Five Fun Things

That open letter is EXACTLY what I needed today… I’ve been feeling down in the dumps lately and that letter made me LOL – like literally LAUGH OUT LOUD!! Was a perfect little Thursday afternoon treat! Joanna – thank you for always being so awesome and knowing exactly what we need. Sending you big hugs and hope you feel better soon! XO

I love Go Dog, Go to the point I made the crazy flower pot hat for a Halloween costume! I tell you, it WAS unwieldy but oh so fun, especially when my friend’s mom, who was an elementary school librarian, knew exactly who I was! I loved everything about that hat wearing lady dog, from her skis to her scooter and all of her hats. She seems so much fun!

I just made that apple cake for the first time recently and I can attest to how delicious it is! I put in apple cider instead of the rum, and I think it might be even more apple-y and more delicious.

I first read that article a few years ago when I was as single as the day is long and I liked to talk about my terrible dates. I was also (and am still) a children’s librarian so EVERYONE sent it to me. It was an incredibly hilarious and also slightly uncomfortable collision of my personal and professional life. It also was really helpful dating advice!

this is amazing and easy and I make it all the time. It’s basically my one kitchen trick: http://oneperfectbite.blogspot.com/2009/10/apple-lady-apple-cake.html

So timely! Apples ☺️ Preparing this weekend for apple week with my preschoolers: making apple crisp, apple prints with tempera paints and cut apples, applesauce and apple tree pictures. Autumn is such a fun time for children, trying to let their happiness for the season be contagious for me. Happy Autumn equinox on Monday, a time when our days and nights are in balance, may we be also.

A funny coincidence, we just read Go Dog Go yesterday in storytime, and the hat part bothered me, as it always does. I think next time I’m going to retell it as “I like my hat!”, and “good for you!” in response. Thank you for giving me the push to tell a better story.

Our family is going through a rough week emotionally, and last night we ate dinner and watched “The Biggest Little Farm” together as a special treat (we don’t typically do movie/dinner on a school night). We all loved it, and felt truly uplifted. I highly recommend it if you haven’t already seen it. Take care.

Trying to imagine how I will subtly lick my wine glass at a restaurant because I really do want to keep the lipstick off my glass and on my lips! I’m just such a dork I know it’s not going to go well :)

Also, I am having a MONTH…I don’t know why but this time of year is tough….I think the transition from summer back to fall/everything. Love and hugs to you xoxo

Dear Joanna, I’m so sorry that things are hard for you right now. I hope that you have a site/book/friend that you can rely on to lift you up. I want you to know that Cup of Jo is one of my reliable mood boosters. I sometimes find myself years deep into the archives of this beautiful, smart, and encouraging site just because it makes me feel hopeful. Thank you for fostering that environment here. Sending you love, from a long-time admirer.

I highly recommend the hashtag on Instagram #quokka A quokka is a small Australian marsupial that lives on a place called Rottnest Island off the coast of Western Australia. They are so cute and expressive. I think they have become quite tame, because they get up pretty close to the tourists cameras.

Favorite apple cake: https://food52.com/blog/7925-heavenly-apple-cake
You can make it with bourbon instead of Calvados and it’s delicious. I make a few cakes for my kids’ school bake sale every year and this is one of them. I love how it smells cooking!

I’ve made a version of that delicate apple pie as mini tarts, using store-bought crust (just cut into circles, pressed into a cupcake pan) and a similar apple mixture. It’s actually very easy, and looks beautiful (bonus: easier to eat!)

Sorry to hear you are dealing with the depression monkey. I experienced a short bout of depression 20 years ago and it was terrible. It was black it was dark, it was a lack of energy I have not experienced since.
Since then, I have learned to meditate, run, use music to lift my moods or calm me down, drink some wine when nothing else feels right, or just go to bed at 8 pm in order to get up the next morning and try again. I also take hot baths with candles, do yoga, or just take a walk in the woods. I have heard gardening, cooking, or baking helps, going to the beach, staring at the sea, or doing repetitive things like sort legos or do a 3000 piece puzzle. Finding a new hobby that takes you outside of your comfort zone. For me it was joining a trail running club. When all else fails, I would not hesitate to take medication to lift the chemicals in brain. If one out of ten humans struggle with depression or anxiety, you bet that most people are not open with others about their condition, for personal or private reasons. But that is the thing with mental illness. The more people are not open about their need for help, the more stigma there is in seeking help or being honest with others. I have no doubt you will pull through with your family, online community and friends around you. Also, I learned the visualization trick about the grand canyon from you and I use it all the time. Sending big hugs from Europe from one full time working momma to another. xx

Is that recipe taken from David Lebovitz? I make his French apple cake. I’m not a baker and that cake is outstanding every time. It handles pan, oven, and climate variations, and even a novice baker like me. I can not recommend it enough. Vary the apples and even add a pear. It’s so good.

Please know that you have helped so many – with your considered and thoughtful posts, by fostering this smart and sassy community you’ve created, and just your lovely self shining through in your comments. On a really shitty day a couple years ago, I posted here about the anniversary of my mom’s anniversary and not getting up off the couch. You replied (I seriously startled when I saw that, as I suddenly felt much less alone), as did a few other lovely people here. I got off the couch. I hope that all the many people who know and love you IRL, plus all the people who, through this community you’ve created, now feel (maybe wrongly? maybe rightly?) like they know and love you (ain’t the internet grand and weird that way?), will help you do the same. A big hug. Bash on.

The “apfel-marzipan kuchen” from Luisa Weiss! It’s an almost creamy almond-flavoured cake with tart apples and apricot jam brushed on top after baking. It’s not at all complicated provided you can find a tube of almond paste (probably a lot easier in NYC than my corner of the world…), and looks stunning thanks to the glazed apples on top. I’ve made it twice this fall!

https://food52.com/recipes/61833-apple-almond-cake-apfel-marzipan-kuchen

Also, now I feel like a jerk commenting about an apple cake after seeing your link about having a difficult weekend. My mom passed away a year ago this October and I am also struggling. I guess it’s manifesting itself in unnecessary comments about apple cake. Sigh. Hang in there!

While it doesn’t have actual apples in it I love to make Smitten Kitchens apple cider caramels to celebrate fall and cooler weather. They taste like like apple pie and would be delicious If you didn’t let it set all the way as an ice cream topping!

Why “things you randomly think about every two weeks of your adult life” isn’t a hyperlink to an article in the Cup of Jo archive is beyond me. I love knowing that everyone is walking around with weird funny thoughts all the time!

In the fall there is nothing better than a tart Tatin with freshly picked apples! I don’t really use a recipe but the one in Dori Greenspan’s Baking from My Home to Yours is excellent. And I once baked Smitten Kitchen’s mom’s apple cake {substituting bourbon for the orange juice} for a potluck and when I retrieved the pan there were several slips of paper underneath begging for the recipe.

I can tell by looking at the recipe that the David Lebovitz cake you posted {via Posie Brien} will be a keeper.

Thank you for being so candid and brave when it comes to speaking about mental health issues. The world needs people like you to end the stigma around these illnesses. Sending you love and light.