Rainy Days . . .

A rainy day, Tazo Awake tea, a soft boucle-yarn crocheted shawl, and an Elizabeth Berg novel. Need I say more?

 

And what did you find pleasurable today?

 

Confessions of a Love-Struck Reader

I mentioned that I love to bake. What I didn’t reveal was my deepest, most secret desire: to own a bakery and coffee shop. Just a small one; red brick walls, glossy wooden floors, lovely little cakes and tarts and pastries hugging each other in neat rows behind glass. Myself, wearing a white apron streaked with chocolate, flour in my hair and on my face, my hands covered with sticky layers of dough. And the smell of coffee and sugar and vanilla everywhere.

So you can imagine that my heart skipped a beat when I saw Confections of Closet Master Baker: A Memoir in the “New Books” section of my library. I was so enthralled that at first I didn’t even notice the Confections in the title, reading it as the traditional Confessions. How clever! I thought later, when I fell so in love with this book that I wanted to memorize everything about it.

I skipped all the traditional courting rituals that come with selecting a book that I’ll commit a precious block of my time to--reading the first paragraph, paging through to see whether the prose catches my eye, lingering over the book jacket description, flipping to the back pages to find the author’s bio—and instead popped it into my book bag without a second thought. I am so glad that I did.

Biting into Confections of Closet Master Baker is just as satisfying as the packaging promises. It’s well-written, it’s interesting and entertaining, and—be still my heart—it has recipes. It’s not a cookbook; it is a story about, as the blurb on the front of the book declares, “One Woman’s Sweet Journey from Unhappy Hollywood Executive to Contented Country Baker.”

I’ll admit to a moment of doubt early on when the author mentioned her famous-actor “sister.” It was only then that I even bothered to look at her name: Gesine Bullock-Prado. Oh. Well. Of course she opened a bakery and got a book published; she’s not a regular person after all. Later, after Gesine wooed me back by infusing every ounce of her story with the kind of joy that many of us feel when creating something we love, I was embarrassed that I had doubted her.

This is how much I love this book: I’m going to return the library’s copy and go directly to the bookstore to buy my own. Or two; I know I’ll run across a kindred baker-soul who will enjoy this book as much as I do. I feel like Gesine Bullock-Prado, the author of Confections of Closet Master Baker, has given me a gift, and I want to pass that gift along. It’s the same kind of desire that prompts me to create rich and luscious chocolate cakes and buttery coconut cookies and then feed them to people, just to watch their faces light up with pleasure.

When I get back from the bookstore, I’m going to read the book all over again. But this time, I’ll make a pot of coffee from freshly ground beans. I’ll set out a little plate of rosemary-lemon cookies, and the fancy creamer that usually collects dust in the cabinet. And I’ll savor all over again the pleasure that is this book.

And what did you find pleasurable today?

P.S.: In the spirit of Confections, here’s the recipe for Rosemary-Lemon Cookies:
1 c. flour
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg yolk, well beaten
1/2 t. vanilla
2 T. fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
1-3/4 t. grated lemon rind
1/8 t. salt
Confectioner’s sugar

Cut butter into the flour with a pastry blender (or two knives, or a fork) until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the sugar and mix well. Add the egg yolk and the vanilla, then the rosemary, lemon rind, and salt and blend. Shape the dough into rolls on parchment or wax paper (I like small cookies, so I make the rolls about 1” in diameter) and wrap. Refrigerate for several hours (or, ideally, overnight).

Slice the rolls about 1/4” thick and place the slices on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with Confectioner’s sugar (optional; the sugar makes the cookies a little sweeter, but creates a really lovely glaze on top).

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.
Enjoy!

The Birth of a Blog

I’m so happy you’re here!

This blog has been taking shape in my head for several weeks now, ever since I read Elizabeth Berg’s The Year of Pleasures. I really enjoyed the book, but it ended too quickly.

The idea of savoring pleasures, however, was firmly implanted, and I couldn’t shake the desire to pay more attention to the small pleasures of life, nor the desire to share them with others. Thus, I’m bringing forth A Year of Pleasures. One year of savoring and sharing pleasures is all I’m committing to right now, but maybe this little seedling will take root and become firmly implanted and inextricable from the garden of myself.

Now, the last thing I need is another blog. My life is frustratingly full and joyfully busy. But I find myself at odd moments of the day enjoying little things, and slowing down to savor those moments makes them all the more special. These are the moments I want to share with you, my virtual friends and blog readers. And please, share your own moments with the rest of us! Leave comments and let us know what you found pleasure in today.

Just so you know what to expect, I’ll be sharing whatever strikes my fancy at the moment—anything from books to web sites to blogs to recipes to products to ideas—and causes me to pause during the course of a day (or over several days, depending on time constraints) and savor the pleasure. I don’t have any financial ties or interest in any of the products or web sites I mention in blog postings, with one exception: if you click a link to a book on Amazon.com and then buy a book, I get paid a few cents. Typically, it adds up to enough to buy a gourmet cup of coffee and a scone about once a quarter. In return, I’ll share the experience with you here and also send you warm thoughts of gratitude.

To kick off this blog, I think it’s only right to introduce you to Elizabeth Berg and this blog’s namesake, The Year of Pleasures. I recently discovered Berg, and I can’t get enough of her. She is not a literary genius; her work would never be considered “high art” (or maybe even “art” at all). For me, her books are like comfort food, or that lovely morsel of dark chocolate you savor in the afternoon. Not necessarily nutritious, and definitely lacking fiber, but good for the soul and so carefully wrought that you feel the love the author has for words. Occasional passages in Berg’s novels are more poetry than prose, and I slow down, savor them, let them roll around in my head for a while.

The Year of Pleasures revolves around a recently-widowed woman who is living out the dream she shared with her late husband of leaving the big city and moving to a quiet little town in search of a rhythm different from what they had known. Berg’s novels often incorporate themes of death, but not in a depressing or melodramatic way: sad, yes; regretful, maybe. But the thing I love about her work (aside from the smart, occasionally funny, and often lyrical writing) is the way she opens up her characters so fully and invites us into their frail, petty, noble, beautiful humanness. We’re right there with Berg’s characters as they open their eyes and pay attention to the world around them—including the uncomfortable parts, like death, alongside the pleasurable parts.

You can read the first chapter of The Year of Pleasures online at Amazon.com. If it’s not your cup of tea, maybe you’ll find another book that will pull you into its pleasurable depths for a few moments.

And what did you find pleasurable today?