Ginger Molasses Cookies

I had a really early morning today, up and out the door to work a frosting shift, and I didn't rearrange my Sunday evening to get an adequate night's rest. I finished my shift about 8:45 this morning, leaving a whole vast expanse of day with which to achieve all of the goals for my day that I carefully listed in my bullet journal before bed last night.

It's a quiet, cool, cloudy kind of day. (as I'm writing this, it's finally raining outside which makes all the cloudy grayness even better). I spent the day at my desk, working in my bullet journal, writing a letter to a friend, and catching up on administrative sorts of things. When lunchtime came, I took a break with a lovely bucolic book I'm presently reading then returned to my desk. The quietness, gray and solitude were lovely companions to my day... until about 3 o'clock, when my inadequate night's sleep caught up with me and it was all I could do to stay awake.

Harboring hope that I would still get a few things done on my list, and not wanting to take a nap for fear I'd never want to go to sleep tonight, I knew a change of pace was in order and headed to the kitchen to wash some dishes and find a snack. Before I even crossed the room to the kitchen, I knew I wanted to make ginger-molasses cookies, and I realized delightedly that I had everything I needed on hand to get the job done.

With the oven preheating, I pulled out the few simple ingredients and started mixing. While my coconut oil softened on the stovetop, I washed the dishes left in the sink from before. By the time my coconut oil was soft and ready for adding to the dry mix, I already had a clean kitchen. I put the first tiny batch of mini-cookies in our small oven and washed the few items I'd used to make the cookies. 9 minutes later the first batch was done. 

Like I said, we have a small oven, so I use mini cookie sheets. Since I'm still getting used to this new oven and haven't made this recipe in it yet - or figured out the oven's baking quirks (and it sure does seem to have some) - I opted to bake one tray of cookies at a time, so that I didn't have to worry about one tray cooking differently than another or affecting each other's conduction of heat.

It took three 9-minute runs to get all of the mini-cookies baked. But this felt like a perfect way to spend my time, sitting with the cookies as they baked, rotating them as they finished. It was a nice diversion from the stillness I'd had at my desk all day.

All through the afternoon I'd had trouble shaking the chill off of me, so I was more than happy to babysit the oven and sit near its warmth. As the second batch started baking I depanned the first six small cookies, and proceeded to eat them, still hot and chewy from the oven, while I waited for the second batch to finish.

After the last batch was on the cooling rack, I took Pepper for a walk in the rain and returned to a house that was inviting in its warmth and its autumn spice scent. The act of baking, washing dishes, walking the dog (and no doubt the tasty molasses) gave me just the extra boost I needed to come back here and get a few more things done before I call it a day.

And not only did I give myself a boost, but Benjamin was delighted to come home from work and find the surprise of fresh cookies waiting, still sitting out to cool. Isn't it lovely when everything's on hand for a last-minute bake-off? There is much to be said for the benefits of a well-stocked baker pantry as a means of nurturing ourselves and others.

These cookies are grain-free and vegan. I adapted them from http://comfybelly.com/2011/12/ginger-snap-cookies-using-almond-flour/#.WA6JTzKZPeQ

Ginger Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups blanched almond flour

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 2 teaspoons ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon cloves

• 1/3 cup molasses

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, softened

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F

• Grease baking sheet with coconut oil.

• Mix together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a bowl. - I used a coarse almond meal because I like the nutty, crunchy texture in these cookies!

• Combine molasses and coconut oil to a small bowl. If coconut oil has chunks in it, just set it over the oven vent on your stove top until it melts.

• Add the molasses and coconut oil to the dry mix and blend well until a soft dough forms.

• Roll about 1 tablespoon of dough into a small ball and place it on the greased baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.

• Press each cookie with the palm of your hand, or a fork, to flatten it out.

• Bake for 9 minutes or until the cookies are turning golden brown (it may be hard to tell with the dark molasses color of the cookies, and they do tend to burn easily. Try anywhere from 8-10 minutes depending on your oven).

• Eat hot right out of the oven for a super-chewy, warm, delicious cookie. Or, let it cool for a crispy outside and a chewy inside. YUMM.

Yields about 18 mini-cookies.

Why I Love Tarot

Meditation promises many benefits including reduced stress and improved mental and physical health. It's long been something that I've been told that I should do by well-meaning others. But my mind and heart weren't ever able to connect with it. That changed last year when I found tarot. Now, I'm a practical person who doesn't put any stock in hogwash. Tarot isn't something I ever would have even remotely considered because there's no way I could buy into the belief that cards (or anything else) can tell me my future. But it turns out that’s a misunderstanding. In reality many people use them in a way that makes practical sense for someone like me.

What finally engaged me with the tarot was learning that it can be used as a meditative tool. It provides a physical object to handle and interact with. When I sit down with my cards, it automatically puts me in a different mind-state because they are a tool used only for meditative purposes - I’ve created an association that helps my mind and body slip into a quieter and more focused state of mind. As I start shuffling them I begin to breathe more intentionally and think to myself about what it is that feels out of balance or unanswered or in need of attention inside of me. Then I ask a question to myself in that vein. When no questions come to mind, I just inquire about general wisdom to guide me through my day.

So far, this may still sound to some like hocus-pocus mumbo-jumbo. But it's the intent with which I approach it that makes the difference. I'm know that the cards don’t hold the answers. I approach each meditation knowing that I already have all of the answers within me. The cards are just a tool to help me quiet and focus and find what's already inside. The question emanates from within, and the answers do too.

First Beach Day of 2016

I can't even believe the good luck. I managed to score a beach day in FEBRUARY!! It's the first beach day of 2016. Months earlier than expected! It was restorative to the soul.