to our measurements. I will have to learn how to do that.

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  14. This looks so good Marie!! I love it that it has cream cheese in it YUM!!

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  15. Glad you did feel better, Pal :)
    I've been noticing that word a lot these days. "whilst"
    We americans don't tend to use it and it's been popping up in my daily readings. So I tried to say it and my tongue got all twisty like. In my frustration, I thought it better to just make fun of the english bloke for using it..haha. What a little devil I am, huh? haha

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  16. Thank you for coming by and commenting, Marie... I have been so immersed in school this year, as I should be. It does take me away from the computer in the evenings, especially these first weeks as I bring home the photos of the kids to create photo-seating charts. All that cut and pasting takes a very long time. I liked this entry because I remember when I doubted my own self-worth as an artist. Others said I was good, but my Self doubted. After all, there wasn't many dollars coming my way to prove that what I did was valued by those with money to spend. Then I learned many years ago that my personal worth should not be measured by earthly standards. Like you said, we are daughters of God. I've been feeling blue lately, too. Too much alone time. Not having my dogs to cheer me up, to make me laugh spontaneously, not cuddling up beside me when I sit in the chair, not running around me as I walk through the yard... so much they gave to me, so much is gone. I am sad every day as I drive into our driveway, and walk into the house. It's too quiet around here.

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