Chocolate Guinness Gingerbread

• 1 cup Guinness stout
• 1 cup molasses
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 cups flour 
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 3 T. ground ginger
• 2 T cinnamon
• 1/2 t. ground cloves
• 1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 t. FINELY ground black or white pepper
• 1 ½ t. baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• 1 ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• dark choc. glaze or frosting (or just powdered sugar)

1. Pour beer and molasses into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in baking soda. Let cool. 
2. Once the beer-and-molasses mixture has cooled sufficiently, preheat oven to 350 F and prepare remaining ingredients.
3. Butter and flour a large bundt or loaf pan.
4. Sift together dry ingredients.
5. Whisk eggs add in sugars and oil, followed by the beer and molasses mixture.
6. Whisk in flour and spice mixture. Batter will be runny.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean.
8. Cool cake in pan for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a rack, lift off the pan and cool cake completely.
9. Cover with chocolate glaze.

something I've never done before...

When I was a wee little girl my mom's dad had an exquisite rose garden. He was very proud of his roses and I have a million memories of his beautiful yard. He passed away in March of this year. As a tribute to him I promptly purchased a couple of bare root Lincoln Roses.  I am afraid I did not inherit any of his amazing skills. I haven't ever tried to grow hybrid roses. My taste in flowers runs more to the wild daisy  range and so this was going to be a challenge. I have learned a lot. My goodness they are picky! I am used to throwing seed on the ground and maybe watering it! I got several beautiful blooms and now that the weather is getting frosty (actually snowy yesterday!) and it seemed time to tuck in the new babies. This morning I trimmed them down, removed crispy leaves and snuggled the stems into loose soil. I then wrapped burlap around metal frames and wished them well.  Let's see how they are in the spring!

Today's photo

There is a park nearby where I like to walk. I walk almost everyday. I try to find something beautiful to photograph with my trusty Canon Rebel t3 when I do. Somedays it is a crane stalking frogs, some days a wall of cat tails. A rock. A single bloom.

Red Sparks...

Acorns are seeds. jennifermaker.com has planted a seed in the tired soil of my garden. In JKR's amazing series of books about Harry Potter, if one character needs help they shoot red sparks up into the air as an indicator of location. If I send up this beacon will any old readers be interested? I am considering reviving my blog in a more focused way. I am toying with food (I should finish the French 50 for 50 concept but with a better name as I have three weeks left before the SCA turns 51.) What about gardening? What about herbalist shenanigans? I could of course blather on about books, I could pimp FEALTY. I could process some heavy grief/philosophical drama. It could be photography.(poetry?) I could figure out how to put a lil survey widget in this template...